#removed link because I forgot tumblr hates that whatever

[runerapier]

If you don't mind me asking, what makes you interpret Angeal as anything other than a straight man? He's the least gay character I've ever seen and he doesn't act gay either.

I'm going to assume this isn't sent in bad faith but this is pretty on point with the definition of stereotyping. I mean if you’re defining being gay by how someone looks or acts that is your first problem. Angeal has very outwardly masculine actions and appearance, I’m not really a fan of the insinuation that masculine men don’t “look” gay enough. Angeal isn’t even a hyper masculine or toxic masculine character, he is almost always described in a way that is seen as nurturing or caring. His own fan club compared his hobby of cooking to that of a wife. Things like gardening are often seen as more a “feminine hobby.” This isn’t to say Angeal breaks insane boundaries but Angeal isn’t this rigid masculine character in the first place. Besides my personal headcanons, Angeal and Genesis' stories take quite a bit from The Fall of Mankind (and religious and mythological symbolism in general but I'm going to try to stay on track). They purposely made two male characters represent Adam and Eve, and this isn't the first time they have done something like this in a final fantasy game. For example: while they are more developed than Genesis and Angeal, characters like Fang and Vanille are based on the Nordic myth of Ragnarok. There is a lot of information that couldn't be included in the final game of Crisis Core but is still intended canon, I'm going to be using a lot of that as a reference point. The full explanation is pretty extensive and I'm also not an expert on The Book of Genesis. I tried my best to do research for this, but it is possible I am still missing things and that this can still be expanded upon.

I'm going to start off by giving a deeper explanation on how Angeal represents Adam and how Genesis represents Eve. Genesis already has a very strong connection to The Book of Genesis because of his name. Rhapsodos comes from rhapsody, his full name is literally "genesis reciter". Genesis and Angeal were the first two attempts at an artificial “cetra” created by Shina representative of Adam and Eve being the first humans created by god. (While there is some debate if the first woman is Lilith, she is often been seen as a demoness.) The kanji for Shinra already is a direct reference to god, and is symbolism for how they like to play god themselves. The image below has a great explanation that is much better than what I can do, but to keep it short 神 (shin) literally means god or divine and 羅 (ra) is derived from 網羅 (mōra) which means "encompassing".

The fruit of knowledge is typically portrayed as an apple, which connects with banora whites. It represents temptation, Genesis offers the apple to others when talking about truth and revelation. Instances like in Nibelheim, Genesis offers the fruit to Sephiroth after telling him the truth of his origins. Sephiroth rejecting the fruit is a sign of him rejecting the truth, and we see he continues to go along with a story he is happier with. Sephiroth decides to believe misinformation that is less painful, the rejection of knowledge is indication he is not Adam or Eve.

Banora is heavily connected to the flow of the lifestream, which is what makes Banora whites grow any time of year. The lifestream is said to contain knowledge of the planet and its people, that being what powers the fruit further reinforces the idea that they represent the fruit of knowledge. Banora being the source for what is essentially miracle fruits powered by the planet, it is clear Banora is meant to be Eden.

Minerva is said to be sleeping in the caves of Banora, she represents the will of the lifestream. Though Minerva is connected more to Roman Myth and Sophia from Gnostic belief, I would still say she emphasizes the holiness of Banora's land.

Angeal has a story about not stealing to reflect Adam trusting god and not taking from the garden. God's words to Adam were "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, for when you eat from it, you will certainly die." (Genesis 2:17) Angeal stole from other trees besides the big one that had the most delicious fruit. While it can be argued Angeal didn't steal from Genesis in general, Angeal's story focuses solely on the biggest tree with the most tempting fruit, that tree represents the tree of good and evil. At the end of the game, Zack eats an apple under this same tree with Genesis, protagonist and antagonist sharing from the same tree. Shortly after eating the apple Zack learns the truth about how long it's been and leaves to meet his fate.

