#not unless you managed to develop Gale

[heleentje]

I've read your Moonlight series before totk even released and now that I'm playing it, I keep wondering. How do you think Moonlight Revali would feel about Tulin being the (keeping this non-spoilery) "chosen" in this generation?

Oho, now that's an interesting question!

(I will be going into spoilers here, both for totk and for Moonlight and its sidefics, because it's easier to talk about things that way.)

I don't think we'll ever include the events of totk in the Moonlight universe (these characters have suffered enough already), so there probably wouldn't be an occasion for Tulin to actually become the Sage of Wind. But let's assume for the sake of argument that the sages do awaken (preferably in a way that doesn't ruin the whole of Hyrule again).

Revali's reaction, as with most things about him, would be... complicated.

I do not think he would be jealous. Revali built his entire self-worth on getting where he is on his own merits, without mystical lineages or magical weapons. If anything, Tulin being a sage would only serve as vindication to him: he developed an ability that rivals that of the Sage of Wind, and he did it all on his own. He Is Just That Good.

... Or is he?

Because Revali is a creature of crippling self-doubt hidden behind a thin veneer of overconfidence, I do think he might actually start to wonder: is he also descended from the Sage of Wind? Sure, Tulin is in no way related to him, but Moonlight!Revali only ever knew his mother, not his father. The ancient sage lived untold millennia ago; realistically, every living Rito would be related to the sage in some form. So what if all the things he thought he accomplished on his own were just a manifestation of his lineage?

(At this point, I would be remiss not to mention the Great Eagle Bow and why both the sage and Revali have it. And here I'm going to go with @ginneke's headcanon that this is all a predestination paradox, and Zelda was the one who helped develop the weapons for the sages based on what she remembered of the champions' weapons)

Now, this is story logic, not real-life genetics, so I am of the opinion that Revali is 100% not related to the Sage of Wind and developed his Gale all on his own. But it's a fun bit of doubt to pile on top of him :D

And there's another aspect of his life where Tulin awakening as sage is relevant: Moonlight!Revali becomes Tulin's teacher (as established in Harmonize your own worth). It's something he has done before and enjoys doing, and he clearly wants to pass on his own abilities. So I think he'd definitely be proud of Tulin for developing Gust! It is a pretty spectacular thing to do at such a young age, and a credit to Revali as a teacher.

... Which would be another thing that Tulin becoming the Sage of Wind would throw into question. Because was it ever really because of Revali's teaching that Tulin developed Gust, or was he always destined to, because of this ancient lineage?

In short, the whole thing would do a number on Revali's psyche, though not necessarily in the ways you might expect. And of course, he'd definitely be trying to replicate Gust for himself! He can already go upwards, how hard can it be to move forward?

(Knowing Revali, very :3)

[muchmossymess]

uh oh guys, hot take alert:

i think revali may have invented hand held aerial archery HEAR ME OUT- (this is a long one boys)

okay. evidence one: why the fuck would a rito shoot like that. like, it makes nearly zero sense, it would be such a hindrance to their flight and their main stake is that they can be higher than you can shoot whilst still pinging you... which revali has overcome with his gale

evidence two: tulin and the concept arts. obviously rito style archery would be held in their talons. before totk came out idk if anyone had really thought about it too much, but the developers had, as you can see in concept art (from the creating a champion book). and like, its logical, powerful, and allows for peak maneuverability. also, when in flight revali (and teba) holds his bow in his talons before switching to his wings. surely its easier to keep it in your wing (obvi ignoring the effects to flight but hes doing that anyway firing the damn thing) rather than switch back and forth- unless you were taught that way, because why would you hold it elsewhere, you need it in your talons to shoot.

evidence three: we dont see any other rito do it (...kind of). throughout botw and totk, we never see another rito flying with a bow in their hands. in totk, its mostly tulin, who holds it in his talons, but in botw the big one is teba. during the medoh quest, he actually gives *link* his bow, and therefore does no shooting in the sky. teba and harth had both tried to take on medoh before, but we never see this, and while they holds their bows in their hands *on the ground,* we dont see it.

...except for aoc (uh, spoilers?). there are two times we see a rito other than revali hold their bow in their hand for aerial archery. but it is not with any rito soldiers, either during cutscenes (the bows are only on their backs) or gameplay (they swoop down, and then hand hold bows on ground. they arent seen flying at all but thats prolly for the same reasons as botw: its very hard to code that (and so they write the lore around that fact)). the first time we actually see another rito do this, we dont see it. Its teba, as he comes thru the portal, but all we see is the arrow shot, and then him freeze frame with the bow in one wing. we dont see the bow in his hand for the rest of the fight. the second time we actually see him fighting like this, it *is* in the air, but its noticeably different to revali.

hes a lot slower, it clearly takes a LOT more effort to shoot the bow, and he only pulls off one arrow at a time. its canon that revalis bow is heavier/harder to draw, and he manages to effortlessly stream arrows whilst fucking floating midair. i think teba, forever a revali fanboy, heard of how the champion mastered his own style of archery and sought to teach himself, but lacked one key thing: revalis mastery of wind.

evidence three point five: revali could easily use his powers to hold him in the air longer/slow his descent long enough for him to fire his shots. it makes sense, really. if he can use his gale to propel him, he can sit on the updraft for a hot sec, or even curve the path to carry him along while he lines up the shot. this would mean he wouldnt need to flap as much as other rito, who would obviously need to keep flying

evidence four: revalis fighting style and his needs. revali works with non rito, obviously. he needs to be able to communicate with them on the battlefield, and they wont understand the muffled chirps if he holds his string in his beak, so he needs his mouth free to speak hylian. also, revalis main tactic is fly up with gale, shoot, fall, either shoot more or use velocity and weight to knock around opponents, and then fly back up. he often needs both feet planted firmly on the ground to get a good hold of his gale, something that is harder to do if you have a bow in the way.

also, take for example the kick he delivers link in their fight (aoc). that would possibly damage the bow, or give the opponent a chance to grab his weapon, if he held it in his talons. and to switch from feet to back is a risky maneuver during freefall, and could lose precious seconds, and then when you get back in the air you need to get it off your back again. its much easier to keep the bow loosely in your wing the whole time, meaning your free to attack melee, land and rise all while not wasting a single moment getting your next shot lined up.

so yeah, i think the rito used the talon grip for aerial archery, and would often use the hand held method on the ground for a variety of reasons (more powerful shots?, easier in some situations like hunting), but revali was perhaps the first to use hand held aerial, another reason he was one of the greatest archers ever.

[dreamingofthewild]

Okay so, unfortunately, I can't see anyone helping him out of that rock. Even Wyll and Karlach would be too preoccupied with each other to notice the portal. So unless someone does decide to interact with it, I'm not sure he would make it out. I'm 50/50 on the idea of Astarion or Shadowheart interacting with the portal. Lae'zel wouldn't.

So I am going to assume that Gale didn't get stuck in the portal in this scenario. Like in his origin playthrough, which I guess would make him the leader.

I think that without the player character he will take and source artefacts that contain the weave himself. Wyll & Karlach would definitely help him. I can see Astarion helping him as a means for his own protection. I.e. I give you artefacts if you feed me. He does canonically try to seduce Gale so it stands that if that doesn't work he would try other means. And I think Gale would begrudgingly go along with it.

Everyone tries to talk Gale out of blowing himself up in Act 2, in a Tav playthrough all the companions are against it so they will talk him out of it. And tbh I think someone would knock him out if it came to it.

They would all die if they allow him to use the orb, and I think newly freed Astarion would take personally as he selfishly doesn't want to die while Cazador lives. And if he is trying to use Gale for protection he will want Gale alive.

If Gale offered to teleport them away then thay would mean Astarion would immediately be enthralled by Cazador again. So either by convincing him, by force, or encouraging him to look into the crown (which he is clearly interested in) he will not use the orb in Act 2.

I don't think he would blow himself up in Act 3 because by then he wants to live. You have to convince him to use the orb by that point.

He would never give the crown to Raphael.

It's convincing him to not go for the crown that I'm not sure about. If he fell in love or developed a deep connection with one of the other characters then he would act in the exact same way he does with Tav. And I don't belive that any of the Companions would convince him to become a God if romanced with him.

I think there is a 50/ 50 chance that he would ascend or give the crown to Mystta depending on his interactions with the other characters and if they manage to convince him to give it up.

That's the thing I'm not sure about. If none of the Companions romanced him, I think he would ascend. But if they romanced him, I think he would give the crown to Mystra.

So I feel I have a pretty good idea of how the various companions would turn out if they were to somehow go through BG3 without a player influencing them (aka I love these assholes but they're all morons and they'd make terrible terrible choices without me), but I genuinely can't make up my mind what ending Gale would get without a player controlling or influencing him.

[bitchesgate3]

Tips for Getting Companion Scenes

Before I get to reblogging today’s daily dose of bg3 content, I’m gonna repost my spoiler-free detailed tips on maximizing companion content here for my tumblrfolks in prep of Patch 5 tomorrow:

Camp OFTEN! There are two camp scenes before the grove fight that serve as a good starting point for getting to know the companions. Companions often have something to say after you move along in their quest or in the main quest. Do one step of a companion's quest - camp - and only then do another's. (If you do them simultaneously, you will create a backlog of scenes. Meaning you might have camped after getting Gale to Medium approval, but because Wyll was just recruited, Wyll's scene occurs first. You will have to leave the area, and camp in a different one in order to “clear the queue” and have Gale's scene occur. Just camp often and you will not have to keep track of this too much, but you can learn to min-max this pretty effectively.) Camping may or may not change much with the new camping system in patch 5, but as far as I know, you can still "spam" camps and choose not to use any resources to forgo healing, if I understood it correctly.

Use the Tadpole. When the game releases you probably want to avoid this thing, but for now, I recommend using the Tadpole until you get the first two dreams. Because whatever is going on with the tadpole involves temptation, so you might want to hear the sorts of dreams and confessions the tadpole provokes in your companions - as well as the situations that arise from them.

Choose 3 Favorites and rank them. While Act 1 Part 1 is probably the playground to get to know the companions without committing to a definite trio, I recommend making your decision quickly in any playthrough. Whether by design or not, unless you've done their plots a million times and know when to swap them out and micro manage them - you will miss content and possibly miss environmental triggers that are necessary for their character development if you don’t stick with them. Additionally, in some camp scenes, the order you talk to your companions determines what they say and how much you can respond to. This is not always the case - possibly not even often the case, but I’d rather not miss out on the interaction and insight you gain in these scenes by not adhering to it religiously. My advice is to make one your confidant, another your bro, and another your third wheel and always talk to them in that order - no matter who has the ! mark over their head for that camp night. Some scenes, because you talk to them in that order, that's how they'll come off anyway.

Or Choose 1 to give priority. A common complaint I hear from people who enjoy the companions is that Shadowheart hogs all the reaction dialogues. There seems to be an unseen randomness or prioritization of who gets to react to certain scenes. Whatever the case may be, every character has a reaction if one of them does - if it is not a companion specific quest. (Yes, Lae’zel too for example has a reaction to this or that scene.) If you want to see a specific companion's reaction, the guaranteed way is to send the other two to camp. You can always fast travel to camp and pick them up later or right after. Be ready to fight a battle with just this companion for reactions that occur immediately following. The other half of this point is that sometimes, though not often, companions will interject into a scene if it appeals to their character traits. Talk to an ambitious wizard npc with Gale. A vengeful guard mourning her fallen brother with Lae’zel. Follow someone’s cries for help with Wyll. At a certain point if you just want to see one companion's content, you can attempt a single companion run with or without mods to help.

Lastly, try something new. The game has A LOT of content - not just companion content. What that means is that just choosing a different dialogue option, a different trio, a different way to handle a situation, a different area to explore, a different class or different race can cause new scenes and conclusions you've never seen. We already know we have one coming in patch 5. So if you have played EA several times, try something new here and there. Changing up how you normally respond to a companion can also change the actual tone of their response or a different line of dialogue entirely, leaving you with a different impression of them. Don't be afraid to be an ass or an ass-kisser to them. Both are quite entertaining ;)

[anime-lover-forever-1127]

A Woman With Vision {Arthur Leywin} - 20. Beast Glades

Beast Glades

*****

Disclaimer - (Cause fanfiction is tricky ground and I hope not to offend the creator of the original story and get sued)

I do not own "The Beginning After The End", it belongs to its original creator TurtleMe. This is only a fanfiction that I was inspired to write by the original work. Please support the official release. Most of the media - such as the art and illustrations, gifs, video's, etc. used in this fanfiction - are from the web. Thus, most of them aren't mine (because I really, really can't draw) unless mentioned. To fit the story, images are also edited by various apps and websites. So they aren't mine, just edited. I get much of the text, especially the fight scenes and thought, aside from my oc's, from the original novel, which can be found on Library Novel. Please support the official release.

Also if you own a picture or Video that I found online, and you either want your name added, or me to take it down. Please contact me and we can talk it out. P.s. I also ask that you do not copy my work and publish it onto any other website.

If you're gonna use my idea, please ask me (If you ask nicely, I for sure, will agree). If I don't contact you within a week, then just assume I'm giving you the all clear and go for it. Just remember to credit me.

I will be writing out scenes even if my Oc isn't in them. As long as she's mentioned, or influencing the characters in some way. This may seem a bit annoying. But that's just how I write. I like to embed my characters into the story line. Because of this, most of the dialogue/scenes will come from the original work.

Playlist

For the playlist you can go to my YouTube channel, which is under "Anime-lover-forever-1127" and click on the playlist titled "A Woman With Vision {Arthur Laywin}". Or you can use this link watch?v=GYlAaNM7WS8&list=PLVKYkztH1Zd8bdl2_a1C8F6u8gPPwfa6D&ab_channel=7clouds 

Warnings: Spoilers for Chapter 30 and chapter 54 of the comic

*****

Today's Special

No one tells you that the hardest part of MOTHERHOOD is when your kids grow up

~ sitiraihana

*****

{Morgana P.O.V.}

Crossing through the teleportation gate, my senses jolted from the scenery. The City of Xyrus had the most teleportation gates among the cities since they were the only way one could enter it, it being a floating city and all. The one we crossed led us directly to the front entrance of the area known as the Beast Glades.

The chirps of birds, occasional cries and roars of beasts, and the constant sound of water flowing filling the background all created an enticing symphony of nature. The sight of tall trees and numerous hills covered in various plants and shrubs made it hard to believe that this beautiful landscape was filled with magical beasts capable of killing even the strongest mages. However, because of abundances of natural resources on the outskirts, it was mostly only the lower rank beasts that inhabited this deeper an adventurer traversed, the more mysterious and treacherous the landscape turned, filled with the lairs of powerful beasts that have amassed their treasures and power in the solitude's of unexplored regions in the Beast Glades.

I took a sip of the crisp air as Jasmine and Arthur arrived behind me through the teleportation gate when, suddenly, I heard a wish, and from the corner of my eyes I saw Sylvie scurry off.

"Wait, Sylv! Where are you going?" Arthur called after her, dumbfounded.

Sylvie transmitted a vague response; I could feel her emotions of excitement as she sent out thoughts about her plans to train as well.

"Did she just?" I asked, pointing at the direction my baby just ran off to.

"Yep, she just ran away from home." He answered weekly, his tone going a little high.

"Oh, Arthur." I sighed, pulling him close and giving him a shoulder hug. I had only known Sylvie for a couple of months, and I felt as if something was missing without her here.

