#shout out to the five or so to the moon fans out there

[emdeejaydraws]

been replaying the to the moon (sigcorp) series and remembering how much i love these two

[imjustasimpxd]

Something Old, Something New

(Chapter One)

➬ Ken Sato x Fem reader

Summary : At first glance, Ken Sato seemed to have it all. With money, fame, and success surrounding his name, there was nothing he couldn’t get his hands on. They say money can buy happiness. That may be true to an extent, however, can money buy forgiveness? Unfortunately for Ken, no amount of money and influence can turn back time and change the past. No amount of bribery can erase the fact that he had chosen to abandon his wife in favor of pursuing his baseball career. That awful decision he made took place five years ago, when he was just starting out as a professional athlete. But now that he’s matured and had time to reflect on his actions, can he hope for a chance to rekindle his marriage? Or should he accept defeat and live with the consequences of letting the only woman he’s ever truly loved slip away from him?

Word count : around 2,500 words

Warnings : mentions of abandonment and neglect, arrogant Sato, sad reader, mentions of regret, angst

Author’s notes : comments and reblogs are appreciated!! I appreciate all feedback on my writing so that I can know what you guys liked and what you think I should improve on

Disclaimer : this is a work of fiction and should in no way, shape, or form, be taken seriously.

Side Note : This fic, and everything else I’ve written on my blog is mine and only mine. I work very hard on everything I write so do not, under any circumstances, modify, copy, or stela my work.

Ken Sato. Looks, wealth, talent, charisma, and confidence rolled into one good looking package. 

The mere mention of his name was enough to cause an uproar of fanatics screaming and shouting in excitement, as if they were a pack of wolves howling at the moon. 

Though he was mostly known for his impressive baseball career, being named one of the most eligible bachelors in sports didn’t hurt his credibility either. If anything, playing the part of the charming ladies’ man only increased his popularity, especially to any of his adoring fans that were women, which most of them were.

After becoming one of the biggest celebrities in both Japanese and American sports, there weren’t many people who were ignorant of a household name such as his. Every man wanted to be him, and every woman wanted to be with him. 

To the public eye, Ken Sato seemed to have it all. But looks can be deceiving, can’t they? Especially when it comes to a man who’s spent years hiding his true feelings behind a veil of humor and charisma. 

No one could know how much he was struggling to keep it all together, or the depths of the affliction eating away at his heart. He was Ken Sato after all, and Ken Sato wasn’t weak, he was a legend, and legends never died, they prevailed. So, he must too.

No matter how much the reporters hounded him, using every possible tactic they could think of to pry into his personal life, Kenji never gave them more than a shred of minuscule details. Feeding them like rats, giving them only the bare necessities to satisfy their hunger for a short while before they came crawling back, demanding more. 

He never let them know more than he wanted, more than he felt like sharing, and frankly, there was a plethora of details he didn’t feel like sharing. 

His reputation of perfection probably wouldn’t uphold itself that well if the media knew about all the things he was wrestling with. Between being a newfound parent to a kaiju infant by day and a masked vigilante known as Ultraman by night, Ken didn’t exactly fit the cookie cutter version of “having it all together.” 

And if that wasn’t enough, then the shame he harbored towards a decision he made almost five years ago would definitely topple the pedestal he comfortably built his identity on. 

The press loved gossip, and they’d fight tooth and nail for even the smallest scintilla of drama. Twisting innocent words and blowing frivolous details out of proportions was the job of reporters. So, imagine the headlines they’d make if those reporters found out any real insiders on the life of the world-famous baseball player. 

Imagine the sales they’d make if a journalist ever got ahold of the information about his past, the same past he’s been hiding away from during his time back in Japan.  

He’s thought about calling, maybe writing a letter to express some form of condolences, but what if word got out? What if the press found out about the woman he used to be married to, the same one he abandoned five years ago in order to pursue his baseball career. 

Forget his most recent batting record, a scandalous story such as that would make headlines from both sides of the Pacific Ocean, and then there really would be nowhere else for him to hide from his past, lest he fancied moving somewhere more remote and secluded. 

If that day came, if Ken Sato was exposed for the decisions he made before becoming famous, then his reputation might take some irreparable damage. 

That’s why he was so closed off towards reporters, towards his teammates, towards everyone. 

Never let anyone close to you and they can never betray you. That’s how Ken Sato lives. 

At least, how he did live, before a little reptilian creature crawled into his life, forcing him to realize there were things that mattered more than wealth and fame.

Before taking care of a kaiju infant became the priority in his life, Ken Sato had rooted his worth in the success of his career. So once that career took off, offering him all the success and affluence he could ever want, he began to realize just how little he really had. 

Despite the riches, the popularity, all of it felt meaningless with no one to share it with. He could’ve held a party with hundreds of guests, surrounding himself with countless people all desperate to please him. Nevertheless, none of it would fill the emptiness engulfing his heart; knowing that no one he interacted with would ever see him as more than a means to financial gain and an increase in social status. 

He had a world full of convenience and opportunities at his fingertips, and yet, he never felt more detached from reality. 

His family was complicated, his friends were more like business partners who benefitted from their relations to him, and the one person he had ever felt truly comfortable around probably hated him now, after being dismissed in favor of baseball. 

In the end, even in a room full of dedicated fans, Ken Sato felt alone. 

However, then that little kaiju infant came along, and everything started to get better. Caring for a child, though tiring at first, gave Kenji something to work towards; a purpose that mattered more than advertising for energy drinks or scoring another record breaking hit at home plate. 

Emi finally gave him the one thing he always wanted, the same thing he always pretended not to need: family. 

After that, baseball didn’t seem to matter as much as it used to, unless he was teaching it to Emi. And all the wealth he had acquired over the years didn’t hold the same value as before, unless he was spending it on his adopted daughter. His lifestyle remained the same, but his heart was in a different place, a more peaceful one. 

Winning championships were more rewarding when he had someone to win for, someone to celebrate with afterwards. And now that he’d repaired the relationship between him and his father, things were looking promising for his future. 

But there was still one more roadblock, one last regret preventing him from moving forward completely. 

You. The woman he’d been married to for a whole year, and, regretfully, the same woman who asked for a divorce due to his neglectful and inconsiderate disregard for her. 

He was young and immature back then, foolishly believing the pursuit of his baseball career was more important than maintaining a healthy marriage. He was arrogant, thinking that extravagant gifts and vacations would keep you happy and secure his role as a provider. 

But he was ignorant to think that being married to you meant he no longer had to earn your affection. All the money and gifts in the world couldn’t make up for the fact that he was never home, and that you were never his priority back then. 

Every morning he’d wake up early, well before you, just to attend practice. And every night he’d come home late, just after dinner, claiming he had needed to stay longer than normal to practice more. 

You’d set out a plate for him, but after his baseball career started taking off, he didn’t really have the time for things such as family dinners or game nights; or so he said. 

He’d usually come home and skip dinner, taking a shower or going to sleep instead. You didn’t necessarily blame him for that, it was only natural for him to be tired from practice. But as the days of barely seeing him turned into months, and he started traveling consistently for his games, you started to feel more like a stranger to him than his wife. He was your husband on paper, but, in the confines of your home, you barely knew how to keep a conversation with him anymore. If you were being honest, you didn’t even really know him that well anymore. 

At least, not as much as you used to. Things were different when you first got married, he wasn’t always so arrogant and inconsiderate. Instead, he was passionate and playful, always knowing how to make you laugh after crying. Even on your first date, he was romantic and charming, making you blush to yourself every time a compliment slipped past his lips. 

But I guess the honeymoon phase people always warn you about before marriage was real; at least, it was for you and Kenji. 

Once his baseball career started taking off, the fame must’ve gotten to his head, and he forgot about the one woman who had been supporting him from the sidelines all along. You had gone to every game, recorded all his winning homeruns, supported his career even though it meant holding off on pursuing yours. And yet, he repaid you with neglect, with a one-sided marriage.

You held on for a while, convinced that he would come around, that his behavior would change and he would reflect on his actions. But after the one-year anniversary of your marriage arrived and he wasn’t even in town to celebrate with you, that’s when you made your decision. You were done being a second choice. 

You got in contact with a lawyer, gathered divorce papers and waited with bated breath till he got home from his trip. And the moment he walked in the door, you practically shoved the papers in his face, all the emotions you’d kept bottled up for so long suddenly coming out in a volcanic eruption of shouting and sobbing. 

And surprisingly enough, he stayed quiet through the majority of it, just watching with a hollow stare as you unleashed all the frustration you’d been harboring towards him. And without a word, he took the papers from you and fished out a pen from his desk drawer, signing them in silence. 

Maybe he had realized from your onslaught of emotions that you were better off without him, that he was clearly causing you pain, and you’d be happier once he set you free of him. Or maybe he really was just that heartless and figured now was the perfect opportunity to get rid of you. Either way, your stomach seemed to twist into a knot at the way he so casually signed those divorce papers and handed them back to you. 

This was what you had wanted, wasn’t it? You’re the one who had gathered the papers in the first place, you should’ve been happy that he was finally ending it, finally setting you free. And yet, you felt yourself holding back tears at his lack of emotion. He didn’t try to argue, he didn’t plead with you to give him another chance like you had expected him too. He just admitted defeat, giving up on trying to fix your marriage and taking off for Japan two days later. 

He left, leaving you back in America while he returned to his home country to continue baseball there; abandoning his American team in the middle of their journey to the championships. 

He had given you an opportunity to move on, to become the person he always prevented you from being, and so you took it.

You cut all forms of communication, threw out everything of his that he didn’t take when he left, and moved into your own apartment. It was a fresh start, a clean slate, and you finally had the chance to chase after your dream career, just like he had been doing.  

So, you did, and you didn’t give up. You refused to, you owed this to yourself, and you weren’t going to waste any more time pouring effort into someone who didn’t appreciate it. 

So, you worked, tirelessly, anxiously, until the day came when your newest novel finally become a bestseller all around the nation, and you were officially titled a successful author. 

Now it was your turn, to stand in front of a crowd of adoring fans, to sign autographs and attend fan events. It almost reminded you of your ex-husband, how people used to scream his name and cheer for his success. But now they were cheering for you, supporting you like he hadn’t. You almost laughed at the irony of it all. Five years ago, you would’ve never imagined the life you’d made for yourself now, celebrating your fourth bestselling novel in a row and becoming a well-known author like you always dreamed of. 

And yet, looking back, none of this would’ve been possible had you not been set free from the restraints your marriage to Ken Sato had bound you to. Without him and the neglect he subjected you to, you wouldn’t have worked as hard as you did. So really, in a way, you had him to thank for how far you’ve come and all the success you’ve accomplished. Because if he never signed those papers five years ago, you would still be tied down to a one-sided marriage. 

But you weren’t, and thank God for that.

Now you had moved on, and so had he. 

Or so you thought. 

Little did you know, Ken Sato was on a mission, and not as Ultraman this time. After undergoing the change and maturity necessary to become a parent to a kaiju infant, Kenji realized he needed to make things right between the two of you. Even if it had been five years since he last saw you. 

He wasn’t looking to ask you to take him back and rekindle your marriage, though he wouldn’t have minded if that ended up happening. Instead, he simply wanted to apologize for his actions, for being such a crappy husband back then. He had reflected a lot on the subject of your marriage over the past couple years, but, he never reached out in fear of your reaction to seeing him again. 

Although, after avoiding it for long enough, and getting a lecture about taking responsibility from his dad, he finally decided to go through with it and booked a flight back to America. 

He was nervous to say the least, but he knew he couldn’t back out. Even if you screamed and yelled at him, he had to take accountability for his past actions and apologize for the pain he’d caused you, for pushing you to the back burner while he allowed baseball to take priority in his life. 

He’d made peace with himself and his father already, thanks to the help of his adoptive daughter. So now it was time to make peace with you. And as he watched the plane lift off the ground from his window seat, he held his breath, wondering how you would react to seeing him again after so many years. 

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[cdragons]

Blood & Pain - Druig x Hecate!Eternal Reader (Kaetlyn) Oneshot

Pairings: Persephone!Eternal Reader & Hecate!Eternal Reader, ft. Sephia x Ikaris, and Kaetlyn x Druig Word Count: ~3.5k Summary: A lil' oneshot to show how Druig and his wife got together, and what way to show that than with hot and heavy SMUT! Warning(s): SMUT (if you are under 18 DNI), some angst if you squint, mention of bullying (sort of), slight mention of blood, knife conjuring, Druig is obsessed and we love that, I just really wanted to write something to get me into the Halloween Spirit Notes: This a surprise oneshot to my wonderful beta reader, @valeskafics! She is in the middle of midterms, so I wanted to gift her a lil' oneshot to thank her for all of her help and encouragement! She is an incredibly kind and patient human and one of the best and most incredible fanfic writers for HOTD, GOT, and the Ewanverse on Tumblr! If you love any of Ewan Mitchell's works or are a fan of GOT/HOTD, I highly recommend checking her blog out! You will not regret it! Also, the BIGGEST thank you and shout of love to @ethereal-athalia my good man in the storm, I have never clicked so well with someone on this platform when it came to crazy ideas, and thanks to her, I can write out my ideas and share them on this site!If you want to read more from this AU, please click on this masterlist!

No matter how the rest of the team believed, what ideas his own children liked to conjure, how the tale was spun by generations -- Druig did not fall in love with his wife at first sight. He knew who you were, Kaetlyn, a fighter who could manipulate the shadows of every living being. You would later the mother of surgery and modern medicine- and even beyond that, a scholar and pioneer for feats of magic that remain untouched even by the greatest of the Supremes in the Mystic Arts.

He couldn’t remember the time he first realized that he loved you- he only knew that when he recognized it, he had fallen so deeply that he could no longer remember what it felt like not to be in love you. You were everywhere. There was simply no place left on this planet where Druig would wander that you wouldn’t be there beckoning him to you.

It was almost shameful how long it took for him to fall in love with you in comparison to how quickly you adored him. It had taken him over 100 years for you to fully gain his attention, and another 200 years for you to wait for him to confess his reciprocation. 200 years of clever banter and harmless flirting that shifted to longing gazes and lingering touches, until you finally had enough of his lame patience and reluctance. You dragged Druig to a secluded area- away from the Domo and humans alike, and took his face in your hands and forced his lips to yours. One kiss become two, two became five, and soon you and he had joined together in an explosion of passion that would bind you to him for the rest of eternity.

The sun had long set, and stars and moon glittered in the night. The two of you were as naked as the days you were born. Your need to have each other was beyond a matter of lust, it was primal need. Druig had torn your clothes without any thought- he starved for you. Any barrier that separated your body from him was flung away. Your skin glowed in the moonlight, every curve and line of your frame gloriously highlighted for his eyes alone. His lily-bloomed skin laid under you, ready for anything and everything you would give him. He still remembered the words you whispered to warn him all that would come as a result of your love.

“Druig, I must warn you,” you whispered. Druig kissed you across your collarbone, and you tugged on his hair to gaze into his eyes. “I can be very selfish- I will have all of you, or none of you.” 

He could feel your wet center throb with each wince that escaped his lips. “You already do, my love,” he whispered back, silently pleading you to let him continue. “I swear you do.”

He craved you. He desperately wanted to map his tongue and lips across your body; he wanted to memorize the feel of your skin, the smell of your sweat, the taste of your cum. Whatever you gave him, he wanted it all.

Pushing him to lay on his back, you crawled forward to hover your soaked cunt over his cock. “I’m selfish- relentlessly so, any other woman that catches your eye will feel no end of my wrath.” You lowered yourself only enough so that his tip could paint its precum on your clit, the corner of your lips curled into a cruel smirk in response to the strangled moan he let out. Your body trembled from the sheer delight you felt at witnessing the surly telepath whine so pathetically from your touch.

“Please,” he begged, “please angel. Let me feel you- I need it- I need you.” Druig could feel his eyes filled with tears from the overwhelming pleasure that would fill him. “I want to touch you, please-”

Druig’s whimpers were brutally cut off as you placed a finger over his lips.

“Shhhh- not yet,” you breathily whispered, “you need to earn your pleasure, my love.” Your pupils dilated seeing him take your finger in his mouth, and used his tongue to suck on it. “I need to know if you understand what it means to love me, and have it in return.”

