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starry-hughes · 1 year ago

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meeting the family (nico hischier)

day 14 of star’s ficmas

logan barzal x nico hischier (au)

Logan Barzal was scared. The last boy who met her parents was the same boy who completely shattered her heart. When she swore off hockey players, her parents were on her side, not ever wanting to find their daughter wailing on the bathroom floor.

Nico wasn’t going to see his family for the short break. His Christmas was typically spent with the other single members of the Devils but this year he was spending it with Logan. The two had met in Logan’s coffee shop and bookstore she owned, she didn’t know he was a hockey player until later. She hated him for .5 seconds before he promised he wouldn’t break her heart.

Logan rushed around the apartment with her hair perfectly straightened with a red bow pinned in the back. A cute Christmas outfit. “Can you like calm down?” Mat groaned. Their parents were in the kitchen and their sister was watching Logan with amusement. “Nico will be here soon and I want everything perfect.”

Mike and Nadia Barzal hadn’t seen Logan like this since before her prom. Mat had been living with Logan for years and since she started seeing Nico, he noticed a happier sister. Nico Hischier of the New Jersey Devils dating the sister of Mat Barzal of the New York Islanders, who would have thought?

Nico fixed his red sweater, Logan liked when he wore red. Knocking on the door with a bag of presents in his hand, he hadn’t know what to get her parents but Logan helped pick something out. He heard his girlfriend scrambling on the other side of the door, shouting at Mat to put down the cookies. “You’re here!” Logan breathed as she opened the door. “Hi,” he kissed her head as she hugged him. “Merry Christmas,” she greeted him before dragging him into the apartment. “Come meet my parents and sister!”

“What am I? Chopped liver?” Mat questioned as he gave Nico a bro hug. “You already know Nico.” When the two weren’t on the ice, they were pretty good friends.

“Mom, Dad, this is Nico. Nico, there are my parents, Mike and Nadia. And Liana, my sister.”

“It’s so nice to meet you guys, Logan always talks about her family, thank you for letting me join you guys today,” he smiled. “Sweetheart,” her dad started, “why don’t you and your mom and sister go get Nico’s gifts put under the tree.”

Logan narrowed her eyes at her father and Mat, knowing the big brother and dad talk Nico was about to receive. “Be nice,” Logan elbowed her brother as she walked by. “Nico, I assume you know about the ex,” her dad started. “Yes sir, and I know how much Logan means to me,” Nico looked at Logan who was placing gifts under the tree, smiling at her mom, “and I know how much I love her.”

Logan and Nico sat next to one another at dinner, passing around the dishes and Nico kept his hand on her knee. “How often can you make it to Long Island?” Nadia asked. “As often as I can. Maybe twice or three times a week? Depending on morning skates or travel, I bring the guys to her store sometimes,” Nico explained. “I stayed with Nico when he was injured,” Logan smiled.

Logan and Liana cleaned up the table, Mat lingered but got a look from his parents and went to help with dishes. Before Nico went to help, Nadia started talking. “We were nervous, when Logan told us she was dating a hockey player,” Nadia started, “her last relationship, we thought it was going to destroy her, but you seem good for her.”

Nico smiled pridefully, “I’m glad, I really care about her.”

After dinner, everyone sat on the couch, Logan laid into Nico as Mat opened his present from Logan. Nico had received some stuff from the Barzal Family, just basic sweaters and small gifts. Mat thought he was funny, getting Nico a framed picture of a Baby Logan.

“They didn’t bother you too much while talking to you, right?” she mumbled. “Worried about me?” Nico hummed. Her hand glided over his stomach as her arm wrapped around him, “Always am.” Nico chuckled softly as Liana was thrown another present. “They are just worried about you, I told them I won’t ever hurt you.”

“Hey, Lo, stop cuddling with your boyfriend and open this present. It’s from Nico and me,” Mat tossed a small box over. “Nico and you?” her eyebrows furrowed together. Nico sat up a little bit as Logan sat up. “Thought you could use a small location for your place in Jersey,” Nico smiled, as she unveiled a key. “You guys got me a new store?!”

“Down the street from my apartment,” Nico sang. “I still get her here at least four times a week! She’s my sister!” Mat exclaimed.

#nico hischier #logan and nico #nico hischier au #nico hischier fic #nico hischier blurb #nico hischier imagine #nj devils imagine #nhl imagine #hockey fic #star’s ficmas

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excessive-vampires · 6 months ago

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Dealing With Demons Chapter 12: Not Even Scary Monsters Part 1: Riley

Masterlist with CW

Taglist: @demyxdancer @softvampirewhump @d-cs

The cabin was pretty secluded, but looked to be in good shape, well taken care of. Even if this turned out not to be the location of the run-down basement Avi remembered, it looked like Mason was still maintaining the place for one reason or another.

The team walked up to the front door. Mike put on his rune-etched glasses and closed his eyes.

"Okay, it's empty." He put on a black glove and turned the door handle, which opened without resistance. Then he stowed away his artifacts and walked into the cabin.

"Neat tricks," Avi said as they followed him through the door.

"They're not tricks," Riley defended. "It takes years of practice to learn how to make, charge, and attune to artifacts."

"But they are pretty neat," Mike said.

Avi chuckled.

"Can we please focus here?" Sil said, turning on the light.

The cabin looked completely normal, no sign of the occult.

"It can't ever be obvious, can it?" Mike asked with a sigh.

"Maybe it can," Riley said, pointing to a notebook on the coffee table.

Avi picked it up and opened it to a random page. "Yep, these are notes on different rituals." They tossed the notebook to Riley, who caught it. "We got lucky. Start reading, researcher," they said without warmth.

Riley bristled at the order but did as the demon said anyway. They opened the book and looked through the diagrams of different runes. Some of them were recognizable and some weren't anything Riley had ever seen before.

"This all looks... conceptual," they said. "Like the very start of an idea, none of it's anywhere near ready to be cast."

"I guess it would be too convenient to stumble across Mason's current notes," Sil groused. "He probably keeps that book with him."

"Um... guys..." Mike's voice echoed from beyond a door on the other side of the room. "I found the basement."

"Is it how Avi described it?" Sil asked.

"No, but you still had better come see this."

Riley, Sil and Avi followed Mike down the stairway to the cabin's basement.

"Fuck!" Avi exclaimed as they saw what was there.

All over the floor were runes, but not randomly placed. The outer circle had seven runes each connected to another different rune that worked to make up the central figure. Riley had never seen magic so complex before. And all the designs were made of what looked like thick silver wire.

"What... what is it for?" Sil asked.

"I don't know," Riley replied. "I see elements of binding, inversion, and transference, but the overall purpose... it's a mystery."

"We should destroy it," Avi said. "Now."

"Do you know what it does?"

"No, Agent Silverman, I don't. But I know it can't be good, especially not for demons."

"We'll get rid of it," Mike put a hand on Avi's shoulder. "But we need to take pictures of it first."

"No! I don't want anyone else to be able to replicate it!"

"Calm down!" Riley snapped, still angry with the demon. "We need to be able to figure out what it does if we want to find out what Mason's planning."

"I... I'm going to go wait by the car." Avi ran back up the stairs.

"Hey! We still have to search the rest of this place!" Riley followed them. When they got back to the cabin's main room they grabbed Avi by the arm.

Avi let out a pained yelp and Riley felt something slough off underneath their hand.

Avi rolled up their sleeve and Riley saw they'd partially ripped off a large bloody bandage made of gauze and tape. The wound beneath was scabbed over in places, but lines of fresh blood spilled out roughly where Riley's fingers had dug into the flesh.

Demons didn't bleed.

"Shit, Avi, that's some scratch," Mike said as he and Sil reached the top of the stairs and saw the scene. "I'll go grab the first-aid kit from the car."

"Bishop, come check out the bedroom with me."

"But, Sil—"

"Now. Agent Bishop."

Riley reluctantly followed Sil into the bedroom, she shut the door behind them.

"What was that? When someone is clearly freaking out it does exactly zero good to escalate things by yelling at them, not to mention Avi could've easily hurt or even killed you!"

"I'm sorry, Sil, I just... doesn't it get to you, working with something so completely amoral?"

"You were the first one to suggest working with them."

"And look how that turned out! Every single thing I learn about them, every single thing they do just makes me regret ever contacting them more and more."

"Well, they're here now. And they're helping, being useful, doing good. And we need that help with this, it's too big for us alone. So put your personal feelings away until the mission is over. Can you do that, Agent Bishop?"

"Yes, Agent Silverman."

"Good. Now, you take the bookshelf, I'll search the bedside table."

The bookshelf was filled with spell books and three-ring binders full of printed out pages from the Bureau's database about demons.

"Sil... I think I just solved that break-in from eight years ago."

"What?" Riley showed her a binder. "Oh."

"I recognize the format but the information itself isn't familiar."

"Whoever broke in, Mason I guess, he destroyed hard drives and backups on his way out. No one's had access to the information he stole since then," Sil explained.

"This could be monumental, if he didn't want anyone else to have this information it could mean it'll tell us what he's doing."

"Maybe, but most likely this is just like the notebook, it's what he left behind because he didn't need it anymore."

"Oh."

"Still worth a read, though." Sil opened a drawer in the dresser and looked inside. "Get to work, Bishop."

Riley took a binder out to the main room and started reading. They could hear Mike and Avi talking in the basement but did their best to ignore them. It wasn't hard, the information in the binders was fascinating stuff. Riley found confirmation of what Avi had said about silver, descriptions of the basic forms of all types of demons, and different accounts of what demons were and weren't capable of.

None of what they read made Avi's existence less confusing, though. The amount of power it would take to mimic a human body on a level that allowed it to bleed, to get tired, to metabolize caffeine would be astronomical. And yet here Avi was, unable to handle one human mage on their own. An exceptionally powerful human mage, sure, but a single person limited by one soul's worth of mana nonetheless. What could possibly explain how and why Avi had the power to create and maintain an entire human body but didn't use it to fight Mason instead? What could possibly cause such illogical priorities? Did they want to be human enough to die because they spent all of their energy trying to get as close as possible? That didn't fit with how inhuman they acted.

Then they turned the page, and ice water poured into their veins.

It was a ritual and rune used to forcibly separate a demon from someone they were possessing.

"Avi!"

At the sound of Riley's angry scream everyone else rushed back into the cabin's main room.

"What's going on?" Mike asked.

Riley ignored him and looked directly into Avi's eyes. "Is it true?"

"What?" the demon responded, confused.

Riley tore the page from the binder and shoved it in Avi's face as they stood from the couch. Avi's eyes scanned the page then went wide, they stepped back and almost tripped.

"Demonic possession. Is. It. True."

Avi looked to Mike and Sil, they looked to the exit, then they looked back to Riley and sighed. "Deals don't have to be for souls. It's very rare, but sometimes people will give up their body. When it does happen, it's usually to angels. You give up control of your life for things like charity and kindness and humility, not sins. The chances of a demon, a demon of avarice no less, getting a human body to possess are one in a million."

"And you're that one."

Avi didn't answer, just looked down.

Suddenly it clicked. Riley remembered what Avi had said when they asked if their human friend had sold them her soul. "Yes. Among other things."

"Oh god, that's what you meant when you said she makes you feel like you're part of human society, you sick bastard, you called her your friend. I can't even look at you right now. Get out!"

"Riley, just calm—"

"No, Sil! I will not calm down!"

"Sil, how can you defend—"

"I'm not defending them! But we have bigger things to worry about right now."

"Really?" Mike practically growled. "Bigger things than someone fucking possessed by a demon right in front of us! Someone who's needed help this whole time and we didn't even see!"

Avi spoke up bitterly. "Did you miss the part where I said it was part of a deal? She chose this!"

"Avi." Riley said with a furious calm that grabbed everybody's attention through all the yelling. "Leave. Right now."

"I-I'm bound to help with this case!" Tears started to well up in Avi's eyes. But Riley was numb to the display since the eyes in question didn't really belong to the demon.

"And right now your presence isn't helping. Leave. I'll set something up with Coleman, get her to call off the deal."

"What am I supposed to do about Cliff? I don't have any hope of beating him without help!"

"I don't care."

"Riley—"

"Leave!"

Avi vanished.

"Agent Bishop, that was extremely unprofessional and—"

"Shut the fuck up, Sil." Riley sounded tired. They were tired. They sat back down on the couch and just stared at the page in their hands. Their mind was racing, going over every little inconsistency in Avi's behavior and cataloging it as the clue it was. How could they have been so blind?

Sil left the room and started bringing out all the books and binders from the bedroom.

"I don't know why this hits harder than knowing that they eat souls, but it does," Mike said as he sat down next to Riley and put a hand on their shoulder. "Maybe it's that they're ruining someone's life, not just their afterlife."

"Or maybe it's that it was going on right in front of us and we had no idea. I should have known. The signs were all there, and I missed them."

"Hey, it's not your fault. You had no idea it was even possible. If you're gonna blame anyone, blame Mason for stealing this information from the Bureau."

Just then Sil slammed the last of the books down on the coffee table. "We're taking all of this back to the base, and you, Agent Bishop, are going to explain to Coleman why Avi, our asset, isn't with us."

Riley laughed humorlessly. "Why does dealing with Avi always lead to me having to explain things to Coleman?"

......

Coleman listened calmly to Riley's account of the events at the cabin while Mike and Sil sat in the uncomfortable chairs behind them. The other researchers were hard at work getting the recovered information back where it belonged and the whole base was abuzz with the news of what had been found.

Riley finished talking and for a minute Coleman just stared at them. They clenched their jaw and fidgeted uncomfortably. After an eternity, the director spoke. "Your outburst is understandable, Agent Bishop, but it is imperative that you bring Avi back in on the case."

"Director, Sir, that's bullshit!"

"Agent Green, this is not the time to question my judgement!" Coleman took a deep breath. "We've known that Avi has different morals than humans do from the start. That doesn't change the fact that there are lives on the line, human lives, and we need all the help we can get."

