#sometimes i feel like my mom will bring up reminders until she finds something she can correct me on

[plounce]

everyone shut UPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[tartarusknight]

Steve had this habit, a habit which most of the party were annoyed by. They understood it, God did they understand. But after everything was over and the Upside Down was gone for good, it kept happening. Months and months of daily calls. Just Steve checking in and asking them about their day.

Mike hadn't understood why he was on the list of names Steve would call, but if he didn't pick up the phone, there would be a knock on the door within the hour. And Steve, sometimes followed by Robin, would stop by like he was that important to them. Once, it had been on their way to work, and Steve had only locked eyes with him and raised an eyebrow. Mike just flipped him off and continued reading his comic.

Dustin had told him it was Steve's way of coping, and Lucas had turned the calls into workouts with the older teen. Will had just gone a little red and nodded along. El smiled and told Mike about the tips for hair care she got. Max just rolled her eyes and said that Steve had taken to stopping by with food most days.

Steve would be there. He was always there. It was annoying, but it was a constant. Maybe that's why Mike laid awake as the clock ticked closer and closer to midnight. Normally, he could fall asleep within minutes, a habit he had inherited from his dad. But he could bring himself to sleep as his phone didn't ring. As the walkie stayed silent. As the door remained untouched, no knock to be heard.

And it was stupid. Because Mike didn't want Steve to call him every day just to ask him if he was okay. It made him feel like a kid. It reminded Mike of his mom, but even his mom wasn't that bad. No, no one really did that for Mike. No one checked in day after day even as he remained uncaring towards them. No one but Steve.

Until now...

Mike watched the clock as it passed midnight, and his stomach twisted into knots. Fear bubbled up, and he pictured Steve getting into a fight he couldn't walk away from. He pictured a car crash so great that Steve was unable to reach for the walkie he carried with him everywhere. He pictured the worst- the Upside Down still around. The demogorgon coming up and dragging Steve into that hellpit.

Mike was up and pulling on a warm sweatshirt before those images were fully formed. He crawled out his window and down the roof, not too unlike the way Steve had done to visit Nancy. It left him already out of breath by the time he climbed on his bike. But that didn't stop him. He pushed off the ground, biking as fast as he could towards Loch Nora.

The cold air hot his face, and the road seemed to go on forever, but Mike didn't stop. He couldn't stop. Not until Steve's place was in view.

Mike tossed his bike uncarringly onto the pavement before slamming his fist into the Harrington's nice door. He didn't let up. He couldn't as an image of Steve dead in his own pool floated in his mind.

However, then the door was opening. Steve stood there, looking like he hadn't been asleep either. A smear of white powder on his cheek and a hollowness in his eyes. But still, something eased in Mike the same time Steve lost some of that weight in his shoulders as well. "You- you didn't-" Mike started, still out of breath. "Call. Why didn't you- call?" He gasped and Steve looked at him with a weird expression.

"You- What?" Steve questioned, sounding lost.

Mike crossed his arms, "I- you can't just stop!" He gasped out, and Steve's brow furrowed.

"But you don't like it when I do? I annoy you," he tries to point out, and Mike huffs.

"God, of course you annoy me! You track our days more intensly than my mom, and you always make dumb jokes, and I hate that I find them funny! You always call when I'm in the middle of something, and you make it easy to stay on the phone! You are always there like some weird older brother that I never asked for!" Mike shouts and Steve's eyes are wide.

"You don't have to stay around or call, but you do! You do, and you actually care. Like when you call and ask me if I'm okay, it feels like you care, and I don't understand why! I don't get you! I didn't ask you to care about me, but even when you were dating Nancy, you cared! You took Holly and me to get ice cream even though Nancy had to study! You give me and my friends rides everywhere! You care!" Mike throws his hands up in the air.

He glares at the older teen, "You care so much that I stupidly care about you! I care enough to come and check on you because when you didn't call, all I could think was that you were like dead or something," Mike snaps and takes a step back. "But you're obviously fine so-" and he wants to run suddenly. To run from the way Steve's eyes are filled with tears or the stupid words he just told the older teen.

Steve runs a hand through his hair, tugging slightly. "Mike, I stopped because I didn't think you wanted me to. You always acted like I was your least favorite person in the world and I guess I just- I didn't feel like it was fair to force you to put up with me just because I can't handle not knowing if you were okay." Steve said, and it didn't sound like the normal Steve. He sounded tired and nervous. He sounded like someone had finally beaten him

Mike bites his lip and tastes salt like he had been crying. Or maybe he still was. He crosses his arms like he can shield himself from this conversation. "But now you don't care enough to keep calling?"

