#so they're just like 'yep i like you and you like me and we'd probably be great together but we can't in this life'

[theflyingfeeling]

I just want Olli and Aleksi to get together for real😭 I wonder if the thought of them together has ever crossed their minds

listen. in my shippy, extremely delusional mind they're pining for each other as we speak, both equally scared to make their move for many many many many MANY reasons 😭

[mysteryshoptls]

SSR Epel Felmier - Platinum Jacket Vignette

"Happy 100th Anniversary"

[Land of Dawning – National Museum of Art]

Epel: I'd been hearin' this place was just some fancy museum, 'cept it's way huger 'n I thought.

Epel: We ain't got a museum back home, so… Seein' all these paintin's hangin' 'bout's just crazy!

???: Look at that apple, it's so red and shiny! Totally looks photo-worthy ♪

Epel: Ah, Cater-san! Yeah, it's a really beautiful apple, huh. Although, it's pretty hard to get them this red even with a ton of effort.

Cater: Eh, really? Epel-chan, you sure know your apples ♪

Epel: Ehehe, that's because I'm from a family of apple farmers. I don't think anyone knows more than me when it comes to apples!

Cater: I see～

Cater: Y'know, the queen here looks like she's talking with the crow as she offers it the apple. What do you think she's saying?

Cater: Since even someone well-versed in the world of apples like you thought it's a great looking one, thinking she's saying something like, "Doesn't it look delicious?"

Epel: Nah. I think she's saying, "It's not for you!"

Cater: Eh! So mean!

Epel: Well, yeah!! Like, back home, we'd always have crows trying to nab our apples…

Epel: They'd damage them, poke holes in them, drop them half-eaten on the ground…

Epel: I can't stand them for treating our delicious apples like that!!

Epel: It'd be bad if we couldn't ship out our apples, so the village would band together every year to try to keep them crows out.

Cater: THE WHOLE VILLAGE!? Must be a pretty touch sitch. What kinda stuff do you do to get rid of them?

Epel: We'd put up nets, or make noises that the crows wouldn't like… And a bunch of other stuff.

Epel: But those guys are pretty smart, so we can only get rid of them for a short time… They always come back once they realize they're not in danger.

Epel: That's why whenever them crows came back, I'd jump on my broom and hoot 'n holler while chasing after them!

Cater: You'd hoot and holler while chasing after them!? Based on how petite you look, I couldn't imagine you doing something like that…

Epel: If I don't give them a good scare, they'll just keep coming back.

Epel: A few of the crows were more persistent, so I'd get worried that I'd run out of magic while trying to chase them.

Epel: But, thanks to all that, in the end, whenever I was in the orchard, the crows wouldn't come anywhere near it!

Cater: Pretty amazing of you to scare away all those annoying crows that had the whole village in a bind ♪

Epel: Eheheh, thank you.

Cater: If we're talking about when you were back home, that means this all happened before you came here, right? So basically, would you say you're a pretty good flier, Epel-chan?

Epel: Yep! The guys in the Magical Shift club'll praise me up and down for being able to chase down erratic discs.

Cater: Niiice, all your experiences with those crows are probably coming in handy, then.

Epel: Oh, when you put it that way, I guess so…!

Epel: I thought they were just a pain in my side, but… Those crows were useful in their own way too, I guess?

[Land of Dawning – National Museum of Art]

Cater: This painting… It's a scene from the tales of the kind-hearted princess. Ahh, a nighttime date on a magical flying carpet is so romantic ♪

Epel: Is that what this is? Oh, the magic carpet is holding something. Is this… a flower?

Epel: It's really drawn so lifelike. It looks like it was just freshly picked…

Cater: Ahaha. So I take it you're more interested in fresh flowers than a romantic date, Epel-chan?

Epel: I-I mean, when weeds are pulled out, they shrivel up pretty fast…

Epel: And even cut flowers need to be put into a vase as soon as possible, or it loses its vibrancy.

Cater: Really? Looks like you're just as in the know about plants as you are with apples.

Epel: Ehehe. I'm studying really hard right now so that I can be more useful to my village whenever I head back home.

Epel: I've been working on potions that'll keep plants from withering, or help them grow…

Epel: Recently, I've been growing my own plants so I can test my potions on them.

Epel: I panicked a bit when one of the pots broke when I was in the middle of testing out a new potion…

Cater: Eh!? You saying that it grew crazy fast, or something!?

Epel: Oh, no, no! I can't make potions that great yet, or with any effect, really…

Epel: Basically, it just fell because one of my roommates bumped their hand into it while they were getting ready for class.

Cater: Did you get hurt at all? It'd be bad if our cute little Epel-chan got injured!

Epel: Cute…!? …Urgh, yes, I was fine.

Epel: I had to clean up the broken pot and scattered dirt, so I was more worried about being late to class.

Epel: I planned on hitting up the school store afterwards to get another pot, since I didn't have any spares…

Epel: But Jack-kun, my classmate, shared one of his spare pots! I was able to move my plant into that one right away.

Cater: Hm? Why did Jack-kun…? Oh, right. He raises cacti, right?

Epel: Yeah! How did you know?

Cater: I remembered him posting a picture of a cactus on Magicam once. There wasn't any description, so I didn't really get what the picture was supposed to be of at first…

Epel: That must have been the cactus that Jack-kun's been growing, yeah.

Epel: He really tries to take good care of it, and had spare pots laying around.

Epel: So, when I said I broke my own plant's pot, he gave one to me, saying it was in return for some apples I gave him once.

Epel: Cater-san, are there are plants that you take care of?

Cater: Hmmm, I mean, there's a ton of plants in my dorm. But I don't think I'd ever really get around to raising some myself.

Epel: Yeah, it really takes time and effort to raise plants.

Epel: That's why it feels double awesome whenever the plant's flowers bloom or fruit grow!

[Land of Dawning – National Museum of Art]

Epel: Oh hey, it's a painting of the Queen of Hearts! Both she and the animals on her shoulder look pretty proud of themselves.

Cater: It says that this is a painting depicting the scene where the Queen of Hearts had just secured her victory in a croquet match.

Cater: According to legend, the Queen of Hearts was able to hit shots that just curved right into the hoops.

Epel: Shots that curved right into the hoops!? I can't even do that when I aim for them… She's awesome!

Cater: Oh, so you've played croquet before?

Epel: Yes! Last weekend, Ace and Deuce asked me to help them practice.

Epel: Grim-kun and [Yuu]-san also joined us. It was supposed to just be practice, but we kinda ended up playing an actual match…

Epel: Hehe, we really got into it then.

Epel: By the time we finished the game, we were all so hungry. So we all just went to Foothill Town to eat.

Cater: Niiice～ Ah, so young and carefree. And let me guess, you guys went to a hamburger joint?

Epel: Eh, how did you know!?

Cater: When it comes to a joint in town that's affordable even for students, I can't really think of anything much other than that chain restaurant～

Epel: Oh yeah, Ace-kun said something like that too. But it's not like I knew of the restaurant before I came to Sage's Island.

Cater: Are you more the type to avoid fast food hamburger joints?

Epel: I wouldn't say I avoid them… It's a bit of a car ride to get to their closest chain back home, so I haven't had much opportunity to go, is all.

Cater: Oh wow. I totally thought they had a place set up pretty much everywhere, since it's even on this remote island.

Epel: Yeah… When I told Ace-kun and Deuce-kun, they were pretty surprised as well.

Epel: Until those two told me, I didn't even know that they did free refills at this restaurant...

Cater: Hm? I mean, I don't think it's just that one joint that does that, but the whole chain.

Epel: Eh, you mean that's not something only here at Sage's Island!?

Epel: Then that means I could have had free refills in the restaurant I went to back home… I didn't know at all.

Epel: What a waste, I'd only ever get one drink whenever I'd go. I'll have to let my family know next time I head back home.

Cater: Yeah, yeah. Whenever there's free refills, it's so easy to just lounge there forever, too～

Epel: Yeah! And that day, we got really caught up in conversation that it started to get dark… We had to hurry back to campus.

Cater: Oh, I see, I see. Well, thanks for getting along with my little freshie brethren.

Epel: What, you don't need to thank me! I had a ton of fun hanging with them.

Epel: Ah, wait, I'm sorry, I've kept you here a while now!

Cater: Don't worry about it, I was happy to chat with you ♪ I think I'll head off to the museum's café now.

Cater: I heard their menu is themed after the various exhibits here, so. See ya around, Epel-chan.

Epel: Right, see ya. …Well, Vil-san told me to learn a thing or two about beauty while I'm here, so I guess I'll go look around for a painting of the Fairest Queen.

Epel: Oh hey, there's another painting with an apple on it! This one looks really tasty, too.

Epel: Oh yeah, I remember when I was a kid, I heard the story of how the Fairest Queen cast her magic on apples, and would try to pretend to do the same.

Epel: And I'd chant… "Now, turn red. Tempt anyone and everyone to make them hunger for a bite…"

Requested by Anonymous.

[rainofthetwilight]

ALRIGHT. ALL MY THOUGHTS AND PREDICTIONS FOR THE NEW TEASER

HERE WE GO

BEATRIX AND MOTION!!!!! they both seem to be in lloyd's visions by the red landscape, and I'm so glad his visions didn't stop at s2p1 and are still ongoing even after the blood moon

also, can I just say that motion's design is so fucking pretty omg?????? SHE LOOKS SO COOL

worried face lloyd? yep, connected to the visions I'm guessing

I'm also calling that someone's gonna make a meme out of this lmao

AYYYY THE SCENE FROM THE IMDB PHOTOS!!! ngl since it looks like roby's welcoming them, I'm guessing that the screen was showing a recap recording of the ninja arriving

IT'S THE UH, BRECKT OR BREKT GUY OR WHATEVER HIS NAME IS I CAN'T REMEMEBER 😭

YESYEYEYSYEYSYEYE3YEGEYEGSYSBDHEBEVRVQHFHQBDHQJJSJSFHHW WE'RE GETTING KAI N BONZLE MEETING THE REST OF THE FF LETS FUCKING GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

the glowing one is sitting on a chair, unlike the rest who are standing? I'm guessing that he's the one that passed through the gate and possessed jordana, so he's basically like, living in two worlds? that's also probably why he's sitting on a chair

THEY LOOK SO HAPPY AUSDGSHGSGAGDEHEH32H1HEGQHDHHWEGG2HDHQHQ (they do NOT know the psychological torture that's coming in the next few episodes.........)

ALSO???? NYA'S LOOKING HOT AS FUCK AUSGSHWG3GG2V2HSHQJWHWH1HEHEQHSYHQGSGW AND LLOYD IN HIS MASTER OUTFIT!!!!!!!!! HE'S REAL!!!!!!!!!!!!

MATRIARCH IS BACK!!!!! also, is it just me or is she missing her crown? and why is she at the realm of madness? I'm guessing that this is where she and the rest of the herd went after ras' attack maybe?

and from the later shot of sora and arin below, I think this is also related to the administration

also...

yeah, this shot is definitely from ep11

WYLDFYRE WYLDFYRE WYLDFYRE MY DAUGHTER SHE LOOKS SO PRETTY AUAGSGSGSGWGEWHEHGSWHHEHWHEGSGWGDGGWQH

I can't really tell what's happening here?? but since she still has her powers, this is before her match w/ cinder

SORA W/ A WEAPON SORA W/ A WEAPON SORA W/ A WEAPON LETS FUCKING GO SHEYEU2VFB2H4HQIAIDH22J2IWI2GRI28WJDHWJSJ2U2U3SHHDDGHQ LOOK!!!!! LOOK AT MY BLORBO GO!!!!!! LOOK AT MY FAV GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I think whatever she's using is made for the tightrope she's on, for balance yk

also, are those floating platforms cameras???

I NEVER THOUGHT WE'D ACTUALLY SEE ROBY W/ A SELFIE STICK BUT HERE WE ARE LMAOO

he looks so happy AGSHQHDGHW 😭 judgung by the spectators I think they're doing like, that wave thing where people cheer then go down if ykwim? I don't know what it's called lol

OKAY LIKE I SAID ABOVE THIS IS DEFINITELY THE ADMINISTRATION CONSIDERING THEY'RE AT THE REALM OF MADNESS RIGHT???? WHY DO THEY LOOK SO SHOCKED I'M . HUH

saw someone on twitter say it might be them meeting jay, but I don't think that's possible bc like, they would've told the others yknow? they wouldn't be that happy if they knew Ig, so I'm guessing this is related to the matriarch plot

CINDER'S LOOKING FLY AS FUCK HOLY SHIT??????? THE MINIFIGURE DID HIM SO DIRTY I'M SO SORRY WE BULLIED YOU MAN 😭

ALSO?????? WHY AND HOW IS HE CONTROLLING WYLDFYRE'S POWERS?????M HUH WHATWHATSVEHWJSHAHWJDJHWHEHQJSJW

my theory? since we see him battling w/ wyldfyre later on, he probably won the duel, and the one who wins gets the other opponent's powers (basically TOE, but to the players themselves instead)

A RACE?????? that is one heck of a small dragon, a baby I'm guessing?

ALSO MECH SUIT COLE IS REAL!!!!!!! he's in his wedding dress <3333333

WHO ARE YOU CLOAKED PERSON AND WHY ARE YOU FIGHTING LLOYD

this could be an entirely new person, but I tbh think it's either jordana or nokt?

but after looking at her minifigure it's not entirely possible it could be her, so it's either nokt, a new person, or even possibly beatrix

WHAT ARE THE TEMPLE GUARDS DOING TO JIRO AND ZANTH WHAT DID THEY EVER DO TO YOU 😭😭

also, the ninja in the background!! those are definitely zane, sora, cole and wyldfyre

GEO BEING THE SUPPORTIVE HUSBAND THAT HE IS AUSVSHQHWGEGWVWG1UWH3H2HDVWVRGQEHHWA WHEN I TELL YO U I SCREAMED ARGEHSHDHEHAHDAHHSHS LOOK AT HIM CHEERING ON HIS HUSBAND N HIS FRIENDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

CINDER AND WYLDFYRE REMATCH CINDER AND WYLDFYRE REMATCH CINDER AND WYLDFYRE REMATCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (this is Not gonna end well 😕)

ALSO, HOW IS CINDER USING SHATTERSPIN W/O HIS EYES GLOWING AND ALL THAT......

did he shatter his soul too much it became part of him or smth???

BACK TO THE TIGHTROPE!!!!!!!!! SORA WATCH OUT WGAHSHWHWHRWJJDHQHEEHWJQJDHWHDHAHSSGQHQ

WHO IS THAT DRAGON AND WHY IS IT TAKING LLOYD??????????

MOTION GLOWING.....OH MY GOD??????????????

HER SIZE COMPARED TO THE MONASTARY IS JUST???????

WHAT A WAY TO END THE TEASER HOLY SHIT

[vidavalor]

I don’t see the alleged handholding on the bus. I don’t. I’m sorry. I’ve watched it so many times. I want to see it. I see Aziraphale’s hand going towards Crowley, but I don’t see any motion from Crowley that suggests he’s holding Aziraphale’s hand.

Are we really, really, REALLY sure they’re holding hands?

Hi there. 💕 Yep. Well, I am, anyway, and I'm happy to share why. I have watermelon salad to share tonight. Ahhh, summer... 🍉

I don't want to assume anything but I've seen the "Crowley doesn't react so they aren't holding hands" comment places before and what I think keeps people from seeing it is the idea that they think that Crowley should have some kind of big reaction because they think this is new. It's not. We aren't watching the very first time that they ever hold hands; we're watching a long-time couple familiar with doing so.

