#so thus; Mel takes first place

[aspiring-prototype]

Thank you for the tag @novafire-is-thinking !

I don't consume a large variety of media, so yes, I also have Shadow and Soundwave as options pretty awkward to me

Not tagging, but anyone is welcome to join!

Not me having some kinda type... Who shall I tag? I think I wanna tagggggg... @mybugsmybugsmybugs @mexicangela @lunar-years @biscuitboxpink but no pressure!! I just thought it would be fun!

[avelera]

Meta: Balancing the Ledger in Arcane S2

Whatever people might have thought of Vi and Jayce's actions in S1, Arcane Season 2 was definitely listening. The whole point of their arcs in 2.1-2.3 seems specifically aimed at them getting point by point retribution for everything they did wrong, intentionally or unintentionally, sympathetically or unsympathetically, in S1.

Vi:

Is hurt and abandoned by Cait in almost exactly the same manner that she hurt and abandoned Powder in S1. If you thought Vi got off too lightly for her treatment of Powder in S1, she has now experienced the full brunt of what it would be like to be on the other side of that fight.

Is attacked, terrorized, and made to feel helpless by the very undercity people who she led an attack against in S1 in which she overpowered, terrorized, and ultimately led to the death of a child as collateral damage. The escalating cycle of violence that she took part in came back to bite her, hard.

As for Jayce:

He was warned repeatedly that Hextech was dangerous. He is now seeing and experiencing first hand the risks of unchecked magical/technological progress, not only seeing how it damages the world he was trying to save, but personally experiencing the horrifying, reality distorting effects of the wild runes as of 2.3.

He left Viktor in order to pursue the higher calling of politics, ostensibly to support their research too, but it took him from his partner's side. He was also motivated by a woman, Mel, and his care for her in doing so. Regardless of intention, politics and Mel took him from Viktor's side at a critical moment when Viktor's life hung in the balance.

Now, Viktor has left Jayce, pursuing the shadow of a dead woman who inspires him now, pursuing a higher calling of bettering the lives of others in the Undercity, and while he doesn't have the same real world powers manipulating him as Jayce did, there are parallels between the Hexcore and the Council's ability to drag Viktor and Jayce respectively forward into dangerous territory, following the siren song of their ambitions to change the world for the better, away from the partnership that launched their innovations in the first place.

Jayce also took part in the rogue mission against the Undercity factory, and in the process, killed a child thus escalating the cycle of violence between Piltover and Zaun.

If you blamed Jayce for becoming a councilor, getting into a relationship with Mel while Viktor was dying, for abandoning Viktor and the lab for other pursuits, for killing that child in Zaun, or in general for escalating the cycle of violence between Zaun and Piltover, then S2 seems to have set out very deliberately to address each one of these.

Jayce is abandoned by Viktor in a similar way and for similar (if not the same) causes as Viktor now abandoned Jayce. Meanwhile, the mother of the child he specifically killed shows up to take her pound of flesh, escalating cycle of violence that has him and his loved ones caught up in it, having now arrived at his doorstep when once it was far away in Zaun, and Hextech has become everything that Heimerdinger (who he deposed in a coup d'etat in order to override his warnings and his power to stop Jayce) warned that it could be.

I stand in awe of how deliberately set up it all is, and offer this analysis of why the narrative took the time to so specifically address and bring retribution for Vi and Jayce for these specific sins, in an almost exactly eye for an eye manner.

Before Jayce and Vi can continue forward as our protagonists, we needed to wipe the slate clean.

These beats are so specifically addressed at their sins (real, imagined, or overblown) in S1 that it's impossible to say going forward that they haven't suffered the consequences of their actions. They have now both been intimately on the receiving end of the consequences of what they did to others.

Furthermore, in S2 we are seeing that Vi and Jayce were less outliers as far as people making mistakes but rather were simply ahead of the curve. Now they have seen both sides of the cycle of violence and deeply suffered the consequences of their actions, many of which were impulsive. Going forward, I think it's safe to say we're going to see Jayce and Vi become voices of reason as they continue to learn, grow and experience the consequences of the events that their S1 actions had a big hand in causing in the first place.

I think this is also why Jayce, humbled and wiser, is becoming a much more popular character in S2 while Vi is becoming a much more universally sympathetic one, though I loved them both in the first season as did many other people. But their actions were controversial in some cases and it's been fascinating to see how systematically S2 has addressed each one of their controversial actions from S1 before moving them forward as heroes and protagonists.

[eerna]

Hiii I have some thought contributions to the Arcane symposium if you'll have me!

I see people understandably angry at how Arcane handles who is or isn’t a villain and I suppose my two cents is that I didn’t have any hope of them handling it right in the first place, even back in s1 there were always parallels made, always some “both cities have good and bad” nuance when one city doesn’t have air to breathe and is colonized by the other. If anything the beginning of s2 was more consistent in that the second Caitlyn is personally inconvenienced she goes full chemical warfare and mass institutional violence

Personally I thought it unlikely that they suddenly change narrative tones and resolve the plot in a way that was satisfying to me, and I knew the pacifist “choose love not hate <3 zaun and piltover arms in arms” both-sides ending was inevitable, so I’m glad they at least had that whole thing with Viktor and Jayce and the timelines to distract me from it

“they shouldn’t have made Viktor, a Zaunite, the villain” but Arcane always made the villain a Zaunite! Before Viktor there was Silco, Piltover chooses peace but Jinx blows the council up and now they have to do a whole “look what you made us do” arc. This was my beef with Arcane from day 1 (it wasn't emphasized enough, IMO, that the villain is Piltover's oppression and marginalization of Zaun, and that this context renders null any "both cities" comparison)

Also Vi was written so poorly this season what's up with that

All that being said I suppose it’s more complicated to discern “writer’s intent” from that kinda show than it would be in a book or an indie project where there are fewer people involved in the plot writing and less interference. Like one deleted scene or one line of dialogue omitted radically changes the message. But well, there's the intended message and there's the manifest message and as the audience we are allowed to criticize both

Of course we shall, step to the podium~ Truly, the "writer's intent" is truly so complicated here, because anti-capitalist messaging in mainstream art powered by capitalism is always a nightmare to get through.

Oh yes it's a good take, I remember the discussions from s1 era well! However, I still don't think the "both sides have good and bad" thing is a red flag in stories, simply because it's true IRL. A ton of people have trouble committing to a side in a conflict because neither is totally morally pure, which completely blinds them to the truth that NOTHING is morally pure and choosing the lesser evil is the way to go. Silco was a brilliant villain to me because he was an oppressor himself, as people in power are rarely anything else, but that didn't mean that Zaunite ideals were worth any less! After all, Ekko held the same anti-Piltover ideals, but he is morally pure and thus unable to become an influential politician. He can support a small society, but not a large one, because no one really can do that without resorting to some bad shit. Just because Silco dreamed of being the same as Piltover's elite and became a class traitor by forcing his citizens into another toxic work culture, except this time they made HIM rich instead of Piltover, doesn't mean we should just give up on trying to make things better. Zaun during Silco's reign is just as worthy of freedom and equality as Zaun during Vander's reign. It doesn't matter that there are terrorists living there now - that doesn't excuse Piltover's violent actions. And s1 seemed to be aware of that, considering how the Enforcers were depicted, and in the end it's the Piltover council who are forced to give up instead of the Undercity. And the choice of peace wasn't as morally pure as it sounds: the council opposed it and was forced into it by Jayce and Mel's combined power, even Jayce was resistant to the terms at first, AND it still left the Undercity in Silco's hands, fixing absolutely none of the sins they committed there. It wasn't an evil terrorist blowing up a bunch of hippies, it was a hurt Undercity girl setting in motion an event that has been brewing for a long, long time, against a system which gave too little, too late.

So yeah, in short, I don't interpret s1 as ever trying to question whether Zaun was right to demand more from Piltover by saying "well both sides are bad so nothing should change". It simply showed the ugly truth to any revolution: leaders are practically never good people, and those who get too close to it are doomed to very cursed lives. And yet, giving up isn't an option, because the system IS bad and the system HAS to be changed, and if that isn't gonna happen by the way of peace, then you can't help but sympathize with those who were wronged when they do something horrible.

That's why it only worked when it focused on individual characters - that way you can understand why everyone is acting the way they are acting, and you avoid falling into broad strokes. S2 instead focuses on the aesthetic of revolution and war and the characters get lost in the big picture, which absolutely sucks and completely negates everything I've been typing about here. In fact, who knows, maybe my opinion changes too after I sit with s2 for a while and contextualize s1 within it. Maybe I was just wishfully thinking and misinterpreting this whole time. I already feel like a clown for defending this show, so I can totally accept that I could probably be wrong here. But I just wanted to write it all out in the name of discussion and interpretation!

[stargazerlily7210]

Hello, and welcome to my TED Talk.

In this essay, I will demonstrate why I think Mrs. Flood is Susan Foreman (aka The Doctor's Granddaughter, aka The Unearthly Child, aka The Boss, aka The One Who Waits).

I know, I know. Not exactly the hottest take out there.

But buckle in, cause this goes deep.

Getting this out of the way first: I know this season has been billed as a bit of a fresh start (what with calling it Season 1, and all) and thus people are wary about assuming Mrs. Flood is a returning character. But let's be real. Just look at the 60th anniversary specials. Ya know, the massive 3 parter whose plot has set everything in motion for this next season.

They feature The 14th Doctor (aka The 10th Doctor revamped) with Donna Noble and her family (from the 2000's), Kate Lethbridge-Stewart (from the 2010's) who is both the current leader of UNIT (from Classic Who) and the daughter of The Brigadier: original leader of UNIT (throughout all of Classic Who), The Meep (from a Classic Who comic strip of all things) The Toymaker (Classic Who) and Mel (Classic Who).

And that's just the characters. Never mind the near constant references to both New and Classic Who.

They made it appealing and approachable to new viewers, sure. But they've already proven they're not actually interested in distancing themselves from the show's past.

So why do I think she's Susan, specifically?

Well, for starters, although the age of an actress doesn't really mean much in a 60 yr old time-travel show that's already had (MAJOR SPOILERS FOR THOSE WHO HAVENT SEEN THE 11TH DOCTOR'S EPISODES!!) a parent-child dynamic where the daughter is not just played by an actress who's noticably older than the parents, but also canonically met the doctor first, despite her parents being the primary companions, (and each of them are played by both adult and child actors). But Anita Dobson is 74. Which would have made her 14/15 when the show started in 1963. Around the same age Susan Foreman is supposed to be/appear.

But again, that doesn't really mean anything in this show. So why else would I think she's Susan? And why do I think this means she's also The Boss mentioned by the Meep, AND The One Who Waits mentioned by The Toymaker?

Well, because I think it all falls into place with some of the big themes they've been pushing in the episodes so far, if she's Susan.

I mean, from what I know of Susan, she was a refugee from Galifrey, with her grandfather, The Doctor. As far as we know, he's her only family. He'd basically been raising her until she caught feelings for a human guy, so The Doctor decided she'd be better off staying on Earth. Effectively abandoning his very traumatized teenage granddaughter in 1960's London. It wasn't malicious, he was trying to do what's best for her. But he still left her there against her will and never came back for her.

So she's an orphaned teenage refugee, raised in a high-tech alien culture, stuck in the 1960's, with her first major crush as her primary confidant and caregiver. Let's be real. She'd have been deemed a mentally unstable minor, and at best institutionalized, at worst dissected/studied, in a heartbeat (or rather, two heartbeats (a surprise tool that'll help us later)).

So here we have a woman who's likely been drugged and tortured ("psychotherapy" in the 1960s, am I right?), gaslit, and desperately isolated for a significant portion of her life. With a massive list of reasons to both deeply resent and have seriously dissociated from The Doctor and the TARDIS.

And now we finally get to the new episodes:

The Meep says that creatures with two hearts are so rare that it can't wait to tell The Boss about The Doctor. So we have The Meep, who just happened to pick Earth to "crash land" on, answering to a nameless Boss who's on the lookout for 2 hearted creatures. Thus, we're looking for someone with both a connection to Earth and intimate knowledge of Timelord biology.

The Toymaker says even he didn't dare face The One Who Waits. Which says a lot, considering the importance and prevalence of people described as Waiting with a capitol W.

(MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE 10TH and 11TH DOCTOR'S EPISODES!!) Off the top of my head, I can think of Jack Harkness aka The Face of Boe who waited billions of years to see The Doctor again. We have Amy Pond aka The Girl Who Waited, and Rory Williams aka The Boy Who Waited. We even have Sara Jane Smith, who's first real conversation with the The Doctor after finding him again had her admitting she'd spent her whole adult life waiting for him to come back. So to be The One Who Waited, above and beyond all others? You'd have to have somehow waited more than the rest. And when you're already talking about Waiting upwards of 5 Billion years, that's tough to do. Unless you're looking at it from The Doctor's perspective. And the Granddaughter he'd abandoned 15 lifetimes ago would absolutely fit that bill.

So we have an individual who is intelligent/knowledgeable enough to be called The Boss by an alien kapable of mind control and space flight, who's searching for creatures with 2 hearts. Who's earned the title of The One Who Waits, above so many other candidates.

And we just so happen to meet a character who's being played by an actress the same age Susan should be.

Speaking of, we can finally look at Mrs. Flood herself. When I first watched the episode, it struck me just how angry she was at seeing the TARDIS. When it's far more normal to see people ignoring the thing. So her reaction is weird, both in general, and for a character the actress herself described as a friendly neighbor lady.

It's only after she's utterly shocked by the TARDIS disappearing in front of her that she starts acting different. As if seeing that unlocked her memories. From there on out, she's a different person who knows exactly what's going on. She even addresses the audience at the end and knows to call it a TARDIS. Which Susan of all people would know, as Susan claimed to have come up with the acronym herself, during her time with the 1st Doctor (whether that's technically canon or not, idk).

It's also worthy to note, that if you look at the houses during the scene where she's complaining about the TARDIS, you'll see that on the outside, her house, while the most extravagantly decorated outside, is noticably stark and empty inside, unlike each of the other houses where you can clearly see decorations through the windows. Not to mention, her door is the only one that looks like the TARDIS. The other doors are either the wrong shade, or style, or both. And her's is the only one that doesn't have stairs going to the second level. I don't know how much of this is just working within the confines of the location, and how much is intentional, or what it would mean, but we see enough wide shots of the house fronts, it seems potentially relevant.

So if Mrs. Flood is, in fact, Susan Foreman, she's exactly the right age, she'd have had more than enough reason to be triggered by the sight of the TARDIS, more than enough intelligence/knowledge to reach Boss status in her search for a rare two-hearted creature and being The Doctor's Granddaughter, could absolutely intimidate The Toymaker, and have more than enough claim to the title of The One Who Waited.

And if she turned out to be a future Big Bad, she would have the trauma, reasoning, skillset, and intelligence to truly challenge The Doctor and force him to deal with the repercussions of his habit of never stopping or looking back at his actions or mistakes.

We've never seen if Susan can regenerate as far as I'm aware, but we know she's a Timelord and significantly younger than The Doctor. So if she can, the actress has already suggested that Mrs. Flood will go through quite a transformation throughout future episodes. We might be seeing the birth of a new antagonist for a new generation of the show.

Honorable Mention: I feel like The Boss is right up there with The Doctor and The Master. And RTD would absolutely make The Boss a bada** boss babe.

Phew. That was a whole essay. If you've made it this far, congrats!! I'd love to hear your thoughts!

[nutmeg-mayonnaise]

If Gregory, Mia and Mel are Phoenix and Maya's biological kids, does that mean Phoenix and Maya have Done the Deed, so to speak? Or were other methods involved?

Hello friend! I feel like if I gave the “quick” answer to this question, it’s going to be missing a lot of important context, and since I feel like the topic of family planning from a queerplatonic/aroace perspective is seldom talked about, I'm going to go more in-depth.

[ID: Edgeworth, Phoenix, and Maya holding or carrying children. Edgeworth is carrying the fan character Gregory Wright as a child on his back, with his eyes closed and a tense expression. Gregory has a happy face with closed eyes with his arms wrapped around Edgeworth’s shoulders. Phoenix has the fan character Mia Fey as a young child on his shoulders and head. Mia has her hands covering Phoenix’s eyes and has a determined expression. Phoenix is gripping Mia’s legs. Maya is holding Melusina Fey as an infant to her chest with a happy expression with her eyes closed.]