Before Druig could respond, you lowered yourself further- until he filled you to the brim with only a single thrust. You were so taken back by the sheer size of him that you felt your climax wash over as every part of you trembled from the intense euphoria.

“By Arishem,” you thought, “how is he so big?”

You wanted to make him beg, to drown him in so much pleasure that it would hurt. Whatever pain you inflicted on him now, it was nothing compared to the torture you experienced in having to wait for him to admit his feelings. You lost count on the number of times you pleasured yourself at the thought of the man beneath you. So many times, you wanted to sneak into his bed, and wake him to witness the maddening effect he had on you. But having him inside you was better than anything you could imagine.

Gripping his shoulders, you lifted yourself until only his tip remained-before slamming your hips down to his- repeating this motion until falling into a rhythm that was accompanied by a song of wild moans and gasps. Everything about this man- the aquamarine shine in his eyes, the glowing pallor of his body, the tone and strength in his muscles- screamed the image of perfection to you.

“Druig, Druig,” you could only cry out his name- as if it was the only word you knew, “I love you, I love you, I love- FUCK!” You screamed out at the feel of his hips moving to meet yours, and before you could blink, he shifted your positions so that you would be laying on your back as he caged your body with his frame.

Druig couldn’t take it anymore, it tormented him to not take you without abandon. For so long, he dreamed of having you like this- warm, teasing, and his. You called yourself selfish, so what? Druig knew what it meant to be selfish, to want to possess and devour every part of you until there was nothing left for anyone else to take or see.

You must have blind to not see his desperation for you. How could someone so bright and brilliant not understand that he would gladly let you tear him limb by limb if it meant to be loved by you.

To have you under him like this- writhing in ecstasy, crying from exquisite pain, your soft curves molded against his hard frame- it was as if this was his true purpose. It was not to assist in humanity’s evolution, but to belong to you as you would belong to him. It was to have you like this at every waking moment- filling you with love, and overwhelming you with desire.

As he continued to slam his hips against yours with reckless abandon, he trailed his lips down your throat, sharply nipping your collarbones, until all that he could reach were your heaving breasts that moved in tandem with his thrusts. He was so enraptured by your presence that when you peaked once more on his cock, his rutting only grew more relentless and rougher than what you thought was possible.

Stars, he loved the way you screamed his name. He wanted everyone to know it was him who made you mad with elation. He wanted the whole world to know that you, Kaetlyn- gloriously headstrong, brilliantly beautiful Kaetlyn- the wielder of shadows, and master of the darkness and night, was begging for his cock like a common whore.

“Look at you,” he snarled- jaw clenched so tightly that his teeth threatened to break from the pressure, “what were you saying m’darling? I could have sworn that you were trying to get me to beg- but look at you now.” Your head thrown back as your hair sprayed around you like a beckoning halo as you babbled nonsensically, legs wrapped around his torso to minimize any potential loss of distance, your wickedly sharp nails cutting into his skin to leave vibrant trails on his back as blood leaked from the wounds. “You can’t get enough of me, can you?”

Your only response was whimpers and cries, so Druig decided to be a bit cruel, and slowed down before pulling himself out and stopping completely. The loss of your warmth was complete agony, but the consequence was well-worth the pain at the sight of your immediate reaction.

“DRUIG!” You cried out in pain. You tried to move yourself to feel more of him, but the smug bastard had pinned your torso down- and your body was still recovering from the overstimulation of your previous orgasm. Still maintaining his grip, Druig towered above you in order to gain a better vantage point. Staring down at the aftermath of his onslaught, he almost came right then and there. You were the very likeness of desired perfection- tears had leaked from your eyes and were trailing down your face, your flush travelled down to the tips of your breasts, and there was not a corner of your body that wasn’t covered in marks left by his teeth.

“Please, Druig, please-” you begged him, “don’t stop! I need you!” You felt you were dying from his loss, you felt so empty. It was like you finally felt complete, and when he pulled away it was as if all the air in your lungs were completely snuffed out. You couldn’t bear the pain- it was tearing you apart. You tried to pull him down to get him to kiss- you needed his love; nothing would ever be enough- not when it came from him.

Your soul craved his.

Crystalline blue eyes softened momentarily before steeling once more to grip your hips even tighter, Druig barely lowered himself- just enough to mix his throbbing tip’s precum with your slick. No matter how much he adored you -- however much he wanted to give in to you-- he needed you to admit that you were his first.

“Open your eyes,” his rasp sent chills to run throughout your entire body, “and see what you do to me.” When you looked into his eyes, you were taken back by how dark they had become- that beautiful pale hue had minimized into a thin ring from how dilated his pupils had become. It wasn’t just lust that swam in his gaze, but also mania and lunacy. His piercing gaze, along with his heaving breaths created such a stark contrast to the calm and collected mask he showcased to everyone- humans and Eternals alike. Druig looked less like the usual apathetic god everyone thought him to be, and more like a raging terrifying beast that fed on savagery and only cared to fulfill his most primal urges.

You have never seen such a magnificent and enthralling sight before, and you prayed to the stars above that this time would not be the last.

Druig could hear your thoughts, and he didn’t care how insane he looked. He wanted you to see all that you did to him- how you engrained yourself into his very soul and being. You called yourself infatuated, but he was obsessed. And as aware he was of his own delusion; he didn’t ever plan to stop.

Fuck Arishem- fuck anyone and everyone who would dare keep you from him. He didn’t care the lengths he would have to go to keep you by his side. Let them paint him the villain- it was all worth it if it meant having your love.

“Tell me.” He pleaded you, “please, my angel- tell me your mine. Let me in, I want all of you and only you.” His eyes held so much love and trust that it took your breath away, and it made your heart swell with so much adoration for the man that caged you between his arms. There was only one thing to say, the only thing that mattered that would seal a vow between you both for the rest of eternity.

Summoning all your courage, leaving behind all your bravado, letting all your insecurities to be put on display, you whispered, “Yes.”

Immediately after you condemned your soul to his, Druig speared himself into you to the hilt with a single thrust, and pressed his lips to yours to drink in every one of your throes of passion. Setting off at a relentless pace, it was not long until another brutal climax sheared through your body. With each push, Druig’s cock hit that spot inside you – resulting in stars to bloom around you as your mind was clouded in lust. With each thrust of his length, tremendous stimulation tearing through your walls. The sound of skin-on-skin surrounded the area around you, creating a forcefield of bliss that could not be intruded by anyone but the two immortal beings engaged in their act of fervor. The only other sounds that could be heard were the gentle whispers of the night breeze, along the soft chirpings of the crickets.

Feeling his cock throbbing, Druig knew that he was reaching his limit. However, he refused to finish without you going over the edge with him. Setting an even more ruthless pace, he could feel the trembles that ran throughout your body as he fights to hold control over himself, and not releasing himself deep inside you. Only being able to get a few more thrusts in, Druig viciously cursed as he let out a snarled cry – the loudest you have ever heard from him. With one final push, he came deep inside your cunt, painting your walls with his cum as you felt his warmth flooding inside you. The sensation of the thick ropes of cum engulfing your cunt triggered your final climax, and you felt the evidence of your indescribable pleasure that washed over you mixed with his thick cum that overflowed within you to the point where it leaked out of your core.

Refusing to part, the both of you let yourselves bask in the bliss-filled bubble that was the aftermath of your lovemaking. But as happy as you were, dread filled your mind as you realized what you had done. You knew how the others saw you. How Kingo and Sprite liked to poke fun at your darkness, how Ikaris would voice his doubts of your ability to protect with ill-hidden snarks to Ajak, even the humans would whisper in fear at the sight of you soaked in deviants’ blood in the aftermath of your many onslaughts. It was bad enough that they looked down on Sephia for how she so faithfully remained at your side, you couldn’t let the man you loved be dragged down as well – it would have been too much.

No matter how Druig liked to present himself as cool and indifferent to human conflict – you knew that it was far from true. You’ve watched him for centuries, and there was no one else on the world whose soul was as gentle and carried more love for humanity than even Ajak and Sersi. You couldn’t let your own selfish desires bring his ruin, you refused to let that happen.

“This was a mistake,” you forced yourself to say as you faced away from him to locate your attire, you couldn’t bear it if he saw how much it killed you to say it, but it needs to be done, “I never should have let it go this far.” You crawled on your knees to reach your tunic, “Let’s just forget this ever hap-”

A vicious growl cut you off as Druig’s hands grabbed your wrist to the point where you were sure bruises would show tomorrow. “Don’t,” he snarled, “even try to insult me by suggesting to pretend that this never happened- that we never happened.” Pulling you back to cage you in his arms, Druig buried his face into the crook of your neck- as if imprinting the scent of your skin to his memory in fear that you would disappear before his very eyes.

Leaning forward to whisper in your ear. “How could you ever think for a second that I could possibly go on with my life after finally having you? Tell me angel, how do you expect a man to simply live on weeds after finally partaking a drop of ambrosia?”

Your heart melted at his words, but you could not let yourself be swayed. “Druig,” you started, “you don’t understand the cost of being with me. You deserve someone who is kind and warm and-”

Druig forced you to look into his eyes. “Stop. Don’t you dare let the words of those idiots make you see yourself as less than the perfection you are. Do you know what I see when I look at you?” His eyes softened for what he was about to ask next. “Let me show you, my love.”

As his pale blue irises glowed into a golden hue, making him transform into a sight akin to godliness, you opened your mind to his, and what you saw shook you to your core. You saw scenes of yourself travelling through your shadows, taking down dozens of deviants with only a few arrows from your quiver, as well as the aftermath of you standing alone in a field of mangled corpses dyed with black tarlike blood. You saw yourself as the humans did, embodied darkness that killed with cold precision and controlled beings with their own shadows.

But soon you saw moments that you had forgotten, moments that you believed were private. You saw yourself sneaking away at night in the cover of darkness to watch ghosts roaming aimlessly, along with the pity in your eyes from hearing their sorrows. You saw yourself in your room at the Domo, surrounded by scrolls from topics ranging from rare spells to hand-drawn diagrams of the human body. You witnessed the smile spread across your face when you helped a spirit finally reach their peace to the other world. You saw the time Ajak approached you to ask for your assistance in delivering the children from expectant mothers in the village. You saw yourself come outside the tent to hand over the child of your first delivery to the father, who thanked you with tears in his eyes after being informed that both the child and mother safe and healthy. You watched yourself stare in shock of his praise before seeing the child reach for your finger, and let yourself feel the disbelief that flooded you at the sight of pure innocence staring back at you.

“You call yourself selfish and unkind,” Druig’s voice brought you back to reality- his eyes returned to that familiar blue, “but that couldn’t be more untrue.” He softly pressed his forehead to yours as he continued. “Would a selfish person spend night after night gathering impossible texts to study for an unnamed spirit to finally reach peace? Would someone unkind research every possibility in order to ensure that a mother could hold her child? How could you let someone as pathetic as Ikaris and Sprite taint your own views of yourself so much? Kaetlyn, I was a coward for waiting for so long to tell you my feelings, I was selfish in thinking of my own pride and dignity was more important than your strife. But still you loved me, and I could not be more grateful for your existence for that.”

Tears ran down your cheeks as you felt all your walls crashing down, how could someone so frustratingly wonderful exist? If this was all a dream, you never wanted to wake up. But just to be sure, you took a stone that just fit into the palm of your hand and transmuted it into a silver dagger. Holding it just above his heart, you warned him one final time.

“Druig, no matter what sweet words you whisper, I am selfish. I could kill you now without hesitation. I could cut you and cause you so much pain that you would beg for death. Do you still wish to remain by my side?”

Staring back at you with only ardent love and unfiltered adoration, Druig grasped your hand and dragged the blade’s tip across his chest. Thin trails of dark red life leaked from the wounds, but there was no indication of pain. “If loving you is pain,” he whispered as he wiped the blood from his wound with his finger, only to smear it across your lips, “then let me bleed.” He repeated those same words a year later, when he married you in a private ceremony after the two of you sneaked away from the village’s harvest banquet.

Tagging: @valeskafics, @ethereal-athalia, @aphroditesmoon, @3vergr3en, @its-actually-minicika, @fivebefore21, @asa-do-your-thing, @hypnoticmistake, @blog-100, @tacorice, @prettyvintageafternoon, @deanthomaswhore, @angelnyx, @henesseyhaven, @xcharlottemikaelsonx, @sunphyre, @beananacake, @atomwritez, @vikingqueen28, @getawaycardotmp3, @redheadspark, @heliosphere8, @bambiandbam, @americanprometheuss, @chaoticdetectivewidow, @mazerunnermarvel, @bryandechartisasmolbean,

Let me know if you want to be tagged! Have a happy October! Please be kind, and leave a like/comment/reblog!

[lakeofflowerss]

The moon, she and I ( Fleurmione )

English is not my first language so I apologise in advance for my mistakes.

They had said goodbye to Ron and Lavander less than five minutes before so they could start their way to their respective homes. The night was beautiful. Hermione couldn't tell if it was because it wasn't hot because, on the contrary, it was quite cool and the weather wasn't so overwhelming or because Fleur was holding her by the shoulders almost pressing her to her as she talked about how the stars seemed to shine much brighter than usual at the same time the music, now soft, was still enveloping them despite being almost a block and a half away from the bar.

Fleur's laughter echoed in Hermione's chest just at the height where she had her head resting. She looked up and Fleur's mouth was moving as she let out giggles and words that Hermione's brain, totally hypnotized by the situation and intoxicated by the strawberry cologne, couldn't quite understand. At some point the laughter subsided as well as the walk, she could not say for sure when they stopped moving forward, much less could she define the exact moment when Fleur fixed her gaze on her with a beautiful glow, even more dazzling than the moon's own.

Fleur felt like time had stood still there, in them, embracing and smiling at each other while a gentle breeze caressed their faces. She sighed helplessly as she ran her gaze over every faction of Hermione's face, just as she had done that time on the terrace, the first time she had been dazzled by the particular glow the other seemed to emanate without noticing it in the slightest. Still the Earth's satellite was not at its brightest, apparently she had to wait a little longer to have her picture perfect romantic date under the light of the full moon.

Hermione's eyes were locked on her. She had never been a big fan of direct and sustained stares, to her they tended to be extremely invasive and judgmental but now she had those brown eyes fixed in the darkness of her own she couldn't remember a time when she had felt safer. The lashes and crinkles that adorned his gaze accompanied by the sweetest smile in the world was the sight she wished she could hold as long as possible in her mind.

Hermione's hand slid carefully and gently to Fleur's neck. At no time did her gaze tremble or her smile drop. She separated from the other's body for only inches and for such a short amount of time that it wasn't even worth counting. The older woman's arms wrapped firmly and warmly around her waist in an unneeded attempt to keep her from escaping. She tilted her head to the perfect spot for their breaths to begin to mingle even with two centimeters coming between their lips.

Hermione's thumb first outlined Fleur's jaw as if it were the petal of a rose and then slid across her lower lip. The delicacy of the caress sent a shiver down both their spines. The scene was different, the sensation was different, much more of them, much more private than all the previous ones.

"Can I?" Hermione knew, Fleur knew, they both knew the question was because the connotation of what would come next was nowhere near similar to the previous ones.

"Yes...please." Fleur swallowed saliva and deep breaths came to her chest at the same time Hermione's lips came to her, and with a tenderness she had never been gifted with, she kissed her.

The kiss was sweet and intimate, even when they were in the middle of the sidewalk of a busy street that insisted on reminding them of their normality with the passing cars shouting all kinds of things and honking their horns. The bubble they formed was thick enough to feel that the noises and screams were meters away from them. In the distance, just where the terror of both of them and their insecurity about opening up with each other had been.

The seconds passed and the kiss continued its rhythm, their accompanied and calm breaths were the faithful reflection of the peace that was flooding them. The touch of both of them on the other possessed an extraordinary warmth, the breeze kept caressing them and it was the only thing, together with the soft music in the distance, that kept them on earth without letting their minds make them fly to the thousands of scenarios where they would like to replicate that kiss.

Separating was torture. They both felt the lack of the warmth and comfort that the other instilled in them. When Hermione arrived at her home, number twelve Grimmauld Place, she found Harry, Ginny and Teddy waiting for her in the main library. When she walked through the door she saw her nephew asleep in Ginny's arms who looked like she was about to fall into the same situation. Harry sat up and his face reminded her of her own when he was up to some mischief.