If this were the very first time Aziraphale had ever taken Crowley's hand then I could see why you're saying there should be some kind of reaction. We'd expect him to glance over or for his arm to be seen moving a bit from what of it we could see. On the other hand, if you look at the scene with a different perspective-- one assuming that they're already in a place where holding hands is not unfamiliar territory-- then the whole moment is really set up to reinforce that through showing how comfortable Crowley is with what's happening.

Crowley doesn't have to turn to Aziraphale right away in surprise and we don't need to see his head or arm move because all that's really likely happening is that Crowley is letting Aziraphale hold his hand right where it is resting on his thigh. Maybe he's turned his hand a little to thread their fingers together. Maybe he's just rubbing a thumb over Aziraphale's. We wouldn't see that from our angle because it would just be movement from his wrist down... and that seems to me to be the point of how the scene was shot. The outside view of the bus at this moment exactly? An angle designed to intimate to us that hands are being held and that it is not a rare or new event.

Think about it this way: if they never had held hands before, is Aziraphale just going to take his hand on this bus out of nowhere? Probably not. Is Crowley just going to sit there if Aziraphale did? Probably not. We get two or so seconds after Aziraphale takes his hand before the bus finishes moving out of the frame wherein we could have been shown Crowley having a more surprised reaction if that was what the scene was trying to say but we didn't see one because it seems like that is not what is being said with the scene.

Aziraphale's movements are familiar; he already knows he's permitted to take Crowley's hand whenever he likes and that they both find it comforting. Not only have they just been through all sorts of exhausting craziness over the last few days but Aziraphale was discorporated. He wasn't sure if he was going to be able to get his body back or how and this is basically the first moment they are alone enough to touch since Adam gave Aziraphale back his body. The hand holding then is a way of showing that Aziraphale needs to both feel grounded in his own body and to touch Crowley (not totally separate things, really...). That speaks to long-time coupledom to me more than it does to something new. If you look at the scene from the perspective that they're already together (just as if you look at most of the series from that perspective), you'll see a lot of subtle things just like this scene that reinforce the idea.

I wrote some stuff awhile back that you can find here about the connections between this scene and the flashback one on the bus earlier in S1 that also might help show how that they're sitting together and holding hands in this scene is set up by the earlier scene, should you be interested in that. Also: the "magic hands" massage joke would also suggest that holding hands in S1's present wouldn't be considered unusual. I think that if they've been making love since ancient Rome, as I wrote about the show suggesting here, liking to hold hands isn't too surprising but I understand from where your doubts are coming. Hope this helps. 💕

[justcallmecj]

To The Past

"Dorm Leaders see a memory of Y/n fighting another dragon(fae?) -this would probably happen because of a potion accident or the ghostcamera somehow brings the prefect into the memory like they were there" Courtesy of- QUEEN Skippy on Quotev

There's going to be a bit of Crowley bullying. And I'm gonna be descriptive with the other dragon but not with Y/N because they're supposed to be you, so you create that image.

Y/N's POV

        'Ghost Cameras. Capable of capturing the memory of the events they take pictures of, but also capable of other things. If the connection between camera and caretaker is strong enough, the Ghost Camera can bring memories of the caretaker to life. It can even reveal those memories to others if the caretaker allows it.'

        That's what Headmaster Crowley told me when he gave me the Ghost Camera. He assigned me the task of capturing moments of the students of NRC either in their day to day lives, or when something important happens. I happily excepted, being interested in photography as it already was.

        Now, the Ghost Camera sat around my neck hanging by a strap. I pulled out my phone. Shit! I'm gonna be late!! Me and the prefects all planned to spend the first day of NRC's only free week, that wasn't caused by a holiday, together. We were to meet up at the Botanical Garden where we'd go to a more secluded part of the building and have a picnic.

        Just judging from the time, I wasn't going to make it on time. I hadn't expected Crowley to call me to his office. Dammit. If I'm late, Riddle will be upset with me, Vil even more. With no other good alternative, I decided. Quickly, my wings spread wide and I found an open window. Climbing onto the edge of the windows ledge, I jumped and took flight. So much faster to fly than to walk. I'd do it more often but flying around the halls of NRC is not appreciated by the teachers.

        Not long after, I spotted the Botanical Garden not far from me, and in front of it's doors my sharp eyes saw the prefects. Of course I'm the last to show. I slowed down my speed and readied to fold my wings and let my weight drop. I sprung them back open once I got close to the ground, effectively stopping my drop and not crashing into the ground. It was hard for the prefects to not spot me after I came crashing in.

        "Y/N! You're finally here!!" Kalim cheered as he ran over and gave me a hug, one that I happily returned. I looked to meet the eyes of the other prefects. Most looked pleased of my arrival, except for Leona who looked annoyed and tired. Typical.

        "Good, you made it before you became late." Riddle praised. Vil, standing behind him, hummed in agreement. Azul adjusted his glasses, apparently my decent had knocked them askew. Idia nervously waved and stuttered out a hello and Malleus came up and greeted me. Yep, they haven't changed.

        "Well, now that I am here, how about we go inside and continue with our picnic?" I asked. All agreed and went into the Botanical Garden. Surprisingly, Leona led the way to the secluded spot. I guess it makes sense, since he spends the most time here than the rest of us. I bet he knows where all the good places are.

        We passed all the pretty plants ranging in colors from red to purple. Big and small. Floppy and stiff. Basically any plant in Twisted Wonderland, except the ones that only grew in the cold. I had to fold my wings in and keep my tail close to make sure I didn't knock anything over.

        The Ghost Camera still hung from my neck.

        We finally made it to this secret spot. There was a large blanket set out to sit on, baskets filled with food and plates with even more food placed around the space. The sun created lots of natural light through the Botanical Garden's glass ceiling. Plants hung all around, strung up pots, plants climbing up the walls like vines, branching out from wherever they were planted.

        It was a beautiful place to spend the rest of the day.

        Leona immediately found a place on the blanket and plopped down onto his back with his arms under his head. Soon enough, he was sound asleep. Vil groaned in annoyance with his hand covering his face. We all found spots around the blanket and began our peaceful afternoon.

        We talked on and on for what felt like forever, Idia being the only one on a device meaning only he could tell the time. Throughout the afternoon, I took pictures of all of us with the Ghost Camera. Then, I'd take the pictures and let them play out for everyone to watch. Never thought I'd be so happy with something Headmaster Crowley gave me.

        But I could've sworn that the camera was getting heavier.

        "By the way Y/N, where did that camera come from? It's pretty rare to get your hands on a Ghost Camera since they're so old." asked Azul as he pushed up his glasses. I looked at him and held the camera in my hands. Is it heavier?

        "It was given to me by the Headmaster. He assigned me a photography project with it, so now I'm just gonna take a bunch of pictures and collect the film for them." I told him. He and the other prefects seemed pretty interested, even Leona, who I knew was asleep just a moment ago, perked his ears in my direction.

        "Crowley did tell you everything about the Ghost Camera, right? I wouldn't be too surprised if he hadn't, knowing him." Vil scoffed with an eye roll. I shook my head.

        "No, I don't think he told me everything, but he told me all I needed to know." I said with a shrug of my shoulders, my wings flitted behind me. My arms we getting tired so I brought my tail in front of me and gently laid the camera on it, using my tail as an extra arm basically.

        "Can we take at least one more picture Y/N!?!" Kalim yelled with his arms holding him up as he leaned closer to me. "I really like to see when they come to life! Can we please??" He was so energetic, but his smile was infectious and I couldn't will myself to do anything but indulge him in his desire.

        I lifted the camera, which seemed much harder to do than it had been when I was taking pictures earlier, and snapped a shot of all of us. I waited for the film to come out of the slit in the camera's base with Kalim leaning over my shoulder. Soon, the film came out and produced and image of all of us smiling at the camera. Even Leona had the slightest hint of a smile on his face.

        I took the film and held it carefully in my hand. I then shook the film and out sprang the picture I just took. It was like one of those filters to turn pictures into 3d images, the ones Cater loves to try out on photos to see what happens. Everyone watched the moving image with fascination.

        Just then, the camera gained weight and dragged me down. It pinned my hand to the ground due to the weight and I was unable to get myself free. Everyone around me gasped.

        "Y/N! Are you okay?" Riddle asked as he scooted closer to me and attempted to pry the camera off my hands. It was no use since the camera didn't budge. It luckily didn't hurt but I didn't understand what was happening.

        The voices of everyone trying to help drowned out as my mind blanked. A faint voice echoed in my mind, one I didn't recognize.

        Hello. Do I have your permission? The voice rang through my ears. I couldn't speak, but I could think. Permission for what? Who are you? I wanted answers, but the voice gave no response.

        Permission to show them a memory. Your memory. All I need is a yes from you, I can take things from there. It said. The voice sounded...gentle. Understanding. Patient. Something about it just sat peacefully in my gut. I calmed down. The next thing I thought shocked me, I didn't think I'd put so much trust in a disembodied voice.

        Okay. Sure. Go ahead.

        A kind laugh sounded in my ears and my eyes, which had become blurry, closed. Then I lost all track of what was going on.

        "Y/N."

        A muffled voice. I couldn't see a thing, just black.

        "Y/N."

        The muffle started to lift.

        "Y/N!!"

        Now it was loud and clear. My eye lids finally found the energy to flutter open. I saw Malleus leaning over me and it seems it was him who was calling my name. Once he saw that I was awake, he put his hand under my back and helped me sit up. My head ached, but the pain was already fading, but there was a strange inching feeling in the back of my mind.

        "Are you alright, Y/N?" Azul, who was kneeled at my feet, asked. I nodded with my hand pressed against my head. The throbbing was gone but there was still that inching. Malleus grabbed my right hand and Vil grabbed my left, together they pulled me to my feet and kept me standing while I orientated myself. Eventually they could let go and not worry about me keeling over.

        I took a look around us. We were in a forest, one I found familiar. The trees surrounding the area, the wind that brushed against my wings and horns, the tweeting birds I definitely recognized. We were...back home? To where my house lays on the outskirts of the Valley of Thorns. It felt comforting to be where I had grown up, where everything was familiar. But, weren't we just in the Botanical Garden?

        "Where are we? This isn't NRC." asked Idia. He held his phone close to his chest and was frantically typing. "I can't even get any service out here!?" he yelped. I grunted, remembering how shitty phone service is out in these parts. Honestly it's shitty everywhere in the Valley of Thorns. The people here are so old school that most don't even know what a phone is.

        "This is the Valley of Thorns. Your hand held device won't work out here, Idia." Malleus informed everyone which made Idia panic until Azul placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

        "True, I grew up here. We're far out enough that there may be a slight chance it'll work, but I doubt it." I said with an eye roll. My wings adjusted and my tail swayed in the excitement of being home. It's been so long it feels since I've been home, since I've seen my family. It was exhilarating, so much so that I didn't realize how different the place actually looked compared to when I left. How...old it looked.

        "It this your forest, Y/N?" Leona asked. His ears twitched and tail swayed as if he sensed something being off. Truth be told, I did too, and I think the others had a vague feeling of it as well. I nodded at him.

        Then, a deafening roar sounded through the trees and the birds flew off in fear. Something large zoomed past us in the air with a second thing following suite, chasing the first one.

        We all dashed behind one of the wide trunk trees for protection from...whatever those things were. Now safe, we all peaked around the trees trunk to see what was going on.

No POV:

        From around a couple trees, out stepped a dragon. It's large body stomped into the clearing the NRC students were just in. Its scales were deep red with hints of yellow and orange scales mixed in. Its horns were long and twisted, wings large and slim, clearly meant for flying. The dragons snout thinned out at the end and had a small horn on the tip of its nose.

        Its amber eyes were wild. Dangerous. It looked from left to right frantically. Its tail thrashed around and its wings flexed open and shut. Smoke rose into the air from its flaring nostrils. Everything about its body language showed that it was ready for battle, and already had been.

        With a low growl, the red dragon swung its tail against a tree hard. The entire tree shook and leaves fell to the ground. Another creature jumped down from a branch high in the tree and landed right were the red dragon was, if it hadn't leapt out of the way first.

        This dragon was familiar to the NRC students. The white and blue scales, sharp horns, cold e/c eyes and slender wings. There was no doubt, that was Y/N. All the prefects have seen Y/N in full dragon form before, and there was no mistaking what Y/N looked like. But, there was one difference. This Y/N, the one in front of them instead of beside them, was smaller.

        They all looked to Y/N. They had their sharp eyes trained on the scene in front of them, the gears in their head clearly turning a mile and minute. Kalim scooted closer to Y/N.

        "Hey" he whispered. "Is that you?" You didn't speak, only nodded in response. "But how? You're right here, with us. How are you also over there." They all looked over again to see the two dragon staring each other down, walking in a slow circle around the other. Smoke rose into the sky, and ice glazed the grass Y/N walked over.

        "This is the past." Y/N blurted out. Everyone turned back to Y/N. They finally tore their eyes away from the scene and to their friend. They seemed troubled, like something heavy was weighing on their mind. "This took place three years ago. It was..." they paused. They couldn't continue the sentence without a voice crack if they didn't stop for a moment. "...not a good day for me." they managed to choke out.

        The two dragons on the other side of the tree growled aggressively at each other, causing everyone to turn their attention back to the fight. They both stopped circling, staring and watching the opponents every move.

        Y/N changed, their body shrinking and molding into a human form. Scales morphed into s/c skin and horns adjusted to a size fit for their human head. Their hair grew out and situated itself into its usual hairstyle. Their tail swayed dangerously behind them as they stayed in a defensive stance, ready to protect themself if the need arises. Y/N watched the red dragon and their sharp facial features pointed up in authority.

        This Y/N was certainly younger, around 13 years old. They were shorter than usual (still tall considering Y/N is unusually tall). Their horns were duller and smaller, their wings much littler. But something was the same. The undying determination and anger in their e/c eyes, shooting ice daggers at the red dragon, who towered over Y/N.

        "Stop it! Why fight me!?" little Y/N yelled out. "There's no use in escaping, the trees are too dense for you to fly freely here, and I know the area better. I'd catch you before you can get far." Their voice sounded desperate and out of breath. They must've been chasing this dragon for a while.

        The red dragon stepped closer to Y/N. Its body shrank and morphed, much like Y/N's did. Red scales turned into tanned skin, the amber eyes stayed. The once dragon grew long, dirty blonde hair that was fixed in a fishtail braid. It was a girl, only a couple years older than the little Y/N, maybe the age Y/N currently is, 16. Her slender, red and orange scaled wings flared out in anger behind her. Her horns were only slightly less curved than before.

        "You should back off, Y/N." she crossed her arms in front of her chest. "You're starting to get really annoying, you know that?" she huffed smoke out her nostrils. Long clawed nails tapped on her forearm.

        Y/N flexed their own claws, something the prefects had never seen before. "Circe, I will only ask one more time. Go home and stop with this stupid plan of yours! Do you know how much trouble you'll get in if-" they paused and rephrased their wording. "No- when you get caught?" That seemed to anger Circe even more.

        Circe lunged forward and managed to grab Y/N by the horns, tripping them with her tail. Circe straddled Y/N's waist and held onto their horns, adjusting her legs to pin Y/N's hand to the forest floor. Circe had Y/N effectively trapped and unable to move.