But she was Arthur's bond, and had never left him since the day she had hatched. I could only imagine how big the hole in his heart must feel.

"Are you gonna be ok?" I asked. "We could take a break."

Arthur shook his head, "We just got here. Plus, I'm only a little…" He struggled, unsure of what world to use, "...uneasy. But… I can sense her whereabouts. So it should be fine."

"You can sense her whereabouts?" I asked, surprised.

He nodded, "Wait! You can't?"

I shook my head.

"Close your eyes, and try searching for her aura."

I did what he had said. I could see the mana floating around me, but no Sylvie. I opened my eyes, "Nothing. No trace of her. Maybe we're not just there yet."

Sylvie had explained to me that the longer me and Arthur were with each other, the stronger our mate bond would become. And the stronger it becomes, the easier it would be for me to create an adopted bond with Sylvie. Of course that would only be possible after spending time with her. And if I ever got a bond, it would be the same with Arthur. He would form a bond, through me, until he had a second, slightly weaker bond, with my own, on his own.

So because of that, until my bond with Sylvie was complete, I would be using Arthur's bond, to support my own developing one with her.

Now it was Arthur's turn to give me a sympathetic and reassuring hug. "It's fine mama bear."

"You're right." I nodded, "Knowing you can still

"She'll be okay. Mana beasts have a natural instinct to grow stronger. She must've felt very suffocated being in a sheltered environment all of her life," Jasmine pips up , walking next to Arthur.

"I know." I nod, "But that honestly doesn't make it hurt any less."

Jasmine lets out a chuckle, "It's like your her mother."

"She is" - "I am"

Arthur and I answer at the same time.

Jasmine stops a bit, staring at us long and hard, before smiling, "I think I get what your parents meant now. Well, to each their own."

Both me and Arthur smile at that. She really is a great woman.

Putting her hand on our shoulder, she signalled for us to start moving. "There's a place I wish to visit first before going to a dungeon. We have to hurry though; it gets a little more dangerous at night."

Willing mana into her body, Jasmine bolted off into the distance, her wind attribute mana propelling her even faster.

I followed after her, forming two gales of wind below my feet as I dashed after her, Arthur doing the same, followed.

Everyone in a while, Arthur would give me an update on Sylvie.

"I just hope that she doesn't go after bigger beasts until she's ready." I sigh.

"Don't worry. She knows she has us if she ever gets in over her head. She knows she can always ask us for help." Arthur says, petting my head.

*****

The journey lasted a few hours and it began to grow dark. The only reason Arthur and I had been able to keep up with Jasmine, even when she was at a dark yellow stage, was Arthur had been using mana rotation throughout the way, and I had controlled mine to only use the bare minimum amount mana needed to create a controlled, constant amount of wind. This skill had become almost second nature to me now as I utilised it unconsciously whenever I exerted mana.

By late evening, we had cleared through a dense forest and arrived at a small clearing. Surrounded by trees, there was a small field of grass with a stream of clear water flowing through it.

"We'll camp out here for a few days," Jasmine announced as she set down her bag and took out a couple of items.

"Weren't we going to a dungeon right away?" Arthur asked, setting down his bag as well.

She simply shook her head, picking up a few branches of wood and gathering them together.

Well Arthur and I went into the forest, finding some decent-sized branches to make a fire with. After a bit, we had a fire crackling and popping in the middle of our camp. Making myself comfortable, I leaned against Arthur who had removed his mask and sat silently by Jasmine, next to the fire.

Trying to break the silence, Arthur asked Jasmine, "What made you want to become an adventurer?"

"…"

Her gaze never left the fire and after a few minutes of more awkward silence, I just stared back at the flame, assuming she didn't want to answer.

"I wanted to get away from my family." I almost missed what she said from how quietly she spoke amidst the wood of the fire snapping fiercely.

"I see… were you on bad terms with your family?" Arthur responded, his eyes focused on the fire.

I choose to just listen to their conversation.

"…"

"The Flamesworth House was a major contributor to the war against the elves. Our house has provided many powerful mages, both conjurers and augmenters. Our lineage in the fire attribute element was second to none. We took great pride in this, because fire is considered to be the most powerful of the elements," she stated monotonously.

Despite her short sentences, this had been the most Jasmine had talked in one sitting.

"But Jasmine, aren't you a…" Arthur asked, looking up at her as she nodded in response.

"Since early on, when I had first awakened and started training, my family tried to test my mana for fire affinity. I went through various tests so they could see how my mana was exerted and how it flowed through my mana channels." She took a pause and poked at the fire before continuing on. "When it was made clear that I had no aptitude for the fire attribute, my family regarded me as lesser."

"…"

Arthur didn't know how to respond to her. For the first time, the always aloof and cold Jasmine seemed…vulnerable.

"I'm sorry for what happened…" was the only response Arthur managed to utter.

But so much for staying silent, I stood up to my knees and crawled over to Jasmine until I was face to face with her. Looking her directly in the eyes, I told her firmly. "Your family is wrong… and crazy." Her eyes went wide at my statement. "Wind magic is probably stronger than fire when you get down to it! All your family is, is a walking matchstick. All they can do is shoot out flames, a pillar if they're really getting creative. But with wind magic… we can create tornadoes, fly, move objects across a room. I mean it was because of wind magic we covered a distance that would have taken us days, in mere hours. Do I really have to say more?"

Jasmine's eyes widened and she shook her head, she gave me a faint smile. "The Twin Horns have treated me well and I don't dislike what I am."

I smiled, "I know that. I can tell it on your face whenever you're with your party, that you're clearly happy. But I'm just letting you know that your family is wrong. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but theirs… is just plain stupid."

I glanced at her palm as Jasmine formed a small swirl of wind, different emotions running through her face as she peered at her hand.

This world was a place of discrimination and classification. The hierarchical roots embedded into this land would never truly disappear. Normal humans were considered second-rate people, while even amongst mages, augmenters were discriminated against by conjurers. It went further than that where, unless one was a deviant or a dual element specialist, some elements were considered "higher class" than others.

Being born from a family of powerful fire attribute mages, she was discarded as inferior because of the elemental attribute she had; something that most mages would kill to acquire. She was a dark yellow augmenter skilled in fighting and mana manipulation at the ripe age of 24. Many would consider her a genius but from the standards she grew up with, she considered herself lesser.

We placed more wood to last through the coldest parts of the night and laid out our sleeping bags a few feet away so we could still feel the heat.

As we got ready to go to sleep, Arthur leaned into my ear and whispered, "I know subtlety isn't really your strong suit. It never has been."

I sent him a glare, "This better be building into a compliment."

He sent me a smile, "Well, more of a request. But I'm not shy to add one in there. Anyway, if we ever meet with nobility… and royalty again - assuming you haven't scared them enough yet. Could you at least try to hold it in. Until we least have a chance at beating them."

I huffed, "Speak for yourself. I already have my network ready. Of course it really isn't anything that great yet, but it has potential. The seeds are planted, and ready to sprout like a butterfly bush at a moment's notice." I winked at him.

He stared at me confused, "Who would-"

I cut him off, "Finishing school is quite boring when you've actually played the high society game. But, when it comes to making connections with little girls eager for your approval, there's nothing like it. As for informats, they're easy to buy. Mom and dad's allowance has always been generous, and I know exactly how to put it to good use." I smirked as I thought of the various amounts of blackmail I had collected for various families.

Arthur stared at me, wide eyed. "Damn, why didn't you say anything?"

I shrugged, "I thought you knew me?"

"I do!" He defended himself. "But I may have accidentally underestimated you. I thought your network may take you another two to three years. Sorry. Never again."

I smiled into the fire, "Well… If I'm being honest. It's nowhere near as good as my old one. But it's better than nothing. Information is the name of the game. And plus, every now and then, I do find a few pieces of gold." I said, remembering the little golden nugget of information I'd collected on a certain elf princess. I don't wanna be mean, but if she pushes my hand...

My eyebrows furrowed as I remembered, "Where's my compliment?" I pouted.

Arthur chuckled, "What you said to Jasmine, was truly amazing."

"Of course it was." I said, smiling and accepting the compliment. I ran my fingers through his hair, and added, "Though, we really do need to work on your elements. You need to do so much more than just creating pillars of fire." I felt a sweat drop roll down the side of his neck as I began making plans. "I've made a lot of progress with my wind, though I definitely need to work on my water. Before we start school, I would like to start working with ice a little bit. Though I'm not sure how much I could exactly get done between practising wind, and working on water, and relearning the sword." I pouted, eyeing the blue blade Arthur wouldn't let me touch unless he knew for a fact I wouldn't drop it on myself.

As much as I hate to admit it, I don't really blame him for it. Considering he never lets me forget it, I know for a fact he remembers how bad my first sword training lesson went. And to be honest, as fun as it would be to swing it around again, I don't wanna know how well it would work out with my current build. It was too big for my current body. So until I grew a bit, I'd have to use a practice sword.

Eyes closed, I waited to drift off when I heard Jasmine mumble something.

"…It's weird. When I talk to you two, it doesn't feel like I'm talking to children."

I didn't respond. Pretending to be asleep, I hoped she wouldn't push further for a reply.

*****

"Good morning." Jasmine was up and cooking something over the fire by the time I had gotten up and out of my sleeping bag.

My stomach rumbled to remind me that I hadn't eaten since yesterday afternoon as I looked hungrily at the skewered fishes being grilled on the fire.

"Good morning! You should've woken me up, Jasmine. There's no need for you to do all of the chores on your own."

I turned my head to see Arthur rubbing his eyes.

"…I tried waking both of you up… But you wouldn't budge." Her half-closed eyes that give off an apathetic stare regarded us with concern. "If I didn't hear you breathing, I would've mistaken you for corpses."

"Haha…" Arthur let out an awkward chuckle. "I'm sorry, I really need to fix that."

"You and me both." I nodded. I usually woke up early on my own. But if I didn't, then nobody could wake me up.

After devouring the grilled fish for breakfast, we put out the fire. Using the nearby stream to wash myself and my clothes.

Arthur put on his mask and swords, well I wrapped my cloak around my shoulder, and placed my contents lenses in, assuming we'd go hunting for some mana beasts around the area, when Jasmine stopped me.

"Your opponent for these few days will be me."

"Huh?" I couldn't help but be surprised at the turn of events. We came all the way here to spar?

"This area is close to the dungeon we will be exploring, but for these days, I want you to focus on fighting me. I noticed that your fighting style seems… awkward at times. Like, you know it in your head, but your body doesn't listen to you… or something like that." She told Arthur and then turned to me, "You have your control down. But you need to focus on increasing your mana amount. We can stay in a dungeon for days at a time. So you're going to need to work on that."

Unsheathing her two daggers, she pointed one at me, continuing, "We won't use any kind of mana for these next few days while sparring."

I hadn't expected Jasmine to catch on to what I had been worried about, but it was a good opportunity.

"Good idea," Arthur replied, unsheathing his short sword.

I sat down on the grass, getting ready to meditate.

{Arthur's P.O.V.}

"Use your other sword…" Jasmine's eyes flickered toward Dawn's Ballad.

"How did you know this was a sword?" I wasn't planning on hiding my weapon from her but I was still caught off guard.

"Knowing you, that black stick should be something more than just a cane or a practice stick," she shrugged, walking a few steps closer to me.

Giving her a confirming nod, I tossed the short sword to Morgana, who caught it with her eyes closed. From my position, I could see the mana around us, begin to gather towards her.

As the sword soundlessly glided out from its scabbard, the translucent blade glowed a light teal as it reflected the sun's strong rays.

Holding it out in front me, I positioned myself. "Ready when you are."

"Y-Yeah," Jasmine stuttered as her eyes remained glued to Dawn's Ballad.

We dulled the edges of our weapons using mana before beginning. Without mana strengthening my body, I realised just how much I had been neglecting myself. After a few swings, my arms felt heavy and my legs trembled as they pushed feebly off the ground.

This was my mistake. I knew of the limits that my juvenile body had, but instead of trying to fix my shortcomings, I chose only to mask it using mana.

While magic in this world was capable of many things, it should be only used as a supplement to your abilities, not a replacement to cover them.

I lunged out with a sharp thrust aimed at Jasmine's sternum. Even though our swords were coated to prevent fatal injuries, it would still leave bruises and even broken bones if taken lightly; this made the sparring experience much more intense and real.

Jasmine swung her two daggers down in an outward arc, parrying my lunge and knocking the blade of my sword into the ground.

I brought my rear foot forward to maintain balance as my teal blade sunk into the ground below her. However, by that time, Jasmine had already brought her daggers back into position to follow up with a quick, downward slash.

Prying out my sword, I immediately pivoted my body to the side to avoid the overhead slash. As her daggers grazed harmlessly past my loose shirt, I kicked her arm away and stepped away into a more comfortable distance.

My arms were burning from the quick, consecutive movements as I positioned my sword in a defensive stance.

"It's my win," Jasmine said, sheathing her two daggers deftly into their scabbards attached to her thighs.

"You're right," I laughed as I dropped Dawn's Ballad on the ground. We had sparred for a little less than five minutes but my arms and legs screamed in protest from overuse. Massaging my forearms, I picked my blade back up and slid it back into its black sheath.

The duel had ended with me with the upper hand, but I didn't have the strength to proceed. It was my loss.

"Hey Jasmine, I think I'm going to need more than a couple of days to work this out," I confessed with a chuckle.

Her lips curled up slightly as she nodded in agreement.

I had three years before I'd attend Xyrus Academy. During my time at school, I would have plenty of chances to focus on studying mana.

I knew what my priorities were at this time.

Making a rough calculation in my head, I held up two fingers. "Two years, Jasmine. I'll dedicate two years to getting my body truly adjusted to sword-fighting without relying on mana."

"That's it?" she said, surprised.

"Just watch," I smirked.

*****

A Butterfly bush is a really fast growing plant. I could have used weeds, but referring to an information network as weeds, doesn't sound nearly as nice.

Also, finishing school only takes about 6 weeks. So I didn't have to worry about that.

I get the whole bond system is a little confusing, especially with me throwing in mate bonds and secondary bonds. So if you have any questions, please feel free to ask. Because I do have plans to keep using and referencing the bonds - so it would be easier for you guys and less confusing, if you know what's actually happening. (Or if your just here for the romance - I guess you can sort of skip it - though again - their is the mate bond)

I feel like I should give you guys a heads up, that the next chapter is going to likely be on the shorter side (and the two after that as well). But man will it leave a huge impact on you guys. I'm actually willing to bet the title of the next chapter alone would be worth the hype (and the happiness and excitement you would get from four pages - why four you asks, one page for each word in the title.)

In fact, here's a little teaser (Feel free to try and guess what may be happening, and the contents of the paper):

Next Time~

Morgana untied the bright red ribbon and uncurled the scroll.

Her eyes widened as they flew over the contents of the paper, before tears began streaming down her cheeks.

[alliswell21]

@duckpotatodandelion’s Prompt: “I do love me a coffee shop au.”

Rated T

This was writen last night and edited this morning before I had to run errands, so my apologies for any errors.

Also, since @duckpotatodandelion had that post about hot chocolate, I may have deviated her Prompt a bit... 😳... fine! a bunch... 🙈 don’t tell anyone!!!!