This is a little long and I know the subject matter isn’t for everyone, so the details along with a mini-comic are below the cut! (Nothing discussed is above the T rating!)

In my AU, Phoenix, Maya, and Edgeworth are all on different places on the aromantic and/or asexual spectrum (cue "Ace" Attorney jokes). It’s also worth mentioning that they're in a queerplatonic relationship, so their orientations don't really matter that much with regards to the polycule. If any of them wanted to pursue a romantic relationship with someone besides each other, it doesn’t break the queerplatonic polycule. However, their orientations does matter with regards to the kids.

One of the fics I'm writing takes place after Spirit of Justice where Maya is starting to seriously think about the future of the Fey Clan lineage. This makes Phoenix anxious, as he's well aware of the history of disastrous marriages in Kurain Village, and hopes to whoever's listening that it doesn't happen to Maya, too. However, he's not attracted to her in that way, so he doesn't get involved outside of being there for moral support.

Extremely long story short, after Maya's disastrous dating life--where she discovers she does not like romantic attention--soul-searching, emotional turmoil, Phoenix and Maya ask themselves why they couldn't have a family together as friends--especially after Edgeworth lectures both of them on separate occasions that they were viewing the situation too romantically. Fey Clan lineage doesn't care about romance, you see.

Obviously how the kids came to be was a huge hang-up. When Maya lamented that she wasn't fond of romantic attention during her moment of self-discovery, Phoenix recommended she have a chat with Edgeworth, who suggested the very unromantic route of donors (and offered to help pay). On a different occasion, when Phoenix was hung up over the birds and the bees, so to speak, Edgeworth suggests that he (Phoenix, to be clear) could be a donor for Maya. That doesn't involve contact, Maya's kids would have a dad who loves them and their mom, it's a win-win.

Unfortunately, well after Phoenix and Maya were already emotionally invested in starting the family together, Maya learns that known donors require a lot more time and money than unknown donors, as well as mandatory therapy. Did I mention money? So, to put a finer point on it, since they felt very secure with their friendship and nothing has threatened it thus far in this situation, they didn't see why they couldn't give the "free" route a shot.

As you might have guessed, given the lack of attraction towards each other in that way... it did not go well. 

It was the straw that broke the camel's back and started to strain their relationship. So much so, that when they were working together in court after trying for a few months, Edgeworth noticed they were irritable towards each other and requested a recess to chat with them...

[ID: Two comic panels. The first panel has Edgeworth, Phoenix, and Maya in the Defendant Lobby. Edgeworth is standing before Phoenix with his arms crossed. Phoenix is sitting on one end of the couch hunched over in distress with his hand over his forehead. Maya is sitting on the other end of the couch, facing away, with her hands together on her lap and a red face. The narration says “After a long vent about Phoenix and Maya’s Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Time...”. The second panel has Edgeworth with his arms crossed and his eyes closed. He says “Why are you two not considering medical assistance?”]

[ID: Two more comic panels. The first panel has Phoenix in the same pose as before. He says, “We don’t have that kind of time or money. I know you offered to help with the expenses, but it’s still too much, and we can’t ask more from you...”. The second panel has Edgeworth adjusting his glasses with one arm still crossed. His grits his teeth as he says, “Are you aware they have............. they sell....”]

[ID: Two more panels. The first one has Edgeworth typing on his rose gold phone with the onomatopoeia “tap tap tap”, looking flustered. There is a speech bubble with several ellipses. In the next panel is Edgeworth showing his phone to Phoenix and Maya, with him saying “Here.” Very small text pointing to the phone says “At-home kits that allow kids to happen with no contact for about $100. :)”. Phoenix looks at the phone with his eyes wide and Maya leans in, also looking at the phone with wide eyes.]

[ID: The same illustration as the first image, with the narration “Seven years and three kids later...”. Phoenix says “Hey, thanks again for the recommendation, Miles!” Edgeworth’s speech bubble has “.....*grumble*........” written. Maya has a speech bubble with a pink heart.]

(And Edgeworth is still in disbelief that he did more research than they did..........but he got a son out of the whole ordeal so it’s okay. :) )

To sum it all up, while it was far from their first choice, they certainly did give Doing the Deed a shot for the sake of saving time and money, but they found it was too much for them so all three kids were conceived with those at-home kits. 

Thanks for the question!

[francesderwent]

Thoughts on arcane 4-6

1. Isha just frankly didn't bring anything so far that wouldn't have been strengthened without her! Vi could EASILY have been about to kill Jinx at the end of 3 and then been unable to do it because that's her sister, try to talk down Cait, Jinx's desperate need for revenge cooled due to that, Sevika could have been the one imprisoned meaning Jinx had to go to the prison because they do care about each other in a fucked up way, and then Jinx gets Vi to help after meeting Vander. The entire story would work with previously known characters, and I just feel it would have had much more emotional depth than introducing this new, completely unintegrated character and saying yeah haha jinx isn't killing people anyone because she's hanging out with a child. Cut it!

2. It DOES weaken the backstory but vi jinx and vander reconciliation made me emotional.

3. Regarding point 2 - I will allow the weakening of Jinx as a father killer IF Vander survives into act 3 which the preview suggests he will and vi is forced to kill vander to protect innocents, thus making her and Jinx mirrors. That would slay I truly believe.

4. WHERE ARE THE BOYZ (Ekko and Heimerdinger boy band)

5. Of course it's Jayce fucks this all up (said with understanding that he's not actively malicious but also wtf).

6. See I reckon there could be FASCINATING parallels between the cult, which clearly tampers with people's minds and emotions to an extent, and Ekko's paradise which is just people trying to be good, but unfortunately the show writers this season are not as smart as me.

7. The way I'm actually really liking Mel out of absolutely nowhere all she needed was to be trapped in a mind prison and become a mage for me to be like wait...

oh, I agree, she’s an unnecessary plot device lol. the only one of the moments you list that I think Isha does enhance is Vi being unable to kill Jinx—because if three episodes in, we get Vi realizing that IN HERSELF she is unable to kill her sister, no matter what she’s done, where do we go from there? that’s practically the end of the whole arc. whereas in the scene as it exists, Vi gets to realize “I’m not willing to hurt anyone and everything in order to destroy evil” which separates her from Cait in that moment, AND she gets to realize “there might still be something good in my sister and yet she’s still not my same little sister anymore”. it lets Jinx appear as an equal for a moment! which is such a crazy moment as an older sibling, when you look at them and realize hey they’re not a kid anymore!! this, I think, COULD have set us up for really interesting sibling dynamics moving forward, with Vi still kind of on the “we need to defeat Jinx” train, but conflicted about it and more worried about the collateral. Obviously they didn’t do it, and it didn’t work. But I think this would have ESPECIALLY worked if they built up Isha in the first three episodes (by letting her TALK for example), and then had Cait take a second shot after Vi tries to stop her and actually genuinely kill Isha in this scene, or had Isha be a casualty of the explosion Jinx set off, or something.

I’m genuinely happy for you but it just annoyed me haha. I was devastated they would do that to Vander, and then I was insulted that presumably the whole point of them inventing Vander in the first place was to turn him into this league of legends wolfman

that is so fucked up and I am so impressed by you thinking of it

WHERE ARE THE BOYS????????? they really said “here are our incorruptible characters. they’ve teamed up. you will never see them again”

getting possessed (?) is the most in-character thing for Jayce to do, he never had a mind of his own anyway

ooooooh the cult which demands you lay down your weapons! the firelights which take up arms against the people poisoning their streets! Viktor takes away people’s suffering, removing the negatives—Ekko gives people a positive reason to LIVE

no seriously, honestly I think they just had to get her away from her favorite hobby of leading Jayce by the nose and I was like “hmmm slay perhaps?”

[bringthekaos]

Your "Jayce is the one to banish Viktor" theory is a very fun idea to rotate in one's brain, but may I suggest another potential way that things could go down. Mel's weird back thing brings up a shield, that protects herself, Jayce and either partially or fully Viktor. What Jayce does in the seconds before, during, and after the explosion are probably going to be major plot decider for that side of the story. Being if he chooses to try and protect Mel or Viktor (I guess he could keep himself safe, but for plot dramatics I doubt that'll be what happens). If he goes for Viktor, then what I'm thinking kind of falls apart, but if he goes for Mel, then it can also serve as a parallel to him walking out on her to be with Viktor when he was diagnosed. In the chaos of the aftermath, Viktor has the time to slip away and begin to make his way to the lab. Jayce eventually follows him, and while I like the idea of Jayce using the Hexcore to save Viktor after he swore to him that he'd destroy it, I don't think Jayce is in the room when Viktor uses it, because as we saw with sky the Hexcore will just kill whatever life is in the room that isn't its user (be that a sign of it being aware and possessing some degree of want to keep Viktor alive, or not), but also I don't know what the Hexcore takes in the place of Viktor's life if he were to try and use it solo, so I don't know. But Jayce walks in on a Viktor with his Void augmentations on full display (Maybe he was too close to the Hexclaw while doing this and this is how it gets merged to his back), able to not only stand straight and unaided, but also walk. And Jayce freaks out, but doesn't betray Viktor, at no point even considering turning him in. I think he does end up getting Mel involved though, maybe without letting Viktor know beforehand because he isn't able to see that Viktor and Mel don't exactly get along or why Viktor may not want anyone at all to know what's happened, regardless of if Jayce trusts them or not. I think Mel's the one who ends up spelling it out for Jayce that as someone from the undercity Viktor is in massive danger, and maybe even the one who suggests aloud first that Viktor should flee to Zaun. It could be a great opportunity to give her some more moral dubiousness, the question of if she'd suggesting this because she genuinely wants to help Viktor, if it's because she understands Viktor as someone Jayce cares for and thus Viktor getting hurt would hurt Jayce, of if her motives are entirely selfish and she just wants to get rid of Viktor (much in the same way that if she's actually romantically interested in Jayce or just manipulating him for her own gain is kept obscure for the majority of their relationship). I could see Jayce wanting so bad to go down to the undercity to see if Viktor is okay, and when he finally has a window of opportunity to find him, he's met with a very different man to the one he last saw. A butterfly who has emerged from his metamorphosis, a magician having completed The Turn, taken an ordinary dying man and turned him into something extraordinary. Sorry for the ramble.

No no, keep rambling!!!

I love hearing everyone’s different takes on what they think will happen. I saw the “Mel golden shield” theory a lot in the early days, also that she is a Mage in hiding. And while there are degrees of legitimacy to all these theories, I just… really want her to live. From a story standpoint. We’ve already seen one female character fridged, and I’m honestly just sorta… tired of that storyline? We really don’t need yet another woman destroyed to progress a man’s character arc. Not just for Arcane, but like… in all storytelling. That plot point is so played out, it’s beyond stale and growing mold. So I’m just really hoping she lives.

So assuming she lives, this could be an interesting path to take, kinda building off the “Jayce is pulled in two different directions and trying to do both but not realizing he’s splitting down the middle” that they’ve already set up in season one. But this too would have to be done delicately, cuz we certainly don’t want Mel’s role to devolve to jealous lover. She’s so much more than that, she’s smart and cunning and wise beyond her years. I just don’t see her stooping to getting rid of Viktor purely out of romantic interest in Jayce. But perhaps it could be a culmination of things, say maybe if Viktor’s connection to the core starts to affect his sanity… it could be one of those “wrong thing for the right reasons” type deals—she thinks she’s helping both of them, but in the end it gets twisted by outside forces/misunderstandings?

There’s also Ambessa to consider. No matter what happens to Mel, I think we can all agree that Mommy Medarda is not going to take an attempt on her daughter’s life lightly (whether her reaction is borne of actual care for her daughter or a twisting of “care” into a more political/military opportunity remains to be seen). But either way, Ambessa wanted Hextech weapons for herself and for Noxus. So in the aftermath of this attack, Viktor’s voice for “we don’t build weapons” will likely get even smaller, and perhaps that is where the split starts to happen. Jayce even said “we have the knowledge to defend ourselves.” So I’m sure there will be a degree of guilt on his end, if he’d just built those weapons like Mel asked, this may not have happened (spoiler alert: it would have). But therein could be another opportunity for the split between Jayce and Viktor—this is the line they draw in the sand.

Anyway, now I’m the one who’s rambling. (Also sorry it took me so long to answer, the Holidays steamrolled me. But I always love to discuss these theories with you guys!)

[phlurrii]

Alright, ALRIGHT, I’VE ALMOST GOT IT DANGIT I ALMOST *HAVE* IT. So everyone analyzing the edgy Noe animation bust out our notepads and cork boards because I have INFO TO SHARE.

Okay, so, we’ve already got the first captive of Noe established: Dialga, the Temporal Pokemon.

The next captive is hard AF to freaking see, but if you zoom in enough you see the anti-matter space worm snake dragon thing known as Giritina, the Remegade Pokemon

So Noe captures both the god of controlling Time and the personification of antimatter, two of the 3 creation trio.

As for the one he is facing…let me just say…the lack of images of legendary pokémons’ backs made this borderline maddening because I STILL CANNOT SAY FOR CERTAIN, **BUT** I believe the one whom Noe wishes to be is actually the space Barney known as Palkia, the Spatial Pokemon.

I ONLY GOT A SIDE VIEW BUT I THINK ITS CLOSE OKAY? It’s not Meau, that’s for sure, and I really don’t think it’s Arceus based on the head shape but it might just be a perspective issue.

Now, the only powers we’ve seen know use are appearing from the shadows and duplicating items (berries and tea), and we know he deals with “errors” (which could mean a lot of things physics-wise) but not ghosts (which are incorporeal and thus lack matter). So, despite their appearance, they may be more connected to Palkia than we may have been lead to believe.

Palkia is known to have powers to warp space, travel to faraway places or other dimensions, connect dimensions through dimensional portals, DESTROY SPACE ITSELF, and even be able create a new universe BY ITSELF or with Dialga. And, unlike a glitchy Noe, it is said that space becomes MORE STABLE with Palkia's every breath.

The implications this holds are wild and not fully understood. Was their role originally like Palkia’s but something went wrong? Did Giritina create Meau as an attempt to make something like Palkia and/or Meau to create and later populate its own universe with its own kind of pokemon but something went terribly wrong? It’s very hard, and might even be too early to say what the source of this identity crisis is for Noe, especially since he isn’t directing it at Meau, but what do y’all think?

Why did Noe need to take control of time and antimatter? Why Palkia? Where’s Arceus when his kids are fighting like this? I know the truth will be revealed eventually, but I love playing around with the ideas for what it may be.

Roll OUT the red carpet you have NAILED IT.

Noe is indeed holding Dialga on his left and Giratina on his right, while facing down Palkia. Why he is doing it, what he wants from Palkia, what his motivations are, what brought him to this point, where Arceus is, where Meau is, and everything else about this situation will be revealed in Noe’s eventual origin arc! But both you and @givemeuniversalcrossovers guess this correctly! With @mel-the-pirate breaking down that first gate with the Dialga guess! Good job you three ;0! Also everyone else who sent in theories, ya’ll each got tidbits here and there correct, genuinely impressed by it!

Given I purposely doodled that animatic to be misleading as all heck, round of applause and head pats to everyone ;D! As I get closer to moving I’ll probably slow down a lot on the story till everything’s sorted, but we’ll be spending some quality time with Mewtwo and the mews for a bit! Then once I’ve established everything I wanted too, we’ll move on to Noe’s arc and ya’ll will finally get your answers! But I’ll still drop lil animatics of him here and there to feed the flames, as well as continue to sprinkle hints throughout. A lot of Noe’s arc is being sketched on and worked on alongside the current story as otherwise it’d take forever to actually get out lol

[highoctanegem]

Marks remain || Daiyu & Jade

TIMING: After Daiyu got out of the hospital. LOCATION: Daiyu's cabin. PARTIES: @bountyhaunter & @highoctanegem SUMMARY: Jade visits Daiyu to check up on her. CONTENT WARNING: References to domestic abuse.