"What does it matter?"

"Excuse me, Agent Bishop?"

"What does it matter if we save them now? They've all sold their souls and we won't be able to save them later."

Coleman sighed. "Riley, you can't go down that road, you can't start choosing who to save."

"I know, but, Director... it all feels so futile."

"If this job were always satisfying and easy on the conscience then more people would do it. Now, contact Avi and then get back to work."

The team walked out of Coleman's office.

"Don't you dare say 'I told you so,' Sil," Mike warned.

"Mike, Riley, I'm sorry. About all of this. I know I'm not showing it but I'm angry too."

"I know, Sil," Riley said. "I just... I'm going to go call Avi." Then they walked off towards the elevator.

Avi didn't pick up the phone, which was understandable. Riley sent them a text.

"I won't apologize, but we need you back on the case. Your deal with Coleman still stands."

Hopefully Avi would show up tomorrow morning.

#dwd #riley pov

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starjane312 · 1 year ago

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Spider x Oc

Big Masterlist

Masterlist

Chapter 8

Ly: Okay let's go. We’re Oscar Mike. Come on.

We still stand on the Edge.

Ly: Come on, let's go.

Just then we hear the Ikran and Quarritch is cheering. The others start too.

I watch anxiously as Mom gets hers. She is good but it still makes me Nervous. I smile as she appears out of the Clouds. I look at spider.

J: Is it bad that I’m happy and Proud ?

S: No.

He lays his arm around my Waist

S: You two got closer. You may not want to admit it but she is in a way your mother.

J: I know she is.

A few weeks later we are Flying over the Mountains. Me and Mom got closer. A Lot closer. I even call her Mom at this Point. I sit in front of her on her Ikran. Moon flying next to us.

Z: She won’t leave huh ?

J: No. What did you name your Ikran ?

Z: Uuuh Star.

I smile. And nod.

J: Star.

Z: Zar ?

I laugh and shake my Head.

J: No Star.

Z: Star.

J: Yes.

Ly: Boss long-range Patrol picked up a radar hit. A rogue gunship.

Q: Where ?

Ly: Eastern Sea. Four hundred klicks north.

Q: Hang on.

Mom flys behind Quarritch back to the Base. We go into the control room and look at a Hologram. Spiders hand never leaves mine.

Q: The signal was intermittent and they lost it over open water but if you project the Track it hits this Island group.

GA: That’s hundreds of Islands. ThatS’ a Big search Box with lots of Villages.

Q: This is our Guy. You give me ships and Aircrafts. I’ll bring you back his scalp.

We get on a Water air-ship thingy. We get off the Ikran and I sit on the Roof.

Q: You scoresby ?

Sc: Uh-Huh. Are you the Asshole who’s commandeering my Ship ?

Q: That would be me.

We go inside. I stay close to Mom. She lays her hand on my shoulder.

Z: What's wrong ?

J: I have a bad feeling about this guy.

She pats my Shoulder.

Q: The target’s pretty much this whole island group.

Sc: Never been up there.

Spider stands next to me

Sc: You know those waters doc. What kinda indigenous we got ?

?: Uh Metkayina mostly. Some Ta’unui. Maybe fifty villages.

Q: Uh and you are who ?

?: Oh. I’m Ian Garvin. Marine Biologist.

He lifts his hand to shake Quaritches, but he ignores him.

Q: Fifty Villages. A hundred Villages. I don’t care. We’ll search ‘em all.

Sc: I hunt Tulkun. That’s what I’m rigged for. That’s all my Guys do. I got Quotas to meet.

Q: I’ll be nice, once. Then I won’t.

Sc: Well if you can’t get out of it. Get into it. Bring her Up !

They start the Boat thing and fly it. A few hours later we arrive at an Island group. They start searching everywhere and destroy a lot of things. They force the Clan on their knees. They use electricity to shock them.

Q: This man. We know he is in these Islands. Here ? This Village ?

Olo: We are a totally separate clan. This man in the reflection is from the Forest.

Quaritch looks at us.

Q: Now what’s he saying ?

S: They never saw him.

J: These are sea people. Forest People don’t come here.

Q: I ain’t buyin’ that.

He tries to talk to them. The Olo’eyktan looks at me and Spider

Olo: He needs to leave here and go to the forest to find this man.

Quarritch looks at us.

S: They don’t know anything.

Q: Shoot that Animal.

One of the Soldiers shoots the Animal in the water.

J: NO !

S: What the Hell are you doing ?!

The Metkayna start to scream. Tears start running down my Face.

Q: Hey your ears workin’ now ?

Olo: Be Calm.

Q You see what these can do, huh ?

Quarritch lifts the picture again.

Q: Jake Sully. Toruk Makto

Ts: He told you he doesn’t know.

Q: Put her down !

Ly: Get Down !

They push the Tshaìk to the ground. And hold the gun on her Head.

J: No ! Stop this. Please.

More tears stream down my Face

Q: You make it real clear to him. He doesn’t give up Sully, We kill the Tsahìk.

S: No we’re not doin’ that.

Q: Is that Right ?

S: We’re not gonna be part of this !

J: These People don’t know anything ! They don’t know anything !

Ly: We’re really gonna waste her ?

J: Please ! Please don’t do this. This is wrong.

S: What you’re doing here is wrong. Please.

Quarritch looks at Spider.

#atwow #spider socorro x reader #spider x reader #Spider x Oc

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briamichellewrites · 2 months ago

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Bria, this is Jason. Thank you for protecting my privacy by censoring my name. Congratulations to you and Brad on your engagement! I appreciate your decision to walk away from me. I have so many regrets about our marriage, and I have been holding onto them for so long. I got you addicted to drugs for selfish reasons because I did not want you to leave. Throughout our marriage, I did everything possible to push you away. I wanted to take you down with me. At the same time, I wanted to keep you safe from my self-destruction.

You deserved better than me. You were the best wife, and I am sorry I did not appreciate you more. Brad is a lucky man. I appreciate everything you have done for me over the years. I will always remember growing up with you and hanging out at your house. If I never see you again, please know that I love you. I hope you will be able to forgive me someday.

Jason addressed Bria's post about him. He texted Mike and asked if it was her decision. Yes, it was. Was he implying something? That he and Dave put her up to this? No, it was entirely her decision. Jason called him to get more information. What health condition was he referring to? She is been diagnosed with cancer. He was told this by their parents. He became defensive, saying he had forgotten. Mike took a moment to compose himself before returning to the phone.

"Jason, she has stage IIB breast cancer. To remove the tumor, she underwent a complete double mastectomy."

“Did they get everything?”

"No, she is undergoing chemotherapy, which is no longer effective. She intends to use immunotherapy to completely remove the remaining cancer cells. We are extremely stressed right now because we do not know if she will make it. She could die from this. We do not have the mental strength to deal with your addiction because we are looking after her."

His voice was filled with tears. He wished he could give him a hug and let him cry. Mike also described Dave's post-traumatic stress disorder diagnosis as a result of the shooting. He experienced panic attacks and nightmares. Jason asked if they could meet somewhere. Yeah, he just needed to tell Dave and Brad where he was going.

Dave offered to join him, but he assured him that he would be fine. Okay. He and Brad would remain with Bria. Brad wished him luck. Thank you.

He drove over to his sober living home. The home was nicely furnished. Each client had a separate bedroom and bathroom. His room featured a double-sized bed, a closet, a bedside table, a desk with a chair, and a window that looked out onto the street. His bathroom featured a shower, a toilet, and a countertop with a sink. It was nice, but nothing compared to what he had at Bria's.

He displayed pictures of their family on his bedside table to serve as a reminder. Jason asked to hug him. Yes. He wrapped his arms around his older brother and apologized for not realising how much he was hurting. Mike implored him to listen to him. He said he would. They sat, Mike on the bed and him pulling up a chair. He told him about the cancer diagnosis and Dave losing his mother to breast cancer. Bria underwent a total double mastectomy to remove the tumor.

She began chemotherapy after discovering that there were still cancer cells. For a while, it appeared to be working. It completely destroyed her immune system. As a result, she got sick frequently. He, Dave, and Brad took her to the ER because she had flu symptoms. A man complaining about a bloody nose became frustrated with having to wait his turn.

He pulled out a gun and began shooting randomly. Bria was hit and had to undergo emergency surgery. They discovered her spine had been shattered. She had to spend eight weeks wearing a back brace and taking medication. Thankfully, she was not paralyzed. She and Dave had both developed PTSD as a result of the incident. Throughout, she was the bravest woman they had ever met. Jason's head was bowed in shame, and tears were in his eyes. He inquired as to whether she and Brad were actually engaged.

"Yes, they are. He proposed a few months ago. She was only recently introduced to his parents. They intend to have a small wedding, with our parents standing in for Jasper and Christina."

He sighed and wiped away tears. She deserved happiness. That was all he desired for her. He needed to let her go. She was no longer his wife. What did she call him? She referred to him as her ex-husband. He covered his eyes with his hands, tears streaming down his cheeks. Mike questioned him about why he was crying so hard. He deeply regretted their marriage and divorce.

When he got home, he approached Dave for a private conversation. Bria was sleeping with Brad by her side. He refused to leave her side because he was so afraid of her death. Even just for a moment. They walked into the studio and closed the door. Mike slumped to the floor. Dave sat down next to him and embraced him. He was exhausted and struggling to hold it together. His eyes streamed with tears. He embraced him with his arms around his shoulders and let him cry.

“I’m here.”

"She is not going to make it. I have to say it out loud. I need to work through her death while she is still alive. I can not keep holding on to this.

“Do you want to go to grief counselling with me?”

“Yes, thank you.”

"Of course." I love you. You are the perfect husband and friend. Never be afraid to cry. I am right here. Brad is here. We are never going to judge you."

"Jason finally let go. He had been holding on to her for so long. When I told him she called him her ex-husband, he burst into tears. He hoped that they would reconcile and remarry. He had to accept that it was not going to happen."

"Mike, please believe she will make it. I understand you are mourning her, and I will accompany you to grief counselling. I just want hope."

He nodded. “Okay.”

They returned to speak with Brad. He remained on the couch. They greeted him as he sat upright. How was he doing? Not good. He needed to talk to Bria, but he was worried about her reaction. They might be able to help him. He sighed and suggested that they speak privately. They stood up and headed outside to the backyard. Dave asked if the news was bad.

Yes, it was. His parents urged him to cancel the wedding. They enjoyed Bria. The problem was that they wanted him to find someone his own age. They also did not like the fact that she was divorced so young. They would reject him if he married her. What would he do? That was what he was struggling with. Would her parents accept him? Mike believed they would. They were very open-minded and could see how much he loved her.

Dave strongly encouraged him to tell her the truth. She was much stronger than she appeared. That was something he knew was true. They wanted them to marry because they loved each other. He had to decide which was more important to him, Bria or his family. Why was it so important for him to get their approval? He did not know what to say because no one had asked him before. Dave wanted him to consider it. He would do it.

@zoeykaytesmom @feelingsofaithless @alina-dixon

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misunderstoodxmike · 2 years ago

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ʀᴜɴᴀᴡᴀʏ ʟᴏᴠᴇ || sᴇʟғ-ᴘᴀʀᴀ

everything that happened after he got into his car became a blur. there were pieces such as a paramedic and a cop walking up to him. he wasn’t even sure how he got home but there he was sitting in his driveway. the events of the night replaying in his head but what he kept coming back to was chris unconscious body. as well as matthew’s words that kept playing over and over in his head. ‘you ruin everything that touches or comes in contact with you. god, maybe the doctors shouldn’t have saved your life after you gave birth.’ there wasn’t a lie in what he said. look at what happened with chris. the male was probably mere seconds away from death. mike had pushed him to that point where he gave up on life. he was responsible for that! the heartbroken look on his face, and the words that he spoke before he fell in. what if he does that to liam too? what if he already fucked that up? matthew may be right on that aspect too. he was already spot on everything else. maybe the male wasn’t as bad as mike originally thought. after all, his intentions weren’t good by any means. he let chris confess his feelings and when he was going to walk away, mike dropped the bomb that they had a kid together. there had also been a part of him that hoped that chris would leave matthew to be with him. god, he really was terrible and had wanted to wreck a home. mike probably ruined matthew in the process by making him crazy and jealous. how many more lives was he going to ruin. in that moment, mike knew what had to be done. while he wasn’t going to kill himself. he wasn’t going to put anyone through that of finding or identifying his body. nor leave them the guilt that they might have been responsible. instead, there was one clear choice.

mike found himself running up to his room, grabbing a suitcase and start throwing clothes in it. he didn’t really have a destination or plan in mind but knew that he had to get out of here. if he stuck around anymore, he would destroy and take everyone else down with him. they all deserved to be happy and away from his toxicity. As he put more of his things such as pictures of his family, liam and even chris. something fell from the dresser, a video camera which gave him an idea. Mike set it up to point to the bed before hitting record and sitting down on the bed. “I’m sorry that I can’t do this in person, but this is the best way otherwise I may be talked out of it or I may coward out. I decided that it was best if I left. mom and dad, I’m sorry that I’ve given you so much grief, not only for this but for everything else as well. I gave you two such a headache and I never truly appreciate it. especially you dad whom I call you a hypocrite and treated so badly after you cheated on mom. Look at me now, I’m much worse. I didn’t even tell you two the full truth about what happened between me and chris. I know I said it was a misunderstanding but plain and simple, I cheated on him. I knew I was pregnant with liam before then and I got drunk. We did get in an argument, but I found comfort in someone else. chris didn’t deserve any of the hate or anger that he did. I just did it to save face. aria, I owe you an apology too for not being the best brother and never listening to you. I always thought I knew better when I didn’t. if I would have listened to you, none of this would have ever happened. I even treated ezra like shit, yet, you always treated chris well even defending him when it seemed everyone turn on him. you’re the best sister I could ask for and I know that little ella is going to have such a great mom… chris, I am so sorry about everything I did. I wish I could take it back and give you everything that you missed out on. Unfortunately I can’t do that but what I can do is make up for it. I am give you full custody and relinquishing my rights to liam. you will be a much better dad than I ever will. It’s the least that I can do besides I won’t fuck him up even more than I have. The only thing I asked is that you let my family remain in contact with him. they may have not acted the best towards you, but they didn’t know better. don’t punish them or blame them for my mistakes. Finally, chris, you probably won’t see this until you’re older but dadda loves you very much and I’m sorry that I left you. although if you were in my hands, I would ruin your life too. I know you’ll grow up to be great, take care of everyone especially papa who been through a lot. I love you all. Goodbye.” He stopped recording, leaving a note to be played before zipping up his suitcase and making his way towards his car. mike took a finally look at his house before driving away and not looking back.