        Circe brought herself closer to Y/N while they struggled underneath her body weight. "Aw, what is little Y/N gonna do now? You can't stop me if I have you under control." Circe looked up, staring at the sky, more at the moon than anything. "I plan on doing something that should've been done long ago." She seemed to be lost in thought while staring at the moon. That was a mistake.

        Y/N stopped struggling and gathered their breath. The air got colder, until they opened their mouth and Circe looked down from the sudden cold sensation. She yelped when Y/N released their pent up breath and out came a powerful gust of ice and wind. Circe tried to leap away but Y/N grabbed onto her ankle as soon as their wrists were free from Circe's hold. The ice breath hit Circe's wings which she used to protect herself as she broke free from Y/N's grip and moved away.

        She stumbled backwards and held her wings as her breathing labored, she was clearly in pain but refused to cry out. Her wings were coated in ice that she couldn't break.

        "YOU BRAT!!! HOW DARE YOU!?! YOU COULD'VE KILLED ME!!!" Circe screamed. Y/N stayed silent and got off the ground, holding themself low to the ground where they may just have an advantage against Circe. Circe ran towards Y/N with a new found anger and slashed where ever she could with her claws. Y/N, being young and inexperienced in combat, only managed to escape most blows by scrambling around on the ground.

        Y/N quickly changed into dragon form. Circe was momentarily blinded by the cold mist, but it wasn't enough for Y/N to get an attack in. Circe followed Y/N's lead and changed back too. Now, both dragons, they engaged again. While Y/N knew their surroundings better, Circe was quicker, Y/N only barely escaping injury.

       ��Until, Circe landed a hit. Y/N had turned their head and Circe swirled mid attack and slashed across Y/N's snout. They fell to the floor and held their foreclaws to their snout to try and stop the bleeding.

        "Y/N!" Kalim screamed. It shocked all the prefects who had been stunned into silence since the fight started. Riddle held his hand on Kalim's shoulder to calm him down and gently squeezed. Kalim didn't cry, but he was worried for little Y/N, even if this was all in the past. Malleus stepped out from behind the tree while the other prefects watched him. He intended to stop this here and now.

        "Hey! Stop this unruly behavior at once!" he yelled out.

        Neither dragon stopped.

        "What?" Malleus whispered to himself. Leona, Vil and Azul walked out to stand next to him. Riddle, Idia and Kalim stayed behind the tree.

        "Could they not hear you?" Vil asked. Leona growled.

        "No, Y/N has damn good hearing. There's no way they didn't hear the Lizard yelling." His tail swished in annoyance while he stared down the scene in front of him. Azul, standing next to him, pushed his glasses back up his nose.

        "I don't think we can interact with this event at all." Everyone, even the ones still behind the tree who were finally coming out, looked to Azul. "Instead of us going back in time like what we may have initially thought, I believe that we're actually just watching a memory. A memory of Y/N's." he sighed.

        Everyone thought for a moment. They realized that Azul was right. This was a memory. Something they couldn't change or interfere with. They couldn't help Y/N.

        Ice shattered.

        Y/N got up. Blood poured out of their wound, but they ignored it. They tried to walked forward, most likely to attack Circe, but their legs gave out under them and they fell to the forest floor. Y/N reverted back to human form from weakness and lack of energy. This allowed the prefects to clearly see the gash Circe's claws left.

        The bleeding gash stretched from the top of their right eye, across their nose and ended at the corner of their top lip. Their nose was slightly crooked, probably broken. Tears swelled in their eyes and ran down their cheeks, but they didn't cry out loud.

        Circe turned back into human form as well. She had the most smug smirk on her face, watching in joy as she watched Y/N struggle to get up and ignore the pain flaring across their face. They finally managed to get up and stay standing but their legs trembled underneath them, threatening to give out again.

        Circe laughed. It reverberated through the forest and seemed to bounce off the trees, causing it to echo. "Oh Y/N. Poor little you. You seem to be a little hurt." she said through her laughter. Y/N glared ice spikes at Circe, but they seemed to melt as soon as they reached Circe's fiery eyes. Y/N mumbled something under their breath.

        "Huh? What was that? I think you need to speak up, that is, unless you're to weak too." Circe chuckled to herself. Y/N, who had been looking down at the ground, shot their head up and locked eyes with Circe. In a final fit of rage. they blew another gust of ice breath at Circe. She easily dodged it. She stepped over the patch of ice and walked up to Y/N. But, right before Circe could reach them, they spoke.

        "Ice of My Blood." they whispered coldly. The effects of the ice breath and Y/N's unique magic made the air cold.

        Circe froze in place. She grunted as she tried to move, but it was a fruitless venture. Suddenly she was hit with a wave of frost, making her feel as if she had gotten frostbite. She could do nothing but stand there and shiver.

        "Remarkable." Azul said under his breath. "Ice of My Blood. Y/N's unique magic paralyzes the opponent as well as freezing them physically. It truly is amazing to see it in action." The others had to admit, it was pretty cool. And it made the perfect trump card for Y/N.

        Y/N came closer to Circe, who glared at them like they had at her, but this time the glares couldn't penetrate the ice. They used their tail and swung it against Circe's ankles, causing her frozen form to tumble over and hit he ground. Face first.

        Y/N couldn't help but giggle, not after everything Circe just put them through.

        Then, little Y/N and Circe disappeared in a gust of wind. The forest didn't change, but the memory was now over. The prefects finally had a moment to breath and collect their thoughts. None could quite wrap their minds around what they just witnessed. Everyone snapped out of their thoughts when Idia spoke.

        "U-um, guys? Where i-is Y/N?" he stuttered. They all looked around and discovered that Y/N, their Y/N, was nowhere to be seen. All of them scrambled around to try and find them, but the forest was huge and the trees reached up high, and Y/N loves to climb trees. Malleus listened with his fae hearing, but couldn't find Y/N. Kalim, Riddle and Vil called out their name, but there was no response. Idia tried calling their phone, Azul thought of anyway to find them and Leona tried to sniff out their scent. Nothing worked.

        The trees changed. They lost their shape and went from brown to transparent. The grass on the forest floor disappeared into tiled flooring. The moon left the sky and was replaced with the sun which shown through windowed ceilings. In the blink of an eye, the boys found themselves back in the Botanical garden.

        And right off to the side, right where they were before they left, was Y/N. They sat peacefully, hands resting in their lap while their tail flicked behind them and their wings relaxed on the floor. Their eyes closed, seemingly in thought.

        "Y/N!!!" Kalim shouted as he threw his arms around Y/N's next, ignoring the cold of their scales. Y/N almost toppled over if their tail hadn't stopped them. Their eyes shot open and took in their surroundings while they hugged Kalim back tightly out of habit. Vil stomped forward.

        "And where were you!?" his voice was laced in worry more than anger. They stayed silent, taking a moment to respond.

        "I left. I didn't want to watch that go down again. You don't need to worry about it, promise." They seemed tired, their words dragged on and came out quiet. Everyone got closer to Y/N and sat on the floor.

        "What was that about, huh Lizard? What did that crazy fae want?" Leona questioned. He sounded annoyed but Y/N knew he was just worried.

        "She...wanted to hurt people. There was a village nearby my home." they paused and took a deep breath. "I went to school with her. Earlier that day I heard Circe say she was going to burn down the village." Everyone listened to Y/N intently.

        "Why did she want to burn it down?" Riddle asked. Y/N chuckled, they sounded so exhausted.

        "I don't entirely know why. I know she said it was 'going to be fun', but I personally don't think that was all. I know the village was known for having a lot of half human half fae people living in it, and she came from a very traditional family." Oh, now Malleus understood. Some of the older fae, at least the ones who were around when humans and fae were at war, didn't like humans and fae being close to each other, much less having kids together. It reminded him of Sebek.

        "I had friends in that village and I didn't want anything to happen to them. So, that night I sneaked out of the house and tracked her down. That's when the fight happened." They sighed heavily. Everyone was silent, not wanting to make Y/N anymore uncomfortable than they already were. "Eh, whatever. It doesn't matter now, that was three years ago! Circe was taken by authorities and punished accordingly after that." They stared off into the foliage around the garden.

        "Are you okay? Physically, that is." asked Vil. He couldn't get the image of that nasty gash out of his head. He scanned Y/N's face for any evidence of it, but there was nothing there. Y/N caught onto his true question.

        "Yeah, I'm good. There's no scar and the wound healed with no problems. There's nothing to worry about." they reassured Vil as they reached out and took his hands in their own, rubbing calming circles on his skin. That helped Vil with his concerns.

        Azul cleared his throat to get everyone attention. "Well, how about we continue with our afternoon, yes? Y/N, you look absolutely exhausted and you should take is easy for the time being. We can all stay here and finish our food before heading back to our dorms for the night." Everyone nodded and made sounds of agreement.

        Y/N released all the tension in their muscles and leaned on Malleus's shoulder since he was sitting next to them. He allowed them to and even adjusted so they'd be more comfy. Everyone ate the food they still had left over. Conversations started, none about what they all saw. There was laughter, jokes, silliness. It made Y/N happy.

        The Ghost Camera around their neck grew heavy.

Y/N's POV

        You did wonderfully My Dear. That was really brave of you. The voice from before came back. I should've panicked, but I didn't. The voice still brought a sense of gentle peace with it. I closed my eyes and responded.

        Thank you. But, you didn't answer me earlier. Who are you? It went silent for a while. You'll learn in due time. There's no need to rush things Dear. I just wanted to thank you for trusting me with that memory. I thought for a moment. Should I press on? Should I ask it to leave me alone? No. What good would that do?

        I smiled. Sure thing. Just give me a warning next time. I assume there will be a next time, right? I could hear the soft smile as it spoke. Most likely. But I do promise to warn you next time. There was an oddly comfortable silence between us.

        I will leave you to rest now. I promise it'll get easier, Dear. Now, rest well. I didn't speak back, only enjoyed the peace this brought me.

        The weight of the Ghost Camera lightened.

[hexxbug]

ACT 3!!

I can't believe it's over :((

This is probably more analysis than the other ones I've done lol, spoilers below :o

─ ─ ──┉─ ¡! • !¡ ─┉── ─ ─

AHHHHH so sad, I loved it sm

AND WE GOT MORE EKKO!!! FINALLY!!!!

Timebomb!!! I don't ship it a lot, I prefer them platonically icl but it was sooo cute! (the au has won me over though lol but I personally still think in the main timeline they wouldn't be together, maybe Ekko has a crush on her but I hc Jinx as either aroace or just not in a place to be interested in romance)

I think they should've given us a couple extra episodes because him and Heimerdinger, Mel and the whole Jayce Viktor story did not get enough screen time imo, could've done with a bit more interaction idk

THE RECORD BEING JINX AND EKKO NOT VI!!

Claggor glancing at Mylo, now I may be projecting but that was NOT subtle🤨🤨😏🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈

HEIMERDINGER STAYED BEHIND!! NOOOOOO. he was such a silly guy I was very sad

Cait being like "who decides who gets a second chance" like it wasn't her busting Vi out of jail like 6 months prior

JINX SHE WAS SO BROKEN😭😭😭😭MY POOR LASS

lowkey wish we'd got to see her go absolutely batshit over Isha's death but I get the direction they went in (or just been able to see more of their reaction and recovery from her death in general)(because that shit was glossed over)

Vi being so upset and destroyed about Jinx, saying she shouldn't have done this and then Cait going mf I practically engineered this whole encounter😭😭😭

CAITVI IS A GO!!! I REPEAT CAITVI IS A GO!!!! HHHHHHGHHHHHGGG THEY'RE SO FUCKING CUTE!! I really love how the scene played out

VI'S "Cait I don't FUCKING CARE" just marry her already (ngl not the way I thought that confession would go but I'm glad it was pretty happy)

MEL!!!! I love her character design smmmm it keeps getting better and better🤩🤩🤩she needed more time and practice with her powers though I think they rushed that a bit.

HE REALLY WAS THE BOY SAVIOUR!!!!! COMING IN CLUTCH THERE AT THE END

JAYCE. VIKTOR. YOU GAY MFSS LMAO (platonic or romantic they are so in love) I also think they rushed their whole story because both of them were suddenly like "oh yeah besties again✨✨" and I wanted a bit more story there but THEY STARTED IT TOGETHER AND THEY ENDED IT TOGETHER🥲🥲(they basically saved Piltover with the power of friendship)

JINX NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO I'm not okay💔 I know it's what she wanted, really, but it felt so flat idk I wish she'd lived and come to terms with every (also I love her and she needs to come back so that's probably why I didn't like it too lmaoo)(ik she fell like a hundred stories or whatever and canon divergence is a thing but my girl is a big part in LoL so maybeeeeee????)(I'm once again in denial....)

ALSOOO CAIT WAS LOOKING AT THE BLUEPRINTS FOR THE HEXGATE AND HAD JINX'S BOMB SO I WILL STAY UNDER MY LITTLE DENIAL ROCK THANKYOU VERY MUCH

Honourable mentions:

Heimerdinger being like "you sure it's 4 seconds???" and Ekko just like •_• "mmmhm yep definitely" poor guy was TRAUMATISED😭😭😭it was so funny to me

All the outfits in ep 7, I loved them! ALSO THE DANCE SCENE!! SO SWEET

LEST!! I wanted to see more of her she was so cool!

The blue haired woman who died:(( rip to a queen

And the guy who took over manning the hex gun🫡

Maddie, ngl I wasn't expecting her to betray Cait but it was unsurprising really, I would've loved to see what she'd make of the aftermath and better terms the city's are on but it was also a very dramatic moment for Mel and I liked the twist lol.

FIRELIGHTS(EKKO) FIGHTING TOGETHER WITH JINX!!!! AYYY

Just the whole union of Piltover and Zuan in the fight against Ambessa and the Herald(I wanted more build up for that too tbh but anyway)

VIKTOR GOING THROUGH ALL THE TIMELINES TO FIX IT AND IT BEING JAYCE!!!

The sweet little Cait and Vi scene at the end🥹

My mum who's been subjected to all of S2 and her main comment at the end was "I'm still a bit confused" 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

[leahnardo-da-veggie]

The Tragedy of Love, Death and Maggots

I wanted to wait until it had a name before posting this, and I finally came up with something sort of worthy. So here it is: Part 1 of TTLDM!

********

The corpse dangled limply, swinging in the wind. Chains attached to its wrists jangled like chimes, creating a melody more off-tune than haunting.

The corpse was beautiful, once, with long eyelashes and a gleaming smile, gorgeous enough to charm sirens. But no amount of smiling could hide the stick-thin limbs, encrusted with bodily fluids, or the gaping sockets where a pair of eyeballs once rested.

The corpse died of starvation, that much was obvious. It had struggled long and hard to be free, judging from the livid marks along its wrists. Every bone was prominent under its bruised and raw skin. Dried blood stained the rags it wore, barely enough to cover what little dignity it had.

Its ribs were opened up like a butterfly, baring shrivelled organs and guts. I could only hope that it had been post-mortem. Maggots haf infested themselves in its cavities, worming and squirming with glee, a veritable mass of white amidst the red. The sight was enough to make any man heave.

“What's the verdict, doc?” Athena was cheerful as ever, either not caring or pretending not to care about the gore before us. “Who dunnit to this poor fella?”