Nugget was the goodest boy. Jade had zero doubts they were gonna vibe and mesh so well, obviously. Except, maybe, for the one doubt. (The math still worked, shush). She was like, lowkey (super lowkey, barely detectable) a little nervous around the big dog the first time. Cause she was a proud cat lady, what if he smelled Mel or Lu on her and decided they were stinky and by association she was too?

But it turned out, that worry didn’t hold up, cause Jade and Nugget were already best buds in her heart. Which made Daiyu’s request to take him for a few walks over the week so easy to accept. 

Not as easy? Finding out exactly why Daiyu needed her help. (Silly, she should’ve known Daiyu wouldn’t have asked for help so loosely). 

Jade didn’t like what she briefly saw of Daiyu before she grabbed her furry baby and took him around the neighborhood. She put a pin in that discussion, for when she came back to the cabin, but like… it was hard to focus on the path ahead while images of her injured friend flashed in her mind. Hunters had a way of undermining their injuries over text messages, it seemed.

Was that what Emilio felt when he saw her beat up by Mack? Flaccidness of her duty aside, it didn’t mean she didn’t feel for the hunters risking their lives out there. That was were her loyalties were. Till her last breath, that would remain unchanged. She didn’t care who or what Daiyu had come after, Jade was firmly in the “she didn’t deserve this” corner. 

After a little detour that Nugget was appropriately bribed for with the right treat, Jade returned to the cabin bearing goods. She let the dog inside, and set the bags on the table. “Be nice to your mom!” She called, watching him run off to the couch. He didn’t need to be told, obviously. He was so gentle as he approached. Wasn’t the love between human and pet so beautiful? It tugged at her heartstrings. But like, that could’ve been her heart aching a little as she took on Daiyu’s injuries a little longer too. Did she have like, the right cream for those burns? If she’d know the details she would’ve asked Regan to tag along and help.

She placed the cup holder on the table and proceeded to open the bag. “I got you a burger and fries, from that place we went to after taking care of those hellhounds” she said, instead of voicing all her concerns. She was gonna offer to cut it up in little bits in case she couldn’t lift her broken arm, but she refrained too. (She was doing so good containing the need to be nosy). The same way Emilio seemed to attract weirdos into his orbit, Jade had a thing for the ones who were uncomfortable reciprocating her love or showing vulnerability. (Huh, she wondered why). But unlike some folks back in California, she was confident she could change a few of those hearts in town.

—

It was inadvisable to be in a position where you needed help and thus, it should be avoided. That was one of the lessons taught by her father in her youth, drilled into his three children. Even when one of them fell and the other extended a hand, he’d glare with knowing eyes at them. He’d never extend his own hand. You got up by yourself and that was that. Daiyu had despised this notion, mostly when it pertained to her helping her siblings — but it had still wormed itself into her system and became part of her convictions. Needing help was bad. Asking for it was worse.

But some situations simply demanded it. Like when you were passing out from pain and smoke in a parking lot, your weapons far removed and your arm bone sticking out. She’d let herself be helped then, had let doctors and nurses fret over her before she’d found the clarity to get the hell out of the hospital. Most of her Good Neighbors funds had gone to her bills (regrettable, as those had been savings, which she usually didn’t have) and now she was home again.

She’d needed to ask for help again, though it had been easier in Nugget’s case. Asking someone to walk her dog was for his good, rather than her own. Jade had been more than willing and she was glad for it. It was a little humbling, though: a walk with her dog should not be so hard that it took someone else's help.

But it was for Nugget's wellbeing, so her pride was swallowed and it was all okay again when the dog rushed in, pressing his wet snout into the palm of her hand. Fries was in her bedroom, hidden from the other hunter. Daiyu wasn't sure how the other felt about squonks and even though it seemed that Jade only hunted undead, she figured she'd rather be safe than sorry. Besides, she had no idea how to explain it. She murmured some words of affection to her dog and pushed herself up from the couch, glad for painkillers and frustrated that she had to be.

“You are a star,” she said, the smell of fried food reaching her enhanced nostrils. “Will you stay to eat? I mean, you did also get yourself something right? Otherwise …” She'd also not been taught to share. Daiyu followed this childhood lesson especially when it came to food. “We can splitsies.” She rubbed her arm, pulled out a kitchen chair. She was no stranger to living with healing injuries but the burns were a new sensation, extremely different from the small burns she'd gotten from playing with her sister's lighter when growing up. She looked at Jade after sitting down, when the grimace had left her face, and wondered if she owed an explanation. “They should like, totally invent hunter health insurance or something.”

—

“A star and a gem. Don’t you forget it!” Jade gave a shimmy of her shoulders, pretending to be coy for literally a beat before bursting into a vibrant laugh. But honestly? It felt like the bare minimum. Hunters had to look out for each other, cause nobody else did. Siobhan said it, it was a thankless job. (Spoken in the context of murder, but she was choosing to ignore that). She was happy to take Nugget on as many walks as he needed, and bring out Daiyu food, or take care of some house chores for her, whatever. She pulled out another package from the bag, perking up at the question. “Oh, duh! I got some onion rings and a chicken sandwich,” she took out everything that remained inside, including the little sauce dips, and some napkins then folded the paper bag. She followed suit, reaching for a second chair to mimic Daiyu. “That’s exactly why I ordered two different things. Splitsies,” she took a bite of her onion rings and dusted her hands off. She was so big brained sometimes (all of the times, if you asked her). 

Nugget paced around, nose in the air, sniffing the greasy goodness. And Jade didn’t sit yet, too absorbed in the convo. “Pft. I bet someone tried, but all the clients died,” insurance would probably be so expensive if they made one for hunters too. Like, pre-existing condition: hunter. Oof. And anyway, her health insurance was her hunter juice. And her doctor girlfriend. And like, probably her crossbow. It wasn’t infallible, nope. But she’d never landed in a hospital before. (If that was a lie, who would know?). She kept nibbling on that metaphorical nugget though (sadly no real ones), about injuries and danger and... she was so curious about what happened to Daiyu. She was looking rough now, she couldn’t imagine what it was like those first days. Well, she could kinda imagine. She did take a Mack beating that defo broke a thing or two not too long ago. 

More than the tea, which was obviously scalding, Jade cared about the present. About how Daiyu was doing, and how she was taking care of herself. She grabbed her Sprite and slid the other cup to her friend, lips curving into a smile, “I’ll have you know… actually, you already know this, but! I have a doctor girlfriend, bone partner… all that, and she is a little peculiar as you also know, but there’s no one who cares more about taking care of people than her,” she set the cup holder on top of the bag, for when Daiyu threw the trash away. “I’m just saying! Throwing it out there, she’d probably do it for free, if I batted my eyelashes,” she tacked on with a shrug. 

And like, she wasn’t gonna go on a tangent, except, well… she was already there, so. Jade worried about Regan. Especially now that she wasn’t sure about her Apple gig. Why couldn’t she just… return where she was happy? Where she had a purpose? It was probably too hard. Too old Regan. (As in, instrument Regan) (Sadly for her, she wasn’t old yet). Too attached to that period of time she lost herself in the name of fate or death or whatever. All Jade wanted was for her to find joy in something again. Wouldn’t it be super nice for her to see the good she could still do? “But be warned, the kissing it better treatment is reserved for me,” she blurted out suddenly, just to get out of sad Regan waters. They weren’t nearly as fun as sexy bog waters. 

Speaking of waters, she walked over to the kitchen and washed her hands in the sink. (The more she visited cabins, the more she dug them) (If only they weren’t so close to the forest). Then she came back to finally sit, unwrapping her sandwich. “Anyway, what fire breathing creature did you tussle with,” Jade stole one of the fries and dipped it into the sauce (it wasn’t soggy enough for her yet), but something else distracted her, she inhaled sharply, eyes sparkling in excitement. “Am I about to learn dragon shifters exist?” Wait, phoenixes did, didn’t they? And those were rare enough that someone might wanna pay to get their hands on it. So… enter Daiyu. The math was mathing, yup. “If this is how you ended up, I don’t wanna think about the other guy,” Daiyu was like, top three most hardcore hunters she knew. It must’ve been like, a major foe.

—

“How could I ever?” It was said with alarming ease, these words of affection for the slayer. Daiyu was surprised by how easy it had been to grow fond of Jade, how she considered her as not just another hunter whose back she'd have but a friend. Not just a friend, but as someone she'd trust with her dog, which was an even more important title. Jade was easy to get on with, did not get on her nerves and had seemingly respected her wish to not receive any visitors while she was in hospital. She also had good taste in food. “Nice,” she said, observing the spread of food on the table. It was a good thing her appetite had made at least somewhat of a comeback, because she would have hated to eat this with her stomach protesting. She snatched an onion ring without questioning if she could, plopping it in her mouth with a noise of satisfaction, “Yep, this is the shit. This is what they write books about.” 

The idea of hunter insurance had not been shared with her sister, even though she was sure that Inna could make a nice buck of such a thing. (In reality, Inna would tell her that was a stupid idea, but Daiyu tended to think her ideas better than her siblings ever would.) At least Jade was there to listen to it, pointing out the flaws in her masterplan. “Maybe they died too. If I had any business sense this would be my retirement plan, but man, I really fucking don't.” Which was probably why she was a bounty hunter and hadn't managed to set up some kind of business around it.  

She turned her attention to her burger and fries when Jade started to talk about her doctor girlfriend, who was a strange person even by Daiyu's standards. She had so many questions about how that relationship worked, but wasn't sure if she wanted to get into those topics. Like the general feeling of unlovedness that she contributed to the hunter life that Jade had apparently broken through, or the fact that her partner was against violence when she built her life on violence. The eradication of it, maybe, but also the perpetration of it. Did Jade see blood on her hands sometimes, when she was half asleep? Or was her conscience clearer? How was she able to commit to someone in such a way? It was impossible to fathom and too confrontational to ask about in detail.  

“I … well, maybe she can have a look at the healing process if it's for free.” She looked up from the burger bun and its distracting sesame seeds, wondering if it would be worth showing her healing injuries to Regan the bone partner or if a hospital doctor might be less discomforting. Daiyu figured she had some time to think it over and so in stead focused on groaning at Jade's comment about kisses. “Don't worry. They're all yours.” 

And though she didn't exactly feel like talking about all the kinds of kisses Jade and Regan shared, it was a much easier topic than the one Jade touched on next. Daiyu took a strategic bite of her burger, chewing on the bread, meat and sauce to stop herself from talking. She didn't usually mind recalling the fights she'd been in, but this one was different. Someone she knew had died. She'd not even meant to get into a spat. Even worse, she'd lost, and might have died if it hadn't been for the help of other hunters. All in all, it was a moment best ignored and forgotten for the rest of time. Of course, such a thing was impossible: her body would carry the burn scars of lava girl forever. She swallowed the bite. “Fae, actually. I think. Like, a magma girl.” She put her burger down, picking up an abandoned sesame seed and pushing it under one of her nails.  

“It was fucked, man. I swear. I was just leaving the bar, you know … Three Daggers.” She wasn't sure how often Jade frequented it. “They ambushed this warden. Rafael, you know him?” Her voice got caught for a moment. She wanted to yap as she often did. To get swallowed by the waterfall of words that tended to fall from her lips. But she was quiet for a moment. “It was magma girl and her dad. Anyway. He died. Raf, I mean. I tried to stop them, but ...” Failure was unacceptable. Daiyu thought of her own father, who would look at her injuries as permanent proof of shortcoming. Who would rub proverbial salt in the wounds, if only because he couldn't be bothered to reach the actual salt. “Well, I was shit outta luck, I guess.” 

—

“After all that jello I’m sure even some sliced bread would have flavor. Or like plain yogurt, yup that one would have a little kick” she chuckled, knowing Daiyu had a tough time dealing with hospital food. Like, if it were Jade in her position, food would be her biggest inconvenience, forget about broken bones and other booboos. She felt Daiyu’s food woes spiritually. She was happy to act as a greasy godmother of sorts and provide the goods. (She would have to workshop the term greasy godmother, though). While they pondered on business ventures to start up. Except, Jade could humbly admit she was not the girl for it. (But she could learn! How hard could it be to do it? White bros just liked gatekeeping all the knowledge). “So, I can’t help you on the business front, but I learned a thing or two about communications in college, so whatever idea you come up with, we could make it sound like the best thing in the world,” there had to be like, a business oriented person they could go to for advice, Jade was sure. Even if she did a quick rundown of her roster of friends and the only person she could remember being a business owner was… Emilio. Wait, didn’t Elias do something with robots too?

It didn’t matter. They would totally figure out the hypothetical business opportunity, it would be so cool, so fine. Just like it was cool that Daiyu was willing to accept Regan’s help. Her body buzzed with the excitement she felt over two people she cared about getting along. “It’s decided then!” she squealed, pointing her onion ring at Daiyu.  It didn’t look too decided for Daiyu, but Jade would make it happen. And even though Regan always felt some type of way about humans, Jade appreciated how she always made an effort when it came to her friends. What would go wrong about this? Absolutely nothing. She was certain. And she was right. She let out a cackle when she heard Daiyu’s groan. It gave her life knowing she was being obnoxious about the woman she loved. If anything, she wasn’t gushing enough about the healing qualities of her kisses. (Daiyu should be thankful!) But maybe later, when she didn’t want to get to a very serious, very real convo. 

By the looks of it, Daiyu needed to do some processing before retelling what happened to her, so Jade took a bite of her sandwich in commiseration. What better way to go into your head than munching on something? (mind out of the gutter, she would always be present for that). Seriously. She was in her head so much these days (doing like, zero thinking about anything hunter related ever, for the record) that sometimes only biting her lip pulled her back to reality. Her eyebrows pinched together when it turned out that there was no dragon shifter at all (bummer), but it was a fae who’d done it. And Magma girl? Huh… didn’t that sound super familiar? (Didn’t she see something like that about half a year ago? Where?) 

Jade reached for the fry she’d dipped in the sauce, but it never made it to her mouth. The more Daiyu detailed the situation, the more her heart sank. Rafael… Jade was pretty sure they’d argued about the jukebox machine once or twice. He wouldn’t let her play Carly Rae more than once each night. And Magma girl? Oooh… Sh—oot. She blinked. Cass? CASS? 

Cass did this to Daiyu. Yikes. The math wasn’t mathing, though. Wasn’t Cass like, really sweet and sure… sometimes Jade got the vibe that there was a deep yearning within (no projection whatsover!), but she was like a nice, good young girl. Always knew about the memes Jade was talking about. Why would she… And alright, okay, she couldn’t like… blame the girl for wanting some retribution on hunters. Didn’t Mr. Retthina hurt her pretty badly? She remembered trying to intervene there, cause Regan was worried about it. And then, didn’t Jade go after her undead bestie? (Unknowingly, duh, but still). So yup, Cass having major beef with some hunters was like… she got it. She hated it, cause her friend got caught up in it, but she got it. Weren’t good people supposed to rise above that or something? That’s what like, every TV Show and Movie had told her! (In her opinion it was like, such a silly approach but why would they lie to her?) 

And not only did Daiyu get caught up in something she had zero stakes in, another hunter was dead. To teach a lesson? Wasn’t that messed up? Getting attacked for what, wanting to protect people? Wasn’t it messed up to target hunters all willy nilly? (Wait a sec…huh. Anyway). She dropped her fry back in the dip, her belly feeling a little weird. Maybe she ate too fast. Yup, that happened to her sometimes. Or, hypothetically, it could be the fact that she’d heard Cass wasn’t doing so hot nowadays (she was probably like, very chill). And Van was in pain over it. Yup, maybe that could be why she was struggling to pick up her fry. 

“That’s a lot worse than I was expecting…” Jade mumbled, tone devoid of her usual cheerfulness. “I dunno what I was… I mean… maybe like, you getting to be all badass fighting some creature. Not… that.” Definitely not that. Cause if they couldn’t be safe at their own bar, then where? “I’m sorry, babe.” She pushed herself not to make it a thing, all awkward, in case Daiyu didn’t wanna dive into that convo too deep. Or cause there was the dead girl of it all looming over them. So she grabbed her Sprite and took a few sips.  

