#once again living up to his namesake by being a little human man

[shithowdy]

i put beniago in one of my ratty old bandanas and i want to eat him

[chainofclovers]

Ted Lasso 3x8 Thoughts

I’ve written all of these after seeing the episode only one time but I think this one might benefit from a rewatch more than anything else. Even if, unfortunately, this was absolutely my least favorite episode of this stupid wonderful show. (Or was it? What will a rewatch reveal to me?)

I have tried very hard not to have a lot of fun-time-ruining expectations about this Media Experience that has bewitched me since January fucking 2021. But I’ll admit that I had some serious expectations about the writing of this episode. Keeley Hazell and Dylan Marron! I was so excited to see what the ultimate Keeley Jones expert, the Keeley inspiration, the namesake herself, would have to say about this character. And actually, I thought Juno Temple got some really incredible material to work with, and I think she acted the living fuck out of this episode. I came away with a deeper understanding of Keeley’s character. A sense of who she is when she wakes up in bed next to someone who delights her. A sense of how it feels when someone she loves deeply disappoints and hurts her, and how it feels when someone she could have loved chooses a status over a human, and how it feels when someone she used to love holds himself accountable to her. 

There was so much about this episode that felt incredibly natural: 

everything about Juno’s performance 

the ways Jack is charming and tantalizing and expansive and the ways she’s small and cowardly and disappointing were perfect…wlw rep doesn’t happen in a vacuum of purity, this is wlw rep but this is also billionaire asshole rep this is venture capitalism rep this is richer-than-Rebecca-Welton rep this is manipulator rep

the perfect moment when Jade tells Nate to celebrate his victories after a lifetime of hearing his father shame him for taking pride in his successes

the anti-chemistry chemistry of Ted and Michelle and their long history

absolutely everything about Rebecca as lifeline and sense-talker for Ted (and soulmate…I’m so tired, but it just remains true that they’re fucking soulmates, and I hope they find out and I’m still pretty sure they will)

Beard in an apron making pancakes for his boys

Rebecca holding Keeley and telling her a possibly slightly exaggerated story about her introduction to masturbation to cheer up her beloved bestie

the utter pain of Roy being once again a very good person who has fucked up badly in a parking lot (this time with consequences)

Ted’s sweet little voices as he reads to Henry (and the WTF moment he has about himself after Henry has fallen asleep)

Last night my wife and I went out for a beer and broke down a bunch of these moments and how good they actually were, and how strange it was to have, honestly, a wealth of beautifully written and acted moments in an episode that really didn’t work for us. Because those highs made the lows seem so much lower. 

The locker room scene…I’ve watched anti-harassment and standards-of-business videos for my corporate job that are better than whatever that was. I understand what they were trying to do. And I understand that this is a story that has so much real-life crossover and is so incredibly important to get right and was probably so complicated and often painful to write that I feel very empathetic about the ways that all that pressure might have conspired to make this episode worse instead of better. I have no interest in judging those conditions, nor do I think it’s some big hilarious gotcha that this writer (well, writers) wrote about this topic. But I do have to judge the final product, which reads like a group of people taking turns saying things like “This is a bad thing in our society” and “Is it so bad?” and “Yes, fellow man, it really is that bad” and “But wait, why should I have any responsibility for this bad thing in our society?” and “Well, here is why you actually do have some responsibility for this bad thing in our society.” 

Even the Keeley-Rebecca scene wavers in and out, whereas normally a scene with those two is rock solid. They spend a lot of time explaining the societal conditions to each other instead of relying on the shorthand that two best friends would use to communicate. I mean, thank God Rebecca was totally with Keeley on this one—if she hadn’t been, that would’ve warranted something on the spectrum of lecture—but because she was, their exchange of lines about sexualization just had me feeling like I am watching a TV show about a very special issue, I am watching a TV show about a very special issue. 

Just as I’m not looking to Jack Danvers to convince a homophobe why bi people are cool (she could be the coolest most respectful gal in the world and she’s not gonna convince a bigot that queer people actually are great!), I desperately wish they’d taken a less heavy hand with this stuff. Keeley’s pain—her vehement lack of embarrassment, her disappointment—says it all. 

And I am so sorry to say that I feel like Brendan Hunt, who always, always knows when to dial it down and when to dial it up, when to bury and when to emote, dialed it way too far up when talking to Henry while Ted’s on the phone with Rebecca. I am a huge defender of how this show uses musical scenes; bring on the cheese, bring on the champagne bottle microphones, bring on the sing-alongs and heightened emotions and funeral rick rolls. Every other time a character has sung on this show, it’s been natural in the awkwardness and the slightly-outsized emotions and the inherent goofiness of it all. This time, they just could not create the right emotional conditions to earn this moment. I’m not going to give a detailed critique of a child's performance on a public website, but unfortunately I think this is a moment when the writers actually underwrote what Henry needed to say, because I’m mystified as to how he’s actually feeling and doing. Understanding those things is essential to understanding where this story is going, so I’m really upset that a huge chunk of information is missing now.

And that leads me to the incredibly unsettling ending. I had to be talked down off a ledge. I’m now pretty sure the ambiguities of how Ted and Michelle are around each other are about recognizing the ways they used to work, their common reference points, their knowledge of each other, while simultaneously experiencing yet another goodbye, yet another turning point in this (realistic, tbh) endless cycle of navigating the split. But I’m really struggling to understand Ted’s headspace in the final couple minutes of the show, whereas usually I feel like I’m practically living inside his brain as I watch. 

I’ve loved s3 so far. I always knew it would be as distinct a thing of its own just as much as s1 and s2 were distinct from each other. As much as I’d be enjoying a return to the specific magic of s1, it would be impossible and wrong and even irresponsible of them to try to recreate it, and I think it would fall flat, and so I’m glad I knew that would never be my experience with this season of TV. And yet it’s a little unnerving, even as this person who’s tried to keep my high expectations open-ended, to feel so bummed about 3x8. The conversation over that beer about all the really good stuff did make me feel better, because it reminded me that the really badly done parts of this episode were less about story than about the circumstances of the storytelling. To me, those circumstances make the clunkers more forgivable instead of less. But it was still disappointing.

Probably every Ted Lasso fan feels this way on some level, but I am having such a singular experience. I am a fifteen-year-old girl again, holed up in my room because “no one understands………why I feel the way I feel about Ted Lasso.” The membrane between my takes and my empathetic yet judgmental reactions to other people’s takes is permeable and problematic. It’s shameful, but I want everyone to love it because I love it and I want everyone to calm down because I’m calm and I want everyone to be at the edge of their seat and not at all calm because I’m at the edge of my seat and not at all calm and I want everyone to love Ted/Rebecca even if they never kiss because I love Ted/Rebecca (even if they never kiss) and I want everyone to have hated this episode because I hated it and I want everyone to give it time and space to breathe because I’m trying to do that and I want everyone to wait and see what fucking happens because I’ve got some kind of freak patience when it comes to this fucking experience. I want to be my best self and I am not my best self. I’m insane about this show, and I’m not working on the issue. Eek. 

[charalysis]

Kratos

WARNING: RAGNAROK SPOILERS

Many folks know Kratos of "God of War", and many were confused and/or delighted by his character in the 2018 game. I however adore his development and will be describing what I see in his story and development as a character/person within the lore.

Starting off, Kratos was born to Callisto and sired by Zeus along with his little brother Deimos. From a young age, Kratos was already experiencing traumatic events that would shape his personality and temper, starting with the abduction of Deimos.

Zeus heard of a prophecy that said "a marked man" would kill him. Seeing his younger son's strange birthmark, he sent Ares and Athena to capture Deimos. Kratos attempted to save and protect his little brother, but was thrown into a wood pile by Ares, which gave him the scar over his right eye. Ares wanted to kill him, but Athena stopped him and apologized to Kratos.

This event left a huge mark on Kratos and he vowed to never falter again. His huge body tattoo is in honor of Deimos, as it is the same shape as Deimos's birthmark. However, as he aged, he would forget exactly what happened to his brother until after Ares's death.

Which brings us to the next part...

During his quest for the Ambrosia, Kratos was unknowingly chosen as Ares's champion in a competition among the gods for it. This would apparently be the beginning of worse trauma for Kratos, as his only intention was to get the Ambrosia to cure his sick daughter, Calliope, who would otherwise be killed by fellow Spartans. It was in this he was named Captain.

(It was also around here he met his future son's namesake, Atreus, whom he immensely respected and buried himself with full Spartan honors.)

Sometime later Kratos was named general and he was usually away from home, destroying all who opposed Sparta and his thirst for conquest and power grew with every victory. (Disclaimer: As much as I love Kratos, he was a HORRIFIC person in early life and in the original trilogy.)

While on these conquests, he was being overpowered by the Barbarian army and their king, who sought Kratos's death for his father's death. In a desperate attempt to get a leg up and win, Kratos called out to Ares and pledged himself to the god in exchange for power. Ares heard, accepted, and granted him the Blades of Chaos.

For awhile, Kratos served loyally, but losing whatever humanity he once had.

Ares sent Kratos eventually to attack and kill some of Athena's followers, however, in secret, the god of war transported Kratos's wife, Lysandra, and their daughter to the temple.

Kratos, in a blind rage, slaughtered everyone in the village and temple, ignoring the warnings of the village oracle. It wasn't until he looked around to check for anyone living that he saw his family, slain by his hand.

Ares's excuse was he wanted to mold Kratos into the "perfect warrior" by removing anything he was sentimental over. Stricken by grief, Kratos left his family's bodies to burn in the temple and renounced his allegiance to Ares. The oracle cursed him to wear the ashes of his dead family in his skin, a reminder of his horrific deeds. Thus was born the Ghost of Sparta.

During the events of the games, Kratos is subjected to a great deal of turmoil, hardship, and even further loss, being forced to kill his mother, watched his brother be crushed against a cliff side, and was repeatedly betrayed and used by other gods and the Titans.

Now, psychologically speaking, this all would be enough to drive a person over the edge and attempt to end their life, which the first game starts with. Kratos falling from a cliff to die.

It is all also enough to drive a person into a blind fury and crave justice. However, Kratos acts on vengeance rather than justice, and he cares very, very little who's in his way as he goes about trying to eliminate the gods who betrayed and used him. He will, and does, kill any who stand in his way, allies or no. He is a man possessed by grief, hurt, and anger.

The former of those emotions, though, are not explored until 2018's God of War.

By then, he is around 1,064 years old, 1,020 some odd years after the downfall of Olympus and it's pantheon at his hands. He's met and married Faye and had Atreus.

He is significantly calmer, though no less harsh. He does all he can to bury his past, going so far as to once try to get rid of the Blades of Chaos (which we learn left brands in his arms), but they apparently came back, as he says in Ragnarok.

Unfortunately, until Atreus is 11 years old, Kratos stays away from Faye and their son due to trying to control his anger better. Because of this, he struggles to connect with his son, mostly calling him "boy" throughout the 2018 game. It often seems as though he doesn't care about his son, being incredibly harsh and shutting down the kid's emotions, snapping regularly, and often implying Atreus isn't good enough.

However, we clearly see his love for Atreus in the moment Atreus is unconscious after the first solo confrontation with Modi. His son his dying and pale, very sick... He terrified for his little boy.

This is also where we see his PTSD around losing his first family rear its head. As he's on the lift to Freya's, he's breathing quickly and shallowly, and he even paces. Anxiety is visibly eating away at him, because if he loses his son, he's lost another child, and he cannot handle that.

Kratos seems reluctant to get close to Atreus for that very reason, but he cares deeply for his son, as he did for everyone he's loved. He destroyed gods in the name of his loved ones murders, even if it was he who made the blow (which he blames himself for anyway).

It would seem he is also reluctant to outright call people friends. The couple we see him outright refer to as such in Ragnarok is Brok and Freya, although he clearly cares about Mimir and Sindri too.

By Ragnarok, Kratos is a much softer man in comparison to who he used to be. He craves time with his son, opens up to Freya about his daughter, he's enforcing healthy boundaries with people, and by the end, he's expressing his emotions more openly. He's smiling a bit here and there, he's chuckling, and he's letting himself cry. He's finally healed somewhat from his traumatic past.

So, what are we taking from Kratos here?

What we see in his story, like him or not, is a man who was riding high, living a good life by his standards, and gaining power. We see this man making mistake after mistake, and suffering the consequences. We see him trying to control things out of his control, and losing more and more of his humanity as he digs himself deeper into the hole he's dug.

Kratos's tale is one about a man who seeks revenge, gets it tenfold, loses everything, and has to rebuild his life and himself from the beginning. He's put himself in a shitty situation and he has no one he can blame but himself by the 2018 release. He's got no one to be furious with besides himself...

This isn't even getting into his PTSD overall, or his self-loathing!

PTSD wise, he has severe anxiety over losing his child, as we mentioned earlier, however, such events make him recall Athena, thus calling back to his past when he last felt truly awful. He also has anxiety over being told to "just shut up and kill things", as told to him by Freya in Ragnarok while in Vanahiem. He then stated back to her that he is no ones tool and he would appreciate if she did not ever say that shit to him again.

His self hate presents itself in the 2018 game too, with the vision of Athena. "Athena" tells him he can't change and he's nothing but a monster. And he AGREES with her. He believes he's nothing good, and that's heartbreaking...

TL;DR: Kratos is an extremely damaged man with severe temper problems, but he eventually changed for the better.

[bokettochild]

Sticks and Stones May Break My Bones

Angst! My Beloved!

Not a lot of whump here, but I put Wild through the wringer!!! Lots of BotW2 ideas and concepts here, but nothing really cannon.

Also, disclaimer: I think Flora is a wonderful person, a bit harsh and sometimes unkind, but I feel for her a lot. The prompt submitted to me however asked for her as an ass, so that's what's here, for angst reasons. THIS IS NOT HOW I PLAN ON WRITING HER NORMALLY!!!

When Wild left the Chain behind in the woods, it was with a soft smile and a hesitant wave of his right hand. It was with a gentle ��See y’all later’ that made Warriors shake his head with a sigh while Twilight offered a wobbly grin.

He would join them again, he knew that. After all, Hylia wouldn’t have chosen him to go with them in the first place if he was only supposed to leave before they’d even really started to know what it was that they were meant to be doing.

He’d see them again, and he’d fall back into a routine with all of them, sparring with Warriors and teaching Hyrule to cook and shield surfing with Wind and learning to carve from Sky. He’d go back to sewing with Legend, to exploring with Hyrule, to learning the Ocarina with Time and teasing Twilight about his terrible singing. He could work with Four on the Sheikah Slate and experimenting with different plants he’d gathered. He would see them again, and he’d go back to being busy and smiling nearly every day.

For the time being however, he had to square his shoulders and harden his jaw as he stepped through the swirl of black that had repulsed all the others every time they tried to enter. He had to tame his mind and wild spirit and come to stand before the Princess of Hyrule in all of her stern glory and receive the scolding he was due for wandering off without permission.

He never had time to question what she meant by being gone for ‘two whole weeks’ before she was marching off towards the labs and explaining that there was a new task for them to complete.

Such a task was one that left in his mind no time for thoughts of his brothers save on the lonely nights in the sky when the islands above the clouds were silent save for the birds about him that reminded him of Sky, or when he ran across the forests and was reminded of the wolf that once ran at his side. And, alright, the tiny people in the grass and the fountains reminded him of Four and Hyrule. When the wind sang strong in his ears as he dove towards the earth from the highest places in the sky, he couldn’t help but envision a small hero whose laughter danced like the sea and who’s fingers mastered the currents of wind and sea both.

It was a lonely quest, just like his last before it, but somehow it was more painfully so, now that he knew what it was to have brothers at his side to catch a monster’s blade when he was too slow or to help him patch himself up afterwards. It was quiet when the Princess and he sat around the fires as night, she studying him as he sat still and stonelike as she worked.

The hand that had waved goodbye to his brothers now flickered green and ethereal in the night shades, iron bands clinging to the wisping appendage and acting as a bond to hold its form together. It was nothing like what he’d known or studied in the Sheikah technology, or even what he’d seen from the many worlds he’d traveled with the other, and it earned many a stare and twist of the lips from those he met and traded with during his journey.

The arm was only the first of many changes, it’s power seeping through his body and altering him before he even knew what was happening. He’d hated it at first, disliking how it changed him, made his eyes glow and his hair touch with the same ethereal shades, red bleeding through at the roots and earning him even more wary looks.

Ganon, in all his terrifying power, had been a surprising comfort during the quest, an aid to discovering his new abilities and training them to bend to his own will. The Princess had been wary of their relationship, but had accepted it when she saw what he learned to do, and every evening she would require a report of his newfound skills, as well as the occasional demonstration or examination.

It all came to an end both too soon and not soon enough.

Ganon was gone, as if he’d never been there at all, and the Princess was as cold as ever even after their second adventure at each other's sides. And now there was no use for the abilities that had fused to his soul like the arm had to his flesh. He’d asked Purah if there was something that could be done to restore his body to its normal Hylian state, without the glowing limb that earned his only stares and insults from the village people, but the Princess had overheard it and declared that such a thing should not even be attempted.

“You don’t understand, Link. Don’t be foolish! We have here a scientific marvel ready for our investigation and exploration and you want to get rid of it just because it looks odd?”

He’s shuffled his feet slowly, resisting the impulse to rub at his chest where the Hylian part of him ended and the eldritch horror began. “I can’t live like  Hylian anymore.”

“Because you aren’t one!” Her Highness rolled her eyes. “Honestly, Sir Knight, after everything I certainly doubt that Hylian even applies to you anymore! Hylians do not possess the qualities that you now do, and they most certainly do not travel through stone or time or any other such thing at will. Think would you! You’re something else entirely, and I intend to find out what that is!”

Purah had frowned at that, eyes full of sorrow as they met his own with an apologetic sigh. But there was nothing the de-aged scientist could really say against the royal Sovreign of Hyrule, not as a Sheikah sworn to the service of the royal family. The woman/girl had offered him a sympathetic pat on the head later after climbing up to reach high enough to do so, as well as a few dumplings that Paya had sent on her grandmother’s behalf the day before. It was a welcome gesture, but amounted to so little on the grand scale of life. Not when so many others he had once called his friends had so blatantly rejected the mere sight of him.

Bolson and the other carpenters shied away from him with harsh whispers as they spat insults across the distance.

‘Half-blood’.

‘Gerudo Bastard’.

‘Freak’.

‘Demon’.

There were favorite insults spread from stable to stable and up and coming village to up and coming town and slowly all of Hyrule knew of the monster that had once been the hero. Gossip abounded, and he couldn’t even turn to shield his face with his hood without drawing attention to his arm.

It was only the koroks that welcomed him, themselves all too accustomed to the strange and ethereal. Them and the blupees.

Maybe it was the knowledge of how it felt to be shot at for his oddness that allowed him to ease into the graces of the flighty animals. And maybe it was his lonely heart crying for comfort, but when nestled in their midst, it almost reminded him of how it felt to be hugged by the salty veteran, on the rare occasional that the pink-haired hero had let down his guard.

The fairy’s tangled themselves in his hair and the blupees gathered at his feet, koroks dancing around him and flying to his side as if he was some sort of forest god, but the strange rise of his spirits in their presence shattered the instant a traveler caught sight of him.

Arrows and fire, once his favorite of weapons, were turned against him as words in every language of the New Hyrule had burst from the mouths of its people, and like his namesake, he ran before them, darting through the forest and fading in amidst the trees, hiding, incorporeal and translucent within the halls of the forest as those he’d once seen as allies pushed him away.