I shook my head. My guts curdled at the way she prodded a chunk of squirming flesh fearlessly. “Someone starved him to death, then chopped him up like that. He must have been left in a cell until he died, or else he wouldn't be stained all over. This entire scene's at least a day old, too, or else maggots wouldn't have shown up like that,” I explained. “Damn, but I just can't think of a monster that would've done this.”

“It wasn't a monster,” Mrin replied, her voice harsh. “No monster would be that wasteful. A human had to have locked him up, guarded the cell so no monster would eat him, then maimed him afterwards.” Her one good eye narrowed.

Athena grimaced. “Cultists,” she concluded. 

“Yep.” I folded my arms. “They're back at it. I could have sworn we'd driven them away the first four times.”

She shrugged. “They're worse than maggots. Let one live, and soon you'll have twenty swarming your home and setting you on fire for their rituals.” She broke into a grin. “Guess we've got to break out the weapons and go cultist-hunting again, eh?”

“No,” Mrin said suddenly. She had been examining the corpse's wrists. “This isn't a cultist issue. Come here and see.”

“How'd you figure?” I came closer and took a good long look at where she pointed. “I don't see anything.”

“Doc, Who the hell cares?” Athena stood behind me, crowding us in. “The cultists are probably back by now. Let's go kill them some more.”

"Hunting, killing, hunting. Is that all you ever think of doing?” I rounded on her. Call me immature, but that flippancy of hers was wearing on me. “There's a dead man there. Whether or not it is the cultists, we need to investigate and avenge him. And that means properly working out what's going on. Isn't that what you'd want someone to do for you?”

“If I'm dead, I wouldn't care what you did. Eat me, string me up by the innards, fuck my dead corpse, it's all the same to me.” She paused, and a shimmer of old anger, so unlike her, passed her features. “But cultist hunting is always a good idea.”

“You're like an animal, you know that? Oh, so the cultists hurt you. Boo-fucking-hoo. You can't spend the rest of your life mindlessly chasing vengeance. You're right. The cultists will always be there. So stop worrying about them, and start worrying about this new threat, because we can get rid of that. Or are you too desperate to meet your old friends again?”

Athena froze, and I saw rage flash across her features. It was dangerous to provoke her, to rip her mask off and reveal the ugly wounds that festered within. I did it anyway, because it was the only way to get her to listen. “Shut up, Doc,” she hissed, earlier cheer evaporated. “You're no angel of empathy yourself. Or do you think mocking-” Her voice hitched at the memory of things too bad to mention. "-what happened to me was an empathetic thing to do?"

Taglist:

@coffeeangelinabox, @dorky-pals, @calliecwrites, @kaylinalexanderbooks, @shukei-jiwa

@thewingedbaron, @pluppsauthor, @cowboybrunch, @wylloblr, @possiblyeldritch @ramwritblr, @urnumber1star, @tragedycoded, @bigwipscholar, @ratedn

@vampirelover890, @possiblylisle, @illarian-rambling, @the-ellia-west

@finicky-felix, @evilgabe29, @glitched-dawn, @rivenantiqnerd, @dragonhoardesfandoms

@drchenquill, @everythingismadeofchaos, @owldwagitoutofyou, @dimitrakies, @beloveddawn-blog

@riveriafalll, @the-golden-comet, @rascaronii, @trippingpossum, @real-fragments

@xenascribbles, @unrepentantcheeseaddict, @the-inkwell-variable

(Anyone else who wants to get added can tell me in the comments, pm me, or send me an ask about it!)

[skitskatdacat63]

Tysm for the tags @fernando-jpg and @rubywritten !!!!

F1 Asks:

Who is your favorite driver?

Fernando and Seb! They come as a pair. Do not seperate :)

Do you have any other favorite drivers?

Yep! But mostly retired drivers </3 I love Mark and Jense! And then for current drivers, I like Oscar, and Max a bit as well(I can't help but feel loyal to him bcs he was my first fav)

Who is your least favorite driver?

I dislike being a hater on main but....#3 and #4. Also tbh I feel neutral to dislike about most current drivers, other than my 3 guys, so!

Do you pull for drivers or do you like teams as well?

I'm mostly driver motivated, I think I'd follow Fernando anywhere, and probably Oscar too. I like and support teams as well but mostly just because my guy is there! It's like, I love Aston, right? They support Fernando, they're willing to do so much for him, they love him, the vibe is really good. But if he decided to blow up Aston tomorrow, I'd be like "I'm right there with you!!"

If you like teams, what team do you pull for?

+ HOWEVER! I am an RBR devotee. Like it's not even that much about the drivers, I like Max a lot, but I think I'll always keep my eye on RBR as long as I'm into F1. I just love the history of the team and their vibe. My fav team of all time will always be RBR 2009-2013, just so special to me 🥹 Not that I was actually around for it but, the way they evolved from a team that was mostly there to bring fun to the paddock to one of the most successful teams of all time, as well as being a fucking energy drink company in a sport full of car companies, is just so cool and inspiring to me. And I love the red bull golden boys so much(Seb and Max beloveds!!!) And I also have an addiction to red bull....But I got into them first so I have a special connection, even if I don't root for them all the time. Them and their aesthetic makes me happy :) they are F1 to me :)

How long have you been into F1

Probably over a year and half by now? I wish I could say I've been into it longer but unfortunately I am an American shjfkgkg

What got you into F1?

I've mentioned this several times before but. I read some oneshot in my prev fandom that was an F1 AU. And I was just like, enthralled. The first time I read it, I had to keep looking up stuff, and I kept going back to it. And then I went on the author's blog, and saw they talked about DTS and how to get into F1. So I tried watching DTS and it was alright I guess. But there happened to be an actual race that same weekend, so I tuned in, and was so into it!! Ah man there's nothing like that first race tbh. I knew only one driver, Max, and I rooted so hard for him and he won 🥹 it was just fun back then not knowing enough to be stressed and having pure focus on one guy. I'm happy where I'm at now, but that first race was cool :,)

Do you enjoy fanfic/rpf?

Yes of course >:) I think I probably looked at the ao3 page for F1 before even watching my first race actually, it's very habitual for me when joining a fandom. I draw rpf and write my own AU lore stuff, and meta and all that. And I think I check the ao3 page at least once a day 😭 its an essential part of my fandom experience

How do you view new fans?

Hmmmm sometimes I feel like an old person, even though I haven't even been here that long. I think F1 has such a learning curve and barrier to entry compared to most fandoms. Like you have to learn so much about racing and the drivers as well until you feel like you actually have a good grasp imo. So I guess it's weird for me to see new fans bcs im like, oh god was I like that back then 😭 I'm happy to see new fans ofc!! But it's also like, good luck on your learning journey 🫡

If you could take over as team principal for any team, who would it be and why?

I am not a good leader, I think we'd crash and burn if I took over a team 😭 they'd be like "Catie! What should we do???" and I'd have a nervous breakdown. Go back in time to be TP for McLaren and be like, be careful who you invite to your garage at the Miami gp LMFAO

Are your friends and family into F1 as well?

Yes! My brother was into F1 before me(what a bastard for not getting me into it earlier.) Which is hilarious though because I pay for the F1TV account that he leeches off of. Like, damn who's the real F1 fan 🥱 I got my dad into it last season, and it was a very gradual process. He's a huge Fernando fan though, which is really fun, and sometimes he's much more positive abt the sport than me hahaha. He likes Fernando bcs they're both old men, and getting to see Fernando succeed last year is what pulled him into the sport. Some of my irl friends know of F1 but I don't think they watch all the races.

Are you open to talking to other fans/friends?

Of course!!!!! I am always desperate to talk to new people, feel free to hit me up always :D I will talk about anything F1, Fernando, Seb, Vettonso, etc related whenever :) I remember I got an ask a while ago last yr that's like "are you open to being friends/mutuals w strangers." It's like, um, yeah??? Its a lot of fun to be on here, I love making connections

Hmmmm ive seen a lot of people do this already so don't mind if I tag you and you've done it already aahh. But I will tag @suzuki-ecstar @sansebastinae @boisinnot @astronomical-light @thatdemonbish

[ryanthel0ser]

My Reactions to Trigun Stampede After Watching the 1998 show

So I watched all of the 98 show in less than 24 hours and adored it so I went into Stampede cautious and yknow I liked it just a tiny bit (as I am writing this I am on my 4th rewatch, I watched it for the first time 3 days ago, I adore it). I decided to document my reactions cause I feel like a few mutuals will enjoy this.

Episode 1

SPACE??? ALREADY??? JUST RIGHT OUT THE GATE???

awww hi Vash, lil guy <333

what are they cooking here, showing us the Rem situation immediately

Rem 😢

This is very much like Eva in DMC5

Oh they're reporters now?

WHERE'S MILLY, WHERE IS MY GIRL MILLY, WHO IS THIS GUY AND WHERE IS MILLY

i miss milly...

yep that's Meryl

VASHHHHHHH <333333 MY GUY <3333333

JOHNNY YOUNG BOSCH <333333333333333333333 (yes i watched the dub, it's good and I love Johnny Young Bosch)

only 6 million??

He's so sillay <333

MAJOR aesthetic difference

"Careful the kitchen's serving lead" queen

so weird to see a town not running Vash out

love that they're still mixing the music so that it's louder than the dialogue (not)

THEYRE JUST HANDING THE VASH AND KNIVES LORE AT THE VERY START?????

Knives you are so close to playing the Interstellar theme

I should really read the manga to see what they're adapting that 98 didn't

Ooo i love this song

98 STYLE ART ASDJFKAJDSFLJADFKJA THEY DID THAT FOR ME THAT WAS FOR ME THAT CATERS TO ME

Episode 2

I just noticed he calls him "Nai" euueueueueu

*insert catjam here* intro goes so hard

It'd be funny if Roberto went "man this sounds like Dante and Vergil"

Not him trying to cry his way out asjkdfjlkadf that's Vash for sure

I'm so glad they got Johnny Young Bosch for this I don't think anyone else could do it

July is still around??

"MAMA LOVES YOU BABY NOW SHOO" iconic

noooo :[

NEBRASKA FAMILY

"why'd they have to use this photo" it's a cute photo!

HE'S SO REAL

ONE BULLET VS 2 DOZEN DONUTS, LIKE YEAH CHOOSE THE DONUTS THAT'S BASED

Did they model Rosa after Milly to atone for the fact she isn't here

Me seeing things that are identical to the 1998 one: excited pointing at tv while pogging

"Mm, Yeah no <3" I love him so much

"what's wrong with being a little timid" I want to hold you and never let go, you do not deserve what's coming

look at my boy dodging lets go

"I don't have any reason not to...eh, I don't really care...I told you I don't" Vash you deserve the world

hell yeah gunslinger moment

VASH HOW STRONG ARE YOU??

that smile AUEUEUEUEUUEUEUEUEU it really reminds me of 98

HUH?

Episode 3

uh oh

well how we getting outta this

OH THIS GUY I REMEMBER YOU

HE GOT CLOWNED ON BY SAMURAI GUY

ANGRY VASH HELLO HI KING MISSED YOU

love seeing Vash angry some of my favorite moments are when he's pissed

oh this is a smart plan actually

"who's side are you on anyway" is this going to be recurring

KNIVES

man Knives you really arent holding back

the creators of this show went "hey we saw your twin angst in DMC Capcom and how much yall emphasize the twins so we'd like to do the same since you probably were inspired by Knives and Vash for the Vergil and Dante situation"

YOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO THAT GORE IS SICK <- blood and gore enjoyer

is Johnny Young Bosch the only returning voice???

this is the third ask for who's side Vash's on this is definitely recurring

uhhhh whatcha doing there

◉_◉

"you would shoot me?" lowkey wish it was still as funny as it was in the 98 version

WOAH RELOAD ANIMATION

He's living up to the Million Knives name

that is certainly a Million knives

Metal Gear ass name

WOAH THAT'S SO COOL AND PRETTY

holy crap they quickly established the difference in serious tone oh my god, there is so much emotional weight here

also the music is gorgeous

yeah the stakes are much higher in this version, they are not afraid to kill characters

this is just heartbreaking

Vash 🥺

"because I dont deserve to cry" VAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASH AEUEUEUEUEUUEUEUUEUEUEUEUEUEUEUEUEUEU

so will we get to see what happens to July or will it just not happen

Episode 4

hi Wolfwood

not gonna lie I don't like this fit, the pants specifically

where's your nose king, they took it away

THEY HIT WOLFWOOD WITH THE CAR AHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAH

oh well this aint good

Not a priest????

yep that's Wolfwood (lollipop scene)

he's much more emo here tho not as charming as 98

ASJDFJFSDL LMAOOO

loved that animation of Vash looking at the bill

well Roberto isn't wrong, you did work for Knives

hey isnt that Meryl's gun

"don't worry I can see through his emo persona ^-^" "HEY"

I KNEW IT WAS THIS KID

woah cool design

we are getting so much more of these guys than we did in 98

YUHHHHH THE DESIGN IS BASICALLY IDENTICAL

WOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH

that actually looks good, id eat it

REVEALING THIS ALREADY?????

WHAT ARE YOU COOKING STUDIO ORANGE????

"i can see it in your eyes" dont think i didnt notice that little parallel

gate????

im snorting those end credit arts like crack cocaine

Episode 5

Todoroki that you?

WAIT I FORGOT WOLFWOOD IS VOICED BY TODOROKI'S ENGLISH VA AHAHAHAHHAHAHAH

the radio spouting religious stuff and doomsday talk is giving DMC5 intro

It's so interesting that at some angles the style is identical to the 1998 show

Vash in particular, they translated his facial expressions perfectly

OH THIS GUY

OH I LOVE THIS REDESIGN

I LOVE THIS REDESIGN A LOT

what's the deal with this kid

man they really are just tugging on my heartstrings in this show

"If God won't, I will!" STOP

Alice Angel that you?

OH NO

IS THIS WHERE I THINK IT'S GOING

OH NO

OH NO THIS MAKES THIS WHOLE SITUATION SO MUCH WORSE

HE KNEW HIM SINCE HE WAS A BABY???? SHOOT ME IT'D HURT LESS

HE WAS JUST SOME GOON GUY IN THE 98 VERSION I CANT AEUEUEUEUEUEUEUEU

same face as the 98 guy tho just with the scar

Oh Wolfwood doing that has so much more impact now

although in the 1998 version by having it not be someone Vash knew it added to how far Vash's ideals went and it caused Wolfwood to have introspection but this is a different arc

And in the 1998 version the situation is much more ambigous cause Vash is talking to the "kid" but he hasn't turned back at all yet and Wolfwood shoots

so it's more unclear who is right in that situation while in this you can see Rolo is sorta just frozen there and thinking so you're inclined to Vash's side more

what are they cooking, im so intrigued

Episode 6

WOAH WOAH WOAH WOLFWOOD WHAT IS YOUR DEAL

WOLFWOOD WAS A NORMAL GUY IN 1998

HE IS CLEARLY NOT HERE

"im like the cool big brother" tumblr does not agree

I have seen some art

THE SUITCASE THINGYS

CHARACTER THAT WASNT EVEN IN THE 1998 ONE???