☕️ ☕️ ☕️

I walk into the Starbucks and wrinkle my nose in the first breath. I’m not a coffee person, the dark concoction loosens my stomach for whatever reason, but thanks to my boss, Plutarch Heavensbee, I have around $100 in Starbucks gift cards that only keep piling up for every occasion that requires management to give the employees recognition.

I’m guessing the man thinks coffee shop gift cards are the hip thing to do, and say whatever you want about Plutarch, that man is still trying to stay relevant.

One look at the line and I quickly realize I must be the only soul in this planet that doesn’t care for coffee. I sigh to myself, stepping in line with the rest of the morning rushers, wondering how does the son of a baker could’ve develop such an aversion to coffee, when it’s perhaps the hot drink most served in my father’s shop?

Since I’m number 2002 (fine, that’s an exaggeration on my part) in this line, I decide to spend my time people watching and trying to guess what they do for a living for a bit, it’s not like I can see the menu from where I stand, though the baristas seemed to be pretty proficient at their jobs, dispatching drink after drink like caffeinated fairy godparents.

The first customer in line is a severe looking woman with straight, gray hair that falls into a perfect curtain down to her shoulders; she’s wearing a gray power suit and gray comfortable shoes; when she turns around with her distinctive paper cup in hand I realize her eyes are the same hue of gray as her hair and outfit. It’s like all color has been drain from her. I’m going to call her Madam Monochrome. Or maybe Coin, since she reminds me of silver change. I wonder if she lives down in an underground bunker and only came up to surface because coffee is banned in her secret lair, that would explain the monotone colors. If that’s the case, she must be the president of the underground community, otherwise I don’t see how she was allowed to leave.

Next, is a guy with a wiry frame, ashen skin, balding. His glasses keep sliding down the bridge of his nose, so he pushes them back up with the middle finger of his hand. He’s carrying a laptop briefcase, the padded kind you don’t have to completely open in the TSA line at the airport for the x-ray machines. I’m going to call him Beetee, because that’s what the logo in his case says. He’s probably a genius, working for the next iPod nano device that may fit 3 gigabytes of music into chip as big as a grain of rice. Then again, he could be plotting to overthrow some totalitarian government, by breaking into the TV transmission with well placed anti government propaganda… he’d call them Propos for short, because he doesn’t have time to say the whole word. He’s too busy inventing weapons to chat.

Next, is a man tall, dark and very handsome. The kind women swoon after. I’m sure when he was in high school, girls giggled about him behind their notebooks and commented on how cute he was. He turns his head my way, probably feeling my gaze on him; he only spares me a glance and turns back to stare at the baristas impassively. Good looking Jerk! I bet he’s the military type. Fancy job at some highly rated base, with a huge family that adores him and look up to him. He also looks the type to own hunting gear. He’s probably a sharp shooter too… I can already picture him bringing home a twelve point deer he shot through the neck and a handful of dead, fat rabbits hanging from his belt, he caught in his snares, because what do you know? he’s also a whiz with snares! I should move on from his rigid form. For some reason I don’t think we would ever be friends, him and I. I bet we are total opposites. I’m gonna call him Gale, because he probably has a temper that would wreak havoc, like a strong willed gust of wind.

Behind Gale, there’s a little old lady I’m gonna call Mags, because she looks like she could be a Mags. She seems kind, but there’s something about her face that looks almost like one side is sagging. It saddens me. Maybe she had a stroke at some point, in which case, the mere fact she’s standing in line to get a hot beverage in a busy shop shows her resilience and strength. Good for Mags! I hope she gets to live a hundred more years. She deserves it.

Then, my eyes find two young women. One is blonde and blue eyed, while the other is a brunette with smooth olive skin. Both have matching braids which is strange. Most women don’t wear the same hairdos unless they’re in some kind of play, or maybe they’re twins… there have been cases with twins that physically aren’t even the same race. The two ladies are standing shoulder to shoulder. The blond keeps talking and gesturing with her hands animatedly, while the brunette looks on with rapt attention, nodding and smiling at the blonde. Brunette laughs out loud and I’ve never heard anything as musical as that before.

While pondering on names and imaginary backgrounds for the women, I try to lean on a display of collectible mugs, to disastrous results.

The whole shelf uppends under my weight and sends every single mug careening to the floor with a loud crash, with me, following closely. To say I’m embarrassed would be a gross understatement.

“Oh my gosh! Are you okay?” Asks Blondie, blue eyes dripping with concern. “Your hand is bleeding, sir.” She states looking down at my hand, just as a barista comes to help me up from the floor, where I’m sitting on my ass surrounded by the broken pieces of the mugs I just murdered.

“I’m okay. Thank you.” I say trying to save face.

“Nonsense! Katniss, help me here!” Blondie calls to Brunette who’s looking at me with pity and apprehension.

“Prim…” Brunette sighs more than says, but comes closer all the same, “I don’t think I’ll be that much help. Sorry.” She says locking eyes with me, like she truly is chagrined she can’t help.

“I’m okay, really.” I say finally on my feet. I nod to the Starbucks employee. “I’m sorry about the mess. Talk about a bull in a China shop, right?!”

Brunette fights off a smirk at my self deprecating joke and I swear my heart swells in my chest.

Looking back at the young man helping me, I address him. “You wouldn’t be able to give me a veteran discount to pay for the mugs I broke, would you?”

He just stares at me for a second, “I- I’m not sure, dude. Are you cool? Do you need me to call 911? Your hand has a pretty big gash.”

“I’m a registered nurse, I can help him and take him to my hospital if he needs extra care.” Says Blondie… Prim, Brunette— Katniss— had called her.

“I really am alright—“ I stop talking when I lift my hand and see for myself the gnarly long cut in my hand. It goes from the side of the palm, to right under the thumb, like a jagged smile on the heel of my freaking hand.

I go woozy for a moment, and find myself sitting in a chair with Katniss pressing a cup of water to my good hand. “Drink this. My sister is gonna take good care of you, and then we will drive you to the ER so you can get a note from her boss telling your employer why you’re late.”

“Okay,” I say simply staring at her. She’s got the most amazing gray eyes ever, with specks of blue all over the iris. She’s gorgeous from this close.

“What’s your name?” She asks.

“Peeta Mellark.” I say automatically.

“Hi Peeta Mellark, I’m Katniss Everdeen. What else can you tell me about yourself?”

I think she’s trying to keep me distracted while her sister cleans my cut at the very back of the coffee house, where we can still hear the clinking of ceramic pieces being swept into a dustpan and then chucked into the trash. The silver lining is that they’re taking all my gift cards as payment for the broken cups!

“I’m a painter on a TV production company. I truly am a veteran. Lost my leg somewhere in Iraq. I came in here just for a cup of tea without sugar, how lame is that?”

“I’m sorry about your leg, but thank you for your service.” She says wincing a little. She recovers quickly. “I don’t like coffee either, this is more of Primrose’s addiction. The stuff makes me jittery and jumpy. I’m more of a hot chocolate kind of person.”

“Ditto!” I exclaim. “Dip some chunks of bread into the chocolate for a homier experience, and you’re in hot cocoa heaven!”

“Gotta try that, so much better than coffee!”

“Sure, hate on the drink all you want, but imagine the stories I’m going to tell my grand nephews and nieces about how their grandparents met!” Sing-songs Prim still wiping my hand with some rubbing alcohol infused gauze she apparently carries in her purse. “How romantic will that be?! They met at a coffee shop I dragged grandma Katniss to!”

“Prim…” Katniss mutters half hearted under her breath; both sisters glare at each other for a bit.

I have the distinct feeling this is a conversation they’ve had before and disagree upon.

In and effort to break the siblings staring contest, I dig around my brain for something to say, but instead of wit and charm, I come up with, “What’s your favorite color, Katniss?” Like a fifth grader or something.

She smiles and I feel all warm and tingly inside. “Green. How about yours?”

“Orange. Soft, like a sunset…”

“Mmm! Pretty.” She cocks her head, “What’s your biggest pet peeve?”

“Easy!” I say, “Starbucks microwaves all their pastries! That’s sacrilegious for guy who grew up in a bakery!”

Katniss laughs at that and I hope I can keep her laughing. We keep talking quietly until Primrose declares me ready to go. The cut is mainly superficial, and I won’t need stitches if I keep my injury from re-aggravating.

“So… how can I repay you ladies for the first aid care?” I ask them both smiling.

Primrose opens her mouth with a sly smile, “Take my sister out for a coff—“

“A burger!” Katniss cuts in. “I’ve had enough coffee for the day, but a burger with a chocolate milkshake would be awesome.”

I feel the smile unfurling slowly on my face. “I can do burgers and milkshakes.” I hope Primrose is a good storyteller, my grand babies deserve this story to be told epically.

[deviationdivine]

Even Until There Is No End (RK900|Request!)

TLDR: The horrors of Cyberlife never seem to fade even after the revolution...

Word Count: 2,460

TW: Angst, Violence & Character Death (I don't know how it went there)

A/N: Prompts: 36. “They’re monsters.” & 2. “Hey, hey, calm down. They can’t hurt you anymore.” | Ahhh! Your comments make my year! Hope this turns out the way you like! Thanks so much for dropping me a prompt exchange. :) My queue is open!

How can it end like this? 

A question swirling around in your brain ever since news broke about an incursion orchestrated by the very people who pretend to integrate with public opinion. The war was won. Androids were no longer at the mercy of persecution and everyone waited in baited breath about the outcome involving Cyberlife. 

Following the revolution they proposed a peaceful continuation of the company. Skepticism is ripe for the picking. This isn’t just something androids were leery of. Humans, civilians having nothing to do with it, voicing questions.

Cyberlife never answers. They did now.

Your breath catches. More you attempt to find a flaw in this lab in order to escape the less hopeful. 

Why throw you here in the first place? Easy. This is a higher level. Anyone who tries to get in will face a bigger accumulation of guards. Those same men who... 

Tears threaten but nothing spills readily. People have died and you are bait. 

“Nines,” you whisper defeated. 

He went deviant too. Like so many others. 

Cyberlife waits and waits to concoct a scheme. Now it’s in full swing because Detroit is chaos. Never imagined this will somehow be worse. It is. It is so much worse.

Connor is already gone. Everything is in shambles and it is all due to those...

Your head rises quickly. Shouting echoes down corridor becoming louder, closer up until thunderous pops of gunfire eclipse the original cacophony. 

Pounding floods your ears. This time it’s an erratic heartbeat and everything tingles in a swath of dread. Sweeping down head to toe increases discomfort not that you’ve had a pleasant time here. 

Apprehended like this despite being part of the DPD is ridiculous itself. When there are multiple security guards armed to the teeth there isn’t much proper training can do to alleviate that situation. Unless dying is what you want to do.

Makes you sicker knowing. Several officers cut down in cold blood. What is this all for except Cyberlife’s unwillingness to allow freedom for everyone to live together. Accomplishing another megalomaniac plan to control or eradicate and this time everyone’s caught. 

Crossfire is a horrific thing. Innocent people will suffer the most. 

As your thoughts swirl in this entrapment it’s obvious why. Part of you felt as much when they took you alive. 

All of this started when responding to a generic emergency call. Ambushed. They knew. Somehow they manage to take you knowing that he-

The noise stops. It ceases everything even your thought because the door busts open under a powerful kick. Shrinking back on hard surface of table doesn’t last because nothing can make you flinch away now. 

“Y/N.” The RK900 moves swiftly through lab. 

“Nines.” The strangling whisper accompanies your spring up to feet. How did he even…? Your body molds with his as a key in a lock. It will always open because these two parts are of one whole. “They’re monsters.” 

“Hey, hey, calm down.” His words soothe in a gentler less stiff timbre. Perhaps it is a bit more human than he realizes but this moment does not offer much time for analysis. With you in his arms it is far more imperative to protect, comfort. “They can’t hurt you anymore.” 

Soft promises make your legs weak. Exhaustion eats away at your body. Only the firm sheltering embrace of your android lover keeps you afloat. Strange but this is the first time you realize how painstakingly soft he is. 

Only in privacy far from prying eyes; Nines never wants to outwardly show affection for eye witnesses. He feels it’s none of their concern. 

Why should he do that when he shows you how much emotion exists in your private sanctuary? You find it typical. Or so you did…

This means more. Even if he took out several guards to stop an audience at this point it really wouldn’t matter. Somehow this tells you how much Nines really loves you. There is no hesitation. Certain things just evaporate the fog of doubt encasing your heart and clear the way. 

Peering into his face, gripping up onto broad shoulders serves as an anchor. All that’s on your mind now is how happy you are seeing him in one piece. After what they did to Connor –

His lips meet yours in urgency. Pulling both of you flush together settles indicator into flickering amber a drop from its initial scarlet warning because you are safe. He does not say it aloud. 

Unspoken, intense and full of pure emotion the android cradles you as a delicate flower petal. Wild and untamed blowing in the wind and his presence abates its wilting chill.

“Nines.” Breathing up into his lips says everything and nothing at all. “Thank God you…”

“Step away from the human, RK900!” 

Jolting back from Nines at the cutting demand fills your lungs in a shock of breath. Connor? 

An immediate aim of handgun in your direction answers before you know what’s happening. A shove forces you out of range putting you in contact with one of those lab tables. Stabilizing on two feet is too late to act further. 

RK900 grimaces in the path of fire. Preventing deadly precision striking in a vital area that will surely lead to your death, the android absorbs gunshot. The quick action allows a useful shield to protect. 

A moment after he staggers in a collapse. Thudding to wall brings the advanced android down in a slide. Knocking every thread out of his system it is immediate:

Error

Critical Malfunction

Imminent Shutdown

Even so the sound of your terrified voice fills his core. “Nines! No!” 

Frantic hands clutch at the front of his white jacket. Sinking down automatically brings you close on knees pressing hands over a hole in his sweater torn from gunshot. Blue blood stains your skin creating a sickening drop pit of stomach. It’s visceral. A grisly hue means life ebbing away and he is alive. He is.

He’s hit where his thirium pump is. It’s obvious from how horribly Nines slumped. Never did you ever imagine seeing him crumble in such a way. Not him. Not the very powerful storm that sweeps you away along his torrent. 

Exactly what describes that initial attraction you held meeting him. Eye of the storm in steel unmakes you each night in his fiery regard. He can weather any tempest because he is that gale. There is nothing more you love.

“Faster, stronger,” the other android mocks effectively.

Coward! He shoots Nines when he’s distracted. That’s the only reason! He-he put himself in the way. No, he can’t do this.

“More resilient,” the duplicate continues unnecessarily smug. “But not for me.”

Tears blind in a messy streak unable to see this fake clearly. Instead he resembles a blur, a nightmare figment seemingly crawling out of the depths of every one of your darkest fears. The idea this thing is identical to Connor makes insides churn to the point of retching.

Never would the soft doe-eyed android hurt Nines. They held a peculiar relationship but in the end developed an understanding. This is not Connor. It even isn’t the one you heard about from the warehouse.

“Nines! Nines, look at me.” 

Desperately cupping his face drew his crystalline gaze, icy but never frigid when he looks at you now. “Y/N…”

“No.” You choke on that plea. “Please, don’t leave me.”

The android behind you watches in disinterest. Brandishing weapon in steady footsteps brings him closer. “Why do humans like you wish to sacrifice for a machine? We do not feel anything.”

Anger twists the anguish in your features. Throwing a sharp glance up at the faux Connor evaporates all of this fear riddling your heart. “You don’t feel! Connor, Nines…they felt! They’re alive.” Were alive. 