—

Truth be told, the jello was the only thing she had tolerated at the hospital. That and apple sauce. Her ruined appetite had been a telltale sign of her not being well, but it was not necessary to address it. There was a reason she'd not asked anyone to visit, after all. Daiyu didn't do well admitting that she was doing badly, let alone being witnessed in the thick of it. Most of all, she was just glad to have some greasy food on her hands and find the strength to appreciate it, “Jello is much better than plain yogurt. Because it has sugar and like, a bunch of food coloring.” The fact that Jade had gone to college made her look up for a moment, intrigued and feeling that pang of inferiority course through her as well. Her siblings had gone too, but she'd found the idea of more education after the hell that was high school preposterous. Never mind that her performance in high school had been atrocious. “Well, then we will certainly get there. You can do communication. I can intimidate people for money. A third person will be the businessperson.” She could ask her sister Inna, but after having failed to text her about her current situation, it seemed like a distant option. 

Jade was so excited at her potentially agreeing to meet her girlfriend (or as she liked to put it, bone partner — yikes) that Daiyu couldn’t help but smile a little either. Even if she wondered how a relationship could work between a hunter and non-hunter (even friendships were hard for her to uphold with non-hunters, after all, and she fully blamed her being one for it, rather than other shortcomings), she liked seeing the other excited. There was something infectious about it. For a moment she was baffled that someone like Jade was sitting in her kitchen, bringing her food. Strange. It was strange, but welcomed. 

But the excitement was gone, because even this meeting over greasy food could not be just that. It was a stupid story to tell. It lacked glory. It lacked determination. It lacked control. Daiyu had been ambushed in a parking lot and she'd lost the fight and there was no promise of revenge. 

Sure, she had thought about it. In that hospital room, she'd tried to think of ways to track down lavagirl and her dad to take her revenge. She'd go down to Fable Blades and commission some cold iron weapon that would cleave through the two fae without mercy. She'd consult a spellcaster for some kind of magma protection. She'd be prepared that time. She'd do more harm than had been done to her and Rafael, return the violent favor and feel a little bit better about the ugly scars that covered her skin.  

But she'd not gone to Fable Blades. In stead, she'd read Kaden's message about lavagirl being dead and being sorry in silence. She wasn't sure what was harder to swallow: the deadness or the apologeticness. Neither were things she could do anything with, both chewed at her in ugly ways and made her head feel heavy.  

She was quiet for a moment. Jade also said sorry. It was a different kind of sorry, but Daiyu still found it grating, “Whatever.” She didn't want pity. All she wanted was her burger and to enjoy it without feeling queasy. To go out hunting again and feel in control over a confrontation. To wield violence successfully. To just really hit something that wasn't a wall. “Just — I don't know. Felt fucked up. To not know how to fight something. You know? I – don't fucking know what Raf did to them, but it was fucking crazy to do that outside a hunter bar and still come out unscathed. For them.” Did the people she hunted feel like that? Had she not hit Mack Ross over the head in a parking lot herself? “Crazy to be on the other side of it, I guess.” 

—

Daiyu’s dismissal of her sympathy wasn’t like, super unfamiliar, or particularly offensive to Jade. That was how it went most of the time, right? People like Daiyu got used to it. Okay, maybe not a volcano girl burning you to a crisp (that was more of a unique experience, actually!) (Good for her), but the pain?  The consequences? That was just typical on-the-job risk, even when someone hadn’t technically clocked in. (Cause, let’s be so for real, could hunters ever clock out?). So she hummed when she was whatevered, cause they weren’t supposed to dwell on stuff like that. That was probably a common thread in most hunter families. The time for licking your wounds was like, a minute or two tops. Then back on the grind. And Daiyu had had like, days to ponder on stuff (personally, she would’ve rather worn cargo pants for a year). So if the girl didn’t want to do it anymore, Jade wasn’t gonna push.

She picked up the fry she’d dropped in the sauce and ate it. Yup, it was soggier now, the way everything should be. “I totally get that, you know?” Jade could still relate though, so freaking much. It wasn’t like a well-kept secret that she had some real deficiencies in her training, especially the physical aspect of it all. She just wasn’t good at throwing hands the way Daiyu or Owen (and definitely younger Emilio) were. “This solo act has taught me that I’m like, a little greener than I’d like to be,” and don’t get her wrong, being a support player was always super rewarding but… it did hide her whoopsies a little better, didn’t it? “And anyway, nobody can know everything,” Jade shrugged with finality. Except her. She had to know about everything under the sun (or the moon) when it came to the supernatural. That was just how it worked, her logic was flawless. “She was fae, so… um. Different jurisdiction for ya,” she glanced down at her sandwich, a small wave of sadness sweeping through her as she thought of Cass. She wasn’t supposed to feel torn up about it, not after what she did to her bestie, but like… it’s not like she could tell that to her heart.  

And maybe Cass and Raf had true beef, but no one would ever know now, right? They were both gone, which was weird to admit even mentally, so it felt a little icky to come up with conspiracies as to why the fight went down. Plus, again, understanding something didn’t mean Jade believed it was right. Raf shouldn’t have been attacked, and neither should Daiyu. No one seemed to appreciate all that took to protect humans from the horrors. Her eyebrows pinched together, listening to Daiyu’s words but not fully taking them in. The other side? So like… but then again— Nope, it was totally different. Cause, if the threat of undead didn’t exist, then hunters wouldn’t have been born to cull them. They were the answer to a problem. Meanwhile, if slayers didn’t exist, undead would still be out there harming innocent people. One existence was inherently wrong. But that was as much as she wanted to dwell on that, cause… she didn’t like thinking about how that kinda didn’t apply to fae or shifters and their beating hearts. Most were born like that, weren’t they? (Didn’t that suck?) (Again, so not thinking about that. Cause she was supposed to respect other hunters’ hustles as much as she did hers, so) (Duty was duty).

And well, there were supposed to be only two sides. The dangerous threat, and those who got rid of it. But now more than ever Jade knew there were like, way more than two. There were people like Van, who didn’t want any undead to be harmed no matter what. Or slayers like Emilio, trying to work the judge angle in a way that didn’t feel anywhere near gratifying by the looks of it. Or Metzli, who was dangerous, but didn’t want to be and fought every day (night) against their destructive nature. Or Daiyu, who found a way to turn her gifts into profit. And even herself, she was… something, too. Definitely trying to remix what she’d been taught, and coming up with nothing but flops in the process. She hated that. She hated that there was so much of… everything. So many tunes playing at the same time would never ever sound great in her ears.

“I guess that’s pretty wild, yup,” only one thing was super clear, though. The more she studied Daiyu’s cast and the burn scars Cass had left in the aftermath, the more Jade cemented her position in the ‘we don’t deserve this crap’ side of it all. But she hadn’t come to the cabin or dog-sat perfect boy Nugget (and the other creature she might have accidentally let slip in) with a hunter mindset in mind. She wasn’t here to brainstorm on how to get back at a dead girl or figure out a way to get better security at a hunter bar of all places. She was here as Daiyu’s friend, and she wanted to be… just Jade for that. She took a good bite out of her sandwich, hoping all the weird things making her belly uncomfy would go away when she swallowed her very enjoyable meal. So then they could switch up their convo. 

Her food, and the little sip of Sprite after (and the handful of fries she stole from Daiyu) definitely started to have its effect on Jade. Hazel eyes lingered on Daiyu’s arm, a warm smile suddenly blooming on her face. “You know, a few years back I broke my wrist. Unrelated to hunting, totally worth it, anyway… I broke my wrist and when I got my cast I was so bummed that not one of my siblings wanted to sign it? Like I was too old or whatever for good wishes?” she scoffed, not even having to pretend she was offended, cause she totally was. Still, after all those years. (Yup). “So don’t worry, you’re totally getting mine”. 

—

The entire ordeal of needing to take a beat and sit still had left Daiyu with more time to think than she was used to or comfortable with. Sure, she had spent plenty of her time in hospital simply sleeping her thoughts and pain away (or at least attempting to), just as she had doomscrolled until her brain felt like a deepfried meme — but there had still been moments of introspection. This moment, too, was turning out to be one, despite her trying to be cool and saying whatever as if it hardly mattered at all. She was admitting that there was something twisted about the tables being turned on her. Jade was expressing that she felt greener than she'd thought she was initially. Next thing, Daiyu would be whining about how she'd longed for a presence of family in the hospital. Not her family, per se, just a family — that vague concept that she could never grasp, that appeared to her in movies and TV shows but never in her actual life, aimed at her.

She chewed intensively on her fries, hoping that the repetitive motions of her jaw and the salty potato would be enough to distract her from this delve into the deep. She did not like to go down like that: she preferred everything to be surface level. For Jade just to be another hunter she could shoot the shit with, and not a friend who looked after her dog (and maybe also squonk) in a moment of need. She didn't want to think about how maybe Jade was out of her depth, how maybe she was as well. She didn't want to think about the dead fae, the dead hunter she'd left behind, nor the fact that she'd be scarred forever because of her, and not in the way she already was scarred.

This Cass had made her into someone who needed to be rescued. Into someone who needed a friend to look after her dog because she couldn't do it herself. It was inexcusable. It was different from that time when she'd been younger and had almost died in the woods, because that time she'd been a child. Or, at least, she had been by some estimates: certainly not by her father's. It was also different from that time with Cortez and the garkain, because it had been his fault that she'd needed help. This was a personal failure and Jade was here to witness it.

She pushed a fry angrily in the sauce as if it would absolve her of her shame. (Nothing ever would.) “I like fucking 1v1 werewolves. It's bullshit that she got me like this. But she did. I lived, though,” she said, popping the fry in her mouth. It tasted like her: salty. “Bitch.”

There was room to get into it all, the politics and moral complexities of hunterdom. Daiyu felt Jade's unwillingness to do so, which almost made her want to bring it up more. To speak of the guilt and shame she felt sometimes, about all that blood on her hands. About the way violence and destruction seemed the only things she was good at and whether that was just her ruinous nature or something that had been ruined for her, back in childhood. She could put it all to words, but she didn't. Jade was pulling them back to the surface and she'd prefer to be there, where it was easier to breathe.

And Jade was smiling at her, and she heavily preferred that. Daiyu beamed back at her, wanting her face to melt into something lighter. She was good at that. The quipping and joking, the bullshitting and menacing. Shenanigans, not discussions of trauma. But Jade signing her cast wasn't just some bullshit shenanigan: it was something softer and kinder. A small gesture that would have been made by a friend on the playground, had Daiyu ever had friends at that age. Something innocuous. “Fuck yeah,” she said, “I need your signature. It's a tragedy I've gone this long without it, honestly.” She held out her broken arm, offering a grin of all teeth. “Don't draw a dick.”

—

Jade found Daiyu’s words super funny. Hilarious, really. So obviously, she laughed. Mostly cause as a fellow connoisseur of memes, she liked how Daiyu had used ‘I lived, bitch’. Plus, her timing had been impeccable. Yup. She didn’t laugh cause she found it funny that Cass was dead, obviously. It was nice that Daiyu survived, that was all. And maybe, possibly, she laughed cause staring at Daiyu’s scars was like, whew, real proof that it could’ve gone way, way different for her. That part wasn’t funny either, but something in her (that some therapist would probably pay her to analyze) stirred a laugh.  

For a beat or two, she wondered if Daiyu might have said more, if she was ready to open up about hard stuff. If, given the space and like, the attention, she would’ve gotten to the grittier memories. That was good, right? Talking. Jade was a certified yapper, so why wouldn’t she wanna talk about that? Why wouldn’t she wanna recount stuff from the past? (Let’s all scoop out of the trauma bucket!) Or hear other hunters put into words similar life experiences? Of course, she did! So when Daiyu swerved from that moment of reflection and decided to go in a similar direction to her, she wasn’t like… relieved about it. It was a different feeling. She was just… excited about her chicken sando and signing her cast. Fun stuff!

Cause Daiyu, unlike her siblings, did want Jade to take part in the whole cast signing tradition. (It didn’t make sense, that her siblings wouldn’t want to sign her well wishes) (But also, she didn’t wanna think about all the things that didn’t make sense with her siblings these days). She grinned softly, moving past what definitely had the makings of a sad flashback, probably, and stayed in the present. “That’s so true. I need to practice for when I’m famous,” how she would achieve said fame was still TBD, but Jade was confident. Her time would come. 

She made a face at the disclaimer, chest vibrating with a laugh. “Girly, I would never, pinky promise,” Jade was pretty sure Daiyu didn’t swing that way anyway, so there was no fun in doing that. She saved those for Emilio. And when Daiyu held out her arm to her she realized… Well shoot, where would she find a marker? She grabbed her bag, rummaging through it. Much like Dora’s backpack, she knew it’d come through. Cause Jade had taken one of her coloring books and some pens to the cabin a few weeks ago. So there was the chance that one of them never made it out of her bag. (A lot of things go lost once they went in) (It wasn’t her problem). She pulled out way more receipts than it should’ve been allowed, some other knick knacks, a bottle of perfume, and eventually, she found a pen. “Wooo!” she cheered, never loving being disorganized more. The marker she’d retrieved from the depths of her bag was purple glitter and not baby blue, so it wouldn’t be like the full Jade experience, but! Purple was more than an acceptable alternative. 

Jade wiped her hands on a napkin before she grabbed Daiyu’s arm gently. She uncapped the marker with her left hand, the same she used to begin crafting her message, in her characteristic loopy handwriting. She kept it short (ish), “You’ll get back out there soon, and ten times more badass” she mumbled, spoiling the message. She drew little hearts around it and added, “love, Jade”. Below the message, she drew a small caricature of a kitty. A decent one, mind you. None of that chicken scratch nonsense. Then she admired her work for a second, (the purple making it look pretty hot, in her always humble opinion), before letting Daiyu see it. She left the marker for her to keep too. That way, she could carry it for her other friends to sign.

With the cast signed, and Jade being the first to do the honors, she wondered how Daiyu would receive the news that she accidentally let a pig looking baby into her cabin. She’d look at the little hearts and be totally chill about it, right? It felt like, probably the best time to bring it up. She chewed on a comfort onion ring for a bit, before diving in. “So um, full disclosure, there might be something I should come clean about,” she would’ve noticed by now, Jade was like, fairly positive, but still. ”Have you noticed a third resident in this house? Very soggy, looks like it’s having a perpetual breakdown? Very cute body rolls? I think, maybe, I let it inside”. 

—

Now that they were in the shallow territory of quips, laughs and jokes, Daiyu felt a light level of ease wash over her. There was something within her that was bitter and confused about all things said and unsaid, but she had never been the type to push when it actually mattered. Only when it was purposeless and silly and cruel, not when there was a surface to scratch and unveil things generally unspoken. A camaraderie between hunters was easiest like this.

Or was it, really? This was closer than she'd gotten with most of the hunters she'd encountered. Jade had been given her trust in regards to one of the more important aspects of her life and was now prepping to sign her arm. This wasn't like the way she shot the shit with fellow hunters at the Three Daggers, or how she'd acted around Raphael. There was a level of proximity that was discomforting in its newness, just as there was something warm about it. Something that made her feel that burn of loneliness that tended to follow her. Something that made her want to tell Jade to leave, because she'd seen enough now, she'd done enough now — and Daiyu had never managed to keep a good thing going.

But in stead of telling her to go, in stead of telling Jade that this was immature and that there was no need for signing any casts, she let her take her arm. There was something so gentle about the way the slayer did so, the way she wrote the message and what it contained. It was hard to let happen, if only because she felt wholly undeserving of this kind of tenderness. Even in this state. Another instinct join the fray, one that made her want to pull back and not just push Jade away.

Daiyu didn't move, just remained sitting still as Jade's marker made soft scratching noises on the plaster around her arm. “Awesome,” she said, wanting to sound cool and laidback and not like someone so touch-starved that this had made her feel strange within her own body. Loneliness burned, but so did the realization that Jade was a friend, a true one. The kind you saw in film and TV. And while there was a big chance that Daiyu would find a way to fuck it up one way or another down the line, it didn't have to happen yet.