MANGA CHARACTER AYOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

this guy must be a bleach fan

OH THAT'S SO MUCH FUNNIER KNOWING JOHNNY YOUNG BOSCH VOICES ICHIGO AJAHHDAHHAHAHAHA

i love this 2D style can I get an entire anime in this style

Little Wolfwood and Little Megumi need to be in a idgaf competition

tiny menace to society

stfu this is so cute, how will this go horribly wrong

smoking at like 7 years old asjkdfalfd

Woah Trigun, your mom lets you have TWO tragic sibling plots???

wow they made Wolfwood trip balls

WOAH

THEY ARE NOT HOLDING BACK ON THE BODY HORROR <- thrilled about this

man they did screw you up

LEGATO

they took his emo swag

S+ what is this Devil May Cry

they flipped Legato's design and put the spikes on the right side and the part the other way

Livio has become Sans Undertale

Wolfwood better have a tiddies out fit next season

they were POPPING in 98

that jacket was STRUGGLING

"Ryan you're objectifying him" yes I am

I want to see his tiddies hand em over

Not gonna lie Wolfwood, you calling Vash "blondie" isnt helping the allegations

Episode 7

LMAOOOO THE BADLANDS GANG GETTING THEIR PHOTOS TAKEN AJSDFLJFSDK

i can't with this im AUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUEUEUEUEUUE

if Buddy Daddies hadn't sucked me dry from crying so hard (i had just finished it the previous day) I would be weeping

WELP HE JUST DID THAT

he aint dead though i saw stuff about him

Legato not gonna lie I prefer your 98 version so far, like he made me shake in my boots a bit

Vash why is your arm made of the blown glass stuff they use to make little glass figures you see in the glass cabinets at the back of the PX or at a big gas station

that gun definitely hit something, just not the town bet

the title card of "Wolfwood" after he calls himself the punisher asjkdfjlaf

hello why am I crying at the scene of Vash with his hands against the glass in the plant

this just in, scene so pretty with pretty music that it made Ryan cry

not the first time

OH HE'S A PLANT

THAT MAKES SO MUCH SENSE

IM SO STUPID HOW DID I NOT REALIZE THAT DURING 98

ONCE AGAIN GOING FERAL FOR END CREDIT ART AALALALAAODFOAOAOAOAO

Episode 8

oh nooooooooooooooooooo

dont show me this

dont show me them being happy

my little baby boy auaueueueueueueueueueueueueueueu

"im mom to the sweetest boys in the universe" ONE sweet boy

The little blush on Nai dwaw

Plant lore????

Saverem? Really that's her last name??? Is this Metal Gear

BRAD???? THAT'S BRAD???

actually not surprised that's Brad

"there has to be something special that only you can do" be the most babygirl anyone could ever be, though you gotta grow up for that

I CANT LITTLE VASH AUEUEUEUEUEUEUUEEUUEUEUEEU

I NEED TO TAKE YOU FAR AWAY AND SPOIL YOU WITH ICE CREAM

when is this going to go horribly wrong

IM GONNA CRYYYYY HE'S SO ADORABLE AUEUEUEUEUEUUEUEEUUEUEUE

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

HE'S NOOOOT

HE ISNT WORKING WITH KNIVES HE DIDN'T LIE HE SAID HE'S PROBABLY DEAD WHICH UNDER MOST CIRCUMSTANCES WOULD BE TRUE

Man they made Knives look EXTRA Vergil

Episode 9

epic piano, also how are you playing both parts by yourself

WOAH 1998 TYPE SHOT

i fully believe they're emulating the 1998 style just in 3D now, the side profiles give it away

well that's messed up, i can see why Knives hates humans

that doesnt explain why he crashed the ships though

"Millions Knives" i really do think you played Metal Gear

Knives I do wonder what your plan was cause how do you expect the plants to survive here

oh so the gun isn't custom made

98 THING HE SAID THAT KINDA IN 98 TOO ("all this time and you're still just as useless without me)

i appreciate them trying to keep the deranged faces Knives makes in 98

WOAH WOAH WAOH WOAH WAOHWOAH

IS THAT THE BLACK HOLE THING, I SAW SOMETHING ABOUT IT FROM THE MANGA

Now Vash is even MORE like Nero

WAIT HAS IT NOT BEEN 100 YEARS???

oh nevermind, its been 150 years

hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

a whole ship of passengers...I'm sure this won't be relevant later they're going to die arent they

oh my gosh that's right she's never seen flowers and such like this

more of this side picking stuff

I'm not ready for when he does kill again, that will actually break my heart

oh they are just bugs

OUR PRONOUNS ARE THEY/THEM, BECAUSE WE'RE NON-BINARY AND A BUNCH OF MFS

Episode 10

I'M ON EPISODE 10 ALREADY???

I literally became a Trigun fan in less than 24 hours

Hundred Spoons lmaooooo

so weird to hear them talk about Earth, but it's not as much of a HUH like 98's

than you remember??? when did you come here last

I need him to say Love and Peace

please please say it

"I DID NOT GIVE THAT ORDER" "OH SHUT IT" "OKAY" asjlkdfjlskfd

okay is Conrad aware Knives probably aint gonna let him make a new race of humans, like have fun with your experiment he does not want human to live at all

"they're disgusted by you" that is the most babygirl man ive ever seen

i have the exact opposite reaction

also his scars aren't as gnarly as 98...will he get more later

ULTIMATE LIFE FORM MENTION 🗣️ 🗣️ 🗣️ 🗣️ 🗣️ WTF IS A POWER INHIBITOR 🗣️ 🗣️ 🗣️ 🗣️

well that's what you get for mixing Knives genetics in that

El-what's her face got homophobia in her eyes

I KNEW IT

I KNEW HE WASNT MAKING IT

HE'S GOT MERYL'S GUNS FROM THE 1998 ONE SO IF SHE'S GONNA HAVE THE GUNS THEN SOMETHING HAD TO HAPPEN

God Knives you drama queen with this piano

oh NOW he's a pastor

BRUH i cant

HE DIDNT CAUSE IT THAT WAS YOU

wtf did you do to him Conrad

also Knives's VA sounds so much like Vergil at times

it's not Dan Southworth but this guy can sound close

Episode 11

oh intro immediately you know it's gonna be intense

okay Wolfwood Im begging you next season at the very least change pants the skinny jean look isnt good

ALSO KNIVES HELLO

PUT ON SOME CLOTHES

jesus kids these days

always wearing revealing outfits

DOUBLE CHEEKED UP

man they aren't letting up the bible allegories

"dawn your crown of thorns"

1998 had more subtle ones and then the super obvious one with the garden of eden stuff

"we're going to reverse humanity's suicide by killing them all" do yall...do yall not see the problem with that logic

god this makes me want to read the manga now just to see how much this version pulls from it and how much the 98 version pulls from it

Knives what is your workout routine do you workout with Toji or something

HE LITERALLY DIDN'T THOUGH KNIVES, STOP BLAMING HIM FOR A CHOICE YOU MADE

"comparison is the thief of joy" SO REAL AND BASED

Knives yknow I have this gut feeling that Rem did mean something to you and you are just in SUPER denial

OH OKAY

ALRIGHT I GET WHY YOU'RE THE WAY YOU ARE ABOUT THIS KNIVES

OH HE LITERALLY READ THE BIBLE

STFU NO IT WASNT KNIVES STOP TRYING TO MAKE HIM THINK IT'S HIS FAULT

was it Knives was it? Cause you seem willing to sacrifice your brother for all this

Knives this is gonna backfire on you

Knives read the bible and took all the wrong lessons

dont think i didnt notice that the giant plant resembles Rem

Episode 12

"like a western, life on the frontier" STFUUUUUUUUUUU

YOU DO NOT WANT KNIVES IN THOSE GENETICS THEY'LL JUST START KILLING EACH OTHER

ONCE AGAIN THE MERYL REM CONNECTION (referring to 98 when Vash sees Rem in Meryl)

YUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUH

STUFUFUSDFLKJSFDF

Sjaesjk

fpaesjf

THE HAIR THAE THE HAIR

SHUT THE FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

YES

EYSYEYSYEYSEYSEYEAYEYSYEYSYE

THE ANGEL GUN

SHUT UP

SHUT UP

#0

THEY PLACED US KINDA AT THE INTRO OF THE ORIGINAL

ALSO HE'S DOING LOVE AND PEACE IN THE PHOTO

INSURANCE SOCIETY

AJKLSDFLJKSDFJKLFDSLJKDFSLJKFDSJLAKFDJLFKDSFDLK

JDFASLJKDSFAJLKFSDJKL;SDZFLJK

MILLIE MILLIE MIILEYLAWER

FHJAERSKJDFLK' SDAJKLFAHKLASFDJLKDFHL;AJSFHJASDFLJDFSALKSDALKJDSFHJLDSFAHDSHJLSDAFHKLFSLAJ

THE EARRINGS SHE HAS HER EARRINGS

JKLDSJLKSADJLKDSZJLKSDFJLKSDFJLKZSLDFJ;ZKSFJLKSDFZJLKASDFJLKSFASDF;LJZVDXLNKXZVLS

VASH

ERIKS ASLDKJJLKSDAJLKSDFALJKSDFAJLKSDFAJLKSDFAJLKSFALJKASFDLJKSDAFLJKDSFJLKSDFAJLKSDFLJKSDAFLJSADFJLSDFJLDSFJLKSDFJLKLSDFJKA

OH MY GOD

OH NY GOD

OG TY G SD H ASDFLJ

OH MY GOD

SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

YEAH

YEAH I WAS RIGHT TO WATCH 1998 FIRSR

I WAS SO RIGHT FOR THAT

OH THAT MAKES THIS SO MUCH BETTER I

M LSOING MYS ASDFJMIND

WHEN

WHEN NEXT SEASON

WEHN WHEN IN ENED

IN ENEE NEED

IN EEE

IC NAT

[bunbeeplays]

The Lemon Legacy: Generation 1, Chapter 50 - Telling HR (The H Stands for Hilary)

Oh. Word spreads fast, I guess. They should probably tell Xander's family before they hear it from someone else.

You know these two love their shower woohoo!

Well, apparently Ophelia takes her phone into the shower with her, because Becca calls her with a very urgent question. Of course she tells her to say yes!

Talk about multitasking!

Newly discovered neat freak Xander helps Ophelia out with laundry.

Xander: Why do you have your initials on all your clothes labels? What are you, ten? Ophelia: I used to do my laundry at a laundromat and I didn't want to accidentally take someone else's panties home. Sue me!

Ophelia: Now that things are official, we should probably tell Hilary and Hector, right?

Xander: Definitely.

Ophelia: It's going to be weird to look my boss in the eye and tell her I'm dating her brother.

Hilary is managing the restaurant while their parents are away but she can make time for her baby brother.

Hilary: Alexander, what a surprise! You don’t have a shift today. And Ophelia, hello.

Xander: Hey, Hil. Can we talk?

Hilary: Sure. Is it work-related?

Xander: Sort of.

Ophelia can’t help but feel awkward. This is not only her boss, but her boyfriend’s sister. She doesn’t know how to say it.

Ophelia: Xander and I have started seeing each other. Romantically. Like, as a couple. That date.

Xander: Smooth, babe.

Hilary takes a second and nods.

Hilary: I see. Thank you for letting me know. Obviously Hector and I don’t discourage workplace relationships, as it’d be a bit hypocritical. I trust you both to keep things professional.

Ophelia: Of course. Thank you.

Hilary: Okay, that was my reaction as your boss. Now, Xander, as your sister, let me just say I’m thrilled for you two. I’m happy you found someone good for you. Come here.

It’s kind of weird getting a hug from your boss, but Hilary actually gives great hugs.

Xander: You don’t seem that surprised.

Hilary: That’s because I’m not, Alexander, I was just trying to be polite.

Xander: So you knew?

Hilary: I figured you were seeing someone, since our parents say you’ve been spending the night elsewhere half the time.

Ophelia: Oh. But you didn’t know it was me?

Hilary: Not until I was helping Mom with housework the other day. I was doing Xander’s laundry and found a thong with the initials OL on the tag mixed in. Doesn’t take a detective to crack that case.

Ophelia: Oh my Watcher.

Hilary: Don’t be embarrassed, dear. I was young and in love once too. But now that it’s out in the open…

She turns to her brother.

Hilary: Alexander Amir, stealing a woman’s underwear? You were raised better than that!

Xander: I didn’t! I must have grabbed it by accident!

Hilary: I'll choose to believe that. Oh, Ophelia, we were going to go to the Spice Festival this Friday with Hector and the kids. Would you like to join us?

Ophelia: That sounds fun but I don't want to intrude on family time.

Hilary: Oh, nonsense. We'd love to have you.

Ophelia: Thank you, I'd love to go!

Xander: I know you met the kids already but I can't wait to reintroduce you as my girlfriend. Jace has been asking me since he was a toddler why I'm single. According to him grown-ups are all supposed to be married.

I think Hilary ships it.

Hilary has to go tell the chef to actually cook and not just stand outside on the sidewalk, so she leaves the lovebirds alone.

Xander: Well, that went better than I thought.

Ophelia: Yeah, we really lucked out.

Xander: Looks like the hard part's over.

Ophelia: Yep. So now that we don't have to stress… Haha, you got in trouble, Alexander Amir!

Xander laughs as she blows a raspberry at him.

Xander: I don't want to hear it, Ophelia Marie! You probably snuck that thong into my stuff!

Ophelia: When do you think I can meet your parents?

Xander: I called them this morning and told them because I didn't want to wait, but we can probably have dinner with them the day after they get home. They're going to love you, I just know it.

[fireemblems24]

Azure Gleam Ch 7

Man . . . my "only use one unit" thing is really going to make this . . . interesting. . . .

STORY

Man, I use Dimitri, Rodrigue, and Dedue. And now all 3 are gone. Nooo. Whyyyyy. That's ok. I'll just grind Ingrid, Sylvain, and Felix up a few levels if I can't catch them up bc Dimitri's MIA. If I can just give them a few levels, we'll be good lol.

So Sreng caused trouble, but not as much as it sounded like. Relief that Sylvain's dad is ok.

Yeah, they're luring Dimitri into something, aren't they? Cornelia? Is this why Dimitri's MIA? Story stuff.

Shez is like let's go Felix. I agree.

Unless this soldier is a liar.

Love seeing Felix get to call shots for real though.

Sylvain's like we have to get to Dimitri. Felix says Dimitri manages to give him a headache when he's not even around, lamo. Accurate. The Dimilix is strong in this one and I'm not angry about it.

MAP/SIDE BATTLE

Yep, like I thought, Rodrigue, Dedue, and Dimitri are gone. But I CAN level anyone up to 30 where Dimitri is, so I'm fine. I'll just give Shez and co a little boost. Plus, it's a good excuse to use Felix, Ingrid, and Sylvain a bit. Mercedes too.

"King Awakens" is the chapter name. Looking forward to this. Something is obviously about to go down. I'm worried though. This is obviously a parallel to the AM chapter where Dimitri retakes Fhirdiad in AM, so what happens this time then?

Kinda torn about this. Some of me wants it to be another "Dimitri the good king" kinda moment, like a big positive growth thing going on for him. But another part of me wants Dimitri's proper villain arc. But I just don't see that happening unless they killed off Dedue and Rodrigue, but if that happened, I would've gotten more comments. Either way, I'm stoked about this.

Petra's thoughts on Sreng is interesting, esp since she called it peace between Brigid and the Empire despite her not willingly being there.

Man, I feel there is just so much more going on in this route than the other two, with Miklain, the mystery of what's happened to Dimitri, drama with Sreng and the Empire that's a consistent threat (and not like what just happened in GW).

Duke Ifan sounds like a badass, people are like "no way she'd let someone invade." I wish we'd get to see her, but since she's a woman she won't get a unique face, that's reserved for Dads only.