two weeks later, mike found himself entering a diner for dinner. he lost track of where he was. ultimately just letting the road take him wherever. If he knew where he may be, there was a chance that he’ll want to go home to catch a glimpse of Liam, see how Chris is doing or even see his family. they all probably have moved on and forgotten about him. mike wondered how long it took anyone to realize he left. regardless, he missed them a lot and spent most of his nights crying in a very empty and cold bed. mike closed his eyes, taking breaths and not trying to work himself up when someone walked up to his table. At first, he thought it was the waitress, but it was the last person that he expected. when he saw their face, mike was reminded about everything that he had been trying to forget. “matthew.” he said in a tone that wasn’t welcoming or unwelcoming. ‘mike, last place I expected to find you is in a small place like that. may I sit?’ he asked, before taking a seat across from mike. there were a lot of questions to ask but most importantly why he was here. Before he even had a chance to ask, the other answer it. ‘i’ve been looking for you. don’t worry, no one but me knows that you’re here even my husband doesn’t.’ he said with a smile as mike looked down to see the ring on his finger. his heart broke when he saw that it was an identical ring to that of chris’ mother. It seemed they did end up getting married, while it hurt, mike was happy that chris was able to find happiness. “umm.. congrats.” not wanting to talk to much about the topic. ‘thank you, but that’s not why I am here. I hate how I left things between us and how I treated you. especially now that I have so much to thank you for. anyways, chris would kill me if he knew I was here but I wanted to give you a thank you gift. I know how you want to start over and escape it all. I want to help you with that by giving you money to start a life far away from your problems.’ the male pulled out an envelope that contained a bunch of cash. ‘here. I know a part of your heart remains home but there are things that you should know. I’m not saying them to hurt you but to put your mind at ease. I’ve become somewhat of a step-dad to little liam. he’s a great kid by the way. it was hard for him at first but he seems to have moved on. Chris hasn’t really mentioned or talked about you. the only thing he has said is that he hoped you found what you were looking for. your family is still very much involved in liam’s life, in fact, he has a playdate with little ella tomorrow. all your request has been followed. the only person that hasn’t moved on is Jordan. He’s been actively looking for you but unlike him I have the resources and money to waste. I truly think that man is truly and utter in love with you. if he does find you, I suggest that you give him a chance. You two could be very happy together. enough about that, but I don’t want to see you hurt anymore, mike. I feel with everything you’ve been through that you deserve to be happy. Which is why I want to help with that. please take the money and go find yourself whether it be across the country, in a different country or continent.’ The other said sincerely. he couldn’t help to think about how everyone forgot him easily and moved on. “I guess this is goodbye then. please take care of liam and chris.” he quickly left and hopped into his car where tears began falling from his eyes. he grabbed his disposable phone and made a call to someone he hadn’t spoken to in years. “hey, I know we haven’t spoken in a while but I need a favor and someone to talk to. yeah, I’m on the road, send me the direction and I’ll be there. It may take a few hours but I’ll be there, okay, thank you. I’ll see you soon.” meanwhile back at the diner, a grin appeared on matthew’s face as he removed the fake ring. everything that he told mike was a lie, and only to get him to permanently leave. with mike forever gone, chris would have no choice but to get back together. it would take some work but with remorse, forgiveness and a broken heart, matthew would get him. there just one more thing that he had to do to seal mike and chris never getting back together. he pulled out his phone to dial Jordan. ‘can you meet up somewhere, I have something that may interest you.’

when he got the call, Jordan was skeptical especially when he heard what happened between matthew and mike. not only had he heard it from the montgomery family but chris himself. that was an tense and interesting conversation on it’s own. Although both were doing their own investigation on where mike was. he was sure that the only reason it was civil was because they were hoping the other had something that may lead them to his location. it seemed that a lot of things happened that night. the outcome ultimately leaving everyone broken. Liam having fallen into a depression which he heard from aria. they hadn’t told him that his dad abandoned him but went away for a bit. the kid wasn’t dumb and knew that his dad wouldn’t leave him behind or not be in constantly contact. The once happy kid was a shell of himself. at this point, Jordan was doing it for the kid. he knew mike was probably hurting just as much. matthew may be another piece of the puzzle since he could fill in the gaps from when chris fell into the water and when he was saved. As he gave his name to the host, Jordan was lead to a table where matthew was finishing his dinner. ‘ah, jordan, please take a seat. did you want something to eat? drink?’ the male shook his head, before speaking. ‘I’m just here because you said that you had something that may interest me?’ Jordan not having patience to deal with matthew right now. ‘yes.. I’ve been told that you’re looking for mike?’ a silence fell over them as things got tensed. ‘what if I told you I knew where he is or rather where he will be.’ The other male said it in such a taunting way that made his blood boil. ‘if you know where he is then tell me!’ he demanded in a hushed tone. ‘why so you can bring him back? no. I had a plan which he ruined by telling chris about his bastard so—’ ‘don’t call him that!’ Jordan interrupted him which matt rolled his eyes at. ‘whatever. I have always been in love chris since I met him. unfortunately for me, him and mike were together and had been for a long time. It was sick how much they were in love. I tried to make advances towards chris but he never saw them or choice to ignore them. anyways, have you wondered why those two broke up? it’s because I made it happened. the night that mike cheated, he wasn’t all there because he was drugged too. his alcohol was laced with drug so when he said that he though that it was chris, well, he probably was seeing that. I made sure I got a look alike. I also made sure that I purposely pulled him away before sending him home when I knew they would be there. Everything happened as planned if not better. they broke up, and it was the end of it. that’s what I thought until a friend of mine that worked at the hospital had overheard that mike was pregnant. It wasn’t hard to figure out the identity since mike never actually slept with anyone. I had to make sure to make my move which worked. Although keeping mike’s pregnancy was harder than expected but when you come from money, it because easy. I knew about chris intent to propose since I am also in charge of the money and accounting part of his business. so I purposely went looking for it to help push things along. I didn’t get the ring but I feel like I got upgraded anyways. we were so close to getting married until they ran into each other. I’m sure you know how the rest happen. you’re probably wondering why I’m telling you this. It’s because I still have hope that things between me and chris could be repaired. that’s where you come in. I need mike to never return and be taken off the market. it won’t be easy since I need your commitment and loyalty. his whereabouts needs to be earned. You don’t have to give me an answer now and I’ll give you time to think about it. although if you tell anyone the deal is off and I’ll deny everything. This would be your one and only chance of ever finding him because now that he didn’t leave a trace, finding him will be almost impossible.’ It took everything not to lose his cool but Jordan had to play along. ‘you got my attention, tell me more.’ He said faking a wicked grin which was returned. two months later, following all of matthew plan, Jordan finally got mike’s location. He called the one person that he knew could help. ‘chris, I know that I am probably the last person that you want to talk to. although I feel like there are things you need to know. more importantly, I know where mike is and I think you need to be the one to talk to him and bring him home.’

#chris x mike -- 002 (self-para)

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cosmicbrowniefan · 2 years ago

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i can’t stop picturing a stranger things x it crossover

there are so many fucking things i’m picturing and i need you to picture it too so here.

so obviously we are going to stick with the storyline of mike wheeler and richie being twins

i’m definitely picturing a massive dnd club with mike w, will, dustin, lucas, richie, bill, stan, and eddie

richie gets threatened to be kicked out constantly bc of how fucking annoying he is while playing

max is always making fun of them for being obsessed with their “nerd game” but she’s secretly a little jealous that they have this thing together so she decides to make her own group for competitive uno playing and it’s made up of her, el, bev, mike h, ben, will, and stan

max decided that the others were too loud and annoying when playing games and enjoys pissing them off a little bit by not letting them join in

the losers club and the party always have competitions of who’s fought worse demons

these competitions are basically just arguments

also they’re only between mike w and richie

i also have this theory that pennywise and the upside-down kinda destroy each other due to richie taunting both pennywise and the mind-flayer and saying that each isn’t as scary as the either

leave it to richie to destroy hell by making fun of demons

but yeah enough of that clown fucker and the dnd villains let’s get back to our favorite kiddos

you thought steve was stressed out before? just wait until the party becomes friends with the losers club

suddenly this mf gained a shit ton more children to look after

which robin thinks is absolutely fucking hilarious

there are definitely a couple different sleepover squads that pair off from the whole big group of them but let me just say my two favorite squads: the chill squad and the chaos squad

the chill squad consists of will, bev, mike h, stan, ben, and el

the chaos squad consists of richie, mike w, bill, dustin, lucas, eddie, and max

the chill squad basically just makes food and plays games and has deep talks

the chaos squad basically plays videos games, screams at each other, and runs around the neighborhood at night

some of my other favorite squads include when the group is split up based on their crushes

aka richie, bill, mike w, bev, and max are a squad that talk about their crushes

and eddie, stan, will, ben, and el are a squad that talk about their crushes

obviously. on each other

but i digress

you know what else i love to imagine? ben expanding the clubhouse to fit the entire squad

you thought eddie and richie argued over the hammock? yeah just wait until max, lucas, and mike w join in on that shit

ben very quickly reaches into his savings account to buy a few more hammocks to attempt to reach some peace and quiet

but richie and eddie very conveniently continue to argue over one hammock, each claiming that it’s their favorite hammock

and that results in each of them begrudgingly sharing it (even though that’s what they both wanted all along)

one of my favorite duos has got to be will and stan

those two are straight up besties

and they constantly make fun of each other for the stupid stuff bill and mike w do

and they are really good for each other to talk to about their feelings and their depression and it’s really therapeutic for them

also, bev, max, and el are the power team

talk about girl power, those three are smarter than all the others combined in one

and the boys would 110% have blown themselves up at this point if it weren’t for them

ALSO

LET’S JUST TALK ABOUT HOW PISSY RICHIE GETS WHEN MAX BEATS HIM IN STREET FIGHTER

this mf will literally spend his life savings trying to prove that he’s better at it than she is

“dude, stop trying, she’s already got the new record on dig dug”

“ANYONE CAN DO THAT”

mike h and el have a game they play where they add tally marks every time mike w and richie argue with each other for being literally the same fucking person

lucas once suggested they make it a game where they take shots but after five in a half hour, the two of them decided to call it quits

speaking of lucas, he is BEYOND ecstatic to finally have someone in the group that enjoys sports

he and bill play basketball together, and he, bill, and stan play baseball together on the school team

the others always come to their games to support them but they don’t pretend to understand what was going on

i also really think dustin and bev would be great friends

like something about their energy just meshes well together and i have a feeling they’d do something like start a podcast

in conclusion. i love all of these kids so fucking much and i could talk about a stranger things x it mash up for forever

#it #it 2017 #it 2019 #it headcanons #losers club #losers club headcanons #reddie #stenbrough #byler #stranger things #st4 #stranger things headcanons #it x stranger things #mike wheeler richie tozier

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felassan · 4 years ago

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Dragon Age development insights and highlights from Bioware: Stories and Secrets from 25 Years of Game Development

Some really tasty factoids here.

Cut for length.

Dragon Age: Origins

The continent of Thedas was at one point going to be named Pelledia, a name initially floated by James Ohlen

“Qunari” was a temporary name that ended up unintentionally sticking, much like “Thedas”

Mary Kirby wrote the Landsmeet. To this day, nobody understands how it works, except possibly her. If she’s “really really drunk” she can explain how it works. There’s as many words in it as Sten’s entire conversations put together

Concept art for Thedosian art - as in in-world art - draws heavily on Renaissance-era portraiture, the Art Nouveau movement, religious styles and media like stained glass, and favorite pieces from the golden age of illustrations in the early 20th century

Andrastianism in-world (art-wise) is depicted in wildly different methods depending on who in-world made the art in question. “One religion, 3 different lenses”. There’s the Chantry take, the Orlesian take and the Fereldan take; each with its own different interpretations, different mediums and different stories

The stained glass images were drawn by Nick Thornborrow for DAI, to decorate religious spaces in that game “and beyond”

irl Viking art influenced Ferelden

Greek and Italian art influenced Orlais

The book also had other insights into and anecdotes from the development of DAO, but I’ve transcribed them recently as they’re essentially the stories DG has recently been relating on the awesome Summerfall Studios DAO playthrough Twitch streams. (On those streams he provides dev commentary while Liam Esler plays through DA. The ones with DG are currently once every two weeks. Check them out! Here’s a calendar where you can check when the next one is) Instead of repeating myself I’ll just provide the link to the first transcript. From there you can navigate to the subsequent parts. Note these streams are ongoing. At this point I will also point you to a related post which is cliff notes of the Dragon Age chapter in Jason Schreier’s book Blood Sweat and Pixels.