He’d begged the new Queen for aid, for relief or even just a word to the people that he wasn’t the evil they had come to think he was, but she only waved him aside with a purse of her lips. “You are not meant to be here without first asking.” The Child of Hylia declared, eyes as cold as the Shrine’s waters themself. “And why should I make a declaration on behalf of a man who refuses to even speak to me properly? You come groveling like a worm, yet for years it was I who you ignored. See how it feels, Sir Hero, to be the one left helpless at the hands of the country. Know what it is to be scorned by those who you thought would love you.”

He’d barely made it out of the window before the trainee guards of the newly repaired Hyrule Castle had caught him and Queen Zelda Diana Hyrule had stared after him with eyes colder than Hebra’s tallest peaks.

It was the Father Tree -the Deku Tree as the Queen had called it, but the koroks laughed at him for using the name, so he’d adjusted in kind- who suggested that he hide the changes, and he’d begun to wander Hyrule as much as possible to find the materials he would have needed.

The Queen still required his presence regularly so she could inspect him; her love of science no ways tainted as to stop her from ordering him to appear regularly, as there was now no need or safety in his acting as her guard. The Queen sought her people’s respect, and to employ such a being as himself, not Hylian and not quite mortal, would be to spark fear in the people. Indeed, when he skirted villages, he would wince at word of ‘the queen’s monster’ as gossip was traded. Those who didn’t see him themselves knew him as a beast of feral nature who lived amid the lost woods and destroyed any who came close.

“A specter that glows with the light of the shrines.” They would tell each other over campfires. “It has eyes like a ghost, empty and lost, with no care for humanity or Hylia’s chosen. They say it was once the Hero of this world, but he died ages ago.”

“I heard it’s the body, possessed by a being beyond this realm, a monster escaped from the edges of reality that tried to hide in our midst but corrupted it’s host so that it only scares away others, leaving it roam the earth in a shattered body. If you get too close to it though, it’ll take your instead.”

He’d stayed away from towns after that.

The blupees and koroks had been happy to help him to find what he needed to hide among the Hylians should he wish though, and two in particular guided him; the korok swinging little twigs like they were batons and humming swinging little shanties as it hopped along the path, the blupee snorting softly and nipping at his heels when he wandered too far, unnatural purple eyes staring up at him with something that was fondness and a reprimand all at once, and in their care he’d made his way across the land of Hyrule to find what would be needed to return to his once life.

The fairies and their Great cousins had been welcome help, and in time, he’d been able to walk amid the populace of Hyrule like any other, as long as he kept a long cloak about him and his hair pulled back to hide where the roots would begin showing again in gold and ethereal blue.

Once Hyrule had talked about needing to hide in his world, about the curse that followed him and made the Hylian people afraid. He’d thought it bizarre and ridiculous of the people at the time, but now he understood what it was to live it.

When the portal opened beneath his feet the day that the Queen had reprimanded him for concealing and potentially damaging the strange limb, startling the Skeikah scientists and Queen both, he’d nearly cried tears of relief.

He was going away, somewhere where he wasn’t a science project and where, unless they traveled to his world’s future, no one would know how much he had changed. His copy of the slate had enough hair dye to last him a few months, and he was certain he could make more over time, and as long as he continued wearing the tunics and gloves the fairies had helped him to adjust to hide the glow the others would probably never catch on. Or well, he could extend it anyway.

His brothers greeted him with open arms and teary eyes, and in a strange parallel to his adventure, he found himself thinking of blupees when Legend had curled against him, stiff and cold on the outside, but with fingers that clutched his tunic just a bit too tight to really be reluctant. And Four, Hyrule and Wind’s exuberant hugs and chatter brought to mind tiny forest people and koroks with twigs for batons.

It was good to be home.

It was good to cook for other people again, and they were glad to have him cook for them, even if his fondness for both Gerudo spiced dishes and fae like sweet things had increased exponentially during his newest adventure. It was good to fight at their sides, even if it was strange to once again have to take others into account before he could select a weapon. It was good to sit around a fire and talk with the others too, but that was perhaps the hardest one; it had been ages since he’d had a proper two-way conversation with anything other than a tree or a korok, and neither of those was good at either staying awake or staying focused for very long.

There were some harder things to adjust to though. Fire, for one. Unlike before when he’d have been happy to burn an enemy camp to the ground, now he was wary of using faming weapons or spreading heat further than necessary. The same went for hunting; he couldn’t bring himself to shoot an animal unless it attacked first or they needed the meat it would provide, and even then, he felt a bit bad for doing so. Is this what Twilight had felt like? Is this why the rancher never liked hunting? Because he too knew what it was like to be on the other end of the bow?

But the hardest thing by far to readjust to was his name.

‘Wild’ they had called him again, and after months of ‘the wild one’, ‘wild beast’, ‘monster’ and every other insult, slur or title that had been used on him, it made him flinch ever so slightly at the words. And unlike the other things where his brothers dismissed it as a change caused by his adventure or an increase of maturity, it was something that the others seemed to either not notice or to excuse as situational.

He had adapted though, learned to keep a smile on his face where blankness had once been required in his knightly duties, and the more he wore the mask the easier it was to put on again.

He’d reveled in traveling across time again, in dancing through battles and exploring the world without the Queen reprimanding him in her cold tones to stop wandering off. He’d pushed himself to learn more music in the last adventure, and even if his experience was more with what few instruments Ganon had had time to help him learn, he’d enjoyed sitting down with the others and borrowing one or another instrument to play a tune and sometimes he even got to sing.

He fell to comfortably into his role though, even with the changes, and he hadn’t even noticed when they’d come back to his world. To be fair, it was different in the daytime, and Hyrule had changed so much in the absence of her hero as he hid himself away from the eyes of civilization. Towns and roads had sprung up where there had only been fields before, and the Guardians that had littered the land had all been dug up and hauled to the castle to be either restored or destroyed by the Sheikah, depending on what Queen Zelda decided after she looked at them herself. The world was so different to him, so unlike that which he knew, that he’d failed to keep as alert as he ought to have been when he wandered about an open market with the others, laughing and chattering away with the other younger ones as Time and Legend herded them towards the needed stalls.

It was a traveler that was his downfall, a man who’d seen the Monster Hero and had been among the first to discover the disguise he wore.

No questions were asked when the word spread, and Wild hadn’t caught on to the whispers until a stone had struck his cheek and he was stumbling forwards on the path.

“Wild!” Twilight was at his side in a minute, Time right after him as Legend launched a barrage of insults at the guilty party who’d thrown the thing.

“’m fine.” He was careful to wipe the blood away with his cloak, holding the fabric to the wound to prevent bluish blood seeping down his face and exposing him to his brothers. He wanted to keep them as long as possible and proving himself to be a monster, not even Hylian, would surely have them turning their backs on him.

“Get away from him!” A woman scolded, grabbing ahold of two of the younger heroes while several other shoppers had like ways grabbed Legend and Sky. “Are you dears alright? He didn’t hurt you, did he?”

“Freaking what?” Legend shrieked. “Who’s the injured party here?”

“I’d avoid that thing, son.” A man huffed through a frankly walrus like mustache, eyes hard as they trailed to where Wild stood, cloak still pressed to his cheek as he attempted to wave off a fussing Twilight and Time. “It’s not natural. Sure, it looks like a normal Hylian, but that’s just an effective ruse.”

Another villager nodded. “It’s one of the Calamity’s puppets, a Gerudo-Bastard set on destroying the kingdom!”

“He’s the freaking hero!” Legend shrieked, barely being held back by a steely eyed Sky. “He saved all your freaking asses and all you can do is insult his flipping guts? Who’s the-”

“Enough.” There were few times that Sky’s voice reached levels worse than Twilight’s growls, but the stern command, regal and firm, froze all present as the man stiffened with a cold nod towards the villagers. “I see we are unwelcome here, and with that being the case it would be wise to spend our rupees elsewhere. Legend,” A tug to the boy’s shoulders. “Let’s join the others and be out of their hair. If they cannot be welcoming and kind to our brother than they will not receive our patronage.” And like a swan gathering it’s cygnets, Sky swept down the street, cape fluttering as he ushered the rest of them out of the town and back to the safety of the wilds. The village stared after them with wide eyes, as if they’d just been judged by a breathing god.

The stiffness in Sky’s shoulders faded as they neared the edge of the forest, and instantly the Chosen Hero been tutting over Wild, gently but firmly prying his hand away from his face with a kind smile that almost set Wild at ease. Almost.

“It’s fine, it’s just a scrape.”

“Still.” Sky crooned softly. “I’d rather we clean it up now and make sure it’s nothing worse than let it sit and get infected later.”

And though he’d tried to fight, his single Hylian hand was no match for the firm grip of the Skyloftian, and within minutes his face was exposed to the shocked faces and flickering eyes of his brothers.

“It’s blue...” Wind breathed as Hyrule darted forwards, hands already glowing softly only for them to stutter to a stop over Wild’s skin.

“It’s... Wild, why is your blood- why is-” The healer’s eyes had flickered golden for a moment, wide as they stared up at him. “What happened to you-”

“What the freak!” Legend had startled, blinking in surprise as he stared. “Your eyes are glowing!”

Shit! The healing properties of the arm had already taken affect and it was making everything act up all weird! He shot a glance down at his arm, one hand raising to tangle in the long hair he couldn’t even see at the moment, praying silently beneath his breath that nothing was showing through. It wasn’t, but that didn’t change how Hyrule had come to fixate on his right arm, or how the healer's fingers hovered over it sparking and eyes twinkling as he whispered softly under his breath.

“Wild.” Time had sighed. “I think this one is going to need an explanation.”

All the breath left his lung in instants.

He’d panicked to say the least and Time had eventually shooed the others away to make camp as the eldest hero had sat at his side, waiting silently for him to regulate his breathing. Touch was too much right now, and any attempts from the others to ease him down or help him level out his breathes had only made him panic more. But when at last his blue eyes blinked back to clarity it was to see Time sitting at his side, a gentle tune wafting from the Ocarina at his lips.

“I’m sorry.” He whispered, trying his hardest not to startle Time or otherwise make the situation worse. “I should have said something, I know. I just- missed being Wild and I wanted to come back and be normal and I didn’t want to-”

“It’s alright.” Time’s voice rumbled softly, a single blue eye turning to him with a pained look, even as the man offered him a hint of a smile. “None of us talk about our adventures either.”

“Yes, but you’re people.” He sighed, rubbing the fingers of his glove together. “You’re allowed to choose things.”

There was pain in Time’s voice when their leader answered. “And you’re not?”

“I’m not Hylia anymore.” He whispered. “I don’t count.”

“You count to us.”

“That’s because you don’t know.”

Time shifted, turning to face him fully as the ocarina was set firmly in the grass. “That’s because you’re family and we care. Wild, I don’t care if Demise himself named you the king of the dead, you’re still my kid and Nayru knows I’m not going to let you go without a fight. If that means fighting you, alright, but you’d best better believe that no amount of physical or mental changes will break the bonds we all have with you.”

Something, something damaged and crushed and stitched up and torn open again clenched inside of him, tears pricking at his eyes as he stared up at Time’s royal blue gaze. “W-what?”

“You could be granted godhood, made a monster, I don’t care. You’re ours and you’ll have to deal with that.” Time smiled, warm even with the pain in his eyes as he looked down at him. “So how about you start again, maybe with the facts rather than the insults. Or,” Time softened, brows furrowing lightly. “If you want, we can just sit here and you can choose to talk about this later. We do need to know, so we can help you and keep you safe, but you don’t have to tell us right now. You can take some time to figure out what you want to say if you need.”

And, well, shoot him, but Time’s arms had always been a safe place and there was one thing he’d wanted more than anything since he had come back. Wild threw himself into his grand-mentor's arms with a soft sob, clutching tightly to the other, ignoring the armor and its sharp points and awkward shapes as he tried to hold back all the emotions swirling in his chest.

Time’s arms folding around him broke the floodgates though, and when the man’s hand had stroked through his shortened hair, he’d had to bury his face in Tim’s neck to muffle his sobs.

“There, there,” Time hummed softly, rocking slowly as he held the broken wild hero. “Let it out, little one. I have you, I’ve got you and I’m not letting anyone hurt you.”

[hoboal87]

Baby Mine

Title: Baby Mine

Pairing: Sam x Reader

Characters: Sam Winchester, Reader, Jody, Alex, Claire, Bobby

Word Count: 1600+

Summary: You and Sam prepare for the birth of your son.

Warnings: post 15 x 20, fluff, implied dom/sub relationship, non-graphic descriptions of labor, breastfeeding.

A/N: This is my super late entry into @superbadassnatural​‘s #333 badass followers challenge. My prompts are “I didn’t expect it to be this big,” and “this is disgusting”

A/N 2: This is set in the same universe as “The Tie,” and “Carry On,” but it can be read as a stand-alone.

No Beta, all mistakes are mine. I have tense issues, I know.

My Full Masterlist

Miracle’s head lies on your lap as you do your best to remain calm. You can feel the wetness of her nose against the small sliver of your exposed belly. It was unseasonably warm for South Dakota in the spring, and if you could’ve you would’ve been walking around naked all the time. Growing a Winchester has not been an easy task, and your doctor informed you at your last check up the baby will be at least 9 lbs.

Nine. Freaking. Pounds. You’re going to be pushing a nine pound baby out of your body, and Sam was already talking about having another one in a few years! You can’t even imagine wanting to go through all this again. Even though Jody and the mothers you’ve befriended over the last few months have assured you, that you’ll forget about all the bad, all the sickness, all the discomfort you’ve been feeling the second the baby’s born.

A clattering from your bedroom pulls you out of your head, giving you a moment of reprise. Sam’s muffled swears have you giggling as he frantically tries to pack your hospital bag. Jody had advised you to pack one over a month ago, but you and Sam had been so focused on making sure the nursery was ready, as well as warding your home, that you hadn’t gotten around to it yet.

Another grunt comes from the hall as Sam seemingly runs into your bathroom, and then into the nursery, where the baby's coming home outfit was luckily laid out on the changing table. By the time Sam makes it back into the living room, he’s nearly out of breath, eyes falling on you as your face scrunches in pain.

You’ve been in the early stages since last night, but you’d woken up to much more intense contractions a few hours ago. Sam takes your hand in his as you wince as a contraction rolls through you. He eyes the watch on his wrist, Dean’s watch, keeping track of the duration and time between each wave of pain.

“Y/N,” Sam whispers, calming himself when your eyes connect to his. “I think it’s time.”

“Alex said 5 minutes,” you huff, rubbing your swollen belly and giving him a pained smile. Having a nurse in the family was the best thing you could ever ask for. Alex, on the other hand, probably wishes she wasn’t, especially after Sam started calling her in the middle of the night with the most ridiculous questions that you’d ever heard of. You’d finally gotten him to stop, apologizing to Alex for another 3 a.m. frantic phone call about the possibility of the baby being born extra appendages.

Once Sam had adjusted to the news of your pregnancy, he dove deep into research, not that you were expecting anything else from him. Parenting magazines cover your coffee table, multiple books on pregnancy and birth are stacked on his bedside table, and he’d watched every youtube video relating to pregnancy and taking care of a newborn.

“I know, but baby we’re getting there. You’ve gone from 10 minutes to 7 in the last hour. The parenting book said–” You roll your eyes, your inner brat coming to the surface after months of being stifled. “Babygirl,” Sam tone changes, and you instantly relax at the phrase you haven’t heard in nearly a year. “Don’t think I haven’t been keeping track of all the punishments you’ll be getting as soon as you can handle it.”

It's just the distraction you need, and your eyes divert to the car seat against the wall.

Sam had tried and failed twice already on installing the carrier in the back seat of the Impala, spewing profanity as you watched, chuckling from the front porch. After nearly an hour, Sam gave up on the car seat, and joined you on the porch, his hand splaying softly over stomach. He leaned over, and placed a sweaty kiss on your lips, it was moments like those that Jody told you to cherish; and both you and Sam made it a point to do so.

“Then you better figure out how to properly install that in the back seat,” you sass.

An annoyed laugh leaves Sam as he glares at the yet-to-be defeated carrier, hesitating now to leave your side.

“It can wait.”

“It really can’t, babe,” you chuckle softly.

It’s less than an hour later that you and Sam pull up to Sioux Falls General Hospital. He’s holding you steady as you waddle towards the check-in desk. An orderly appears with a wheelchair, and wheels you away as Sam hands over all of your pre-registered paperwork. Alex is by your side before you realize it, placing a reassuring hand on your shoulder. She helps you dress into a hospital gown, and Sam rejoins you just as you take a seat on the bed.

Sam watches helplessly as your face contorts as another contraction rolls through your body. You squeeze his hand tightly, sure that you’re leaving crescent-shaped marks on him. This one is different than the others, it’s more intense, and longer-lasting than the others had been.

“Y/N, look at me, baby, you’re doing so good,” Sam praises as you whimper through the contraction. Sam leans forward and presses a kiss on your forehead as the pain subsides. “You’re so strong, Y/N.”

“I didn’t expect it to be that big.”

Five hours later, you’re cradling your newborn son against your chest. Sam’s behind you, whispering praises in your ears and holding you tight against him. You present your breast to the babe, encouraging him to latch on, and to your delight he does so quickly. Sam makes a joke about how Dean was always a boob man, and you comment how his namesake must’ve inherited his predilection as well.

Sam tenses behind you, and you quickly realize your mistake. Dean was always on your mind, and moreso Sam’s, but you rarely, if ever, said his name out loud. It seemed to pain Sam to hear his brother’s name, so you avoided it as much as you could. But now the baby is here, and you wonder if it's a good idea to name him after the fallen Winchester.

Sam’s hands are wrapped around your still swollen center, and you turn your face to his. Tears are escaping from his hazel eyes, and when they meet your Y/E/C ones, he gives you a small smile.

“We don’t have to name him Dean,” you offer, even though you honestly couldn’t think of a more fitting name for your son. “If you don’t–”

“It’s not that, baby,” he sighs, wiping at the fallen tears. “I just– I miss him. Dean should– he should be here. He should be here to meet our son.”

You nod, and focus your attention back on the newborn, suckling gently at your breast. One of Sam’s hands leaves your stomach, and his fingers brush against the infant’s soft skin, remarking that he’d never seen a baby with so much hair, and that he looked so small. You chuckle, and remind him that if he had to push a nine-pound watermelon out of his body, he wouldn’t think it was small.

Sam concedes, unable to contain his laughter, and the brief tension that was in the room disappears and doesn’t return. After little Dean is finished, you and Sam take turns counting his fingers and toes, cooing at your son as you take in all his features.

A nurse returns, and you reluctantly let her take Dean away to be properly cleaned, weighed and measured. She instructs both you and Sam to sleep while you can, joking that you’ll be getting very little from now on. Thanks to Sam being a human incubator you curl up against him and let all of the exhaustion from the last 24 hours finally catch back up to you.

You're woken by Sam a few hours later, informing you that Jody, the girls, and Bobby are outside. Sam slips from behind you, and disappears out of the room for a moment before returning with your found family. Jody’s eyes are filled with tears, throwing her arms around you, congratulating you as Bobby claps Sam on the back.

The same nurse returns with Dean as everyone settles in their places around the room. Jody instantly fawns over the baby caressing his chubby cheeks before allowing Sam to pick him up and hand him over to her.