Liquid spilling from the ducts of your eyes forces a grimace on the goading duplicate’s face. Tears shed over a filthy deviant when he is loyal to their creators. 

There is no denying this connection between machine and human is unsettling. It is enough to watch and feel a strange pull center of his chest. The loyal machine steps back in a huff against that unfamiliar sensation.

“Cyberlife will win,” the faux Connor promises. “All of these deviants will be destroyed. But…you may leave.”

Leave? As if that’s even an option! “No,” you sneer. “I’m not going anywhere!”

“Y/N.” Grabbing onto wrist breaks your heated exchange with Connor’s doppelganger. Nines looks to you with something far different in his once stoic shell. There is only you. “Go. My Flower.”

What is he-? “Nines, I won’t leave you.” 

“I am shutting down,” he is blunt. To be unkind is not his motive but to save you still. “I-I love you.”

Always in your heart you knew it was true. While he may not have said those words before everything he ever did was a sign. Now they crush whatever is left of a soul because he is yours. How can this happen?

Please, please wake up! 

This is a nightmare. All of this cannot be real. Unfortunately all the pleading in the world can’t undo reality. 

“Listen to your deviant lover. You were taken as a tool to use in a lure. We have no further need of you.” 

Thinking on how much time Nines has left fuels brand new determination. You rise to feet. Moving towards the fake Connor, heart hammering in chest, there’s something gleaming just under the surface. When he made this offer to let you go it clicks. 

Machine he says. Loyal to Cyberlife who are nothing more than mass murderers at this point; you reach up to place hands against the clone’s chest.

Issue jacket with Cyberlife branding as Connor once wore but he stopped. This is the only sign needed to know this is not your friend. 

The android stutters. Physically jolting from your touch it leaves his LED a flood of crimson. “What game are you playing?”

“Proving a point,” the response is dangerous to his unfeeling self. It’s in his eyes. He’s…afraid.

You squeeze eyes shut not to look when pulling the clone into you. Kissing him hastily brings a hand down to his. Fingers stretch for handgun, ready to snag and blow his head off. 

Yet your movement knocks off kilter when this supposed unfeeling machine grabs on. Pressing a harsher, hungrier kiss back sinks your entire plan and self preservation. 

All instinct to pull away kicks in as your ruse seemingly backfires. Until he thrusts you off himself both incensed at his participation and privy to where your hand grabs. 

In a split second the gun goes off striking faux Connor in the shoulder. A heavy swat of arm knocking you down is what you receive harshly in return. The frazzled android’s attention on your trickery completely fails. 

The RK900 locks a crushing arm around the machine’s neck. Coming up behind while your actions wrestle weapon away it is the only preconstruction offering high probability of success.

Holding upright onto the RK800 copy as much as struggling to gain upper hand careens them both into clinical table. Thirium stains the faux Connor’s jacket where Nines continues to lose volume. 

Shutdown 1 min 23 seconds

A crack of knuckles connects revealing the white plastic beneath. Marring synthetic flesh clean off the duplicate’s cheek reveals more of the machine he so readily claims to be. Even with all those parts, circuitry exposing true internal clockwork, androids can be more living than other organisms. 

Deviancy is not weakness. 

Nines remembers. You told him that once. And that is what gives him strength while tearing open faux Connor’s shirt and ripping thirium pump cleanly from its port. 

A gasp escapes where you pick yourself up off floor. Their skirmish hardly lasts but those seconds feel an eternity. Watching the phony twitch, attempt to crawl and swipe fingers out at Nines brings his digits in a vice on the android’s black shoe. 

The same sole pulls free and crushes down atop the so-called loyal machine’s digits. Loyalty you disproved with a ruse that ultimately destroys him.

“Nines?” Your voice is thick. Watching him hunch over, tossing away stuttering red glowing pump, his back straightens stiffly in an all too human huff of artificial breath. 

RK900 blinks. Processing, analyzing his system status. For now he is able to function to complete his mission: you.   

“The RK800 is backwards compatible,” he explains, clearly seeing your tear stained face and no longer blind to critical warnings. 

Backwards compatible? Why didn’t he say that?! You thought maybe in an act of desperation but there was no way of knowing for sure. 

“Oh my God.” Part of you wants to punch him in the shoulder for that but the simple urgency to bury within his chest overwhelms. “I’m sorry.” 

Murmuring quietly does not prevent RK900 hearing every catch in breath that spills from your lips, ones that he must reclaim over and over again after that pathetic clone. However, he is hardly irate on account of the dire circumstance. 

“Don’t worry. I believe you are quite efficient.” 

Praise from mister stoicism? That’s funny. Too bad it’s not in a normal situation because you would laugh. Thankfully there is a chance to do that again. With him it’s all you want. 

“Are you OK, Nines? Tell me, please…”

A tug to his synthetic heart turns the advanced model into everything he originally fought against. At one time he held similar thoughts to the Cyberlife machine. Emotions cannot be for his kind nor will they invade his system. 

Now you invade every single circuit. Each thread yearns to fuse itself with the core spirit of your body. This will not change that. He will destroy all who threaten to remove this one humane light. 

“I am fully operational until I receive a proper repair.” Nines narrows eyes onto the fallen android while speaking softly. 

The tremble in your body is all too apparent. Shock is a high probability despite how strong, savvy you behaved. It is an interesting ruse you manage but why must he question skills while in the same employment? 

“The DPD is in the middle of everything. A chaotic turn of events,” cool sarcasm benefits your state. Discussing this will come later. He realizes his near death will have emotional and mental consequences. 

“You are safe now. I-I will take you home with me.”

Any other case or important life threatening scenario and he would wind up staying. This time is different. He has something to lose. That something is remarkably you.

One thing is true. You didn’t lose him now. You can’t lose him ever. No matter what comes of this there is only the RK900′s shield to harbor you until the end.

[littlemisssquiggles]

RWBY Musings #69: A Proclamation of Love. What if…Oscar confesses his love for Ruby before sacrificing himself to be captured by Salem for the Atlas Arc?

cloudburst-paint-water asked

“ Good day! So I’ve seen a lot of people tossing around the theory that either Oscar or Ruby (perhaps both) are going to be kidnapped in the Vol. 7, given that Salem has her flying monkeys ready AND the Tyrian and Watts trio are headed there, not to mention Cinder and Neo. What do you think about it? It makes me pretty excited at the prospect of both Oscar and Ruby having to depend on each other in the face of Salem, but I’m also leaning towards an Atlas central arc? ･:*+.\(( °ω° ))/.:+ - Cloud

Squiggles Answers:  

 @cloudburst-paint-water​

‘Sup Cloud! 

Wait…people are now tossing around this idea of a Dark Domain Arc? Tsk, tsk, ya’ll whippersnappers are late to the party. Not to toot my own foghorn but this squiggle meister has been singing that theory since V5. 

For almost a year, I’ve been dropping mentions of a potential Dark Domain Arc where Ruby and Oscar get kidnapped and taken to Salem and have to survive the Dark Domain on their own. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve brought this theory up. I brought this up before V6 ended. Heck I even talked about flying monkey Grimm long before it became canon. Both here and here along with my prediction of Grimmzilla.

I guess this is the plight of when you talk too much and share too many theories. At some point, they all become one big blur XD

But yeah, to actually answer your question Cloud, (sorry for the ramble) if you can’t tell by how passionate I am about the potential of such an arc, I am totally down for a standalone Dark Domain Arc in RWBY where it’s just the Rosebuds---Ruby and Oscar, left to survive the Land of Darkness far away from their friends depending only on each other.

Like I said, it’s a theory I talked about before on my blog and with the flying monkeys being official canon now, the possibilities of that actually happening are growing closer and closer. However I don’t think the Dark Domain Arc is going to happen in V7. As I mentioned in this response post here, I feel like there is a differentiation in the timelines of the finale after credit scenes. Even though the V6 finale after credit scene revealed Salem creating her army of Winged Beringels, my theory is that this scene actually takes place during the heroes’ time in Atlas.

Like while this is happening, the heroes have already settled into Atlas. I’m not banking on these critters showing up until possibly the end of V7 or V8. Take the V5 after credit scene for example. Although V5 teased Raven reconciling with Tai Yang, V6 gave no real follow up to that so this led me to assume that Tai and Raven’s reunion is happening at a different time than what the after credit scene made us to believe.

For all we know, Raven going to Tai might be a premature foreshadow to a future season that follows after the Atlas Arc. With the exception of V4’s after credit scene, my hunch is that both of the succeeding finale after credit scenes for V5 and V6 take place at timelines during the Atlas Arc meaning that while these events are happening, our heroes are already safe living in Atlas. At least…for the time being.

I’m not expecting the Winged Beringels to officially appear until V8 unless they do arrive to try and kidnap Oscar but get easily gunned down by the Atlesian air forces.

I’d also like to think that in addition to their air forces set up outside the kingdom’s walls on 24/7 surveillance, Atlas is probably heavily safeguarded by a powerful force field like the one used during the Vytal Festival.

Since Salem ordered Watts and Tyrian to go to Atlas to prepare, I’m wondering if the Winged Beringels have something to do with that.

In the Wizard of Oz story, the Wicked Witch of the West used her army of winged monkeys to conquer the western quadrant of Oz. So my theory is that at some point during the Atlas Arc, Salem will probably send her army of Winged Beringels to invade the kingdom of Atlas. She must’ve sent Watts and Tyrian ahead to prepare for that invasion by disabling and taking control of the Atlesian defences, the same way they did at the Vytal Festival which would then allow the Beringels to enter the kingdom and spark chaos.

I’d like to believe that part of Salem’s plan is to also use her new beasts to kidnap Oscar since she’s targeting Ozpin. In the Wizard of Oz, the winged monkeys were also used to capture Dorothy Gale and the Cowardly Lion, dismembering and destroying the Scarecrow and Tin Woodman in the process.

Some theorists are already speculating that the Winged Beringels may possibly kill or perhaps severely hurt Qrow Branwen and General Ironwood.

Perhaps…this is will be how Salem gets Oscar to be captured willingly. Imagine…the Beringels being too much of a threat for our heroes and after one of them practically takes General Ironwood apart and prepares to make the same of Qrow, that’s when Oscar makes Salem an offer she can’t refuse.

I’m picturing a scene where Salem communicates with Oscar (and technically Ozpin) through the Beringels. I want a moment where the Alpha of the Beringels speaks to Oscar and its Salem’s voice you hear coming out of the Grimm to show that there is a magical link between Salem and the primal abominations.

With his friends in danger, Oscar does the one thing he could do in that moment. He surrenders; offering himself to be taken prisoner by Salem in exchange that she spares his friends and the innocent people of Atlas.

Oscar has been hinted at drawing inspiration from two signature Wizard of Oz characters:  Dorothy Gale and Princess Ozma/ Tip. There’s also been talk that Oscar’s official huntsmen gear connects him to the Little Prince.

In the Wizard of Oz, both Dorothy and Ozma ultimately become prisoners. Dorothy is captured and taken to the Wicked Witch of the West in the Wonderful Wizard of Oz. In the Lost Princess of Oz, Ozma is kidnapped and it is her dearest friend Dorothy Gale who comes to her rescue with a search party. Then in Glinda of Oz, both Dorothy and Ozma are captured by the wicked Queen Coo-ee-ooh while trying to stop a war between two races.

 Imagine…Oscar being captured to be taken to Salem and the very last thing he says to Ruby before he’s taken away is that he loves her?

Imagine…the CRWBY spending two whole volumes of the Atlas Arc developing Oscar further as his own character, naturally building on his friendship with the other heroes especially Ruby who he’s seen to be the most attached to.

Picture…V7 and V8 really establishing the close bond between Ruby and Oscar to the point that it confirms their blossoming love for each other. Or…at least it confirms Oscar falling in love with Ruby. But before the audience can get the chance to learn whether or not Ruby reciprocates those feelings, in comes the Battle for Atlas in the middle of the Atlas Arc.

Since the Battle for Haven took place only the second volume of the Mistral Trilogy, I’m banking on the CRWBY possibly following the same routine. V7 will probably deal mostly with Weiss’ side of the story with the Schnee Family affairs and the Crimes of the SDC being the backbone of the plot while V8 will most likely bring us into the eventual fight to defend the kingdom in the sky. That’s my best guess.

If things go accordingly, V9 could be the standalone Dark Domain Arc which is set as part of the Atlas Trilogy since it falls directly after the events of Atlas.

The way how I see it. A Dark Domain Arc could be done one of two ways. It could end in both Ruby and Oscar getting captured and taken to Salem before escaping and having to survive on their own without their friends, as I’d originally envisioned.

Or…it could involve this new alternative---where Oscar sacrifices himself to be captured in order to protect Atlas and the Dark Domain Arc will instead focus on Ruby leading a small rescue party into the dark lands to get Oscar back.

Picture this…The Atlas Arc ends in another successfully executed victory in favour of the villains. Not only does Salem manage to spark further backlash between the remaining kingdoms and Atlas but thanks to the ingenious works of Arthur Watts and Tyrian, she manages to claim two of the Relics.

The Kingdom of Atlas in under siege. The city and its people are in turmoil overrun by Grimm now left to invade the kingdom after Watts disabled its defences. The heroes are once again outnumbered and overpowered and even Ruby’s Silver Eyes aren’t a match for a massive army of Grimm.

At some point, Salem speaks to Oscar in particular and gives him an ultimatum: Surrender to her or watch the People of Atlas and everyone he loves die.

So Oscar has no choice but to give himself up. The only people there to watch him get taken are an incapacitated General Ironwood and injured Qrow Branwen bloodied to the point that he resembles Aizawa from My Hero Academia after he got his ass pummelled into the ground by a Nomu.

And of course, Ruby is there too, equally wounded and exhausted from overexerting her Silver Eyes. She and Oscar were alone fighting together beside Ironwood and Qrow when the Beringels came and overpowered them. I’m picturing a Beringel holding Ruby in a firm chokehold threatening to strangle the life out of her or snap her neck on Salem’s command to further affirm to Oscar’s watchful eyes that the Wicked Witch wasn’t playing around with her threats.

So to protect his comrades including the girl he loved, Oscar surrenders. Oscar leaves with Tyrian and Watts and to make sure that Ruby doesn’t try to come after them, Salem additionally threatens Ruby with if she tried to prevent Oscar’s sacrifice, she’d kill both Ironwood and Qrow.

So Ruby has no choice but to watch Oscar get taken away by the villains; possibly to his own demise. The last memory Ruby has of Oscar is his tear stricken face locking eyes with hers one final time.

“…I love you” is all Oscar gets to say to Ruby before Tyrian heartlessly knocks him out the instant he steps foot in the airship. After that, Salem surprisingly kept her word and spared Atlas with her Beringels leaving as soon as she got Oscar.

Or…so Salem leads Oscar to believe. In my imagination, the instant Salem has Oscar/Ozpin in her clutches; she orders Tyrian or Watts to detonate the grandmaster thingamajiggie which would send the entire kingdom of Atlas plummeting to its demise below taking the Kingdom of Mantle with it, killing millions.

As Oscar regains consciousness in the dock of the airship, he looks outside just in time to watch in dismay as Atlas in blown out of the sky with the Kingdom plunging to its doom above the unsuspecting People of Mantle. So…Oscar’s sacrifice had been in vain. Salem still went ahead and killed everyone anyways.