Steve rubbed his face, a sigh shaking his whole body as he did. "I still care, kid."

Mike scoffs, "You didn't call."

Steve drops his hands to his sides. "Just come inside. It's too late for you to bike home. I'll call your place and leave a message." Steve says, his voice sounding close to tears. Mike is stiff when he lets Steve pull him inside.

They are quiet as Steve guides him towards the kitchen. The kitchen that has music playing softly and smelling like a bake sale. He blinks as he steps into the room and spots cookies cooling on a rack and a pie stilling uncooked on the counter. The top crust is sitting on the counter next to it. There's a smell of something in the oven, and Mike states at all of it in confusion.

"I bake when I can't relax," Steve admits, and Mike glances over at him. "I still care, and I was trying to give you space. I was trying not to crowd you, so I just," and he waves his hand around the mess everywhere. The smear of white on his cheek now makes sense.

Mike hugged himself, "I don't- I don't mind the calls." He whispered, and it got a snort from Steve.

He looked over at Mike, "I kinda got that from your speech."

They stood there in silence for another moment before Steve moved to finish putting his pie together. "I know that we aren't close or anything. But I care, it's not just the Upside Down making me anxious, it's just that-" and Steve went quiet. "I went overboard, I get it. But now I just- I can't stop." He admits, and Mike hates how upset Steve sounds. How guilty he sounds.

"I fall asleep easier knowing that if someone wasn't okay, we'd know because of you. It's like you take all the stress from me just by being around." He says, and Steve's eyes are wide. "Maybe we just do a sound off every night so you don't have to play phone tag all day." He shrugs, and Steve wrinkles his nose.

"I don't really get how to use the walkie. Like Dustin tried to show me, but he got distracted and started talking about radio waves and well..." Steve mimed it going over his head.

Mike snorted to hide how much that terrified him. The thought of something bad happening and Steve not being able to respond. But he pushed it away as Steve looked at him as if waiting for Mike to tease him. "That's fair. We did modify them, so they worked better. It's not as simple as your average walkie. I can show you," he offered, and Steve's face split into a grin.

"Cool, want to help me finish this so I can put it in the fridge until tomorrow? Then you can teach me the ways," Steve says, going all dramatic, proving to Mike he'd been spending too much time with Eddie. Mike groaned but came over only for Steve to shove him to the sink to wash his hands.

Steve showed him what to do, and Mike was glad to have Steve around. Because sure Steve's habit was annoying, and sometimes it interfered with Mike's plans, but it was nice too. Steve was nice. And that was something Mike ever believed would happen. But as Steve joked that Mike should not become a baker, he was nice. Like the way Mike was nice to Holly or how Nancy was nice to him. He was part of the family, annoyingly nice habits and all.

[andrewmoocow]

Rick and Haruko chapter 4: Squanch and Loathing (originally published on March 24, 2025)

Author's Note: At long last, we're back! So sorry to keep you waiting. Last we left Haruko Haruhara and Rick Sanchez, the Flesh Curtains managed to escape Repre S. Entative on the Gem Homeworld, but now they're left stranded on the planet Shuggazoom for the time being, but thankfully, an old acquaintance of Rick might be able to help them back on their feet. In the meantime, Medical Mechanica has formed an alliance with the Council of Ricks to bring in Rick and Atomsk, and they've already zeroed in on the Pirate King's location. What new dimensions will our motley crew discover? You'll just have to wait and see!

--

"That's it, Haru-san, you're getting better." Rihanna Raharu said as she taught her ten-year-old daughter Haruha how to play the guitar. "See, you didn't need to be so hard on yourself."

"I know, but I want to be as good as you!" Haruha exclaimed. "But sometimes I feel like I won't ever be good enough!"

"You won't know how good you'll be until you try," Rihanna warmly advised. Here, let me show you a few more tricks." Haruha always loved these tender family moments, whether spending time with her mom or sleeping with her Dad in his favorite chair.

Then, Medical Mechanica took her family away and ruined what she had left of it. And Haruko will do anything to get her revenge. No matter the cost.

--

"So, let me get this straight: you're raising monkeys to turn into some bizarro superhero team?!" Rick asked the Alchemist one afternoon on Shuggazoom. "What the hell kind of shrooms do they grow on this planet that gave you this idea, and where can I get some?"