Hollander approached Genesis with the truth of his origins, convincing Genesis to help him with his plans in exchange for a cure that Hollander never had. Eve was afraid of eating the fruit and dying because of what God told her, but the serpent convinced her she would live. “You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” (Genesis 3:4-5). Both being deceived, they were convinced that they would live if they defied God, and become the catalysts for knowing the truth. Eve did not want to be alone in her defiance so she looked to Adam, much like how Genesis approaches Angeal to persuade him to take revenge against Shinra.

Besides Eve being referred to as Adam's wife, Adam also placed his trust in Eve above god. He decides to listen to her and trust her despite his creator telling him he will die. Angeal places his trust in Genesis above Shinra when he decides to defect, believing he can rationalize with him despite this being high treason.

This has happened before already, Angeal placed his trust in Genesis above Gillian and defies his mother to join Shinra. Gillian didn't want her family to be connected to Shinra and despite how highly Angeal respects his mother he still defied her wishes for the sake of following a dream with Genesis.

This leads into the next part, less about how they parallel The Book of Genesis and more about how they parallel other characters in the narrative. This makes me a little nervous to talk about so I’m going to put a small disclaimer that I am not arguing for any canonicity of ships because I think it is a waste of time. However, I think discussing characters' feelings that push their motivations is important.

In the narrative, Angeal also greatly parallels Cloud, I feel like this isn’t something that is talked about enough in general. They share a great deal of small parallels like both enjoying landscape photography, being associated with wolves, and elementally representing lightning. Besides surface level things, both Angeal and Cloud have a guilt complex and feel responsible for the people around them. The main parallel that’s important to this conversation is their childhood friend from the same countryside town.

Cloud was inspired by Sephiroth and his desire to protect people he loved like his childhood friend, Tifa, to join soldier. This is similar to Angeal joining to be with Genesis; their childhood friends are motivators for both of them.

This is something that’s pointed out in DFFOO as well, Angeal hears about Tifa and immediately draws the connection.

Both Cloud and Angeal feel responsible for protecting and looking after their loved ones, Angeal is seen as a caretaker type for this reason. Both Cloud and Angeal want to help fulfill the dream of their childhood friend, Tifa's was being saved by a hero and Genesis' being to share an apple with his hero Sephiroth. We see this when Cloud berates himself for not being the hero Tifa wanted and Genesis telling "Angeal" the dream has been fulfilled implying it has been something he knew about and wanted to help him achieve. Angeal's will in Lazard only fades away after Genesis said the dream came true, like there was a sense of fulfillment and that he could finally pass on after holding on for so long.

I find it interesting they intentionally draw parallels between Genesis & Angeal and Cloud & Tifa, people who have more explicit romantic feelings. I think Angeal and Genesis are supposed to represent a more “genuine” version of Cloud and Tifa’s relationship. Angeal represents the story cloud wanted to have throughout ffvii, having a childhood friend who never grew apart, who stayed together, and who followed a dream together. Angeal genuinely made soldier, and for a time he felt like he was in control of protecting others unlike Cloud. This contrast stays until the end, Cloud and Tifa learn to repair their relationship while Angeal and Genesis fall apart. Despite having everything Cloud wanted, it was not enough to sustain. This contrast is important in emphasizing that it is not about your background or your past, it is about what you do now and having people to fall back on. None of this is meant to be used as proof Genesis and Angeal are canon, but rather talk about Angeal's strong devotion and feelings for him since he was at least a teenager. They do not perfectly replicate the fall of mankind but it is interesting nonetheless. Here's to hoping we get to see more of how they interact in ever crisis.

[catboyattorney]

on player agency and cutscenes

cross posting from cohost because i have the flu and no impulse control. if this doesnt make sense thats ok this isnt my professional platform. also i’d put a line divider here but its been too many years since ive posted on tumblr and i forgot how.