And to add more insult to injury, as Oscar falls to his knees crying over the deaths of his friends, he’s not even allowed to grieve in peace as Tyrian, feigning sympathy, cups his face in faux concern and tells Oscar that he should be counting himself lucky that the gentle goddess showed him enough pity to whisk him off to safety as a opposed to leaving him to die in Atlas. According to Tyrian, Oscar should be grateful instead of mournful. A remark which only serves to set Oscar off which, unfortunately for Oscar, is exactly what Tyrian was hoping for. The instant Oscar makes an enraged attempt to lash out at Tyrian, the scorpion Faunus stings Oscar in the neck.

The last thing Oscar recalls is the kingdom of Atlas in flames falling from the skies before his world turned to darkness. Literally.

I was told that in The Little Prince story, the little Prince fell in love with a rose however the rose was vain. But by the time the rose realized her feelings for the prince, it was too late and he returned home or something to that liking.

While Ruby Rose is far from being vain, I do love the concept of the Atlas Arc building upon a potential romance between Ruby and Oscar. However by the time Ruby realizes her own feelings for Oscar, he gets captured and taken away from her to Salem and the last words Oscar says to Ruby is “I love you”.

Wouldn’t that be a real kick in the teeth? Ruby realizing she loves Oscar too but can’t say it because he gets taken away to possibly be tortured and killed by Salem while she and the others are left to do what they can’t to salvage and save Atlas before it hits the ground.

Speaking of Atlas, while I am in love with the overall design of this skyward kingdom, the very first thing I thought of when I saw Atlas is that it’s giving me huge Age of Ultron vibes. In Avengers: Age of Ultron, the villainous Ultron levitated a huge chunk of the Earth into the sky in an attempt to cause further destruction to the world below.

It wouldn’t surprise me if Atlas ends up falling from the sky for the Atlas Arc. What would actually be interesting is if Atlas ends up falling with the Kingdom being forced to return Mantle and rebuilt itself. Or even better, what if Atlas falls but it’s the ingenuity of the People of Mantle who help save their Atlesian brethren. After all, Atlas wouldn’t exist without Mantle. The Kingdom might have forgotten of that over the years. All the more reason to have Mantle come to Atlas’ aid when their kingdom is in great peril. Wouldn’t that be a nice twist?

But…we’ll see.

Imagine…Ruby wanting to lead a search party to go to the Dark Domain to rescue Oscar. However there is tension in this idea because by the end of Atlas Arc, Salem gains the Relics of Knowledge and Creation which forces the heroes no choice but to head for Vacuo immediately to make sure the Sword doesn’t fall into Salem’s hands too.

Of course claiming the Relic of Destruction becomes a major priority since it is believed to be the most dangerous of the four Relics and if Salem were to get her hands on that Relic then the heroes would lose for sure. But with Oscar becoming Salem’s prisoner and with his close comrades, particularly Ruby, worried for his safety in Salem’s clutches, his life on the line also becomes a priority.

Imagine…the heroes dividing for a second time only this time it’s on good terms and for a very valid reason. While one team heads directly for Shade Academy in Vacuo, another heads for the Dark lands.

I know folks were excited for a Dark Domain Arc involving Ruby and Oscar, but I raise you another possibility. What if…we get another volume where it’s the RNJR squad of Ruby, Jaune, Ren and Nora traversing the dark lands on their way toward Salem’s Domain to rescue Oscar?

While this is happening, Weiss, Blake and Yang head for Vacuo to rendezvous with their comrades in Vacuo---like Team SSSN and CVFY to rally together to protect Shade.

I know fans didn’t particularly enjoy the split up stories for V4 and V5. To be fair, I’m actually one of the folks who didn’t mind that format. I don’t think the Writers did a terrible job either with V4 and V5. My main issues were the Writers lack of ‘show, don’t tell’ back in those volumes where characters would just tell the audience that certain things are a certain way without much on-screen build-up.

 For example; Weiss accusing Whitley of manipulating and double crossing her when there is no real on-screen evidence to support him committing such a heinous action towards his sister. Yet he accepts the accusation anyways.

Who knows? Perhaps after two more successful seasons of improvement, the CRWBY Writers may be daring enough to try another season where the story is divided between two factions---the heroes in the Dark Domain and the heroes in Vacuo.

As much as I would love for a single arc where it’s just Ruby and Oscar surviving a Grimm-infested dark world together while learning more about each other in the process (since it would be a welcomed first for the series), I also wouldn’t mind another season of the RNJR squad this time working together to save Oscar while WBY are off in Vacuo to soak up some SSSN and CVFY!

I mean our Rosebuds working together to survive is amazing and all. But imagine if they’re separated from each other, forced to believe the other was dead while clinging desperately to the belief that they’d see each other again somehow. Picture Ruby fighting through hell just to get to Oscar and how it would be like to see them reunite after such an intense separation.

Picture…how powerful a moment it would be for RoseGarden to share their first kiss after a full season of watching them both panic for each other’s lives, reminisce of the fond memories they shared together and cling to any bit of happiness and warmth they felt from those good memories to help fuel what little hope they each had of seeing each other again---hearing each other’s voice and getting so much as to hold each other’s hand again. Or seeing each other’s welcoming smiles again.

To me, a Dark Domain Arc with Ruby Rose leading a rescue party of herself and JNR (RNJR Squad) to save Oscar is beginning to sound just as compelling---maybe even a bit more, than a Dark Domain Arc with just the Rosebuds. Maybe both can be done since both stories were done for the Wizard of Oz. Buuuuut….who knows, y’know?

As always, this is just me spouting ideas. But damn, would an idea like this be awesome. Especially for the future of RoseGarden.

More Squiggles’ RWBY Content

 ~LittleMissSquiggles (2019)

[nametonki]

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Central island is ideal for HOTA if you want (this of course depends only on you and your own ideas for the zones). If you search well you will find 2 hidden entrances to a giant underground, where there is a hidden chamber (this is a surprise for the players) - just look good on the central island. On the map are already the main roads (of course you can paint another, your own). It is the place prepared for 2 large bridges. Size: 2048 (IMHO best for Wurm Unlimited servers where it is usually not too many players online at once and of course the best size for SOLO play.) I spent a lot of time to complete this map, and just as much time to fine-tune it. Unless each map for Wurm looks the same (surrounded by water) - it is quite boring so I decided to do a completely different map and I hope you like it. This is a copy of a piece of Mars - exactly Gale Crater: For more information, please check out our Server Information section.My map is made entirely by hand! Not using any generators, etc. Our staff at Genesis host weekly events to keep the community engaged and we always aim to help everyone out. With our experience in hosting Wurm Unlimited servers for over a two years, Genesis is a great server for those who want a more traditional Wurm experience without accelerating too fast, but getting some of the great perks of Wurm Unlimited. Characteristics start at 22.0, Skills at 15.0.Resources listed under Police scanner category belongs to Internet and Radio main collection, and get reviewed and rated by amateur radio operators. Farming growth time is 1 hour between ticks. Public safety broadcasts on the internet category is a curation of 114 web resources on, Detroit Fire Department Scanner feed, Denver Police Radio, Las Vegas Metro Police Department 24/7 Scanner. Wurm Unlimited Modding Spotlight Tutorial, featuring Google Maps Generator.Java.Mining actions require 31 hits to break rock.Action Rate is 4x on every action within the game.The newest issue of the Valrei International is here, with fresh map. Dynamic Skill Rate: 5x – 2x at level 70. Wurm Online - the ultimate sandbox MMORPG launches on Steam on the 24th of July.Here are some of the features Genesis has to offer: As soon as I get my hands on a mac development machine I will try to. Our playerbase is medium-large with more than enough people to provide a true, MMO experience. I play Wurm Unlimited and it is possible to create maps for that game but the map. This map is hosted on a dedicated server with backups every four hours ensuring your data will never be lost.

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Our players vary from those who are experienced and new to the game, while our staff have been around Wurm Unlimited for thousands of hours of playtime. Learn how to unlock Tracfone Moto G6 to use with other sim cards worldwide. These creatures are useful for advancing kill achievements for off-hand or. A PVE server, Genesis has a custom, hand-drawn map with tons of unique content, a great skill progression rate, fast action timers, and an active staff that host events weekly. Genesis was created on Feburary 19th, 2019 by Revelation. The paper at hand introduces a novel system for producing an enhanced semantic map that leverages a reconstruction approach of street-view scenes using.

[strangesmallbard]

naedeenh’s romance trajectory so far:

immediately had Self Recognition Through the Other upon meeting astarion; was genuinely thrilled to learn he’s a vampire. after letting him kill her that first night, she was like 1) okay NEVER do that again 2) unless i specifically ask you to 😃 they become mutually obsessed with each other, sleeping together post tiefling party.

at the same time, naedeenh immediately liked gale. she thought he was funny and strange! the orb situation overall adds to his appeal; she’s just pissed he didn’t tell her. when he develops genuine affection for naedeenh’s elaborate performance, she simply doesn’t know what to do with that information. so she asks astarion to bring her to the brink of death again

(astarion at this point Does care about her and is like. let’s go murder that gur over there to cope instead! no reason haha)

she knows in her brain (somewhere) that she needs to turn gale down during the weave scene but she doesn’t 💜 she likes being liked and gale is nice and funny and has a bomb in his chest. he also thinks wild magic is hot! what could possibly go wrong

MEANWHILE meanwhile she meets minthara at the goblin camp and feels this instant, insatiable pull toward her. not self recognition through the other or lust but a secret third thing. there’s a strength and brutality to minthara that calls out to her urge, and a softer curiosity that calls out to Naedeenh. (or whatever is left of her now.)

then minthara immediately microsggresses her and naedeenh decides she has to die by her hand. she wants minthara to KNOW naedeenh is going to kill her. and be kind of impressed. who said that

at the tiefling camp battle, however, naedeenh can’t bring herself to finish minthara off. she doesn’t understand this and doesn’t want to (yes she does). so she personally heals minthara and brings her to safety, making sure she’s conscious enough to realize that naedeenh is the only reason she’s still alive now. and be impressed. WHO said that!!!

fast forward to the shadowlands: naedeenh is completely swept off her feet by gale’s weird astral projection sex scene. she’s like i CAN be loved and loved in return this is great. it simply doesn’t matter how i actually feel about gale it’s the vibes that count.

astarion sees right through this and is like we gotta stop sleeping together i am not getting into a stupid love triangle with gale. she’s like >:( but it’s for the best honestly. they bring out the worst in each other. i’d call them chaos twins but that feels weird in this context. you get it

she sees minthara during that trial and is completely arrested by her entire situation. she cannot bear to see minthara hurt—by anyone, including her. this is very confusing because minthara also sees right through her performance and keeps questioning her motives, which she usually hates so so much.

she also seems to respect naedeenh’s boundaries and perspective and personhood. who knows why naedeenh keeps following her back to her tent to deep talk and ignoring her very nice boyfriend

ANYWAY! she tells minthara about the urge one night, hoping to find a kindred spirit. instead minthara goes “i kill because when it’s necessary and i also choose who to kill” and naedeenh is like you can do that??? you can do that??? (it’s never the killing that’s the problem; it’s the lack of choice)

she barely manages to not kill gale when the urge takes over. she gets very ���would you still love me if i was a worm” afterward and he says yes and she believes him and how can this possibly go wrong :)

minthara: if your urge wins i will not hesitate to kill you; naedeenh, with insurmountable relief and lust: haha and then what? 😜

(astarion is pretending to be very amused while pacing his tent at night in concern and bitching to shadowheart about it over stolen barrel wine the next day. he’s still drinking naedeenh’s blood at this point it’s a meditative routine for both of them).

and we JUST got to baldur’s gate!

having too much dedication to the Narrative when playing rpgs means i just had to make naedeenh down minthara 😭 like she needs to fuck up her relationship with gale so badly he becomes an unreachable god first but HELLOO PLEASE just let me control when cut scenes trigger. this is why i play the sims

[sweetmemories2606]

Unforgivable: Gruvia and Jerza Fanfic (chapter 1)

So, I wrote this weeks ago as a one-shot and a prompt for Gruvia Week Day 2: Misunderstanding, but after a request from a reader (on ff.net), decided to turn it into a multi-chapter.

Title: Unforgivable

Pairings: Gruvia, Jerza, NaLu, GaLe, Jellal & Juvia friendship, Juvia & Ultear & Meredy friendship, Jellal &Ultear friendship, Gajuvia friendship.

Original Summary: Gray didn't want to believe it. Didn't want to face the truth that was right in front of him, because it was too hard. He stared at her in disbelief, eyes drawn to the bloody knife on her shaky hands and for a moment he worried that she might use it on him. Was this his fault? Had he broken her so much that she decided to work for Zeref?

New Summary: One awful night, Gray found Juvia standing over Erza's lifeless body; a bloody knife in her shaky hands. The question of why she'd done it led to many secrets; such as her real identity, her unknown connection to Jellal and the real reason why she found Gray. Can they figure everything out before Tartaros kills them all?

Timeline: This story is set during the Grand Magic Games Arc, more specifically, the Grand Ball episode. 

WARNING: This contains mentions of MURDER and SUICIDE. Therefore be cautious when reading.

Word Count: 6000 (chapters one and two).

Link: https://m.fanfiction.net/s/12889561/1/Unforgivable

Here's chapter 1:

                                       Scarlet Betrayal

"You're working for Zeref." Gray didn't want to believe it. Didn't want to face the truth that was right in front of him, because it was hard. Harder than finding out that his parents had died on that awful night, or watching Ur sacrifice herself for him. No, this was so much worse.

He stared at the woman in front of him; her long blue hair was let down and she wore a beautiful gown. It used to be the color of the sky, but now there were red stains. Blood; he had noted.

Her shaky hands held onto the knife and for a moment he worried that she was going to use it on him.

"No." Juvia shook her head, tears streaming down her face and he was confused. Why was she the one crying? She had betrayed him. If anyone should be upset now, it's him.

"There's no use in denying it, Juvia. I'm not stupid." That wasn't entirely true. He had been stupid, and blind. His love for her had blinded him to the truth and now someone else had to pay for it. He really didn't know how he hadn't figured it out before, all the signs had been there.

The first one was a few days after they had gotten together, while they were training for the Grand Magic Games. She disappeared for a whole day and he had been worried sick. When she came back that night, she made up some excuse that the others were quick to believe, but not him. Gray always knew when she was lying, or at least he had thought so.

Then, on the second day of the Games, he heard Gajeel saying that he had seen her talking to a strange person, someone he didn't recognise. They had assumed it was perhaps a fan of hers, because Juvia had become quite popular ever since they returned from Tenrou Island.

She had made many pose ups for Sorcerer Weekly and after her relationship with Gray went public, the two of them became the it couple of Fiore. Only Sherry and Ren and topped them off.

On the night that Lucy was kidnapped after they found out about the Eclipse Gate, Juvia didn't seem as surprised as everyone else. Instead, her face showed sadness and guilt. Gray was suspicious, but once he asked her about it, she denied.

Later that night he had caught her talking to the same strange woman with long black hair and golden horns adorning her head. Natsu had been with him and he was able to overhear some of the conversation. All he was able to catch was the woman's threat to Juvie, before she suddenly disappeared. The words she spoke made him feel uneasy and he didn't like it one bit. "It must be done by midnight tomorrow, unless you wish for him to be harmed."