Jody makes a solid promise to spoil the boy rotten. Claire’s body language changed when Alex handed baby Dean over, and after a few minutes, didn’t want to seem to let him go. Bobby becomes impatient as Claire refuses to pass the baby on. Finally, Sam steps in, plucking the baby from her arms, and walking over to Bobby.

“You ready to meet your grandson?” Sam asks, and a smile you’d never seen before appears on Bobby’s face. Sam places the swaddled baby into Bobby’s arms, and you’re sure you see a tear slip down his cheek.

“Looks like he’s takin’ after his momma,'' Bobby laughs. “Lucky boy, hopefully you won’t be an idjit like your daddy and uncle,” he sends you a playful wink. “Just know you ain’t alone, kid. You got more people who will love and protect you than any other kid in the world.”

“Did you tell ‘em?” You ask, trying to move into a slightly more comfortable position.

“Tell us what?” Jody asks from the chair beside your bed.

“Y/N and I, we want you and Bobby to be his godparents. If anything were to ever happen to us, we want you to take care of him.”

“Well, maybe you can tell us his name first,” Claire pipes up, and you hadn’t even realized that you hadn’t told them yet.

“Dean,” Sam eyes his son still in Bobby’s arms. “Dean Robert Winchester.”

Let me know what you think via ask or reblog! Feedback is fuel!

[emrysaf]

A-Z Affection Prompts- Victor Creed

“Marks and nuzzling with Victor Creed? If you're still doing the prompts.”

“A man who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself.”

 - John Stuart Mill

Your mutation wasn’t the best, so to speak. Genetically, you had a lot in common with feral types of mutants; those with animalistic qualities and high healing factors. 

Only, you didn’t heal fast from actual wounds. You had the higher healing factor than a “normal” human like most mutants, but nothing in comparison to Victor, or Logan (whom you’d only met once). Scientists who had done studies of various types of mutants and the subgroupings had said your mutation’s power was all used up in keeping you appearing like you didn’t age. It wasn’t something you could turn on or off and it didn’t come with claws or bone skewers coming out of your body. However, you did have slightly pointed ears and what appeared to be two sets of sharper-than-average canines on the bottom and top rows of teeth along with more strength than would be normal for someone of your size.

Despite how you felt you were weak or a hindrance, Victor kept you around after he had found you in a cage years ago. He was a murder machine even at the best of times, but he was your protector and friend. 

In recent years something had changed. The familial love had shifted and grew into something else. But even being with him for years, you weren’t the best at reading his emotions unless it came to rage. That one you saw a lot, never pointed at you though.

After living so long one would suppose you’d had a lot of . . . experience. That wasn’t necessarily true. Yes, you had been with people, even felt love you supposed (though it was nothing compared to how you felt about the large feral mutant), but they were few and far between. Either they began to age and wanted to settle when you knew you couldn’t or you were being hunted as recognition, understanding and acceptance of mutants fluctuated over the years of your long life.

What you did know from experience is that you weren’t some frail, breakable thing. Unless you were to be honest about your love for Creed. Then, yes, you were weak.

But these average, human men in the alley that had clear, albeit disgusting, goals? You were definitely not weaker than them. And you proved it when you beat the absolute shit out of them for their attempted gang assault. After you finished demolishing them and some of the alley walls, you wiped your bloody knuckles on the sides of your jeans. Then you buttoned up your flannel all the way since the tank top underneath had been roughly grabbed and nearly torn from your body to expose what the men were after. 

One of the men lightly groaned as he moved his head a bit, and you took a final kick to his temple as you slightly limped from the dark alley. Checking your phone you doubled down on your pace to hurry home. Victor was due home today, and you had wanted to cook something. Now you were running late.

-------------------------------------

Regardless of the fact that you had made it home before him and started on something for dinner, (burgers if his nose was to be believed), Victor was not happy. 

Try as he might to not be possessive, Victor Creed was a territorial man. You may not be his partner, but the rule was no sexual partners in the loft apartment. A rule you made, he might add, and he agreed to out of respect for you and the bond you shared.

Now before he even makes it to the door he can smell a man? Men? And the coppery tinge of blood- he knew you hadn’t gotten any in. . . Well, a while. So he factored that as the blood smell, but another male in his home? More than one? You made the FUCKING rule.

So he was already tense as he opened the door and slammed it shut. Ready to berate you into the next life, and inevitably slut shame a bit. He was known for being an asshole after all.

But all thoughts were cut off as you turned with a tight smile to greet him from the kitchen across the open floored apartment. There was a dark bruise that looked suspiciously like a handprint blooming from under your chin and up your cheek a bit. The blood he had smelled could be seen along your hairline and crusted in your hair a bit. Quickly he took in the flannel buttoned up to the absolute top button and a tear in one shoulder seam. Then down to the hand holding the spatula you were using to flip the burgers; split skin and more dark (almost purple-black) bruising.

-------------------------------------------------------------

Immediately you saw his angered face contort to something else as his eyes flickered around your prone form. You almost forgot about what happened in your haste to get home and start food. You had wanted to do something nicer, but burgers were always a good go-to for Victor. Burgers and beer.

Now you wished you had taken the time to shower or something before starting on the food since it wasn’t ready when he got home anyway.

Again he wore a look, an emotion settling that you couldn’t read.

---------------------------------------------------------------

“What happened?” he grunted.

A relieved look passed over your face as you turned back to the sizzling burgers. Had you already sensed he was angry at you?

“Oh, not much. Got home late so sorry about it being burgers again,” you laughed.

“I meant the blood and shit Y/N.” Gruff as ever.

Back turned to him, he saw your shoulders tense a bit. You weren’t worried about the men who attacked you or what they thought they were going to be able to do to you. You were worried about telling him, and seeing how weak he really thought you were. All marked up and bruised after a fight with some humans? Probably would think you were pathetic.

“Uhm, well…”

A irritated ‘hmph’ came from the stock-still man.

“Some men tried to. . . Attack me. Came at me all together thinking they’d get the upper hand and get- Y’know?..” You lifted the burgers from the skillet to a plate covered in paper towels to catch excess grease.

Behind you Victor had tensed even more. Angry at what happened. Those men. Himself. 

Himself for not being there and for intending to come in and rip you a new one earlier. His inner feral growled lowly. Over the years, probably before your feelings had even shifted, he had grown attached to you in a more romantic, loving nature. But he didn’t want to hurt you. He knew what he did to other frails and knew he held you in higher regard than even himself when he realized he never wanted to see you hurt. But his inner animal was raging; some average human men had not only tried to hurt you, but force you to… to..

You were still putting the burgers together, knowing exactly how he liked his, while you talked. “Got a couple good ones in yeah, but I got ‘em all Vic. Really tore into ‘em like you taught me!” You were getting a bit giddy to regale you triumphant tale as you spun around. And he was right there. ‘Holy shit.’

Victor grabbed the plate from your hands and set it on the counter to the side, picking both your hands up in his clawed one while the other smoothed hair away from the side of your face with the bruise.

“You won?” he questioned, but your indignant reply was cut off as he raised your torn knuckles to his mouth and laved at them. Wet tongue softly grazing over the split skin in a comforting and healing gesture reminiscent of his large cat namesake. Your gasp brought his blown gaze to your own wide eyes. “Of course you did.”

“V-Victor?”

He gave a light growl that further warmed your belly as his gaze shifted back to the handprint on your neck and face. “One of them grabbed you here? Marked you up.”

Breath shaky you replied, “Yeah. Tight grip while I was getting some other guys’ paws off my undershirt. They say we’re the animals. But I won! I’m stronger than you think y’know?” 

The last bit was supposed to be a tease to hide your own insecurity, but his incredulous gaze met yours like he was having an epiphany. (He was.)

‘She thought I thought she was weak? I mean, I did. But not. . . Not as a negative thing.’

“You really are something Y/N,” he chuckled. “Much stronger than I was giving you credit for. I’m sorry.”

‘An apology? What is going on with him?’ Victor dropped suddenly on his knees gazing up at you. ‘Ahhhh!!!?? What is going on? Why is he- Wait.’

The large man wasn’t looking in you eyes anymore but off to the side with his head craned to expose the thick expanse of his neck. Submitting. To you.

“I was wrong. I’ve seen the way your gaze changed over the years. Practically fucking me with your eyes Y/N.” Your face was bright red now. He gave a low chuckle while his head and eyes were still turned away. “You weren’t as subtle as you thought you were. I told myself it couldn’t happen. That you were too weak-” 

Now the salt smell of your tears hit him as he practically felt you stop breathing and he looked up at you in a panic. Tears were welling and slowly teetering the line of falling down your face.

“No. Shit.” he groaned as he wiped his empty clawed hand down his face. “I meant. You’re healing ability. I didn’t want to hurt you. To see you in pain.. I couldn’t live if I hurt you Y/N. But me wanting to protect you like I’ve done for years made me blind the you now. Strong and capable of protecting herself despite a little pain and some cuts and bruises.”

Once he saw the shimmer dissipate a bit he craned his head again. Exposing the column of his throat once more. “I can’t stay marked up. If you tried to it wouldn’t stick. But I am claimed by you. I have been for years now. If-if that’s still what you want?”

Understanding hit you like a freight truck. Slowly you crouched, if you also knelt you would be shorter than him again, to make a point.

“No submitting. You’re Victor Creed. The Sabertooth. These- These feelings are ones we both have right?” At his nod and the curious glint in his eyes you continued. “Then it’s equal. We are equal, bub.” 

Then you gave him what he wanted. Lightly you pressed kisses to his brow, his nose, his lips and his jaw. He reciprocated in his own forceful way. Carefully your gazes met again and you gave a slight nod. You ran your nose down from where you kissed his jaw to the juncture where his neck meets his shoulder. He skipped the trailing and harshly pressed his nose to the same spot on your neck, nuzzling, and waited for you to press your open mouth to his skin. 

He felt your hot tongue and groaned loudly. Then there was a slight tearing sound as he dug his sharp canines into your neck, and you repressed your scream by biting him back as hard as possible with your duller teeth. When his teeth pulled from your skin he immediately began lapping at your wound in that healing way again as your body collapsed into his.

When you gave a high whine followed by a moan Victor’s arms wrapped tightly around you and he stood to his full height with you in his hold. Sensing a shift in mood from the loving, openness to a more erotic tone, you laughed.

“Got more plans?”

Another grunt but you felt the curve of his smile where his face was still pressed to you.

“What about the burgers?” You joked.

“Fuck that.” he gave a chuckle this time, hearing your joking lilt. “Let’s work up an appetite first, eh?”

Now you giggled as he practically ran to his dark room down the hall. You were certainly up for a long night making up for lost time, and he was ready to mark you up and see your strength first hand.

[pla-teau]

LOKI EPISODE FOUR : THE NEXUS EVENT

GIF CREDIT TO: @luke-skywalker SPOILERS AHEAD. YOU'VE BEEN WARNED!

SYLVIE | there's a lot to process in the short time we get of young sylvie. it didn't seem like she was doing anything that caused a nexus event. when we see her, she's simply playing with her toys on asgard. sylvie asks about what her crime was later on with renslayer but it's never clear cut as to what she did. the only thing we know is that she escaped from renslayer which is why she's so hell bent on capturing and pruning sylvie. i have a certain thought on this later.

WE SURVIVE | the words loki tells sylvie just when she’s given up and accepted that she’ll die on lamentis. that’s what makes loki a loki - yes, he fails over and over again but each and every time we’ve witnessed his ‘death’ he comes back or when things seem to possibly end for his story, loki still manages to survive.

LAMENTIS | based on the namesake of the episode, this is the nexus event that caused them to be found but what was it? personally, from watching the episode and keeping in mind that this is 2012!loki, i think that the nexus event was hope and acceptance between them. i think there’s genuine hope despite being stuck on a doomed planet about to become smaller flying rocks in space. in every apocalypse so far, we’ve seen that basically anticipating and accepting the end of the world doesn’t cause a breach in the timeline because what is there to hope for? it’s all going to be destroyed anyway no matter the little fake hope you have inside yourself telling you that everything is going to be alright. loki and sylvie up to this point haven’t had that kind of hope before ever in their lives. with the acceptance part, i think it's self-acceptance and acceptance of their roles in the universe. roll with me here, loki throughout the mcu has never accepted his fate or what's supposed to happen; he's always fighting it and trying to come out on top as a ruler of people whether it's earth, asgard and sakaar. he doesn't accept to not be a ruler or on the losing side of a battle against earth's mightiest heroes and at odds with the other marvel characters. he doesn't fully accept himself either because he didn't know he was adopted until at least one thousand years later and he couldn't accept that he wasn't destined for something other than a shadow or simply his title as the god of mischief. it made a lot more sense in my head tbh. a lot of people freaking out about this moment being loki falling in love with sylvie/himself but i don't think that's it. loki for once genuinely cares about someone else and i think it's platonic cause while i have little faith in the mouse house giving us more than confirmation that loki is bisexual, i don't think they'd make loki fall in love with himself.

LOKI'S TIME CELL | a nostalgic reveal we get is sif in this looped time cell plucked from loki's memory. apparently, he cut off a chunk of her hair because he thought it would be funny. in typical sif fashion, she proceeds to beat him up in retaliation as well of sharing some biting words. it's interesting how after a few loops and knees to the nuts, loki apologizes to sif about the prank and admits that he's afraid of being alone and acts narcissistic and like a pompous asshole if you will because of this fear. i think this is a bigger break through of his character than the one we saw in the first episode because he's admitting it to someone from his life that he highly respected but acted like a child to her to get her attention even if it was negative. i wish for more vulnerable loki moments because it continues to prove that loki isn't just the god of mischief, he can be more (as thor said in ragnarok).

MOBIUS VS LOKI | honestly, this whole interrogation scene screamed mobius being jealous of loki making pals with sylvie and i loved it. what i like is that mobius does air the sentiment that we all have in our heads after realizing that loki and sylvie did somehow click to create the nexus event. it's narcissism to the max. again, i think loki truly cares for sylvie in a platonic or even a familial sense since they both don't make connections too often with others (romantic or platonic).

HUNTER B-15 | i was wondering what happened with her after her run in with sylvie at the roxxcart supermarket. clearly, sylvie unlocked a memory within her subconscious as well and is starting to doubt herself. we don't see what memory of hers it was but it's enough to make her break protocol and go against the TVA later on in the episode. in conclusion, we have no choice but to stan this queen. also seems like she wasn't reset in that final battle so we'll hopefully see her in the next episode.

RAVONNA & MOBIUS | their friendship is put to the test in this episode. while being of a higher position than mobius, ravonna does seem to care deeply for mobius. she said so herself, she wants to protect mobius...but from the truth instead of the false danger about sylvie that she's filling his head with. ravonna clearly knows a lot more than she's letting on and that the TVA is an elaborate lie. i think she wants to protect mobius from the truth because she doesn't seem to have other close friendships like the one with him. it's also clear she cares for him when he's pruned (supposedly!) by another hunter. also, there's this other analyst/field agent mobius always brings up when we see them in her office so i wonder if it's someone who also knows about the grand lie the TVA is or is even some alternate variant of kang the conqueror who we know is supposed to be introduced in the third ant-man movie. it'd be interesting to see if kang is teased one way or another in the final two episodes.

DO YOU REALLY THINK YOU DESERVE TO BE ALONE? | the question mobius poses to loki when he starts to believe that they may be telling the truth. it's an interesting question to pose because we've been hearing it and have seen it throughout the mcu with loki. the time loop loki's stuck in, sif tells him that he'll always be alone. throughout the mcu, loki has been alone in his plans and mischief despite being surrounded by his family, his future enemies, and his people. loki has known nothing but being on his own, being his own island of chaos. as sylvie put it earlier, they're a product of the universe trying to break free, chaos. mobius knows that this nexus event has something to do with the two of them, for once, accepting that they're not alone or that they're not just a cosmic mistake, there's hope for them to be whatever they want and not just confined to their mischievous roles.

RAVONNA & SYLVIE | in the elevator, sylvie confronts ravonna about her crime as a child. it's something everyone wants to know, what does a young loki have to do to be charged and reset by the TVA? ravonna seems to know that this something she can leverage and torture sylvie with so she claims to not remember. sylvie says that it must've been important and severe enough to mess up the sacred timeline. maybe she wasn't supposed to know that she was adopted until later in her life like our loki. she's supposed to be causing trouble and be this terrible villain but what if with sylvie knowing her true parentage at such an early age, she learned to accept herself/identity and made peace with it. that's another thing that could've caused the nexus event between the two, they had found self-acceptance even at just the brink of death. maybe they're supposed to do so but later in their lives in their own timelines so that's why it's enough to destroy the TVA as mobius hinted at earlier. happy that sylvie decided to keep ravonna for information so i expect the next episode to have them in ravonna's office or still in the timekeeper chambers as ravonna tells us what is going on.

THE TIMEKEEPERS | when sylvie beheads the central timekeeper, we learn that they're mindless androids. it never ends, there's no throne to sit upon after killing them so it seems. it was all just a giant hoax but this further feeds into my personal theory that kang, one way or another, is behind all of this. what i find really interesting is how the other two timekeepers laugh when sylvie beheads one. whoever is behind controlling the fake androids, they have a way to see what is happening and communicate in real time with the TVA agents and variants. hopefully in the final two episodes we see what the hell is going on and how the TVA came to be and why.

LOKI POST CREDIT SCENE | so apparently, loki isn't reset or something of the sorts. he's actually sent to another world. i believe this is an alternate new york where we'll see president loki as you can see the remains of the old avengers tower. this makes me think about mobius' fate to be similar to loki's; possibly sent to either the same place or a similar world. we see three human new lokis here. from the credits, we have classic loki (richard e. grant), kid loki (jack veal), and boastful loki (deobia oparei). apparently there's also a crocodile!loki and i'm here for it. can't wait to see how our favorite variant gets out of it next week!

oh god, this was so rusty and unorganized but hope if whoever reads this can somewhat understand the points i'm trying to get across.

[jilytho]

Blind Dating and Miscalculating

Blind dating au where Lily is on a blind date and wrongly assumes James is her date

Read below or on AO3 :)

“Whew does Mary know how to pick ‘em!” James looked up in shock to see a woman, apparently under the impression some Mary somehow ‘picked’ James leering at him, teetering from side to side as she pulled back the chair opposite him and clambered into it, nearly knocking off the unused wine glass closest to her. 

Drunk. Drunk but also gorgeous. Red tendrils that likely at one point in the night were neatly arranged were now flung about her shoulders in partial disarray. 

“Scuse me, I’m not quite sure you’ve got the right-”

“I told her I didn’t want to go! I said,” she reached over and grabbed his hand, pulling it towards her, wide eyes locked on his. One look at her bright green eyes (beautifully green eyes, his favorite shade of green, actually) was enough to tell that while the lights were on, nobody was home. “I said, Mary!” She exclaimed, continuing to cradle his hand close to her while gesturing wildly with the other, “Mary I have no interest in dating, period. Nevermind getting set up with some random strange man. Especially with the name Mark. I mean, look, no offense Mark and other Marks of the world but it really is a rather plain name.” She paused to catch his gaping mouth opening and closing not unlike a fish before continuing. “That’s not to say that plain is always a bad thing or that extravagant names are a good thing,” she stumbled over the word extravagant and pushed right past it, “I mean I dated this bloke, Severus, once and I thought wow such an interesting name, fascinating. Nope. Dead boring and borderline stalkerish fellow as it turns out. So you’d think I’d like plain after an experience like that, wouldn’t you?”

She stopped abruptly, eyes staring at him expectantly, apparently waiting for some form of agreement. 