"Where were you, Hermione?" he asked her firmly as he searched her face and body. She couldn't help but smile. Her friend, brother at this point in their lives, was one of her favorite people in the whole world. Sometimes he forgot the detail that they were the same age and cared for each other as if they were little kids, as they did all their lives as the relationship was a back and forth. Although for some time now Harry chose to repay all the care that Hermione gave him since they met.

"Harry, relax" she placed her hands on her brother's shoulders "I was with Fleur." She smiled and felt him relax.

"Were you still with her? You could have warned me, I thought you were only going to see her for an hour and come back. It's almost three in the morning. We thought something had happened to you because your phone was sending us straight to the message box." the quickness of the words and the residue of alcohol still in her system made her let out a giggle as she threw herself on him to hug him.

"I ran out of battery and the truth is that when I'm with her I forget everything" she sighed and walked away "sorry. I promise it won't happen again."

"It's okay." revolleted his eyes and smiled at her. "So...Tell me, how was your night?"

"I'm going to get everything ready for tea and tell you about it. " she turned toward the kitchen.

[thedragonchilde]

"Chibodee has lit a fire in Domon's soul": a ship manifesto years in the making

For my followers who have been wondering what the hell I've been on about, here you are.

Before I start, a quick rundown for the newbies, of the show and the characters of the hour, as is customary for ship manifestos:

Earth has been ravaged by war, so all the nations created space colonies, and everyone who could afford it fled to them. In order to try and 'fix' the problem of war, they have decided to settle their differences by way of the Gundam Fight. The Fight happens every four years, and calls for every country to send a Gundam and a fighter to control it, and they spend a year battling it out, and the last one standing gives his nation the right to rule all the others for the next four years.

Earth is the ring.

The other thing to know is the presence of a secret quasi-mystical society called the Shuffle Alliance, which has existed throughout time for the purpose of overseeing wars and making sure humanity survives. There are five at any given time, mapped to card ranks, and they are magically 'chosen' rather than deciding to join. They are linked together by crests on their hands and an ill-explained empathic bond.

Domon Kasshu is our intrepid main character, and holds rank King of Hearts. He is 20 at the start of the Fight, and has been training as a fighter since he was 10. His father was sentenced to stasis by the government for alleged treason, and he wants to win so he can make a bid to reverse that. He broods quite a bit, but his anger is too red-hot to let that stay for long. He's LOUD and PASSIONATE and FEELS A LOT OF THINGS and SHOUTS A LOT. He's also a giant child sometimes, and that's not always a bad thing, particularly when he interacts with children. Also, he has a sexy suit-up sequence to rival Sailor Moon.

Chibodee Crockett is also 20, and holds rank Queen of Spades. He actually grew up an orphan on Earth (specifically NYC), but was discovered by talent scouts after a street fight and taken to the colony to be trained. He makes a name for himself as a professional boxer, and is undefeated by the start of the Fight. He is literally the rags-to-riches American Dream, and he seizes that, aiming to win the Fight as a symbol to give hope to those still living on Earth. He is loud and impulsive and naturally flirtatious, and has a heart of gold. And, you know, an 80s metal hairdo.

-

So why do I find this dynamic compelling? Let's start with what canon gives us.

In Chibodee's debut episode, they don't get off to the best start (a suckerpunch is not a meet-cute), and miscommunication induced by the Neo-American government makes it worse. But things get immediately friendlier once the two are able to have their match and communicate in the best way they know how. Domon wins the bout, and Chibodee doesn't handle the loss well, insisting that he's let down his fans. Now, we already know from the series opener that Domon has no qualms with leaving a situation that he feels isn't his business - so it stands out to me that Domon refuses to knock Chibodee out of the tournament, and in fact encourages him to keep fighting, even calling him “one of the good guys”.

This mercy must have stood out to Chibodee as well, because in “Prepare to Fight! Desperate Fugitive” he is downright obsessed with finding Domon again for a rematch, getting his team to scout the area and even going along with Neo-Mexico’s plan to use him just for the publicity. Even for the purposes of revenge as he claims, that's a lot of time and effort spent pursuing one guy. Their interaction is only in the last leg of the episode - Chibodee attempts to muscle in on Domon's match, then says he's “lost all respect” for Domon when he thinks Neo-Mexico’s Chico has been killed, implying that he respected Domon in the first place despite everything. When he figures out what the plan actually is, he thinks it's incredibly clever.

Then we get to the Guyana Highlands training arc. Our five-man band has just become the newest Shuffle Alliance, though they're still figuring out what that means and how they're tied to each other.

Right out of the gate, the narrator refers to Chibodee as Domon's “destined rival”. And the characters seem to agree! If self-proclaimed mentor Schwarz wants Domon to train against someone, he has plenty of choices, including two who fought him to a draw, but for whatever reason he decides Chibodee is the best option - and he secretly encourages Chibodee's team to come to the same conclusion.

When Chibodee arrives and finds Domon, instead of announcing himself, he just watches Domon train (shirtless, mind you) for long enough that the weather turns from sunny and beautiful to a thunderstorm.

Eventually, he does announce his presence, and they face off in the rain - and it's not just the lightning that's electric, as they excitedly comment on each other's technique and reenergize their fighting spirit, just as Schwarz planned. (In fact, Domon is so into the fight that he needs to be told there's an SOS signal from their support teams!)

It's some time later before we see Chibodee again, and he's either stayed in the highlands the whole time or left and came back, and either option is damning. The fledgling Shuffle Alliance has gathered, drawn to Domon, who’s gone off on his own without a word. Aside from George's half-baked excuse about wanting to protect Rain from wild beasts, the others are fairly upfront about wanting to see Domon, if only to fight him. But Chibodee gets oddly defensive and claims he just has nothing better to do.

When Domon returns from his training, his former teacher Master Asia strikes with the self-regenerating Devil Gundam, and the group has to find their way out. While they're strategizing, Chibodee makes a suggestion, then blushes and hurriedly assures Domon that he's “not doing this for you!” as if anyone would take it that way.

Eventually, they separate and reunite in Neo-Hong Kong for the tournament finals. Their next big interaction is in “Domon Targeted! The Assassin’s Staff”, where Domon is caught in the crosshairs of Neo-Nepal’s Kyral, who tries to assassinate him ahead of his next match. There is a very scary run-in with Kyral in broad daylight, which ends with Domon's shoulder slashed open. Chibodee comes to the rescue, laying Domon across his lap as he drives to help - at least until he flips the car in the chaos.

They do eventually get help, but Domon still has to face Kyral in the ring. For his part, Chibodee has decided to hang around Domon's lodgings for the entire two days between the attack and the match. Guilty? Worried? Feeling a little protective?

I won't say much about “Dazzling Power of the Clown! Get Mad, Gundam Maxter” here, except to ask: when Chibodee goes out that night and has his first meltdown, why is it Domon that the girls call to check on him?

As is the nature of tournaments, Domon has to face off against the other members of the Shuffle Alliance. He appeals to their bond as the Shuffle Alliance, but they each put their reasons for entering the tournament first, and will only come back around to the group once they've decisively faced Domon. Chibodee actually sounds pretty anguished about this, and, presumably in the interest of good sportsmanship, shows Domon his newest technique so he knows what he's up against.

Here are just a few real honest to God quotes from their match:

“Get ready for this, baby!”

“--and most of all, it's for you!”

“Your hunger ignited a fire within me”

“You sure know how to make me happy, Chibodee Crockett!”

“Chibodee has lit a fire in Domon's soul”

“I can feel your dream”

Domon wins with a technique that hasn't been seen before or since, and in fact manages to knock Chibodee out for a few seconds! When Domon reaches out to help him up, it is in shoujo soft focus. Again, Chibodee is discouraged, and again Domon tells him that he hasn't let his fans down, and then reassures him that the fight was great and they can rematch any time he wants. It's a lovely side of Domon we don't always get to see, being literally and figuratively supportive.

Eventually, we get to the battle royale, a winner-take-all match on an enclosed island, where of course the Devil Gundam has been resurrected and infected many of the participants. The Shuffle Alliance takes on foes to clear the way for Domon to go to the center. I mention this because in the span of less than a year, Chibodee has gone from ostensibly hating Domon to being willing to die for him.

Domon wins the tournament, but that's not the end of his troubles, as Rain, after having left Domon, is taken by the military to power the Devil Gundam. The emergency signal has the Shuffle Alliance going to Domon about it (and at least in the dub Chibodee shouts his name in this beautiful breathless, anguished way). Domon at first refuses to go after Rain, wanting to respect her wish not to see him again. But the others have seen the burgeoning romantic tension between Domon and Rain, and so Chibodee tries to motivate him by basically saying “don't be an idiot, either you go or I will”. Eventually Domon is convinced, and the rest of the group is not far behind.

Let me preface this part by saying it's not uncommon for other fighters to join in Domon's words in the midst of battle, demonstrating the connection between them brought about by 'communicating with your fists'. But only once does this happen when it's not part of an attack. The five of them have a terrible battle ahead of them, and at one of their lowest points, it is Chibodee who brings out Domon's words as a motivator.

There is a lull in between bouts, in which Domon asks the others why they followed him. They respond more or less with “it's fun to fight alongside you”, and Chibodee in particular phrases it in a ridiculous way that makes everyone laugh for an awkward amount of time because it's a scary moment and nobody wants to say “we care about you”.

Domon has to fight the last leg alone, not that the others didn't try to follow him, and rather than attack Rain, he disentangles her from the Devil Gundam with the power of love, in the most literal way. Now, of course, during his big confession, we get reaction shots of the others, and I have to say Chibodee looks rather more upset than expected for such a scene.

Now wait, you may say! Domon has a canon romance, one that literally saves the day, so what are we doing here?

Well, this is not the place for my thoughts on Domon/Rain. This is, however, a place for embracing transformative fandom. All I'm definitely saying here is that I find the Domon/Chibodee dynamic compelling, and there's maybe a canon precedent for Chibodee having caught feelings. But this is fanfic, so anything goes; maybe this is an alternate timeline, or maybe you prefer to write Rain with someone else anyway, or maybe the three of them come to an arrangement.

What I know is that they have a bond that the narrative itself acknowledges, one in which they consistently build each other up. They have a lot in common temperamentally, being evenly matched in hot-bloodedness, but their attitudes are sort of the inverse of each other - Domon is serious and melancholy, but deep down is trusting and wants to believe the best of people, where Chibodee keeps things light and devil-may-care, but he's a little more world-weary, a little more easily discouraged - and this makes them interesting foils. I just think there is a lot of unexplored potential in their relationship - especially in adding a romantic/sexual dimension to both the Shuffle Alliance empathy and ‘communicating with your fists’ - and I want to think I'm not the only one who sees it.

-

This is normally the part where I recommend other fanwork, but at the time of writing this, there are four works under this ship tag, one of them is mine, and two are Domon/multiple. There is a little bit of art on pixiv under the チボドモ tag. I know this is a thirty-year-old anime, but I also know that hero/friendly rival is usually slasher catnip, as is dudes in latex saying things like “you sure know how to make me happy” to each other.

[unastrawberrywolfartist]

My Creation Of: The Camping Episode With Four And Friends (The Fan Created Non Canon BFDI XFOHV Short Episode)

[Opening Scene: A sunny forest day. Four and his friends—Zero, One, Two, X, Three, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, and Ten—are setting up camp. Birds chirp in the background.]

Four: (excitedly) Alright, friends! Time for a camping trip! We’ve got the whole gang—Zero to Ten, plus X! Who’s ready to explore the forest?

Zero: (grinning) I brought my trumpet to play some wilderness tunes!

Seven: (carrying firewood) And I’ve got the fire ready for food. Ramen noodles for everyone!

Ten: (nervously) Uh, cool… but what about wolves? I heard they live in forests.

Two: (cheerfully) Oh, Ten, don’t worry! We’ve got Four to protect us.

Four: (waving a hand) Exactly! Wolves are no match for me. Let’s go explore!

[Montage: The group hikes through the forest, splashing in a stream, climbing trees, and laughing. X trips over a root, Five helps him up, and Nine takes a selfie. The sun sets, transitioning to night.]

[Night Scene: The group sits around a crackling campfire. Seven stirs a pot of ramen noodles, while Three and Six skewer strawberry cream puffs over the flames.]

Seven: (serving bowls) Ramen’s ready! Grab a bowl, everyone!

One: (slurping noodles) This is so good after hiking all day.

Three: (handing out cream puffs) Try these—roasted strawberry cream puffs, fresh from the fire!

Four: (grinning) Perfect. Now, who’s up for a song? (starts singing loudly) “C-A-M-P-F-I-R-E S-O-N-G song! C-A-M-P-F-I-R-E S-O-N-G song!” (referencing SpongeBob)

X: (giggling) Four, you’re so extra!

Zero: (pulls out trumpet) Let me add some flair! (plays a loud, off-key tune)

Four: (cringing) Ugh, Zero, that’s awful! (snatches the trumpet and hurls it into the woods) No bad music in my forest!

Zero: (pouting) Hey, that was my masterpiece!

[A distant, eerie howl echoes through the forest. The group freezes.]

Ten: (whispering) W-what was that?

Five: (calmly) Probably just the wind, right?

Four: (dramatically) Oh no, that’s no wind. That’s wolves. Gather ‘round—I’ve got a scary story.

[The campfire flickers as Four leans in, his voice low and spooky.]

Four: Long ago, in this forest, there were algebraic wolves. They howled equations so creepy, campers vanished into thin air! One night, they surrounded a group just like us… and poof—no trace left.

Ten: (shaking) Four, stop! I’m scared!

Nine: (nervous) Uh, is this story real?

Eight: (skeptical) Sounds like Four’s making it up again.

[Another howl, louder this time. Twigs snap in the distance.]

Six: (jumping) Guys, something’s definitely out there!

Four: (grinning) Time to defend ourselves! No sombrero hats, rainbow dresses, ramen noodles, or whisks—those won’t help. We need a real plan!

Seven: (drawing a circle in the dirt with a stick) Here, a circle! Wolves hate circles—it’s geometry 101.

Ten: (panicking) Are you sure that works?!

[A shadowy wolf lunges from the trees! The group screams as it circles them, but it stops at the dirt circle, snarls, and retreats.]

Four: (triumphantly) Ha! Math wins again! We’re safe!

Two: (relieved) That was too close.

X: (panting) I thought we were wolf food!

[The group relaxes, but then another howl—deeper, stranger—cuts through the night.]

Ten: (whimpering) Not again! What’s that now?!

Seven: (shrugging) Just the wind howling. Or wolves. Y’know, forest stuff.

Four: (squinting into the darkness) Not just wolves. That sounds like… something creepy. Holy mother of algebra, is that—

[A silhouette appears on a rocky cliff above, howling dramatically at the moon.]

Four: (shouting) FOURTEEN?!

Fourteen: (waving casually) Hey, campers!

Ten: (screaming) WOLVES AND FOURTEEN?! I CAN’T DO THIS!

One: (hiding behind Five) What’s Fourteen doing here?!

Fourteen: (grinning wickedly) Surprise! Time to get chased, attacked, and eaten! I’ll munch your skin, your bones—everything! Just like the wolves!

[Fourteen leaps down, howling and cackling. The group screams, abandoning the campfire and scattering into the forest as Fourteen chases them.]

Four: (yelling) RUN, EVERYONE!

Zero: (sprinting) I TOLD YOU CAMPING WAS A MISTAKE!

Nine: (panting) MY LEGS CAN’T HANDLE THIS!

Ten: (sobbing) I HATE WOLVES AND FOURTEEN!

X: (tripping again) HELP ME!

[The camera pans back to the abandoned campsite, Fourteen’s laughter and the group’s screams fading into the night. The wind howls one last time as the screen fades to black.]

[End.]

I Hope You Like It.

[andordean]

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers (except me because obvs I have done it). Spread the self-love ❤

Thanks for the tag, @valandhirwriter.

My most beloved fic will forever remain "Blood Ties", lovingly referred to as the Mammoth, for its size and impact both. Written and rewritten and translated and rewritten again, alternative ending for Ciri as the ruler of independent Cintra, reshaping the post-TW3 political landscape of the Continent, including a flotilla of ships, and two relationship tags added to AO3.