---

i was talking to a friend about the new god of war game and about Observation and i came to the conclusion that i really, really hate cutscenes. i understand they're expected of high budget games as we try to create Cinematic Experiences but i feel from a narrative design perspective they are the weakest link in storytelling via games

story is best delivered to the player when they have to experience it. the player character killing someone in a cutscene won't have the same impact as the game system requiring the player to actively press the knife in and embody the action. even if the player doesnt have "agency" or choices regarding the actions that take, the fact that the player can only progress by doing something against their will is like...the secret sauce of narrative design. one of many in the pantry, i mean. whatever this metaphor is getting away from me

this forced-action design is pretty evident in my work, both personal and professional. i enjoy making players do things they dont want to do. i enjoy taking choices away, especially in fraught situations. but i dont want to make the player leave while i tell the story. the player might be the hand holding the knife but as narrative designer i'm the one that guides the knife. taking the reins away from the player isnt what i want to do-- i want to possess the player the way they possess my characters

cutscenes transform the player's role from embodying their character + occupying a narrative role to voyeurs, watching from the outside looking in. that isn't to say cutscenes are bad or ineffective! but if the key narrative beats revolve around the player's character, removing the player's presence from the story only serves as an eject button. its no wonder so many people skip cutscenes-- maybe they're missing the story, but they're also refusing to be removed from the game.

anyway if you've ever played one of my games and been like "why does jenna make me keep taking apart bodies" its because im a sicko

[screw-real-life-i-pick-fandoms]

The Past Comes Back (Johnathan Pine x Reader) (Multi-Shot)

Chapter Two

Part 2/3

Words: 1,965

AN: This is part two of The Past Comes Back! Part One can be found here and Part Three can be found here.

I hope you guys like it. Sorry, I posted it twice! The link wasn’t working so I had to re-upload it.

Warnings: Angst, violence, torcher, language, blood. Like there is going to be some heavy whump level shit in this one guys. I got some of my ideas from going through whump prompts on Tumblr.

(Johnathan's POV)

The look on her face before she left broke my heart, and I hated that I was the one who made her cry. How could I have forgotten our anniversary? If I had just checked one of her texts or called her back...

I ran after Y/N into the pouring rain but didn't see her anywhere.

"You really fucked up this time, Johnathan," I said to myself as I walked to my car. "How could you say those things to Y/N?"

I walked back to where my car was parked and opened the driver's side door and sat down, looking out the windshield as the raindrops slid down it.

I didn't mean to ignore Y/N today, I just needed my space. For the past two weeks, she was always around me or trying to call or text me. I never meant to hurt her, but it happened.

The way her eyes filled with sadness when I said she was being clingy, the way her mood changed when I yelled at her. I loathed myself for saying those things to her, for making her feel like I didn't want her around.

The day I asked her to be my girlfriend, I promised I would never hurt her, and here it was on our two-year anniversary and I not only forgot, but I also yelled at her and drove her away.

I had hurt her.

I drove to our shared house, wanting to get home so I could make things right with Y/N. I pulled in the driveway and noticed that none of the lights in the house were on, not even the light over the front door that Y/N always turned on for me when she came home before I did.

I quickly got out of the car and ran to the door. It was locked so I gave a few quick knocks but there was no answer.

"Love," I called out, letting her know it was me. I waited but there was no reply. "Y/N? Are you in there? I am so sorry about what I said, please let me in and we can talk."

Still nothing, so I got out my key and opened the door. The first thing that attracted my attention was that her shoes were not by the door, also her bag was not on the counter either.

"Y/N?" I called out, getting a bit worried now. "Y/N, please if you are here, just say something."

I walked around the house and there was still no sign of her, and I knew she wasn't here. I was growing more worried by the moment, but I tried to calm myself down. Maybe she walked slower than usual, maybe she took a different way home. Whatever the reason, I wanted to go out and find her, it was dark and stormy, something could happen to her, and I also wanted to apologize as soon as I could.

I ran out the door and began my search, calling out her name as I ran. I turned the corner and, in my haste, tripped over something laying on the ground. I looked down and my stomach churned, it was Y/N's bag.

"Y/N!" I called out louder and picked up her bag. "Y/N, where are you?"

I didn't know what to do, all I knew was that I needed to find Y/N. There was one person who I could think of to help. I pulled out my phone and dialed the number.

"Angela?" I asked as soon as I heard her pick up. "Angela, she is gone. I don't know what to do, she is gone!"

"Slow down, Johnathan," She said trying to calm me down. "Who is gone, Johnathan?"