“Erm I suppose so?”

“Exactly! You’d think! But I mean, Mark. So mundane. I just assumed the person would be mundane as well. Probably an accountant or a lawyer, blech. Not to mention I was a bit nervous, been a little since my last date if I’m being honest. Not that there weren't offers.” She gripped his hand tighter, “There were offers, Mark. Don’t start thinking I’m desperate. I had offers.” She dropped his hand and folded her arms as if he had suggested otherwise. 

“I didn’t say- I’m not, I'm sorry can we back up for a-” his words and thoughts were a jumbled mess.

“Anyway,” she huffed, rolling her eyes and relaxing her arms, “anyway. Anyway, what was I saying? Mark! Yes, Mark. So as I was saying, I didn’t want to go on this date at all but Mary was all ‘it’ll be good for you! He’s so cute! We’ll get drinks first!’ and so I agreed to come meet you, but may have drank more than three margaritas but in my defense it was 2 for 1 and Mary was paying and I can never pass up a good deal. So that's why I’m late. But I am here. I am here with you, Mark, and you are far less boring looking than I expected. Yes, much cuter than any Mark I’ve ever met. Mary did well.” She nodded approvingly, sitting back in her seat and smiling constantly. 

From the corner of his eye he saw Sirius walk into the restaurant and see the woman in the chair Sirius had been meant to occupy. James immediately tried to signal with his eyes, “HELP, HELP, HELP” without alerting the redhead in front of him when Sirius, the bastard, winked at him lightly, turned on his heel, and left.

She hadn’t noticed his desperate face as she was busy scanning the menu over and when she wasn’t calling him Mark or yelling in his face she was quite pretty. Extremely pretty, actually. Like exactly the kind of person he’d want to have one a blind date. Or a non-blind date. Any date really. And the girl clearly needed food in her stomach to soak up some of her margarita, really it would be irresponsible to leave her like this. The least he could do would be to keep her company, pretend he was Mark to try and minimize her embarrassment, and then make sure she got home safe. 

“You know,” she met his eye over her menu as he spoke, “for someone who seems to have a lot of opinions on my name, I don’t believe Mary ever told me yours.” 

She laughed lightly, a beautiful wind chimey, tinkly noise that sent delight shooting down his spine. 

“Lily, Lily Evans.” She reached her hand across the table again, this time for him to shake. “Pleasure to meet you.” 

“Pleasure is all mine, Lily, Lily Evans.” He shook her hand lightly and looked back at his menu. 

XX

Dinner seemed to fly by. Once Lily got some food into her system she sobered up rapidly, yet sobriety in no way impacted her ability to keep him completely enthralled and entertained. Each passing minute made him more inclined to legally change his name to Mark and live the lie for the rest of his days. 

Sure their life would be a lie, he thought as she threw her head back laughing over some asinine story he was telling of Sirius, red hair swirling around like flames, but it would be fun. 

Not only was she bold, she openly mocked his ordering bourbon, ruthlessly holding nothing back despite only knowing him for a matter of minutes, but she was also unbelievably sweet. Listening intently to every story he shared, telling multiple of her own where despite being an ass kicking journalist she somehow also found time to volunteer at the animal shelter and had fostered three different dogs in the last two months. Ruthless, for sure, as she batted her eyes at him over her water glass causing all sorts of feelings to start to stir. She would give James, correction- Mark, a run for his money and then some. Barely an hour of sitting across from her and he was pretty sure he’d take his dinner knife to Mark's throat if the bloke ever actually did show up. Whether it be from jealousy or fury that any human being could ever stand up this goddess in front of him. 

The conversation flowed easily. Leaping seamlessly from her parents professions to his childhood mischief to the time she dyed her sister's dog key lime green. Her dad had a thing for flowers, apparently, marrying a Rose and insisting on making their daughters Petunia and Lily. 

“You could keep up the tradition, you know. Get your kids some flower names. Maybe something unique,”

“What?” She scoffed, “and subject them to years of cheesy, thoughtless bouquets of a flower you hardly like just because it’s your namesake? I don’t think so.”

“Then make it a flower they’d want to get! Or an herb, like Basil. Everyone wants a Basil plant around.” He pointed his drink at her as she spluttered incoherently, “are you telling me you don’t love a basil plant?”

“You’re right, how dare I overlook such a top quality name as Basil.” She drawled out in a monotone, voice dripping with sarcasm. “I suppose we’d go with something more colorful though, like Anemone!” She looked like the idea was pure genius and now he was the one spluttering in her face. 

He tried not to let his heart burst at her use of we. 

“I’m sorry, isn’t that the ocean thing? The Nemo thing? The sea anananamename thing where they live? That’s what you want to name your child?”

Her eyes were screwed shut as she clutched her chest, gasping for air through her laughs. 

“What?” He grinned at her, not caring if he had somehow said the wrong thing or appeared dumb when her laughter was so intoxicating. He felt a tingling run straight down his spine. 

“A sea,” she gasped out through choked laughs, “anemone!” 

“That’s what you just said!” He continued to argue. 

“Whew,” she wiped a stray tear from one eye, “truthfully you’re not that far off base at all. Same exact spelling. But they do have anemone for flowers that are on land as well as the sea. I’ve just never heard someone butcher a word so spectacularly.”

“Yes well, you know I’m quite good at that.” He leaned back in his seat as her eyebrow quirked up. “In fact, so good that I have been named the anti-Spelling B Champ,” he nodded matter of factly and continued on as if she wasn’t gaping at him, echo of a laugh still present on her face. 

“It’s true! Annually, all the people that hate spelling b’s gather and compete to see who can truly butcher a word the most. I’ve won every time. You’re sitting with a nationally ranked word ruiner.”

“Oh wow, however could I have not known. Do you have any secrets of the trade you could share?”

“I usually would never divulge such confidential information but just because you asked so nicely and because you are in fact stunningly gorgeous, I’ll give you one.” He leaned in conspiratorially, hitching a finger for her to do the same, and dropped his voice low. “To really put yourself over the top and seal that victory,” he looked side to side dramatically, checking for eavesdroppers before looking back on her, “is all about the silent Q.” He sat back again and watched her shoulders shake lightly with poorly concealed giggles. 

“Personally,” he grinned strongly, all pretense of secrecy gone, “I like to throw a minimum of three in there just to really set myself apart. Once I did a silent q followed by a silent x. I nearly sent the judge to an early grave.”

“You know I bet what would have really done him in is if you followed the x with a p but you pronounce the p like a-“

“Lily?” James reared back to find some bloke standing next to their table staring anxiously in between the two of them. “Are you Lily?” Lily nodded lightly, eyebrows scrunched in confusion, eyes flitting between the newcomer and James. 

“Um yes I am, I’m sorry do I know you?” 

A wave of cold dread overcame him, realization sinking into his chest. The newcomer, just about their age, polo and khakis, easily could have been a lawyer or an accountant. He had to explain before she realized as well and he looked like a total lying creep. 

“Lily, I can explain-“

“I’m Mark, I’m so sorry I’m so late. My car broke down and I didn’t have your number.” 

They spoke at the same time, the real Mark reaching a hand out to shake Lily’s. 

She didn’t take it. Instead she swiveled dumbly between the two staring accusingly at the real Mark. “You can’t be Mark. I’m having dinner with Mark. You must be here for someone else.”

“Lily, I really can explain if you’d just-“ James started again as Lily whipped around to face him. “You! You liar! Who are you?” She pushed back in her chair looking at him as suspiciously as if he had just announced he liked to moonlight as a serial killer in his spare time. 

“I’m sorry, your name is Mark as well?” The real Mark stared down at James politely inquiring, as if this was all perhaps a genuine mix up and not a case of an imposter stealing his date. 

“Not quite, its erm James. But truly if you think absolutely it the names are quite similar, the whole second letter being an A and the part about being in the Bible and what not.” Mark's eyebrows rose and Lily did not appear amused by his comparison. 

“I’m sorry I didn’t mean to lie or anything, I just… you sat down and assumed I was Mark and I was actually meant to be meeting a friend but you were just so pretty and funny and I didn’t want you to feel like you’d been stood up so I thought I could come clean later but I just wanted to get to know you. I’m sorry, truly.” She looked at him, hurt and confused, and he just wanted to hang his head low and apologize another half dozen times. 

“I can leave so you two can get on with your date,” his heart sank as he stood, gesturing the open chair to Mark without quite meeting his eye. 

He forced himself to look up at Lily, “I really am sorry. It was really nice to meet you, have a nice evening.” 

He turned lightly and began to head out of the restaurant, feeling Lily’s eyes burning into the back of his head even while he heard Mark sit down across from her and apologize again for his lateness. 

He was barely out the door when he heard her yelling his name, his real name, from behind and spun back around to watch her jogging to catch up to him. 

He braced himself for her to yell at him or hit him or completely tear him a new one and gave her a forced smile. 

“Lily, I-“

“Is your name really James?” she huffed, somewhat out of breath. 

“Erm yes. Just James. No Jim or Jay or weird nicknames really…” his right hand came up to ruffle the back of his hair, still anxiously waiting for her to scream at him. 

She reached up on her tiptoes, hand snaking around the back of his neck (oh god she was gonna try and hold his head still so she could really hit him strongly) and used it to pull herself up closer and his head down and touch her lips lightly to his. 

The light kiss sent shockwaves down his body as he froze, processing what was happening. 

“I like the name James so much more.” She whispered against his lips, barely a breath away. That was all he needed to throw an arm around her waist and tuck her snugly against him, the other hand going to caress her cheek and bring his lips back to her, stronger than before. They kissed deeply and sweetly and he felt it down through his toes and in every single nerve in his body. 

When they pulled apart, still wrapped up in each other, and she lightly hummed his name against him, he felt suddenly very sure that there was no sound better than her saying his name. 

“So, I’d really like to do that again. And the date again. With you knowing my name the whole time preferably. Preferably right now. What's to say I go take care of the bill and you take care of the real Mark and we go get some ice cream, maybe?”

“What’s say we do.” She intertwined their fingers and pulled him lightly back towards the restaurant for a fresh start.

[miss-kittys-magical-library]

Last Christmas

Words: 2900

Warnings: Here we see the smut chapter. Fluff and smut.

A/N: again thanks to my homies @joz-stankovich and @robertsheehanownsmyass for encouragement!! Tag list: @magic-multicolored-miracle @elliethesuperfruitlover @super-unpredictable98​ @bisexualnathanyoung

Chapter 3- White Christmas

Violet unlocked her door and dropped a handful of bags in the foyer. The mistletoe and pine still softly twinkling where Nathan left it made her flush at the memory of their kiss. She shook it off as she struggled to drag in a large heavy duffle bag she collected from the casino.

“Hey, Seamus Finnegan!” she gave a shout and smiled to herself. “Come help me with your shit! Also you've got eight hundred messages on your phone.” Violet finally faced her apartment and gasped. Nathan had decorated while she was out.

White lights trimmed the door to her balcony. The island where they ate earlier shared a similar style to the one above her front door: Pine and some bows and lights scattered throughout. There was a six foot pine tree in the corner by her television showered with white lights as well (in fact all the lights Nathan used were white. Some twinkled, some were stagnate). There were ornaments of every shade of purple, flowers and silver tinsel littered the tree, and again the pine around the wood of the table her tv sat on. Any bow used was a deep purple with silver trim.

“Oh, Nathan.”

That's all Violet could whisper as she ran her hands along the bough that lined the kitchen island. She knew in her heart he would open his mouth and ruin the feeling of contentment and she had right now. Something witty or obscene, so she kept quiet and allowed it all to soak in.

Making her way to the Christmas tree, Violet reached out to touch everything. It was real, solid. Nathan made all of these with his.. magic? She couldn't believe that’s what it was. Magic. He was magical.

His face certainly is magical, too she thought to herself. Cheeks hot as the sensation of his tongue in her mouth flooded her memory. It's been so long, Vi. What would it hurt?

Except it wasn't just about wanting to sleep with Nathan. He challenged her with his smart mouth. Always tacking on a statement that would get him the most attention. That he couldn't just say anything nice or complimentary without sexual or sarcastic wit sprinkled in. But he was vulnerable with Violet when he was still locked up and just last night as he lay dying in her arms. When Nathan trusted someone his walls came crashing down.

And he could be selfish, but so far he used his powers for others. The money he tried to steal to give Marnie and someone else’s baby a better life. Violet knew the young mother didn't steal the poker chip, Nathan gave it to her and told her to take off so she wouldn't get caught up in his mess. The decorations and breakfast this morning, carrying her to the couch instead of leaving her on the floor. That asshole’s tongue at the club. Even trying to comfort Violet as a knife stuck out of HIS chest.

And Violet assumed he drove everyone insane, himself included. Yet he survived. Or found a way. He survived being homeless and whatever went on in London after that storm that affected him and his friends (She googled it, would bring them up later). He even survived prison; for a guy like Nathan that was impressive.

Violet liked some of her clients. She even struck up friendships with the better of them. ACTUAL friendships where they called and hung out whenever her schedule allowed. But this was a tiny seed planted in her heart that started to grow and blossom like the flowers on her Christmas tree. They weren't supposed to see each other ever again, and Violet would be able to uproot her feelings for the flirtatious Irishman and throw them away.

Except he was in her apartment, occupying more than just physical space. With his stupid green eyes and even dumber way he laughed loudly at all of his own jokes before anyone else could. Let's not even start on his stupid, handsome face caught between boyish and a man like puberty couldn't make up it's mind during Nathan’s late teen years and just decided to linger into his twenties. Or his weird body with the baby Bambi spindly legs but muscular arms (with dumb scene kid tattoos) and that chest she touched. With all that death she figured he would be cold, but he was human. Hot blooded, warm-skinned human.

God dammit, Duval. You can't do this. He's probably just doing what he does best when it comes to you. Surviving until he gets home to London. Plus, he's like, way too young for you.

Her sisters were gonna have a field day with this tomorrow at dinner. Would Nathan even want to go with her? She was so lost in her thoughts, that she only just noticed the flowers decorating her tree were her namesake, violets.

Somewhere far behind, Nathan cleared his throat. Violet still jumped, plucking a flower off as she did. “Hope you don't mind I jazzed up the place. Rather boring for a bird like you,” he said with a devilish grin. “I wasn't sure what ye liked. I closed my eyes and t’ought of you and all this happened.” He swept his hand around the room.

“It's rather thoughtful for you.”

“Don't you mean thoughtful OF me?”

“No I definitely meant FOR you” Violet challenged.

For only the second time since they met, Nathan was rendered speechless.. Mouth agape, thick eyebrow furrowed in confusion as he grappled for a comeback and failed. It was only when Violet looked at him struggling that she understood what was going on with her guest as he casually lounged against the wall.

Nathan was wearing one of her sheets wrapped around his lithe body in a makeshift toga. A tinfoil halo laid crookedly on his shaggy head. Violet also took notice of the outline of his member under the sheet. She couldn't help but gawk knowing he was naked. He didn't bother with the wings, as if he was “angel” enough for what he thought he was doing.

Violet laughed out loud and covered her mouth to hide mirthful giggles. Tears sprang to her eyes, and at one point she felt out of breath. Nathan, meanwhile, had a crimson climb up over his face. His eyes betrayed that for once maybe there was some sort of embarrassment going on. He crossed his arms self-consciously and rolled his eyes.

“Are ye done having a laugh?!” just a smidge of hurt in his voice. “Last time turn myself inta a sexy angel!” Nathan jerked his hips and sneered.

“You look so cute! You halo did me in! Be honest,” Violet pursed her lips to express another giggle, “What are you doing?” She could feel the answer before he said it.

Nathan waltzed over to just a few feet from Violet. He ran a hand down the length of his body with mischief in his eyes, “Who me? I go on top, love.”

“Not if I have a say in it.”

Nathan’s mouth hung open in disbelief. “What if I get there first?”

“I've got way more experience than you do. And I always come out on top.”

There was electricity in the air.

“Key word being come,” Nathan’s voice came out sleepier than usual.

His eyes drifted from Violet’s down to her mouth then back up as he teeth bit his entire bottom lip. If that was meant to be seductive it worked.

Violet felt out of her body when she clung to the back of Nathan’s neck so she could bring his mouth down to hers. Their tongues doing battle as she got her fingers wrapped up in the back of his head. Nathan’s strong hands on the curve of her waist so that he could bring her lower half onto the bulge under the sheet. She moaned unintentionally into his mouth.

Nathan was a little aggressive the way he almost choked Violet with his tongue. She bit into it between playful and defensive causing him to back off. Only breaking the kiss to remove her shirt. Their bodies molded together again as they made out in the living room.,

His hands kept flitting over her body in quick succession like he couldn't decide between her shoulder blades or her ass. Making up his mind instead to start fumbling around with the clasp of her bra. To Violet’s delight and surprise he managed to unhook the thing and helped her slide it off.

In a whirlwind Nathan picked Violet up so that she could wrap her long legs around his thin body. Violet took note that he was stronger than he looked as they stumbled through the hall. Tongues at war again while Nathan crashed Violet into a wall where he devoured one of her breasts.

“Ow,” she winced but giggled into his mouth. Her nails deep into the skin of his shoulders and neck for balance.

“Not sorry,” Nathan mumbled.

He bit at a nipple harshly before sucking on it and repeated this back and forth. Growling into her chest with his face inside her cleavage. Violet laughed louder than she meant to at the absurdity.

“OI!” Nathan cried, but joined in the laughter this time.

Now they lumbered towards the bedroom, Violet tugged on his hair and cried out as his tongue flicked and devoured her nipples softer than before. Once inside, Nathan literally threw Violet back on to her bed towards the pillows.

“What the fuck?!” Her face hurt from smiling and laughter. Afraid of what might happen to her expensive Versace panties, she took them off before Nathan could tear into the fabric himself.

Violet bit her finger, her skin goose-pimpled in the cold air of her apartment. Her patience began to grow somewhat thin even as her sex started to pulsate at the sight of Nathan’s erection under the toga he fought with.

“Do you want help?” she offered.

Nathan waved her off and it fell to the floor. His cock surprised her with the still attached foreskin strained against the head. Then she remembered most European guys were still intact.

Violet's view was mostly a short one because Nathan crawled across the bed towards her. That Lord of Chaos shit eating grin from ear to ear as he palmed her knees. He spread them till they touched the sheets. He sucked on her collarbone and pumped a finger or two deep inside Violet. The palm of his hand meeting her sex causing her to buck unexpectedly while he repeated himself a few times. Her actions only encouraged him to keep going

“Where did you learn any of this foreplay? Porn? Trial and error? Juvenile girls with low standards?”

“D. All of the above.” He groaned into Violet’s neck. Fingers still gliding in and out of her.

“Have you ever been with an older woman?”

Nathan startled Violet by staring at her all of a sudden. “How old is older woman?”

Violet grimaced, “Nope. Nevermind.”

Before long, Nathan stopped using his hand and all too hastily started to lap at Violet. His tongue swift and sloppy over her sex not even bothering to find her clit. Rapidly he licked at her slit like she was an ice cream he tried to eat before it melted. It wasn't unpleasant but it wasn't exactly getting her off.

“Nathan?” she cried out the question. “NATHAN!” louder.

He raised his head, mouth glossed with her wetness. “Ahyep?” His eyes heavy with desire.

“This is oral sex, Lucky Charms. Not a fucking pie eating contest. Slow down and put your mouth here,” she brushed fingers over the top of her sex and spread it enough to show him her clit.