It's sequel, "Business Matter", diving deeper into the consequences of decisions made earlier in the story, is a close second. Ciri/Tankred of Kovir, whom I loved developing based on what crumbs we got of his characterisation in the books, as well as his parents. Special shout out to the smut scenes written on a busy commuter train on the way to/from work.

"Splinters", modern!AU Cahir/Ciri I love for all the delicious banter I could fully indulge in; a tribute to Eamon's Cahir (and his hands), and the internet persona we were lucky to be given glimpses of, before fans' behaviour drove him offline.

"The Ghost of You", Cahir/Ciri, my most Problematic fic so far, written out of spite, turned into something very special to me, and a few other people. Thank you friends, as always, for the encouragement and support.

"Hunter's Moon" happened because Natanis came and took over, and I got to weep with her over everything that could've been, had things been different. Regis/Natanis during the hansa's stay in Beauclair.

Thanks again for tagging me!

[tomtenadia]

"Our friends set us up under the mistletoe" (with firefighter Aelin would be amazing😍😍)

Thanks for the prompt!!!!!

Ok, so I wrote this tonight. I am not sure if it's any good but hey, it's cute Rowaelin (I hope).

Hope you will like it.

Word count: 1.2k

---

Station 5 loved the Solstice. Even when they were on shift they loved to have a huge celebration at the firehouse and Aelin, their captain, was the biggest fan. A few days before the longest night, she would drag the enormous box containing the decorations and, as soon as all the drills were over she would round up her team an decorate and they would decorate in-between calls. They had their traditions and they were followed like a religion. That year though, they were off as second shift was working the solstice shift and Fenrys, her lieutenant on engine, had organised a big party at his house. 

She was looking forward to it since Fen had the reputation of being a master at throwing parties and he was bragging that he had invited as many all the teams at the other five firehouses that were off shift for the day. Which meant only one thing: station 6 was going to be there and there was a change that the paramedics would be too. Knowing her luck Rowan, the PIC, would be there too.

Rowan Whitethorn, the senior paramedic at station 6 was her gigantic secret crush. They had met on calls and the man was hot. He was a good 1,90 of tanned muscles, with the most stunning arse she could imagine all adorned with a head of silver hair. But the most striking figure, butt aside, were his eyes. Rowan had the most beautiful pine green eyes. Hellas, the man was sex on two legs and she was a weak woman. Maybe he was on shift and she might be able to keep her dignity.

She really begged Mala that it was the case.

*

The solstice arrived and Fenrys’ house had been invaded by first responders eager to have a wild night and celebrate the winter holiday.

The blonde lieutenant stood on the table and called everyone to attention.

“You know that it’s not safe, right? And the paramedics in this house are off shift, so be careful Moon Moon.” Shouted Aelin, lifting her bottle of beer.

“Oh captain, my captain, thank you for your concern,” added the man winking “welcome all to this solstice party. Be happy, be merry and if you need it, the fire extinguishers are in the cupboard in the kitchen together with two first aid kits,” a deep grin “my parties are famous for turning wild.”

Two hours later Aelin had walked out on the porch with a mug of green tea. She enjoyed the occasional beer but her limit was two, her job had shown her what alcohol could do, plus she had to drive home. 

It was a chilly night and she huddled in her hoodie and sat on the chair on the porch. The sky was clear and the stars blanketed the dark sky. It was a beautiful night and she felt sad that she preferred spending it outside alone rather than inside with a crowd of unhinged adults.

She was enjoying the peace when a figure joined her on the porch. Aelin turned her head and froze when she spotted the distinctive figure of Rowan Whitethorn.

Why was he outside and not inside playing strip poker?

“Uh, sorry…” he muttered.

“It’s okay.” 

Rowan paused and leaned against the rail “too much madness inside?”

Aelin chuckled “I see them in various state of undress few days a week when I am at work and we are all sober. The drunk effect might be a bit too much.”

He was silent and she had the feeling she had said the wrong thing.

“Finished your beers already?”

“I don’t drink.” He added darkly.

Rowan was a colleague, all their past interactions had been purely work related. She knew nothing about him. 

“My parents died after their car got hit by a drunken driver when I was twelve.”

Aelin stood and walked at his side “Rowan, I am sorry.”

He leaned forward and this face turned up, staring at the sky “it’s the reason I became a paramedic. To help people like the ones who tried to save my parents.”

Without realising it, her hand brushed his arm “I am sure they are proud of you.”

“And you? Why tea?”

“Two beers, that’s my maximum.”

He nodded and gave her a weak chuckle.

Aelin smiled took another sip.

Screams came from inside the house and they both turned.

She walked back to the comfy bench and sat down pulling the blanket on her legs “What do you think happened?”

Rowan moved closer to the window and peeked inside “You don’t want to know.”

As long as nothing is on fire, I am happy.”

“Why firefighter?” He asked, turning towards her. His green eyes on her.

Aelin chuckled “because it’s the best job in the world?”

Rowan gave her a soft smile and she almost melted on the spot. The man was stunning and all she wanted to do was to run her hand through his long hair.

She stood and that’s when she noticed it.

Mistletoe hang from the ceiling. She moved quickly aside hoping to prevent Rowan from noticing it. She thought she was safe until the man lifted his head and he spotted the plant hanging. He was so tall that it was almost in his face.

“Uhm.” He said looking at her with a strange expression.

Aelin played dumb and tried to walk away, but his hand landed on her arm.

He pulled her closer “we can’t ignore traditions and displease the elves.”

She looked up at him and the smile he gave her almost left her breathless.

“Oh no, it would be very rude of us.”

Rowan stepped closer and his arm sneaked around her waist, pulling her closer to him.

Pine and snow. He smelled like winter and home and she basked in his scent. Her hand found the back of his neck and a moment later his lips were on hers.

The kiss was soft and tender to begin with and then something happened and it became more. He removed the little space that was between them  and Aelin placed her other hand on his heart.

She was kissing Rowan. 

Aelin arched her body into his when screams reached them and they both pulled apart.

“Oh my god!” Shouted Ansel.

“I told you!” Added Asterin.

“Ok guy it’s pay out time. Who had the solstice?” Shouted Fenrys while waving some bills in the air and dragging the crowd back inside.

Both Rowan and Aelin stood silent in front of each other, still reeling from the kiss.

“So that happened.”

“What, our friends betting on us kissing?”

Rowan smiled “no, the kiss,” he added softly “but yeah, the bet too.”

“I have a feeling that this is the only mistletoe in the house. Fen is a sneaky bastard and knows that we are not great fans of parties.”

He nodded “Oh yeah, that is something that he would definitely do.”

Rowan sat beside her and grabbed a corner of the blanket “I am not complaining, though.”

Aelin looked at him stunned then she moved forward and kissed him and a moment later Rowan responded to the kiss.

“Well, paramedic Whitethorn, I hope you enjoyed my rescue breaths.”

He kissed her gently again “I would stick to fighting fires, captain.”

Aelin hummed against his lips “You are welcome to set me on fire any time you want.”

They both paused and then burst out laughing.

“So Rowan,”Aelin stood and offered him her hand “aren’t you curious to see who won the bet?”

Rowan took her hand and walked back inside the house with her.

Inside, Aelin smiled at the elves and thanked them for making that solstice super special.

taglist

@rowaelinismyotp @swankii-art-teacher @whimsicallyreading @elentiyawhitethorn @aelin-bitch-queen @bruiseonthefaceofhumanity  @mis-lil-red @thegreyj @sailorsassley @leiawritesstories @clairec79 @morganofthewildfire @sv0430 @heartless--aromantic @autumnbabylon @rowanaelinn @backtobl4ck @susumaus98  @gracie-rosee @mybloodrunsblue @tanvee1231 @avenrebekah @whoever-you-choose-to-love  @theywillnotsingforme @universallytreepost @black-daisy-water @goddess-aelin @whispers-in-the-darkest-heart @lovely-dove-zee @athena127

[neonscandal]

Hello...just want to say, so happy !! Finally my best friend who is anti-shipping in shounen (and love to make fun of me because I have ships in every shounen that I watched/read), said that he can't find any het explanation for Gojo/Geto and Bakugou/Midoriya relationships...

Especially when I showed him your posts (that is based in canon and so true). Thanks for sharing your wonderful posts....

What do you think about JJK s2 op1 and ed1? I can't believe when I reas that the op is about geto from gojo's perspective (so romantic)....

OH ANON. HAVE I GOT SOME BRAINROT FOR YOUUUU. I've also noticed some of my older Satosugu posts are attracting attention and subsequently feel like I need to just list out all the most tragic things about them that I hold dear in a separate post because you've basically prodded a festering wound within me.

Re: Your last ask (maybe the same person?), I really only tried to focus on stuff that's already been animated because I try to avoid spoiling the fun for everyone. 🥹✨

It's hilarious that Gojo/Geto and Bakugou/Midoriya are the two relationships that stick out specifically considering their creators intently make them complements of one another.

Gege Akutami cited specifically that Gojo and Geto were designed to be a duo in an interview with Mandou Koboyashi (shout out to twitter user @/soukatsu_ or @soukatsu here as the real MVP for translating and adding further context for other fans). Fans seem to recognize their yin and yang design everywhere. There are countless salt and pepper shaker videos set to Ricky Montgomery's "Mr. Loverman" on tiktok, I'm positive. This is despite being marked by their dissonance.

Kohei Horokoshi has Bakugou and Midoriya recognized as two halves of the same whole by other characters in the story, most remarkably All Might who in many ways carves the deepest chasm(s) between them. The wax and wane of their unique development as individuals being integrally related is also something to note.

But this isn't unique to these two stories. I haven't even watched Naruto but know that Naruto and Sasuke serve as the sun and the moon to one another (literally within the story, their seals and by design/disposition) and I'm sure we could find this in other shows I haven't hyperfixated on haha

There's probably nothing new I can add to the MLM shipping discourse in shonen/seinen genres that hasn't been said, especially when it's been so eloquently broken down by IG user @/ariavelz. I also think there's a fair amount of queerbaiting in mainstream media and anime alike. Five seasons of Free! comes to mind...

Now the MUSIC!? In JJK? Bestie.

S1 already had me gagged with this brain worm. But, the fact that the song playing during Yuta and Rika's final moment in the fight vs. Geto and subsequently during the final moments Gojo and Geto share in that alley in JJK 0 was called "This is Pure Love"??? That's when I knew there were some Satosugu's on staff at Mappa. I don't think we need to dig into the parallels of how Yuta's fondness for Rika being the catalyst for her becoming a curse was the same way Gojo's fondness subsequently led to Geto's "comeback". Gojo, based on his experience at the time, said "love is the most twisted curse of them all" and time showed him just how twisted it really could be in season 2.

NOW THE OP!? It's just so lonely. Their cursed techniques being at odds with one another is so tragic, in a sense, and ultimately creates this divergence from one another. Geto, a genius of diligence, nobly consumes and sullies himself with the curses he has to imbibe like a martyr. Gojo, a genius of happenstance, is pristine. Born into privilege and untouched by the need to work hard or literally touch curses which Geto later grows to resent.

Meanwhile, Gojo's largely a product of isolation as imposed by his status and cursed technique and "Ao no Sumika" or "Where Our Blue Is" by Tatsuya Akitani waxes on about how, despite his best efforts, he could never reach Geto. The irony. As the story continues, we do, in fact, see that Gojo's never changed in the canonically affectionate way he regarded Geto. I think about this dissonance a lot. Literally, how did your Six Eyes miss that?

We could have shared everything. // Little by little since that day, // The curse of me being different from you grew thicker. The sorrow behind your smile, // All the way, I’ve regretted missing it. // To you, who bloomed and fell away as a fruitless flower, // Farewell. Our blue still lives, // Our blue is still clear. // No prayer or word could ever reach you, // No matter how close they could get to you. // In such a color as if it were a silent love, // Or as if it were a summer rolling down a cheek. // I’ve got a curse word for you stuck in the back of my throat. It is the unvoiced voice that says, // “We’ll see each other again, won’t we?” // Like star grains in an infinitely expanding galaxy, // Spilling through the gaps between my fingers

Now, I initially assumed the EP was from Gojo's perspective because Geto only seemed to smile in his presence (who's blushing face are we trying to see, afterall?). However, it is said to be from Geto's perspective and that, too, makes sense. Two viewpoints acting as bookends of the history between them.

I think what's sad about it is the way in which Gojo's POV is centered wholly on Geto, regardless of who or what he became; whereas Geto's perspective is more broadly applied to Gojo in part but also his own turmoil and moral dilemma.

Part of why Geto is thrown into such chaos is because of his inherently principled existence and yet, he is still the moon to Gojo's sun (Naruto, what are you doing heree?). Where Gojo always held a place for Geto, I think Geto assumed that his radicalization and subsequent defection marked a departure from Gojo because he was never really one to exist in shades of grey. Even if his impetus for this new society was ultimately to protect Gojo (and others like him) in the only way he felt he could.

Before my goodwill crumbles away, // I should have told you everything. // In a life descending and dissolving into the night, // Fuzzy emotions, a flickering light. With nothing to search for, love sways. // Living while concealing, // Hence, the moon is dark, head in flight. // Today, unable to go anywhere. // Sleeping, sleeping towards a brand new morning, // Loneliness under crying Though I understand a wounded heart // Why do I end up hurting and leaving the same scars? // Labeling it as ego, grouping it all together, // The true essence of you and me, burning transparently. Longing for change, but the feelings stay the same, // Only the form crumbles away, // Holding onto the hand of hope, your ghost Realizing that something seemingly everywhere // Exists only here, // In the trivial silence of the night. // Only I, residing in memories, awaken It exists only here. // I want to touch you, // Even with trivial conversations. // Show me your blushing face once more...

Pardon me, anon, while I burst into flames after reflecting on all this. 🫠

Edit: just adding this visual for everyone because SAME. 🥹

[everythingbap]

🎤 allkpop: [INTERVIEW] Former B.A.P members BANG&JUNG&YOO&MOON on reuniting after 7 years and growth: "The timing was right for us this time"

Nearly seven years after concluding their activities as one of the renowned groups that rocked their generation, B.A.P is back in the game, now as BANG&JUNG&YOO&MOON, hoping to put a "good closure" for the band's chapter.

Reuniting together several years after parting ways with each other is not an easy feat. Members BANG YONGGUK, JUNG DAE HYUN, YOO YOUNGJAE, and MOON JONG UP have gone their own ways, dropping solo activities here and there. Despite the members' busy schedules, they were able to get back together to work on their long-awaited group record, titled ‘CURTAIN CALL,’ released on August 8th.

This reunion came to fruition thanks to the boys' unwavering enthusiasm, they were able to create this one chance to get back again. During the interview with allkpop, YONGGUK acknowledged the difficulty faced by many idols who used to be in a group but now couldn’t do activities with their fellow members post-disbandment. He hopes that this BANG&JUNG&YOO&MOON return can serve as an inspiration and hope to those idols in a way, too.

Two months before the album's release, the former B.A.P members unveiled a teaser for their ‘Man on the moon’ documentary, igniting excitement among the fans and the general public alike. The five-episode (as of writing) documentary showed how YONGGUK, DAE HYUN, YOUNGJAE, and JONG UP were very much hands-on in crafting the album.

“Our last album [‘EGO’] was a bit fizzled out,” JONG UP expressed in the first episode. Now that they're back with ‘CURTAIN CALL,’ DAE HYUN wants to “share this last time with the fans in a really happy and beautiful way.” He said, “We don't know if there's another chance of us being together again, but we hope you will still support us.”

The mini-album boasts 5 tracks, “Love,” “Farewell,” “Gone,” “Stand it all,” and “Way Back,” all of which YONGGUK took part in crafting, from penning to producing them. YOUNGJAE also contributed lyrics to the concluding track, “Way Back.”

They are also set to hold the “last fan-con Asia tour,” which will commence with the two-day fan concert in Seoul on August 17 and 18, followed by their shows in Tokyo, Taipei, and Hong Kong.

To commemorate the group's highly-anticipated comeback, we sat down with BANG&JUNG&YOO&MOON to chat about ‘CURTAIN CALL’ and the process behind it, their growth, and more. Check out our exclusive interview with them below!