Felix's dialogue was interesting. It starts like he's repeating one of Dimitri's lines about the dead and ends with him understanding and sympathizing with Dimitri more now that he knows what it's like to lead.

I'm really interested to see where this leads for those two. I'm so happy Felix is getting all this attention. Man, my Dimilix heart is loving AG so far.

Of course it's Cornelia and the Western lords. They're the reason we haven't heard from Dimitri :(

So that bitch threatened the people and Dimitri surrendered to protect them 😭😭😭😭😭 Of course he did.

But if they haven't heard from Rodrigue or Dedue, that means they got away. Gilbert is probably ok too.

Will Dimitri still have two eyes after this? Or is he going to get one taken out again 😭😭😭

Shez is so worried 😭😭😭

Felix called him "our fearless leader" that's not the first time I don't think. You know, I'll take that over boar.

So we'll be doing the prison break this time. Cornelia better not have hurt him unlike last time. Or that this doesn't cause him to "snap," because this is like the only route that's different so far. I love that story line, but I want something new.

Oh, Dimitri. I wish he would just behead Cornelia. He could crush her head with his hands probably. You know the only reason he's not is to protect his people 😭😭😭😭😭

Rodrigue and Dedue are trying 😭😭 Don't worry, Felix, Shez, and everyone are coming.

She's boasting that she'll hang Dimitri in front of all of them. God, I can't wait to kill her. And get Dedue, Rodrigue, and Dimitri back.

I reallllly am dying to see this reunion. Felix is going to let Dimitri hear it lamo.

Lamo, Dimitri's like "I almost appreciate such bald faced sadism." Cornelia's like "such flirting."

She's also like "you deserve this for reforming things." What a bitch.

You know Dimitri is probably blaming himself for this. For pissing off the Western lords, who are unquestionably awful. Someone get in there before he gets too far into his own head 😭😭 Well, someone other than Cornelia, who sure loves to gloat. She's so evil. I love it.

Dimitri gets all the best villains Cornelia (hammy fun villain) and Edelgard (interesting, personal, complex villain) are wayyyy more cool than "exists" Nemesis and CF!Rhea (Rhea is awesome, but my God they made her one-dimensional in CF). Not gonna lie, though, it would be nice for Dimitri to get to punch TWSITD as a whole out on purpose and hoping this game will let him.

Catherine just mentioned Shamir. Is her girlfriend showing up soon? Please tell me they have supports in this game.

Poor Ashe's like "our King is suicidal." Poor dude can't catch a break this game.

Sylvain's ready to lecture Dimitri about his recklessness. Good.

SYLVAIN & MERCEDES B SUPPORT

This is their only one. I'm bummed.

The boys and girls are flirting!!

Mercedes is engaged? To someone from Gautier? It's just her father again.

Mercedes has no interest in this guy. It would've been pretty funny if she got engaged to some random guy lol.

Mercedes is a confirmed heart breaker, getting tons of proposals.

Sylvain just proposed to Mercedes lamo. He's offering to marry her just to block anyone else so Mercedes can live how she wants. 😭

HOW THE FUCK IS THAT THEIR ONLY SUPPORT 😭😭😭😭😭

They had, 1, 1 support, and it was a better romance story than most novels. 😭😭😭

The background music was so romantic too.

Guys, I propose all the Blue Lions just enter a poly marriage together, then I won't have to ever sort out all my ships.

SHEZ & INGRID B SUPPORT

So far just talking about some mercenary crew. Shez's old captain used to be in there.

This merc was super loyal to a noble and would help out with even farming and building stuff. Wonder where this is going.

Shez's whole point to this was telling Ingrid no one is tied to their role and can do what they want. The whole Ingrid struggling with being a noble and knight.

Oh, cool! Ingrid's grandmother knew Tobias. Nice tie in.

SYLVAIN & INGRID B SUPPORT

Oh, this is their first one!!!

Sylvain brought up someone acting up and Ingrid suspects Sylvain is talking about himself lamo. He's not.

Ingrid is just satisfied as fuck, because Sylvain now has to deal with someone like she used to have to deal with him, lamo.

Sylvain feels pressure to feel like the mature one of the group. Ah, that's cannon!!! Everyone always suspected he felt like he had to be the older brother to everyone.

Ingrid is just soaking this in. Queen deserves it.

Awww, Ingrid said she would've just abandoned him if she was really miserable and actually seemed to enjoy covering for Sylvain, on some level.

Basically the whole "we aren't kida nymore. We've grown up, hunh." Stuff. I love it. This is why you end up loving all of the Faerghus Four. Because they all build off each other soooo much.

HAPI & BERNADETTA C SUPPORT

Bernie's bug hunting. And when Hapi talks to her assumes Hapi's trying to kill her for no reason. So typical. Bernie is this close to being a good character is the game took her seriously.

They both enjoy carnivorous plants. I think Hapi just likes eating them though lamo.

Yep these two are not having the same conversation.

SHEZ & MERCEDES B SUPPORT

They worked together, and now are having a tea party together. Shez wanted to go out to eat. But Mercie is a lady of class and wants tea.

Mercie likes her sweets.

Ohhhh, Shez's mom incoming. The treats reminds Shez of something her mom used to make.

Sounds like Shez's mom lived the #cottagecore life, picking food from trees to make and living in a forest.

I think Mercie wants to live in the past days. She asks if Shez wants to and seems like she misses living with her mom 😭😭😭

Mercie. No. Why do all your supports get the sad face?

SHEZ & SYLVAIN B SUPPORT

Sylvain's studying magic hardcore. Probably to try and fix the Crest only gets access to super weapon thing.

Also gets to be the Sylvain is actually smart support.

Oh, classic fantasy trope, learning how to weaponize fireworks. Mat Cauthon says hi, Sylvain.

Sylvain's out here about to invent guns to Crests are useless. Empire, you guys are up shit creek if Sylvain invents guns, lamo.

I want guns, AG only route where everyone gets guns and this game ends realllllll fast.

Miklain and Sylvain have different moms?

Sylvain admires Sreng. Good. That's promising for the future.

Oh, Shez is actually smart! Recognizing that when the king shows power (lends Sylvain's family soldiers), then everyone else loses power.

Sylvain loves the Kingdom 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 he's like "he's a half-frozen stretch of dirt, but it's MY half-frozen stretch of dirt. And only home I've got."

Eat shit every "Sylvain makes so much sense in CF" person.

SHEZ & ASHE B SUPPORT

More Shez's mom talk. She thinks her mom was weird and mysterious.

Mystery mom was really smart, knew a lot, and knew magic.

I'm glad some of these are actually about Shez. Helps flesh her out so much. I actually really like Shez.

Awww, Ashe is going to help Shez investigate. Because he knows how it feels. Poor baby looked for info on his parents and couldn't find much. 😭😭😭

Blue Lions need a "sadness incoming" warning on all their supports, ISTG. Or maybe I'm just way too attached lamo.

Ashe is willing to visit the village with Shez in the future to help her find her mom.

This was so fucking wholesome, guys. 😭😭😭😭😭😭

SETETH & FLAYN B SUPPORT

I cannot believe they don't have an A support. Whyyyyy?

Seteth is like "Flayn, you're making yourself useful! How dare you!"

Man, it's weird hearing her call him brother.

Ok, I'll cut Seteth some slack. He's terrified Flayn will fall into an endless sleep again. Poor dude. Right when he lost his wife too.

This support would be so confusing to someone who didn't play Houses.

😭😭😭😭😭😭 Flayn is afraid of sleeping because of this. Poor, baby.

Oh, finally! She called him father 😭😭😭😭😭😭

Poor baby Flayn just wants peace.

They're also so scared of what will happen if they lose the war. Oh, God, I can't keep playing Edelgard's route.

"If I lost you, I'd love the very meaning of my life." - Seteth to Flayn.

Flayn's like I'll eventually grow up, dad. lol. But she won't leave him all alone.

Don't worry, Seteth. I will literally never leave you supportless.

MAIN BATTLE/STORY

Hyped for this one, guys.

I don't want to deal with Cornelia's weapons, ugh.

RODRIGUE AND GUSTAVE ARE OK 😭😭😭😭😭😭 Ifan is alright too. She sounds badass.

But what about Dedue? And Dimitri?

Man, Rodrigue is such a badass.

Western Lords aren't alone. Let me guess, TWSITD? And those two are creating a diversion?

Annette told Felix off, lamo. Saying they need to go help them out. But Felix just wants to rescue Dimitri.

But they know Dimitri won't leave the prison until the people are safe.

Ashe mentioning Dedue. All the points. 😭😭😭😭😭😭

See Felix take command like that does things to me.

Dedue and Rodrigue!!! They're back 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

Cut scene in the middle of a battle.

Dimitri's like why did you show up. Idiot. He won't leave though 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 He's too worried about the people. Plus, he's Dimitri, so.

He's like Idk if I die. Dedue is like shut the fuck up, Dimitri. 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 "I will not allow it." (is what he actually said and holy hell in a deep, badass voice) Dedue just told Dimitri off. Good. So now we know that Dedue can and will push Dimitri around if need be.

And then hand holding a spear. Because that's not suggestive.

Oh, badass Dimitri in the cut scene. And Dedue got a moment.

OMG. Guys, is that fanservice? I think I just got fanserviced.

They somehow made it Dimilix and Dimidue in the same scene.

Ok, but this game has been serving Dimilix, but can we note Dimitri didn't take Felix's hand? Dedue had to like storm in and put his hand over Dimitri's and force him to pick up the weapon? And it was DEDUE who made Dimitri change his mind? Felix got to lead the mission. Both getting the spotlight.

Guys, like, I need to rewatch that like a thousand times. Because we also can't skip the Dimitri and Dedue being complete badasses afterwards shots.

DIMITRI'S BACK. I CAN USE HIM AGAIN. Ohmygod I forgot how strong he is. 37 strength. WTF Dimitri.

Margrave Gautier just showed up. Holy hell this is epic.

Wait, Cornelia just talked about tearing Dimitri's eyes out. Does this confirm that bitch took his eye in Houses?

Dimitri finished her off with Atrocity. Seems fitting.

Cornelia's like don't kill me! Or the truth will never be known. Dimitri's like ofc, bitch.

So Cornelia arranged most of the pieces of the Duscur. So glad Dimitri's finally getting to ask all these questions 😭😭😭😭😭😭

Edelgard knows what happened to Patricia? Or is Cornelia blowing smoke?

This bitch is about to warp, ugh. Though, that means I get to kill her again, so not too upset.

Man, is AG really going to focus on Dimitri discovering the truth about Duscur and fighting TWSITD because if that's the whole plot . . . I'm so happy 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

But like, why does Dimitri get the whole new plot? Edelgard and Claude are getting crumbs. Oh well.

Dimitri, Rodrigue, and Dedue have rejoined you. Helllll yesss.

Dimitri ready to go after Cornelia. But Felix saying to chill.

Ohhhh Felix got words for Dimitri this time. He's yelling at Dimitri for taking on too much by himself. Calling Dimitri out for not listening.

Ingrid's like, Felix stop. Felix isn't listening.

Dimitri just called killing Rufus "murder." Like stawp. Dimitri, it's self-defense at that point. I swear to God Dimitri would find a way to blame himself for cancer 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

He didn't choose any of this 😭😭😭😭😭😭

He wants to take all the guilt for Edelgard's and Rufus's and TWSITD's actions. Baby, no. 😭😭😭😭😭😭

Felix is telling everyone else to tell Dimitri to knock it off lol.

OMG, I'm so glad for this scene. They're all telling Dimitri not to shoulder everything alone. 😭😭😭😭😭😭 Guys, this is the missing scene from AM that I was desperate for.

Guys, this route is like 10000000x better than the other two.

I need to write some kind of hybrid AG/AM route.

Cornelia's in pain. Good. She's getting the Western lords whipped into a frenzy lamo.

And you know what, no Byleth or Jeralt! I'm so fucking tired of them showing up every. single. battle. Good on AG to knock that off for at least 1 chapter. It gets fucking old.

God, this chapter. I'm going to be thinking about this for a long time.

Man, I really am tempted to just drop the other two routes and only play AG. 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

xxx

[zhongrin]

Hi Miss Rin! *excitedly waves at you as I order and pay for a drink*

Usually i pop by here with thoughts on ZhongWrinTh and I am here with more thoughts about you all… no surprise there oh but this time I do have another question not exactly related to ZhongWrinTh.

What’s some interactions you’ve had with the boys close friends? Do you play pranks on Zhongli with Hutao, do you visit Xiao together with Zhongli? Has Kaveh ever visited the teahouse? I get the feeling Kaveh, Cyno, Tighnari and Al-Haitham would play Genius Invokation TCG in the teahouse if you ever opened a Sumeru branch! As for Wriothesley… i like to think Sigewinne’s passed you makeup before, maybe even some in a shade or color Wriothesley likes! Clorinde hm… i can see her stealing you away into the city if Wriothesley’s busy and even introducing you to Navia.

It’s pretty amazing to see how many more people you could meet!

OH MY GOD TUMBLR IS HIDING THIS ASK FROM ME IT'S NOT APPEARING IN PC I AM SO SORRY STORM HAIFHWOFKSLDJSLJF

hu tao is my beloved granddaughter (and so is yaoyao and ganyu and nahida and furina and sigewinne and-)!!! she drops by the teahouse every now and then to scout for clients lol let's be real here most of my patrons aside from my friends are probably older people so-

xiao drops by too every now and then, but most of the time you won't see him. HOWEVER, you will be able to spot little trinkets all around the teahouse which emits some adeptal energy. we have a special 'magical' vase which sometimes suddenly 'sprouts' fresh qingxins. definitely not the work of an adeptus, yep!

the only reason why we'd have some wine in the house (aside from my hubbies (read: al haitham) bonding together by drinking glasses of wine sometimes) is because of kaveh! we get along a little too well. wdym that's a sumeru desert fox in our backyard? surely you jest haha haha hah- ahem. anyway. he's like a brother to me. i'm looking for a rich spouse for him. anyone interested- /smacked

the 4ggravate boys playing tcg on the teahouse's sumeru branch i'm shdflksjdlkfjsld dear gods. that's adorable. maybe i can talk to the manager there so they can organize monthly tcg tournament nights for the masses. we can sell 'tea blends that stimulates the mind and makes one's senses sharper' for the players and the spectators.... hmmmmmmmm.

sigewinne making a makeup for me i will cry hsdfusjdklf that sounds like something she would totally do, yes. i'd love to doll her up and send her some cute dresses or onesies ueueue she's so adorable.... clorinde and navia oh my god i don't know if i am considered cool enough to hang out with these two queens. i will just. i will just admire them from afar.... they're so pretty and badass..... adopt me big sisters..........

wriothesley: you know i can always introduce you to them, ri- mei: NO STOP I AM UNWORTHY I WOULD PERISH wriothesley: ok fine but must you drag me here then-

[w000ble]

TRANSCRIPT - FROM 31:39

Tim: I found out that atoms don't look anything like every atom I've ever seen drawn looks like. (Bryn: No, that's complete lies) Tim: They're all lies! Bryn: Yep. Tim: Because all of the electrons are basically everywhere in a big cloud of potentialness— (Bryn: Yes, absolutely.) Tim: —and so it wouldn't look anything like every atom I've ever been shown! EXPLAIN!