Nathan’s eyes widened and followed her finger to the bud of nerves she all but pointed at. “So that's what it looks like,” he marveled.

Violet glanced heavenwards but a part of her felt bad. “I'm being serious, has no woman EVER told you how to get her off?”

Nathan littered her thighs with kisses from the knee towards her pelvis. Making his way up the other to the opposite knee. He smiled at the way Violet’s body arched into the sensation. “Nah. Usually get a quick toss in then never see ‘em again. Marnie was my first missus.”

“Well then just use the tip of your tongue and make small circles.” Her breath caught when Nathan obeyed. “You can suck on.. Like. Fuck,” her hips writhed under his mouth “and just..” she mewled and lost concentration.

He caught on quickly. The rhythm of his tongue matched the way Violet rocked herself into mouth. More and more rapid he worked his tongue between circles and sucking. His actions and her wrapped up in a cycle of give and receiving

Violet vibrated. One hand clawed at Nathan’s neck. The other clutched the headboard as she felt electricity course through her. She bent forward at the power of her unexpected orgasm. The hood of her sex contracted around his tongue, liquified, she screamed his name.

Nathan pushed himself up and laid down on top of Violet before she could get her bearings. His tongue deep inside her mouth again as the head of his cock twitched and poked at her cunt.

“Na-Nathan, what are you doing?” she managed to catch her breath.

“Getting a toss in. Ye had yours, now it’s time t’give us a go. Right?” he teased her with the head slick already with his pre-cum.

“Not without a condom you don't.” Violet wedged her hands between her chest and Nathan’s to push him away. She searched around in her nightstand drawer, hyper-aware of the immaculate knife placed back inside. A flash of his dead body, but she held up a condom instead.

A kiss puckered on lips that fell. “A what?”

“You don't have condoms in Europe?” her eyebrow curved.

“Well sure but I've never used one.”

Nathan was so matter of fact it took Violet by surprise. Still, he took the package from her, hesitating to open it. He was rather tentative about what was inside.

“You've got to be fucking joking,” Violet took the rubber from him in haste and rolled her eyes. “I don't know where your dick has been.”

Nathan kneeled over her legs, his cock at perfect attention. “Aw COME ON!” he whined. “They're mostly clean council estate girls! Once there was one of those Thai ladyboys,” he stroked his chin, “but I didn't even realize my cock wasn't in a fanny”

“Fuck me.”

“I'M TRYING, SWEETHEART!! NO ONE’S EVER SHOWN ME HOW T’PUT ONE ON!”

Violet softened once more and sighed. She laid the condom on her chest and took Nathan by the waist to make him scoot towards her. For shits n giggles she raked her nails down his hips and he buckled with slight pain and pleasure. Violet smirked but took his cock in one hand while rolling the rubber over the shaft and down to the base expertly. She kissed his stomach, erection twitching as he came in proximity to get mouth.

Violet traced a fingertip over the stars he had tattooed down his pelvic bone. “What the hell possessed you?” She gazed up at him through her bangs.

Nathan caressed her cheek down to her lips where Violet sucked on his finger. She nipped playfully at it waiting for an answer. “It's shooting stars (stairs) all the way down t’ the milky fucking way”

Violet immediately regretted her decision to ask. Again. She had to remind herself he wasn't immature per se, more like stunted. Nathan had a good heart under the cushion of sarcasm and arrogance. A heart she placed the palm of her hand against to feel its steady beat.

“I'm only joking. Was a good place t’ hide it from mum. We can shag now right?”

Violet laid back on the pillows and opened up to him. Without hesitation, Nathan plowed into her. That pelvic bone collided with Violet’s as the breath escaped her lungs. Sweat gleamed along his chest and forehead mixed with the scent of her sex as his pace became almost ludicrous. There was pounding and diving into the hilt. As far inside of Violet as she allowed.

This is actually ok, she thought to herself as she attempted to match his speed and failed.

Violet laid under Nathan while he rutted like a wild animal. Breathless and panting as he attempted multitasking: Kissing her and fucking her. He failed at least one and opted to immerse himself in her hair as his body spasmed a release so violent and sudden all that escaped Nathan's throat was a strangled cry.

He collapsed on the pillows beside Violet and almost immediately passed out. She merely snorted, rolled away to check the time. It was then she felt soft, cold pinpoints on her bare arms and chest and hair. What was going on outside in the Nevada desert she registered as happening inside her bedroom.

Violet rolled over to face her lover. Snowflakes covered his bangs and long eyelashes. She held out her hands to catch giant fluffy flakes. Those same flakes fell inches high on her balcony but nowhere else. Violet snuggled into the chest of the man who slept beside her. Lost in his ecstasy, it appeared that he made it snow.

Nathan had given Violet her first white christmas.

[wallwriterstuff]

The Necessity of Love

So inspired by this post from @lord-diavolo-is-watching 

Okay imagine this : the brothers had a hard time to adjust to the Devildom, so for their first night they all slept together in the living room and the brothers (everyone but Luci, Satan and maybe Mammon) asked if they shouldn't pray because that's what they usually do before going to sleep and Lucifer simply told them:

"Starting from today we don't pray anymore. Father has forsaken us."

Have a fic that literally no one but @ikemen-lover159 asked for :)

Summary: On their first night in the House of Lamentation, Lucifer gives it it’s namesake by lamenting on all the sins that brought them to the Devildom, trying to pinpoint where it all went wrong.

Warnings: Angsty as hell because we don’t know what fluff is here, Satan being somewhat cruel, the boys in distress, questioning the problem of evil.

Words: 2722 because I couldn’t stop once I started please forgive me

I would like to note that for any religious folk reading this, I mean no offence by posing the problem of evil as a way to question God. I followed what seemed like a logical thought process for Lucifer in a time of great grief and pain for all the brothers. In no way is it meant to belittle beliefs of any nature but this fic’s intention is to show how belief might be questioned. I have tried to handle the topic sensitively and apologise if anyone feels it was handled wrong. 

Since their very creation they had been taught to love. They had been taught to be patient, to be kind and to be devout. They had been taught the importance of purity, of chastity and charity. They were supposed to embody the traits that humanity would strive for in their quest for virtue, and they had worked for centuries to become all that He had intended them to be. Among the ranks of angels, there were few higher than them thanks to their devotion and adoration to Him and His cause.

The hypocrisy was stifling.

Lucifer had been created first, famed for his beauty and grace as he diligently served Him. He knew nothing other than the blind loyalty to the man who had breathed life into his lungs and raw power into his soul, not until he was taught compassion and love and everything good. He had been good. He���d been the best at being good! He had been chaste and pure and kind and ensured that his brothers were to. They shared no blood, but they were brothers none the less, created one by one and entrusted to one another to be guided down a virtuous path. They had all been good…hadn’t they?

It had been Him who had asked them to watch humanity, to give the lesser beings something to strive for as they grew into the world gifted to them. His adoration for them was clear so the Celestial Realm had followed suit. Lucifer had devoted himself whole heartedly to learning to love the strange little creatures far below, reaching up their hands as though virtue and grace was something they could snatch from the heavens. He had taught his brothers to do the same and they had spent endless stretches of time watching over the little ones when even He had seemed to grow bored of his creation. Belphegor and Lilith had taken his teachings to heart the most - Lilith perhaps a little too literally.

Lilith.

The agony her name brought was almost unbearable and his fist clenched of its own accord, nails scratching through the delicate fabric of the chair he had sat himself in by the fire. Her love for humanity had been so great it had led her to temptation. The rules were clear, to alter her lover’s lifespan was not an option but his sister was young and as it often did, youth had given way to impetuousness. Lucifer was no fool. He knew the likelihood of their love being accepted amongst the ranks of already sceptical angels, lesser and disobedient angles, was slim. He had thought he had more time to make Him and everyone else see reason, to craft an argument so well made it could be unshattered by any attempts to counter it. He had vetted the man, knew he was virtuous and good and deserving of the love of an angel. If only she hadn’t been so rash in attempting to save his life…

Lilith.

He hissed, the sting in his chest to real to subdue and file away. There was not a moments peace from the grief and the pain he and he alone had to shoulder now. Her only crime had been to love another too much. How could obliteration be the fate she deserved for following His teachings? His crime was worse, he had known it the moment he had suggested it to his brothers, but again it had come from a place of love. He had loved Lilith so deeply the desire to save her had become a maddening need. His own survival had seemingly depended on it, or so it felt like. His brothers had loved him enough to walk right behind him, standing tall as they leapt into the fray. When He had declared that they were all guilty of a grievous sin it had enraged him because…he’d never intended that. His love for his sister had driven him to a rebellion that placed his beloved brothers in just as much danger as she was in.

In the strangely still aftermath of it all he’d come to the conclusion it was his fault, lying on a cold, dirty floor as he waited for something to come and end his misery. When Lilith had began to fall he’d dived with her, his brothers continuing the fight in his stead as he plunged in a desperate attempt to save her. It was all he had ever wanted to do and things had spiralled so far beyond his control it was laughable. Only as she lay dying, his heartfelt goodbye pouring from him as he committed one last act of betrayal out of love for her, did he finally understand exactly how this would end. He had intended to take the blame, to suffer whatever punishment he must in exchange for the lives of his brothers, whose only real crime was to follow a flawed and imperfect angel like him. He still hadn’t seen it even then, the flaws in His Father so many humans were starting to see as they bickered about how best to honour Him.

He hadn’t expected to fly right into the middle of their execution.

He had returned to find them restrained but struggling, fire in their eyes and hope in their hearts. For him to return without Lilith crushed them. Beelzebub, the gentle giant beloved by every angel he had ever met, had gone limp so suddenly that those restraining him sagged to the floor under his sudden dead weight. Dazed at the loss of their sister the six of them had been entirely ready to accept punishment, to join her in returning to the nothingness they’d been created from. He knew differently, he knew she was alive and well now, and as an all-knowing Father Lucifer was sure that the powerful man before him knew it to. Watching Michael’s sword come swinging towards Mammon’s neck, the brother he had known and loved longest, had cleaved his heart in two – quite literally at that.

The bitter anger and betrayal he’d felt, the desperate need for vengeance, it swelled and burst out of him in a great shaft of light that flittered about angrily, the malevolence in it quite obvious. Once its humanoid figure had formed and the light had dimmed, the howl of rage the embodiment of his wrath let loose had shook his very bones. It had taken a lot to restrain Satan when he was first born, and Lucifer knew he had only made things worse by creating him. He honestly hadn’t meant to, but the rage had been too much. Mammon being put to death, his brother calmly taking it as though he deserved to pay for Lucifer’s crimes…it had been too much, and yet not enough. Not enough for their Father, who knew the grief was a greater punishment than death could ever be.

So, with one mighty shove He had pushed them all away.

The fall itself replayed in his head still and he doubted he would ever be granted peace from the memory. Shattering the barrier between the Celestial Realm and the human world had felt like crashing through ice, the shards cold and sharp as they sliced through his skin and the stinging wind did little to soothe the wounds. The cold had quickly become fire, Celestial grace unable to leave the Celestial Realm being dragged up and out through every pore in his body until it combusted and set ablaze the wings so many had fawned over. His brothers screams echoing in his ears, his bones popping like firecrackers as his entire form was diminished. Landing in the Devildom had quite honestly been painless compared to the rest of it all. The slap of cold, hard dirt on his back, stealing his air, was actually a welcome relief, since it meant he no longer had to Fall.

He wasn’t sure what had happened to the others or if they’d tell him their experience, given time to heal, but as his body slowly put itself back together he had been greeted by the animal that would become his familiar. The peacock had strutted regally towards him and pecked at the remaining feather and bone the impact hadn’t quite shed him of. He had stared aimlessly at the sky, letting the peacock preen him as new wings grew in. He had lay there thinking of all that had led him to this moment and reached the conclusion that something had to be flawed. So what was it? Was love flawed? Was humanity? Was it both?

It had been a few days since that moment and he still wasn’t sure of the answer. His brothers were all finally awake, Diavolo granting them power and healing their injuries like an old friend, welcoming them to the Devildom as though they were always meant to have fallen into the depths of its depravity. Their new home was lavish beyond anything they could have imagined and yet…it was too much. To spend all the millennia from the dawn of creation up until now revering the simple things, refuting greed and luxury, made it difficult to be thrust into a world where an opulent lifestyle was not only expected but required. They embodied different virtues now. Pride, greed, envy, wrath, gluttony and sloth. They had been warned of these seven deadly sins and tried their best to aid humans in avoiding them, and now…now they were them. It was all his fault.

Belphegor would happily blame humanity from now till the end of time he was sure, but their predicament to him seemed to stem from love. Lilith had loved a human, and he had loved Lilith, so he started a rebellion and their love for him meant his brothers had joined him on a one-way ride down to the Devildom. He had tried to use that same love since, praying for the forgiveness of his brothers. His Father had quite diligently ignored his pleas and though Lucifer was still undecided if it was love, humanity or both that was a flawed concept, he had reached a conclusion that was equally as harrowing as it was satisfying.

God did not love.

An all-loving Father would have offered a chance at forgiveness, wouldn’t he? An all-loving Father would not have been so cruel as to condemn them to a fate where they would have to endure their grief in a place too unfamiliar still to call home. Death would have been a mercy, so an all-loving Father would have granted them that surely? They were here because they had loved one another too much, and their Father had not loved them enough. It was decided then. Love was a flawed concept. His Father had been wrong to place such high value on such a tempting sin.

“Dammit all!” Leviathan’s howl of irritation and pain had his eyes lifting from the fire crackling in the hearth. Tears pricked at vivid orange eyes, his fingers desperately scratching at the scales that now coated various patches of skin. The digits came back bloody and Mammon’s eyes widened.

“Hey, hey! Stop it Levi, here, here let me see.” He gently forced his brother’s trembling hand away from the self-inflicted wounds. “Hang on, let me get something.” Mammon left in a hurry and Lucifer looked over each of his brothers in turn. The rooms were too lavish, and they weren’t used to sleeping so far apart from one another, so a compromise had been made and plush duvets had been bought down to the living room. Belphegor had yet to wake, his sleeping patterns completely irregular now his body was adjusting to the sloth in him. Satan was engrossed in a book about Devildom history, the only one who was seemingly keen to be down here. Asmodeus had turned his back on them all, huddled in his duvet and staring aimlessly at the bookshelf before him.

When Mammon returned with a bowl of water and a cloth, Levi couldn’t help the quiet sniffle that left him.

“Th-thanks.” He mumbled, trying desperately to keep it together. Beelzebub wasn’t even trying. Protectively wrapped around Belphegor as the latter snored softly, the grief and torment in his eyes was obvious as he watched his older brother hurting.

“The scales are really dry, maybe you should take a bath.” Mammon suggested quietly. His loud, boisterous personality was gone, replaced instead by something horribly timid. Lucifer felt another pang of guilt and anger. He had done this to them all.

“Maybe…maybe we should pray?” Asmodeus’s voice was equally as quiet, weak and uncertain. Lucifer clicked his tongue, his eyes moving back to the flames. He heard the rustle of Amso moving but couldn’t bring himself to look at him. He didn’t want to see any of them if he was honest, the brothers he’d failed. Satan’s quiet snort didn’t go unnoticed.

“Asmo-“

“We usually do before we go to sleep so what’s the harm?” Beelzebub demanded. He had had little patience for Satan since his appearance, convinced that he was the reason they had been tipped into the Devildom and stripped of any chance of re-joining his beloved sister, the final piece to the puzzle that was Beelzebub, Belphegor and Lilith.

“In case you haven’t noticed, he seems to be done listening to you.” Satan sneered.

“Like you would know, you weren’t even an angel! You don’t understand any of it!” Asmodeus protested, “Right Lucifer?” Lucifer couldn’t bring himself to answer. He had tried. He had prayed and prayed and prayed only to be ignored time and again. Their Father didn’t love them, he had abandoned them to this place. He had taught them all to love and gone back on his own word. Lucifer clenched his fist once more, the anger and grief roiling in his gut and making him feel oh so sick.

“All I’m saying is if your blessed Father was all-knowing he would have foreseen this happening, wouldn’t he? So, if he knew it was coming, and is all-loving, why wouldn’t he correct your course? Why not help you avoid this truly terrible fate?” the way he drawled each word really gave it time to sink in and the answering silence spoke volumes.

“He’s…got a point.” Mammon muttered uncomfortably.

“Of course I do, the sooner you accept it the faster you can start adjusting to life here. It might not be all bad. Did you know the Devildom has over 300 types of demon inhabit it?” Satan stated matter of factly.

“And now we do.” Beelzebub said softly. The silence that rang in his ears made Lucifer’s head spin. He pushed up from his chair, levelling each of his broken, beaten brothers with his calmest stare. They all knew better than to question the tears in his eyes or the slight waver in his voice.

"Starting from today we don't pray anymore. Father has forsaken us."

He quickly buried himself in his own bedding after that so they wouldn’t see how much it truly pained him to say it. He pretended not to hear Asmodeus cry himself to sleep. He pretended he couldn’t hear Mammon trying to calm a pained Levi begging him to take the scales away and give him his wings back. He pretended not to hear Beelzebub’s quite goodnight to Lilith, his solemn vow to look after Belphegor woven into the tender words that carried through the air. He pretended to ignore it all even though every bit of pain his brother’s oozed was soaked up by him like a sponge, adding to his own torment. He pretended not to feel Mammon’s hand on his shoulder to as he passed him to settle down to sleep to.

“Have we really been forsaken?” he asked him quietly. Lucifer swallowed thickly.

“Father has forsaken us…but we will not forsake each other.” It was all he could think to say to comfort his younger brother. He would forsake none of them. He would make them whole again as best he could. He hadn’t made a deal with Diavolo for nothing. Even if the world around them changed, even if he himself became unrecognisable to the people that once loved him, everything he would do from then on would always be in the name of family.

[astudyinimagination]

So, I’ve had this in my head for a little while now. It’s a continuation to the Mara-joins-the-Rebellion AU. Back in October, when I wrapped up Inktober, I did it with a drawing of Luke and Mara as new parents, specifically in this ‘verse. So, since I’ve already given away how this story “ends,” more or less, it’s time to go a little further!

•••

Luke chooses to honor his grandmother by naming, with Mara’s blessing, their firstborn Shmi. The honor is double-faceted: not only is there yet again a Shmi Skywalker in the galaxy, but she is also the first of her generation. It seems more than fitting to give the future matriarch of the family the name of the woman who would have been its first matriarch, had she lived. And, indeed, Shmi bears her great-grandmother’s dark hair (and her mother’s green eyes). Sometimes, Anakin could swear that his mom has returned in his granddaughter. Much like her (and also, much like his son), Shmi is quiet but strong, resilient, and kind.

•••

Two years later, Leia and Han have twins. It’s Han’s suggestion to name them after Leia’s parents, and thus there is once again a Breha and Bail Organa in the galaxy, as well as a Shmi Skywalker. The twins share their parents’ brown hair and Leia’s brown eyes. Bail turns out to be good with wildlife—too good, always wanting to adopt whatever new creature crosses his path—while Breha, the future Queen of the Alderaanian Remnant, can often be found tinkering in the Falcon with her dad or with her grandfather’s many speederbikes.

•••

When Shmi is four and the twins are two, something happens that is either wonderful or crazy, depending on who you ask. Mara and Leia conceive within weeks of each other (and, indeed, deliver on the same night). Han complains that Leia and Luke take “this twin thing” too far.

“Don’t name him after me,” Anakin tells Luke regarding his unborn son. “No child needs the burden of being an Anakin Skywalker Junior.”