Dragon Age II

DAO had the longest development period in BioWare history. In contrast DA2 had the shortest

Initially DA2 was going to be an expansion to DAO. A few months in EA said “Yeah, expansions like these don’t sell very well, so let’s make it a sequel.” So it suddenly became DA2 and they had to make it even bigger, although they still only had 1.5 years of time in which to do this

Production of DA2 officially lasted only 9 months, and at the time the team was still supporting live content for DAO! They finished development that January after the design team crunched all the way through the holiday period that year. Then it went to cert 9 times

The limited time they had is why the story takes place mostly in and around 1 city, and over 7 years (so it was temporal, rather than over physical distance, because a more expansive world would have taken more irl time to make)

They had no time to review even the main plot. Mike Laidlaw pitched the idea of 3 stories taking place at different points in the PC’s life, tied together by Varric’s recollections of events. DG rolled with this and made 1 presentation on the idea. This presentation was then approved and off they went

As they were writing DG realized that there was going to be no oversight and that everything was going to be a ‘first draft’. “Because nobody had time.” He sat down with the writers and said “Look, here’s the conditions we’re working under. A lot of what we’re putting out is gonna be raw. We’re not going to get the editing we need. We’re not going to get the kind of iteration we need. So I’m going to trust you all to do your best work.”

Looking back, DG has mixed feelings on DA2. “A lot of corners were cut. The public perception was that it was smaller than DAO. That’s a sin on its own.”

Despite this he thinks DA2 has some of the best writing in the series, especially character-wise. The DA2 chars are his favorite

The pace with which production progressed may in some ways have helped. “When we do a lot of revision, we often file away [as in buff off] some of the good writing as well. Somehow DA2′s whirlwind process resulted in some really good writing”

The pace meant chars landed on the writers in various stages of completion. For example Isabela was fairly defined due to appearing in DAO. In contrast Varric at the start was just that single piece of widely-shown concept art

Varric was conceived as a storyteller not a fighter. His skills are talking and bullshitting. Hence the question became, so what does this guy do in combat? The direction was to make him as different as possible to Oghren, so not a warrior. He couldn’t be a dual-wielding rogue in order to differentiate him from Bela. But you can’t really picture this guy with a bow. “For a dwarf, it would probably be a crossbow. We didn’t have crossbows, or we only had crossbows for the darkspawn. And they were part of the models. We didn’t have a separate crossbow that was equip-able by the chars. They had to like, crop one off a darkspawn and remodel it. And that became Bianca” (quote: Mary Kirby)

“Dwarven mages are exceedingly rare.” [???]

If DAO was a classic fantasy painting, DA2 was a screenshot from a Kurosawa film or a northern Renaissance painting. (Here Matt Rhodes was commenting on art style)

John Epler: “In any one of our games, there’s a 95% chance that if you turn the camera away from what it’s looking at, you’ll see all kinds of janky stuff. The moment we know the camera is no longer facing someone, we no longer care what happens to them. We will teleport people around. We will jump people around. We will literally have someone walk off screen and then we will shift them 1000 meters down, because we’re fixing some bug.” John also talked about this camera stuff in a recent charity Twitch stream for Gamers For Groceries. There’s a writeup of that stream here

Designing Kirkwall pushed concept artists to the limits of visual storytelling, because it has a long history that they wanted to be present. It was once the hub of Tevinter’s slave empire, so it needed to look brutal and harsh, but it also then needed to feel reclaimed, evolved, and with elements of contemporary Free Marches culture

The initial plan was for DA titles to be distinguished by subtitles not numbers, so that each experience could stand on its own rather than feel like a sequel or continuation. (My note: New PCs in each entry make sense then when you consider this and other factoids we know like how DA is the story of the world not of any one PC). Later, DA2′s name was made DA2 in a bid to more clearly connect the game to its predecessor. For DAI they returned to the original naming convention. (My note: so I’d reckon they’d be continuing the subtitle naming convention for DA4)

DA2 was initially code-named “Nug Storm”, strictly internally

The Cancelled DA2 Expansion - Exalted March

This was a precursor to DAI

It was meant to bridge the gap between DA2 and DAI

It focused on the fallout from Kirkwall’s explosion, with Cory serving as the villain

Meredith’s red lyrium statue was basically going to infest Kirkwall and it would end up [with what would end up] the red templars taking over Kirkwall and essentially being Cory’s army

To stop him Hawke would have recruited various factions, including Bela’s Felicisima Armada and the Qunari at Estwatch, forcing Hawke to split loyalties and risk relationships in the process

It was meant to bring DA2′s story to an end and end in Varric’s death. DG was very happy with this because all of DA2 is Varric’s tale. The expansion was supposed to start at the moment Cassandra’s interrogation of him ended in the present. “And we finished off the story with Varric having this heroic death.” It tied things up and would have broken many fan hearts, something BioWare writers notoriously enjoy. But between a transition to the new Frostbite engine and the scope of DAI, the decision was made to cancel EM, work any hard-to-lose concepts into DAI, and in the process save Varric’s life. DG has talked about the Varric dying thing before

Concept art for EM explored new areas previously not depicted in the DA universe, with costumes that reflected next steps for familiar chars. Varric was going to war, what would he have worn? With Anders, if he survived DA2, the plan was to present a redeemed Warden

A char that vaguely resembled Sera in DAI was first concepted for EM. This fact was mentioned near this concept art (see the female elf) and this concept art of Bethany with the blond bob

The writers sketched out plans to end it with Hawke having the option to marry their LI. This included alternate ceremonies for party members like Bethany and Sebastian if the player opted not to wed. There was even a wedding dress made for Hawke. This asset made it into DAI (Sera and Cullen’s weddings in Trespasser). The dress can also be seen in DAI during an ambient NPC wedding after completing a chain of war table missions

The destruction of a Chantry was explored in concept art as it might have happened in EM. This idea ended up carrying over to the beginning of DAI. (My note: Lol, the idea that DA2 could have had 2 Chantries being destroyed in it 😆)

World of Thedas

Sheryl Chee and Mary Kirby started with “a disgusting little dish called fluffy mackerel pudding”. In the middle of DAO’s busy dev period one of them (they can’t remember who) found a recipe online for this, scanned in from a 70s cookbook. “I don’t understand why it was fluffy. Why would you want fluffy mackerel pudding?” MK says. “We loved it so much we included it in a DAO codex.”

This led them to create more food for Thedas, full recipes included, like a Fereldan turnip and barley stew from MK and SC’s Starkhaven fish and egg pie. The fish pie became Sebastian’s favorite. “To me it made sense for it to be fish pie because a lot of the Free Marches are on the coast”, SC says, “It was something that was popular in medieval times, so I thought, let’s make a fish pie! I looked at medieval recipes and I concocted a fish pie which I fed to my partner, and he was like ‘This is not terrible’”

For WoT the whole studio was asked to contribute family recipes which might have a place in Thedas. SC adapted these to fit in one Thedosian culture or another, including a beloved banana bread that localization producer Melanie Fleming would regularly bake to keep the DA team motivated. “Melanie’s banana bread got us through Inquisition”

DAI

It says part of DAI takes place in or near the border with Nevarra [???]

This game was aimed to be bigger than DA2 and even DAO in every conceivable way

The first hour had to do a lot of heavy lifting, tying together the events of DAO and DA2 while introducing a new PC, new followers etc in the aftermath of the big attack. DG rewrote it 7 times then Lukas Kristjanson did 2 more passes

DG: “Our problem is always that our endings are so important, but we leave them to last, when we have no time. I kept pushing on DAI: ‘Can we work on the ending now? Can we work on the ending now? Can we do it early on?’ Because I knew exactly what it was going to be. But despite the fact that it kept getting scheduled, whenever the schedule started falling behind, it kept getting pushed back... so, of course, it got left til last again.”

“The reveal of the story’s real antagonist, Solas, a follower until the end, when he betrayed the player”. “Solas’ story remains a main thread in Inquisition’s long-awaited follow-up” [these aren’t DG quotes, just bits of general text]

Over the course of development they had 8 full-time writers and 4 editors working on it. Other writers joined later to help wrangle what ended up being close to 1 million words of dialogue and unspoken text. While many teams moved to a more open concept style of work for DAI, the writers remained tucked away in their own room, a choice DG says was necessary, given how much they talked. All the talking had a purpose ofc as if someone hit a bump or wall in their writing they would open the problem up to the room

As writing on a project like DAI progresses, the writers grow punchier and weirder things make it into the game. This is especially the case towards the end of a project (they get tired, burned out)

Banter and codexes require less ‘buy-in’ (DG has talked about this concept a few times on the Twitch streams) from other designers. DG liked to leave banter for last as a reward because it was fun. Banter begins as lists of topics for 2 followers to discuss. These may progress over time or be one off exchanges. One banter script can balloon to well over 10k words. “The banter was always huge because we were always like, laughing, and really at that point, our fields of fucks were rather barren, so we would just do whatever”

The bog unicorn happened pretty much by accident. It was designed by Matt Rhodes and was one of his fav things to design. They needed horse variations and he had already designed an undead variant which was a bog mummy [bog body]. irl these are preserved in a much different way to traditional mummies. When someone dies in a bog their skin turns black and raisin-like. The examples we know of tend to have bright red hair for whatever reason. It’s a very striking look and MR wanted to do a horse version of this as he thought it’d be neat. 5 mins before the review meeting for it he had a big ‘Aha!’ moment, quickly looked up a rusty old Viking sword, and photoshopped it through its skull like that was how it died. “And I was like, ‘I just made a unicorn. Alright, in it goes!’” It got approved. “So we built the thing. It fit. It told a little story”

With the irl Inquisition longsword, one of the objects they tested its cleaving ability on was a plush version of Leliana’s nug Schmooples

The concept art team explored a wide variety of visuals for the Inquisitor’s signature mark. It needed to look powerful and raw but couldn’t look like a horrific wound. In some cases, as cool as the idea looked on paper, they just weren’t technically feasible, especially as they had to be able to fit on any number of different bodies

Bug report: “Endlessly spawning mounts! At one point during development, Inquisitors could summon a new horse every time they whistled, allowing them to amass a near infinite number of eager steeds that faithfully followed them across Thedas. “You could go charging across levels and they’d all gallop behind you,” Jen Cheverie says, “It was beautiful.” Trotting into town became an epic horse siege as a tidal wave of mounts enveloped the streets. Jen called it her Army of Ponies”

The giants came from DA Week, an internal period when devs can pursue different individual creative projects that in some way benefit DA. They also had a board game from one of these that they were going to put in but they didn’t have time. It’s referenced though. It was dwarven chess

Josie’s outfit is made of gold silk and patterned velvet, with leather at her waist. She carries “an ornate ledger” and she has “an ornamented collar sitting around her neck, finished by a brilliant red ruby, like a drop of Antivan wine in a sunbeam”

Iron Bull’s armor is leather. His loose pantaloons and leather boots give him agility to charge

On DAI in particular, concept artists took special care to make sure costumes would be realistic, at least in a practical ‘this obeys the laws of physics and textiles’ sense. “While on Inquisition, we thought about cosplay from a concept art perspective. Given how incredible a lot of [cosplays] are, I now am not worried about them. In fact in some cases in the future I want to throw them curveballs like, ‘All right, you clever bastards. Let’s see if you can do this!’”

2 geese that nested on the office building and had chicks were named Ganders and Arishonk (it wasn’t known who was the mom or the dad). Other possible names were Carver Honke, Bethany Honke, Urdnot Pecks, Quackwall, Cassandra Pentagoose, the Iron Bill, Shepbird, Garroose, Admiral Quackett, Scout Honking, HChick-47 and Darth Malgoose

Bug report: “The surprising adventures of Ser Noodles!” DAI was the first time the series had a mount feature, meaning this had a lot of bugs. A lot of the teams’ favorite bugs were to do with the mounts. There was a period of time where the Inquisitor’s horse seemed to lose all bone and muscle in its legs. They had a week or so where all quadruped legs were broken. It was a bit noticeable in things like nugs and other small beasties but the horse was insanely obvious. “The first time we summoned the horse [for this] and started running around, the entire QA exploration room just exploded with laughter.” Its legs flapped around like cooked fettucine, leading testers to lovingly nickname it Ser Noodles. At galloping speeds the legs almost looked like helicopter blades, especially when footage was set to classic pieces such as Wagner’s Flight of the Valkyries

For DAI the artists were asked questions like “What would Morrigan wear to a formal ball? Can Cassandra pull off a jaunty hat?”

On DAI storyboarding became the norm. John Epler: “Cinematic design for the longest time was the Wild West. It was ‘here’s a bunch of content, now do it however you want’, which resulted in some successes and some failures.” Storyboarding gave designers a consistent visual blueprint based on ideas from designers, writers and concept artists

Quote from a storyboard by Nick Thornborrow (the Inquisitor going into the party at the end of basegame sequence): “Until Corypheus revealed himself they could not see the single hand behind the chaos. A magister and a darkspawn combined. The ultimate evil. So evil. Eviler than puppy-killers and egg farts combined.”

A general note on concept art:

In the early stages of any project, before the concept artists are aware of any writing, they like to just draw what they think cool story moments could be. It’s not unusual for the team to then be inspired by these and fold them into the game as the project progresses

– From Bioware: Stories and Secrets from 25 Years of Game Development

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thespiritoflife · 3 years ago

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Peggy Carter miniseries - part 1

You're under arrest, Miss Y/N.

Pairing: Peggy Carter x Fem! reader

Warnings: grammatical errors

A/N: Did someone say MORE PEGGY CARTER?? Here you go. Hope you like it and please, please, let me know if you liked it anf if you are excited to next parts!!! Thank you!!

PART 2 IS HERE

1929

I watched the girl from our street in amazement. For several times already. She amazed me. She held a wooden sword in her hand and she looked like a warrior. Her older brother wasn't with her this time. Sometimes she motioned for me to join her, but I was too ashamed.

She looked so brave! My parents would immediately scold me in her place. The sword is for boys. Not for girls. I should go sew.

But today it was different.

I saw myself walking towards her. Some invisible force allured me to her.

"Hi," I greeted shyly.

She smiled brightly at me. She was missing a few teeth, but it was so.. cute!

"Hi!" she shouted. "What is your name?" she added.