“The cat's fucking great … damn, Jade, have you been an artist all this time?” Daiyu could barely draw a stick figure, so she looked at the upside-down art in awe, picking up the marker and letting it glide between her fingers like a much-needed fidget toy. It stopped moving the moment Jade brought up something else entirely. So Jade had found Fries. Or, a more likely scenario, Fries had found Jade and wept at her. There was a wince that washed over her face. Somehow this was the most embarrassing thing that had happened yet, and this entire hang out had pushed Daiyu into unknown and uncomfortable territory. “No. He … lives here. Just ...” She groaned, letting out a bit of a laugh. “Don't even worry about it. He's called Fries.”

Daiyu looked at the fries between herself and Jade, thinking it all very apt. “A stray, of sorts. Just don't mention it. To anyone.” Fries was a creature she was made to kill, but Fries did little to no harm besides water damage and there was no bounty on his head. Besides, she was still intent on looking into that whole distribution program. Not everyone should get a random squonk, after all. “It's a mystery we can solve another day, hm? Where he came from. For now, let's just … eat.” Her head nodded towards the couch, and Daiyu surprised herself as she extended Jade's invitation: “And after we can watch a shitty movie of sorts.” She didn't want to be alone just yet and it seemed Jade would stay. At least for a bit – and for now a bit was more than enough.

[melodygatesauthor]

Alright guys....today is a HUGE day for me and I can't even begin to express my emotions but I'm going to try like hell.

I started writing fanfiction again, after giving it up about a decade ago, on Sept 5, 2022, and it all started with Kylo Ren.

I was updating a chapter a day, Yes, Master was the only fic I was working on. My fingers just didn't stop moving, and I was in LOVE with what I was doing. Then when it came time to end it, I wasn't ready, so I made the sequel, By Your Side. While By Your Side isn't my favorite work I've created, I am glad I wrote it, and I think it wrapped up the series nicely.

In the meantime, and after rewatching the Star Wars Sequel Trilogy a minimum of 20 times, a certain pilot caught my attention, and thus began my spiral into Oscar Isaac brain rot. While Yes, Master is comprised of Episode 8&9, One Hell of a Pilot takes place during Episode 7 and follows a different Reader than the one in YM and BYS.

It was so much fun to connect these worlds and explore my everchanging interests in different fictional characters over the course of the last 6 months. I learned a LOT through the process and I just want to pat myself on the back for COMPLETING something (if only I could turn it into cash, right? Ha). After 266,817 words! What the effff! 🥵

If you're interested in reading these three, here they are in RELEASE order (ps. you can read OHP without reading the other two if Kylo isn't your thing):

Yes, Master

By Your Side

One Hell of a Pilot

(Chronologically OHP would come first).

Idk if anyone even follows me here who has read these fics or not, but damnit if you are, thank you for the support. It has been a CRAZY journey and these fics are the ones that got me back into fanfiction so I'm just filled with joy about the whole thing. Oh boy am I relieved to be done though. It was a lot of work!

I will eventually be updating and releasing this on Tumblr, just not for a little while!

Thank you all so so so much,

Mels <3

[cheerfulmelancholies]

Masterlist

Profile pic by @annama-art

About me: I love reading/writing and at any given moment I have too many projects circling through my head. I've loved to read for as long as I can remember and I've enjoyed writing things for that same amount of time. I also love video games and motorcycling, so if I'm not working on a wip I'm usually doing one of those two.

I'm not currently published, but I have a handful of original stuff I've been working on as well as fanfic. Some of my favorite tropes to read are found family, action/suspense, angst, horror/supernatural and slice-of-life. I tend to write very light sci-fi, action, supernatural, angst (though usually with a happy, if not bittersweet, ending) and occasionally somewhat comedic stuff. Sometimes, sometimes, I make shit get dark. I struggle with writing mystery and heavy romance, though I've been experimenting with the latter. A lot of my characters have somewhat sad backstories because apparently that's just what I do.

Tag game friendly!

I also love hearing about other people's wips so anyone is welcome to ramble in my inbox about their ocs and stories.

Side blogs: @purefandomonium: my blog for anything fandom-related. @artspace1001: for any art or photography.

Other places to find me: I currently lurk on FFN and AO3 under the username ThisPerson1.

Info about my wips below the cut.

All of my works are primarily tagged under their full titles, the fandom name if it's a fic, "creative writing," "writers on tumblr," "fanfic" and "my writing." Anything extra will be listed.

Original WIPS:

Medical Mechanical: A story about a couple of friends who set out to uncover the truth behind the mysterious mega-corporation that has infested their town and done strange things to their parents. Sci-fi, young adult, and I guess it also sort of falls under action, although nothing major really happens until much later. Additional tag(s): "mm" and "sci fi."

It's the first original thing I began posting about and also my favorite original project. I actually do have tons more than what I've posted thus far, but I got caught up in perfecting it and then sidetracked and kind of just stopped talking about it.

The Set Up: A sort of enemies-to-lovers* story involving two old acquaintances meeting years later and being reminded of how much they piss each other off. After they end up stuck together on a camping trip that was nothing more than a mischievous plan by their respective friends, they're forced to deal with each other until the trip ends. (Very light) Romance*, slice-of-life, humor/comedy, and angst—mostly due to their past trauma.

It's the second original project I'm working on, although this one has taken a backseat to my other works because I'm still going through the process of reformulating it. I thought I had it figured out, and was originally going to have it take place in college and be a forced-by-friends camping trip gone wrong, but I just wasn't feeling it. I don't know, but the way it was coming along just... didn't feel right. So I decided to essentially start over rather than force myself through something I wasn't enjoying and that wasn't getting anywhere. The main theme is that the two MCs initially can't stand each other and butt heads, however, they eventually learn more about themselves and each other and start making amends.

*I'm also at a point where I don't think I'm going to keep it as romance, but instead have their relationship be platonic. We'll see.

Fanfic:

Connection: Pokepasta/Glitchy Red fic about a girl who manages to befriend the embittered glitch. In other words, hermit high-schooler gets ahold of the titular Red cart and gets a new friend, and local depressed kids' game may not think life is so miserable anymore. Sci-fi/supernatural (because my version of Red is somehow both just a bunch of code and some digitalized cryptid entity,) very mild angst in the form of bullying, and found family/friendship. Additional tag(s): "glitchy red" and "pokepasta".

I got the brainrot and just wanted something to write with no worries. I write a chapter and as long as it holds up the story it gets published. That's it. I'm taking a break from serious writing/editing with this one. I've already let it get too out of hand as is. It was supposed to be a two-parter. Now look at it.

Mysterious New Member: Fic about the BF5 gaining a new member under mysterious circumstances. Due to the secrets she seems to be hiding, and the rising tensions of the war, Vert and the others find themselves on edge and at odds over what to do. Takes place during Fused. Sci-fi, action/adventure, humor. Additional tag(s): "bf5," and "hot wheels battle force 5."

Fun fact: This is a fic I started when I was like 13. I recently began rewriting it because now I am not 13 and I was rereading it one day and went, "The fuck did I write it like this for???" So began my tedious work of redoing the whole thing. The original is actually still up on FFN under the exact same name, for the new one I only added rewrite to the title 😅 I'm not mad at myself for the way it came out or anything, as I was literally a kid, but I can safely say my writing has improved immensely and I just couldn't fight the urge revamp it. I'm quite proud of how this new one is coming along, being both an improvement of my original version and also a slightly daker and more interesting take on BF5. I'm actually close to done, I'd say about 75-ish percent. I really just have two more major plot points to go through and the rest is just tying up loose ends as I go along. That said, if you'd like to check out the abandoned original, feel free. Just be prepared for a bit of whiplash when comparing the two.

It's The Thought That Counts: Dead Plate AU fic I started on a whim and, like a lot of things, it got out of hand and became a fun little side project. Rody isn't hopelessly pining after Manon, who's still alive but not relevant to the story, and Vincent isn't a psycho cannibal killer. Essentially gay panic meets bi-denial, Rody attempts to impress Vincent by learning how to bake lemon-themed desserts after he discovers it's the only thing that gives him any semblance of taste. After a shaky start, Vince decides to start giving Rody lessons and they eventually come to terms with their feelings. Romance, humor, angst, slice-of-life.

I've actually never written proper romance before this and am absolutely shocked that it's coming along as well as it is. It's the most fluff I've ever written. For whatever reason, these two dorks are super easy for me to write. I also recommend checking out the game, it's super fun.

There is so much more, but I'm going to stop for now.

If it wasn't already obvious, writing is my biggest passion and I hope to keep improving and expanding what I do. I'm also always open to advice and constructive criticism, and I hope to inspire and help others with their writing. Also, if you write anything with the tropes or genres that I listed, don't hesitate to tag me and I'll check them out! I really enjoy reading other people's works.

So yeah, that's me. If you made it this far, thank you for checking out my blog (and my long ass intro post) and I hope you'll stick around and see what I have to offer. Be on the lookout for more and more to come!

[black-metal-bard]

Kind of want to draw some hypothetical children for Meliora and Evyrn(not that I ever actually want them to EXIST in game), but in universe have it be something STRAHD commissioned.

I can post freely here because none of my group are on Tumblr, but in the part of the campaign I’m DMing, one of Meliora’s lovers/friends is the Son of Strahd(explored further in my books, where Strahd’s name/parts of his origin have been changed to avoid Copyright infringement). Now, this places Strahd and Barovia as allies to the party at the start of things. If I feel like things are too chummy and we need to throw a wrench in the plot, I have plans for Evyrn to ask for Meliora’s hand(for political purposes), and be VERY offended when she declines.

Okay this is getting REALLY long and I’m just sort of Rambling about my campaign at this point, so it’s going under a cut. Keep in mind it takes place around 1000 years POST CoS events.

Evyrn’s intentions are “Marry me so I am officially an Oarthean Noble to get around some bullshit red tape to progress the invasion”, but Meliora isn’t 100% happy to BE a noblewoman in the first place(her Estranged Father abdicated his position to her), and she CERTAINLY doesn’t want to be Princess of the Barovian Empire. Being Strahd’s Son, Evyrn doesn’t take that well(because how could one of his best friends and frequent bed-partner NOT be Down to Marry him???), and he’s GOING to be insufferable about it—partly because he’s a strategist at heart and it WOULD make a lot of things easier, but also because his pride and his feelings are hurt, so he VERY MUCH wants to get her to agree.

I’m HOPING my players will be divided on whether they support Mel or Evyrn in that regard, Pragmatism VS Respecting Meliora—because making an enemy of EITHER of them would be FASCINATING. EVERYONE in my group has been deeply desiring a Meliora Villain Arc for a long time now, so with her as the new party’s mentor figure, having them insult her enough for her to cut ties with them would be a delicious way to start Mel’s Villain arc—especially since Mordakhesh is still bound to her via blood pact AND he feels loyal to her because he genuinely trusts her(Khesh also ACTIVELY distrusts Evyrn from the beginning, because his Epitaph is “The Dragon of Barovia”, and their attitudes about Meliora clash despite them having similar codes of Honor otherwise). It would also be fascinating to have the party sided with the Von Zarovich family and Barovia WITHOUT Meliora’s protection, because Strahd and Evyrn only care about ONE of the PCs for that campaign(one of them is the son of a “Rival” Darklord who Strahd “Adopted” after he tried to assassinate Strahd on behalf of his father—the PC’s greatest wish is to be a True Von Zarovich). But all the other PCs? If they slip up, Strahd IS still Strahd, despite him softening a bit in Fatherhood. Evyrn, unbeknownst to ANYONE save for perhaps Baba Lysaga, inherited his father’s SOUL when he was born, so he is not much better than his father—just with SIGNIFICANTLY less Trauma.

As far as Strahd feels in terms of Meliora—he very MUCH would like his son to marry her. Meliora’s estranged Father was the Head of the last living branch of Dilisnya’s before he abdicated to Mel—making Strahd feel like she is MORE than an appropriate match for his son—especially since she is an accomplished mage/Wizard in her own right, having developed her own class of Spirit Magic on Earth. He’s not put off by her being a Tiefling/Demi-Demon, since his own bloodline is already “Tainted” with Vampirism. In his eyes, Strahd believes that adding Meliora’s demonic bloodline to his would only strengthen it, and thus he has been envisioning Tiefling Grandchildren since Evyrn first brought Meliora to Castle Ravenloft(before the events of the original campaign).

Obviously, this puts Meliora in quite a dangerous position, as well as any PCs who choose to side with HER(as Evyrn will have ZERO qualms about hurting them—short of caring about Meliora’s opinion of him). Depending on where we are in the Barovian Invasion Plotline, siding with Mel can and WILL make Strahd and Evyrn NASTY BBEGs to be reckoned with.

Siding with Evyrn if this is after the two-hundred year time jump will make Meliora and Mordakhesh utterly terrifying—given her continuation of her Grandfather’s demonic research granting her a power boost and potentially unlocking held-back power from Khesh.

Should the party find some way to reconcile Meliora and Evyrn, I’m going to bring in Rak Tulkhesh(Mordakhesh’s former master) in as a BBEG. His goal will be to claim Mordakhesh, who no longer wishes to return to his service after finding genuine purpose and friendship with Meliora.

It’s worth noting that Meliora’s ultimate goal is to prevent World-Ender deities from being able to destroy Oarth the way Earth was destroyed—as she feels guilty for not returning to Earth, thinking she may have been able to help, or at least die with her friends. This is why she initially SUPPORTS the Barovian Invasion, because Strahd has reached Near-Godlike status at this point, and she feels the Barovian Imperial Army would be a good God-Buster should an outside force(such as Rak Tulkhesh) seek to harm Oarth.

I could even throw Rak Tulkhesh into the mix as an urgent “We need to team up again” if the party is SPLIT in their decision of who to support(as the PC who fancies himself a Von Zarovich is not likely to break away from Strahd and Evyrn).

I’m just VERY excited but all the potential plot threads and what my friends might end up doing—how they may end up surprising me. (I mean SHIT, I threw off our other DM when Mel ended up genuinely BEFRIENDING Mordakhesh in the first place—he was intended to be a BBEG in the original campaign. So I’m VERY excited for the curveballs they’re going to throw me if we actually get the chance to play again.)

[baronlovesblogging]

>Chapter 2 : You, just you.

Mike awoke the next morning with the most piercing headache, contrasting the warm buzz with a sharp pain in the back of his mind. He tried to get up, only to be met with yet another quick whip to his forehead, leaving him jerking his head back, thus causing even more pain.  

 When he came to, he looked to his nightstand, which had had a glass of water and a bottle of pain-killers placed carefully onto it. It was Will’s doing of course, he had brought him home after blacking out, he remembered that much, at least. But where had he gotten it? It’s not like their parents would allow them to go driving around to different countries with heavy painkillers. So, Will must have gone to the drugstore. And it seems he really sprung for the good stuff, that whole bottle must’ve cost twenty dollars, at most.  

He carefully opens the bottle takes the glass and pill in hand, drinking it down in a singular gulp. Theoretically, Mike could sleep in as much as he wanted to today, their classes wouldn’t start for a few more days; they had arrived early to get settled in. Unfortunately, a soft rumble in his stomach told him that he should leave the room, to eat breakfast, maybe see if Will was awake as well; he checks his watch, ten am, and wow , he could sure sleep a lot. He wasn’t sure of what time he’d gotten home, but he's hungover, so he could use that as an excuse.  

 It wasn't as cold as the preceding morning, but it was still a bit chilly, he’d thought he’d had a jacket on last night too, but he guesses not. He quickly throws a sweater on, hastily checking his appearance in the mirror, he’d settled onto his nightstand, fixing his unruly curls to look somewhat presentable. For what occasion, he wasn’t sure.   

Mike strides on over into the kitchen, thinking of what to eat, before, hopefully, making plans with the party. He’d noticed a diner near their apartment complex upon driving into the area, he presumes the party may be interested in heading there. They still didn’t have any food—besides the foul tasing cereal, not in the refrigerator nor in the wooden cabinets. Maybe they’d really have to give that diner a shot. Mike plans, it’s about ten am, right? Which leaves them some time to get ready, if Will would stop fussing with his hair so much, which Mike repeatedly tells him looks fine , more than fine even.  If they hustle enough, he deems they could be out the dorms by ten thirty—no, forty-five, give or take; Mike tried not to overestimate them as much.  

Mind made up, he marches over to Will’s door, knocking once again, because he’s not some animal that doesn’t knock, is he? “Will?" No response.  