"You may think my plans are ridiculous, Sanchez, but I assure you, it's for a good cause." The Alchemist stated as he worked on a drill-like weapon. "There will come a day when I and my good friend Captain Shuggazoom will no longer be able to protect our planet. Thus, I shall leave everything to what I call the Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce."

"That's seriously what you call them?!" Rick laughed derisively. "What are you, creating a team of defenders of the planet or a toy line?" While he was laughing, however, Rick suddenly discovered that a little blue monkey grabbed his portal gun and then closely examined the device's inner workings. "Hey, get away from my portal gun, you little hairball! I swear to God, if you start throwing your shit at me, I'm gonna throw a fit!"

"Now, Gibson, give the nice man his machine back; he needs it to leave this planet." The Alchemist gently scolded the blue monkey, who ooked in reply and handed the portal gun back to Rick. "Sorry, Rick, GBSN23 here loves to tinker. I think he gets it from me."

"I can see that," Rick commented before he noticed Birdperson entering the laboratory. "Hey, Birdperson, I've been wondering where you were!"

"Yes, the sound of your mocking laughter is easy to identify," Birdperson replied before a black monkey and a green monkey started climbing all over him. "I see you've acquainted yourself with the Alchemist's little projects. Personally, I can see why he chose monkeys as his subjects, considering how close they are to humans. However, I also hope you're looking after them well."

"No need to worry; I have everything under control." The Alchemist replied. "That reminds me. Where are those other two off to, Squanchy and Haruko, I believe?"

"Oh, them?" Rick answered. "I let them run off and play with Squanchy's motorbike in the jungle. Hopefully, they don't get into any trouble."

"Though knowing us, trouble will certainly find them." Birdperson added, only to feel something dirty and squishy under his foot. "Oh no, don't tell me."

"You're stepping in monkey shit." Rick smirked at Birdperson's expense as the two realized he stepped in poop.

"Oh dear, not again." The Alchemist sighed as he prepared to clean up the poop. "My apologies, Birdperson, this just happens sometimes."

"Okay, which one of you was it?" Rick asked a red monkey and an orange monkey, who started pointing accusing fingers at each other.

--

Meanwhile, Squanchy spent his free time exploring the jungle, where the Alchemist had made his base of operations on Shuggazoom. In times like this, when he, Rick, Birdperson, and Haruko weren't playing concerts or running from the authorities for their crimes, he often found it nice to relax and take in the scenery around him. However, he also possessed some spare parts he borrowed from the Alchemist's workshop to repair the Rick-stery Machine and help Haruko with something she's been working on.

"Here you go, Haruko." Squanchy said while handing the parts over to Haruko. "Took me a while to find all this squanchin' trash, since the Alchemist had so many."

"Now, let's see what we have here," Haruko muttered as she examined Squanchy's loot, but one piece of junk caught the pink-haired guitarist's eye. "Handlebars?! Hello old friend, I haven't seen you in ages!" she cheered excitedly while dancing around with the handlebars over her head. "Where have you been? I'm never letting go of you again, not ever!"

"Sheesh, why don't you two get a room?" Squanchy rolled his eyes with a smirk as he turned back to find more parts.

Later that afternoon, as Squanchy returned with more parts, he found Haruko dressed up in a white tank top with a matching and an orange jumpsuit with the upper portion tied around her waist as she inspected his Vespa scooter. "Zawa, this is all banged up. This sucks." Haruko complained as she held a broken part in her hand before she was struck in the back by an incoming wheel, causing her to drop everything and flail her arms around in fright. "Okay, who just did that, what do you want?!" Haruko cried while gathering all the parts she had dropped and protectively wrapped them in her arms. "You can't take these; they're mine! You hear me?!"

"Gee Haruko, chill the squanch out, it's just me," Squanchy said before the wheel rolled to a stop and clattered at her feet.

"WAUGH, DO MINE EYES DECEIVE ME?!" Haruko yelled in surprise at the wheel before picking it up to examine it.

"You know, you can squanch it if you want." Squanchy shrugged in amusement at Haruko's wild reactions as she peeked out from under the wheel.

"What, you mean it?" Haruko asked.

"Yeah, the wheel and my Vespa. I can get you more once I find some." Squanchy replied. "I see you're getting pretty attached to that thing."

"But the wheel has steel in it." Haruko answered. "Don't you need it for the Rick-stery machine?"

"The steel in the rim is unusable." Squanchy explained. "Basically, it's something that I'm not able to use."