"Y/N. And yours?" I asked.

"Margaret. But that's what people call me who aren't my friends. You can call me Peggy," she ordered.

I smiled. "Aren't your parents scolding you? You play like a boy."

She sighed, rolled her eyes, and plunged her sword into the ground. "So what? I'll do what I want. Don't you want to try to play with me, Y/N?"

"I can't ..." I sighed.

She brushed her brown hair from her face. "You'll play with me one day."

And it happened. Not that day, a few days later. We became very good friends, although my parents weren't excited to be friends with that crazy girl.

1930

"I'll marry you one day," the nine-year-old girl said.

I giggled. "We will have a beautiful wedding!"

"Oh, Y/N. I love you so much," she said and kissed me quickly on the lips.

Well, we were innocent children. There were no prejudices in us.

1939

"I'm engaged," she said out of nowhere, looking at her ring.

I looked at her in shock. "What?"

"It's Fred Wells. He's nice!" she said.

I couldn't believe it. Peggy, my Peggy, was engaged.

"But ... but ... it's early... you .." I stuttered.

"I know, but I love him!"

"Peggy. It's not you. I don't know what happened to you! Your dream was to be an agent, remember? If you marry him, you'll lose everything!"

She frowned at me. "Do you have to destroy my joy, Y/N?"

I sighed. "Do what you want, but I tell you, you should follow your dreams. I know your mom forced you. She forced you to marry him. Think of your happiness. Not hers. Mike would agree with me."

She stomped her feet. "Why can't you be happy with me?" There were tears in her eyes.

I started crying. "For this,"

I don't know why I did it. But I did it. I leaned over and kissed her on the lips.

At first, she didn't return the kiss to me, but then something probably broke in her because she returned it to me.

I don't know how long we were kissing. But I know who ended it.

She pushed me away. "Stop it! We can't do that!" She wiped her lips in disgust.

My heart broke. "What are you saying? You returned it!"

She blushed. "It doesn't matter. We can't. I think our friendship is over,"

"Peggy ..." I wanted to take her hand, but she pushed me away.

"Go away. I don't want to see you in my life from now."

Something broke inside me. She destroyed me. "Remember when we were kids? You didn't care then. You've changed, Carter. But fine. I'll fulfill your wishes. We'll never see each other again. I wish you a happy life," I looked at her for the last time. I still remember that picture. Tears streamed down her cheeks. She dropped to her knees. "Y/N .. don't leave .. please .."

But I left.

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exsqueezememacaroni · 1 year ago

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that guy likes sounds

Mike Patton with Fantômas, Berlin Germany, July 2 2001

#FUZZY PICTURES OF MIKE LOOKING DOWN THAT I WOULD LET DESTROY ME #series coming soon to a tumblr near you #mild in the post - a freak in the notes #mike patton #fantomas

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honkhonkrichard · 4 years ago

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Theory: Stanley Uris was Murdered.

Tagging @vvanini I hope you can follow this okay it’s very word vomity lol

Okay So TW because this post will touch on Stan's death ad the methods behind it

I propose that Stan Uris was murdered. by IT. In his home on that fateful night. I think that Stan posed the biggest threat to IT and therefore IT felt the need to take him out before the battle even started.

Allow me to explain.

Okay, so, I need to lay out some basic "rules" or "facts" before I make my case. They are as follows.

- IT planted it's roots in Derry, and finds it difficult to leave, but still can at it’s own wil. If you read the book (I honestly don't blame you if you haven't) You'd know that once the Losers kill IT for the final time, Derry (the Physical town) is obliterated. Buildings explode, sinkholes appear, things are flooded. The town is in ruins by the time that the Losers leave the sewers. The movies don't adapt this so If this is news to you thats fine. the bottom line is that destroying IT destroys Derry, like ripping a tree out of the ground with all it's roots. Because of this, we can make the claim that while it can Leave Derry (as it does every 27 years) it probably takes tremandous amount of power to do so, which is why IT only goes when the cycle is over. Why does this matter? Well, what if IT left Derry to get to Stan? The murders had stopped for about a week when they're all in the Jade of the Orient. Plenty of time for IT to cross from Maine to Georgia. Side Note: We KNOW IT leaevs Maine to elsewhere in the world because of King's extended universe all interconnecting. it's not far off at all to make the claim that IT is the same evil that haunts, say The Shining's Overlook Hotel, which is in Colarado.

- IT is omnipresent This is also a given, IT lives everywhere, and can fuck with time and space in godlike (or maybe eldritch like) ways. in IT: Chapter Two, when Mike claims "IT Doesn't know I know what I know" he's unfortunately wrong, because we know that IT can be in A) Multiple places at once, B) can manipulate anything on the drop of a hat (See: Stan being teleported away from everyone else in Chapter One, Everything about Neibolt, etc) and C) Knows everyone's deep fears. This is further proven by IT Saying things like "Beep Beep Richie" (although this is Horribly Horribly executed in the films, ugh.) and so on and so forth. On top of all of this, We can make the claim that IT can exist outside of Time as well, given that IT is immortal. SO, what's stopping IT from Knowing Mike was going to call them all back (Espically considering that IT TOLD Mike to do this?). Even if we keep IT's omnipresence to the location that IT inhabits (in this case Derry) IT would still have knowledge of where the losers are through Mike. And if you take the Lucky Seven/Chosen Seven route (oh my god I got theories on that too) you could argue IT knows where they are inherently due to their cosmic status.

- Stan is the "most Powerful" loser So, obviously all the Loser's are powerful, espically considering they're the ones who Defeat IT (Again going on to the Lucky/Chosen Seven theory). This next claim is going to be less focused on what the 2019/2017 Movies do because they are Bad Movies and that's a whole other rant. However, in the book, Stan is (to my knowledge feel free to correct me on any of this) the only loser to Actively ward off and 'defeat' IT on his own without running away. He uses his belief in this what is Real (birds) to ward off what is "not real" (IT). The other losers do manage to take down IT in their own Right, but Stan is ultimately the one to Really get IT. This is because Stan's character revolves around Belief and Willpower. These are, in some form or another, the ways to Defeat IT. the ritual of Chud is a battle of Wills. in the book, Bill takes IT down and Eddie does the final blow. In the Remake (ugh) the losers can defeat it Technically using the belief that IT isn't as powerful as it claims because IT's "just a clown" (Ihatethatfuckingendingsomuchugh). Stan being much more skeptical than the rest of the group in his ability to understand Reality vs IT's illusions is a powermove, and IT knows that ability doesn't go away as Stan grows up, but rather he gets more powerful. Stan is the Only loser out of the 6 who left that has any sort of knowledge about IT, where the other losers have nothing. Bev has nightmares, yes, but she still forgets them. We're told in his chapter (Chapter 3, Six Phone Calls (1985), Part One: Stanley Uris Takes a Bath) that he has some hazy knowledge of his place in the Lucky Seven, and even goes so far as to MENTION it sometimes, even if he doesn't quite remember or understand any of it, his knowledge of IT and Derry is worlds more prominent than that of the rest of the losers.

(page 52 of IT: "Stanley, nothing's wrong with your life!" "I don't mean from inside." he said. "From inside is fine. I'm talking about outside. Something that should be over and isn't. I wake up frmo these dreams and think, 'My whole pleasent life has been nothing but the eye of some storm I don't understand.' I'm afraid. But then it just... fades. The way dreams do." OR page 45: He had been smiling a little. Now the smile faltered, and for a moment he seemed puzzled. His eyes had darkened, as if he looked inward, consulting some interior device which ticked and whirred correctly but which, ultimately he understood no more than the average man understands the workings of the watch on his wrist. "The turtle couldn't help us," he said suddenly. he said that quite clearly.)

So, Stan has some cosmic knowledge of IT and Maturin and his role in the battle against It. What does any of this have to do with his death? Well, let me point out some other things about Stan's death that always stuck out to me. - His death chapter is narrated by his wife, Patty, rather than himself. The other chapters - almost all the other chapters - are narrated by their respective Loser (the caviot for this is Ben, but Ben is also wasted out of his damn mind so its understandable.) - Stan's personality is few and far between in the book, but we know he has a weird little sense of humour and that he's incredibly logical. I think that this logical part of him would be able to understand that Suicide is Never Ever the answer, and that it would cause FAR more problems than it would solve. (the 2019 movie tries to reexplain his death and it's crap and i hate the letters i hate the letters so much im gonna explode) The other losers try to rationalize his death by saying "He would rather Die Clean than Live Dirty (Page 506, Chapter 10, The Reunion, part 3, 'Ben Hanscom Gets Skinny') but he had already BEEN Dirty when he defeated IT the first time, and I think he would've recognized that. - upon finding him, Patty (in her narration) notes that Stan's head is bent back over the edge of the bathtub, so from his sight she would have been upside down. If Stan DID kill himself, why would he be positioned like that? It's unnatural, like someone Posed him. - the cuts on his arms are two length wise cuts. I'm no expert but.. that's suspicious. That's weird. - IT is written in blood on the wall. Why? Why would Stan right THAT of all things? You know who DOES like to paint with blood? IT.

Alright, returning to my thesis statement, Stanley Uris was murdered. Do I think Stan genuinely was going to take a bath at 7pm (which we're told is weird for him)? Yes. I think that's absolutely a thing he could have done or planned to do. Do I think he slit his wrists and commited suicide so he wouldn't go back to Derry? No. Not even remotely.

Let me paint a New Picture.

It's May 28th, 2016, or 1985. Stanley Uris gets a call from Mike Hanlon. Stan is incredibly hesitant to go to, and says he needs time to think about it. Or tht he'll try. He can feel the starts of a Panic attack, and as he's remembering the circles of Hell he went through as a child, he tries to hold himself together. He doesn't want his darling wife to see his break, so he says "I think I'll take a bath" and nothing else before going upstairs. he hides in the bathroom. He closes and locks the door, because, well, he's panicking. Locking doors is one of The Small things he does. Is it usually the bathroom door? no, but still (OCD is a bitch, and even with medication, but this is a special case). He looks in the mirror and tries to breathe. This is fine. He can do this. They killed IT once before and they can do it again. He thinks about his younger self, the promises made, and how he could explain all of this Patty in time to catch a flight to Maine. It's terrifying, but if his friends are going to bite the dust, he wants to be there with them, wedding vows be Damned. Then he looks at his reflection again. A younger, rotted version of himself stares back at him. IT crawls through the mirror. Stan freaks out, obviously. This isn't real. This Can't be real. But IT utilizes this notion against him. It digs it's claws into his arms, and forces him to bleed out in the bathtub. IT then sets the scene nicely. Razorblades on the counter, a bloody signature on the wall, a horrible posture of Stan's neck. So on and So forth. and then IT returns to Derry. IT's a little weak, yeah, but Stan is dead. That's what matters. the Lucky Seven has now Officially broken, and the balance shifts in favour of the clown.

So that's the theory. feel free to correct me on anything or engage I have plenty of theories on this story and I like discussing this stuff :).

#anyways #Stan #stanley uris #Stan uris #mine #Murder Theory #honktheory #thats a tag now I gues ??#pw #analysis #meta

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teawaffles · 3 years ago

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The Fugitives from the Fire: Chapter 5, Part 1

Note: This is a long chapter too!

Gregson squared his shoulders as he walked.

“I don’t really want to team up with you; but anyway, we have no choice but to solve this quickly. Now it’s time for me to show my stuff after fighting crime day after day in this capital.”

“I’ve thought about it every time we’ve met — but where do you get that confidence from?”

Sherlock narrowed his eyes as he followed behind him. Then, Gregson turned around.

“Oi, that big attitude of yours is probably because the inspector called you in; but I’m the one who messed up here, so I have to take responsibility myself. Don’t butt in unless you’re needed.”

“I know, I know.”

More than anything, the personality of this assistant inspector he’d come to know all too well brought Sherlock a sense of relief. In addition, his words and actions revealed his pride as a police officer, and Sherlock quite liked that.

“Come to think of it, did you really not find out anything during the interrogation?”

Gregson replied without slowing his pace.

“Well, I can’t say that we didn’t learn anything. He told us how he’d come to hide in that building, but refused to say a word on where his accomplice was.”

“So how did he arrive at the inn?”

“From what we heard, after they escaped, the two of them had been moving from place to place in the slums. They first laid low somewhere, but quickly got wind that the Yard was searching the area; hence, they ran off searching for a new place to hide — and ended up at that inn.”

“So does it mean that at the time, the Yard had been able to track them down to some extent?”

Gregson snorted in displeasure.

“Not a whit. It’s disgraceful, but so far, we haven’t been able to trace their whereabouts one bit. Right now, our only lead is that tip-off; in other words, the two of them were just misled by rumours that the police were coming.”

“…………”

Gregson seemed to be pitying the fugitives for the days they’d spent in fear, but Sherlock’s mind was elsewhere.

The criminals had been flushed from their hideout using false information, and ended up at a particular location. At the same time, information had conveniently come the Yard’s way, as if someone had meant for them to arrive at the same place. His intuition told him the situation could not be written off as a mere coincidence.

——Could the Lord of Crime be involved in this case? But if he was, then for what reason?

Sherlock began to think over that question; but before he could reach a satisfactory answer, the two of them had arrived before a different inn, located a short distance from the site of the fire.

“Now, the suspects have been gathered here on the ground floor — please be quiet.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

Temporarily switching his focus, Sherlock replied half-heartedly. Then, with his sullen expression still intact, Gregson stepped into the inn.

Inside, there were several police officers, three men with bandaged faces, and a tall middle-aged woman, who stood firm with crossed arms.

Looking over everyone in the room, Gregson cleared his throat, and spoke in a loud voice.

“Well then, I’ll cut to the chase. ——The culprit is among us.”

“…………”

However, not one person reacted. He was simply stating a fact, but perhaps his entrance had been too sudden, and that pronouncement a tad abrupt.