He knocks again, lighter this time, afraid he’s woken him up, despite it being so late in the morning. “Hey Will, you awake?” Through the door, he hears light rustling, he thinks, something— no someone falls on the floor; a pause followed by a muffled “Shit!,” and footsteps approaching the door. In one, quick, motion, the door opens, and Will appears in front of him, looking frazzled. Oh god, he woke him up, didn’t he?  

“Sorry I-”  

“Mike, I-”   

Oh shit, he really did wake him up, “Sorry, you go first.”  

“No!” Will clears his throat, “No, sorry- you go first,” Will stammered.  

“Well, shit sorry, I didn’t wake you up, did I?”  

“No- no I’ve been awake for a while; did you get the Advil?”  

A warm smile spreads on Mike's face “Yeah, yeah I did- thanks by the way, you didn’t have to head all the way for the drugstore for me, I could’ve survived off of coffee just fine.”  

“It’s really no problem, Mike, it’s only like a block away. So- why'd you uh, come here?” Mike must’ve made a face at that one, because he adds, “I mean- what'd you want to talk to me about?”  

“Oh well I’ve been thinking about it all morning,” Will’s eyebrows shoot up, “And, uh have you heard of Mel’s? That diner not too far from here?” Will blinks.  

“What?”  

“Mel’s, the diner, like, next door? I saw it when we got here, and well we have no food, so want to go, with me? I mean- we can see if Dustin and Lucas want to come too, if you want.”  

Will’s expression softens, and there’s something else there that Mike can’t quite decipher, “Yeah, yeah, we could do that,” A playful grin smears across his face, and wow , “But I’m not paying, you saw what Lucas put through yesterday, that was humiliating.” Mike shakes his head, and grins, smile spreading wider than before (how was that even possible?)  

“Oh no, don’t worry, I was planning on paying for us, anyways, like I always do,”  

Will stares at Mike for a second, then snapping out of his reverie, instructs. “Well come on, go to the bathroom, I’ll pick out my clothes, then ask the rest of our ‘wonder group’” He says, making visible air quotes, “if they want to join us, because you're going to take forever in there,” He emphasizes his point with a finger to Mike’s chest, sending him back, a little, “so go on, get a move on.”   

“Okay, okay, I’m going,” Mike stumbles, dramatically falling back across the flat, back into his room, looking for clothes.  

“Dork!” Will shouts across the apartment. Mike smiles.  

-  

Dustin and Lucas couldn’t come, with some decrypt reason like, “We’re not done unpacking! And we’ve got groceries to do, textbooks to pick up,” They don’t take it to offense, instead opting on a more positive outlook, saying “More food for us!” and “Less money spent!”  

The sky is coated with, thick, white fluffy clouds above them; the sun just barely peeking out. It takes about ten minutes to walk to Mel’s. Another five to decide on what to order, eventually deciding on their usual breakfast meal: two shakes--one vanilla, one chocolate, two orders of pancakes, one order of eggs along with bacon, dousing the eggs with syrup, obviously. Before, sitting down, Mike grabs four straws, two to be placed into each drink, so they can get a sip of each, of course.  

They’re seated at a classic diner booth; purple, plush cushioning paired with silver accents, in the corner of the store, dimly light by a yellow lamp above them. The atmosphere of the shop, is, not musty, but grim, however, almost comforting, a sort of blue and magenta hue complementing the establishment. Will comments on how the scene is almost like a movie, and he would happily, easily paint it (Well, he hadn’t said easily, but with Will’s amazing art skill by his modest personality, he wouldn't let Will demean himself, not even in his own mind.) The tiles are black and white, the employees wearing skates to serve orders, and wow, Mike hasn’t seen that in a while. The store oddly feels like home, in this big, bustling city full of busy streets and fast walkers, it strikes as a rest from the noise, heck, it almost feels like Hawkins, in some sense.  

Their order comes quickly, hot and fresh, visibly seeing the smoke arising from the food. Mike doesn’t think he’s been this hungry in quite a bit. They dive into their food, exchanging, little to no conversation because they’re eating, obviously. But Mike doesn’t quite remember talking to Will this little, when out with him. Still, they resume their original routine, sipping out of shakes, stealing a bit of bacon from another's plate, like that, like usual.  

“Mike?”  

“Hm?”  

Will takes some time to respond, seemingly carefully placing his words,“Y’know, I was asking Dustin to come with us earlier, he said he already mentioned this place last night, to the party, and you were there?”  

Huh?  

Mike’s face scrunches up, confused, “Huh? No- he didn’t,”   

“Uh, yeah, he did,” Will nods, staring into Mike’s face, searching for something, he didn’t know what.  

“Oh,” He takes another bite of his food, “Well, I don’t remember that, I don’t remember much of anything last night, to be honest”  

“Oh, cool,” Will’s face twitches, slightly, enough that if someone wasn’t looking hard enough, they wouldn’t be able to tell. Mike was looking.  

“Yup,” Mike picks at his eggs, pairing them with more eggs on the plate.  

“Lucas did tell me that you were like, gone and everything--could barely even stand. Do you remember coming home?”  

He shakes his head, "No, I remember,” he searches his mind, “I remember walking back to everyone, blanking for a bit, then passing out, and everything before that, of course. Like the, ahem drinking-I know you brought me home, it’s coming in bits and pieces really. My head stills hurts, a lot. So, I don’t know if I want to get into that right now.”  

“Oh, alright then, cool.”  Whatever was on Will’s face before must’ve dissipated, opting instead to shift his focus back onto his food.  

They ate silently until they were done. Nothing to it, really, they were just, really hungry. The drive back to college was a long one, and they’d thrown themselves right back into action upon arrival. Eventually their waiter had peered in on their table, sensing something , and asked quickly if they wanted their bill, before skidding off on her skates. Mike paid, of course, like he had promised. They left the diner and its cozy, warm atmosphere, before meeting with the frigid world outside, a shiver marching down Will’s skin as they walked back to their complex.   

“Are you cold?” Mike asked, worried.  

“Yeah, but it’s fine, I'm okay,”  

“You sure, you look pale,” Mike presses the back of his hand on Will’s forehead, feeling like he just pressed his hand to literal ice. No argument would stop Mike, "Here, take my jacket—before you say anything, I’ve got two, so I’ll be fine.”  

“Oh, cool, alright thanks, Mike.”  

“Yeah, no problem,” Mike ruffles his hair, a thin sliver of sun glazing his face. He removes his jacket, and hands it to Will, who hastily puts it on. “Feeling any warmer?”  

Will takes a second to respond, “Yeah, yeah a lot better thanks.”  

-  

They decide to actually buy groceries, instead of living off eating out, which would be great, but unfortunately a budget was a thing that existed, preventing them from their lavish fantasies. Forced to really on their mediocre cooking skills and microwaveable food, they find a small, local grocery store not too far from the diner.  

If they were like organized people, time-management efficient and over, normal. They’d have separated they’re work into two parts, one person for half of what they needed, ending by splitting the bill. They’d have walked home, two bags in each hand, working together to organize the cupboards.  

But Mike and Will were not normal, no, far from it. They’d walked into the store together, bickering occasionally about what they needed, what would rest in their budget or not. No, the pair spent almost two hours in that store, Will giggling at every other joke Mike tossed about. Will decided to pay this time, slightly guilty about having Mike pay, and something else, he supposes, with the way he’s been acting. His eyes drifted off somewhere when Mike spoke, a look of, confusion? Painting his face reluctantly, swiftly switching back within less than a moment.  

Mike retaliated by opting on holding all the bags they’d picked up from the place, shoulders aching with exhaustion but too stubborn to give in and have Will hold one, at least.  

“How do you do this, Mike,” Will sighed, trying to get a hand at one of the bags he was holding. He rapidly pulled his arm away, body shifting with the weight of the load.  

“Hm?” Mike gazed up to the sky, finding no sunlight in sight, then turning to stare at Will.  

“I don’t know, just, why do you take care of me? It’s like you- you get your mind made up, and you don’t ever change your mind, ever . It makes me think, do you regret the things you do? When you act on your emotions so, fast, it’s like you don’t even have to think--I’d kill to be able to live like that,” His gaze had drifted to the sidewalk below, “I admire that about you so much, but, how do you not regret it?”  

Oh. He hadn't expected that. He doesn’t how or why he does things sometimes, impulsive things. It just, happens. It flies out of him, and occasionally, he doesn’t realize it’s even happening. It’s always came so easy to him, to feel how he feels and do something about it—to get his voice heard. And he knows Will has trouble with doing that, so, when it comes to Will, he doesn’t even have to think, he just, does. Not one second thought. It comes so easy for him, it’s scary, honestly, all the things he’d do for Will. He was his best friend, and of course he’d always defend him. So no, he’d never regret anything he’s done for Will. But does he regret it in every other fashion?  

“I don’t know. When something happens, I just react. There’s no thought to it, really, especially when it comes to you. I mean, I’d do anything for you, Will. You're my best friend, it’s like second nature. Just another thing I do. Y’know?”  

“Yeah, yeah—but, do you regret it, when you help me?” Will says, voice small.  

“Oh, come on, Will you alread-"  

“I need to hear you say it, Mike.” Wills turned to him now, there's that look again. Determined, but melancholy? He doesn’t understand. He replies anyway.  

“No, Will I don’t regret it, never have, never will. Not when it comes to you. It’s like- when I do do something stupid; I do regret it, a lot. It’s not as easy as you’d think it is, being like me. I hurt people- hurt you , even when I don’t mean to, but I do. It makes me feel pretty shit, sometimes.”  

“But not being able to say or do things makes me feel like shit, too,” Will retorts.  

Mike smiles, “Can’t win, huh?”  

“Nope,” He looks off to the side, a sweet smile gracing his lips.  

“Honestly,” Mike continues, looking down onto the sidewalk “I admire you too, when you don’t say stuff, when you’d be in a situation where if I was in it, I’d fuck it up with my stupid big mouth. You always know what to say, somehow. I don’t get it; I just say shit without thinking.”  

“Well, who says you can’t make the best of both worlds, hm?”  

“Yeah, yeah I guess so,” Mike shoulders are really aching now, but it’d ruin the point he’d been illustrating, so he pursued, “Do you regret, too?”  

“What?” Mike looks down, a bit, feeling vaguely flustered, he’d always been that way when he asked what people had thought of him. But Will wasn’t just people , he was more than that, his best friend. He shouldn’t be scared to know, he sort of already knew how Will thought of him.  

“I don’t know, helping me. Putting up with me for all these years. I don’t know how you do it; I can barely live with myself and I’m me . So how are you with me- here, with me when I’m me .”  

“Exactly, you’re you, that’s what makes you worth it. I don’t regret being with you a single bit.”  

“Yeah?” It was suddenly a lot harder to speak, the measure he had weighing him down was surely affecting him.  

“Yeah,” Will was looking at him again, a different kind of look on his face, endearing, almost. He looked up ahead.  

They’d reached their building, Will hoisting his keys out of his pocket, hands free and all. Their place was just two stories up, just a couple of doors away from the elevator, much to Mike’s arms' delight. Entering the room, Mike hastily placed the bags onto the island, stretching and cracking his back.  

“Really, I could’ve help you hold those bags, you know,” Will argued, and Mike wouldn’t hear any of it.  

“But you paid, and by process of elimination, it’s my duty to carry the heavy load,” He starts to empty the bags, placing each item on the counter. Will makes a face, “Process of elimination? That doesn’t even make any sense, besides, you paid for breakfast.” He opens the fridge, organizing their groceries.  

“Because, that’s my duty as well, just another thing I do.”  

“Then have that be another thing I  do; you don’t have to worry about it,”  

“Me and ‘don’t worry’ don’t really fit in the same sentence, like an exponent and a square root,” Mike proudly states, turning to empty yet another bag for Will to sort.  

“You’re such a nerd, Mike,” Will smiles to himself, finishing off the last bag of groceries, turning to him.  

“Hey, so are you!” Mike scoffs.  

“At least I have game,”  

“And I don’t!?”  

“Hey, did you get the delivery guys number? Mike pauses, seriously? He just had to bring Gabriel up, at this very second? He walks around the island to sit down, across from him, shaking his head along the way. “Exactly, I think not. I did. Listen, I may be a nerd but at least I can hide it,” Will leans onto the counter facing him, Mike blinks.  

“Hide it? Why would you ever want to hide it?”  

“Because, Mike, it’s easier that way,” Will whispers.  

“But, it’s a part of you, always has been,”  

“Well, look how far that’s gotten you,”  

What? Mike, stunned and utterly debauched at his rising tone. He’s looking down, he doesn’t know when he’d done that, but looking back up at Will, he feels, weird. The sort where an unsettling feeling is rising in his stomach, the type that just wouldn’t leave him. His mouth felt dry, his pals clammy, and the room was closing around him. He abruptly felt much shorter. The ceiling above him came cascading down, swallowing him whole. He doesn’t know when, but suddenly it’s as if the world has stopped, freezing around him. He can’t see, can’t hear him when Will calls.  

“Mike? Mike are you okay?” Will’s arms are on his shoulders, grounding him, rubbing little circles on the back of them, almost as if trying to keep him soothe, feeling safe.  

“Huh?” Mike breaths, talking feels like the last thing he'd rather do right now.  

“I said, are you okay. You were fine one minute. I said something, then, you just, were gone,” Will responds, looking into Mike’s eyes with consideration washed over his face.  

“Oh, I’m sorry, I just--I thought you said something else,”  

“No, I just said, ‘Well look how for that’s gotten me.’ And suddenly, it’s your whole being stopped. It’s only been like, two minutes, but I’m concerned. What do you think I said?”  

“I thought you said- never mind it’s not important. I think I’m okay.”  

“ I think ,” Will echoes, seemingly not believing his not lie, “Really? You look pale,” He presses the back of his hand to Mike’s forehead, warmth spreading to it as Will’s hands just irked warmth. “And you’re freezing. Here, let me turn on the heater.” Will rushes over to the corridor; distantly, Mike can hear the slight whoosh of the flames propagated by the propane, and the light, but rapid footsteps veering back into the kitchen. He also, felt a slight whoosh in his stomach, airy and fluttery, he infers his anxiety hasn’t yet subsided.  

“Did you- Did you have a panic attack?” No matter how many times it’s happened, Mike’s always felt uneasy when sharing his, issues.  

“Yeah- Yeah, I think so, I don’t know, maybe. No, I just thought you said something else, that’s all, really.”  

“Okay... Do you want to take your mind off it?” Will proposed, still making patterns on his shoulders. When Mike nodded, Will at once sprang into action, settling into their usual routine for when events like this, occur. It still didn’t help but make Mike feel a little shit, knowing Will has gotten used to him being utterly useless, occasionally shaking like a leaf in the wind.  

But he thinks Will doesn’t mind all that much, with how intent he collected blankets and a VHS from his room, switching on the TV, and pulling Mike on with him, keeping him close. He doesn’t think Will minds all that much, when he starts circling more patterns on his back, subtly putting him to sleep, calming his nerves and worries, over nothing and everything. He doesn’t remember why he’d gotten so worked up, when the movie starts to play, discovering his favorite movie; Will’s hand still lightly tapping from behind. And Mike wonders, as his eyes grow heavy, tired despite it being so early in the day, that there’s no place he’d rather be, than here, in Will's arms. That thought should scare him, and does, but the slumber that’s pulling at him knows none the wiser. 

[headcanonsandmore]

Fic recs time!

One Word More by Serenbex. Miss Nyssa Traken and Miss Tegan Jovanka come from very different places and very different walks of life. They have nothing in common and don't even really like each other very much. Can changing opinion and changing circumstances help them to better understand themselves and each other? Rated G for General Audiences. AU fic based on ‘North and South’; enemies-to-lovers, a bit of angst with some socialist themes thrown in.

In fact, check out all of Serenbex’s fics; they’re truly fantastic. Special shout-outs to their multi-series epic ‘From The Stars’ (which is still ongoing) and the adorable one-shot ‘Lost In Translation’. Several of their fics also have Ace/Mel as the cute b-plot or a supporting pairing.