Shout-out to allkpop:

[Note: YOO YOUNGJAE wasn't able to participate in the interview due to his conflicting schedule. However, he sent a message for allkpop readers and the fans over email.]

You might want to check out our previous exclusive interviews with BANG YONGGUK (2023)(2024) and Moon Jong Up as well.

First of all, congratulations on your long-awaited comeback! What does it mean for you to finally reunite with your fellow B.A.P members? How did you come up and talk amongst yourselves coming back? Was there a little bit of awkwardness when you got to work together after 7 years or did it feel the same?

Jong Up: First of all, we made this comeback for the first time in seven years, so I think that’s why it’s heart fluttering and we’re so excited about it. During those seven years, we had actually been talking about getting together at any time. We asked questions like, “When will we do this again?” “When will we be having a reunion?” I think the timing was right for us this time and we thought that we were finally ready to do something we had been preparing for for a long time.

DAE HYUN: In the process of reuniting, of course, it would be nice to have a lot of laughs and smiles. As we shared our opinions, I think there were definitely some things that became sensitive. I think the reason why that happened is because we had a lot of personal growth as individuals. So, we needed a lot of time to bring those things back together. I think those were the moments that got us talking a lot.

What do you feel about closing this chapter? What have been your favorite moments from that journey? I feel like there’s a little bit of sadness because I know your group was once a big part of your idol life, but I also feel like you are rather happier because you get to be together again. It’s not that every group gets to be reunited after disbanding.

DAE HYUN: We mentioned that we have kind of ended our chapter as B.A.P, but we also want to tell you about another beginning. We’re going to go on our own journey are also looking forward to our future individual endeavors. We don’t know if there’s another chance of us being together again, but we hope that you will like our return with ‘CURTAIN CALL’ and that you will still support us. I want to share this last time with the fans in a really happy and beautiful way. We hope that this album is a good closure for this chapter.

Jong Up: Actually, when I think about the moments that have gone by since we started and now that we’re back together after seven years, I think I always remember a lot of things that I was disappointed with. I wonder if it would have been better if we had done something more like this. These regrettable moments were very memorable, but the reason why I think that we are so lucky to have the opportunity to get together again is that I don't know what to say about those regrettable moments. I feel like I'm actually getting a chance to challenge those things again, so I think I'm blessed to have those moments.

Tell us more about the album ‘CURTAIN CALL.’ What aspects of the album do you think “fill your fans with nostalgia”? In what ways do you think were you able to “showcase your chemistry”?

YONGGUK, you’ve been putting out solo releases and you have also been producing songs for other idols. How does it feel to be able to do that for your group after years?

YONGGUK: I feel like rather than making my own solo album or giving songs to other artist friends, it’s the most enjoyable for me to do work for my group. It’s because I’ve known the members for the longest time. It was easy to understand what each of us could do well. I think making music for our group is the easiest and happiest time to work.

Let’s talk about the songs. How did you find the album preparation, music video shooting, song recording, and all? Was there something that you found hard during the process?

DAE HYUN: First of all, I think it took us quite a long time to decide on the songs, including our title song. The company also edited a lot of songs, and YONGGUK continued to work on them. Ultimately, after a lot of time, the album was filled with such solid songs. I think there are people who probably struggled and went through a lot of hard work in that area. This was especially true for YONGGUK. The recording itself was organized a little quickly. YONGGUK was the one who directed us, he knew our points well, so the recording went very smoothly.

From each of you, I want to hear which track is your personal favorite and why?

DAE HYUN: I like the song called “Love” because it fits my sensibilities so well.

Jong Up: My favorite is the title track “Gone.” The reason is that I think it's the song that best represents us right now and I think it's worthy of the title. That's why I like it.

YONGGUK: For me, I like every single song. I kind of think of every song as a title track.

I watched your documentary on YouTube and you always said that the members hope that this album is something that you can be proud of. So I wanted to ask you that: Are you proud of how it came about? Are you satisfied with the outcome?

DAE HYUN: It’s an album that I’m very proud of, and that’s because it’s produced by YONGGUK. We also had a lot of input and participated with a lot of opinions from the members. And the company also put a lot of effort into making an album of better quality.

Jong Up: It’s an album that we’re proud of, not just because of the quality of the record itself, but also because we've had so many things going on and just the fact that it’s tuned out the way we know it’s going to turn out, I think that’s a testament to a lot of things, that itself proves a lot about ourselves. I think our fans are going to love it as well. I’m very proud of it and I can’t wait to show it to my parents. I feel like they’re going to be proud of it too.

(members laugh)

YONGGUK: You haven't got them to hear it?

Jong Up: Not yet. (laughs)

You said in our interview from 12 years ago that the reason why your fans are attracted to you is because you show a different image compared to other groups. Could you describe to us how unique and different this album and this new era are to you? What do you think still stands out within your group even today?

YONGGUK: I know that there are many idols like us who used to be active in their groups but are now unable to do group activities for some reason. I hope this album will be an album that has some meaning to them as well. And rather than showing or making a new trend, the album is a reflection of our past times. I hope people will listen to it a lot because I think it will be an album they can reminisce about.

Since it’s been over a decade since your debut, how would you describe your growth as an artist? If you have free time, do you look back on your old music, stage performances, videos, and photos, and think to yourself, “Oh, I’ve grown a lot. I’ve matured a lot”?

DAE HYUN: I think the concept of growing up has completely changed since I turned 30. I think in my 20s, I was making myself used to the songs. I was like, "Oh, I'm going to get that into my body and I'm going to get that into my ears. I'm going to grow that way.” But now that I'm in my 30s, I feel like I'm on a journey to find my true self. I think I've tried to create something of my own within myself.

Jong Up: In my case, in the past, I thought, researched, and worried a lot about how I wanted to show myself. But now, I think a little more about what is unique about me and want to show my true self, so that I can be seen better. I think there are things I try to do to show myself in a better light. So, in the past, I worked hard to show what I wanted to show, but now I just show what I can do, the next thing that I can do. I think I've matured a bit in that difference, in putting in effort to show that side of me well.

YONGGUK: I’ve matured a lot. Now, what I want and try to do is to do a lot of meaningful things in my life. I’m so happy that this album is exactly that.

In this album, you also talk about the challenges you faced in the past and express your hope for the future. What in that journey you remember in particular made you the artist and person you are today? What were your biggest takeaways and realizations from that journey?

DAE HYUN: I think I've been able to grow as an artist faster through my members because we're all really hard workers and we're still working hard until now. But I think I've always had a platform or a stepping stone to grow as a musical artist through the members closest to me. And now that I'm around a lot of people, I think I've learned a lot about trust, rhythm, friendship, love, and things like that because there are so many people around me.

YONGGUK: Same for me!

Jong Up: Same!

Following the album release, you’re going to hold two-day shows in Seoul. Congratulations on that! How are you preparing for this? What are you most excited about, and what should fans look forward to this special reunion?

DAE HYUN: It’s the live performance. I think our color as a group is really good, and that’s why many of our existing dans have trusted us and liked our group’s live performances. We will practice focusing on those points when performing live and also while hanging out with the fans at the concert. So, we are practicing as hard as we can every day.

Jong Up: There is a lot of cute and diverse merchandise, and this time, the t-shirts came out so pretty. The designs are really pretty and detailed. I think there will be a lot to enjoy in the concert itself. And the most important thing, as you said, is the performance we put together for the first time in seven years. I wonder if there will be more of our own mood, something a little different now. Actually, I'm looking forward to that too. I don't know how it will turn out... so, shall we have fun together?

We’re looking forward to those! What kind of comments or words would you like to see and hear from your fans after the album release?

YONGGUK: Music now gives us a certain amount of joy when we listen to it, and I hope that this album will be one of those albums that when people listen to it, they will be able to remember something from their childhood and be reminded of how we were when we were young and that they can look back through that.

DAE HYUN: Same!

Jong Up: I love you!

(members laugh)

Do you have anything else to say to allkpop readers and your fans who have long waited for your comeback?

DAE HYUN: First of all, thank you to allkpop who has interviewed us a lot since our debut era. We remember that we did a lot of interviews with allkpop as well before. I hope our fans support us and give us a lot of love especially thank you to all the B.A.B.Yz all over the world and I hope you guys enjoy the album

YOUNGJAE: To all the fans who have waited for a long time, I hope you enjoy what we’ve prepared for you and cherish this time spent together. Thank you and I love you.

[spotsupstuff]

whats your opinion on the games scugs?

(monk, arti, enot, etc.)

which ones are your favorite lore wise / gameplay wise?

i don't have much of opinions! as one could... probably tell from my excessive iterator posting and extreme lack of scug posting

lore wise i will forever stick with my ultimate fav scug, Hunter. being a pre-Downpour fan has conditioned me into thinkin of the vanilla scugs the most and i'm most attached to them as well. Hunter is my fav of the three because of how unique they are compared to the other two, the amount of special lore and explanations their campaign offers to us. also i fucking love NSH endlessly so those two are a combo to open up my heart. they are actually the reason why i ended up hyperfixating on RW the first time around!

Survivor at the end of the day is the most basic scug, no matter what people say that's just a factual truth with her bein the first lil bugger peeps usually try out, but i've had a lot of fun playing with her characterization and my absolutely favorite thing to do is pair her up with Pebbles. Survivor is Five Pebbles' Cat to me. from the olden days

still up to present

even with Arti around now these two get to me emotionally more still. my old ass is cursed </3

i don't have much to say about Monk except the fact that i'm still quietly laughing about how on THEIR campaign i got more pissed than anywhere fuckin else except Gourmand i think. like this peaceful little sunshine parading around in the world and then there's me behind the screen cursing up a fuckin Storm truly embracing my inner Bitch... i had fun with that..... either way, the fact that he can see traces of Survivor in the shelters is So Fucking and the possible parallels between vanilla scug sibs n Pebs n Moons are eating my brain alive whenever i dedicate a braincell to the slugcats

the Downpour scugs are more in the bg to me and also offer a sort of like... not exactly completely 100% continuation of the game, but one of the possible canonical paths the story could've taken n i ain't gon lie i often forget or ignore some Downpour facts because of my ass bein so stuck with the vanilla game

either way, Arti's maul ability is the best thing invented for this game, Gour is Neat and i really gotta go and explore OE better with Surv cuz that place is Very interesting from the lore stand point (also that map Pebs flashes when openin the gate is SUPER cool). Spearmaster is prolly my favorite of all the scugs cuz of their mechanics n the whole uncollapsed LTTM structure is a delicious world-building, along with the first hint towards the climate, the shit with Seven Red Son-of-a-bitches and the broadcasts at large. i'm affectionate for Spear. that lil fella can climb up with the vanilla scugs i shall allow it. Riv was... the most notable things to me about them was The Rot/Pebbles condition/his last words and then their crack cocaine eyes. love headcanoning UI made 'em like that with actual crackies. the ending with Moon didn't... really hit me for some reason- but still, i'd rank the coolness of their lore on the third place because of The Rot kush

now Saint... Saint is a though nut to crack to me because of Two ✌ reasons. 1. i still haven't fucking finished playing this asshole. 2. there is a lot of room for interpretations. which is a GOOD thing, i Like when that happens, but it makes talking about the lore of the rat harder. ultimately without any brainstorming, Saint's lore is a confusing outta-nowhere mess that is so extremely far from the original ideas and themes of the vanilla game that my head spins. at first i legit thought that the lore of the thing would break what vanilla has already laid out, but thankfully i'm a person who likes to shrug so i shrugged and let it be n started figuring out my own interpretation of it all which has been a lot of fun. what i have going on for Saint in my stuff i adore all SO so so much n ofc shout out to shkiki's interpretation for being one of the coolest i've seen too

n Sain't mechanics have. made me stupidly daring with death jumps i don't know what's happening but that tongue has made me basically jump off a ledge without any preparation before that Sky Islands/Chimney karma gate n i didn't even flinch about it cuz the.. tongue... i don't fucking know what happened to me there but it was bizarre n i like bizarre in this game so i'm givin that shit 4 pats out of 5 you-tried stars. i also got fucking BULLIED BY A SCAVENGER IN FRONT OF A SHELTER FOR TEN MINUTES THATS GETTING A 5 MINUTE FROWN OUT OF GODDAMMIT THIS GAME

[twinsunstars]

What We Now Know of The Marvels

(I apologize in advance if I missed something, please bring it to my attention!)

The Marvels teaser trailer finally got released on Youtube on April 11, 2023, and has a release date set for November 10, 2023. Being part of Phase Five of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, there are new plot points to explore after the conclusion of Phase Four, and explore a character that now fits the story after being introduced in Phase Four. In this post, I will go through the teaser trailer and discuss some points that stood out.

The teaser begins in the vast scenery of space, with Nick Fury instructing a space-suited Monica Rambeau to head towards a multi-colored border standing in space. When I saw it, the border somewhat looks exactly like the color and texture of Kamala Khan's powers. It's unknown what Fury and Monica are doing out in space, but Monica was clearly instructed to go and investigate this powerful border.

As Monica reached out for the border and made contact with it, she immediately got thrown back, and it isn't Monica's scream that we start to hear. Kamala Khan, or also known as Ms. Marvel, floats towards Fury, who squeals with delight when she sees THE Nick Fury. Kamala floats away uncontrollably, asking, "Is this an Avengers test?" Gosh, I love her.

Who knows what they are, but Monica was whipped away to what looks like the moon, and is forced to fight these aliens.

If you've seen Ms. Marvel, you know from the end credit in the finale that Kamala was thrown back by the powers of her bangle, causing her to wreck her closet door. When she stands up, it's not Kamala we see, but Carol Danvers. Carol is very shocked to see the atmosphere of Kamala's bedroom, seeing posters and drawings of herself. I mean, just look at the drawing Kamala drew of herself being friends with Captain Marvel! Carol immediately runs out of the room, and we'll see what happened right after that shot when we see the movie.

Moments later, Monica and Fury pay a visit to Kamala's home, meeting her family and asking for her. Kamala appears quickly, giddy to see Fury again, which makes her family confused. They sit down with Kamala's family as Monica explains that their powers are somewhat connected. How? Start making room for theories before the movie comes out.

Kamala decides to show her powers to everyone, and despite warnings, she uses her powers, which causes her to be thrown back again. Carol shows up again instead of Kamala, furious that she was transported somewhere else. Kamala's mother questions where their daughter is, concerned for her safety.

The place where Carol was before being transported to Kamala's house again is where Kamala was transported to. She lands in a sci-fi themed area on the ground, where she has a fateful meeting with Goose the cat/flerken; yes, the same lovable cat from the first movie, and also the cause behind Fury's eye. Kamala witnesses him beat a bunch of people with those tentacles that come out of his mouth, leaving her fearful. In a small clip of the teaser, we see multiple cats running down stairs, so are we going to see more of Goose's kind?! I can't wait to see more cats (I mean, flerkens) on my screen.

There are a few vibrant sceneries we get to see, as this will definitely be a movie filled with some brightly colored humor. The people on the right were dancing, and to me, it looks like a huge Bollywood scene.

Carol is wearing something that looks like a jellyfish that hides her face atop her head, and when she peeks out, she looks visibly concerned. Something tells me this planet will have some kind of chaos ignited.

We will be introduced to some new characters for the MCU in The Marvels, and fans are raving about it. Park Seo-joon, known for his roles in the South Korean dramas What's Wrong with Secretary Kim and Itaewon Class, will be playing the role of Prince Yan D'Aladna, and in the teaser, he appears to be leading his soldiers towards something, shouting as a battle cry. On the right, we see Zawe Ashton, who is set to play a character named Ael-Dan, and fans are loving to see the footage of her already. I can't wait to see more of these two characters.

JUST LOOK AT HER FACE! Kamala gets the opportunity to travel through space with Monica and her hero, Carol. Kamala will love every second of it, and she definitely accepts that they're all a team, even if Carol and Monica disagree.

Please, they're definitely a team. The three women are ready to shine and show off their powers, and we'll be here for it.