Gray knew that the woman was talking about him, but Juvia once again denied it when he asked. She told another lie; that the woman used to be a member of Phantom Lord and was trying to blackmail her in order to get money. Gray didn't know why he believed it, but he had trusted her. He loved her, after all, and he knew she loved him back, so there was no reason not to.

"I can't believe I trusted you." It was his turn to shake his head before he gazed at the body on the grass.

They were in the middle of the labyrinth consisting of the Palace Gardens and it was the night of the Grand Ball, as they had called it. A victory party to celebrate the defeat of the greatest threat to the kingdom of Fiore in centuries: the sudden reappearance of dragons about a week ago.

Most wizards were inside the palace; drinking, dancing and having fun. Gray had been having a great time with his friends, but then Gajeel told him he was worried about Juvia's disappearance, making the ice mage worried himself. They had agreed to meet at the party, yet over one hour had passed and she hadn't showed up.

So the two of them had teamed up to look for her and the dragon slayer had led them to their worst nightmare. They found her standing in front of the body, dress covered in blood and a knife in her hands. To say they were surprised was an understatement; they had never imagined she could be capable of murder.

Gajeel had stayed hidden, giving Gray the opportunity to confront her. He now wished he hadn't.

"I'm so sorry." Juvia was still crying as she let go of the knife. "I didn't... I didn't want it to end like this."

"Neither did I." He couldn't stay there anymore, couldn't look her in the eye. So he turned around with a sigh and began walking away.

"Wait." She called for him and he didn't stop. "At least let me explain." She sounded so sad, so broken. Not what you'd expect from someone who had just betrayed the person they loved.

"I don't think I want to hear it." Gray would never admit it, but he was afraid. He feared the reason she had chosen to change sides is because of him. Because of the way he had treated her before they got together, constantly ignoring her advances. What if he had broken her so much that she decided to work for Zeref?

"Still, you deserve an explanation." Juvia said and he froze. For a few moments, there was only silence as he considered his options. Should he hear her out? Or should he just walk away and save himself the heartache of knowing he was the reason she became evil?

He didn't have a chance to decide, for Gajeel chose that moment to come out of hiding. "You'd better have a very good explanation for this mess!" He glared at her and Juvia's eyes widened once she saw him. Sighing once again, Gray turned around and walked back to her.

"Why did you kill her?" He asked, glancing towards the body once again. Her hair was the same color as the blood that filled her dress and her big, brown eyes stared at them; a look of surprise forever etched on her face. Erza Scarlet was dead.

"I didn't want to." The water mage quickly said, her expression sorrowful. "But I didn't have a choice."

"Don't give me that crap! You're the one who loved reminding me that we always have a choice." Gajeel snapped and Gray wondered why he hadn't. He knew that he should be angry at her, but all he felt was sadness.

"Not in this case." Juvia replied before taking a deep breath. "I'm not working for Zeref." They stared at her, eyebrows raised.

"Seriously, you won't even admit it?" Now he was getting angry.

"I would never betray you like that." She firmly told them and Gajeel laughed without humour.

"Now that's rich." He shook his head while the ice mage remained frozen.

"You killed Erza. Don't you consider that a betrayal?" He reminded her.

"I was forced to do that after I found out..." She paused.

"What?" Gajeel asked, raising a brow while still looking furious.

"She was working for them." Their expressions didn't change.

"Do you seriously expect us to believe that?" Gray asked.

"I'm not saying she was a spy, but they were using her. Ever since the tower of Heaven, when they realized that she could be a great asset. So they placed a tracker inside of her; one that couldn't be removed even with magic. It allowed them to know everything they needed about Fairy Tail. They've been spying on us this whole time, just waiting for the perfect moment to make a move." She paused before looking back at Erza's immobile body.

"And that moment was tonight. They were going to destroy us by using Erza. They told me that they had developed the tracker so that it could be used to control her. I know Erza wouldn't have wanted that, so I did the only thing I could think of to stop them."

"You could have told us." Gray said after a few moments of silence. He was unsure whether or not to believe her, after all, she had lied to them about so much.

"Then they'd have killed you." Juvia replied calmly.

"Wait a second, why do you keep saying say 'them'? Weren't you talking about Zeref?" Gajeel quickly noted.

"They work for Zeref; they are his greatest allies." She took another deep breath before revealing a truth that could get them all killed. "Tartarus." Their eyes widened once they recognized the name of the dark guild.

"Tartarus?" Gray repeated, disbelief crossing his face.

"Yes. I managed to infiltrate their guild a few weeks ago." Their jaws dropped.

"Infiltrate?" Gray was having a hard time understanding what was going on. It seemed as if his brain decided to go on vacations.

"How?" Gajeel asked.

"It was Jellal's idea." She replied. "During the past seven years he found out that my mother had been a member of Tartarus until her death when I was five. Him and Ultear figured I might be able to infiltrate their guild and they were right. It took a while for them to trust me, but I managed to convince them that I had changed sides."

"So you've been pretending to work for them while trying to figure out their plan?" Juvia nodded. It was so unbelievable and yet, they believed her. Because they knew Juvia Lockser and the lengths she'd go to protect the people she loved.

"That's insane!" Gajeel stared at her in disbelief.

"You could've gotten yourself killed." Gray shook his head.

"It was a risk I was willing to take." A guilty look came upon her face. "I'm sorry I did this behind your back, but I didn't want to involve anyone else in this mess." He understood; if he was the one facing this situation, he'd have done the same.

"I understand." Gray paused. "But still, I don't think I can forgive you." She nodded sadly.

"I don't expect you to. I know that I'll never forgive myself for this, but it had to be done." She looked back at the body before kneeling down.

"You're an idiot." Gajeel said, frustrated. "You should have told us."

"If I did, they'd have killed you." She repeated. There was fear in her eyes and also sadness, regret. Gray had never been more sure in his life that she was telling the truth. But still, the question remained, could he forgive her after what she had done?

"Maybe. Or maybe we would've found a way to stop them and Erza wouldn't be dead." Erza had been like a sister to him, one of his best friends.

"I didn't want to risk it, all I wanted was to keep you safe." Juvia said before pausing as tears streamed down her face. "But I failed and now it's too late." Before either of them could understand what was happening, she had grabbed the knife from the floor and held it against her neck.

"No!" Gray screamed, taking a step towards her. He wouldn't let her do this. No matter how angry he was or how hard this was, he couldn't deny the fact that he still loved her. Even if she had been working for Tartarus, these feelings wouldn't go away so easily and Gray knew that there would be no pain worse than that of losing her.

"Don't do this." Gajeel pleaded. Juvia looked at them; so broken and so sad.

"I'm sorry. So sorry." She said while a shaky hand held the knife. "I don't want to do this, but it's too late for me now. They know I lied and they are coming after me."

"I won't let them hurt you, I promise." Gray took a few slow steps towards her. " I'll protect you." There was no way he'd let these monsters harm her. They were the ones responsible for this mess, he reminded himself. They had forced her to kill Erza, they gave her no alternative. They were the ones who needed to pay.

"That's the problem." Juvia sniffed, trying to stop the tears. "I can't let you get hurt because of me." He almost felt like laughing at the irony of the situation; wasn't it only a few days before when he was the one putting himself in danger to save her?

"Losing you will be worse than anything they could do to me." It was the truth. In that moment, Gray realized that even losing Erza couldn't compare to it. So he knew that, even though it might take time, he would forgive Juvia. He couldn't keep hating her for doing exactly what he would have done if he was in her place.

"But at least you'll be safe. They'll have no reason to hurt you if I'm not here." Juvia bit her lip as the knife inched closer to her neck, enough to draw blood. He started getting desperate.

"Please, Juvia." By then he was right in front of her and he knelt down. "Stay. Let me help you fight against them." Gajeel nodded, a furious look coming upon her face. He watched them silently, knowing that if someone could stop her from killing herself, it would be Gray.

"You can't. They're too dangerous; they'll get us killed." There was fear in her eyes, like he had never seen before.

"We won't let that happen." The ice mage took the hand that wasn't holding the knife and squeezed it. "We'll find a way to defeat them and Zeref. I promise you." He saw hesitation cross her face, but she didn't let go of the knife.

"I lost you once." Juvia gulped as memories of his death crossed her mind. "I can't go through that again."

"You won't have to, because I won't leave you again." He gazed into her eyes, letting her see the sincerity in his. "I love you, so please let go of the knife." He was filled with relief when her shaky hand finally let go of the weapon before falling to her lap. Gray wasted no time closing the space between them before taking her in his arms.

For a few minutes, he let her cry in his chest while he held onto her and whispered comforting words in her ear. They were so lost in each other that they didn't notice the moment Lucy, Natsu, Wendy and Levy joined them. They didn't hear the shocked gasps as the newcomers noticed the body on the ground or the thousand questions they directed at Gajeel, who didn't say anything.

Juvia pulled apart from the hug and attempted to dry her tears. "I'm sorry." She repeated as her eyes focused on him.

"It's okay." He whispered, a hand gently stroking her cheek.

"I love you too." A small smile graced his features before he leaned in. Her arms quickly wrapped around his neck and she brought him closer before they kissed. It was desperate and intense; she kissed him like it was the last time, tears still falling down her face.

"Seriously, what happened here?" Lucy asked after they pulled apart and the couple turned to her.

"It's a long story." Gray answered and Natsu raised a brow.

"We have time." He told them, crossing his arms.

"Okay." Juvia removed herself from Gray's arms and took a deep breath while she prepared to explain everything. He could tell she was nervous and scared, so he took her hand and squeezed it while giving her a reassuring look.

She was safe. No matter what happened, she was alright now and he vowed to keep it that way.

[d3ndroica]

Big Apple 3

Part 1    Part 2   (1 + 2 were a slooow start on this one I know ...)

Madge woke to the voices of her neighbors carrying through the apartment wall. Her head hurt. She needed to pee and she was dehydrated. She cracked her eyes open and immediately regretted it. The sunlight through the window seemed obscenely bright. Too much margarita.

She should’ve taken a water bottle last night. Instead she had limited herself to what fit in the tiny cute purse, which was by far the best accessory for the club-worthy dress. The bar had been so crowded she hadn’t gotten enough water. She scrunched her eyes closed and pulled the blanket over her head.

She’d had some water though. She remembered Thom’s friend Gale handing her a glass. Unless he’d roofied it! she thought. Suddenly she was wide awake. But no, that didn’t make sense. He was gay. And she was alone, in her own bed, wearing normal pajamas and not feeling at all abused - except for the hangover. Grumpy, she peered out from the blanket enough to grab her phone from next to the bed. Luckily she’d remembered to plug it in. 

Shit. It was after noon already. She blearily stared at her phone until she could make sense of the icons on the screen.

Her feeds showed a bunch of pictures from the night before, thanks mostly to Thom. She had a couple new friend requests and a few requests accepted. In the accepted category were Rue Jones, Beetee Mortara, and Venia Curlew. In the friend request category were Cashmere Coulson and Gale Hawthorne. Madge didn’t really remember much about Cashmere, but she was “friends” with Thom, Venia, and Beetee. The only mutual “friend” with Gale was Thom. No surprise there. But she wasn’t sure that Thom befriending his exes transferred to her. 

She looked at his public pics. She remembered him being around a lot the night before. She thought back and recalled lots of chatting and laughing with Thom’s friends, including Gale, but was that really reason enough to friend him? She decided to wait until later to deal with the friend requests. She scrolled mindlessly through her news feed for a bit before she switched apps to check her texts.

There were two new notifications: one from Thom and one from an unknown number. Weird. She opened Thom’s first. Just the usual back and forth about making it home safely and some vague messages from him about the night before. At the moment, she really didn’t care. Then she opened the other.  212-867-5309 2:28am thanks for a fun nite did you get home OK? 212-867-5309 2:42am Thom says you texted him so I guess you’re off the hook. Goodnight princess 212-867-5309 11:02am um this is Gale btw Madge stared. Princess? Oh shit. What had she told him? Or had Thom? Almost automatically Madge went about changing the name of the contact to his name instead of the number. But she was distracted thinking about him calling her princess. Thom knew about her 3 misguided years of princess pageant competitions and the state “Little Miss Princess” crown she’d won when she was nine, before the cancer changed things. Thom had heard far more than anyone should have to after her mom’s relapse. But that was years ago, and even though she knew it amused him, she didn’t think he’d have brought it up. Plus, she’d been surrounded by beautiful people in the entertainment industry last night. Pageant stories would have gone over much better than cancer lab stories.

Madge closed her eyes and it came back to her. Someone - it was Cashmere, Madge thought - had been talking about stage moms. And Madge had a few stories about stage moms. So she had divulged that little history. It was not exactly her deepest darkest secret but it wasn’t exactly the first impression she wanted to make on these new people either. But now she remembered. Gale had been there, he’d called her princess then too. An image of him from the night before crystallized in her mind, his face bright with laughter, magnetic eyes that took her breath away. Shit, she blushed just to remember. 

Maybe if she was lucky, they would all have collective amnesia about last night. Or she’d just never talk to him again. Or anyone else who’d been in earshot. Shit.

She put down the phone and decided to finally roll her butt out of bed. After getting cleaned up and eating some cereal, she shlepped a bag of laundry down to the laundry room only to find that of course, all the machines were taken. There was a guy in one of the chairs reading a book, and a basket of filthy looking laundry next to him, so Madge just gave up and went back upstairs. She lazed around for the afternoon and managed to claim an empty laundry machine after dinner. She settled down with her current book - Lab Girl, a book her dad had sent with her. He’d probably picked it based on the title. She’d just rotated the first load and started the second when her phone pinged. Thom 9:40pm What’s happening Madge 9:41pm Laundry Thom 9:42pm Laundromat? Madge 9:42pm In bldg basement Thom 9:44pm Nice! That’s better at least Madge 9:45pm Last night was fun. I’m glad you talked me into it. How r u? Thom 9:45pm <link> It linked to a YouTube clip of Kevin Sorbo, in Hercules, screaming “disappointed!” Madge laughed at the virally-misinterpreted homage to Kevin Kline. If you chose to believe Sorbo’s version of events, which Madge did. 

Madge 9:46pm Teehee Feeling misunderstood? Thom 9:48 pm my lot in life. But woman, the thing about today is that we both went home alone last night and now it’s a miserable day and I had to wake up to the vocal stylings of Annie and Finn going at it next door. Again. And I wouldn’t have even gotten out of bed but I had a stupid matinee which I hate.

Madge 9:48pm Sorry :-/ So how’d it go? Did you get any sleep last night? Thom 9:49pm I got some and I’m home now so crashing soon.  You’re totally missing the point I don’t need sleep a need a fuck I’m such a mess listen to me blathering What did you think of Gale you two talked a lot Madge 9:50pm Yeah he seemed nice Thom 9:51pm He’s hot right Madge 9:53pm Totally hot, last night was like a beautiful person parade I can’t believe you let me tell stage mom stories Thom 9:55pm You know I love those stories  They’re really not as embarrassing as you think  Madge 9:56pm Maybe in your world I have enough trouble as it is fighting pretty blonde girl syndrome at work Thom 9:56pm Lucky for you it was my world last night then RIGHT? Screw them. Leave that work shit at work You do you 

Madge 9:57pm Yeah yeah So ... What about that Cinna guy he seemed into you Thom 9:59pm I thought so but I dunno I need to stop worry about everything so much RIGHT Did I tell you I have 2 casting calls this week my anxiety is through the roof

Madge 10:02pm You told me but I forgot. What are they for again? 