Earthling Customs (and the Aliens that Love Them) by WearyOctopus. After time-engine trouble strands the Tardis in space for several hours, Nyssa claims that Tegan is more than 300 days into her adventures on the Tardis and, thus, due to celebrate Christmas. The four travelers agree to an elaborate yuletide spectacular, some more enthusiastically than others. In the hustle of preparations, Tegan and Nyssa are paired off and begin to sort out their as-yet unspoken feelings for each other. Rated G for General Audiences. Adorable fluff with some excellent ‘The Fifth Doctor is a single dad’ coding.

Keeper Of My Heart by darklioness82. On Terminus, Nyssa gave Tegan a very special parting gift from Traken. Reunited 30 years later, Tegan learns its true value and meaning. Rated G for General Audiences. (Check out darklioness82’s other fics as well; they’re amazing)

Our Times by Ellimac. Tegan meets a mysterious stranger on a plane and accidentally falls in love. Turns out she's an alien, but they can work around that. Multi-chapter AU fic. Rated G for General Audiences.

White Elephant by TechnicolorRevel. Nyssa and Tegan go looking for a gift, at the Doctor's request. They get a bit side tracked. Rated G for General Audiences. Fluff with a bit of grief mixed in.

Quiet by TechnicolorRevel. Tegan has some trouble sleeping her first night on the TARDIS. Rated G for General Audiences. Character study.

Like You I’m Indestructible by Netgirl_y2k. The one where Tegan stays on Terminus with Nyssa. Rated G for General Audiences. What it says on the tin.

in a dream your future had a voice by TechnicolorRevel. Nyssa borrows Tegan's lipstick. Rated G for General Audiences. Cute fluff with a slight of insecurities explored.

Basically, everything Tegan/Nyssa by TechnicolorRevel; they’re really great at writing the pairing.

Show Me More Of This Traken Thing Called Kissing by Doyle. Nyssa makes a formal bid for Tegan's romantic affections. Tegan isn't quite sure what to do with that, really. Rated T for Teen. Really fun fic dealing with cultural differences in regards to courtship rituals.

Drag Me Through The Best of Years by Aces. An exploration over time of Tegan and Nyssa’s relationship, building on missing moments through their time together. A really sweet fic. Rated G for General Audiences.

The Many Proposals Of Tegan And Nyssa by LonelySpaceAce. What it says on the tin; its literally just these two being in love and proposing multiple times. Rated G for General Audiences. @lonely-space-ace is amazing at writing these two being adorable dorks.

Just read everything by LonelySpaceAce, because they’re amazing.

Amsterdam by LissyStrata. Left alone in Amsterdam for the weekend, Nyssa gets into some substances she shouldn't and Tegan looks after her. (Takes place after Arc of Infinity). G for General Audiences, but does technically involve some drug usage. Fluff with some hurt/comfort. Very funny. @lissy-strata is great at this.

Frozen like me by Calapine. Tegan and Nyssa struggle to keep warm in freezing temperatures. This one was originally posted to LiveJournal back in 2004, so don’t ever think that Tegan/Nyssa is a recent fandom development.

to love the light, the fire's spark, you must first have been buried in the deep down dark by TechnicolorRevel. Nyssa might have been good at diplomacy, but she'd always felt like she wasn't very good at her own feelings. Rated T for Teen. Really excellent bit of character writing for Nyssa.

Day By Day (By Day) by Settiai. If the Doctor wanted to disappear for a week with Adric in tow, leaving Nyssa and Tegan alone in the TARDIS...... well, who were they to argue? Rated T for Teen. Really cute slice-of-life fluff.

Language Transparency by JohnAmendAll. The TARDIS's ability to translate everything you say, hear and read is so convenient. Why wouldn't you want it? Rated T for Teen. Mild angst with a lot of fluff (and even a little saucy towards the end).

We Found Wonderland by rorybluebox. Snippets of Tegan and Nyssa falling in love. Rated G for General Audiences. Lots of sweet fluff.

Borrowed Anxiety by mylordshesacactus. A couple of “missing moments” style scenes between Tegan and Nyssa. Rated G for General Audiences.

First Snowfall by orphan_account (their AO3 homepage is discontinued, apparently). Nyssa's never seen snow before, and Tegan tries to rectify this. Rated G for General Audiences. Very sweet fluff.

A Very Silly Battle by evilqueenofgallifrey (MayFairy). Tegan teaches Nyssa about pillowfights. In addition to getting hit with pillows, they also both get hit with soft gay feelings. Rated G for General Audiences. Very cute fluff. Side note; this was one of the first Tegan/Nyssa fics I ever read because @evilqueenofgallifrey has a blog on Tumblr and posted this on here.

Hope and Dust by padawanpooh. Short character study about Tegan and Nyssa, and why they travel with the Doctor. Not a ship pairing per-say, but this is Tegan and Nyssa so they have that underlying undercurrent to their friendship anyway.

Singing In The Wilderness by warp_n_wolf. London, 1988. It's been four years since Tegan walked out on the Doctor, after one trauma-fest too many and losing one friend more than she could bear. She's been coping - really she has! And then of all the pubs in all Earl's Court, Nyssa walks into hers... Rated T for Teen. Very sweet fic, with some interesting insights into Traken courtship rituals.

Hope you like these if you haven't read them before!

I've run out of Nyssa/Tegan and Ace/Mel content on AO3 and now I'm annoyed

[corysmiles]

Could you believe I actually am back with some Runnaway Experiment WRITING??? :D

This takes place very early on in the story, and gives some more insight into Tommy's life before they escaped (in the comics). Enjoy :D

-------

The experiment was growing years after years, to everyone’s delight. It seemed the first laboratorial human had a decent enough lifespan so that it could be studied in the long run. And so, 14 years, it has been since T0M saw the light of day, and it acted in a similar fashion a 14 year old human would. .

Of course, the many researchers failed to take in consideration an alteration of the most cumbersome. T0M looked human, could understand the english language, followed orders and didn’t complain, asked some questions but the specimen…. was big.

Too big to fit in a human bed.

Too big to fit comfortably in a room.

It went in spurts, which was terrifying the first time. It kept on growing and growing, as scientists hoped it wouldn't take long for it to stop, otherwise, it might lead to a lot of problems. But for the past 2 years, no noticeable change really occurred, which was a relief when the thing was already 25 ft tall. It never seemed to be challenging personality wise, which was a relief, but they still needed to keep him in line.

Hopefully, the Doctor Soot, as well as Doctor Puff took part in daily check ups and made sure he didn’t rebel.

So, every 2 day, they took turns to visit T0M in the room accustomed to its needs.

And both’s reports were excellent! T0M learned more while being as obedient and compliant as ever. Phil couldn’t be more happy with those results.

However, as time went on…. Wilbur failed to mention another kind of teaching he had going on with the subject for the past months.

“And this is called ‘Sadness’.” He held an A3 size paper with a moody smiley drawn on it, the word being written below. “It’s that feeling when our sessions are over and I have to go and you say ‘oh noooo’ in that voice.”

T0M was sitting on his knees in front of him, paying the utmost attention to what Wilbur was showing and saying.

“I hate that one.” He pouted.

“I know,” Wilbur chuckled. “No one likes to feel sad. But it’s a part of life.”

A single hum. Wilbur’s smile turned more sympathetic.

“Do you remember the other ones?” He stood up from his place and put the sheet in one of the dark grey metallic drawers.

T0M nodded, excitedly. He took his hand and poked his fingers as he counted. “ there’s “Happiness”, it’s the good one. And “Disgust”, it’s when I have to eat the weird green stuff.”

“Brocoli”

“That. And then there’s excitement, it’s when I smile real big because you come early.”

Wilbur clapped “Wonderful!” T0M’s eyes were shining stars at every approval from Doctor Soot. Even though T0M’s enjoyment was very appreciated and contagious, but it could be a bit… much, to handle at times.

“Since you understand the basics, I think it’s time for us to start a whole new lesson.” He clapped.

T0M gasped and cheered from the top of his lungs “YEAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!”, throwing his arms in the air and effectively making the room shake from the sheer volume of his voice. When he looked back at the scientist, his eyebrows were pinched and the brunette was covering his ears and curled up, almost in pain.

“...Doctor?” He brought his head close to the man who, after making eye contact, scrambled back until he hit the same drawer he put the papers in earlier. T0M looked at him confused, face still too big in Wilbur’s peripheral.

“I… Tom, I appreciate your enthusiasm when we do our lessons, but if you could prevent yourself from screaming, it would be nice.” He tried in the most gentle voice he could muster without it shaking.

“What’s screaming?” T0M asked, crouched so his face was almost on the ground at eye level with him. He brought a hand closer to the doctor who was still breathing heavily. When his head shot to look at the hand, his body on alert, he froze before saying.

“... Is it a moment when I can’t touch you?”

Wilbur’s eyes were locked on the now frozen hand for a good second before returning to T0M, nodding. “Uh, yeah.”

“... Okay.”

The hand retracted in the following seconds, and soon, he was back in his initial position.

The doctor thanked before regaining his composure. He looked back at T0M, and his expression held remorse. A guilt twisted Wilbur's guts at the view. Thing is, as T0M grew up, people quickly realised he was the equivalent of clingy. He would constantly grab people into hugs and had a hard time keeping his voice down which resulted in a large noise blocker investment. And so they had a rule. T0M couldn’t make any sort of physical contact with anyone without being given explicit permission first. Obviously, most workers considered T0M as a test subject and therefore, wouldn’t give him that pleasure.

Wilbur, though, was not in the same vein. Once he realised how empathic and emotional and human T0M was, he started teaching him things a human teen should need, and started giving him a sort of affection a human teen should have. Which included some sort of physical affection.

When T0M was sad, he would sit next to him or pat his back. It quickly evolved as Wilbur accepted being held by the boy and brought to eye level as long as he was careful when doing so, and ever later, they would hug and wilbur would try to brush his hair at times.

Still, that didn’t make him immune to any of T0M’s carelessness which’s consequences were amplified ten fold due to his scale.

“Did I do something wrong?” he asked pitifully.

“I- no, it’s not your fault. It can just be a bit overwhelming is all.” Wilbur explained.

“... what does that mean?”

“It means… when something is ‘too much’. Like when you want to bring Techno very close, but he keeps reminding you about the rule.”

“Oh.” T0M let his head fall. “... I don’t like that.” Wilbur scratched his head. “I want to be so close and show that I’m very happy and it’s all inside and I can’t let it out.”

“Well, here, it’s a bit more of the opposite. When outside, there is a lot and you’re incapable of letting it in.”

“... I’m sorry Wilbur” he mumbled.

“It’s okay, I’m not angry.” reassured the brunette. “I just have sensitive ears.”

“...Everyone has sensitive ears.”

“Well, when you’re a small guy like me, you’re sensitive on pretty much all fronts.”

“... It’s not fair.”

“What’s that?” Wilbur perked.

“When I stop getting big and strong, I want to hug you with all of my will. Like you do with me. It feels nice. I want you to feel nice just like that. I want you to be overwhelmed with happiness. I want to hug you so, so bad but I can't and it's shit. I don't want to be strong, I hurt you if I’m strong. I want to hug you."

Tommy vented, more to himself, and when he looked at Wilbur, his eyes shined, not with joy.

"Oh Tommy…."

It ached. It ached Wilbur to his core that something as simple as a hug was something he craved and still couldn't get. Because he knew. He knew all of the things T0M was missing out on. All the life he could have lived if he was granted freedom. How much he could live and appreciate. It kept him awake at night.

But he was here. Trapped. In a room barely tall enough to contain him, treated like a circus monster. And the worst thing was, T0M wasn't aware of it. Of all the life he wasn't living. How his life was no life and how he thinks this absence of everything is what life should be.

Plato would probably laugh in his grave.

"I promise you. One day, you will be able to do that. I promise you that I'll find a way for you to hug me just like you are a small man too. I promise you that I'll make you discover all of those joys of life, Tom. I Promise you. I will help you. And I'm sorry for not being able to provide it sooner. And I'll apologize for all the years it took for me to get it."

They stared at each other, and Tommy nodded, throat tight and eyes wet.

"And a promise makes sure that it's gonna happen." T0M croaked.

"Exactly, tom." Wilbur smiled. "You are going to live many more things."

The bell rang, and both faces fell a bit.

"I'll see you in 4 days, Tom. We're gonna have a little recap over the emotions you learned and then I'll teach you about relationships."

"Oohh, that sounds nice! What is it?"

As Wilbur packed his little bag, he looked at T0M and simply replied "it's all around you. But I'm not gonna spoil the next session. On that note, I wish you a nice week, Tom."

"Have a nice week, Wilbur! " T0M waved with a smile. "It's nice talking to you."

"It is my absolute pleasure, Tom."

And thus, they parted. As Wilbur walked down the immense corridor (just tall enough Tom could run through them.) He wore a satisfied smile. His small steps resonated, the only sound in the room, yet peaceful enough for his ears to listen to them as carefully as silence. Halfway through, the sound was doubled.

"Helloooo."

"Oh, hey techno! How are you?"

"Doing fine. You seem very happy."

"I am. I made some good progress with T-he subject. I feel like he's learning well. The next tests should have fabulous results."

"Ahh, wonderful. Let's make sure it doesn't learn too much though." He joked.

And at that, Wilbur chuckled, his hand on the man's shoulder. "Oh don't you worry about that, my friend. I can assure you that'll never happen"

"Amazing" techno replied, deadpan. Both nodded their conversation away and walked the rest of their ways.

As he got further away, the doctor's smile turned to an amused grin. His steps resonated, so much smaller than what could be, in a corridor in which the boy just next door should walk through.

"Don't you worry about a single thing."

MEL YES I ADORE THIS AU SO MUCH ITS SO GOOD!!!!!!!!

Poor Tommy but at least Wilbur is helping him :”]

[stardustincarnate]

CONFESSION // Mello x Reader

word count : 4016 genre : fluff a/n : i haven’t gotten over my writer’s block, so yes -- here i am, once again posting old fics from my wattpad account. 

Today is the day.

After contemplating about it for a couple of weeks and confiding it to his best pal, Matt, Mello has finally decided to confess his feelings for you tonight, exploiting the situation where you two will normally go riding on the city streets during Friday midnights such as this one.

To say the least, he isn't the best in this kind of thing— love, that is. Before, all he could think about was one thing which was proving that he's better than Near, and besides, no one really piqued his interest. But then the enigma that you are came.

You can be cunningly evil at times if you want to. You'll often say to the ones you've fooled or to the other mafia members, "It's nothing personal, it's just business." You also have a harsh mouth as he would like to describe. Anything that comes out of it may sound derisive or blatant, but it's basically the truth. You don't sugarcoat things— you don't even try to. Although sometimes you seem to make the truth more cruel than it really is, which makes you look too intimidating for the others. They're only thankful that you don't talk very often and only will if you have something conducive to say.

But that's not all that you are. Mello could feel it, so he grew curious of you. Just a mere speck of curiosity, but then it grew. He wanted to talk to you, but then he asked himself what's the point of doing so, thus he disregarded the idea. That's why you developed a friendship with Matt, who you think is really fun to be with, first. Then as your friendship grew, he thought of introducing you to Mello, and that's when it began. To be frank the beginning of your friendship wasn't easy, and to think that friendship only started growing not until you celebrated a year and a half of being with the mafia.

It was a long process, but in the end, it was worth the wait. Day by day he started lowering the walls he barricaded himself with, and same as you. He became really outgoing and deep down truly caring as your friend, like he is with Matt, because after all you two are the only family he has. And— let's not forget his strange addiction with chocolates! And, well, you like it.

You like him.

Mello knows this as well. He knows that his feelings are reciprocated and he's happy with that. But the question is, who's going to make the first move? Certainly not you. Between fighting the devil and confessing your feelings for someone, you'd probably choose the former. You don't seem like the kind of person who will make the first move. He as well is like that.

And that leads us to his acquiescence of doing it instead. Did he have a choice? Well, maybe, if one considers you doing it instead, but that will definitely take several months, or even years, from now. And he can't wait that long! What if you suddenly start to develop feelings for another person? He can't lose you, you that is just in front of his eyes, one step away from him. He needs to grab the opportunity while it still is there.

Because with you, he feels happy and contented. And for the first time he finally feels like he is number one.