"Y/N," I said trying to keep it together. "She is gone! We got into a fight and she walked home, but when I got back, she wasn't there. I went out to look for her, and I just found her bag on the ground."

"Johnathan," She said her voice turning deadly serious. "Did you see anyone who looked like they were following her? Was anything out of the ordinary?"

"No," I said disoriented. "Yes, no, god I don't know. She had been acting different for the past two weeks, but that's about it."

"Acting different how?" Angela asked.

"She was acting, and I hate to say it like this, clingy," I cringed as I said the word. "She would not leave my side if we were together, and if we weren't, she was constantly calling and texting. She normally isn't like that, but two weeks ago she started acting like that."

"Johnathan," She began, keeping an even tone, but I could tell she was starting to get worried herself. "Please tell me she told you about the letter."

"What letter?" I asked my concern growing.

"Shit," She said under her breath. "Why does Y/N always insist on doing things herself? Look, Johnathan, I need you to come in right now. I will explain everything when you get here."

She hung up and fear filled my whole body. What did Angela about a letter? What was going on? What happened to Y/N?

*Time Skip*

(Johnathan's POV)

I didn't even have both my feet in the door before Angela grabbed my arm and pulled me to her office.

"Angela," I began as she sat down in front of her computer. "What the hell is going on?"

"You know how Y/N was one of our agents before you met her right?" She asked.

"Yes," I said. "She was one of the best, so I am told.

"That she was," Angela said as she typed on her computer. "Her last mission is still not a fully open topic, but you need to know what's going on. In short, Y/N was sent in undercover to bust an international human trafficking group. After six months, we had enough to bring them down, and so we did. We saved one-hundred and forty-three woman and arrested all sixty of the operatives, or so we thought. Y/N told us that one had gotten through us, his name is Flint Garth. She went into hiding for a while and when she came back, she retired. Everything seemed fine, but two weeks ago that all changed."

"What happened?" I asked.

"Two weeks ago," She began. "Y/N received a letter from Flint, and I told her to keep a wary eye out."

"Why didn't she tell me any of this?" I asked getting angry and worried at the same time.

"Well, she wasn't able to talk about the mission," Angela said. "And quite frankly, with the things she went through and saw during her time there I don't blame her for not want even mentioning it. The letter, I have no idea. I honestly thought you knew."

So that was it, that's why she was acting so clingy. She was worried about me, and I snapped at her for it.

"I'm such an ass," I said quietly. "Why didn't I just ask her?"

"What is that supposed to mean?" Angela asked me.

"When we had our fight," I said looking at the floor. "It started because I had forgotten our date, in fact, I had forgotten it was our anniversary. She was upset but what really seemed to bother her what the fact that I didn't answer any of her calls or texts. I snapped at her, said she was suffocating me and being clingy. She ran out the door, I should have followed her. Hell, I shouldn't have yelled at her. It's my fault this has happened, oh god, it's all my fault."

"Johnathan!" Angela yelled, bringing me back to reality. "It's not your fault! You are right about being an ass, but this is NOT your fault. Right now, we need to focus on getting Y/N back."

*Time Skip*

(Y/N's POV)

I woke up to pain all over my body, and I could feel something like rope or wire cutting into my wrists and ankles, strapping me to a chair. I could also feel rough fabric tied tightly around my mouth and eyes. I tried to get out of my restraints, but if I so much as moved slightly, they would cut deeper into my skin, and I could already feel blood.

"Good," I heard Flint's deep voice say from my right. "You are awake. Now the fun can begin. You know, when you and all your little agent friends busted our operation, it caused a lot of problems. I myself had to watch my back for a few months, making sure our angry buyers wouldn't come looking for me. I always said I get back at you, and here we are. "

I could hear his footsteps getting closer to me, along with the familiar buzzing crackle of a shock stick. I remembered that sound very well, it was one of the many horrible things they would use on the girls who disobeyed.

"Ah," He said. "So, you do remember this. You know, this was never my favorite thing to use, I prefer making them suffer more, but I guess this is a good way to start.

A few moments later, I felt violent jolts of electricity course through my body. My entire body jerked back and forth, causing the ropes strapping me to the chair to dig even deeper into my skin. I screamed, but the gag around my mouth muffled the sound.