Thom 10:07pm Commercials. It’s stupid but the money is insane. If you can sell.

Madge 10:09pm Totally. I hoep they go well.  If you need any help learning crazy drug names you know where to go ;-)

Thom 10:10pm Haha, that would be awesome. Watch out you might get wrangled into running lines with me again

Madge 10:12pm That was so much fun you know I’d do it again in the heartbeat. Especially if we can stay up late and eat ice cream. :)

Thom 10:14pm I’m so glad you moved here Maddie, we’re gonna have so much fun 

Madge 10:15pm So much :)

Monday came and Madge went back to her weekday routine. She had finished all the paperwork and trainings at the research center, and she was finally being assigned an experiment. She wouldn’t lead it herself, as new as she was, but she was excited to finally get back in a lab, working with a couple of phd researchers who had developed the protocols. She still had at least a week or two of practicing the new methods before she began actual experiments, but it still felt like progress. She also heard from her friend Delly who wanted to know all about her exciting life in NYC - an idea the pictures from Saturday only seemed to confirm. She grilled Madge on all the people she’d met and things she’d done and claimed she had to live vicariously through Madge because grad school was so hard. Madge encouraged Delly to come for a weekend sometime.

Thursday night she joined some women from the lab at a happy hour.  They went to a basement bar close to the research center, and drank cocktails that the others called “cheap” which apparently they applied to anything under ten dollars. On the upside, the coworkers were pretty friendly and she heard about lots of different subcultures in the city. One told her about contra dancing. Another was into board games … she’d even been to a board game convention the year before. One was a runner, was training for a marathon, and loved trivia nights. It was fun, learning a bit about them. By the time she said goodbye, it was almost 8 o’clock.  She looked at her phone to confirm how to get to the subway, and saw a new text notification. Once Madge was on her train heading home, she opened up her phone again and replied.

Gale 6:48pm  hi 

Madge 8:01pm Hi How are you? Gale 8:04pm alright you? Madge 8:05pm Ok Gale 8:07pm going out this wkend? Madge 8:09pm IDK maybe OMW home from happy hour

Gale 8:10pm you should use a safety text Madge 8:15pm What’s that? Gale 8:18pm pick a string of emojis that means you’re home safe. Then you always send it after a night out. Then we know you’re really safe and it’s not some psycho who kidnapped you or stole your phone or something Madge 8:22pm Ohhkay

Madge 8:24pm How worried should I be about these psychos? Gale 8:24pm lol don’t worry too much. But you should delete that conversation just to be safe. 😉 Madge 8:25pm So do you have safety emojis? Gale 8:29pm of course Madge 8:34pm And? What are they? Gale 8:41pm um no comment Madge 8:44pm Come on! How will I know you’re home safe and not kidnapped by psychos  :P  (home btw)

Gale 8:47pm well don’t judge me  but it’s🖕⛄️🐸

Madge 8:48pm Lol Nice one. Is there a story behind that? Gale 8:50pm  it seemed good at the time what about you? Madge 8:56pm I’m looking … TBH I am not that big an emoji user I can’t really believe the options now that I’m looking.  Maybe I should use 🙈🙊 Gale 8:56pm lol that’s terrible

Madge 9:07pm ok 👣🍿🎵

Gale 9:09pm 👍

[sparkvelvet75-blog]

Comfort Baking: Why It's Important & How We're Practicing It

Food52 is not your typical office anytime of year (unless you consider perfectly art-directed bookshelves and show-stopping layer cakes coming out of the test kitchen typical), and that goes double for the holidays. We’ve got trees a twinkling and carols on repeat as early as October. Here’s what we’re up to right now.

Before I ever started cooking, I was baking. I remember that first attempt vividly: third grade, after school, a box of Duncan Hines yellow cake mix. I probably baked this while watching Sweet Dreams on Food Network, a 4 p.m. cooking show dedicated to desserts (Jacques Torres was on right after). Gale Gand's tagline at the end of each episode was, "And remember, there's always room for dessert."

I suppose it's why so many of us are attracted to baking: There's always room for it. Whether you're busy with work and life's pressures, or easing into the weekend with an indoor project—when the oven's on, all is good in the world. There are familiar pantry ingredients (flour, butter, sugar), specific measurements from which we're taught not to stray, and a promise of something sweet (or savory) to eat at the end. They say that unlike cooking dinner, baking a cake is an exact science. I find that there's an immeasurable amount of comfort in this. As Nigella Lawson writes in Nigella Kitchen:

I still feel that it is in some way the transformational element of baking that speaks so directly to us; it is, after all, a belief in the possibility of transformation, of perfectibility, that both Eastern and Western cultures share. It may sound absurd to link our basic, hopeful sense of human purpose to the "menial" act of whipping up a cake, but I know, I feel, that the link is there. Moreover, why disparage the menial in the first place?

This "menial" act, we here at Food52 like to call comfort baking. We may be hard at work getting ready for the holidays, but we also make sure to set aside time for baking because it relaxes us, reassures us that there are certain things in the world that just make sense. And it's not just in the baking that we find comfort, obviously. Is there anything more welcoming than knowing that there's a cake waiting for you on the counter, ready to be eaten with a cup of hot coffee or tea?

Suzanne D'Amato, VP of Content: I just made Tamar Adler's rosemary shortbread last weekend. So easy, yet the savory-sweet results are impressive. Also, the rosemary makes your house smell amazing.

Ella Quittner: Food Writer & Recipe Developer: I've been baking with ALL OF THE APPLES. I know it's a cliche this time of year, but it's a cliche for good reason. I made a riff on a tarte tatin last weekend that I can't—won't—stop thinking about. I've already re-upped my apple stock for this coming week.

Emma Laperruque, Food Writer & Recipe Developer: I’m working on a pumpkin cream pie recipe this weekend.

Erin Alexander, Assistant Editor of Partner Content: Does mug cake count? I was desperately craving cake the other night and needed something. This white chocolate mug cake was both terrible and amazing. Amazing because it's so good and easy, terrible because I made it three nights in a row... And yes, that's a teaspoon of ice cream. I'm not an animal.

Dave Katz, Video Editor: Just fed my sourdough starter this morning for my first boule in a few months! (This summer was too hot to turn the oven on for that long.)

Jeremy Beker, Senior Software Engineer: We love making Alton Brown’s homemade pretzels. Easy and so good. They've turned me into a soft pretzel snob...

Hana Asbrink, Senior Lifestyle Editor: Weekends are for leisure baking, and focaccia-making is one of the most relaxing ways to pass the time. Dimple like you mean it.

Joanna Sciarrino, Managing Editor: Making another batch of Saltie's Focaccia this weekend!

Sean Lee, VP of People & Culture: My wife took my son apple picking a few weeks ago, and they baked an apple pie together with all the apples he picked.

Me: It's almost clementine season; growing up we always had a huge box of them sitting on the kitchen counter. Of course, I'll be making Nigella Lawson's easy/lazy/totally gluten-free Clementine Cake from her first book How to Eat. It's taught me that if I bake something sweet for myself on Monday, I can have it for dessert throughout the week. As well, there’s something oddly satisfying about boiling clementines whole and blitzing them—skin, pith, all—into a batter that bakes up gorgeously every time.

What are you baking this holiday season?

exclusive

From Our Shop

Signed Copy: Genius Desserts, by Kristen Miglore

$35

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Source: https://food52.com/blog/23223-comfort-baking-from-food52-staffers

[pavspatch]

Gorski makes call for unity at Bower Fold

Q: What is your reaction to the many comings and goings at Bower Fold?

A: Am I happy about what’s happened? No. To be honest I didn’t want anyone to go but certain people had different views and so we move on.

Peter Dennerly is a great man and I really didn’t want him to go. I was amazed when I was told how old he is because I genuinely thought he was in his late sixties. He’ll be missed but he deserves his retirement.

There have been differences on and off the field but I’ve just been over for a week and we had two really constructive board meetings. Simon Haworth was delighted with his budget and in the next few weeks we hope to have more news on his plans for players. The academy is working well too with young lads developing.

Q: Is the club struggling financially?

A: We’re not about to go under but do we lose money every year? For sure. We’ve had some major cash flow problems over the last few months. Our new financial director, Keith Smart, has had more than a few sleepless nights.

But we’re clear about our strengths and weaknesses and what we have to do. Our costs are too high and our revenue streams are too small. Changing that situation is our biggest priority this season.

One thing that would help is having more jobs done by volunteers and at some point over the next few months I’ll be organising a volunteers’ evening.

The board and I are extremely grateful for every volunteer the club has and for what they do. But I’ve got to be honest and say that that the number of volunteers at other clubs is greater than the number we have. That equates to us having higher costs.

If we could get some of the jobs we’re currently paying for done by volunteers, the money saved could be the difference between Simon Haworth taking on a ten goals a season striker and one who could score 30. All these amounts of money stack up.

Q: Are you happy with the progress of the restructure you announced in early December?

A: In terms of Chris Horrocks, no, but we move on. Stalybridge Celtic needs some new directors, so if there any people who wish to join the club at a very senior level I would ask them to get in touch.

But we need people at all levels. Even if you’re not a business person maybe you could lend your time or your skills. The more help we get the more help there is for Simon Haworth.

Q: What did you make of last season?

A: The squad was very young, but even so we were only heavily beaten once and that was at Basford in gale-force winds. Our results against the top seven clubs were very good. I think our young squad will have benefited hugely from the experience.

We were definitely short of an effective centre-forward. If we’d had one we would have finished much higher up the table.

Q: Do you see light at the end of the tunnel?

A: I sincerely believe we’re making progress. Last week I attended two good, long board meetings and the board was united as an organisation.

Wendy Mackie and I spent a really good two hours chatting with Simon Haworth and his words to me at the end were that he was made up with it all. As a board we’re backing the gaffer financially and believe in Simon and Gaz (Gareth Roberts) totally.

Q: Do you have a message for the fans?

A: When Simon gave Pav’s Patch that explosive interview a few weeks ago a lot of people thought it was aimed at them, or it was aimed at me, but actually it was aimed at everyone in the club.

It’s been a difficult year but Simon, Wendy and I just want everyone at Stalybridge Celtic, from the board to the fans, and everyone in between, to come together.

The board are moving forward together and that’s the critical thing. No organisation, whether it be a political party, a business or a football club, will enjoy success unless it’s united.

It’s absolutely critical that everybody now gets behind Stalybridge Celtic and I’m talking about the whole club — the manager, the board, the players and the fans. We all have to pull together in the same direction.

[butaneplate02-blog]

Comfort Baking: Why It's Important & How We're Practicing It

Food52 is not your typical office anytime of year (unless you consider perfectly art-directed bookshelves and show-stopping layer cakes coming out of the test kitchen typical), and that goes double for the holidays. We’ve got trees a twinkling and carols on repeat as early as October. Here’s what we’re up to right now.

Before I ever started cooking, I was baking. I remember that first attempt vividly: third grade, after school, a box of Duncan Hines yellow cake mix. I probably baked this while watching Sweet Dreams on Food Network, a 4 p.m. cooking show dedicated to desserts (Jacques Torres was on right after). Gale Gand's tagline at the end of each episode was, "And remember, there's always room for dessert."

I suppose it's why so many of us are attracted to baking: There's always room for it. Whether you're busy with work and life's pressures, or easing into the weekend with an indoor project—when the oven's on, all is good in the world. There are familiar pantry ingredients (flour, butter, sugar), specific measurements from which we're taught not to stray, and a promise of something sweet (or savory) to eat at the end. They say that unlike cooking dinner, baking a cake is an exact science. I find that there's an immeasurable amount of comfort in this. As Nigella Lawson writes in Nigella Kitchen:

I still feel that it is in some way the transformational element of baking that speaks so directly to us; it is, after all, a belief in the possibility of transformation, of perfectibility, that both Eastern and Western cultures share. It may sound absurd to link our basic, hopeful sense of human purpose to the "menial" act of whipping up a cake, but I know, I feel, that the link is there. Moreover, why disparage the menial in the first place?

This "menial" act, we here at Food52 like to call comfort baking. We may be hard at work getting ready for the holidays, but we also make sure to set aside time for baking because it relaxes us, reassures us that there are certain things in the world that just make sense. And it's not just in the baking that we find comfort, obviously. Is there anything more welcoming than knowing that there's a cake waiting for you on the counter, ready to be eaten with a cup of hot coffee or tea?

Suzanne D'Amato, VP of Content: I just made Tamar Adler's rosemary shortbread last weekend. So easy, yet the savory-sweet results are impressive. Also, the rosemary makes your house smell amazing.

Ella Quittner: Food Writer & Recipe Developer: I've been baking with ALL OF THE APPLES. I know it's a cliche this time of year, but it's a cliche for good reason. I made a riff on a tarte tatin last weekend that I can't—won't—stop thinking about. I've already re-upped my apple stock for this coming week.

Emma Laperruque, Food Writer & Recipe Developer: I’m working on a pumpkin cream pie recipe this weekend.

Erin Alexander, Assistant Editor of Partner Content: Does mug cake count? I was desperately craving cake the other night and needed something. This white chocolate mug cake was both terrible and amazing. Amazing because it's so good and easy, terrible because I made it three nights in a row... And yes, that's a teaspoon of ice cream. I'm not an animal.

Dave Katz, Video Editor: Just fed my sourdough starter this morning for my first boule in a few months! (This summer was too hot to turn the oven on for that long.)

Jeremy Beker, Senior Software Engineer: We love making Alton Brown’s homemade pretzels. Easy and so good. They've turned me into a soft pretzel snob...

Hana Asbrink, Senior Lifestyle Editor: Weekends are for leisure baking, and focaccia-making is one of the most relaxing ways to pass the time. Dimple like you mean it.

Joanna Sciarrino, Managing Editor: Making another batch of Saltie's Focaccia this weekend!

Sean Lee, VP of People & Culture: My wife took my son apple picking a few weeks ago, and they baked an apple pie together with all the apples he picked.

Me: It's almost clementine season; growing up we always had a huge box of them sitting on the kitchen counter. Of course, I'll be making Nigella Lawson's easy/lazy/totally gluten-free Clementine Cake from her first book How to Eat. It's taught me that if I bake something sweet for myself on Monday, I can have it for dessert throughout the week. As well, there’s something oddly satisfying about boiling clementines whole and blitzing them—skin, pith, all—into a batter that bakes up gorgeously every time.

What are you baking this holiday season?

exclusive

From Our Shop

Signed Copy: Genius Desserts, by Kristen Miglore

$35

Shop Now

Source: https://food52.com/blog/23223-comfort-baking-from-food52-staffers

[takadasaiko]

Demons at the Door: Chapter Seven

FFN II AO3

Summary: The Keens, Reddington and Dembe, and most of the Task Force attend a funeral.

Chapter Seven: Dearly Departed

It was more of a ceremony than a funeral, and even that was dangerous with the way things stood. The formal inquiry may have been upended when Ressler had sacrificed the evidence that he and Reddington had uncovered about Reven Wright's murder and Laurel Hitchin had shut it down with a wave of her hand, the power of the White House and the Cabal combined. Though after everything Liz wasn't sure where one started and the other ended at times sometimes.