Bryn: Atoms are drawn like solar systems because... apparently people who draw diagrams of atoms believe children are stupid. Tim: I would have preferred a cloud of— look, here is a globe, the atom is everywhere and nowhere all at the same time— again, if you'd have told me that, and that dude's crazy-ass name, I'd have been much more interested in science! Bryn: (Cracking up) Ben: To be fair though, it would make it much more difficult to count the electrons when you were doing one of those puzzles about like, 'we knock the electron out and what isotope does it become' so you have to count the electrons and work it out. Tim: Just dissolve it into a cloud and go, 'best of luck!' Ben: Yeah exactly, exactly you just flick one out of the cloud and like (PFBBBT) 'Have a guess. :)'

Bryn: This is actually an important point about science— is, y'know we talked about science being a method of understanding truth, or not, as the case may be. Tim: It's an onion of lies! Bryn: —and a lot of science is lies, because what science really is, is a model of the universe; of reality. It's not— you know, it is not necessarily a perfect understanding, and especially when quantum physics was being developed, where we discovered stuff like: an electron is actually a cloud of possibilities, we discovered that the universe is much weirder and harder to understand than we could possibly have imagined before, Tim: So we stopped trying. Ben: (Pffffft) Bryn: Basically, yes. What we have to accept is that our understanding of the universe is what we call a 'model' and the model is only useful as long as it makes predictions. But the model can also be useful, even when it doesn't necessarily reflect reality. And so chemists, to understand chemical reactions, and to understand things like isotopes or chemical bonding between elements— their model of the atom doesn't need to care about the fact that electrons aren't little balls of stuff orbiting around the center of the atom. (Tim: Okay. Alright.) Bryn: Their model allows them to make accurate predictions of the real world based on something that is not technically true, but— We've talked about the scientific method— hypothesis, test conclusion. If their hypothesis is a model that, in certain circumstances, we can say, 'an atom works like this,' and it makes correct conclusions, then it doesn't matter that the real picture is more complicated. And we do this all the time in physics as well. So you've probably both studied— y'know back in school— stuff like the laws of motion, and you probably had to calculate cars moving around, or billiard balls, or things on slopes.

Tim: I was asked to, I can't claim that I ever did— but I was certainly asked to.. Ben: Probably, and at some point I was asked about Boyle's law, and shown a spring, and I was like 'ah, (unintelligible), I dunno.' Bryn: (Cracking up) Sure. In all these examples, we ignore air resistance. Unless you're studying— y'know, and depending on what age you're studying these things, you may or may not ignore friction. But we know these things from our everyday experience exist, and we know that if we wanted to get super accurate results, we'd have to include air resistance and friction, but actually the results that we get by ignoring them are close enough that if we don't need to be 100% accurate, if we're just trying to make a decent prediction, the prediction is good enough most of the time.

Tim: It's spherical chickens again. ((I think this is a reference to the previous Tim & Ben do Science episode)) Bryn: It's spherical chickens in a vacuum, absolutely. And it's an important joke in a way, because what it says is, 'well, reality is complex and messy as we've already established, and science helps us understand it, but if science is making accurate predictions, that's really what's important.' And accurate predictions are essentially specific to a certain field or a certain test. If I say, 'well if I chuck this acid and this alkalide into a cup together, I don't need to know what's going to happen with every single atom inside. What I need to know is what's gonna end up in the cup at the end. Tim: There's potentially a lovely analogy, I think, from cartography where they say 'the only true map is the exact size and shape of the thing you are trying to map.' (Bryn: Absolutely.) Tim: '—but best of luck taking that on a short camper-vanning holiday in the Cotswolds.'

END TRANSCRIPT - AT 35:45

And you're telling me we're supposed to be more engaged, as high school students, with a model by some guy named Bohr than the QUANTUM CAT BOX guy??

[sunburnacoustic]

Find Your Muse in Showbiz

— Tim Cashmere interviewing Chris for undercover.net.au (October 1999)

Teignmouth, Devon is finally on the map has a generator of international rock acts. The town's first major claim to fame is 3 piece Muse. Guitarist Matthew Bellamy, bassist Chris Wolstenhome and drummer Dominic Howard are three friends who have been playing together since they were 13. The press make comparisons to Radiohead, you can make up your own mind.

Well, we're here with Chris from the band Muse, and I guess we'll move straight into the album Showbiz. You've co-produced four songs on there, are you all studio literate? C: Um, not really, sort of, to an extent. That was done because originally the songs that we did were done before we had actually recorded the album and we did two limited edition EP's and some of those songs were from that. So it was basically an engineer that we knew, he just came in and we co-produced it with him and it wasn't any major production on it really. It was mainly ideas and things like that it wasn't so much the mix or anything like that, mainly just ideas and stuff like that.

Is there anyone you've modeled your production work on? C: Not really! [laughs] [laughs some more]

Well an interesting statistic, and it's from your bio, so bio's are usually full of shit, but you've got eighty songs written, is that true!? C: Yeah, but we've been together for like six years, so if you talk about every single song we've ever done it would probably go over a hundred. But some of them are absolute shit so, but I think probably we've got about twenty or thirty that we play and rotate around the set. We've got the songs off the album and the B-sides and stuff, and a few new tracks as well.

So does that mean that you don't have to write anything for the next six albums? C: It would all be totally new stuff, but if we were to go and do an album now, it would probably be half brand new stuff and half old stuff. But we'd rather wait until we've got all completely new stuff.

Well you've mentioned a few of the great bands of the nineties as your influences but the two that seem to have stuck out... C: Radiohead and Nirvana? [laughing]

Gee, no... no... ahhh... C: That biography really has changed. It was done about a year and a half ago. It was all pretty. We got an NME journalist to do it and he took us for coffee and we did it and it just came out crap. But we're going to change it too, because everyone still thinks we're all twenty as well because that's what it says on the bio, where me and Matt are actually twenty one and Dom's twenty two now, so it needs really updating.

It sure does! Well who are some of your favourite bands around now? C: Um... Rage Against The Machine, Primus, Nirvana, they're good. With the Nirvana and Radiohead thing, what we were actually talking about in the bio was the fact that they were probably the two most influential bands of the decade for most bands. Not necessarily for us, they were just the two biggest guitar bands around really. We were into Nirvana when we were younger, when we were in previous bands we did covers of their stuff, it was what got us into bands really, it was what made us want to be in bands.

That was the cover band Gothic Plague, or was that wrong in the bio too? C: No there were two bands. Matt's band was Gothic Plague, my band was Fixed Penalty.

So they were cover bands? C: Yeah they were cover bands. We did Nirvana and Sonic Youth and a lot of early nineties English bands like The Sexist Things [Note: I think they meant Senseless Things here] and Mega City Four and stuff like that.

I've been there done that, at the parties in the backyard! C: That's it, yep.

Well you've had ridiculous amounts of press exposure, that's your pile of press exposure there [pointing to a 3cm thick pile of Muse articles in my bag]. I've never seen anything like that. Can you remember the first time you read an article or a review of your band? C: Yeah it was probably like local stuff. There's a few local magazines where we're from and they occasionally did a review of the stuff. I can't remember which one, probably when we first did a gig at the Cavern in Exeter, which is like the local venue, probably back in '94 or '95, before we were signed. That was probably one of the first, and it was quite weird because we were all just dead chuffed that our name was printed in a magazine, even though it had a circulation of about twenty.

What about the radio, have you heard yourself there? Well, I'm sure you have. C: I haven't heard it on the radio a lot. I don't really listen to the radio much to be honest, but it was quite weird the first time I heard it on radio, and I was just listening to... do you know Steve LeMac [Lamacq]? The evening session in England?

Can't say I do. C: Well he was playing it and I was just sitting at home with my girlfriend and it came on over the radio and it was really weird.

Well you're quite a young band, although older than your bio is letting out to be. Do you get a lot of people saying "Ahh, they're just kids!"? C: Not really, I think in England especially there was a scene of a lot of teenage bands, teen acts sort of stuff and a lot of eighteen and nineteen year olds were in punk bands, bands like Ash and Symposium and bands like that. We got signed, I think we just sort of escaped that, being labelled with that, and the band itself has been together for six years, so even though we're young the band is not young, it's six years old the band, so I think in that sense the sound is older than we are I think.

Like dog years! Well, Muscle Museum is the next single, as I understand. Why was that song chosen? C: We're not really all that fussy with singles to be honest, because we're not a pop band really it doesn't really matter what songs turn out as singles. I think any song on the album could turn out as singles. It's not a pop album really, it's not like there's any real pop songs on there, so I don't think it matters too much what the singles are.

Well what about the name Muse. Where did that come from? C: Um, I think Matt and Dom did art at school and they had an art teacher and they were talking about art and she just started talking about muses and inspiration and things like that and Matt and Dom went away and looked it up in the dictionary what it meant and we just sort of just thought yeah it sounds like a cool name and it's nice and short, and it looks big when you put it on posters as well. To fill up the space it has to be big, so everyone can always see it.

Muse is quite a big word now that you mention it. I never thought of that, anyway. Do people recognize you when you walk down the street? C: I think the only time it's happened was once in France and it's different from country to country really, I mean now and again, but not very often.

What about muse-official.com, tell us about that. C: It's all right... We've got to sort out the website, we went over to America and got it set up and paid ridiculous amounts of money to get it set up and it's never really been updated since then so we're in the process of trying to get the website back to England and getting someone else to do it, although the fan sites are usually better than our own, so musescjb.net or something like that, that's a really good one.

[maybelinefox]

2003 Lighthouse AU Chapter 4: Human

Chapter under cut?

"Hey, Ayla?" Donny's voice drifts down from upstairs.

"Mhm?"

"There's a boat coming."

I look up from the papers on the desk.

"This way?"

"No doubt."

I look through my recent contacts to see if I was told of a visit, but I see no emails notifying me of anything. Quickly, I make my way up into the light with Donny to see what he's talking about.

Sure enough, a boat I've never seen before is plowing its way towards the island, but from a different direction than normal. Everyone who travels to and from this island must go through a thorough check before leaving the mainland and after returning, so all boats come from the same direction.

This one's coming from almost a completely different side of the island. Almost like they made a wide berth around any part of the mainland where someone might see them.

"Ok, go let your brothers know. And don't do anything reckless that could get you seen. I think I know who that boat belongs to."

Donny gives me a look before heading towards the stairs.

"It's them, isn't it?" he asks as he opens the front door. "The people who took Father?"

"I think so," I say through a deep sigh. "But that's not for sure yet, so let's not jump to conclusions. Stay home. I'll come to you guys once they're gone, ok? Be safe."

He nods, then slips out the door, climbing down the side of the rock opposite where the boat is to prevent possibly being seen.

I take a deep breath and head out to the beach to meet whoever this is.

"Well, hello there, ma'am," a mustached man says as he steps onto the pier, taking off his hat.

"Well, I would love to greet you back," I start, stepping onto the pier myself. I'd rather keep this conversation here if I can. "But, as you could probably guess, I'm not exactly used to unexpected guests."

"Oh, of course. My apologies."

He reaches out his hand, and I take it.

"Name's Parker, ma'am."

"Ayla. Not that I don't appreciate the company, but could I ask what it is you're doing here?"

His hat pops back onto his head.

"I'm sorry, I was under the impression you were aware of my business."

"Your business?"

"Well, yes. We did a lot of, uh, cleanup work for the last lighthouse keeper. He told us that he'd alerted you we'd be coming by."

Yep. That's what I thought.

"I received no such alert, unfortunately."

"Huh," his hands are shoved into his pockets. "Well then I really do apologize. I was unaware my short-notice visit was that short-notice."

"I think I know who you are," I explain. "And I'm not sure what Phil told you, but I am not currently in need of your services."

"Ma'am."

And there it goes. The sudden condescending tone, no longer speaking to me like an equal and understanding adult but as a child who can't comprehend the words he's about to be spewing.

I fight to hold back an eyeroll.

"The creatures on this island are dangerous and need to be removed," he explains slowly.

"Creatures I have yet to see. Phil made it seem like they were around all the time, but I've been here four months and haven't seen a thing outside of the ordinary island inhabitants."

"Then they've gotten good at hiding."

He turns to step into his boat to get something.

"If you don't mind, I'd like to just take a look around and see what I can find about their recent habits."

"I do mind."

He looks up at me, obviously ready to throw in another "you don't understand" remark.

"Sir, if this is all you want, I'm afraid I'm gonna have to ask you to leave. This is private property."

He holds out his hands as he steps back onto the pier, looking around with an "I don't see anyone watching" attitude.

"I've been here many times before. Allowed to be back then."

"Then why did you make sure to keep your boat outside of mainland view on your way here?"

His hands go back in his pockets, a smile spreading across his face.

"If you were allowed here by the previous keeper, it was certainly off the record, as I saw no trace of your visits in official files. Which means you were never allowed to be here, and he was breaking some major rules. Rules that could get him and you arrested due to the nature of this job and the repeated visits I've been alluded to. Rules that I do not intend to break."

His smile has left his face.

"Now, if you do not want me calling the main office and alerting them to these previous visits of yours, as well as your current whereabouts, I'd suggest you leave. If you don't mind, sir."

He stares at me for a moment before the grin is back and he's laughing. He continues laughing and shaking his head as he turns back to the boat.

"Alright, alright," he chuckles out as he steps into the boat. "If you wanna get yourself killed by island monsters because you were too prideful to allow help, then by all means, I won't stop you."

"It's not pride, sir," I state as he switches on the motor. He looks up at me with a sarcastic, expectant smile as he waits for me to finish my thought.

"I simply have already fallen in love with everything on this island, and intend to do my best to protect all of it."

His smile drops again as he searches my eyes, but if he sees anything that confirms my meaning, he says nothing. Silently turning back to the wheel, he pulls his boat away from the pier, speeding off in the direction he came from.

I make my way back to the lighthouse as casually as possible in case Parker decides to look back and see what I'm doing for whatever reason, but the second I make it inside I bolt up to the office and quickly sit myself in front of the computer.

He had a logo on his jacket.

I search for the company name for a few minutes of nothing before finally finding a website link so obscure I almost overlook it. There's absolutely nothing on their website about monster hunting, but they do label themselves as "licensed exotic animal traders".

Of course.

They probably hunt "monsters", capture them alive, and sell them to freak shows or something similar. I'm willing to bet there's private collectors out there.

After searching around on their website for a bit, I'm almost ready to give up trying to track down any locations before I see something hidden in the drop-down menu. I have to click through a few of the other options to see what falls under them, but eventually I notice that there's a few things hidden in the secondary lists that seem to be worded rather...strange.

"Weird and wacky...." I mumble out loud curiously as I click it. A few options fall down under that one that I glance over, not expecting much.

"Not your average...."

That one changes the page to show strange looking rare animals. I scroll through it all the way to the bottom and am about to get back into the menu when I see in fine print at the bottom of the page....

"Rarest trade deals...."

I figure why not and click it, and it takes me to a page where I can choose what I would like to trade.

Thinking maybe I'm getting somewhere, I look through the options, and eventually find one called "oversized". Well, that's probably the one the turtle's father was in, if he was ever on this website, since he’s supposed to be a giant rat. So, I click it.

"Ah, great."

Now it wants me to fill out some information about what company I'm affiliated with that wants the trade.

Well of course it wouldn't be that easy.

Unless...

I type in everything I could find about the company that owns the very website I'm on, then submit.

Bingo.

Except now it's asking for a five-digit code.

I'm about to think there's no way until I remember there was a series of numbers I saw on a badge Parker was wearing, mostly hidden under his jacket. Five, to be exact.