Captain Marvel is one of the movies that mean a lot to me as a woman, and I am a big fan of Ms. Marvel with its Muslim representation, unique cinematography, and how relatable Kamala Khan is; a big fangirl of the Avengers and loves to write fanfiction. I know that Monica will definitely mean a lot to young black girls out there, as they get to see another strong Black female superhero on their screens. These women will display strong empowerment and have us cheering at the screen, and I can't wait to see them fight in their new suits.

The Marvels is set to release November 10, 2023.

[starrycat123-blog]

oksies hi starting a new thread of get to know you

haii I'm moth and also thea you may call me any nickname as well <3

I love musicals so so much (niche and popular!! basic-shaming is lame)

I am superhero obsessed (augh pied piper)

doctor who is my autism (yay river sonf!!!!)

good omens heoughhhhhhhh

super excited to meet you <3333333

Hi moth!! You can call me tetra. Don't worry that's not my real name or anything tho. I took it from the concept of tetrachords in music.

If we're generous about what we call superheroes, then maybe most of the things I like are superhero based. I mean obviously there's marvel and dc, but then there's stuff like dpxdc, sonic the hedgehog (idk if I've ever heard him called a superhero but he kinda is), if we count magical girls then like. Sailor moon and madoka magica

I haven't seen any episodes of good omens, but I read a really good fanfic of Crowley going to therapy a while back, and a couple funny ones with like yelp reviews of Aziraphale's bookstore. Plus I love the good omens analysis posts on here. I feel like maybe I half know some of what's happened in the show but also probably haven't scratched the surface. I'm kinda bad at watching TV shows, so there's a lot of stuff that I know from fandom but haven't seen. For another example of that, I've only watched one or two episodes of Sonic Prime. I reblog posts for it and it sounds good but idk. Just bad at it.

I'm a much more casual fan of musicals, I think for the same thing as above where I just struggle to sit and watch something on purpose. But I listen to the music from them sometimes, I've read transcripts online of a couple, and i swoon whenever I see a post analyzing the meaning of a musical song, especially when they go beyond lyrics and start going into the music theory in the tune. I don't have the skills or knowledge to do that myself but I love it so much

(when the singer changes their technique to enhance the meaning,, when this or that chord is a step outside the key to symbolize change or isolation or anything,,, using instruments as symbols for this or that character,,, tbh it doesn't have to be a musical even shout out to that youtube video by Scruffy on how fnaf's audio and sound effects make it scarier)

Lately I've been bouncing back and forth between Sonic and DPxDC. With hints of Slay The Princess in there bc I saw part of a playthrough of that awhile ago and loved the concept. I reblog madoka magica stuff whenever I see it (except magia record bc I know next to nothing about it) because that stuff makes me lose my mind. The love the pain the hope the despair!! Homura is probably like my ultimate blorbo but I love all the five girls they're so cool. I actually read the manga instead of watching the show though so I'm not as familiar with all the music. Plus I think the show had some extra scenes. Although it's a little confusing bc I think some of the extra scenes I see are magia record so idk.

Also I'm a fan of arts and crafts and will reblog that kind of thing once in a while, along with cute cat stuff.

Super excited to meet you too!

[afreakingdork]

Who/what are your favorite authors/books? I feel like writers carry a little bit of their favorite works with them wherever they go, and I was curious what yours were, or if there were books that you absolutely know affected your writing?

Tom Robbins.

Tom Robbins is my favorite author! I have all his books and even a signed copy of his autobiography of sorts. He has some undeniable sexism and racism sprinkled throughout but there's something about the way he write. Jitterbug Perfume, the first book I read of his, deals with immortality. Not only does he balance multiple story lines in a way that is nearly inconcievable until they all converge, but he writes about the secret to everlasting life in a way that is so believable; I might actually subscribe. Even Cowgirls Get Blues is gay as hell, rides high on a feminist tide, and has fucking raw lines like "I believe in everything; nothing is sacred. I believe in nothing; everything is sacred." Still Life with Woodpecker ends with two people falling in love, deciding to live their lives together, but living with true independence, but also the pyramid conspiracies and how the moon can be birth control. Again, written so believably that I could subscribe!

I'm a huge fan of Existentialism in books. That WWII altering mentality that the horrors of the universe are so unbelievable that there is no way there is rhyme or reason and therefore we should live how we want is something that resonates with me deeply. Tom Robbins toes this line and, you know I gotta shout-out Slaughterhouse-Five as one and another of my favorite books.

I'm also a big fan of autobiographies. I find humans as a whole deeply fascinating and love reading about how they see or experience the world through their perspectives.

Have these affected my writing? I mean maybe? I've been told by others, especially when I was in college, that I spoke differently or knew words that most people didn't. I'm sort of just vibing in that regard. I don't think myself to be very smart; I'm actually comically mediocre. I find that books more influence my overall mindset. I mean, that's why people are so damn scared of them. They educate and expand. Only dumb masses are easy to control.

I think everything effects everything and practice really works! Also nothing matters so everything matters~

[teenage-idiot]

In the Blink of an Eye - 18

Avengers Age of Ultron | Quicksilver x Female Reader Fan-fiction.

*WARNING SPOILERS*

Contains strong language, sexual references and mentions of death.

2743 words

CHAPTER 18

The next morning I was jolted awake by a rapid succession of thumps on my door. 

“Rise and shine y/n, Stark wants us in the briefing room in 10 minutes,” Clint yelled through the door.

“M’kay,” I managed to shout back, eyes full of sleep and still groggy from my deep slumber. 

A heavy arm snaked tighter around my waist as a pair of lips ghosted along my jawline, “Five more minutes,” Pietro whined as he nuzzled his face further into the crook of my neck.

“Come on you big baby it’s time to get up,” I teased, untangling myself from his limbs as I attempted to haul myself out of bed. As tempting as it was to lay in bed with Pietro for five more minutes, I knew that in reality if I laid in bed any longer I most likely wouldn’t get up at all. In any case, if Tony had called a meeting then maybe he and the others had finally finished assessing the files we managed to snatch from Hydra.

After hastily brushing my teeth, throwing on some clean clothes and somehow managing to wrestle Pietro out of bed, we both made it downstairs in time for the meeting, hurrying in behind Thor as he held the door for us to follow in after him. Everyone gathered around the large table in the centre of the briefing room as Steve pressed his knuckles to the table top and leant forward to address us all. 

“Okay, so as you all know, we’ve spent the past few days assessing the intel we gathered the other night, and well – the files are interesting to say the least,” Steve pressed himself back up off of the table and folded his arms over his chest before continuing, “As we mentioned before, the files listed a number of high profile Hydra members that we didn’t know about previously, but they also contained a large amount of information regarding their upcoming plans, which – included you, y/n.”

He looked directly at me as he said this, everyone else in the room collectively turning their heads to look at me as well. I could feel the heat rising to my cheeks from having all the attention diverted towards myself. I thought I was just some crude experiment, but to learn that Hydra had bigger plans for me was a chilling thought.

“The files provided a rather useful insight into how exactly your powers work, using the power of the moon – as you told us previously – but also the fact that the strength of your abilities increases and decreases with the waxing and waning of the moon, meaning that you’ll be weakest during a new moon and at your most powerful during the full moon,” Tony finished his explanation and took a quick glance around the room, eyes finally coming to land on me once more.

“I – I had no idea,” I stuttered, lost for words at this ground-breaking revelation as to how my powers worked. 

“I’m afraid that’s not all,” Vision began, “Hydra were planning a targeted attack on our base, here, in two weeks’ time, during the full moon.”

“They were planning to use you as a weapon,” Bruce summarised.

I had of course worked out for myself that whatever Hydra wanted with me could not have been anything good, however I never thought that they would use me for something so extreme, so severe. 

“I’m willing to bet your escape threw a bit of a spanner in the works though,” Tony remarked, stepping back to perch himself on the edge of the desk positioned just behind him.

“Exactly, without you they can’t go through with their original plan,” Steve announced, continuing with Tony’s line of thinking before gesturing to himself, Tony, Vision and Bruce as he resumed his speech, “Now, the four of us have been talking, and we think we’ve come up with a reasonable plan – “

“How reasonable?” Natasha interjected, quirking an eyebrow. She, as well as the rest of us, was no stranger to one of the many not-so-straightforward plans thought up by the self-appointed leaders of the group.

“Reasonable enough,” Tony answered, displaying an expression that wasn’t entirely reassuring to the group but that no one objected to nonetheless.

Steve spared a glance at Tony and then took this as his cue to carry on explaining the plan they’d come up with, “The full moon is two weeks away – I suggest we use their own plan against them and orchestrate an ambush to take place during the full moon and take out the Hydra base listed in the file.”

“So where exactly is this base?” enquired Thor.

“Montauk, hidden within the cliff underneath the lighthouse,” Steve replied, “Now, like I mentioned before, we’re planning to carry out this ambush on the night of the full moon; if we’re gonna pull this off, we’ll need everyone to be at their best, which means we also need your powers to be at their strongest, y/n. That way we’ll have our best chance at defeating Hydra and shutting this base down once and for all.”

I began to panic slightly at this, “The full moon is only two weeks away, I don’t know if I – ” 

“You’ll be ready, we’ll make sure of it,” Nat reasuured me, giving me a soft pat on the shoulder as she did so.

I looked around the room to see everyone giving gentle smiles and nods of encouragement. Despite the fear of not being strong enough niggling at the back of my mind, I knew I had to set that aside and just focus on training and improving my powers so that I would be able to support and protect my team to the best of my ability. After all, that’s what we were, a team; a team that I was now fully part of. Determination set in and I was ready to start refining my powers as soon as possible.  

“In order to fully embrace your abilities moving forward, I think it’s best you start to practice using your powers at night, when the moon is out in full force,” said Steve, “that way you can get used to the influence the lunar cycle has on your powers and how it can enhance them.”

“I can help you with that,” Vision spoke, a warm smile gracing itself across his features. 

“Thank you,” I smiled back, “thank you, all of you. I promise I will try my absolute best, and in two weeks’ time, I’ll be ready to kick some Hydra butt.” 

“That’s the spirit,” Thor chuckled, raising his fist in support at the notion of well and truly kicking Hydra’s ass.

“Well, we’re gonna come up with a more thorough plan of attack for the mission ahead, but as for right now, that’s all we’ve got,” Steve concluded the meeting, signalling that we were free to leave and get on with our respective training and preparation for the upcoming mission.

The next few days were really tough. Not only was I still doing all of my regular training activities during the day, I was also training nightly with Vision as well. Every evening, after dinner, we would both venture outside so that I could practice using my powers in the moonlight in the hopes of getting stronger and becoming more powerful. However, the progress so far was extremely slow going. I couldn’t help but feel like this didn’t bode well for the upcoming mission and subsequent deadline that was now looming over me and filling me with a sense of dread.

“Try again,” Vision spoke calmly, trying to ease my evident frustration.

I let out an exasperated sigh and attempted to move the pile of saturated tree trunks once more. I raised my arms, took a deep breath, and began to raise the pile up off of the ground at a painfully slow speed. Sure, I had moved tree trunks before, I had moved people before; I had even moved multiple people at once – but I had never moved such a sheer quantity of objects at the same time before. I tried to concentrate, a few beads of sweat slowly gathering along my brow as I strained against the weight of the tree trunks. I closed my eyes for a second as I attempted to gather my thoughts. 

“You can do this,” Vision’s voice chimed in my ear, “Dig deep within yourself and find your power within.”

Suddenly I found myself thinking of all the things Hydra had done to me, the pain and torment they’d put me through for years. The mental trauma that would never go away, that would stick with me until my dying breath. In one swift motion, my eyes snapped open and I hurled the pile of tree trunks across the open field, a cry escaping from my lips as I did so. They landed in a chaotic heap on the opposite side of the field, creating a rather forceful cacophony of thumps as they did so. 

I collapsed onto the grass, limbs stretched out like a starfish as I lay on my back trying to catch my breath.

“Nicely done,” Vision smirked, seemingly impressed at my efforts, “I think we shall leave it there for today. Good work y/n.”

I couldn’t manage a reply, too exhausted from the physical and mental strain I’d just subjected myself to. Instead I just gave a thumbs up from my current position on the grass before Vision let out a slight chuckle and began making his way back inside. I lay there for a while by myself, thoughts circling round and around my head as I thought about everything I’d been through and dealt with up until this point, everything that had led me to where I was – who I was right now.

“Training was that bad huh?” Pietro was standing over me, looking down at my exhausted form with a quirked eyebrow.

“You have no idea,” I answered flatly.

He let out a light-hearted laugh as he crouched down and laid himself next to me on the soft grass. For a few moments we both just laid there in silence staring up at the night sky, stars twinkling as the pale light of the moon shone down on us. 

“What’s on your mind?” Pietro queried, concern etching his features as his hand came up to brush against my own.

I let out a sigh I didn’t realise I’d been holding in, lips parting as I tried to put my complex thoughts into words.

“While I was training just now, with Vision, it – it brought back some memories from when I was being held captive by Hydra. I think it was about a year after they first took me from my home – they had brought my parents to the facility where I was being kept. I always assumed they had killed them the night they kidnapped me, but there they were, standing right in front of me. I remember, they were both crying; they thought I was dead too – honestly it probably would’ve been better for both them and me if I had been,” a hollow laugh escaped my lips; I kept my gaze on the sky as I spoke, too scared to look at Pietro as I relived the horror of my memories, “They told me that I would be free to leave and go home if I did what they asked, if I – if I used my powers to…to kill one of my parents.”

A single tear rolled down the side of my face as I closed my eyes and took in a shaky breath. I could feel Pietro’s thumb stroking the back of my hand as he waited patiently for me to continue. 

“I couldn’t do it, of course. I – I wouldn’t. So instead, one of the guards…he took out a gun, and he shot both my parents right in front of me. I felt helpless, I had these powers they’d cursed me with but had no idea how to use them properly – it wasn’t until they killed my parents right in front of my eyes that something in me snapped and I…I felt this surge of power and rage surface from deep within me. The next thing I knew there were two dead guards on the floor and I was being sedated. I killed them, Pietro – not just those guards, but my parents as well. It was my fault.”

The tears were flowing freely by now as I maintained my gaze on the sky, fear of judgement and unbelievable sadness overcoming me. I had never told anybody this before. I had tried so hard to bury my trauma and leave it in the past, but of course that never worked, and I remained haunted by my guilt and the image of my dead parents.  

“It’s only now looking back that I realise they were trying to test the strength of my powers during the full moon. Then tonight, with Vision, I hadn’t felt a surge of power like that since that night, all that anger and raw emotion bubbling up to the surface. I think by pushing those memories down I’d been supressing my powers, and I’m afraid that if I start tapping into those emotions that I won’t be able to control the effect it has. I’m scared that my powers are going to end up hurting people rather than helping them.” 

“I’m so sorry y/n,” Pietro began slowly, uncertain of what to say next, “I can’t imagine the pain caused by the things you’ve had to go through. I know that none of it was your fault though. Not what happened to you, not what they put you through, and certainly not your parents deaths. As for you hurting people with your powers – I think I know you pretty well by now, and I can say with confidence that you would never use your powers to hurt anyone.”

“But what if I can’t control them?” I breathed out rapidly.

“You will learn to, and I’ll be there every step of the way to support you and help wherever I can,” Pietro reassured as he held my small hand in his larger one. “You know, Wanda and I weren’t always fighting on the same side as the Avengers…”

I chanced a look at him as he said this, confused as to what exactly he meant.

“Remember that crazy robot I mentioned before, Ultron? Well originally Wanda and I were working with him, against the Avengers. He convinced Wanda and I that what he was doing was for good reason, and after years of manipulation and brain-washing at the hands of Hydra, we believed him. However, after realising that what he was planning wasn’t what we had first thought, we changed sides and started working with everyone here to stop Ultron’s plan. My point is, we may have done some bad things, or things we regret. We may have hurt people, even – but it’s never too late to change. It’s never too late to choose to do good.”

All I could do was look at him with a puzzled expression. I had never once suspected that at one point in time he and Wanda had been working against the Avengers. I gazed at him a moment longer, gaze flickering between his eyes for any trace of insincerity – of which there was none. I brought my hand up steadily to rest against the side of his face. We were both lying on our sides, facing each other now. Ever so slowly, our faces inched closer to one another, until our lips were mere millimetres apart, noses brushing against each other cautiously. I took in another breath before connecting my lips with his. They were soft and sweet, the kiss slow and delicate as if we were both made of glass, fearful that one of us might break under the slightest pressure. 