Looking a little embarrassed after his brave proclamation, Gregson cleared his throat once more, and started again.

“……That’s what we’ve concluded after careful discussion. To begin with, let’s start from these three men gathered here.”

“——Hold on, Inspector! Before that, don’t you have something to say to me?”

“Hm?”

The middle-aged woman took a step forward as she raised her voice, and Gregson turned to face her.

“You are… the owner of that inn.”

“The very one that got burned down, yes! My name is Hillary Weaver — you’d best remember it, since it’s the name of the victim who'll eventually charge you people for expensive repairs.” [1]

Her high-pitched voice was almost akin to that of a witch casting spells. Gregson flinched, taking a step back.

“W-……Why do we have to pay for damages?!”

“Of course you do: the moment all of you came along, my inn disappeared.”

“That’s not true! The one at fault here is the arsonist — the Yard had nothing to do with that!”

“What’re you saying? I’m sure you people sparked it all off. Quit whining and give me back that place of comfort!”

“What part of that wretched inn could be called comfortable?! It’d be more pleasant being buried in straw! When we were interrogating the other man, the floorboards were creaking so badly I thought we were going to fall through the floor any moment!"

“That’s because all of you came in at once! Spare a thought for the building capacity!”

“Are you telling me your rooms reach their limit after just a few people step inside?!”

“…………”

As Gregson and Hillary — the inn’s proprietress — were engaged in a row that was completely beside the point, Sherlock turned his attention to the three suspects.

The first was a burly man. The left half of his face was wrapped in bandages, and his long sleeves were rolled up.

The second was a slim young man with short sleeves. The lower half of his face was bandaged down to his neck.

The last was a tall man of indeterminate age. He wore a thick coat, and his entire face was swathed in bandages.

Three men, three suspects. Right as the detective used his powers of observation on them, Gregson signalled his men to get Hillary to back down, forcing the argument to a close.

“……Dammit, was she silver-tongued. Now I’ve wasted energy.”

His shoulders were heaving, and Sherlock flashed him a cold smile.

“If the talk show’s finally over, then let’s get on with the questioning. We’re short on time.”

“I know! ……Well then, let’s start from the big man over there, and proceed in order.”

Gregson addressed the burly man.

“Tell us your name, the room you were staying in, and what you were doing when the fire broke out.”

“My name’s Mike Myers. I was in room 203, on the first floor. When the fire broke out, I was in my room reading a book. It was from one of my favourite authors, but all my belongings were destroyed in the blaze.”

The man answered in a deep voice that matched his appearance.

Gregson took down the information on a notepad, and moved on to the next man.

“Next, the slim man over there.”

The young man promptly sat up straight.

“Y-Yes, um, my name is Bruno Campbell. My room was…… number 301, on the second floor. At the time of the fire, um…… I was sleeping right until it started. Sorry.”

“There’s no need to apologise. Next.”

Gregson turned to face the last man.

“……Jerry Dorff. Room 101. I was asleep.”

The man who called himself Jerry murmured that in a low voice, uttering only the minimum number of words.

“101…… The ground floor, huh. So all your rooms were on precisely separate floors.”

Once he’d ascertained the suspects’ rooms, Gregson quickly sketched the inn’s floor plan on his notepad.

According to his diagram, on the ground floor, there was a staircase next to the reception desk, and three rooms in a row behind it. Starting from the one closest to the front desk, the rooms were numbered 101, 102, and 103. Further to the back, there was another set of stairs. The other floors had the same layout; it had been a simply-structured inn.

The reception desk, the front stairs, three rooms in a row, and the rear stairs. All the rooms had their doors on the south side of the building, and their windows on the north side. Sherlock craftily took a peek at his drawing, memorising the layout, and applied the locations of the three suspects to his mental picture.

“It seems all of you were in your own rooms when the fire started; but before that, did you stay in your rooms throughout?”

Mike spoke up.

“I never even took a step outside my room after you bobbies entered the building. After all, one of the criminals from that attack on the department store was lurking inside, right? I wouldn’t be able to bear it if I made a wrong move and ended up getting suspected.”

“I-It was the same for me: I tried to avoid moving around as much as possible.”

“Me too.”

The timid young man, Bruno, and the taciturn Jerry both agreed with Mike.

“So you all didn’t leave your rooms, let alone the inn. ——Is that certain?”

Gregson asked one of the officers standing beside him, and the man responded with vigour.

“Yes; I was standing in front of room 303 at first, and two others were standing watch in the ground and first floor corridors — we didn’t see a single person leave their room.”

Sherlock had been listening from the side, and now he pointed to the officer and Gregson in turn.

“So during the break in the interrogation, Gregson took over from you in standing watch outside the room.”

“Indeed.”

“Oi, Holmes. I told you not to butt in.”

Ignoring Gregson’s complaint, Sherlock made a deduction.

“So no one was moving around during the interrogation. Then during the break, the man was left alone in the room. Since no one heard any suspicious noises, it would be difficult to conclude that there had been movement inside the room. In that case, as I thought, the criminal must’ve made his move after the fire began.”

“A-As I was saying, don’t talk without permission.”

“……We don’t have time for that kind of thing. From what you said earlier, it seems you were standing outside the room until the fire began — were you also standing watch throughout after it started?”

Reluctantly, Gregson revealed his actions at the time.

“……No, when I got news of the fire, I went to the stairs nearer the reception to check out the situation. I climbed down until I could see the ground floor, and saw that the corridor there had already been covered in flames; so I quickly shouted for everyone to evacuate as I went back up to the second floor, in order to free the man we had arrested.”

“Did you go door to door when telling people to evacuate?”

“There wasn’t any time for that: the best I could do was to shout in every corridor as I rushed up the stairs.”

“I see. By the way, do we know where the fire originated?”

One of the officers standing to the side responded.

“I was outside the building at the time, but back then, part of the ground floor’s exterior north wall suddenly burst into flames. Though, I can’t say I had witnessed the moment the fire was set.”

“……Oi.”

The officer had readily given information to the detective he so hated, and Gregson glared at him. But as expected, Sherlock continued as if nothing had happened.

“Even so, the mob had surrounded the inn at the time, didn’t they? Was there really no one who saw exactly what happened?”

“The crowd had been rather large, so we couldn’t interview everyone who was there……” the officer responded briskly. “But we didn’t receive any eyewitness accounts of the arsonist.”

Even as he threw a displeased glance at his subordinate, Gregson thought hard.

“In that case, what if he used a device that automatically ignited the fire after a certain amount of time?” he offered.

“That’s one possibility,” Sherlock added. “It doesn’t have to be automatic either; he could’ve sprinkled flammable oil around the area beforehand, then sneaked out the window, climbed down the wall, and thrown a tiny spark — like the cinders of a match — through a window. Just like this, he’d be able to ignite the fire without drawing attention. It started from the north wall, right?”

“Yes, the wall where all the rooms’ windows are lined up,” the officer replied.

Sherlock gazed at the three men.

“In that case, that means any one of you could be the arsonist himself. But the question remains: after the fire began, how did the culprit manage to kill his accomplice in room 303, and create a locked-room murder case without anyone noticing?”

“…………”

In a way, this was the biggest ‘riddle’ in the case; all the officers, including Gregson, fell silent. In this situation, how should they proceed? Sherlock too pondered that question.

——“Oi, Sherlock. This is just my opinion, but……”

Amidst the long silence, the voice of Sherlock’s partner rang out in his mind.

——“When the fire started, Inspector Gregson went down the stairs until he was almost at the ground floor, right? During that time, there probably wasn’t anyone in the second floor corridor. Since Bruno-kun was also on that floor, I think he’s the most suspicious……. Hold on. If Mr Mike climbed up the rear staircase from the first floor, he would’ve been able to avoid the inspector and reach the second floor. Moreover, Mr Jerry was on the ground floor to begin with, so you could say he was in the most convenient location to start the fire……. Oh my, I’m starting to think all of them are suspicious.”

Sherlock could easily picture John getting confused by his own theories; gently, the corners of his mouth creased into a smile.

Then Gregson flashed Sherlock a bold grin as he spoke.

“Oi, Holmes. When I went down the stairs till I was nearly at the ground floor, there probably wasn’t anyone left in the second floor corridor. In that case, since he was on the same floor, Bruno would be the most suspicious. Fufu, as I thought, there was no need to bring you on this ca…… Hm, hold on. If Mike used the other staircase, he could’ve reached the second floor without me noticing. But Jerry’s room was on the ground floor, so it would’ve been easy to start the fire there…… Dammit, now we can’t narrow it down.”

“…………”

Strangely enough, the assistant inspector had unfortunately put forward the same theory, erasing John’s face from Sherlock’s mind once again.

Then, Mike also put forward his own theory.

“Hey, certainly, it makes sense that any one of us could’ve went up to the victim’s room. But wasn’t the door locked?”

“H-He could’ve been shot or stabbed through the door, but from what I heard, there wasn’t any evidence of that, right? M-Maybe after he killed him, the murderer locked the door again from the outside?”

Bruno also proposed a theory, but Mike was sceptical.

“The fire was going to burn everything down anyway, so why would he bother to do that?”

“I-In that case, maybe the killer opened the door to attack him, b-but the victim suddenly closed the door to try and protect himself?”

“Yeah, that might be possible. So when the wound proved fatal, it ended up looking like a locked-room murder. That makes a fair bit of sense; well, what do you think?”

“……I don’t know.”

Mike’s words had started a frank exchange of theories among the three suspects. Sherlock seemed to be listening with great interest, but Gregson seemed annoyed.

“Oi, don’t talk as you please: this is a matter for the Yard to examine. In the first place, it’s not clear whether it was a stab or shot wound……”

Hearing that, Sherlock spoke up.

“If he’d been done in with a gun, there probably would’ve been the sound of a gunshot. Though with a bit of effort, the sound could’ve been suppressed…… Did anyone hear any strange sounds?”

Bruno, who by chance happened to meet Sherlock’s gaze, responded.

“I heard someone shouting ‘Fire!’ from the outside, then flew out of bed, but I don’t remember anything after that…… Oh right: during the commotion, I think I heard something breaking once or twice.”

The timid young man had given an important testimony, but the burly man disputed that.

“Is that so? I was awake the whole time, but I didn’t hear anything?”

Even Mike’s usual appearance was intimidating; hearing that, Bruno shrank back.

“R-Right. It was probably just the sound of the wood snapping as it burnt.”

“……I can’t say either way. After all, everyone was confused and in chaos.”

Jerry also gave a vague testimony, and Gregson ruffled his hair in frustration.

“We don’t even know if there was a gunshot — it feels like we don’t have a single lead at all.”

“But if the killer had fired a gun in room 303, since he was on the same floor, Bruno probably would’ve heard it — though he himself isn’t clear on that.”

“……I knew that already; you didn’t have to say it.”

“Even though you’re making a face like that was a revelation?”

Sherlock poked a little fun at Gregson, then continued questioning the suspects.

“All of you are bandaged up rather pitifully — are they injuries from the fire earlier?”

“Yeah, I got burned while escaping; It’s not life-threatening, though.”

“It’s the same for me: when I reached the ground floor, it was already covered in flames, and when I tried to escape, I tripped and fell…… It was just my luck that the spot I landed on was aflame, so I ended up getting burned around my neck.”

Two of the suspects had explained how they got their injuries, but only one person remained in silence, his gaze slightly lowered. Of course, the detective probed further.

“Mr Jerry. Is your story the same?”

The man looked up at him. Then, after hesitating a little, he muttered briefly.

“……These are from an accident a long time ago. They have nothing to do with the fire.”

Saying that, he pulled his thick coat closer, obscuring his mouth. That caught Gregson’s attention.

“I’ve been thinking about this for a while now, but only you’ve seemed rather reluctant to speak. It feels like you don’t want to have anything to do with this case.”

Sherlock had also gotten the same impression; in contrast to the other two, who had even made their own deductions, it seemed this man was trying to withhold information about himself.

As both the detective and inspector fixed their gazes on him, eventually, Jerry explained himself in a low voice.

“I don’t like people prying into my affairs. But that’s because of my own personal situation; it has nothing to do with this case.”

“Why’s that? Could you be hiding important evidence from us?”

“…………”

Gregson tried to press him further, but Jerry remained silent, his intentions unreadable.

His actions were clearly suspicious, but Sherlock’s intuition told him the man had definitely been telling the truth. Jerry had answered all their questions properly; in addition, he couldn’t sense any hostility to the police emanating from the man.

However, Gregson tended to interpret such behaviour in the wrong way. Sherlock had to steer the conversation down a different path before the inspector made any needless accusations — so he called out to the inn’s proprietress, who had been waiting silently in a corner.

Footnotes:

[1] No relation to Jackie Weaver, the unexpected star of the Handforth parish council: this book was published end-2020, and that incident was in early-2021. (The Guardian)

#moriarty the patriot #yuukoku no moriarty #yuumori #english translation #the girl who sees rainbows

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qqueenofhades · 4 years ago

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Okay, y'all. Time to do this one more time. Let the fact that there are so many of these posts right now reinforce the point. Many of you already know this, and I see and love you, but for anyone still ~undecided about their choice, should they be an American citizen of voting age on November 3, 2020:

Time to not be. It was time a long, long while ago, but I am going to have to say it again.

Primary season is over. The endless fine-tooth combing of candidates' policies and positions is over. We are all deeply well aware that the candidates on the Democratic ticket, being human beings and establishment politicians, are flawed. "BUT WHAT ABOUT THIS POSITION FROM 19/ 20-WHENEVER AS JUSTIFICATION FOR WHY IT'S TERRIBLE TO VOTE FOR -- "

No. Stop. Just stop. Stop threatening to hold the rest of us hostage, in the middle of a pandemic, the Great Depression, and racial inequality and protests on a scale not seen from the 1960s, because you did not get Barbie Dream Candidate. That is the behavior of terrorists and toddlers. If your supposedly enlightened morally pure ideology does not involve any action to mitigate the harm that is directly in front of you, it isn't worth a shit as an ideology actually devoted to helping people. If your approach to politics is to shout about how Pure your ideas are on twitter and tear down anyone working within a system of flawed choices to do the good that they can: you're not helping, and frankly, your constant threats to withhold your suffrage as a punishment to us aren't convincing the rest of us that we really need to listen to you or that you have anyone's best interests at heart. The Online Left TM is as much a vacuous, self-reinforcing noise chamber as the Online Right TM, and can sometimes tend to be even more dangerous.