After what seemed like forever, he removed the shock stick from my side and I let out a strained breath.

"I hope you are not getting too comfortable, dear," Flint said and roughly grabbed me by the neck. "We are just getting started."

He pulled his hand away and I could hear some kind of liquid sloshing. Then I was drenched with freezing water. My body tensed at the sudden cold feeling, and I could hear Flint let out a quiet laugh.

Flint did always seem to find pleaser in punishing the girls, he would do all kinds of terrible things to them, and I was honestly scared by what his mind came up with back then, and what he would do to me now.

Then he placed the sick on my side again, this time pushing the wet fabric of my shirt to the side so it would come in direct contact with my skin. The combination of it being on my skin and the cold water conducting it made the pain so much worse. I struggled against my bonds so much that the chair I was strapped to almost fell over onto its side.

"You might want to be careful," Flint said in a mocking tone. "I'm sure the floor isn't that comfortable."

He would move the shocker up and down my sides, pushing it into my skin as he went. I screamed until my voice went hoarse, but I knew no one but Flint could hear the muffled sounds of my cries.

"Well," Flint said after what must have been hours of shocking. "I am going to take my leave for the night. The real fun will begin tomorrow."

I felt relieved that at least, for the time being, I wouldn't have to endure anything else, and could think about how to get out of this situation. He removed the shock stick from my body and I could feel myself slump in relief when I heard his footsteps walking away from me.

"Oh my," He said and I grew nervous at his tone. "You think I am just going to leave you like that? How cute."

I heard him pick something up off of what I assumed was a table and walk back over to me. He lifted the fabric of my shirt once more and I felt him wrap something around my lower torso, and then he slipped the shock stick into the strap so it stayed in place on my side.

I struggled once more against the constant burning of the shocker.

"That will do nicely," He said and this time when I heard him walk away, he didn't come back. "See you tomorrow."

I heard the sounds of a metal door opening and then slamming shut. After he left, the only sounds I could hear were the electric sounds of the shock stick and my muffled screams of pain.

*Time Skip*

(Y/N's POV)

It had been at least a week since Flint had captured me, but I started to lose count of the days after about five. I hadn't slept once in the time I had been here. Even if I would pass out from the pain, Flint would wake me up so he could continue his torcher on me.

I was now only in my bra and underwear, my entire body covered in burses, cuts, burns, and bloody gashes.

When my mind was clouded from the pain I would call out for Johnathan, even though I knew he couldn't hear me. I missed him so much, and what I wouldn't give for him to bust open that huge door and embrace me in his strong arms.

"You know he is not coming right?" Flint said after I had called out for Johnathan for probably around the hundredth time.

Today was the first time Flint had removed the blindfold and gag, and I was able to see my surroundings. I was in a square room that was probably fifteen feet in length, width, and height. One huge metal door that had a small barred window in it. The only light was a bulb that hung from the ceiling above us. To my left, there was a table covered in knives, stakes, strange liquids and other things he would use on me.

He would change his meatheads whenever he felt like it, and now was one of the most painful I had been through so far. He had used one of the smaller knives to slice up my hands and feet, and then he placed them in bowls as alcohol.

It stung so much, and I tried to pull them from the bowls but Flint tightened my restraints so I couldn't. I struggled and screamed, my cries of pain echoing off the metal walls of the room. New blood rolled over the older dried blood on my wrists and ankles from my struggling. After a few hours, my hands and feet went numb and I couldn't tell if it was from the pain or how tight my bonds were.

"Why would he come?" Flint asked as I continued to whimper out in pain, not being able to scream anymore. "I mean, it seems like he doesn't really want anything to do with you anymore. At least that what it seemed like when he forgot your anniversary and pushed you away saying you were suffocating him with your presence. I wouldn't be surprised if he was glad to have you gone, one less problem to worry about."

At first, I believed him but I quickly pushed those thoughts aside, Johnathan still cared about me. Right?

"But if you want to see him that badly," Flint began, twisting a knife in his hands as he smirked at me. "I could bring him here."