Eventually we both pulled away, looking into each other’s eyes as we just lay there. We had both spilled the secrets of our past and accepted one another nonetheless. Being with Pietro made me feel hopeful, like I could do good and not be plagued by my past – destined to live out a life of destruction and misery. 

“Let’s head inside,” he spoke softly, lifting his hand from my waist up to my face to wipe away my tears.

“Okay,” I whispered. 

-

a/n - well chapter 18 is up finally! sorry it was a bit of a wait between me posting the last chapter and this one, i'm gonna try and stick to a more regular posting schedule from now on. this chapter is a little longer than all the others i've posted, and i'm gonna try and keep them a bit longer as well going forward. anyways sorry for the waffle and hope you enjoy the new chapter!

- t

[echantedtoon]

Diamond In The Rough Ch1 Hard As A Rock Family Bonds

It's all over. Y/n doesn't have to ever worry about anything ever again! Her friends are safe. Her pokemon are here. She's got new friends and family. And she never has to go back to her control freak, narcissist mother. So...what now? Well her original plan was to attend college so why not go to the Circhester Community College? It's a lot simpler than the colleges back in her world and it wouldn't hurt to get a degree! There's only one teeny problem. What happens when you managed to pierce the rock solid heart of the local gym leader?

The air was cold tonight. Snow flying against the windows and slowly fluttering down like albino butterflies to join their brethren on the ground, making a glistening white that glittered in the moonlight against the dark. A contrast to the warm glow of the cozy homes and buildings with orange-yellow lights pouring from within their solid walls, a barrier against the constant frigid cold that was around here. But the enticing smells of foods and ashes from fireplaces was a welcoming feeling. But ..it was strange really. Having a family dinner with his mom and four little siblings tonight. An almost uncomfortable feeling in his chest was there as just sat and almost picked at his food in a way that someone would've thought he was forced by someone to be here. His mother on the other hand seemed over the moon having all five of her children sitting at the same table with her, his little siblings were confused to his sudden presence. Confused, but very happy to see the older brother that they barely got to see nowadays. But the reason he was so stiff tonight wasn't because of the cold, his siblings, or even his mother surprisingly. It was because this was all so new to him. Being open and honest like this and having his mother respecting the boundaries put down in place. Dinner once a week. It was a....start.

An awkward, uncomfortable start he still had trouble wrapping his head around. But a start nonetheless and it was good for now. Something he could do and something that wasn't rushed or pressured. It all started one fateful day and one fateful encounter all earlier last year during the gym challenge. One regular day of the dazzling fame and hoard of fans swarming him from all sides making him put a smile on his face and turn his back on the one person who always came with these crowds. His mother was shoulder blocked in favor of the more 'important' fans shoving papers in his face to sign or pushing one another out of the way to take a picture with him. When a woman with a scarf and thick hoodie hiding most of her face came along and it would end up changing his life forever. He still remembered that memory like he was standing there living through it again and again-

With the speed walk you were going it was impossible to stop on time before you collided with the white blur with a yelp. Stumbling back your foot slipped on some snow and down you went arms flailing landing on your bottom on the hard stone ground. Luckily you weren't hurt but you hissed and mumbled something under your breath at the feeling of the cold seeping into the back of your pants now.

"Oh my goodness gracious!," an older woman's voice exclaimed above you and when you looked up you were met with a woman who looked about the same age as your mom as she held her face in an 'Oh no' kinda pose as she looked at you. All decked out in white winter wear. "I'm so sorry, Young Lady. I didn't see you there."

You waved her off as more people turned their heads at the commotion. "Nah. It's ok. It's my fault I wasn't looking where I was going-," you had begun to say before another's voice much more louder and angrier sounding made you both look over.

"MOM!! What are you doin'!?," A man's voice shouted out as people parted and a guy who looked vaguely familiar marched his way forward. The man wore...Shades of all things in this not so sunny weather with a tan-ish coat thrown over himself and blonde-white hair that draped to just above his shoulders as he pushed his way through the small crowd of people until he stopped right in front of you and the woman. He looked right at your confused self still sitting on the ground for a moment before looking over at the woman with a deep frown. "Seriously!? Ya knocked one of my fans over?"

"I'm so sorry, Honey. Really I am," she said calmly as if she had all the patience of an ancient monk. "But it was an accident." Oh. So this must've been his mom. But what does he mean by fan?? You didn't even know this guy.

"Tch!," he scoffed before crossing his arms, "Yeah right. You crash all my events especially after I win against a gym challenger." Your eyes widened. ....Gym chall-..OH!! Now you remember! You looked between the two who had a resemblance now that you looked at them. Gym Leaders Melony and Gordie! So that's why he looked semi familiar to you. These were some of the few characters you actually remembered from your time playing the game! ..Oh. And they were known for fighting of course. "You're lucky you didn't cause her to hit her head during the fall!" You looked back up blinking wide eyed at him as he scowled at his mother. "Did you even apologize to her or were you just gonna forget that too?"

You stared wide eyed at him. Who says that to their own mother!? Through all this Melony just calmly and sadly watched him as he angrily spewed out. You WISH your mom was like Melony- "HEY!!" You were quick to try and rise to your feet stumbling a bit on the snow as you did. Rising up with your own frown behind the scarf covering your face and quickly dusting yourself off.

"Ah man. Are you alright there?," he asked holding his hand out. "Sorry about my mom-"

"Oh be quiet!" You bluntly said as you snapped your face to him, which combined with your sharp tone seemed to make him pause in the moment. "I know exactly who you are!! What is WRONG with you man!?" You couldn't help but shout at him. Well considering Gordie's only a side character who you wouldn't probably see again after Gloria defeated him, it would be ok to shout at him. Especially since you weren't in the game's storyline at the moment. So you jabbed him in the chest which made him blinked and take a couple steps back. "Of course your mother apologized to me but that's NOT the point! It was an accident and I happened to run into HER! Not the other way around!! Are you kidding me with your behavior right now, Gordie!? Don't you see what you're doing!?" You gestured towards Melony who looked shocked herself seeing you jab at her son. "You're yelling at your own mother who didn't do anything wrong in front of a bunch of your fans in public!? Are you trying to embarrass her or something!? Your mom's so much nicer than you!! Geez! What were those guys thinking!?"

"I-...W-Wha-" He sputtered but you shut him down real quick.

"NO! You're not allowed to talk to me! You know why? Because your mom's one of the nicest people in all of Galar!! DUDE GET OVER YOUR STUPID EGO!! You both had a fight like..years ago!? So WHAT?! You're running your own stadium you wanted and you have like loads of fans! Don't you think that bashing her in front of your fans would make her look bad!?....No. Scratch that." He blinked as you took a step forward and he stepped back. "It makes YOU look bad! SO I am NOT a fan of yours! I'm just here looking for a missing camera but even if I didn't I'd still feel bad for your mother! Don't you think the reason Melony makes an effort to be in your fan club and trying so hard to support you is her way of showing she cares about you and is actually sorry about the fight you two had!?" You shook your head. "Gosh. Your head must be thicker than a onix if you missed that!!"

There was silence all around as the once crowd of chattering people were all shocked and staring at you, Gordie, or Melony or looking between the three of you as Gordie just stared jaw dropped and making noises like a fish out of water as you scoffed and turned around. Melony watching with equal reaction to her son and even passing people who weren't a part of the crowd was staring right at you as you turned your back to him.

"So don't apologize to me. Because the only one you should be apologizing to is your poor mother." You gave him one last very SERIOUS look over your shoulder. "As someone who wished for a parent like her, you need to get a reality check man." You turned back to his shocked mother before sighing. "I'm really sorry about all this, Ma'am. But I gotta go. I have to meet up back with my friends."

With a new sour feeling that combined with your annoyance with the cold and falling down, without looking behind you, you turned on your heels and stomped off back towards where Gloria was headed when you both split up. You didn't feel like staying at the Hero's Bath any longer now with the eerie silent you left behind. Everyone watched after you as you disappeared....until a single THUNK sound broke the silence as Gordie's shades fell off his shocked face to the cold ground below.

Now there was a few things wrong with her angry statements. His mother didn't 'didn't do anything wrong'. She had high expectations and wants that she tried to push him into doing and a few other things that led to them falling out. His mother wasn't a 'poor mother' either in both the sense that she again wasn't an angel herself, and in the other sense because she had quite the income as a gym leader. AND he doubted if that woman or anyone else really grew up with his mother, he doubted they would've wanted a mother like her as well. In fact it still felt like she was overbearing him at times whenever she showed up to his events. THAT'S what he would've explained to her after he got over the shock of that scolding and he hadn't just fled to his home for a while.

Now onto the facts that seemed correct about those statements. Her words stung him through his brain and down his heart and stomach. His Shuckle was worried from the amount of time he'd spent staring off into space soaking in his hot tub or staring at the wall at odd hours of the night. Until one night he finally figured out what feelings the words replaying in his head brought out in him. REALIZATION!! Not at the things you got wrong of course. Oh no no no. Melony still wasn't a perfect person or innocent to their falling out either, in fact she was the sole cause of it with her stubbornness and expectations from him. No one, not even the mysterious woman who yelled, could change his mind on that. Not even if you offered him the Champion title with the most powerful pokemon in Galar. But what he did realize was that, to a degree, that woman whoever she was was right. In a way. He...wasn't really doing either of them any favors by yelling at her in public and embarrassing her..Sure they fought but thinking on it now, he wondered how and why she began supporting his choices all of a sudden. He couldn't exactly remembered when she started showing up to his events and joined his fan club but it must've been maybe a good few years(??) at most. And no matter how much or what he said she always seemed to show up to support him, which still left a sour taste in his mouth. Where was this kinda support back then before they fought?...But if he was really honest with himself, and he always was, there was times that-

He really did miss his mom.

She wasn't perfect and she was hard on him and his siblings a lot, but she wasn't a bad parent. Not a 'perfect' parent, or a 'great' parent, but a good one and he was certain that she definitely wasn't the worst mother in the world. Even if her support now was overbearing was she really trying, or was this all for an image? The questions wouldn't leave him taking his attention away from other things like battles and events he planned in advance because his mind was always somewhere else. Well he one day finally decided to find out once and for all to put his running mind at ease. He felt so awkward and uncomfortable walking up to his childhood home one afternoon and knocking at the door over and over until she answered the door. His mother had opened the door and looked just as shocked as he felt awkward to see him of all people standing in the doorway.

"Gordie?"

"Ma. We need to have a talk," he bluntly stated hands in his pockets as his foot tapped anxiously away. He wanted to get straight to the point. "Can I come in?"

....She slowly blinked for a moment before she nodded and stepped aside for him to walk in. "Of course. Come on in."

"Thanks," he mumbled before walking on in and going straight to the living room. Huh..Not a single thing had been changed or moved over the years he'd been out of the house, from the rugs to the same painting of a frosmoth over the fireplace was the exact same. Glad to see at least this place was normal. "...Where's Elsa and the troublesome trio?"

"They're still in school," she spoke slowly closing the door. he heard her footsteps approach him but stopped a few yards away giving him space. "Why?... Did something happen to them?! Is there an emergency!?"

Good. He didn't want them around in case this lead to another fight. "...Nah." He shook his head making her sigh in relief. "Nothin' like that, Mom." He then looked at her and with one hand reached up to take off his shades, showing the hardened look in his eyes. "But we still need to talk about what's been going on."

She seemed confused and rose a brow back at him. " And what's been going on?"

"I'm talking about the fact you're always following me around whenever I plan anything!," he barked back his anxious brain finally making him lose patience. And she froze. "Cut the crap and answer me already. Are you really doing it cuz you feel sorry or is it to save your own image!?"

And then the house was silent other than the fire crackling currently in the fireplace and again it looked like he caught Melony off guard because the woman only stared at him wide eyed and shocked he even said that. Well he felt himself getting frustrated when she didn't answer him and continued pointing a finger from the hand holding his shades at her.

"Because you've been doin' this for the last couple years and it's been drivin' me CRAZY cuz I can't figure out what your motive is! Are you really sorry or are you just trying to get back in my good graces!? If you are sorry why can't you just say it to my face!? But if you're not then why are ya even bothering with this because it's really getting on my mind!," he continued to rant gesturing his hands around at nothing, "I haven't been able to focus or sleep because that's all I can think about lately so whatever it is just tell me now because I REALLY would like to be able to sleep again without those thoughts clouding my mind!!"

He was left panting and huffing by the end of his long rant and just started at his mother who continued to stare back silently...before she sighed and allowed her brows to crease in slight sadness.

"Oh, Honey," she spoke slowly seeming to put the puzzle together. "Is this what it's all about?" She shook her head. "Of course I'm sorry. That's why I've been trying so hard to make it up to you and make things right."

"Y-Yeah? Well you could've made that clear from the beginnin'!," he spoke with a waver to his voice.

"I thought I did when I first started supporting you. I thought that's what you wanted from me."

"I DID FROM THE VERY BEGINNING!!," he shouted again pointing at her harder, "That's ALL I ever wanted from you! Your support now d-d-doesn't erase what happened when I was seventeen, Mom! It doesn't just make what happened ok o-or erase that moment from time!! It isn't going to change that!!"

"I know it won't change anything," she spoke sadly and she gestured at nothing. "I know I've got this tendency to assume what makes me happy makes others happy too. I get carried away." She admitted looking to the floor. "There have been times where it worked in my favor but it's also just messed things up instead...I had to learn the hard way to stop assuming and do better by my children, and I'm afraid it might've been too late to realize that with you."

"Y-Yeah?...W-Well you're right about the 'too late' part."

"I know, Sweetie. And I can apologize over and over and give as many excuses as I'd like to explain everything but I know that won't make much of a difference if it even does do any. I'm the bad guy in this situation and there's no getting around that. All I can do is try to makes things right now and hope you can forgive me. If you can't...Then you can't."

"Why?...Why didn't you say an-anythin' like that whenever I yelled at ya in front of people!?"

"Because I wasn't going to stop you from expressing how you felt about me," Melony replied back calmly enough, although from the look she was giving him she felt sorry. "If you really felt like that towards me then that's how you feel. There's nothing I could've done to change that, I know I'm in the wrong and I just want you to express yourself however."

She flinched when a sob left Gordie and for once he found himself in a very long time crying. Tears flowing down his face finally from being held back for so long and not being able to anymore. The dam had broken, and the wave of emotions had overtaken any rational thought his brain might've had, letting the waterworks stream down his face, his throat clench up, And his vision blurry.

"D-Dangit, Ma-...W-Why do ya al-always have to make things h-hard?," he asked between chokes and hiccups and behind hands furiously wiping at his face.

The sobbing and tears took over him and he couldn't remember when exactly in the mess it happened, but he found himself being held by someone's arms and another low voice shushing him, but this voice was also crying herself.

"Oh, Honey. I h-had no idea it was affecting you this much. I'm so sorry."

The tears and sobbing still came until after another ten minutes he seemed to finally get a hold of himself and the tears ran out, and he was able to shuffle himself out of his mother's hold to wipe at his face better. But it felt...almost relieving in a way. Almost like a boulder had lifted off his chest and his mind was a bit more clearer than before. Well...this was good. Right? Well now begs the question. Where do they go from here?

"...I-I can't do this anymore." Melony blinked from wiping her own eyes as he placed the glasses back on his face. "Feelin' like this. And living everyday like this for the rest of our lives..I'm...willing to work ..something out with you, Ma. B-B-But...There's gotta be some boundaries. So like I said before...We need to talk."