I was saying this in 2016. A lot of us were saying this in 2016. I am just about to turn 32 years old and have been voting in federal elections for almost 15 years. For what it's worth.

This is not an ordinary election. This is not a contest between two flawed candidates who respect the system and want to work to enact their policies in the ordinary way. One is a flawed 90s era Democrat who nonetheless has already been pushed CONSIDERABLY left in his policies and platforms since the end of the primaries (and his existing platform would already make him the most left president elected, even more than Obama). The other is a fascist dictator who has openly spoken about refusing to accept the election results, his desire to abolish term limits and serve for life, and complete the pillaging of any remaining fragile American public funds for him and his cult of cronies. He does not respect the system. He does not want to do anything for anyone that is not himself. 160,000 and counting needless deaths of American citizens have already happened. Will keep happening.

This is the last time Trump has to face voters. This is the last chance the country has to repudiate his entire poisonous ideology and its marching Nazi minions. IF he steps aside, which is already far from guaranteed, he can ride off into the sunset as a vindicated two term president and probably be rehabilitated like George W. Bush was within a few years of leaving office. American political memory is very short. It will happen. Again, if he even leaves.

RBG is 87 and has cancer again. She will NOT survive another four years. Stephen Breyer is 81. Their seats could both come up in the next four years. The Supreme Court could be a right wing rubber stamp for whatever time we all have left before climate change and coronavirus kill us all.

"But if people just thought for themselves and did their homework and didn't vote the party line like sheep, we could support a third party/write in -- " Stop. Just stop. Attend a ninth grade civics class and learn about how politics work in America. Yes, the two-party system sucks. Yes, the Electoral College is a hot steaming pile of absolute bullshit. Magical unicorn fairy dust fantasies WILL NOT change that.

Do not vote for Kanye (who has pretty much openly admitted he is trying to play spoiler to Biden on behalf of his buddy Trump). Do not vote for godforsaken fucking Gary Johnson or Jill Stein who appear on ballots just to give sanctimonious leftists the illusion of virtue-signaling. If you want any chance of fixing the mess that 2020 has left America and the world in, you need to vote for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. The end.

Biden is a flawed old man who was our last choice, sure. He is also a distinguished public servant who has already been in the White House for eight years under Obama and thus we KNOW what to expect. He is an empathetic man who connects with people's personal tragedy and picked as his running mate a younger Black/biracial woman who directly confronted and called him out on past behavior. While the pundit class was simpering and whining about how it was Disrespectful and how could he consider her, Biden did so, and that speaks well to me of the fact that he is willing to learn, to take criticism, and not just accept it from a former Black female rival, but make her his second in command and the potential first female president of the United States.

Can you EVER picture Trump doing that? Not in eight thousand million years.

As for Kamala, we are all aware of her previous checkered history as a prosecutor (and even then, she did plenty of good things as well!). Since joining the Senate, however, she has consistently become one of its most progressive members. She is the co-sponsor of an economic aid package designed to give every American $2,000/month, backdated to March (the start of the coronavirus pandemic) and continuing at least a few months after its end. A Biden-Harris White House could make that happen. Especially if they are put into office with a Democratic House and Senate (for the love of God, Kentucky, kill Mitch McConnell with fire). That is just one example.

Harris's nomination is obviously historic. And Biden didn't choose another Biden (or another Tim Kaine, the blandest white man imaginable). He chose another Obama: a younger rising star of an immigrant background, a person of color, a former lawyer and someone who represents the diversity of the country that the white supremacists and the Cheeto in Chief have tried to paint as its worst and most degenerate evil.

A vote for Biden and Harris means getting rid not just of Trump, but Mike Pence, Vladimir Putin, Jared Kushner, Betsy Devos, the Trump crony destroying the Postal Service, the rampant coronavirus misinformation and bullshit, the destruction of Social Security and Medicare, the spread of Nazi propaganda from the President's twitter account, the likely two Supreme Court picks that would be as bad as Brett Kavanaugh or worse... on and on. Biden and Harris would be elected by progressive voters and thus answerable to them in 2022 midterms and 2024 general. They can both be, and already have been, pushed further left. They are reasonable and competent adults who have demonstrated experience and compassion. I KNOW about their flaws and past actions I don't agree with. But I'm frankly done with any more counterproductive straw man bitching about This One Bad Thing They Did and how it makes it a terribad awful choice to vote for them. Open your eyes. Look at the alternative. LOOK AT WHAT HAS ALREADY HAPPENED AND THE FACT THAT THIS IS NOT EVEN AS BAD AS IT COULD STILL GET.

Check your registration or register at vote.gov.

DO NOT LOOK AT POLLS AND DECIDE "EH BIDEN IS CLEARLY GOING TO WIN, I DON'T NEED TO VOTE." THAT IS HOW WE LOST LAST TIME.

Unseating incumbents is HARD. It is even harder when the other side has openly laid out their plan to cheat in great detail, and there is nothing really stopping them from doing it. The only thing, in fact, is massive, unfalsifiable results on an undeniable scale.

So:

Vote.

Vote for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.

Thanks a lot.

#hilary for ts #politics for ts #rant #long post #i will be reblogging this periodically as election day nears #haters/trolls will be blocked out of hand

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x--daughters-of-darkness--x · 3 years ago

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HALESTORM: Behind-The-Scenes Footage From Making Of 'Back From The Dead' Video

HALESTORM has shared behind-the-scenes footage from the making of the official video for the band's new single, "Back From The Dead". The track is taken from the group's upcoming fifth full-length album, due in 2022. Directed by Dustin Haney (Noah Cyrus, Luke Combs) and produced by Revolution Pictures, the clip features frontwoman Lzzy Hale and the rest of the band in a morgue and cemetery somewhere between life and death.

Lzzy says: "'Back From The Dead' is about survival, not in a physical sense, even though I know we all have been touched by death especially these last few years. This song is personal and written from a mental health perspective. I wanted to give myself and the world a hard rock song we could shout out loud as the gates opened again. I was on the edge of this world getting completely lost in oblivion, but even though it was the harder of two choices, I didn't just let the darkness and depression in my mind dig me an early grave. I didn't just sit and let it take me. I've erased my name from my headstone, so save your prayers, I'm back! I hope this song, as I pass it on to you, reminds YOU of your strength individually and that you are not alone."

She continues: "The video was so much fun to film! Dustin Haney is an amazing director. Dustin and his team really helped bring my words to life and the video is one of the most cinematic pieces we've done in years! I hope this song, as I pass it on…reminds YOU of YOUR individual strength and that you are not Alone. Raise your horns!"

By breaking rules, bucking trends, and busting down doors, HALESTORM has surged through rock 'n' roll on a singular path without compromise or apology. Along the way, the Pennsylvania-bred and Nashville-based quartet — Lzzy Hale (vocals, guitar), Arejay Hale (drums), Joe Hottinger (guitar) and Josh Smith (bass) — has collected a Grammy Award, scored successive number ones at radio, garnered multiple gold and platinum certifications, and performed to sold out crowds on five continents.

Going against the grain again in 2021, the band weathered the flames of chaos in 2020 and returned stronger than ever with their most empowering and undeniable anthems to date.

"Throughout the pandemic, I was writing a lot of melancholic and hopeless songs about the ups and downs of the world," admits Lzzy. "I've been in this group longer than I haven't been in it. We've always had shows. Even when I was 13 years old, we had a couple of bowling alley gigs once a month. This was the first time I didn't know if we would ever play again. However, I started to use music in the same way I did as a teenager—to get myself through this situation that was plaguing us all. I sidestepped and said, 'Let's keep our heads up, get our attitude back, be a light in the dark for a second, and celebrate the fact we're surviving and there's hope for the future.' So, we started to write songs that were a reminder to ourselves of who we are and what we're capable of. That became the mission statement."

In a way, it's always been the mission statement…

Since roaring to life in 1998, HALESTORM has uplifted audiences with a combination of sonic ass-kicking, provocative songwriting, and unshakable hooks. The four-piece received a Grammy Award in the category of "Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance" for "Love Bites (So Do I)". The song also minted them as the first female-fronted band to hit #1 on the Active Rock radio charts. Thus far, their discography spans two gold albums "Halestorm" and "The Strange Case Of..." , a platinum single "I Miss The Misery", and two gold singles "Here's To Us" and "I Get Off". Between surpassing one billion cumulative streams worldwide, they've notched two consecutive Top 10 debuts on the Billboard Top 200 with "Into The Wild Life" (2015) and "Vicious" (2018). The latter represented a critical high watermark with Rolling Stone citing it as "a muscular, adventurous, and especially relevant rock record." In its wake, "Uncomfortable" emerged as their fourth #1 at rock radio and earned their second Grammy Award nomination, while Loudwire christened HALESTORM "Rock Artist Of The Decade" in 2019. Not to mention, they have supported everyone from HEAVEN & HELL and Alice Cooper to Joan Jett on the road.

Even as the world went dormant during 2020, Lzzy remained prolific. She lent her voice to collaborations with everyone from Dee Snider of TWISTED SISTER, IN THIS MOMENT, APOCALYPTICA, and Mark Morton of LAMB OF GOD to EVANESCENCE, Cory Marks, and Mongolian phenomenon THE HU. Additionally, she joined forces with a trio of legends — Corey Taylor of SLIPKNOT, Scott Ian of ANTHRAX and original SLAYER drummer Dave Lombardo — for the theme song to Netflix's "Thunder Force". Plus, the group contributed a cover of THE WHO's "Long Live Rock" to the documentary of the same name. Expanding her presence across television, she hosted the AXS TV "A Year In Music" series, joined the cast of Hit Parader's "No Cover" as a judge, provided the singing voice for Bella Thorne in the Prime Video hit "Paradise City" and launched her own show "Raise Your Horns" on Rolling Live. On the channel, she appeared in Mike Garson's David Bowie tribute with a performance of "Moonage Daydream" alongside Broadway star Lena Hall. She also participated in the platform's Ronnie James Dio tribute, supporting the Stand Up And Shout Cancer Fund.

At the same time, she remained a huge proponent of encouraging the dialogue around mental health. She participated in a Grammy Mental Health panel and empowered the next generation of rock musicians as the keynote speaker at the Little Kids Rock Modern Band Summit. She also made history as Gibson Guitars' first-ever female ambassador.

"I've learned a lot about myself through all of these different projects," she admits. "I said 'yes' to various adventures, and it made me a better artist."

Working out of her home studio in Nashville, Lzzy and the band channeled this renewed spirit into the music at the onset of 2021. Collaborating with Scott Stevens of THE EXIES, the musicians hit their stride and cooked up the single 'Back From The Dead'. Dramatic distortion and drums rumble as she screams, "I'm back from the dead!" HALESTORM come out swinging as punchy verses give way to a call-and-response chorus shocked to life with a searing solo and thunderous groove.

"We needed a reintroduction," she exclaims. "We needed something that simply said, 'Hey, we're back'. The live show is the time we feel as truly alive as we can be. When you walk out on stage with your guitar strapped on, your guys are next to you, and you have an audience looking at you, it's everything. We're celebrating the fact we're all back together again. Whatever it is that was trying to destroy that part of myself and my bandmates that our fans need couldn't do it. It failed miserably. We're fucking back."

From the moment the band graced the stage at a secret Nashville gig, they were indeed "back," albeit louder, heavier, and emboldened by an unbelievable year. Amped up to jump back in, their tour schedule took shape with festival dates followed by a co-headline run with EVANESCENCE in the fall.

Readying their fifth full-length album, they're delivering the soundtrack for a world ready to roar again.

"We've lost a lot of people, but we can start healing again," she leaves off. "I appreciate the little things even more. I don't only feel this confidence in myself, but also in every one of my band members. We're not the same people, none of us could ever be. HALESTORM is my source of my joy. It's my connection. It's the closest thing to my religion. We're moving forward. With this next album, I hope we're able to create a greater sense of community. We have a beautiful opportunity. When you listen to it, I want you to feel like you can walk through any fire."

youtube

#lzzy hale #Halestorm #Back From The Dead

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llogllady99 · 4 years ago

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The hottest day

CHARACTERS | Everyone from the picture above.

RELATIONSHIPS | Levi x Erwin, Eren x Mikasa, Armin x Annie, Mike x Nanaba, Petra x Oluo

GENRE | Domestic

IV | Day at the beach, Sea, Diving, Football | Soccer, Volleyball, Attempt at humour, Domestic fluff, Fluff, Alternate Universe - Everyone lives/ Nobody dies

SUMMARY | With the titans gone, no threats looming over the horizon, and summer being in full bloom, Survey Corps are left with one final and obvious thing to do: spend a day relaxing at the beach.

WORD COUNT | 3170

This has to be one of the hottest days yet, thought Levi as he looked out the window in Erwin’s office. He was slightly irritated by the golden yellow rays that were placing fire kisses on his form, making his charcoal black hair warm up to astronomical temperatures, his clothes suddenly too suffocating and his skin flush on areas such as his arms and cheeks. Outside those that were actually able to participate in training, would frequently stop to pour buckets of water over their head to cool off, their shirts long discarded and pants cuffed over the knees. The others that had given up, would rest under trees, basking in the shade or close to the building’s walls in the shade propagated by the roof. Erwin was sitting at his desk, completing the last set of documents for the day. The commander was by no means in a better state than anyone. His shirt was unbuttoned completely, exposing his muscular body, its sleeves cuffed just above the elbows. His hair was messily hanging over his forehead, where small beads of sweat would rest and trickle down his face. Levi grimaced, completely fed up of the intense smell of sweat oozing from his husband and the state in which the barracks and the soldiers where in, and stood up. The raven made his way to the desk at which the older man was absorbed completely in his work.