And he really is, in your heart.

"Wooh!"

Matt exclaims after slamming the door, causing Mello to jolt upwards from his reverie. "You know I almost got caught by another mem!"

"Is it done?"

"Of course."

"Hm. You sure this suggestion is for the better? You know how scary that woman can be when she's mad. Especially after finding out that her tires have been flattened."

"Didn't you say you wanted something more romantic tonight? So, I thought of flattening her tires so she can't use her own scooter, that way she can ride with you."

"Uh-uh... Is it romantic though?"

"You two will be close enough. And—no perverted thoughts—she gets to wrap her arms around you while riding. If that's not romantic, I literally don't know what is."

"I'm having qualms about this one."

"What? I'm just as clueless as you are when it comes to romance. I'm doing my best here to help you ya know?"

"I know, I know. Sorry."

"It's your fault you fell in love with her." Matt jests, chuckling. But he immediately behaves himself when he sees that deadly glare of his friend. "Hey! I was only kidding! Don't look at me like that, Mels. You're creeping me out."

"Hah. But I guess you're right. My fault. And great— now I'm having more doubts than before and feeling.. tentative."

"The almighty Mello is nervous? Wow. I never thought I'd live to see this day!"

"Say one more word and I'll make sure it's the last you'll ever emit."

"HE-HE-HEY! Now you're just being belligerent. Don't worry. I'm sure you two will come back here as a couple. Swear it on my life. So stop doubting yourself. And just.. don't act awkward and dorky when confessing towards your little devil."

"Just how am I supposed to do that?"

"I don't know. Just don't."

Mello heaves a sigh. "Sometimes I do wonder if you're really the smart Matt they used to talk about back in the orphanage."

Matt only grins. He's about to reply, but then they both hear footsteps—angry footsteps—coming closer.

"Oh, speaking of the devil. Here she comes. In three.. two.. one.."

With that, you kick the door open and look around. You look like you're about to whip someone's ass and the men can almost laugh at your reaction knowing the reason behind it. You give them a steely look when they unknowingly start to curve their lips to a grin. They quickly change their reaction.

"This has gotta be one of the worse days of my life!" You exclaim as you slump on the sofa beside Mello. "I can't go with you. I've got a flat tire, and I have no idea why. Someone must've done it.."

"Who would do such a terrible thing? Especially to you, the devil no one else even bothers to approach?" Mello momentarily glances at Matt before taking a bite of his chocolate, which you then steals from his grip. "But don't worry, I gotcha. You can ride me... with me I mean! You can ride with me, NOT RIDE ME—good Lord I'm sorry."

'Aha, and there goes Matt's reminder that I shouldn't act awkward.' He looks away with a blush.

"I think [Y/N] is okay with either of that—"

You raise an eyebrow at Matt. "Oh, you mean you Mathematics. You can ride him all you want so don't be shy and put my name in your shoes."

"That's not—!"

"—ANYWAYS, Willy Wonka, you sure you okay with me riding with you? You won't mind?"

"Jesus, stop calling me that! And yes. You're my friend so I won't mind."

"Thanks mate!" To his surprise, you hug him from the side. And you are hugging him a little too much. "You know I've always wanted to ride your motor. It looks cooler than mine."

"Ah.. well— you're squeezing me a bit too much.. don't you think?"

You pull away and snicker. "Sorry. You're like a marshmallow that I just want to squeeze sometimes."

"EHEM. Pardon me, will you? I need to go to the restroom."

Matt stands up, thinking that his job here as cupid is done—or not quite yet. He has one last plan in mind. And even he isn't sure that that plan is going to make things better or worse.

"Enjoy taking another dump!" You shout as he leaves the room, making sure to lock it. Now you and Mello are completely alone, facing one another in utter silence. And it's too silent that you can hear some of the other mafia members arguing in a distant room. You can even hear someone moaning. Mello can hear it too.

You both give each other a look that only you two can understand.

"Oof. Must be nice. Err, so anyways," you start. "The usual place tonight?" And by that you mean stopping by to go atop a dilapidated building in a forsaken road to stargaze with him for ten minutes. You two make sure to always include going there to find tranquility in the stars and with each other. It temporarily removes all the problems and worries you have.

With Mello ruefully shaking his head, you frown. He puts an arm over your shoulder and nods reassuringly instead. You hide a smile.

"We can do that next week or earlier if we're not too preoccupied so don't be so glum. I'll be taking you somewhere new. I'm sure you'll like it."

"I hope so. Otherwise I'm gonna kick your ass."

"You'll be the one getting your ass kicked it if you don't give me back my chocolate right now."

"But I need chocolate too! Chocolate makes you happy. So I need it, 'kay?!"

"As far as I know that chocolate is mine and not yours???"

"But I'm your friend aren't I? You still have a lot of stock in there I'm sure."

"I'm running out of chocolates so give it back you little demon."

He hastily maneuvers before you can even stand up and try running away. He seizes your wrists and places your arms behind your back to prevent you from moving. Since you two are facing each other instead of him being behind you, the position is rather awkward. The proximity of your faces makes both of you blush and in an instance he backs away. You cackle in triumph as to his dismay of not getting his chocolate back.

You look at your wristwatch before taking a bite of the sweet. "Well Marsh-Mello, what are we waiting for? Let's hit the road! I'm already bored." You hold his hand the moment he stands up and you two run outside.

Mello throws the helmet to you which almost hit your face, earning an irked look from you. He then starts the engine as you wear your helmet.

When he starts to move just before you can take a seat, you panic. Of course he only wants to toy with you. He stops at a corner and waits for you, who's running and ready to smash his face. You pant as you finally reach him.

"You little bastard! Why'd you have to make me suffer?"

"Why shouldn't I?"

"You groan and then sit behind him, wrapping your arms around his waist. The closeness of your bodies make you both blush. He makes sure you're all set before once again driving in a high speed that made you hug him tighter. You've always known that he drives this fast, but to experience it yourself? It feels like your skin is being blown away and seperated from your bones.

"W-Would you mind slowing down, just a bit?"

"Come on [Y/N], that's not fun."

"So you call this fun? You're gonna kill us both. I'm too beautiful to die right now!"

"Tsk. You're no fun." You're about to make a rebuttal but he slows down reluctantly and matches the speed you will normally drive at. You sigh in relief and absently rests your chin on his right shoulder, looking at the stores, buildings, and a few people walking on the sidewalk which you are hastily passing by. On your left you see numbered vehicles and a few more buildings.

You're enjoying the ride, however, you hear the tire from behind pop. That is already bad, and worse comes when the front one pops too. He goes to the side before halting.

"Shit! Just our luck!"

"Haha seems like you and I share the same fate, huh? Goals."

Mello sighs as a realization dawns him.

'Matt.. you little shit.'

"Whadda we do now?" You worriedly ask.

"We're still halfway to the place I'm taking you and this happens.. I suppose I can just park this somewhere. You wouldn't mind walking, would you?"

"Sounds fine with me then."

He nods and parks the motor beside a bicycle and a car in front of a store, placing a tracker in it just in case it gets stolen. But if it ever does, he can just get another one. Legally or not. Doesn't matter.

In silence, you and Mello start walking side by side. Arriving upon a city bridge you can't help but stare at the river. The limit to what you can see on its side is a lively city despite the hour, with skyscrapers and billboard signs lit up. You can hear the occasional, distant sounds of car engines.

You avert your gaze back in the front, meeting chatty people on your way who are walking opposite to you and Mello. You realize that they're mostly couples who are matching clothes and openly talking, not caring if they're to be heard by others. Mello also notices, and not only that but the way you two undeniably look like one. Without any intentions, your clothes match. Not that it's a big deal since everyday you two wear black, but because of your surroundings, he might as well seize the opportunity.

Beaming from ear to ear, he holds your hand and intertwines your fingers together. You're confused, but at the same time liking it, a blush creeping on your face.

"Don't mind if I do. We don't wanna look like a couple who can't bear with each other after some kind of quarrel, do we?"

"But we're not a couple."

"No, not yet."

You stop and raise an eyebrow.

"Oop. Did I say that out loud? My bad."

He cheekily grins. It's only a joke, you think, but at the same time you wish that he's not joking—which he really isn't.

"Hey, how long are we going to walk?"

"Why? Are your feet giving up already? Want a piggyback?"

You completely turn red. He smiles at that.

"Nah.. I—"

"Don't waste the opportunity. I might change my mind later."

"I don't care. This is enough."

You squeeze his hand tightly—too tight that he swears he feel his phalanges breaking—but unexpectedly, he just moans. And people look at the two of you.

"The fuck was that?!? I didn't know you were some kind of masochist!"

"DID YOU REALLY HAVE TO SAY IT OUT LOUD?"

"AHA so you do admit being a masochist!!"

"WHAT? NO! I'M NOT!"

"Why so defensive now?"

"Because people are hearing you???"

"Let them! HAHAHAHA! MY BOYFRIEND IS A MASOCHIST! ISN'T THAT CUTE??"

But after realizing what you just said, you stop and gnaw your lower lip.

"Oh earth swallow me right now.. Sorry! God I'm embarrassed. You're not my boyfriend—"

"Didn't I tell you? Not yet."

You punch his shoulder playfully. "Stop joking around! I might actually believe you ya know?"

"Who said I was joking?"

"..Of course you are—"

"—OH, here we are!"

He diverts the topic, leaving you to slightly pout to yourself as he turns left to an unoccupied and dark area, pulling you to the railing where you two halt and see the perfect angle to view the city and the river from. The water and its light ripples glimmer under the moonlight as the brisk wind hits your skin, making you slightly shiver. Mello notices this and takes off his jacket, insisting you should wear it instead. You don't argue.

"Mello, this is.. magnificent. And a nice spot to stargaze as well! It's pretty wherever I lay my eyes on."

"Except behind us, maybe. You don't like trees that much."

You cackle. "They give me the creeps, especially during night. But at least we don't have to face that way, do we?"

He shakes his head as he laughs, inclining himself closer to you. He places his hands just beside yours on the railing, looking up and then looking at you, who's still busy admiring the sky.

He can't help but smile admiring you in your adorable placidity.

"The stars are pretty tonight." You say as you notice him looking at you in your peripheral vision.

"You always say that. They're always pretty. Sparkly."

"Mesmerizing to look at." You add. He nods, still staring at you.

"That's why I love the stars.."

"Uh huh. And chocolate." You grin.

"And you."

You stand flabbergasted, daring not to look at him directly. Your heart feels like it's about to jolt out of your chest. Your fingers begin to tremble on their own as you feel something intangible whirling inside your stomach. You know what it is—and he's making your heart flutter. But you can't trust this feeling as you aren't even sure if he's joking or not. And if he is, you kinda hate it. You want it to be real.

"Aye, don't flirt with me. That's so not you." You snap, rolling your eyes.

It doesn't take him too long to perceive what's on your mind. He taps your shoulder before sitting on the railing, inviting you to join him. You're a little hesitant for the fear of falling to the water. And when it comes to this kind of thing, you don't trust Mello. You're sure he'll eventually push you. The number of times he had done this to you in some places before is something you can't even count anymore.

"C'mon [Y/N]. Don't be scared. I won't push you. Or if I do, you're free to drag me as well."

"Tch. So you do intend to push me." Nevertheless, you sit beside him and grip the bars tightly with your clammy palms. Luckily the concrete extends six inches after the railing.

Mello feels like you two aren't physically close enough, and he thinks it's not 'romantic' enough, so he slides even closer to you until his palm is already above your hand and your shoulders bump.

"Oh, no. You keep your distance, Mr. Wonka."

"It's not like we're having social distancing here you know?"

"You're too close."

"And I'm going to get even closer.."

He whispers, his hot breath tickling the side of your neck. You sigh and face him, and your noses bump. You urgently back away and you almost slip if not for him.

"What's gotten into your system for you to act so flirty all of a sudden?"

"You."

"MELLO!! I'm damn serious. Like, all the jests can wait but for now, just.. don't flirt with me. I'm in no mood."

"Aww, trying to shoo me away huh? After stealing my heart and my chocolates, here you are suddenly breaking my poor, poor heart."

"One more attempt and I'm going to drown you."

"Heeeeeeey. Don't be so vicious now." He softly bumps your shoulder with his. You only click your tongue in annoyance.

"Seriously. Stop messing with me. I hate you."

"No you don't. I'm not messing with you. I'm serious—"

"Tch. Serious my ass."

"..You don't have one—"

"See? You little fucktard. You keep on messing with me. So just stop flirting with me. I swear I'll kill you if you continue."

"Whaaat? Seriously, I'm not messing with you. You gotta—"

"Mels, no, no, no. You can poke fun of me, push me off right now or anything but just don't flirt with me. You're a bastard for torturing my feelings. That's not cool at all. Damn it," you spat. He keep his silence, his mouth starting to gape.

"Don't make me assume things because I really, really, really like you!"

The words pour out unbidden. Your voice resonates and immediately you shut up and look down with a furious blush.

'That's it, congratulations for possibly ruining your friendship.' You think as you bite your lower lip.

Your blush vanishes as the fluttering feeling in your chest does, being replaced with instant regret, as if your heart has dropped to your stomach.

The look of surprise in his face turns to a cheeky grin. With much glee, he chuckles.

"I've always known this devil is a pure softie inside..."

"M-Mello.."

You are about to tear up, but then he says, "Do you know what you just did? You ruined my plans, [Y/N]! But I suppose I can forgive you for that."

"What?? Plan?? Damn you, damn you, damn you! I knew you were up to no good! Damn it, Mello! Pretend this night never existed. I'm outta here—"

"No no, it's not what you think. 'I like you' was supposed to be my line, not yours!" He can't help but burst out laughing, leaving you momentarily dazed, but then when you realize what he possibly meant by that, it's as if your heart has come back to life. Your face turns red.

"I was going to confess to you tonight, but it looks like the tables had turned. You are a.. partypooper! Do you know how many times I've practice saying that in front of Matt, just to end up with you saying it instead of me? Unbelievable!"

He wheezes, catches his breath, then looks at you. "And look, I'm not complaining, alright? Haha.. but the way things turn out to be in the end is just so.. whimsical. But I'm gonna say it anyway: I like you. I like you a lot."

You scrutinize his facial expression just to be sure that he's serious, and you confirm he truly is. He's absently smiling, and just from staring at you is the reason. Rapture dances in his eyes. He looks genuinely happy and candid at the moment. And here you are left speechless, only staring at him as a sheepish smile slowly invades your face.

You almost lose your grip on the railing when he briefly kisses your cheek. And again, nothing comes out of your mouth.

"Do I also need to say that I wanna be your boyfriend? Because, isn't it obvious?"

"Mello..."

"No pressure, [Y/N]. If we both like each other but you're not yet ready for a relationship, I understand and I can wait."

"Well.." You hide your face on his shoulder because you feel like the longer you stare at him, the more probable it is that you'll faint. "Uhm.. Err... Have you ever been.. in a relationship?"

"No, not really. You will be my first one. If you accept."

You smile. "Well, same as you here."

"Really? I thought you already had a partner or two before."

"I had no time to be in love. Add that some of the people I was acquainted with sucked, and the kind ones.. well, let's just say that they seemed to be missing something.. something that, I suppose, only you have. And.. it will really make me happy if you are to be my first," you lift your head up to meet his eyes. "So I accept."

"You serious?? Right here?? Right now??"

"Need I repeat myself, partner-in-crime?"

"Haha! Course not!"

You peck his cheek as your warm smile broadens. You then rest your head on his shoulder, your eyes never leaving the distant city as he wraps an arm around your waist, meticulous so that you two wouldn't slip from the railing and fall down.

"I think it's safe to assume now that you're the one behind flattening my tires. And just so I can ride with you. You're a cunning man, so I suppose you also did something with your own scooter just so we could walk together, like couples in movies. Haha I never thought you'd think something like that!"

"It was Matt's idea. Swear. He thought it was more romantic that way. And he's probably the one who rigged my scooter. He really can be a huge pain in the ass sometimes."

"Like you are."

"Aw come on. Take that back you little demon!"

"Noooopeeeee! Pfahahaha— AAAA SHIT!"

And with that, you both plunge into the frigid water with a loud splash.