Spare all the details, but a long, grueling, AWKWARD talk ensued between the two of them and they managed to work something out after all. He would spend one night a week at her house for dinner and in return she'd back off coming to so many events of his and being overbearing in public, she could still show up to some of his events but a phone call or a heads up would be appreciated. And to his surprise it-...worked surprisingly well. It was still awkward, weird, and slow, but it was still a start and things were looking to slowly work themselves out. Things were starting to improve with his little siblings and Melony. But something still didn't sit right on his mind. That chick who stirred up these feelings in him and was ultimately the push needed to send all the dominos toppling over to get his life to where it was now. He wanted- No. NEEDED to talk to her, for a multitude of reasons. To CORRECT her on the statements she got wrong. To CLEAR UP any misunderstandings she may have had. To APOLOGIZE personally for how he acted in front of her. And to THANK her for putting into motion this part of his life. But there was only one problem. He couldn't FIND her. Like...ANYWHERE in Circhestor. And he wasn't sure what she looked like either. Her entire face was covered so all he had to go on was the color of the winter coat and scarf she wore and f/c eyes. Now he did try to look and ask around but it seemed like she just vanished into thin air. She wasn't local as far as he could tell and she didn't seem to be one of the students in the local community college, and he certainly would've recognized her voice at any of the small stores he frequented on a regular basis. Asking around yielded no results either. Everyone knew her as 'The Girl Who Yelled At Gym Leader Gordie' but no names or faces to match and with time that incident faded from memory too. He asked his mom about her in case the mystery chick was in fact just a hallucination made up by him and his hands, but to his surprise his mother confirmed the interaction. To his DOUBLE surprise she even mentioned running into that girl again at the grocery store not too long after their encounter.

"Really!? Where was she?! Who was she!? Where did she go!?"

But his mother only shrugged. "I don't know, Sweetie. I only spoke to her for a minute and she seemed in a real hurry to go. She mentioned something about her and her friends leaving real soon."

She left Circhestor? Well that explained a lot of things. Oh well. Guess he could forget about that idea afterall. But unknowns to him he would actually end up seeing her again for she was the same woman who happened to be Leon's friend, and the one who babysat his little sibs during the Champion Cup, and the one who ended up actually saving Leon in the end from what he heard from both Leon and Piers who stayed in the hospital for a while. But he didn't know that this woman was the same woman he'd met earlier until some time into the next year. There had been another problem. One that woke everyone in Circhestor up with the rumbling and roaring of not one, not two, not even three but EIGHT dynamaxed pokemon running rampant in Circhestor's two gyms! Four in each gym. Don't ask him how or WHY there was suddenly eight dynamaxed pokemon running about but he was more focused on fixing the problem right now. He first helped his mother take care of the pokemon in her gym before returning to his own gym to deal with the remaining pokemon when he ran into a surprise.

The man was startled by the fact you all ran in and held up his hands waving for you all to get back.

"Hey! Get to safety you guys!," he shouted at you just as another roar sound echoed through the sky making him look between the sky and then back to all of you before shooing you all again. "It's not good to be here right now."

"Then who'd you think you're talkin' to then?," Piers asked him and Gordie looked towards him as he reached up and pulled his hood off revealing his long black and white hair making Gordie blink in surprise. "We're here to help not be helped."

"Piers!?," Gordie asked reaching his hand up to raise his sunglasses to look at Piers surprised.

"In the flesh. We figured ya needed a hand an' I happened ta have some extra time nowadays."

"Oh..Un actually." He cleared his throat and put his sunglasses back on. "I didn't realize who I was talking to. I was just thinking over how to handle this. With all of you here we can each take one of them on!"

"One o' 'em?"

Gordie nodded. "Y-Yeah. For some reason four pokemon just like... unleashed or something in my Mom's and mine's gyms!"

"Good Arceus! Is she ok?"

He nodded again. "Yeah. It took us both a while to clear out her gym and I was just trying to figure out how to clear them out before you arrived. But with your help I'm sure we can just get it over with pretty quick."

Piers nodded. "'Course. Should we go in now and take care of it or??"

"Oh! Right! Yeah." Gordie turned and motioned for you all to follow him. "Let's head to the pitch then!"

They moved to follow Gordie and so did you but you were stopped by something grabbing the back of your coat. You groaned and put your head up as you were pulled back and was met face to face by Piers who rose a brow. "And where do ya think you're goin', Y/n?"

"Oh come on Piers!" You gave him a frown looking at him. "You heard him! There's four crazy wild pokemon going crazy in there! You all could get hurt! Hop and Victor could get hurt! I can provide help!"

"I'll take care o' 'em," he said sternly placing you back down next to him as Silver poked his head out of your backpack. "You stay 'ere and stay safe. No buts!"

"....Ugh! Fine!" You pouted as he made a move to follow the guys. "I swear you can be a pain sometimes."

"I'd rather be the pain in your neck instead of those pokemon. Now STAY here!"

You watched them go before looking at Silver and gesturing towards them. "Can you believe this?" Silver gave a chirp. "Exactly!"

He wouldn't lie he was glad for whatever reason Piers and his little mates were there to help him take out those pokemon all dynamaxed in the gym. His own pokemon were already tired from dealing with four other giant pokemon so the extra help was appreciated, and the small group showed back up alright. A little roughed up and dirty no doubt from the field but overall looking rather well.

Gordie sighed and reached a hand up to wipe at his forehead. "Nice work everyone. No one's hurt are they?"

Hop gave a dry laugh. "Ha ha. Just barely. Battling a dynamax pokemon all on your own is pretty hard work."

"Hehe...Well I expected nothing less from you, Piers," Gordie thanked Piers with a smile. "You seem like quite the reliable trainer too, Hop."

Hop blinked at the compliment the gym leader gave him. "I-I do?"....Before giving a bashful smile.

A small laugh rang out. "Looks like he ain't used ta compliments." Piers teased pointing at Hop. "Look. He's got a grin wider than a meowth."

"I-I do not!," Hop protested quickly making Piers give a...wide smile. You blinked at him. "Shut your gob, Piers!"

"Anyways..I'll take care of the pokemon we battled so there's no need for you all to worry. Alright?"

"What will you do with them?", you asked curiously

Gordie shrugged. "Relocate and release them back into the wild probably. Maybe give them to my little sibs? We'll decide once we get them looked at by Nurse Joy." Gordie turned his head towards you. "Either way they'll be-.." he paused. Staring at you all bundled up in your coat with your scarf covering half your face as you stared back at him. After a moment of wide eyed staring Gordie reached up both his hands. Taking off his sunglasses and rubbing his eyes with the other before looking back to you letting you see his face without those glasses now...before he pointed at you. "Hey. You look familiar. Have we met somewhere before?"

Uh oh. Could you still get in trouble for what happened last year when you were first in Circhester? There probably couldn't be anything he could do since you technically didn't do anything other than maybe ban you from his gym which honestly wouldn't affect you much. But could he ban you from Circhester all together?

"Well...I mean I have seen you around once or twice," you answered truthfully. And you did. You saw him about four times now. At the Entrance Ceremony, during your trip to Circhester and Wyndon last year, and now.

In an instant Gordie's face gained a flash of realization and he pointed at you. "Hey! You're that chick!"

"Chick?," Piers asked looking between you and Gordie and narrowing his eyes.

You looked between both gym leaders before sighing and reaching up. Gordie's eyes widening more as you pulled down your hood and scarf revealing your face and head. "Wha-...Whoa, whoa, whoa! Wait!..." he pointed again and if he wasn't holding his glasses it might've fallen off his face onto the ground. "The babysitter lady!?"

You groaned before ending it with a sigh and shaking your head as Gordie blinked. "Yeah. I uh....Never got a chance to apologize to you for yelling at you last year."

"Yellin' at 'em?," Piers asked raising his brows surprised and looking between the two of you more. "..Wot are ya two talking about?"

"It's a long story. But I really am sorry," you genuinely apologized. "I shouldn't have done that."

....Gordie blinked again. "Wha- Uh! N-No! Don't apologize!...I mean." He cleared his throat and turned his gaze placing his sunglasses back onto his face. "It's no big deal. Can't expect everyone to be a fan of mine y'know. And to be honest it's not like you're the first girl to yell at me for something."

"Wait....You're serious?" You blinked surprised.

"Yeeeaaahh." he rubbed the back of his neck. "I've had my share of love struck crazies and karens. Can't avoid that when you're kinda famous and a gym leader I guess." I mean...You guessed so. That sounded like something he'd have to deal with. He tilted his head back at you. "In fact.....I kinda owe you one for getting through my thick head." ...You mumbled a huh sound and he sighed. "I mean.." He gestured his other hand. "What you said about me...and my mom r-really stuck with me after that and I couldn't get it out of my head......Buuutt not getting it out of my head meant I was forced to think about it and thinking about it made me realize that....I was kinda being a jerk to my ma."

"I-..." You blinked exchanging surprised looks with Piers before looking back at him. "Wait. You did what?"

He nodded with a sigh. "Y-Yeah. You were right. My mom was really sorry about everything and was just trying to make up for it for so long and I was just treating her like dirt this entire time. I was so deep into the grudge I held over her it took someone verbally slapping some sense into me to realize that I was pushing her away and creating a stressful situation for my siblings. T-That's why I've been trying to make it up to her!" He clarified to you as if he was hoping you would approve of that gesturing his hand to you, making you blink again. "And thing's have been...well it's still kinda awkward, b-but it's better now! We talk and I visit a lot!"

You stared at him..Hey. Didn't Piers mention that Gordie and Melony were getting along better in the hospital? Did you do that? Oops. But hey! It looks like things are turning out for the better! "But...then who's going to take over your mom's gym?"

"My little sister!," Gordie answered proudly, "Elsa's always had more of a knack with Ice Types than I ever did! She'd be a better match for it than I ever could be! And I'm planning on training one of my baby brothers when they get older...." He sighed. "And when they mature more." Before he looked back to you. "But I never got the thought of the chick that helped me out out of my head. ..Hehe. I looked all over Circhester for ya but I couldn't find you anywhere. If it wasn't for my mom and some of my fans hearing you too I would've sworn you were a ghost or something."

"Me?" You pointed to yourself. "Why? I'm sorry if I caused you any grief or anything."

"No, no." He waved a hand. "I-I just wanted to t-thank you. Is all. Y'know. I just..never got to say thank you."

...You smiled. "Hey. Don't thank me. I'm just glad everything turned out ok for everyone. Let's just call it even and say no one owes the other anything."

Gordie blinked surprised for a moment before giving a smile. "*ahem* Y-Yeah. Sounds good. Heh....So uh..." He gestured towards you all. "Are you all leaving now?"

"Actually I suggest we spend the night here before we decide to go anywhere next," Hop suggested. "It's going to get dark soon and we can all use a small mental break from traveling to have a good night's sleep and leave in the morning."

"I second that!" Victor shivered. 

"Oh! You're spending the night?...*ahem* W-Well if that's the case..Uh." He gestured to you. "Do you uh...M-Maybe wanna have some dinner at Bob's Your Uncle? They have some really good curry and hot coco. It'd be my treat-"

"Sorry, but I think we'll just get hotel room service. But thanks for the offer."

"O-Oh. Uh...Ok then."

And just like that she was gone yet again. He went to try and talk to her the very next morning but her and her crew had already left, and then he was left wondering why until he was filled in by Raihan to the events that transpired with two weird hairdo guys that was later made to apologize to him and his mother. He tried mentioning her to Leon but never could get to speak with her again so he forgot it for now, that was until he agreed to do an exhibition match with Raihan once his stadium was done being rebuilt.

The roar of the crowds could still be heard from even inside the heavily cemented concrete walls that made up most of the gym. Even with the thick steel door that made a loud metallic noise when strong hands opened the entrance way into the locker rooms and two tall figures entered covered in dirt and sweat from his weather attacks and a difficult battle inquiring much energy. The footsteps echoed throughout the room as they both entered. Lockers lined all along the right wall with showers and a few bathroom stalls and sinks towards the back and left walls, and a few benches were placed in the middle. Thank goodness that the atmosphere in here was. cooler. It helped to cool the two of them off from the work out that was the show they put on. The first thing Gordie did once in there was make a beeline for the nearest bench and tiredly plop himself down on it with a relieved sigh.

"Hhhhhaaaa. Man." Two hands reached up and removed the signature sunglasses from his face while his other pushed itself through his blonde locks. A few grands of sand falling from them courtesy of Raihan's flygon's sandstorm attack. "Been a while since I had a battle that intense."

His answer was to sigh back and reached his own hand up to remove the orange bandanna from his forehead. Allowing his head to feel some relief from it's fabric. "Yeah. Good battle though. You really had be in the last round not gonna lie."

The other gym leader let out a small dry chuckle his way before gazing his eyes towards him. "Yeah but we both knew you were going to win from the start, Raihan. Don't kid yourself." His gaze once again looked back down towards his hand and then grimaced when he spotted the specks of dirt all over the shades' lenses. "I might've as well have just forfeited before I even got here. No one can top the top leader."

"Hmm. True, but then again we both know you won't back down from a chance to make yourself look great in front of all those adoring fans of yours. Seriously, I think the stadium's packed with more of your fans than mine. Did you see how many people were lined outside begging at your feet for just a picture?"

"Tch." A small smile appeared on Gordie's face as he attempted to clean the shades on the fabric of his jacket. "You're just jealous because I can wear dirt and still come out with great hair!"

That made Raihan laugh a little bit back. "Grains of sand is just filed down rock, and who else could look better in it than the Rock Type Gym Leader himself?"

"But of course! But since we're on the topic of fans, I think that crazy group of women were throwing themselves at your feet not mine. Still a ladies' man huh?" Despite Gordie asking that in a joking way his words made Raihan pause and his friend quickly picked up on his lack of movement, looking up at him. "....Hey, Dude. You ok there?"

"Hm?" Raihan blinked at him before holding up a free hand. "Oh yeah. I've been good. Just-...A-A lot's been on my mind lately considering. Y'know?"

With a hum Gordie nodded. "Yeah man. I feel you. I bet things have been stressful. You sure you're not over pushing yourself?"

"No. I'm fine in that department," he assured Gordie with a small smile. "Guess it's just the feeling of all the stress winding down. But how's your family?" He asked changing the subject. "I think Nessa told me your little sister was being trained to take over your mom's gym."

"Huh? O-Oh yeah. Thing's are a bit...awkward sometimes but-" Gordie paused for a moment rolling his wrist. "It's...good. Things are good. A lot better than they were. I have that Y/n chick to thank for that."

"Oh yeah. ...I heard about that from Piers," Raihan mumbled rubbing his neck. He...had mixed feelings when Gordie had told some of them about the girl who verbally slapped common sense into and then Piers had casually told him that chick just happened to be YOU in passing. Gordie seemed to express some genuine interest in you which made him look back at him with a hum. "She's really nice, ain't she?"

"Yeah." A small silence fell between the two of them before Gordie looked back up towards Raihan again. "I uh...Heard you asked her out a few times." Raihan blinked. "H-How-..How'd that go for you?"

"Oh that. It was nice. Real nice if you don't take into account she sucked her drizzlie's water gun on me. HAHA." He ended with a laugh and smile.

"Aw man. Bummer. Sorry to hear that dude."

Raihan shrugged. "It's all good. Wasn't meant to be anyways. SO! What are you doing after this again? A lot of those fans are expecting an encore appearance from us!"

Gordie shrugged with a sigh rubbing his neck. "Not sure myself. I think I just want to head home and have a rest after this event. It's nearly Elsa's birthday too so I might do some shoppin'."

Raihan smirked slyly before shrugging. "Sounds like a plan man. I totally would've thought you'd drop by the college you got over there."

To which this Gordie gave him a confused look. "What? No. You already know I graduated from there years ago dude. The course only takes two years to graduate. Why would you suggest that?"

Raihan shrugged again. "No reason. I just thought you and Y/n were friends since she's attending college there-"

"WHAT!?" Raihan had to bite back the urge to laugh when Gordie whipped around fast enough to make the shades slip down his nose.

"Oh yeah. Lee was telling me all about it. The Chairwoman was really thankful for everything Y/n's done for him so when she heard she was planning to take up college here, she offered a full scholarship to the University up there." he shrugged slyly. "So I just thought maybe you'd already see how she was doing-"

"WHEN!?", Gordie demanded shooting up to his feet and looking at Raihan who hummed.

"Well..The next school season starts in mid August and it's almost the end of July right now, so calculating in how long it'll take to sign up for classes a month before it starts and how much all the books will cost-...I'd say she'd maybe be on her way now or sometime real soon I bet-"

He blinked when Gordie wasn't in front of him anymore and the door leading out of the men's locker room was slowly swinging shut from being thrown open so suddenly. The Dragon Tamer stood there staring at what just happened for a long moment...before throwing his head back and laughing. Oooh you were for sure going to get him for this later, but for now he was going to laugh and see what would happen.