It’s Mara’s idea to name her boy Ben, and she announces it with Obi-Wan in the room. Luke and Mara are treated to the spectacle of a ghost being shocked speechless.

Leia and Han can’t seem to come up with a name for their son. Lando suggests himself as a namesake, only half serious, and Han tells him that he can have his own kid and call him Lando Junior. ...but an idea is growing on Leia, and when she holds her baby for the first time, she knows it’s the right one. She has seen her biological father change and grow as a person over the past five years. She’s seen the way he dotes on Shmi—and the twins, as well, when she’ll let him. He is by no means perfect, but he is trying, all the time, to be a good man, rather than do one good act and rest on his laurels, and that’s important to her.

He weeps when she tells him that the baby’s name is Anakin Organa.

Ben inherits his mother’s red-gold hair and his father’s blue eyes, and, unlike his sister, the tempers of both parents, which Mara handles better than Luke. Anakin’s coloring is eerily similar to his grandfather’s, and he is also quiet and kind and an excellent mechanic and pilot—but he lacks the burdens of his grandfather’s upbringing, and so lacks his resentment and anger. Anakin Skywalker is relieved to see his namesake growing up with all the best of him and none of his serious flaws. (Recklessness, on the other hand, seems to be inescapable in this family.)

•••

Shmi is ten and Ben is six, and Luke and Mara are busy running the first Jedi Academy while Mara also does some side work for Talon Karrde. And in the busyness of their lives, Mara keeps being reminded of memories of her children as babies. Luke sees her wistfulness and deduces that she wants to have a baby again; Mara is startled to realize he’s right. Neither are old, both only in their early thirties, and they decide to try for a baby one more time.

Their new daughter is golden-haired like her father, and they name her Beru.

•••

There are now six Skywalker-descended children roaming the galaxy, and their grandfather’s heart is full. He hadn’t even dared to dream of such a thing when Padmé was still alive, and after his fall and her death… Even hoping for a future with Luke before Palpatine’s death had not gone as far as hoping for a future with grandchildren.

And they all adore him. One by one, they all learn the truth of what he had done to the galaxy, and eventually learn what he had done to his family. But they love him, and even this terrible knowledge cannot erode their love.

•••

Luke, Leia, Mara, and Han are no longer what any human would call “young,” but also neither is Anakin Skywalker terribly old, which is good, because fate has one more surprise in store for the Skywalker-Organa clan.

Leia, almost forty, conceives.

Han complains that they were so close to being finished raising kids and now they’re back at the starting line, but he doesn’t mean it, not really. True, the thought makes him feel very tired sometimes, but he can’t deny that, however difficult, his kids’ infancies were some of the best years of his life. He’s not old yet; he can do this, and he’ll never hear the end of it from Chewie if he can’t.

Anakin is shocked, but couldn’t be more pleased, helping his daughter in her day-to-day life so much that she has to tell him to take it easy, sometimes.

And Jobal Naberrie, whom Anakin had helped to reconnect with his children early on, is grateful that she has lived to see one last great-grandchild, her one regret being that her husband has not lived also to share her joy.

And her joy is too great for words when she meets the baby girl, dark-haired and dark-eyed, and is told that her name is Padmé.

[makeste]

BnHA Chapter 259: Jakku General Hospital

Previously on BnHA: We chilled with Hawks and Twice, who filled us in on the various different facets of Pliff’s plan to fuck over the world. For starters there are like a dozen new bad guys who are each heading different Pliff regiments, just in case anyone forgot that this is a literal army we’re dealing with here. Hawks also reminded us of the fact that Twice can clone basically any one of the bad guys as many times as he wants now, so that’s a nicely terrifying thought to sit and mull over. We learned that once Tomura is done powering up, the villains intend to attack all over the country simultaneously and basically destroy society as we know it. Oh and also kill all the heroes of course. But I think we already knew that. Anyway, so the one bright side in all of this is that Twice naively let it slip to Hawks where Tomura was currently undergoing his Frankenstein procedure. And so the chapter ended with basically all of the heroes in Japan launching a surprise attack in the mountains of Kyoto, while the kids waited on standby to help with the evacuations. And I know that doesn’t sound very safe, but... well... shit.

Today on BnHA: A quiet morning in the Kyoto suburb of Jakku. All is peaceful -- or so it seems. Little does the elderly CEO of Jakku General Hospital (a stand-up citizen, philanthropist, and caretaker of orphans all across the country) know that lying in wait just outside his doors is a group of wicked and immoral HEROES ready to -- okay lol you know what, I can’t. Not sure what I was really going for there anyway. So! Meanwhile in the woods outside the ol’ villain hotel, a second group of heroes led by Edgeshot and featuring several child heroes in training, including KAMINARI WHO WAS LITERALLY JUST BORN YESTERDAY AND SHOULD BE AT HOME IN HIS NURSERY WATCHING PAW PATROL AND NOT OUT HERE IN THE WOODS WHERE HE IS IN TERRIBLE DANGER, is gathered and ready to attack the League’s main forces. So things kick off with Death Arms apprehending the traitorous Slidin’ Go, while elsewhere the heroes bust into Jakku General Hospital to capture Ujiko. Show of hands, who here thinks this is going to go smoothly? ...Yep. Yeah. That’s what I thought.

okay guys, before we get started I’m gonna answer a couple of relevant asks from last week. first:

I’m almost hesitant to talk about this, because I’m paranoid that Viz and co. could pounce on these sites again at any moment, and so I feel like this sort of thing is better left to private messages and discord servers. but I guess one little mention of it won’t hurt. so the site currently doing the scanlations is readheroacademia.com, which has been around for a while. and there are several other sites which also host the new chapters and have all of the old chapters archived as well. kissmanga is a big one which I know a lot of people use, but my personal favorite is readmha.com (idk, I just feel like its layout is... cleaner? if that makes any sense)

also do keep in mind that all of these sites are pretty ad-heavy, so I wouldn’t recommend visiting without a good adblocker at the ready (I generally use Chrome on both desktop and mobile, and have uBlock Origin and Disable HTML5 Autoplay enabled on my desktop browser). that being said, I’ve never had any issues myself

good question! I was actually thinking about doing a weekly follow-up post on Sundays after the official Viz translation comes out, but obviously I did not end up doing that last week lol. so now I’m thinking it might be easier for me to just post any subsequent thoughts/remarks in the following week’s chapter recap, since I’m already committed to doing those anyway and so it makes it harder to flake out

so that said, my one follow-up thought about chapter 258 is that the fan scanlation seems to have mistranslated that whole “AFO’s resurgence” part. in Viz’s version Hawks was instead saying that the PLF’s plans would “throw the world into chaos and enthrone Shigaraki atop the rubble.” and he then referred to Tomura as the second coming of All for One. sooooo, pretty much exactly the opposite of the other translation lol. this is a big blow to my continued effort to search for evidence that AFO is gonna come back and be the final villain, but I am still not deterred. we will continue to fight on until AFO either actually dies, or does come back like I keep predicting he will! please try to work with me a little better here, AFO

one other thing, instead of “New World Movement”, Viz used the same “Vanguard Action” regiment name that was used during the forest training camp arc. Caleb said that the wording (“kaibyaku koudou”) was exactly the same. so I’ll be using that too moving forward. I guess that means that Pliff is still on the menu though, pity

anyway so let’s get started now

so it’s a house... no, holy shit, wait, it’s the house!

THE NEW TODOROKI HOUSE OH MY GOD. ahhhhh lol what the fuck is this. Todofeels coming up to slap me in the face out of nowhere?! here I thought we were gonna just dive right into the Shigaraki raid and the resulting carnage

I’m... not really sure how I feel about this? like, right now I’m not trusting anything Horikoshi does lol. “quiet beginnings” you say? this is just a sneaky new way to bring me more pain. isn’t it

(ETA: I guess “quiet beginnings” also summarizes the other activities of this chapter pretty well. also is that Natsuo’s girlfriend??! at first I thought it was Rei, but those look like quirk-related ears? so Natsu then really is living his best college life huh.)

oh hey everyone it’s a brand new character!

(ETA: wait, is he actually quirkless? or is that just another LIE. you big LIAR.)

I’m so curious what the kanji is for this latest name. can’t wait for Caleb to enlighten us. I wonder if it’s “shi” as in “death”, just like with Tomura/AFO’s name. and no idea at all what “Maruta” means. basically I just want to know if there’s some pun or something, since yet again he’s obviously using a fake alias here

(ETA: so someone informed me in an anon ask that this is a reference to Unit 731, which was a Japanese unit that undertook lethal human experimentation during WWII. basically the people who conducted the experiments referred to their human subjects as “logs” to dehumanize them. and the Japanese word for log is, you guessed it, maruta. so that’s an extremely powerful and disturbing association for this name, and it’s obvious now why Horikoshi went with it.

that said, the anon said that some people were really upset by this name choice, and while I guess I can understand that, I also think that’s kind of the point, though? like, it’s supposed to be horrifying. anyone with a human conscience and any kind of empathy whatsoever should be horrified. and atrocities like that shouldn’t be forgotten, and I actually think that for someone born and raised and living in Japan like Horikoshi to be making a reference to this is fairly ballsy. because my understanding is that, like a lot of Japan’s other war crimes, it was more or less hushed up by the government afterwards, and isn’t really taught in schools or mentioned in history textbooks other than in passing. so while I can understand people maybe finding it disrespectful, I don’t think it was meant as such. it seems to me that if anything, Horikoshi wants people to look into it and be educated about it. and again, obviously he’s associating it here with easily the most reprehensible and morally sickening character in the entire series, which is fitting I think. anyway so those are my thoughts on that.)

anyway, guess what guys? looks like we’ve got ourselves another Star Wars reference! let’s just hope this particular Jakku doesn’t wind up as wrecked as its namesake when all’s said and done. it’s gonna be a loooooong day

you guys. Maruta is such a nice guy

he’s a philanthropist! and he runs orphanages all over the country! wow! what a great person!! and nursing homes as well, where residents presumably die on the regular (of old age and other natural causes no doubt), at which point they are presumably cremated, and I wonder who runs the cremation facilities? I’m sure whoever it is is definitely on the up-and-up

and “quirk-based community healthcare.” I wonder if they’re selective about who they treat based on what their quirks are. all the better to make sure people with particularly strong and/or unique quirks get the specialized treatment they need!

anyway. see, this is more like what I expected. some super dark shit, and finally some answers to a few long-established questions as well, but not without a price. that price being the churning feeling in my gut right now lol. oh man. well I just ate, so that might have something to do with it. but I tell ya, nothing makes you vaguely queasy like trying your best not to think about a massive conspiracy to kidnap and torture innocent children in the pursuit of ultimate power! so anyways I sure do hate this!

fffff like, really hate it. I HATE IT SO MUCH

[reluctantly goes ahead and slides AFO down one notch on my list of people I need to see die the most] well there it is. we have a new champion

so now we’re cutting to a hero briefing!

y’all is that THE SHERIFF. PLEASE. IT’S BEEN SO LONG. BUDDY I MISSED YA

so Nao says he had one of his guys go undercover to investigate, and they found that this hospital’s blueprints included a giant suspicious unlabeled place that nobody knows anything the fuck about

oh my god. you guys. forget Tomura, could that also be where they’re keeping the Noumus?? omg. omg omg omg. omgggggggggggg. omg

-- AHHHHHHHHHH

IF THE NEXT PANEL ISN’T JUST A CHORUS OF EVERYONE IN THE ROOM ALL SAYING “WHAT THE FUCK” SIMULTANEOUSLY, I’M GONNA DEMAND SOME ANSWERS, BECAUSE LET ME TELL YOU, HAVING ALREADY KNOWN ALL ABOUT POOR JOHN-KUN AND ALL THIS FUCKED UP SHIT MYSELF, I STILL AUDIBLY SWORE OUT LOUD. AND YOU KNOW WHAT? I’M GONNA DO IT AGAIN TOO, BECAUSE WHAT THE FUCK

come on, is Pixie Bob the only one of you here with normal human reactions or what?!

RIGHT?! YOU ALL ARE LOOKING AT A TINY MOUND OF FLESH WITH VEINY BULGING EYES JUST OGGLING BLANKLY OUT FROM ITS EXPOSED BRAINS. NOT TO MENTION IT’S GOT TWO OF WHAT VAGUELY RESEMBLE EARS, BUT WHAT I’M PRETTY SURE ARE ACTUALLY NOSES?? AND A SEVERED SPINAL CORD TAIL DANGLING OUT FROM BEHIND. ALL OF WHICH IS PLASTERED TOGETHER LIKE A LUMPY MOLD OF CLAY ATOP TWO CHILD-SIZED LEGS, which are wearing fucking sneakers, with fucking velcro and shit. fuck. fuck

lol Nao

oh yes, not difficult at all. I’m sure he’ll come along real quietly. hey, let me know how that one works out, okay

“we have the trauma of Hosu and Kamino still haunting us.” thanks for that reminder. gonna have another city to add to that list real soon aren’t we. preemptive r.i.p. Jakku

oh man you guys. can you feel this tension building up

interesting how he says “destiny.” I wonder if that’s the actual dialogue. at any rate this overconfidence is terrifying and I would really like for you all to stop jinxing shit my dudes

-- WHAT DID I JUST SAY

holy shit. please tell me this is a separate group from the Endeavor group we saw at the end of the last chapter

but that doesn’t make any sense though, because this group has Midnight and Kamui, two of their deadliest and most efficient capture specialists. not to mention Edgeshot the literal ninja who can break into anywhere. so this really should be the vanguard here based on what I’m seeing, but if that’s the case why are the eighteen-year-old Tamaki and the sixteen-year-old Toadette right there with them?? can we not, you guys. can we not

fucking shit. at least they’ve got Ms. Joke there too to back them up. if we actually get to see her quirk in action I can die happy. and so, presumably, will the villains

so the “hospital team” (is that the Endeavor team??) said they’re gonna eliminate the villains’ warping ability, which presumably means John-kun. do they even know it’s him that does it?? they don’t seem to actually know who Ujiko fucking is so I have my doubts?

on the bright side though, it seems like this Midnight team is actually going to be raiding the mansion, and won’t be involved in the hospital raid. but on the less bright side, the mansion is arguably almost as dangerous. :/ that’s where Twice is!! and probably most of the League! but at least they don’t have a dozen Noumus in the basement just waiting to be unleashed

god. people, if we don’t get moving on this action soon I am going to give myself a damn heart attack. this is way too much suspense for a chill Friday night

son of a bitch that guy behind Toadette is Honenuki, I just realized. what the fuck, U.A. ?? “hey kids! guess what! we’re going on a field trip!!” ...

-- NO!!!!!!

IT WILL NOT BE ALL RIGHT!! DON’T YOU LIE TO THEM!! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!!!! Tamaki, fine, okay, he’s experienced, and arguably more powerful than half the people there. Toadette, she’s just a kid, but she also tried to kill Tokoyami back during the joint training arc and I’m still not sure how I feel about that so whatever! Honenuki is probably the most responsible person in this entire group so fine. Tokoyami needs to be there to have a lot of angst about Hawks

but Kaminari. Kaminari fucking Denki. no. no, sir. excuse the fuck out of me. how fucking dare you. he is a five-year-old boy in the body of a high-voltage adolescent. and he’s maybe, just maybe, more powerful than anyone else in this fucking group but that still doesn’t give you the right to put this little baby boy RIGHT ON THE FRONT FUCKING LINES!! holy shit! HIS BLOOD IS ON YOUR HANDS!! I DON’T LIKE ANY OF THIS

OH MY GOD

RIGHT?!?!? omg omg omg omg omg

he’s literally wailing “I miss class 1-A” so loudly that it’s echoing all the way through the forest. see now that’s why you DON’T TAKE KAMINARI WITH YOU ON YOUR SECRET STEALTH ATTACK MISSION!! would somebody please point me towards whoever’s fucking idea this was so that I can go kick their fucking ass please and thank you

and here are the rest of them oh my god

Momo, Mina, Jirou, and Kiri at the forefront. okay, fine. this, I do like

so Edgeshot says they’ve surrounded the villains on all sides. man, no wonder they’re so worried about their warping capabilities. this is basically their one chance to capture all the bad guys in one fell swoop. I guess it makes more sense why all their capture specialists are in Edgeshot’s group, then

now I’m starting to wonder exactly what task lies in store for the Wonder Trio’s group, though? because they said evacuation, but is that really all there is to it? it’s no secret that Bakugou, Deku, and Todoroki are the three strongest interns they have. so you’re really expecting me to believe that they put baby Denki there on the front lines and yet plan on keeping their heaviest hitters in reserve? Nao is there more to this plan that you’re not telling us

oh shit Endeavor wants to know where his adopted chicken son is at

it genuinely does warm my heart to see Endeavor worrying about Hawks. I’m glad Hawks has at least one person out there who actually gives a shit about him. even if that person is mister father of the year here. the plot thickens

I wonder if Enji would actually die to save Hawks, if it came to that. which I’m not saying it would. but we all know some fucking shit is about to go down so I’m just having these thoughts here okay!

Nao always looks so tired nowadays. man

so he clearly does know who Endeavor’s talking about, though. one of these days I’d like to get a clearer understanding of what exactly Naomasa’s rank is and how high he is in terms of clearance, because the idea that he’s actually privy to more information than the number one fucking hero is kind of bonkers to me, ngl. this guy is literally just a detective, right?? not even a commissioner or anything. and yet he’s involved in everything. I used to suspect that he might be the traitor lol, and while I’m pretty sure by now that’s not the case, I’m still curious as to exactly what his deal is. does he even have a quirk?? anyways

so now Endeavor is hmphing and stomping off, and meanwhile there are some closeups of Mic and Aizawa

is that a whistle. do you guys think Mic could literally kill a man with his voice. shit. why do I kind of want to see it happen

as for Endeavor, I wonder if he was the one who made sure that his son and his friends weren’t on the front lines with the rest of them. sometimes it’s good to have some influence in these things

looooooool as if on cue

well. that sure doesn’t sound like he intends to keep them out of harm’s way. does he really have that much faith in them??

serious question, why exactly are all of the heroes seemingly so confident that this is going to work? it scares me because it makes me feel like in spite of Hawk’s intel they still don’t have a clue what they’re truly up against

so now we’re cutting to some random street somewhere and WOULD YOU LOOK WHO IT FUCKING IS

Slidin’ Go Suck An Egg. oh how I hate this man

look at him

I hate his stupid face!

OH SHIT

TRAFFIC CONE MAN, ARE YOU FINALLY GOING TO REDEEM YOURSELF FOR NOT RESCUING KACCHAN ON THAT DAY TWO YEARS AGO BECAUSE YOU WERE AFRAID OF A LITTLE SLUDGE? BECAUSE I’M HERE FOR IT! IF YOU WANT TO JUST GO AHEAD AND SNAP HIS NECK, I WILL TURN THE OTHER WAY AND ACT LIKE I DIDN’T SEE, I PROMISE

wow, Burnin’s team really is just evacuating people

I mean they’re obviously going to run into a Noumu, and just like that they’ll be in more danger than anyone, but at least for now it really does seem like the minds behind this raid wanted to keep them relatively out of danger. so yeah, for now I’m gonna chalk that up to Endeavor’s influence that they’re here rather than in the forest with the rest of their class

and here comes the hospital team!

well that answers my question about Nao’s rank. so he’s not even a chief. that really is fucking ridiculous but whatever

and why do I feel like this poor undercover subordinate is mere seconds away from becoming the first casualty in what I think is about to become the most violently snafued situation we’ve seen in this manga to date. like this shit is going to make Kamino look like the fucking state fair. fuck

...