Just because the formal inquiry had been disbanded, just because Aram had been released and cleared, and just because - at least for the moment - the Task Force stood as free men and women to continue the work that they'd put their very souls into for the last four, bordering on five, years didn't mean that Julian Gale was backing down. His presence still lingered, looming like a shadow with his eighty-six bodies and the determination of a wolf that had latched onto its prey. Cynthia Panabaker had dropped by the Post Office to tell Cooper that she wasn't sure how they'd managed it - and that she didn't want to know - but that they needed to watch their steps. They did good work, but this wasn't over, and she couldn't - or wouldn't - protect them. Liz was more inclined to think the latter was more accurate.

If Reddington had had an actual funeral for Baz, she wasn't certain. She imagined that there had been something private. Very private, as most of his closer allies were either also dead, in jail, or just gone. He'd mentioned that Brimley had bowed out after nearly two decades of working with him, and she knew that Kate had done a number on his organization. Illiquid had been the term he'd used, but broke seemed more applicable, especially when she saw him that morning.

Liz held onto Tom's arm, mentally cursing the heels in the soft grass as they sank down and threatened to throw her off balance. She caught sight of the man she'd only recently confirmed was her father. He stood at the top of the hill under a tree, his hat in his hands, and Dembe stood with him.

"Agent Keen. Tom," a voice called in a hushed sort of tone and she turned, spotting Aram waving awkwardly, Samar walking with him.

"Hey. I didn't know you were going to make it. Either of you," Liz said, quickly adding, "but it's good to see you."

"I didn't know him well, but Baz seemed like a good man," Samar offered. Her dark eyes flickered to Tom. "I see you made it home."

"I did. To stay."

"Is that good or bad?"

His thin lips pressed together. "It's complicated."

"Did you meet Baz, Aram?" Liz asked, changing the subject as quickly as she could off of her husband's stressful family situation. They had enough on their shoulders that morning without Howard, Scottie, and Halcyon being brought into the conversation.

"I did," Aram answered, "when you were, uh, well when we were trying to clear your name. He was helping Mr Reddington and Mr…. Kaplan." He half swallowed Kate Kaplan's name, his expression a bit startled as if he hadn't caught himself until after he'd already mentioned her. He swallowed hard. "When we were setting everything up to help clear your name," he amended quickly.

A short, awkward silence fell over the group of four people and after a moment Samar cleared her throat. "We shouldn't keep Reddington waiting."

Aram mumbled something under his breath, stumbling over the words, and if Liz didn't know better she would have thought he offered his arm to Samar for the hill. She turned an amused look on him, as if there was some secret between them that Liz and Tom were not privy to, and said that she was fine to make it up without help. She'd actually worn heels that didn't dig deep into the grass as she walked, unlike Liz's, and the shorter woman was tempted to just tug hers off and scale the small hill barefooted.

"So how long has that been going on?" Tom asked very quietly as Samar and Aram inched just a little bit ahead.

"What?"

"Those two? I thought Aram was dating what's her name that worked for the Thrushes."

Liz blinked owlishly at him. "I think that ended when she gave his name up to the investigation, but… I don't think…" She watched her two friends and the way that they were speaking quietly to each other as they walked. It was subtle. Very subtle, but there was a difference. It was one that had crept up quietly and she hoped that that was the reason Tom had picked up on it when she hadn't. Being away for a while and coming back in reset perspective in many cases. If that wasn't it, then she was losing her edge, and that wouldn't do her any good at all.

"You work with them," he murmured, as if reading her mind. "You've always had some trouble with people you're close to."

She elbowed him a little harder than she meant to, pulling a soft oomf from him and she gave him a look that she thought was probably somewhere halfway between an apology and a teasing smile at him for it. He wasn't wrong, but that didn't mean she had to agree outright with it.

Donald Ressler was approaching from the opposite side, sullen and grim looking even for the situation they found themselves in. Liz was a little surprised to see him at all. He'd kept to himself the last several days, and she assumed that he'd been taking the time to come to terms with the new line he'd crossed to protect the Task Force. She knew it'd been a big step for him, but she also knew how hard it had been. She had done her best not to push, letting him know that if he needed to talk, she was there, but he'd waved it off every time. She had thought that he would have stayed home for this, but despite his best efforts she thought that there was a respect that Ressler had developed for Reddington over the years that the Task Force had worked with him and that that was what drew him there that morning. He still loathed his methods, but Ressler was under no disillusionment that they would have been able to save many people as they had if they hadn't had Reddington's help.

She offered him a tight smile and he nodded in return, not even managing that much.

Liz pulled in a deep breath, satisfied when Aram moved immediately to their fair haired friend and dragged him into the conversation. She finally released her husband's arm. "Give me a minute?"

"Take your time," he answered softly and started over towards their daughter's godparents.

She pulled in a deep breath, calming herself. She'd been fluctuating wildly under all the different emotions that came with what had happened. Baz's death, Kate's death, finding out that Red was her father, and finding out that he was keeping yet another secret from her that Kate had left with her husband. It was a mess. Her life was constantly a mess.

Today, though, she wanted to put it all aside. Aram had been right. Baz was a good man and he deserved the respect of their gathering. She would do the best she could to withhold judgement on Reddington until she knew the whole story. Maybe it wasn't as bad as her imagination had come up with.

"Elizabeth," he greeted, glancing over as she approached.

"Hey. We're not late, are we?"

"No. Dembe and I just arrived a little early. I wanted some time." He closed his eyes and Liz saw his fingers tighten around the brim of his hat in his hands. "I knew Baz many years. We'd seen a lot together."

Liz felt her chest tighten at his expression and she reached out, her finger tips touching the fabric of his jacket. "I'm so sorry, Reddington. A death is difficult enough, but the way it happened… I'm sorry."

"Yes," he murmured. He shook his head, almost as if he were shaking off the emotions that were threatening to bubble out into view of everyone there. "I'm glad you made it. Baz would have wanted you here."

Liz nodded, not trusting her own voice. What was there to say? She'd been there, willingly in the car with Kate Kaplan when Baz and Reddington's people had run them off the road thinking that they were saving her. It wasn't her fault. She'd chosen to get out, to choose Red as Kate had put it, and she hadn't thought for an instant that the older woman would have intentionally killed Baz. Yes, she'd hurt many people that Reddington cared about, but she had known Baz. Injuring him, making sure he ended up in prison, those things Liz could have seen happening with the person Kate Kaplan had become, but killing him outright? She hadn't predicted that. She also hadn't predicted that the woman would have thrown herself over the side of the bridge to her death, so maybe Tom was right. When things were very, very close to home, her own readings weren't always as accurate as she would have liked to believe.

She cleared her throat. "I don't think Cooper is going to make it, so unless you're waiting on others we should probably get started."

"Afraid Agent Gale is going to pop out from behind the tree?" Reddington asked, obviously trying for a tease and Liz gave him her best attempt at a smile.

"With our luck lately, he might just do it."

Reddington nodded, and cleared his throat, calling everyone's attention. He spoke in the way that only Raymond Reddington spoke, weaving stories so vivid that Liz could see them dancing across her imagination. A time when they were caught under heavy fire in a deal gone wrong and a celebration after a deal gone better than expected. He spoke of their years together, of Baz then and the Baz that they had known. He was a valued member of his team, a former Special Forces member, and a dedicated friend. Liz's eyes closed as she listened, leaning into Tom's shoulder and she felt him shift to put an arm around her, supporting her where she stood next to him. Every detailed played out from Reddington's voice to her mind, and she saw that little smirk that Baz gave so clearly.

Dembe spoke next, his voice soft and slow as he remembered a man that he had, Liz realized in that moment, been exceptionally close to. There had been a time when he had gone back to the South Sudan to help his countrymen fight for freedom and they'd come across more trouble than they'd expected. Dembe, to that day, didn't know how Baz had heard about it, but he'd reached out to him to offer his support in that moment. It hadn't been his fight, it hadn't been his people, but Dembe had been his friend and in so many ways his family, and what had been important to the younger man was important to Baz.

Liz swallowed hard, squeezing her eyes closed and she felt a tear escape. "I, uh… I had about decided that I wasn't going to say anything, but…." She pulled in a deep breath, steadying herself, and opened her eyes again, trying to pull together what she felt about the man that had made Dembe look chatty. The thought made her smile, despite the situation, and she shook her head. "Baz was our protector. He was always there just when I needed him, even if I didn't think I did." A laugh escaped her - "I just about set the kitchen on fire one time trying to cook something. Baz was across the hall, watching for whatever terrible thing would drop on our heads next, and he came flying into the apartment with his gun drawn and ready to take on whatever danger there was. I yelled at him. I was so… upset at being watched and being shadowed every step that I took - at having been shadowed for so long by so many people - that I took it all out on him in that moment, yelling at him to get out, but Baz never held it against me. He was silent and he was steady, ready to face down anything. I've seen a lot of brave men and women - a lot of them standing right here - and Baz… I didn't think we'd lose him so soon."

She sniffed hard and Tom wrapped her up, pulling her close. She let him, and by the end of it she gave up trying not to cry. Baz was more than Reddington's man, more than their protector. He was her friend, and that day, for just a moment, she let herself mourn him without all the complications that came with it.

After everyone had said their piece Tom had stepped aside to give Liz a moment alone to say her private goodbyes. The intent had been to step over with the rest of the crowd, but he found himself a few yards further than that at a lonely and fresh grave under a tree. The stone at the head was just as new as Baz's and the lettering on it was unexpected.

"You buried Mr Kaplan here," he acknowledged, hearing the quiet steps approaching from behind. He didn't need to turn to see who they belonged to.

Reddington stepped up to stand next to him and he looked tired. More than, he thought as he studied the older man from the corner of his eye, and from what Liz had said about everything Kaplan had done to his organization there was no question as to why. People that functioned in the world that Reddington did - the world Tom never seemed to be able to quite leave - needed to be in control to stay on top. Let that control slip and the sharks came in to finish you off. Tom knew how it worked. He'd lived it more years than he hadn't, and if Reddington's organization was in as many pieces as Liz seemed to think it was then the Concierge of Crime was in a lot of trouble.

Reddington nodded. "Yes. Despite everything that happened at the end Kate was… a friend."

Tom resisted the urge to snort at the statement. Friend. The man had put a bullet through her head when he disagreed with the direction she'd taken to try to help Liz. If he hadn't nearly been on the receiving end of a bullet from a man that he'd given all of his loyalty to for one perceived slight, he might have understood where Reddington was coming from a little better.

"Problem, Tom?"

He closed his eyes and re-opened them, the action somewhere between a blink and not. He turned to watch Reddington, his expression even and the older man gave a mirthless chuckle as he shook his head.

"Liz told me about the DNA test," Tom said, his voice sharper than it might have been if he hadn't been trying to bring it under control.

Reddington tilted his head ever so slightly. "Of course she did."

"I had a pretty good idea," the younger man said. He forced himself to meet Reddington's gaze. "Listen, I know you and I haven't always seen eye to eye, but I do think we both love Liz and want her to be happy and safe."

"That's all I've ever wanted."

"As much as Liz has been shoved into this world, as much as it's part of who she is, she wasn't raised deep in it. She… needs honestly from the people closest to her. Even if it doesn't seem like anything changed between the two of you, she knows now, and if you're still hiding anything from her-"

"Where is this coming from, Tom?"

He rolled his eyes a little. "I just know how these things go, and I know how Liz is. You're going to think that you can get away with keeping things from her because you always have, and maybe you could have done that when she didn't know for sure you were her father, but it's out now, and she deserves honesty from you."

"Amusing coming from you."

"I learned the hard way. I had to watch her walk away before I figured it out. I love her. I don't want to see her have to go through that with you if she doesn't have to, but she will. You screw around with her and she will." He was bordering dangerously close, he knew, but there were enough secrets in their world that he could have been talking about anything. There was a good chance that he was referring to more than the bones. Reddington had plenty of secrets.

There must have been something in his tone though. Slowly Reddington's eyes widened and then his gaze darkened just a little. "Kate reached out to you."

"I haven't talked to her since the day you delivered me to that safehouse after Agnes had been taken and drove off with her."

He hadn't expected Reddington to reach out, his hand grasping his shoulder. It wasn't quite threatening, but the older man held him firm, as if he thought he might try to squirm away. "It makes sense. She needed someone that wasn't afraid to go against me. Someone who would sympathize with her."

"What do you-"

"The suitcase."

"I don't know what-"

He tried to shift away, but the grip on him only tightened and Reddington's voice was low and dangerous. "Don't you dare lie to me, Tom. This isn't a game. You have no idea what you've stepped into. What have you done with the suitcase that Kate gave you?"

Tom closed his eyes briefly, pulling in a breath, and when he re-opened them he leveled a dangerous glare in return. "You want to avoid losing her over whatever secrets you have, don't pin the blame on me. Tell her before it's too late." He pulled away, finally breaking Reddington's grasp, and he turned to stalk down the hill.

He'd been quiet after his talk with Reddington, refusing to say anything about it while they were at the gravesite. Liz hadn't pushed him on it, but as she closed the door behind Carly back at their apartment, Agnes down for her nap and her husband brooding irritably, Liz cleared her throat. "You going to tell me what happened?"

"Your dad's an ass."

Despite the heaviness of everything that had happened that day, Liz snorted a laugh. "That's not news," she murmured and took a seat next to him on the couch. She scooted a little closer when he didn't react, and while he didn't move away, he didn't welcome her as he usually did. Instead he was shut off, upset, and internalizing everything. She nudged him gently. "Talk to me?"

He loosed a breath, slouching back and letting his head fall against the back of the couch. "He knows I have the suitcase."

Liz blinked. "How?"

"He put it together. Maybe I'm losing my touch."

"Reddington is one of the best at reading people, and he knows you pretty well now. He can't get to it, right?"

"No."

"That's good then." She reached over, taking his hand and she laced her fingers through his. Slowly his long fingers curled around, holding onto her. "What brought it up?"

He winced, looking a little guilty. "I was… We were talking about how you wished that he would be honest the other day and I…. I thought maybe having learned the lesson the hard way I might be able to talk to him about it.."

Liz pursed her lips together, holding back her immediate response. It was sweet, she knew, even if it hadn't panned out the way he had meant for it to. "Honey, he's not you."

"You said-"

"Oh babe. I didn't mean for you to go try to do that."

He looked a little sheepish at that. "I know."

She hated when he looked like a kicked puppy, like one wrong step would land him shut out and at odds with her. He'd been trying to help her and it'd blown up spectacularly in his face. She wrapped her arm around his back and pressed a kiss to his shoulder. "I love you," she reminded him. "And Kaplan made the right choice."

"What do you mean?"

"Even when it's… misplaced, you always try to watch out for me. She knew that you wouldn't be afraid to do something that would piss Reddington off."

Tom chuckled softly and she tightened her grip on him, one arm wrapped around and the other hand holding his. They sat there in silence. None of this was easy and the path was anything but clear, but they were in it together, and even if no one else did, they had each other's backs.

Notes: Sometimes chapters stay relatively intact with just a few minor adjustments when I go back through them for edits and sometimes they're like this one.... things are moved, scrapped, and reworked like crazy.

I'm still really sad that Bokenkamp said that Baz was dead. I really do hope that they give him some sort of send off next season, because that man was impossible to kill and then suddenly he's dead? He was the one I wasn't worried about. Sad times. I may not be over this death for a while....

Next time - Nez and Solomon put a plan into action, Whitehall brings concerns to Howard, and the Keens get an unexpected visitor at their home late at night.