Thinking there's no way that could be it, I input the numbers and submit.

And I'm in.

"There's no way that was that easy...."

There has to be a way they either set me up or are now aware of me looking through their stuff. I should be quick, just in case.

There aren't many creatures here, so it should be easy to find him if he's on here.

And find him I do.

A picture of an old, oversized rat wearing shackles and sitting calmly on his knees stares at me through the computer.

With the word "sold" plastered across it.

Looking around his picture, I see a button that says "Do you want this for yourself? Contact the buyer to see if they'll negotiate."

Convenient.

I write down the phone number it gives me and snap a picture of the screen with my phone before exiting the page.

Ok, that was strange, but maybe now we're getting somewhere.

Looking up the number gives me literally nothing except a relative location. Didn't think it would be that easy, but hey it was worth a try.

I sigh as I pull away from the computer.

I'm gonna need help for this, aren't I?

I contemplate for a moment, but it doesn't take long for me to decide.

I know my own skill set. And tracking things with no paper trail, hell, with barely any trail at all, is not in my skill set.

And I know them. They would probably be shocked at first, but they're good people. Once they know what's happening, they'll help. And they can keep secrets.

I debate whether I should ask the turtles first, but I know damn well I'm gonna do this anyway, so I pull up April's contact in my phone and press the call button.

After a couple rings, she picks up.

"Ayla?" She starts, the disbelief evident in her tone.

"Hey, April."

"Wow! You're calling instead of texting or sending a letter? Must be serious."

"It...yeah, it kinda is. Do you think you and Casey could come over to the lighthouse for a bit? I need your help with something."

"If something broke in the mechanics, isn't that up to your employers to fix?"

"This is more of a personal matter, April."

There's a pause. Then she calls her husband over to her to ask him if they have anything too pressing to come over.

"We can come,” she states after exchanging a few words with Casey.  “Can you tell me the issue, or will we have to wait on that one?"

"You'll have to wait, I'm afraid. I'll let them know you guys are coming tomorrow. As far as they'll know, it's a social visit, nothing more."

"Sure thing, Ayla," I hear Casey's voice. "We'll be there."

"Thanks guys."

I hang up.

Now that I've already done that, I need to tell the boys. Grabbing my bag and some food I’d already packed up to have Donny take to his brothers, I look through the windows to make sure Parker is truly gone. Once I’m positive, I head out to the cave.

"So there's more people heading over here?" Raph huffs, arms crossed, leaning against the wall.

When I made it to the cave, the boys had jumped me, making sure I was ok and asking what had happened. It took a few minutes to calm them down so I could actually talk, but eventually I got the whole story out to them.

"She's better at computers and hacking than I am," I explain. "If anyone I trust can find him through that website, it's April."

"So, she builds machines and stuff?" Donny asks, a hopeful gleam in his eye.

"I'm gonna break it to them slowly, just to make sure they're really ok about all this. But once all the major stuff is out of the way, I'm sure she'd love to talk to you about tech, Donny. It's pretty much her entire life."

He taps his fingers together in excitement as a grin spreads across his face.

"When are they going to be here?" Leo asks.

"Tomorrow, around noon. They're coming in with the supply boat."

"And how are we expected to show them all this?" Raph asks, annoyed, moving his hand around his face in a "wax-on" motion to emphasize what "all this" is.

"I'm not gonna talk about you guys just yet," I tell them. "I want you guys to stay secret for the time being. I'm gonna explain to them that your father was unfairly taken from this island and I want to bring him back. Once the situation has died down, or, I guess, if they push me enough for explanation beforehand, then I'll explain more. I feel like Casey will be fine but I'm not sure if April is gonna take it too well at the start."

"You're the only human that took it any kind of well," Mikey points out around his mouth full of chips.

"Well, I'm not the only human like me out there, and I happen to trust these guys will be ok with all this. I've known April since high school, and she wouldn't have married Casey if he wasn't actually a good guy. I know both of them very well and wouldn't be calling them here if I thought they'd be any threat. I promise."

"Yeah?" Raph pipes up with a growl. "Well believe it or not, princess, you ain't exactly the most trustworthy yourself."

Donny's eyes widen in shock.

"Raph!"

"Just wait a moment," Raph walks by Donny towards me, holding his hand up in his brother's face to shush him.

"We've known ya, what? A few months? Barely even that. Sure, ya didn't freak out when ya saw Donny, but that doesn't mean you can be trusted to make decisions like this for us just 'cause you got an idea in your headstrong little noggin."

"That's enough, Raph!" Leo's hand clamps onto Raph's shoulder to get his attention.

Raph's only response is to narrow his eyes at me.

Donny gets up from his place on the ground next to Mikey, where they were sharing the chip bag, and hurries over to me, gently placing his hand on my shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Ayla. He just gets a bit stuck in his head sometimes and-"

"I know," I interrupt him, staring Raph straight in his still uncovered brown eyes. "We've had this conversation before."

Raph's eyes widen slightly as he remembers, before his angry face falls into one of exhaustion and slight regret.

We have had this conversation. Just last week, he'd made a solo trip to the lighthouse and confessed to me that he has anger issues and sometimes struggles to control himself, apologizing for anything he may have said before that upset me. We had a long conversation involving different methods that could be used to help someone with anger problems.

He does have a point, though.

I let out a deep sigh.

"It's fine, though. He's right."

All eyes look to me, suddenly worried. Except Raph. He just looks slightly confused at my apparently unexpected agreement with him.

"No, Ayla, we trust you-"

"Why?"

Donny backs off a little, confusion taking over his big brown eyes. But he doesn't remove his hand from my shoulder.

"As he said, we've literally known each other four months, Donny. Look I hate to say something that'll make humans look even worse to you than we already do, but you shouldn't trust someone with your life if you've only known them four months just because they're the only person you've met that didn't immediately hurt you. They could still hurt you at some point, whether they mean to or not. And believe me, there's people out there that will mean to that can and will play the waiting game."

I look Raph in the eyes for the next part.

"Raph told me he was waiting for me to do something. Play a trick or lure you into a trap using your trust in me. And he was right to feel that way because people do that."

I shake my head and turn away, beginning the process of packing up the plates and other dishes and utensils I brought. I need to have something to do with my hands when I talk a lot.

"Humans suck, ok? We're selfish, greedy assholes who destroy the world around us for our own gain and take advantage of anyone and anything we can find that's weaker. If something doesn't talk or think like we do, we deem it inferior and use, abuse, and otherwise mistreat it until we've drained it of all its usefulness. And then we throw it out a window because it no longer means anything. This is how humans are. How we've always been and always will be."

Turning back, I look to each of them to emphasize my points.

Donny.

"That's why weapons and other detrimental technology exist among the helpful, useful technology."

Mikey.

"That's why things that poison and brainwash and otherwise cause serious harm exist among things meant to bring fun and entertainment."

Leo.

"That's why people in high positions of power always end up richer and more powerful than they were at the start after doing basically nothing, despite being put in that position because of their promises of good things for the common people that put them there."

Raph 

"That's why people who open themselves up to trust others are often the ones that get hurt the most."

I sigh again, slinging the bag over my back to carry it home.

"But the thing I think is most important about being human is finding the strength and courage to allow such things. If you never allow yourself to trust someone, you'll never be hurt by anyone, but you'll also never find someone you can seek true comfort, acceptance, and peace with. If you don't try things because it could be bad, you may be missing out on the things you'll truly love. It's hard. It sucks. There's a lot of risk involved. But if you don't do it, you'll never truly live. You'll never truly feel free. You'll just be trapping yourself in your own safe, private little bubble and never truly get to experience the world. And some people are fine with that. You can't miss what you've never experienced. But some people just can't accept the sad loneliness that often comes with it.”

As I talk, I begin to realize I’m no longer really talking to the boys. I think I’m talking to myself.

I need to get back on track.

“Look, I don't want you guys to think I'm trying to force you into probably the greatest risk you've ever taken. This isn't just trying some exotic food for the first time and not knowing if you'll like it. Your lives could be on the line. I get that. The point I'm trying to make is that not all humans are like Phil and those hunter guys. Phil isn't a bad guy, but he is the type of guy to shoot first, ask questions later. And he didn't take the time to understand you guys before he started shooting. That's his fault. That's the kind of person he is, and there's a lot of people like that. And unfortunately, you’ve had to suffer for it. The other humans you've encountered were brought here by him, so of course they'd be of a similar mindset to him. You haven't had the good fortune of meeting a human who didn't want you dead or captured. And that's not your fault, but it's warped your idea of what humans are like. Not all humans are like those guys, and I just wanna get that across to you before you make any decisions on whether or not you want April and Casey to see you."

I take a deep breath, not used to long speeches, then check my phone to see what time it is.

"Shit, it's gettin late. I've got a couple more chores to do before nightfall. Look, I don't expect you boys to make a decision right now, and I promise even if you don't by the time they get here, I'll do what I can to keep you out of the conversation. And if you don't want me taking risks like this to get your father back, I get that too. I'll find an excuse to keep them out of the whole thing if you decide that. This is your family, your decision. I'm sorry if I jumped the gun. Wasn't my decision to make. I don't even have an excuse for that. I guess I just...thought I was doing the right thing. But good intentions doesn't always equal good decisions, so I definitely should have-"

I suddenly feel arms squeezing me from the side, and it takes me a moment to realize Donny is hugging me.

"Oh, well..."

Mikey scrambles up off the ground as I feel someone taking my bag off my back only to wrap his arms around me as well right when Mikey arrives to utterly glomp the crap out of the three of us.

Raph shakes his head. Then he slowly steps towards us and pushes his way between Mikey and Leo so he can involve himself in the group hug as well.

I've only got two arms and I’ve probably been in a maximum of one group hug in my life, so I’m not sure what to do about this.

"Guys?"

"Shhh," Mikey pulls an arm away from Donny to put a finger over my lips. "Enjoy the moment, sister."

I chuckle, shaking my head at the utter strangeness of this impromptu group hug, but ultimately shut my mouth to enjoy it.

"Sorry," Raph mumbles under his breath, but I know we can all hear it with the close proximity. "Shouldn't-a raised my voice and gotten mad like that...."

I shake my head.

"Don't be sorry about taking actions you think are necessary to protect your family."

He watches my eyes a moment before nodding and leaning his head against mine to continue the hug.

Gotta say, I’m starting to feel like I'm gonna want to be in many more group hugs after this.

After finally making it back to the lighthouse, I set to work finishing up the chores for today before cleaning the dishes from the trip to the cave. After I finish that and notice the sun has nearly finalized its trek downwards, I decide a little more research may be a good thing if I do it right.

After some discussion following the impromptu group hug, the boys agreed that I should go ahead with the plan I already had for revealing their situation to April and Casey. So now all I gotta do is wait until noon tomorrow.

I sit down in front of the computer again, ready to do some more looking into of this company Parker works for, and quickly notice I've received an email. Emails from the company are immediately flagged by the computer so my attention is grabbed by a popup that won't go away until I view it.

Wondering if there was a policy change or something wrong with tomorrow's supply transport, I click the email.

Reading through it, I can feel my eyes widening and my mouth falling open in shock.

No. Fucking. Way.

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[andiwriteordie]

I love sending you asks (hope it doesn't bother you) (I might have angst Mike thoughts when I'm more coherent) : you are INCREDIBLE thank you so much for the food !!! I absolutely live for the way you put Mike and his relationship with his firebending ! I am absolutely loving everything you said so far!!!

NICOOOOOOOO <33333

my fellow angst lover!!!! thank you, i'm so glad you've enjoyed the little mess of thoughts that i have about all this au lol!!!

ok *cracks knuckles* i will try my best to give you some good ole fashioned mike wheeler angst. if i've rambled about some of this already, no i haven't, just ignore me <3

let's talk about this universe's rain fight.

(the song i was listening to while writing this in case you wanted the vibes)

i think i've alluded to some of the ideas nic and i have had with the rain fight and how it all fits into this crazy little world we've built! with queer couples being more prominent in the avatar world, we'd kinda decided not to have the homophobic society be as big of a focus, but rather to mike's insecurities with his bending be what begins to cause that distance.

@messrsbyler we should probably go back and revisit this... eventually because we had good ideas there but ANYWAYS. nic and i had started to discuss what book 2 (the equivalent of parts of st s2 into st s3) would look like and just how will's possession type of arc would come into play there. because, as we all know, will's freed from the mind flayer's control through... yep. his family literally burning it out of him, and nancy burning his side with that metal rod.

i'm not gonna get into too much of the specifics here (mostly because we uh. haven't entirely figured them out yet lmfao), but let's just all operate under the assumption that because mike is also a firebender, both he and nancy are there when will is getting essentially tortured to free him from whatever is happening with the spirits.

did somebody say mike having extreme guilt and a negative perception of his firebending?

so now we flash forward a few months into book 3 (st s3/st s4 combined), and we see mike and will aren't quite as close as they used to be. because mike... can't. he just can't. he looks at will and replays that moment over and over again in his mind—nancy's fire, will's scream, mike's delayed reaction. it's like a broken record in his mind, and we see mike begin to battle with those existential questions about his bending. his bending has been such a core part of his identity for his whole life, and he's tried everything he possibly can to just be good at it. to live up to nancy's standards and to his parents' expectations. firebending has been everything to him, and it makes up so much of who mike is and how mike perceives himself.

firebending is destructive though. mike has always known this in the back of his mind. it comes with the territory of being a firebender. you're warned to be careful—to keep control of your element, lest you hurt somebody else. fire is wild, and if you're not careful, it will harm and it will destroy.

and if so much of who mike is, is tied to his firebending... what does that say about mike too?

it all comes to blows one day when will confronts him about their distance. mike has been avoiding him, and will's not stupid. plus, will has his own shit that he's going through, and somebody talk about miscommunication trope, because god knows will is over here feeling something like a mistake or something broken after what has happened to him. and the one person who has always been there for him, to remind him that he isn't broken, and to hold him close and remind him how to breathe again... that person is pulling away.

neither of them are very healthy, and neither of them are very good at communicating. so when they fight, they fight, and they throw around harsh words and accusations. words are spilling out of mike's mouth that he doesn't mean. they're just reflections of how he sees himself. he's projecting his insecurities onto will. and his words? they're a fire—untamable, dangerous, and destructive.

it's in that fight that mike crosses the line, and he loses control of his words and of his bending.

his words: "it's not my fault you can't bend anymore!"

his fire: igniting sparks as he moves his hands about, the way he does when he gets angry like this.

and his best friend, left burnt and scarred, by both mike's words and by his fire.

for a moment, mike and will just stand there, because neither of them can quite process what's happening. will is stunned and obviously in pain—the gloves on his hands that cover the tattoos he's ashamed of burned right through, and his hands already beginning to blister.

and mike is just horrified. because this is exactly what he'd been so afraid of. he's never been that good at controlling his firebending. he's never been good at protecting his friends from the people who hurt him. and apparently, he's not so good at protecting his friends from himself either.

mike tries to reach out. it's second nature to make sure will is okay, and even though there are horrified, guilty, burning tears in mike's eyes, he moves past the shame and the guilt and tries in that moment to reach for will.

but will leaves. he's on his bike today, not his glider. he doesn't use his glider very much anymore. he hasn't since he was kidnapped. will leaves mike behind.

and mike doesn't follow him.

because now will's better off without his fire anyways.

(spoiler alert: mike follows will... eventually. *cue wheeler-byers-hopper roadtrip to find the twins*)