"Something you are not able to use?" Haruko repeated quizzically.

"Oh no," Squanchy responded. "I didn't squanch it like that at all." He let out a sigh as he looked up at the sky. "So, I know the Vespa ain't in the best shape, but maybe we could go for a little afternoon squanch. What do you say?"

"Wait, you don't mean what I think you mean," Haruko asked, resisting the urge to laugh at any possible connotations.

"I meant an afternoon drive, you ninny!" Squanchy laughed out loud. "Ya see, I have this whole thing where my people and I replace certain words with squanch. For example, when I say afternoon squanch, I mean afternoon drive."

"Neat. Let me give it a shot." Haruko replied. "I squanch being with you guys." Much to Haruko's confusion, Squanchy's eyes widened in shock as his furry little jaw dropped. "What's with the look on your face? Seen a gentleman ghost or something? I just said I squanch being with you guys."

"Eh, I think that's enough for now." Squanchy laughed awkwardly as he and Haruko hopped on the Vespa. "Hi-ho Silver, away!" As the duo zoomed off to parts unknown on the motor-scooter, Rick just so happened to arrive at the spot where they previously were.

"Haruko, Squanchy, where the hell are you guys?!" Rick hollered with a burp. "Come on; Al was gonna help us fix the Rick-stery Machine!" Just then, Rick looked down at the spare parts Squanchy and Haruko had left behind. "Well, at least they left some parts for us to use."

As Rick picked up the parts and left, a green portal, not unlike the ones he creates with his portal gun, opened in the middle of the jungle, and out of it stepped Repre S. Entative and Demido Kuriya. "According to the coordinates on this portal gun, this should be the dimension where the Flesh Curtains are currently residing," Repre stated while examining the device in his hands. "But here's a problem: they seem to be going in two directions simultaneously. One seems to be going much faster, though; perhaps they're fleeing at the mere idea of reencountering us!"

"So, where do you think we should go?" Demido asked. "Personally, I'd go follow the one heading deeper into the jungle. Perhaps once we find Rick there, we may find a greater bounty with this Alchemist he's meeting with."

"Forget that; we're heading to the city!" Repre disagreed excitedly as he created another portal and dragged Demido through it.

--

"So, what's this he's doing with monkeys now?" Haruko asked Squanchy as the two stood atop a skyscraper in Shuggazoom City.

"I have no squanching idea why he's doing this either, but I gotta admire how earnest he is about it," Squanchy replied.

"Oh-yo-yo-yoh?" Haruko muttered. "I mean, why's he even doing this to these monkeys, though?"

"Beats me. Rick told me he's sometimes heard the Alchemist talking about Dark Ones or whatever." Squanchy said before Haruko offered him a burger that seemed to have its content hovering in midair. "Huh?"

"Want one of these hoverburgers I found?" Haruko suggested, already having a hoverburger stuck in her mouth. "They're like regular burgers, but they float. Not sure how they'll taste, but try one and see what happens."

"Well, if you say so." Squanchy shrugged as he took a bite out of the burger while gazing into the distance, where the two could make out the distinct shape of a Medical Mechanica factory installed outside the city. "Oh dang, look at the size of that squanching thing! Guess that means Medical Mechanica isn't too far behind!"

"Pisses me off," Haruko grumbled as she spat out her burger, thinking back to bad memories of when she worked for Medical Mechanica. "Pisses me off so bad, man! They already took over my planet; what do they want with this one?!"

"Worst case scenario, they abduct the Alchemist and force his monkeys to work for them," Squanchy said while a pair of silhouettes emerged from behind them. "Guess we should go back to Rick and Birdperson so we can skedaddle outta here!"

"Funny, we were just thinking you would do the same thing." The familiar voice of Repre S. Entative called out to the duo as he and the Lord Superior Officer loomed over the pair of Flesh Curtains. "Hello again, Haruko Haruhara. Oh, and her little furry friend, too. Fancy meeting you here."

"What do you bastards want now?!" Haruko groaned in annoyance. "I swear, you guys just piss me off every time I see you!"

"What do you think, you two?" Demido Kuriya stated. "Thanks to this portal gun granted to us by the Council of Ricks, we can now travel across universes in an instant, a far more environmentally conscious alternative to using Neural Omniscience energy to teleport from world to world. And guess what? We've been using it to track you, too."