I really wish I could believe that he was about to go down and it really was going to be just that easy

HERE WE GO!!

(ETA: so then they do know that he’s the guy who made the Noumu? including the one that nearly took him out in Kyushu? and they’re still acting like this is going to be a walk in the park? ?? what??)

knock knock, who’s there, JUSTICE

YESSSSSSS

(ETA: sure hope Endeavor’s light here doesn’t go summoning any darkness. welp.)

YOU’RE UNDER ARREST FOR CRIMES OF BEING TOO HORRIBLE TO EVEN FUCKING CONTEMPLATE, LET ALONE JOKE ABOUT! YOU SON OF A BITCH, GET FUCKED

oh my god. we’re really just gonna end it like that. well I guess next chapter we can all play a fun game of “let’s all count the pages until everything goes horribly wrong.” won’t that be a laugh. 10 to 1 the Noumu really are in the secret room and they’re all gonna be set loose by next week’s cliffhanger. remind me to have “Into the Trap” by John Williams cued up and ready to go lol

[kittyandco-archive]

addition

Summary: I don’t know how else to cope lol anyway, upon the eve of their wedding, Polnareff, Hol Horse, and Kitty find a new little friend for the home they’re officially going to make together. In memory of my own cat, I basically wrote about her. Same mannerisms and all. She was really special. ;w; 

Word count: 587

Reblogs appreciated and welcome. ;w; 

“Please! Look how cute she is!”

The man she pleaded to cast his eyes down to the creature she held in such high regard, his expression lacking any traces of surprise for her affinity. Specks of wiry white fur scattered about in the air like unruly glitter in the store they had just left. It was a little creature of his fiance’s namesake, as small and charming, with eyes just as striking and curious of all around her.

“Please,” she tried again, a soft whine underlying the plea, “I want her. Look, she likes us.”

The cat’s black section of pelt shone in the sunlight, her paws firm in the cobblestone, a resolute expression boring up into the faces of the humans that impeded her path. After the proper vetting, she stepped forward head-first into a tall leg, thoroughly coating the denim with her essence, a proud cry reiterating her interest in these new friends.

“Yeah, she’s cute, but…”

“Ah, she’s adorable!” The other man burst through the upcoming objection, his only focus on the animal’s green eyes and thin face, taking the initiative to bend as close to her height with an outstretched hand, as unalarming as possible for his stature.

“See? Polnareff thinks so too,” Kitty called, with immediate self-satisfaction. The hopeful pet howled powerfully, proving her chatty and attentive disposition, as if satisfaction was simultaneous.

Although retired, the Hol Horse name stuck around. But so did his disagreeableness. Even so, the sight of his fiances doting over the little thing had him soft for the time being, inevitably swaying his decision in their favor. Kitty’s periodic pleas replayed underneath her current praise of the stray… maybe it wasn’t fair to keep that from her, but it’d be all new to him; not that anything in their lives had been very conventional, not ever. He was about to marry not one love, but two, in the only true union he had known. He might as well give them this.

“Well…” his eyebrow quirked, his gaze moving to the point of interest once again, “I guess she is a cute little thing, huh?” It was his turn to arch closer to the feline. She humored him with the large hand he offered, brushing a pale, cold nose across the thick outline of it, never minding its callous texture. Upon his scent, her thin tail jolted upward, an inquisitive display intensifying. Without regard, she placed the whole of her face into his palm with closed, relaxed eyes, a soft purr whirring from underneath her cheeks. “Aw. Look at that. She really does like me.” His gaze shifted to the two pairs of watchful eyes, seeking the approval that he already owned.

“Yeah. So. Can we keep her? I’m not gonna say ‘please’ anymore. You should just say yes.” She shot him the smile kept in her back pocket.

“It doesn’t look like she has a collar or anything,” Polnareff realized, swiping a hand along the spine he could feel every divot of, blowing at the snow of fur as he stood with the animal in his arms.

“Alright. But only for you two.”

Kitty craned to her feet next, throwing her arms around what would become her new family. “Thank you,” she cooed, joyously drawing out each syllable, intending to fit them all within her arms. The new addition mewled with the smothering attention, its low register carrying beyond the circle she found herself in, but one that she’d come to love for those years to come.

[afterspark-podcast]

G1 Episode 42: Transcript

[This can also be found on AO3!]

[Stinger]

O: But that's because he acquired a dog!

[Intro Music]

O: Hello, and welcome to the Afterspark Podcast, an episode by episode recap of the Generation 1 Transformers cartoon. I'm Owls!

S: And I'm Specs.

O: And today we're going to be talking about episode number 42: The Autobot Run. Let's talk about giant robots today, shall we?

S: Yeah!

O: So once upon a time... on a racetrack.

S: Spike and Chip get a brilliant idea: What if the other boss participated in racing? 

O: Bumblebee arrives and says, “One limo-bot at your service,” uh, which is adorable, might I add?

S: Spike asks Bee how he feels about racing.

O: Bee is decidedly not a speedster as he seems down for it as long as it's under the speed limit, which also amusingly, goes against the fact that he totally got pulled over for speeding in an earlier episode but whatever. 

S: Yeah, yeah that's true. Laserbeak overhears this exchange.

O: I'm not exactly sure how any of this is going to help the Decepticons but all right.

S: The Decepticons are just- they're here to gather all the information they can. 

O: It's Laserbeak's job. I- I am just imagining him picking up on the most mundane information and, like, having to pass it off to Soundwave because it's his job.

S: Yeah, oh god, they probably have terabytes of information stored someplace. 

O: [Laughter] Probably.

S: Yeah. Elsewhere, in a weirdly well-preserved old west town, the Constructicons are finishing the dumb 80’s weapon of the week. The, um, Transfixatron which sounds like could be a lot of things, but probably not what you're expecting.

O: Uh, which is, of course, a purple gun mounted on a weird stand thing. 

S: Yep. Laserbeak's arrival causes Megatron to go off model and resemble Homer Simpson for a split second in the mouth department.

O: Which is very unnerving.

S: Yeah and I- I keep envisioning it right now and it is definitely very unnerving.

O: Very, very, very unnerving. Um, Laserbeak hops into Soundwave’s chest compartment and reports on the doings of the Autobots’ human allies, and the Autobots too, I guess. Since Bumblebee was there.

S: Yeah, Megatron is going to make good use of this information about the, uh, proposed Autobot race. 

O: Again, not sure how but okay, buddy! 

S: Yeah, but, uh, first he's gotta test out his new toy! Much to the chagrin of Starscream, who really does not approve that they're not beating up the Autobots right now.

O: You know, I think he's just salty that Megatron had the Constructicons build his new toy instead of him.

S: Yeah, that sounds- that sounds on brand. He calls it an idiotic contraption.

O: Of course the moment Megatron threatens to use it on Starstream, as his first test subject, suddenly Starstream changes his tune on if the device might work or not. “After all, what's a test without a guinea pig-atron.” Yes, Megatron said that word for word.

S: Guinea pig has clearly entered the Decepticons lexicon.

O: Yes, so Megatron picks up the entire gun which, again, I remind you is on a base, uh, and, uh, shoots Starscream.

S: Why does it have a stand at all? Maybe just get a shoulder strap or a harness or something for it? Or a table? Do they not want to draw a table? This is a very stupidly designed contraption.

O: Which, you know, is per the norm for 80's cartoons. At first, it appears that the gun has done nothing to Starscream.

S: Starscream responds just about how you'd expect, mock-mocking Megatron for his high-tech garbage.

O: But Megatron tells Starscream to try and transform, which, of course, he can't because that's the entire function of the Transfixatron.

S: Transfixing you in your-

O: Alt.

S: Altmode, yeah. And so Shockwave suddenly appears standing next to Megatron despite not being in any of the previous shots?

O: I also don't think he shows up again in this episode. He certainly doesn't have any lines.

S: Yeah, he just- poof. He's just taking a mini vacation.

O: Assumably he wanted off Cybertron for a while.

S: [indistinct] Yeah.

O: Uh, Starscream begs Megatron to return him to normal. 

S: They bicker, there's some back and forth. Megatron threatens to leave him this way forever.

O: Starscream says, “But I'm too valuable to you!” I'm too good of a lay, boss you can't do this.

S: Megatron tells him to stop whining and, uh, returns Starscream to normal. He then monologues a bit about how they're going to use the Transfixatron on the Autobots and then commands the Constructicons to, “Get started on the second device.”

O: So we don't just get one silly 80’s weapon of the week, we get two in this episode!

S: Gee, I wonder what it looks like.

O: [Laughter] The answer to that might surprise you! 

S: This inexplicably involves Hook plunging his namesake into the ground to begin excavating- with his hook. The Constructicons, well, the other Constructicons begin digging in a much more sensible manner.

O: Now at the Ark, uh, Chip and Spike are on the cusp of convincing Optimus Prime of their charity racing idea.

S: The other Autobots all seem pretty for it.

O: Ironhide wants some action or he'll rust. I'm not sure if I had Ironhide’s alt that racing would be my first choice of a leisure activity, but more power to you buddy.

S: Obviously he's just going to use his multitude of weaponry to booby-trap the track. I mean, who knows? Maybe he's got some sort of rocket booster? 

O: [Laughter] More of the rocket-powered fist! 

S: Yeah, or at least everybody but Huffer is into the idea. Frankly, I have to wonder where Red Alert is because he'd probably be having a conniption.

O: Okay, he is locked up in his room monitoring things, probably. And it's like, “I don't see it, I don't hear it, it does not exist,” I imagine. Uh but, of course, this means Huffer is voluntold that he gets to stay and watch the base.

S: Yep, ah, Huffer who gets to be responsible today, but Brawn, Ratchet and Wheeljack stay behind to keep him company. 

O: Which is weird, because isn't Wheeljacks’ alt a race car?

S: Yeah, he's a Lancia Stratos.

O: You’d think he'd be more into this. 

S: Maybe he's just not that big into going around- around- around- around in a circle. It's just not so exciting for him.

O: I-I do like the idea of somebody who definitely does not have the personality of a race car being put into the body of a racing car like- you know, he's a scientist in all- all reality he should be like, uh, um, a sedan or something, but- but he got stuck in the body of a race car!

S: Optimus leads the rest of the Autobots out with the call of: “Roll for the show!”

O: At the racetrack, with our celebrity guests, the Autobots.

S: Our roster for today is: Cliffjumper, Bluestreak, Jazz, Prowl, Sideswipe, Ironhide, Hound, Sunstreaker, Optimus, Trailbreaker, Mirage, Windcharger, and Gears.

O: Huffer was too cranky to come but Gears is just fine with this today.

S: He's a sporty little car, he can have a little racing, you know, as a treat.

O: [Laughter] Uh, one man from the audience jumps up and says, “Hey! Where are their cars?!” 

S: Honey, honey, they are the cars.

O: Has this man been living under a rock for a year or so, or however long they've been there and missed the whole giant transforming alien robots bit?

S: Very probably.

O: Jesus!

S: I'm going to go with a ‘yes’ here.

O: Where do you live, man? I-I would like directions because I would like to not be in society right now. Um, so we see Bumblebee chilling off to the side with Chip and Spike as the two- ah, the three of them, rather, watch the race. 

S: He doesn't really seem like he cares for sports.

O: He likes the speed limit just fine, thanks. That's what he said to the- I know, it's funny. 

S: Mostly I'm just wondering if he was involved in that episode where Optimus plays basketball or whatever.

O: I can't remember. I- like, I'm remembering like Sunstreaker and, I think, Sideswipe but I don't- I don't remember if Bee was involved with the basketball or not.

S: I feel like he wasn't, but yeah, I don't remember so, yeah, he's just- Bee does not care about sports, yeah. Ah, the Autobots, predictably, transform and line up at the starting line. 

O: The race begins!

S: Ironhide and Trailbreaker rib each other a little bit as neither of them seems terribly quick.

O: Sunstreaker leaves the rest in the dust, taunting them as he goes by. Oh, my beautiful idiot.

S: Mirage being an actual Formula One race car also pulls ahead and Jazz decides they need a soundtrack. 

O: Which I would think driving around in circles would be boring so, I don't know, that seems like a very good call to me.

S: Yeah, Optimus Prime is inexplicably close to the lead, I mean, maybe everyone is-

O: Too afraid to pass him?

S: Maybe, or they're all just chill and this is their equivalent of jogging around a track.

O: [Laughter] Okay, that's kind of funny. Suddenly! Skywarp appears overhead, transforming into his root mode and pulling the Transfixatron out of his ass. 

S: Subspace, hammer space, wherever Optimus hides his trailer. 

O: Skywarp hits all of the Autobots on the track with the Transfixatron. 

S: Spike sees this and says, “What was that?”

O: Bumblebee responds with something about energy evaporation from all the speed.

S: Bumblebee responds with bullshit. 

O: [Laughter]

S: Let's just be straight about this.

O: Skywarp teleports away, meeting back up with the Decepticons

S: Megatron actually praises him.

O: Again, he really seems to like Skywarp.

S: Back on the racetrack, Ironhide asks Trailbreaker if he felt anything weird.

O: And then Trailbreaker, again, ribs him because Ironhide’s in last place and, really, when you get down to it they are in a race of two and are really only up for who's not in last place right now because they are both very slow.

S: Yeah, the group approaches the finish line with Jazz and Mirage out in front.

O: We're not really told who wins but it's safe to assume it was either Jazz or Mirage or, maybe, both of them.

S: Yeah. On to the next event on the docket for today: The Autobots’ incredible car stunts.

O: Sunstreaker has all the other Autobots line up so he can jump over them off, you know, jump off a ramp over them, rather. 

S: Ah, time to be a daredevil. Some of the Autobots dislike this idea more than others, but they all, you know, comply and line up. 

O: Optimus tells Sunstreaker he won't be able to make it.

S: Spoiler alert: Sunstreaker does not make it.

O: But! Sunstriker is saved by some quick thinking by Windcharger, who catches him with his magnets.

S: And the crowd seems to love it anyway, so: Mission accomplished! 

O: Mirage catches sight of the Decepticons and the Autobots attempt to transform. Of course Megatron lands in front of them and gloats.

S: It's Megatron, I mean, that's what he does, it's what he loves.

O: It's what he lives for.

S: Then Megatron uses- utilizes some eye lasers to chase the humans away.

O: When did he get eye lasers!?

S: He's just had so much stupid shit installed.

O: [Deadpan] Help the Autobots are in danger, cut to commercial. 

S: Is this a facelift for Decepticons?

O: I don't know. 

S: The Decepticons attack and with the Autobots in car mode they aim for the tires.

O: Bee gets Spike and Chip out of there before they're noticed and heads back to the Ark. 

S: Ironhide tells everybody to, “Push past that flat tire,” but they start taking hits from Thundercrackers’ incendiary blasts.

O: Ironhide says, “I'm getting sunburnt on the inside!” Push past it, Ironhide, push past it! 

S: Soundwave then disables the Autobots communicators and Megatron says to, “Take them away.” 

O: Bee’s plan actually worked quite well and the Decepticons never noticed them at all and they were able to get back to the Ark and tell the remaining Autobots basically all this shit went down.

S: Yup. Huffer bitches and moans before Brawn threatens to put his, “Footio into his audio.”

O: That's not even clever.

S: It isn't.

O: I know what I'm watching. [Laughter] Uh, Chip uses Teletraan I and he, Wheeljack, and Ratchet are very quickly able to come up with a hypothesis for what could have caused the Autobots to not be able to transform.

S: Ratchet and Wheeljack get to work. They got some business to take care of.

O: Good thing, too- they left two of the scientists behind. Where's Perceptor? 

S: Yeah, and Beachcomber? I mean-

O: They're just off today, apparently! 

S: Maybe Beachcomber took the- the Dinobots out?

O: Yeah, that's just the right recurring joke at this point is he- he babysits the Dinobots in his downtime.

S: Beachcomber and Perceptor took the Dinobots out on an expedition-

O: So, Ratchet and Wheeljack could have a nice, quiet couple's day at home and then this happened.

S: Yes.

O: Gotcha. Back in the old west, Megatron unveils his second bullshit machine.

S: Guess what it does? Guess what it does? It's gonna eat the Autobots!

O: That's what he says but that thing has fucking tentacles. Remember what I said, is what you didn't expect? It has fucking tentacles! And, you know, it makes me think, remember that episode of the giant supercomputer, TORQ III, and the weird kink machines he was using against the Autobots? I am just saying he did that after being corrupted by Megatron. After!

S: Yeah.

O: Megatron! Has a thing! For kink machines!

S: Yeah, the machine is really dark purple-

O: Of course.

S: It has a large grabby claw and a crusher at the top and also, weirdly enough, smaller tentacles.

O: Don't know what to do with your machine? Add more tentacles!

S: Apparently. Well, I mean, the whole theoretically them coming from the Quintessons, kind of makes that all really-

O: It does make a little bit more sense with that, doesn't it? Hmm.

S: Yeah, time to shudder.

O: [Laughter] Ironhide cuts off Megatron with the sentiment of, ‘Oh, just kill us already,’ rather than have to listen to him talk.

S: Then, of course, Megatron wants to demonstrate to them exactly how they're going to die but so the Cons toss in some stuff to show the Autobots how they're going to get crushed. Did they just go off and grab some junk for this?

O: I assume? Maybe it was spare parts from the machine- or like, they didn't use when building the machine? 

S: Maybe.

O: While all this is going on, Hound is able to transmit a single image to the Ark, despite their communicators being disabled. 

S: Teletraan I is able to triangulate their exact location based on this one image which, I guess, is not out of the realm of possibility.

O: It still seems kind of silly.

S: Yeah.

O: Um, Soundwave being, you know, the only competent one here realizes that something's up pretty quickly and shoots Hound's gun that was also acting as his transmitter?

S: He's the guy who does the... holograms! 

O: Yes.

S: That was what I was... yeah, so yeah. Who knows what the fuck Hound can do. Megatron's new machine spits a tiny little block of crushed metal out so apparently he was concerned with how much space his enemy's corpses would take up.

O: At least he's not littering?

S: I guess? I mean you can always recycle material but I guess he's an evil villain so, uh, yeah.

O: [Laughter] He's going to build a house out of his enemy’s corpses is what I'm getting from this, okay. It's gonna have an entire fortress of Autobots. 

S: I think, more likely to do a chair out of corpses.

O: That's true, there aren't that many Autobots there.

S: Yes, but I think there's also a weird precedent for that in the comics.

O: Yeah, probably. 

S: Megatron tells the Constructicons to make Ironhide the first target and the Autobots surround him like circling up the wagons and the- but the Constructicons just sort of casually pick them up and toss them over to the side and get to Ironhide anyway.

O: Because, again, they're all stuck in car mode.

S: Yea.

O: Uh, back at the Ark, Wheeljack and Ratchets’ labors have produced, the Holy Hand Grenade!

S: [Laughter] This will apparently create energy waves that will allow the others to go back to normal.

O: Unfortunately, there's no time to test if this will work so off they go to try to save their friends.

S: Back with the Cons, Ironhide is in the grasp of the purple, chompy machine and about to be eaten but Optimus sends out Roller. It's Roller time, guys!

O: Duh-duh-na-na!

S: Jazz hands.

O: Jazz doesn't have any hands right now. [Laughter] Sorry.

S: Jazz speakers, then!

O: [Laughter]

S: Uh, Roller begins, uh, weaving between the Decepticons’ legs as they all start shooting at him.