I jolted forward as much as I could and let out a growl.

"I swear to god if you hurt him!" I spat at him, venom dripping from my voice. I tried to keep the pain in my voice hidden, but it still came out a bit shaky "Don't you dare lay a hand on him you sick son of a bitch!"

He came over to me and gave me a swift hard slap on the cheek, and I could test the blood in my mouth.

"Watch your mouth!" He yelled and I flinched. "You wouldn't want me to get the gag again, would you?"

*Time Skip*

(Johnathan's POV)

I had barely got any sleep the past two weeks, and only eat when I had to. Y/N was out there, going through god knows what, and we were still no closer to finding her then we were two weeks ago.

We needed to find her. I needed to hold her in my arms and tell her I love her, and that I was sorry. I needed to let her know she was the most important thing in my life. I needed her to be safe.

"Anything yet?" I asked running my hands through my hair.

"I am going to try something new," Angela said typing something in on her computer. "We have a few leads on where he could be, we have been trying to find him for months now. Before you walked in, I had just gotten off the phone with Scotland Yard and they thought they might have a lead on a fake name he could be going by now."

"Really?" I asked, hope in my voice.

"They have been tracking the accounts of a Peter Dune," She said and I could see her eyes reading wherever was on the screen. "He first caught their attention when he bought a large number of chemicals in bulk online from an under the table dealer. He has two addresses, the first is a small one-room flat in the city, the second is an old abandoned lot a few miles outside of the city."

"Well then," I said already walking to the door. "What the hell are we waiting for? Let's go get him."

Tag list: @theoneanna @mybabydrivesa67impala @lokislittleslut @camu-winchester @jessiejunebug @fandomnerdsarecool @narvelc00kie35 @kinghiddlestonanddixon @darkprincessloki92 @namelesslosers @turniptitaness @drakesfiance @wegingerangelica @little-dis-kaalista-pythonissama @imasultforlokiandspencerreid @vethrvolnir @scorpionchild81 @fire-in-her-veinz @dumbgopher1 @lokislittleslut @justagirl6sstuff @jilldsumner

The Past Comes Back: @vesper-lou @o-sacra-virgo-laudes-tibi @mylovelycrazyworld @sunnysidesidra

Let me know if you want to be tagged or if you have a request!

[thefandomlesbian]

You do hurt/comfort really well and I’ve had this prompt floating around for a bit: Coven AU - before the seven wonders takes place and Misty is new - misty comforts Cordelia through panic attacks about her acid attack and Cordelia comforts misty through panic attacks about being burned/hunted.