"Neural Omniscience, or N.O, uses the left and right brain's distinct thought processes to open up an interdimensional channel capable of transporting things," Repre explained. "sometimes from light-years away in-"

"Okay, nerd, shut up!" Haruko rudely interrupted the representative director's explanation of N.O. energy by smacking him so hard with her Rickenbacker that he flew like a rocket into Shuggazoom's orbit.

"LOOKS LIKE I'M BLASTING OFF AGAAAAAAAAIN!" Repre shrieked as he got further away from the planet, eventually turning into nothing more than a twinkle in the sky. The LSO simply rolled his eyes at his right-hand man's swift defeat.

"So you sent my son into orbit, bravo!" Demido sarcastically applauded while clapping his hands. "I hope you're not too proud of yourself there, little girl! Now then, allow me to say this once, Vespa." He then grabbed Haruko by the neck with his mechanical arm and squeezed it tight as a way to torture her into giving him what he wanted. "Where is Sanchez?!"

"I'll never tell!" Haruko squeaked as the Lord Superior Officer's grip on her throat tightened. "You know, if you wanted to choke me out, you could've just asked! Don't try threatening me with a good time!"

"I see Rick is starting to rub off on you, little one." Demido sneered. "Unfortunately, it seems you won't live long enough to see him again if you don't speak up."

"Haruko!" Squanchy cried as he raced towards his friend before someone stopped the feline alien in his tracks.

"Not today, villain!" a superhero with a white costume, a black and orange cape, an orange scarf, and a metallic helmet declared as he appeared seemingly out of nowhere to save Haruko. "Let the young lady go, or you'll have to answer to me, Captain Shuggazoom!"

"Hey, where did Kamen Rider here come from?" Haruko choked raspily as the Lord Superior Officer finally let go of her neck.

"I suppose you must be those friends of Rick Sanchez that my dear friend the Alchemist told me about." Captain Shuggazoom stated just as Repre crashed back into the ground from his brief trip into space. "I advise you to leave the area immediately; I shall handle things from here."

"Don't worry, I can provide a little help." Haruko smirked as she presented a small black orb, much to Captain Shuggazoom's confusion.

"What is this?" the good captain muttered.

"Is that ohagi?" Repre asked before the orb suddenly turned into a swarm of flies that caused Repre to flail his arms in a panic as the bugs covered his body. "AGH, IT'S FLIES, THEY'RE ALL FLIES, FLIES EVERYWHERE, NOT THE FLIES, GET 'EM OFF! AAAAAAGGGGHHHHHH! OH THEY'RE IN MY EYES, MY EEEEEYES!"

"Just a little something I've been cooking up on the side!" Haruko exclaimed as she hopped on the Vespa and sped off with Squanchy. "Okay, I love you, bye-bye!"

"Squanch yours, Medics!" Squanchy added while flipping the Lord Superior Officer and his representative director off as the LSO fought Captain Shuggazoom, and Repre continued stumbling around with the flies in his eyes.

--

"Come on, where are those two assholes?!" Rick complained while pacing around the outside of the Alchemist's lab. "I just got word that Medical Mechanica is here, and I'm getting worried!"

"Do not fret, Rick. I informed Captain Shuggazoom, and he should have things covered." The Alchemist said assuredly. "Judging by how uneased you feel right now, I should assume that this Medical Mechanica is not something to be trifled with."

"Indeed, Alchemist." Birdperson nodded. "Medical Mechanica began life as a startup tech company that quickly grew in power across numerous universes to suppress all individual thought in the multiverse. At least, that's the official story, anyways. I have a sneaking suspicion they're hiding something much darker."

Just then, Haruko and Squanchy returned to the lab, having just escaped Medical Mechanica's grasp and ready to finally leave this dimension. "Hey guys, anything we missed?" Squanchy asked.

"Yo!" Haruko declared. "We're not interrupting anything, are we meow?"

"Yo, what up, my glip-glops?!" Rick yelled excitedly. "Goddamn, I was getting worried for a sec! Come on, Medical Mechanica is after us. We gotta go! Now!"

"Hey, cool your jets, Doctor Who. I kept them a little distracted for a while," Haruko snickered. "Guess you could say I gave those a little." She then put on some sunglasses she conjured from nowhere. "Fly in their soup."

"YEEEEEEEAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" the yellow monkey in Birdperson's arms shrieked as if punctuating Haruko's cheesy one-liner.

"Thanks, Nova." Haruko said while petting Nova's furry little head. "You know, you kinda remind me of me in a way. Little rapscallion always causing chaos, yet you got a good heart deep down."

"I highly doubt that." Birdperson snarked. "Now come on, we need to leave."