O: The rest of the Autobots arrive just in time.

S: And Ratchet gets to be Ironhide again because he's miscolored. Again.

O: So, Ironhide is about to get eaten and is also driving up to himself.

S: Good times, good times, guys.

O: [Laughter]

S: While the Cons are distracted, Optimus rams the machine causing it to drop Ironhide onto the ground.

O: Megatron's pissed and fires on Optimus and Ironhide. 

S: Ratchet is uh, Ratchet again before turning back into ironhide for three sec- three seconds later.

O: Soundwave, his cassettes, Skywarp, and Thundercracker begin attacking them.

S: But at least Spike brought his personal protective equipment today.

O: Yay. 

S: Wheeljack is running in an attempt to protect the grenade in what can only be described as a Scooby-Doo-esque sequence.

O: Which is very applicable considering how many Scooby-Doo voice actors were in this show but anyway, I have no idea how the Cons know that Wheeljack's the one they should target right now but they are targeting him.

S: Yeah, two Thundercrackers appear to be chasing Wheeljack before one disappears, presumably Skywarp, uh, you know, teleporting and reappears as Starscream before yelling in Skywarp's voice.

O: So everything went wrong in that scene that possibly could. [Laughter] 

S: Well, aside from just completely forgetting to color characters at all.

O: Yes, yes but- but I think because the Seekers are all the same model it's almost worse when they're- they're colored the wrong color.

S: Yeah, the grenade is knocked out of Wheeljack's hand before Spike catches it.

O: Soundwave then makes a beeline for him and Soundwaves like, “Get the human microbe.” 

S: Spike then tosses the Holy Hand Grenade to Chip who begins wheeling away like there's absolutely no tomorrow. Soundwave sends out Ravage who knocks Chip over just as he throws the grenade to the Autobots.

O: Ravage, apparently, just leaves him alone after he does this instead of, I don't know, mauling him. 

S: He's a considerate cat. Thankfully the grenade does indeed work, pissing off Megatron who orders the Constructicons to combine.

O: And they seem quite happy to have something to do that isn't work on Megatron's pet projects.

S: Finally! Conflict!!! Hit it!!

O: Devastator then tosses the Autobots around.

S: And, surprising the hell out of us, the propulsion via hand thrusters makes a surprise second appearance with Wheeljack.

O: Who gets the great idea of defeating Devastator with the Transfixatron and enlists Cliffjumper to help him because he cannot reach the controls without help because the gun is too tall.

S: Yeah, so they hit Devastator with the gadget of the week and Devastator falls to pieces.

O: Megatron realizes they're outnumbered without Devastator and the Decepticons retreat.

S: Ironhide and Trailbreaker knock over the Transfixatron, which then has a tiny explosion for no good reason.

O: [Laughter]

S: Ratchet groans about how many repairs he's going to have to do now and the episode ends.

O: So join us next time for episode 43: The Golden Lagoon. Skinny dipping robots, skinny dipping robots everywhere. Oh, and also the Decepticons want to be... shiny.

S: And environmental destruction. But let's not forget the shiny.

O: [Laughter] The shiny is what's important here. 

S: Okay so we have two fanfic recommendations: one wild card fic from Owls and one from myself. Mine is “Going to the Dogs” by Koi Lungfish. It's in the G1 cartoon continuity, rated K+, it's Gen, there’s no pairings, and the characters are Red Alert, Prowl, Inferno, and Jazz. In summary, “Human tourists cause Prowl and Red Alert some confusion.” 

O: I could see that.

S: And so the reason I picked this one is because the race is basically like human outreach- social outreach, more or less. They're- they're trying to be entertainers, so the fan thing about the humans effectively trying to reach out and build more of a social profile with humans by inviting tourists into the Ark and trying to be transparent is- it's a fun concept and I like it.

O: Fair.

S: It's a one shot so therefore complete, so let's go on to Owls' choice!

O: All right, my fanfic suggestion for today is “Casting for a Tape Bros Film.” It is by LittleMissSweetGrass. The continuity is IDW, it is rated G. It is slash, but very light slash, I would say.  Our pairings are CosWave and our characters are Soundwave, Marissa, Rumble, Frenzy, Buzzsaw, Laserbeak, and Cosmos. And in summary, “Soundwave gets a phone call from Marissa that he really, really doesn't want to deal with right now.” It is a one shot, it's very short but it's very cute. It's kind of, I think, Soundwave trying to sleep and getting calls that involve Thundercracker.

Both: [Laughter]

O: A sudden attack of the Thundercracker.

S: Nice, and that just about wraps it up for us today.  Remember to check us out on Tumblr or Pillowfort as Afterspark-Podcast for any additional information, show notes, or links we may have mentioned.  You can also find us on Facebook and Twitter at AftersparkPod (all one word) and various other locations by searching for Afterspark Podcast such as AO3, iTunes, Spotify, and Youtube, just to name a few.  And feel free to send us questions on Tumblr, Youtube, or AO3!  Till next time, I'm Specs.

O: I’m Owls.

S: Toodles.

[Outro Music]

[im-the-king-of-the-ocean]

@curlycupgumweed replied:

Mermaid Au?

.

Part of Your World

Ruby hates admitting it, but she’s definitely lost.  She’s been meandering through the Exhibition Hall looking for the right presentation room (and there are apparently numerous ones of those) for who knows how long now (it’s not like she has anything like the way the sunlight shines down through the water to tell time here or anything).

Also, she’s cold.  Sure, she’s spent some time above the surface before, but that’s usually always been at the water’s edge, where she can easily dip beneath the waves to refresh herself.  Being exposed to air for an extended period of time like this is definitely not as easy as she assumed it would be.

Ruby blows a raspberry.  Why does everything have to be much harder on land?  Humans go about their daily lives up here all the time without any problem.  Technically speaking, she’s half human, so that should have meant it would be just as easy for her.

Beneath the numerous enchanted blankets she’s tightly wrapped it in, Ruby’s tail twitches, as if to remind her of her other half.  The half that belongs in the sea.  She was born to swim through deep waters and glide along the currents.  Not crawl her way onto the beach, clamber into a wheelchair, learn how to use the contraption, and leave her home for a world she doesn’t belong in.

“We’re not staying,” Ruby mutters at her tail.  “We’re just here long enough to support Oscar for his final project.”  If she could just make it to wherever the project presentation is before it ended.  Oscar had said such events were on a tight schedule.  She’d left early, knowing it would take her an extra long time to reach her destination, but she’d thought she’d be there by now.

“Excuse me, miss?”

Ruby yelps.  She hadn’t seen the tall man wearing a dark suit approach her.  She checks him for weapons, but he doesn’t seem to have any.  Just an elegant walking cane held casually in one hand.  She supposes he could use it as a weapon, but if he was going to attack her, he’d probably hit her over the head first and not talk to her.

That’s what Torchwick had done, after all.

“I didn’t mean to startle you.”  The man put his hands up in a calming gesture similar to the one Oscar does when he wants her to focus and pay attention.  “I couldn’t help but notice you’ve gone around the lobby a few times now.  Is there something I could help you find?”

Ruby considers.  On the one hand, help would be nice.  On the other, she’s well aware not all humans are nice.  If they knew what she is, some would try to cut her up and sell her as magical ingredients on the Grimm Market.

This man isn’t Torchwick, though.  He’s nicer.  Ruby can feel it.  Just like she did when she decided to reveal herself to Oscar, she decides to trust him.

“Um, yeah, I’m looking for the Green Room?  My friend, Oscar, is giving his end-of-year Wizardry Presentation there.”

The man smiles.  “Ah.  You’re in luck, I’m headed to the same presentation myself.  I could walk you there?”

“Uh, sure,” Ruby shrugs.  She follows the man to a set of smooth, shiny doors.  He presses a button next to them, and it lights up.  Ruby wonders how the mechanism works.  Lightning dust maybe?  It’s significantly safer to use here on the surface.  Less probability of electrocution.

The doors open, revealing a small, confined room.  The man walks in and turns to face Ruby.

Ruby frowns.  It’s fairly obvious to her that the small room isn’t Oscar’s presentation room.  Maybe she was wrong and this guy is planning on deceiving her after all?  The room would be a perfect place to set a trap.

“It’s just upstairs,” the man tells her quietly.  He quirks one eyebrow up.  “I assume you’ve ridden an elevator before.”

“…yes.”  Ruby answers slowly, trying to sound more confident than she is.

The man studies her.  His gaze is far more perceptive than Ruby would have liked.  His eyes dart to the blankets her tail is wrapped in.  What could possibly be understanding flashes across his face, but it comes and goes too quickly for Ruby to be sure.  “It’ll take us to the next floor up.”  The man gestures to the small room around him.  “Don’t worry, it’s perfectly safe.”

“Yeah!  I knew that!”  Ruby finally follows him into the ‘elevator’.  Thankfully the man doesn’t comment on her false confidence.

The elevator’s doors close.  The man presses another button on the small room’s inside wall and it lights up.  Then the room—the very world—seems to move around them.  Ruby doesn’t like the sensation.  It makes her stomach queasy.  Finally, the doors open to reveal a different hallway than the one they started out in.

Ruby likes this hallway better.  It has a worried Oscar pacing.

The elevator dings their arrival.  Oscar looks their way.

“Professor Ozpin!  You’re here!”  There’s no hiding the relief in Oscar’s voice.  Then, his gaze falls on his mentor’s companion.  His eyes widen.  “Ruby?!”  He tries to regain his composure and fails.  “What are you doing here?”

Ruby grins at Oscar.  “I wanted to come support you for your big presentation,” she chirps happily.

“But—you—I—I—“ Oscar seems to remember Ozpin’s presence.  He takes a breath, and attempts to regain his composure.  “Okay, okay.  But I’m taking you home right after, alright?  It’s…” He pauses, glances at Ozpin again, and then says, “it can’t be good for you to be out too long.”

“I know.”  Ruby shrugs nonchalantly.  “You’re important to me, Os.”  That gets a blush to rise to his cheeks, which, honestly, is the thing that makes all of this worth it.  Oscar is so cute when he blushes.

They head into the presentation room together.  Ruby joins the small audience.  Oscar heads up to the stage.  Ozpin drifts over to where the judges’ panel is.

“Anytime you’re ready, Mr. Pine,” One of the judges, Glynda Goodwitch, who Ruby recognizes from the descriptions Oscar told her, speaks dryly.  She’s less scary than Ruby assumed she’d be, but maybe that’s because Ruby isn’t the one she’s sternly gazing at.  “The rest of us have been waiting long enough.”

“I’m afraid that’s my fault, Ms. Goodwitch,” Ozpin speaks up.  “I was delayed in my departure from my academy office.  As Oscar’s faculty mentor, whose presence is required for this presentation, I should have been here promptly when we were scheduled to begin.”

Goodwitch sighs.  “Yes, well.  This won’t reflect on Mr. Pine’s grade, but I would like us to actually start.  “Mr. Pine, if you would?”  She gestures to Oscar.

Oscar gulps.  He looks at Ruby for the briefest of moments.  He approaches the microphone at the front of the stage.  He wraps one hand around its stand.  Gulps again.  Finally starts, “For my final project, I’ve developed a spell.”  Oscar hesitates, and then continues, “a spell that will allow a person to breath underwater and endure the heavy pressures of the ocean for extended periods of time.”

Ruby listens as Oscar goes on about all the practical applications of his spell.  He has a very long, very thorough list.  It’s a good list.  Really.

It doesn’t have the true reason he’s created his spell.  It can’t.  Not without revealing too much.

After the presentation ends, Ozpin drives Ruby and Oscar back to the beach, no questions asked.  Neither Ruby nor Oscar revealed their secret to him, but they’re both fairly certain he’s figured it out regardless.

Ozpin leaves.  Oscar pushes Ruby’s wheelchair through the sand to the water.  Once there, he walks around to be in front of Ruby.

“May I?” Oscar asks, gesturing to the blankets.  When Ruby nods, he tenderly unwraps her tail.  Scarlet scales glitter like Ruby’s namesake in the sunlight.  After asking Ruby’s permission a second time, Oscar gently lifts her out of her chair.  He carries her into the ocean.  The surf swirls around his feet, his ankles, his knees.  When he’s deep enough, he stops.

“See you down there.”  Ruby stretches up and pecks a quick kiss on Oscar’s cheek.  He blushes.  She giggles, and then jumps out of his arms into the water.

Ruby takes a deep breath.  Every inch of her is relieved to be underwater, home, again.  She propels herself forward, doing a happy loop-de-loop for the fun of it.  She looks back and can’t help but grin wildly.

Oscar is slow to adjust to the sensation of floating underwater.  He moves his arms in slow, fluid movements.  The idea that his spell allows him to breath here beneath the waves, too, seems to be something he’s still getting used to.  Ruby swims back to him.  She holds out her hands for him to place his own in her grasp.  Oscar does.

They float like that, hands held together for just a little bit.  Then Ruby flicks her tail and they’re off on their first undersea adventure together.

[jemej3m]

incarnate (p2)

yall rlly liked this for some reason so have some more - p1

*

Neil - the name he’d chanced upon and decided he preferred much better than Nathaniel - liked this realm. It was another version of Earth, sure, but it was significantly brighter than his own. 

For one, demons didn’t roam around freely, some how excluded by a convenient barrier that encircled this dimension. That meant that Neil really didn’t have to worry about Lola, or Jackson, or Romero, or DiMaccio popping out of the shadows to leer at him and bind him with platinum chains. They were all mutts of some kind because his father only employed those who were resistant to both human weaknesses and demon weaknesses. 

That was always bad news for Neil. His mother had died so long ago that he could barely recall her - his father had caught up with him enough times that he’d tampered with his memory - and yet the thought of her death still ached. 

She’d talked about this place, once. A dimension free of monsters, where magic flowed freely in humans called witches and fae. It’d be paradise for us, Abram, she’d whispered. If only we could cross the border. 

Their only hope of figuring out a way to cross said border was with his father’s journal, of which they’d (they, being Mary) stolen and then lost. It seemed as though it’d slipped through the folds of the universe anyway and right as his father’s knife had begun its arc downwards towards his chest, fate had skipped along and said nope, you’re not dying today: thanks to Andrew Minyard’s summons, he’d slipped away just in time. 

“You good, buddy?”

“Hm?” Neil looked up from where he’d zoned out. “Oh, right. Yeah, I’m good.”

Matt hopped over the back of the couch and landed right next to Neil with a bowl of snacks. Neil had never seen them before.

“What’s that?” 

Matt snorted. “You really crack me up, you know that? It’s popcorn.”  

Popcorn. Right. Neil took a few pieces and munched on them, turning his attention back to the television where a violent sport was being played. It seemed pointless to Neil, but maybe these sorts of games were what kept humans so civil. A demon’s version of fun was finding another demon to eat and seeing how loud their prey screamed when the bone marrow was sucked out from their femur bones. 

“What’s this sport called again?” Neil asked his roommate, averting his line of thinking as quick as he could. 

“Exy. You like it? We could try it with some of my - friends.” Matt jostled his shoulder. "You clock a faster mile on the treadmill than anyone I know: You might have fun as a striker.” 

Ah, yes. The treadmill. Neil had been momentarily weirded out by the thought of running but staying still, but it was good to get out his jitters on rainy days. There were a lot of those down in South Carolina. Neil hated the way the humidity made his curls untamable. He supposed it was better than getting his hair singed off by a blade made out of Hell’s Eternal Flame, so he’d get used to it. 

A strange whisper caught his attention, somewhere at the back of his attention span. Nathaniel. Nathaniel. Nathaniel. 

He felt the string on his soul be tugged on slightly and looked to Matt who was still chattering away about Exy - this would be awfully strange to explain when he got back - only to be summoned elsewhere. 

When Neil came-to, he found himself in an apartment. 

“There we go.” Andrew closed the Wesninski journal, satisfied. Neil looked around and observed many things: He was in Andrew’s bedroom, seeing as Andrew’s scent of woodpine and a sparked flame was strongest upon the unmade bed. The curtains were drawn over his windows: He had various plants across his dresser that curled and blossomed vivaciously, and countless books on spellcasting stuffed under the bed-frame. The other bed had to belong to Kevin, Andrew’s friend. His things were far more orderly, but with the cauldron and recipe books tucked under a shelf in the corner, Neil could tell the man was practised in alchemy. 

“You may have made things a little awkward at home.” Neil said, relaxing the glamours he’d put on his appearance. Andrew knew what he really looked like: There was no point in trying to hide it. The man gave his figure a once-over when the mirage slipped off. “I was sitting on the couch with my roommate. I didn’t want to tamper with people and live up to my namesake, but I can’t have him going and exposing me, can I?”

“Roommate?” Andrew asked curiously, walking over to open the curtains of his bedroom window and brushing his fingertips across the leaves of the plants closest to him. They all shivered. It made sense that Andrew had mastered that dichotomy between life and death. He seemed like a man who appreciated balance. 

“Well, I have to assimilate into human life somehow.” Neil said wryly. “He said his past roommate left to move out of state, but I’m pretty sure the guy died. Are all humans cagey around death? By the way, I’ve chosen the name Neil Josten. Do you like it?”

“What difference does my opinion make?” The man answered blithely.

“None.” Neil shrugged. 

Andrew paused momentarily. “I’m not cagey around death. But I’m one of the rare ones.” He looked up at Neil. “You should meet Renee.”

“Was that why you’ve called me here?”

“I called you here because I was bored and I want to spook Kevin when he gets home in -” Andrew checked his watch. “Forty three seconds. Now that I think about it, showing you off to Renee is a horrible idea. She’ll lecture me on responsibility.” 

“I’m not a trophy to be shown off.” Neil put his hands on his hips. “Although it was very miraculous you managed to figure out even half of my father’s ridiculous glyphs and encrypted ritual pre-tasks. Huh.” He cocked his head. “Maybe I am - what did Matt call it? A trophy-wife?”

Andrew seemed to choke on something, even though Neil hadn’t noticed him eating. “Matt?” He asked. 

It was too late: Kevin burst into the room in a flurry of movement and energy. 

“Fuck!” He cried out, scrambling for purchase against the bedroom door he’d fallen against at seeing Neil. “What are you doing here?”

“Not sure, really.” Neil answered and pointed to Andrew. “Ask him.” 

“You willingly summoned it? Again?” Kevin demanded. “Andrew, you’re going to be the death of us all!” 

“Untrue.” Neil supplied. “You humans always seem to die because of disease. Whether that be infectious or non-infectious. Although, I could cause a plague.” He glanced at Andrew. “If that’s what you want.”

“Tempting, but no.” Andrew said flatly. “I wanted to make sure you weren’t causing trouble, is all.” 

“How considerate.” Neil cooed, waving his fingers. “Anyway, can I head back? I have to fix things up with Matt now that he’s seen me vanish in the middle of a conversation.”

“Sure,” Andrew said, waving his hand dismissively. 

Neil waved Kevin goodbye. “Nice seeing you.” 

“Right.” The man said, weakly. “Nice seeing you too.” 

With a definitive pop! Neil was back in his living room, sitting by Matt. 

“Hey!” Matt crowed, throwing his phone away. “You’re back! I mean, you could have told me instead of vanishing mid-conversation, but I’m glad either way!”

All Neil could manage was a flat “What.” before Matt scrambled for his phone once more. 

“Yeah, Dan! He’s back. You owe me ten bucks: I told you there was something witchy about him!” 

Huh. Neil Josten, a witch. 

He could work with that. 

*