I decided to cut out the part about Misty because it's very similar to a scene that will appear in my next multichapter. I did write the part about Cordelia, as requested. Read on AO3! Links are not working today for whatever reason (Tumblr hates me) but find it here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17464622....The sun sank below the purple horizon as Misty jogged up from the yard with dirty feet and knees. Golden colors painted the sky a million hues, bronze and gold and pink streaked with red. Misty grabbed the garden hose from the side of the house and stood on the cement porch, eyes fixed on the sky in the distance. Every time an artist dies, she thought, God lets them paint the sky. Her grandmother had given her that wisdom when she was a small child who wanted to play with her watercolors. Misty had never been a good artist--all of the colors bled together until they made brown. This artist, however, had done a good job. They had stripped all of the clouds from the sky except for the faint wispy ones highlighting the golden hues.The stony surface of the concrete scraped her feet, but they had hardened into a thick, calloused surface from living without shoes for awhile. She rubbed the soles of her feet on the rock surface to try to dislodge the largest chunks of mud. Then, she turned on the hose. The gentle spray worked at her hands first, getting all of the muck off of her fingers and from under her cruddy fingernails--she had worked on chewing them down so less junk got stuck under them when she gardened, but nothing really seemed to help. She had taken to using her pocket knife to dig under her nails and scrape the dirt out from under them.Evening birds tweeted their birdsong to the cooling air. Misty climbed up another step to lean against the pillars as she lifted her feet and sprayed them off. The soles of her feet had icky splinters in them. She reached down to try to dig out one of the painful ones, a thorn which had punctured her flesh, and she held the hose off to the side, watching the water run off of the porch into the dry rose bushes as she carefully pinched the thorn from between her thumb and index finger.Behind her, the front door slammed shut. “Misty?” Misty flinched in surprise and whirled around. The stream of water from the garden house sprayed Cordelia across the face. Panicked hands dropped her cane and covered her eyes. She yelped and stumbled back. Misty dropped the garden hose, but like some kind of rogue snake, it bounced off the ground and shot across Cordelia again before it rolled off of the porch and landed in the yard.“I’m sorry--” Misty climbed the steps, but Cordelia staggered sideways--dangerously close to the edge of the porch. “Hey, careful.” Misty nibbled her lower lip between her teeth as she approached the blind witch. Cordelia’s labored breathing was audible. “Are you okay? Miss Cordelia?” As Cordelia side-stepped again, this time teetering over the edge, Misty seized her by the waist. “Hey, let’s, uh, let’s step away from the edge of the porch over the rose bushes, shall we?”Claw-like hands seized Misty by the wrist and scratched at her. Cordelia made a thin shriek. She began to stumble backward, and MIsty held fast to her, standing steadily on the edge of the porch. “Get off--Let me go--” Cordelia’s voice shivered. Misty tried again to pull her away from the unprotected edge of the porch. Cordelia’s fear grew into panic. She wrenched herself away. Misty seized her again, but it was too late to restore their balance. Rolling in the air, Misty landed on her back on top of the rose bushes.All of the thorns of the aging branches pierced her sheer clothing and her skin. Misty howled in pain like she had landed on a porcupine; she tossed a hand over her face to protect it from the strings of thorny branches. Cordelia rolled from on top of her and crawled away. “Miss Cordelia--” In spite of the blinding pain and the impact of the fall which had knocked all of the air out of her lungs, Misty strained to wriggle out of the agonizing thorny bush in pursuit of Cordelia, who landed on her ass in the yard, gasping for breath and shaking all over. The soil of the garden and the grass in the yard had become a soppy mess from the garden horse pouring water into the earth. “Hey, hey--can you hear me?” Misty crawled on her hands and knees. Every time she placed her hand on the ground, it pushed thorns deeper into her sensitive palms. “Miss Cordelia?” Don’t touch her. You scared her before. Licking her lips nervously, she paused at Cordelia’s side. As she sat back on her rump, the branches of the bush that had dragged with her pierced her skin again.Cordelia didn’t answer her. The front of her shirt was wet. Water ran down her face and dribbled from her hair. Misty plucked a few thorns from her hands and grabbed the big branches from her clothes before she brushed the back of her hand against Cordelia’s. She found just as many stickers in Cordelia’s skin. “Here--lemme get these briars outta your skin.” Cordelia hyperventilated. Swaying where she sat, Misty took her by the shoulder, steadying. She feared Cordelia would collapse--though, granted, sitting on the ground didn’t leave her far to fall. Her chin and lower jaw trembled all over. “Miss Cordelia, can you hear me?” Misty asked again. Unsteady breath hiccuped out of her chest. “Here--you