"Yeah, save the funny one-liners for the next dimension we go to!" Rick said as he took Haruko by the arm and dragged her to the Rick-stery Machine. "Okay, Al, sorry to cut our meeting short, but my band and I gotta bounce to our next gig quickly! Good luck with those monkeys!"

"Farewell, Rick Sanchez, until we meet again!" the Alchemist gave a warm farewell as Rick and the band departed Shuggazoom through a green portal before his expression turned sour, and he started hearing the voices of the Dark Ones in his head again. "Though I fear I will not be the man you once knew should our paths cross again."

Meanwhile, the monkeys began gathering around a large black monolith in the middle of nowhere carved in the shape of Rick's Rickenbacker guitar. They started hooting and hollering in delight at their strange new discovery. In particular, the yellow monkey was fascinated by the stone guitar, as if she felt connected to it. Whether she would dwell on this is best left to the future.

--

Wealth. Fame. Power. Gol D. Roger, the king of the pirates, attained this and everything else that Dimension D-722 had to offer upon completing his long journey to the mysterious island of Laugh Tale. Before he was set to be executed, Roger's final words sent countless souls to the sea in search of his legendary treasure. "You want my treasure? You can have it!" Roger responded to an eager spectator about the location of the One Piece with a devious smile on his face, the last face he would ever wear. "I left everything I own in one place. Now you just have to find it!" Thus began the Great Pirate Era, where pirates from across the four oceans of the world set out to the very end of the Grand Line to make their hopes and dreams come true.

As the Rick-stery Machine sailed across the East Blue while transformed into a pirate ship, Haruko sat at the Rick-shaped figurehead as she gazed out in wonder of the vast, seemingly endless ocean before her. She knew the multiverse was full of infinite possibilities, but seeing an ocean this big made her mind run wild about what could be out there beyond the ship she lived on. The wide-open sea, the breeze hitting her face, the sun shining down on her, this was everything Haruko dreamed about. It was almost like home before Medical Mechanica took it over.

"Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me." Haruko sang cheerfully as she gazed out at the endless beyond while Rick steered the ship, Birdperson served as lookout, and Squanchy stood ready to weigh anchor at any given moment. "So guys, which island are we going to? Maybe we can check out Whole Cake Island, Dressrosa, or Loguetown, or maybe we can go all the way to Laugh Tale and find the One Piece!"

"Don't get too excited, Haruko; we're only visiting a small island on the East Blue that nobody will miss," Birdperson answered while looking at the map in his hands. "We'll be heading to Canfodd Island for our next show. Nothing amazing ever happens there; everything is ordinary; you'll probably forget everything that happens by the time we leave."

"Don't worry, though; I'm sure we'll be able to get some treasure." Rick said as he unfurled a piece of paper, revealing it as a wanted poster depicting a man with bright red hair and a bounty worth 1,040,000,000. "This guy is Red Haired Shanks, one of the most powerful pirates in the world. Some say he even served under the Pirate King Gold Roger once upon a time! If we get this guy's bounty, we'll be filthy stinking rich! Wubba lubba dub dub!"

"Yeah, wubba lubba dub dub!" Haruko cheered while Birdperson shook his head in dismay. He and many others had tried warning Haruko multiple times about how Rick might be a bad influence on her, but it seemed she still wasn't listening. Or maybe she refused to listen because something more sinister was afoot. Whatever the reason, Birdperson had to keep his beak shut for the time being before he noticed the winds changing.

"Everyone, I believe I can see Canfodd Island dead ahead!" Birdperson exclaimed.

"WOO, LAND HO!" Squanchy cheered. "Come on, gang, let's show this boring island how to have a little fun!"

As the Rick-stery Machine began sailing towards Canfodd Island, little did the Flesh Curtains know that someone else was also visiting this dimension, albeit for more sinister reasons.

--

Elsewhere, in a massive castle on the island of Mariejois, the Lord Superior Officer stood in a room with five well-dressed old men, with Repre S. Entative standing next to a large middle-aged man in a red suit while he picked flies out of his teeth. "Uh, so many flies." Repre groaned as he removed the flies and flicked them onto the man's body, which incinerated on impact.

"I consider it an honor and a pleasure that you made the time to see me today, Five Elders." Lord Kuriya announced gladly. "I'm sure, as the supreme rulers of this world, you must be very busy men, so I apologize if our meeting runs a little longer than expected."