“Right, that’s enough.” Levi said, pulling Erwin out of his work. The blonde looked up and raised an eyebrow. “We need to do something about the heat.”

“And what do you propose?” Erwin rested his head in his hands, rubbing at his temples. “Please also keep in mind that I have not finished the documents yet.”

“Fuck your documents. That’s all you’ve been doing since we eradicated the titans, there’s no more work for us anymore and I’m sure the papers can wait for a while more. I think it’s time to enjoy the outside world, don’t you think?” Levi came behind Erwin and started massaging his shoulders.

“Yes. So this means…?” Erwin turned his head to look up at him, encouraging him to continue.

“I think we should go to the beach: me, you, Mike, Nanaba, Hange, Moblit, my squad, and those fetuses from the 104th. We worked hard, we did a good job. Even Reiner, Bertholdt, and Annie are on our side now. It’s time to enjoy the fruits of our labour.” Levi proposed, giving Erwin a soft smile reserved just for him in their private moments. The older of the two furrowed his eyebrows and turned his head in thinking. After a moment, he let out a long and loud exhale, relaxing his shoulders completely, and turned to the raven reciprocating the same warm smile. With a slow nod, Erwin then told Levi, whose expression lit up like a Christmas tree: “Yes, I believe you are right. Please go announce the others and tell them to meet in 30 minutes at the front gate with their swimsuits and towels and whatever else they need in their bags. Do you want the blue or the green trunks?”

“Green.” Said Levi as he pecked Erwin’s cheek in appreciation, then made his way out the door.

Exactly 30 minutes later everyone gathered up at the gate, beaming with excitement, the sweat and dry heat in which they were engulfed moments ago long forgotten and replaced with visions of refreshing baths. Hange and Moblit displayed the biggest bags out of them all, stuffed to the brim with diving gear, and if their horses’ annoyed neighs and occasional stomping of foot was anything to go by: not at all light. Well, if it was for research then everything went through. Nanaba was the most relaxed out of them all as she didn’t have to carry, her bag in Mike’s possession, like the gentleman he was. Although, not only was he carrying her stuff but he also had a mini cooker secured in the back of his saddle, which was giving him a hard time, but he would do anything her and extra load was nothing for him. A year ago he had to carry so much more during battles and under more strenuous conditions.

The beach to which they went last year had been transformed into a port to encourage trade with other countries, so Erwin took up on Hange’s suggestion of visiting a new place they’d found while on patrol a few weeks before. The beach was beautiful, bushes and palm trees circling it then fading into white and smooth sand. The water was pristine and crystalline, the turquoise blending seamlessly into darker blues, hinting the constant increase in depth. The sun shone even more brightly than before as early morning had long passed, the afternoon now in full bloom. The impact it had on their skin was ebbed by the chilly breeze coming from the sea, ruffling their hair, clothes, and cloaks. As soon as they arrived, everyone unpacked and took off their clothing, leaving nothing but their bathing suits on.

After the initial excitement had passed and everyone had their share of refreshing baths, splashing in the sea, and taking in the landscape, they proceeded to split into groups. Mikasa and Annie had take the initiative of setting up a volleyball game against Sasha, Historia, and Ymir. At first, as the girls were getting used to the game, the ball flew smoothly over the net, passes were cautious, and serves almost every time would not get over the net. But as the real game began, Mikasa and Ymir were blocking and jumping with everything they had, Annie served way too hard, accidentally hitting Sasha on the head and making the girl fall with a loud thud, and Historia was making assists with Ymir. The atmosphere was thick with concentration and competitiveness from both parties. Those who watched their game might’ve thought the girls were giving their all. However, after a pretty shit serve from Annie, the ball was passed by Sasha who ducked down and with her forearms redirected the ball to Historia. The blonde little girl then bent her legs slightly, pushing the ball upwards towards virtually nobody. At that moment, Ymir ran and jumped, intercepting the ball, then smashed it over the net right into Mikasa's head. The raven stumbled on her feet and fell bottom first into the sand. With her body already full of sweat and remaining water from their previous bath, it should have not been a surprise when her whole figure became covered in sand. She grimaced and let out a sharp breath, then stood up to her feet, murder on her mind. Afterwards, Mikasa and Annie kept stealing points from their adversaries mercilessly, making Historia cry and Ymir throw empty threats their way. Sasha, being neutral, tried to calm both parties and bring them to a consensus, but to no avail. Not even three minutes later after the match had ended, Ymir, who had tried to calm down Historia, stood up and proposed another game, one in which she made sure she had the upper hand. Motivation and determination can do a lot of things to a person. For example, seeing her beloved cry was what fuelled the brunette to destroy Mikasa and Annie, intercepting their every ball over the net and smashing it to the floor, earning themselves plenty of points.

Next to them, the boys had also set up a football game. Jean was teamed up with Marlo and Bertholdt, while Eren was with Armin and Reiner. Connie took upon the role of being the referee, bringing his fingers to his mouth and failing miserably to whistle, only managing to produce wheezing sounds accompanied by saliva spraying anything within a two meters’ radius whenever there would be a fault or any other rule violation. Jean’s team was leading with Marlo as their goal getter and him defending flawlessly any attempt at scoring the other team made. The game carried on like this for ten minutes until he decided to glance in the girls’ direction. Sasha just bounced the ball over the net, the object spinning rapidly in the air and to the right side of Mikasa’s and Annie side, falling to the ground fast. Despite being almost impossible to catch, Mikasa ducked down at the last moment, intercepting it with her forearms in a platform pass in Annie’s direction, once again proving her inhumane abilities. Sure the rebound was impressive but what caught Jean’s attention was the way her spine bent, her hips arching up then landing with a thud on the ground, and most importantly, how the skin on her ass bounced slightly at the contact, deranging her Brazilian red bathing suit. At the moment Jean opened his mouth unconsciously in amazement. Eren, who had been watching the whole scene unfold, shot the football right in the fucker’s face, making his jaw and face scrunch in the opposite direction as the ball collided with his face. Jean let out a pained groan and stumbled to the ground.

“You fucking creep! Stop staring at my girlfriend. Also we just landed a goal on you.” Eren laughed then high fived with Reiner.

“I wasn’t looking! This game’s just so lame I intentionally distracted myself.” Jean sneered, rubbing at his face.

A little further in front of them, three absolutely lovely ladies were relaxing on their towels, working sun screen onto their skin with delicate rubbing movements. Hitch, being the palest out of all of them rubbed the most sun screen, claiming over and over again that she by no means could turn up to training looking like a crab at training the next day. Nanaba was chatting amicably with Petra. This was one of the first times they were able to talk outside of the Corps as they were on different squads, thus almost never having the time to do so. In the water in front of them, Eld, Gunther, and Auruo were trying to surf. But with the waves being so tame and low in height they just sat on their boards engaging in light conversation, each of them cracking a joke every now and then. Suddenly, something brushed again Auruo’s foot where it was resting on the sea’s floor. He shrieked in fear, disturbing his balance and falling with a big splash in the water. As he emerged from the water, he took a closer look and found a crab crawling across the sand. Auruo looked for a moment in the direction of the girls and with a mischievous smirk on his face, grabbed the creature carefully and headed in their direction. Poor Petra, oblivious of the danger that was approaching her in the form of her boyfriend, was resting on the towel on the verge of slumber when the cretin threw the creature on her. With an annoyed huff Petra opened her eyes, immediately focusing them on Auruo, whose gaze was directed at her stomach. Raising an eyebrow in question, she also directed her gaze there only to be found with the crab now crawling rapidly on her body. With a blood curling scream, Petra stood up and grabbed the poor creature, yanking it in the direction of his face. The crab, now completely confused and dizzy, grabbed the nearest object: Auruo’s ear, squeezing the piece of cartilage with an iron grip, drawing out a shriek of pain from the man. He grabbed the crab, freeing his ear from the excruciating pain, and threw it in a random direction. His plan had gone completely wrong. Without having time to recover from the abuse his ear received, his face was slapped by a very angry Petra.

“You moron, you completely and utterly stupid cretin of a man, how dare you?!” Petra shouted, grabbing his injured ear, making Auruo bite his tongue and drawing from the regretful man a tear that streamed down from his right eye right to the bottom of his jaw. The display made the red head soften slightly, “Don’t pull that shit ever again on me or I swear to god I’m gonna drop your sorry ass right then and there.” Auruo nodded earnestly then leaned and pressed a kiss to his girlfriend’s cheek.

Not only was the beach beautiful but it also had a wooden pontoon that extended far away into the water to regions where the depth was around 20 meters, right above a coral reef, much to Hange’s delight, who was frantically pulling their diving suit on then equipping themselves with the oxygen tank, goggles, and swimming fins. Moblit was trying to keep up with his partner in crime but found it impossible as he lacked the energy the other was seething with. Hange was first in the water, bitting on the breathing tube and drawing in a few breaths to test it, then put on her goggles with a slap, before submerging, not sparing a look behind to see if the other had followed them. With a sigh, poor Moblit jumped in the water, following them closely behind.

On the same pontoon, on the left side, Erwin, Levi, and Mike were fishing; rods in each of their hands. Levi didn’t find the activity at all appealing. It was just an excuse to hang around his husband. Was he being clingy? Yes, but he didn’t give a fuck. However, the other two seemed to be genuinely interested. They talked about all the kinds of fish they would like to catch, and made those awful dad jokes that just made Levi want to throw them both in the water. Suddenly, something tugged at his rod. He didn’t pay much attention but after a second, third, and fourth tug happened, he started working the reel, pulling whatever caught his lure. When he saw it wouldn’t budge, he pulled harder. By now, Erwin and Mike noticed that he had caught something and were watching him earnestly. As his struggle increased, Erwin started helping him pull but it still wouldn’t move. Mike decided to join and the three of them pulled, finally managing to pull the thing in their direction. The enormous fish emerged from the water with a high arched jump, landing directly on Levi, spreading his fluids all over his face. The man gag angrily before pushing it off then jumping in the water. After he rubbed his skin raw, the raven emerged from the water with a pissed off expression, only to see the thing’s lifeless body in Erwin’s hand. The fish had a pretty impressive size, but what softened Levi was not its size or his beautifully coloured body, all phosphorescent pink, greens, pinks, and purples, but Erwin’s pleased smile. Sighing, he climbed back on the pontoon and took the fish from Erwin’s hands and dropped it in the bucket.

“Filthy thing.”

As night finally settled over the beach, the group sat themselves around the bonfire Reiner and Bertholdt had managed to light up. Now huddled closely against his husband’s chest, Levi couldn’t help but feel completely at peace. Finally the danger had passed and they were now able to enjoy themselves fully without the fear of dying the next day. Mikasa and Eren were also cuddling together with a blanket Eren had brought, engulfed in their own world, engaging in hushed conversation accompanied by occasional kisses to the crowns of their heads, cheeks, and lips. Annie was laughing softly at something Armin was saying, running her hands through his hair, where he rested his head on her lap. Petra was telling a story to Eld, Gunther and Auruo, waving and motioning aggressively, her eyes wide open and the tone of her voice oscillating between loud and soft, depending on the events of the story. Hange was making observations about today’s research expedition or to put it simply: diving session, while Moblit was sketching furiously the kinds of marine life he saw today. The others were in their own small circle listening to Jean play the guitar, accompanied by Sasha’s and Hitch’s sweet voices, forming a calm and slow…love song? Judging by the warmth Levi’s stomach filled with, maybe it was a love song or a friendship one. One about hardship and finally finding relief and closure, whatever it was he could relate. As this song came to an end, Jean changed the chords and intonation signaling the beginning of a new song. Sasha and Hitch, apparently also familiar with it, began humming slowly at first, then chanting, then fully singing:

Well you didn't wake up this morning 'cause you didn't go to bed

You were watching the whites of your eyes turn red

The calendar on your wall was ticking the days off

You've been reading some old letters

You smile and think how much you've changed

All the money in the world couldn't buy back those days

You pull back the curtains

And the sun burns into your eyes

You watch a plane flying

Across a clear blue sky

This is the day, your life will surely change

This is the day, when things fall into place

You could have done anything, if you wanted

And all your friends and family think that you're lucky

But the side of you they'll never see

Is when you're left alone with your memories

That hold your life together, like glue

You pull back the curtains

And the sun burns into your eyes

You watch a plane flying

Across a clear blue sky

This is the day, your life will surely change

This is the day, when things fall into place

This is the day (This is the day)

Your life will surely change

This is the day (This is the day)

Your life will surely change

As the song came to a stop, Levi finally identified the feeling that kept invading his stomach: love. He loved all of those people, although he would never admit it. Finally being able to see them be truly happy and enjoying the remaining of their lives, no longer in fear of the titans, was making him incredibly happy. With a soft and content smile now grazing his, he spoke:

“I wish this day would last forever.”

“Summer’s just begun, darling.” Replied Erwin, nuzzling and kissing the crown of his lover’s head. They now had their whole lives ahead of them; a million more days to enjoy, sunrises and sunsets to watch, and appreciate the existence of those to which they were close.

Notes:

The song mentioned in this fic is The The - This is the day. Thank you so much for reading my fic, notes and comments are welcomed. I honestly love them so much, each of them deserved so much more but Isayama is the devil incarnate so he won't let us have that. However good thing we have our imaginations, otherwise I'm sure none of us would have been able to cope. Obviously, I do not own any of the art or the characters of the show. This was just what fuelled my inspiration. Thank you so much for taking the time to read it!! Also check me out on Archive of our own @logllady99

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