know who I am, remember?” Misty wasn’t sure how helpful she was being. She took one of Cordelia’s bloodied hands and picked the thorns out of the palm, and then she placed it on her own cheek.A shudder passed through Cordelia’s body at the first touch, but she didn’t pull away. “Muh--Muh--Muh--” Misty nodded. It was a close enough guess. Cordelia shivered from head to toe, like Misty had dropped her into a snowbank instead of a thorny bush. Her sticky, bloody hand roamed Misty’s face, touching her lips and her nose and her eyebrows and the bridge between her eyes. “Buh--Buh--Buh--” Her buffering lips refused to form a coherent thought.Misty scooted closer to her. “Hey, it’s alright. It’s just me.” She smiled into Cordelia’s hand, trying to be reassuring. Is she having some kind of conniption? It wasn’t like any kind of seizure that Misty had ever seen before, but granted, she hadn’t seen many. “I didn’t mean to scare you. It was an accident.” What the hell is wrong with her? Sweat ran off of Cordelia’s face and marred her sunglasses. Her other fumbling hand tried to remove them from her face. Misty reached to help her. “Take it easy, I got it. Let’s not hurt you some more.” Her whole body stung with pinpricks where the bush had pierced her skin.The bright sunset touched golden rays to Cordelia’s mutilated skin as Misty guided the dark glasses off of her face. Of course. The acid burns dribbled water right across the area the hose had struck. Misty hitched a quiet breath. “Are you okay?” she asked as Cordelia’s shaking hand wrapped around her forearm. “Can you hear me?” Cordelia nodded. “It’s okay. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.”Cordelia’s mouth formed a couple different trembling shapes. She licked her lips. “I--I didn’t mean--” Her voice was a thin croak, and every word trembled with effort as she forced all of the quivering muscles inside of her to cooperate. Her panic had passed over her and left her shaking. “--to scratch you.”Scratch me? Misty had almost forgotten that Cordelia had tried to fight her off. Whatever damage that Cordelia’s dull fingernails had done, the rose bush had certainly done tenfold. “I didn’t mean to drop us into a rose bush,” she said sheepishly. Cordelia reached for her, fumbling in the air and then on her body. Misty eased up beside her and wrapped her into a tight hug. “Here.” Her clothes were wet and covered with mud, and she doubted there was a surface on her body that wasn’t bleeding, but Cordelia’s hair smelled nice, and she had soft skin like the petals of a flower--the petals of a rose, but with no thorns on the stem. Cordelia shook in her arms. Tears fell from her eyes. “It’s okay. Are you hurt?” She shook her head. “See, we didn’t break anything. We’re just fine.”Somehow, she doubted sitting out in the yard in the setting sun with the grass becoming a marsh from the running hose water counted as fine. “I’m s-sorry,” Cordelia whispered. “I fuh-fuh…” She drifted off, and then she tried again. “I forgot where I was… fuh-for a second.” Misty brushed the back of her hand against Cordelia’s cheek, trying to catch the tears where they fell, but Cordelia flinched. Misty took her hand away.“It’s okay. I understand.” Cordelia rested her head against Misty’s shoulder. “Has that happened before?”Cordelia’s jaw shifted. “Once. I was alone.”Alone? Misty studied Cordelia’s face in the light of the waning sunset. You shouldn’t need to be alone. Not for that, especially. Cordelia brushed her hand against Misty’s wrist again, and this time, she took her hand with confidence and placed it on her face--an apology for her reflexive flinching moments before. Misty smiled into Cordelia’s hand. “The sky is pretty tonight,” Misty said. She lifted her eyes past Cordelia’s face to the sky above. The pink streaks grew duller and dimmer, the golden rays melting into blue as the orange and darkness battled it out, neutralizing one another in the middle.Marbled eyes blinked closed. “Yes. It is.” The birds sailed overhead into the sunset, into the wispy clouds. A distant plane pumped out gray clouds of exhaust with a rumbling motor. “Thank you…”The ground beneath them was quickly becoming a cold puddle. Misty didn’t know where the hose had landed, but their clothes were soaked and streaked with mud. Whatever she had planned to help by washing her hands and feet, the effect had been lost. Misty kissed the inside of Cordelia’s dirty palm where it rested on her face. “Let me turn off the water, before Fiona kills me for the plumbing bill.” I’m turning the yard into my own swamp. She crawled across the ground and turned off the water, and the last few droplets squirted out of it. Returning to Cordelia’s side, she offered a hand and tugged her up. “C’mon. I’ve got your cane.” Cordelia swayed on her feet, but Misty kept an arm tight around her waist, refusing to let her stumble. “Do you want me to help you change clothes? I can throw these in the wash really fast so nobody notices the difference.”Cordelia’s face flushed. “I don’t want to be a bother.”“You’re not a bother. You’re my friend.”At the final word, Cordelia clutched Misty’s hand tightly--almost tight enough to hurt. “Yeah,” she whispered. “Friends.” That’s strange. Misty grinned at her, nonetheless, and kissed a spot of dirt off of her cheek. Cordelia blushed. “Alright. That sounds fine. Thank you.”