"Enough brownnosing, sir. Give us one good reason why you have brought us here before you today." One of the old men, Saint Jaygarcia Saturn, interrupted Demido's groveling.

"Right, apologies," Demido stated as he presented a hologram of Rick and Haruko. "These two are Haruha "Haruko Haruhara" Raharu of Dimension GFL-618 and Richard Sanchez C-137. They are the leaders of a criminal rock band known as the Flesh Curtains, which have been bedeviling my forces for quite a while now. I have reason to believe your dimension is their next target. If left unchecked, their chaos shall tear your world order apart."

"Could they perhaps be more dangerous than Roger?" Saint Marcus Mars, another one of the Five Elders, commented tersely while stroking his long beard.

"Nonsense! What damage could an old man and a teenage girl cause?!" Marcus's compatriot Saint Topman Warcury inquired.

"Regardless, whatever this duo may be capable of, we need to be on our guard if our guest here is anything to go by." Saint Ethanbaron V. Nusjaro added. "We shall allow him access to our resources to further his goals. But make no mistake, we only do this to protect our world. Whatever you have planned for us, we refuse to take part in it."

"I suppose we have a deal then," Saint Shepherd Ju Peter said as he shook hands with Demido Kuriya, unaware that Demido had ordered his forces to install a Medical Mechanica factory buried deep beneath the ocean, where no one would find it until it was too late. Akainu, we shall place our guests in your capable hands."

"You have my word, sirs." Vice Admiral Sakazuki, better known by his alias Akainu, bowed compliantly to his masters while Repre continued picking flies out of his teeth, which Akainu found very annoying. "Can you please stop throwing flies at me?"

"Hey, let's see you try not to get hit in the face with a tiny fly bomb!" Repre shouted back indignantly.

Elsewhere, deep within the castle, a tall humanoid cloaked in shadow sat on a throne surrounded by nineteen weapons and gazed contemplatively towards the distance, having overheard the Five Elders' conversation with Medical Mechanica through their unique telepathic powers, now knowing of Rick and Haruko's presence in this world. However, they seemed to take an interest in Haruko in particular, almost like she reminded them of someone. With her free spirit, defiance towards authority figures, playful and wanderlust nature that seemed so attractive to so many people, and her penchant for causing chaos wherever she went in search of fun and adventure, it seemed like she could be a dead ringer for…..

"Joy Boy."

--

Canfodd was just as dull as Haruko was told it would be. Everything seemed too gray and dreary, giving her an uncomfortable reminder of Wasprus before its destruction. However, with the Flesh Curtains' presence, they could bring a little color to this island with their music.

"HELLO CANFODD ISLAND! CAN I GET A WHAT WHAT?!" Rick yelled to his audience, who didn't do anything he said, much to his disappointment. "Fine, keep being boring. But you won't be bored for long once we play some sick-ass tunes! And don't go away cause our guitarist here is eager to perform a solo! Come on out, Haruko Haruhara!"

As if on cue, fog began rolling in onstage, making the audience slightly interested as a silhouette of Haruko emerged, illuminated by the bright stage lights. "Well, well, well, what have we here?" she purred. "Just a bunch of BITCHES READY TO HAVE THE TIME OF THEIR LIVES!" The fog then immediately faded away, allowing Haruko to present herself in full while clad in a Playboy bunny costume. "Stars in the heavens! Flowers on the Earth! Love to the people! Warrior of Love, I am Haruko Haruhara!" And, for the first time since Haruko first came ashore, the ordinarily dour people of Canfodd started cheering brightly. "NOW ARE YOU READY TO ROCK?!"

"YEAH!" the islanders yelled back.

"Oh yeah, now that's what I'm talkin' 'bout!" Haruko yelled excitedly while tuning up her guitar. "You ready, boys?!"

"You have the slightest idea how little that squanches it down?!" Squanchy cried. "WE ARE THE FLESH CURTAINS! ONE, TWO, THREE, SQUANCH!" At Squanchy's cue, the Flesh Curtains began playing for their captive audience.

"Birth and growth, a low altitude flight. A discovery grasped tightly in my hand." Haruko started singing.

"Our cells are bootleg, our companion roulette. An advantage of being born in circles." Rick added.

"We will go on with our beloved Darwin!" Birdperson declared before the song's chorus kicked in.

"Never evolving, we're in the midst of returning to our origins!" the trio sang together. "We brag with ambiguity as our weapon! Rebo-o-o-o-rn to spiky seeds!" The audience began cheering as the first part of the song concluded. Not too far away, however, trouble would soon come in the form of a Marine ship sailing towards Canfodd.

--

"You've got to be kidding me!" Akainu growled while spying on the concert through binoculars that were melting in his hands from how angry he was getting. "They're playing music for them?! That's why we should fear these intruders?!"

"I'll give these guys this, I quite like their music." Aokiji, one of Akainu's fellow vice admirals, remarked while lazily leaning against the ship's mast. "If we're lucky, I can get a Tone Dial from them."

"You lied to us!" Akainu roared as he held Demido and Repre's necks in a vicelike grip, his arms turning into magma. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you both right now!"

"Now, now, Sakazuki, calm down, please." Kizaru, a tall man wearing a pair of fancy sunglasses, tried easing his fellow vice admiral's violent outburst, albeit somewhat sarcastically. "These criminals are having a concert; ooh, how terrifying! What else could they do next? Steal forty cakes? That's as many as four tens, and that's terrible."

"This is no time for jokes, Borsalino; what could these two be hiding?" Akainu grumbled as he dropped his two would-be victims onto the deck.

"You can suspect us of as much treason as you want, but you should also know who the true enemy is here." Demido proclaimed while dusting off his cloak and jacket. "As I am sure your superiors have informed you, Rick is one of the smartest individuals to have ever existed in any dimension in the multiverse, while Haruko's eccentric and violent nature is only exacerbated by her desire for the multiversal singularity known as Atomsk, which only makes her even more dangerous."

"He is indeed correct." Kizaru agreed with Demido. "Maintaining Medical Mechanica's agenda is our top priority."

"Yes, we shall take them by surprise and use the resulting chaos to our advantage!" Repre said eagerly. "And I will personally make Rick and Haruko pay for making me, Repre S. Entative, Medical Mechanica's most beloved and competent employee, look like an utter buffoon! I will prove to them that I am capable of far more than just a reoccurring threat for them to humiliate every week; I will be their worst nightmare!"

"It looks like he has something to prove," Aokiji dryly commented as Repre continued ranting.

"It's his insecurities and superiority complex fueling his desires to live up to my expectations as a clone of myself." Demido casually said, causing Aokiji's eyes to nearly pop out of his skull as he gave the Lord Superior Officer a funny look.

--

"Damage and recovery, a daring game of survival." Haruko continued singing for her captive fans. "A once-in-a-lifetime adventure!"

"Succession and descent, a lofty calling." Rick added as he played along with Haruko's singing. "The unchallenged position we've longed for."

"This is no time to be yawning!" Birdperson declared.

"Tonight is the night for the century plant to bloom proudly in full glory!" the trio sang the chorus together. "We'll give our first and final cry! Rebo-o-o-o-rn to spiky seeds!"

"Stand ready for our arrival, worms!" Repre boomed from a distance, suddenly interrupting the concert as the Marine ship docked at Canfodd, and he disembarked alongside Demido, Akainu, Aokiji, and Kizaru. "Make way for the homo-superior, you pretty things."

"Sheeeeeeeeiiiiiiit." Rick and Haruko declared in unison, dragging their profanity out for added emphasis on how screwed they were.

"Oh, what a terrible turn of events!" Repre said in overdramatic faux surprise before he smiled a wicked sneer. "I love a terrible turn of events."

"The Vespa Woman and the mad scientist, we meet at last." Akainu scowled. "Mr. Kuriya here has warned of how dangerous you can be, but so far, I do not understand what the hype is all about."

"Hey, nice outfit there, good-looking." Aokiji nonchalantly made a pass at Haruko's bunny girl costume. "Are you free tonight?"

"Oh shit, not these guys." Rick groaned in irritation. "Sorry, everyone, but I'm afraid I'm gonna have to cut our show short on account of the goddamn World Government getting on our asses now."

"Hang on now, we're not here to hurt anyone; we just wanna bring these jokers in because we've been told they're a real big threat to the world," Aokiji stated. "Now, lemme see if I got the bounties right. Rick is 800,000,000 berries, Haruko is 600,000,000, the birdman is 210,000,000, and the cat thing is worth 500."

"Come on, I'm worth way more than that!" Squanchy complained.

"Put 'em all together, and you got…." Aokiji declared as he struggled to count on his fingers. "Shit, it was right on the tip of my tongue too. Ah well, maybe a nap will clear my head." Much to the Flesh Curtains and Medical Mechanica's shock and Akainu's annoyance, Aokiji began lying down for a quick rest. "Nobody wake me up until I feel like it."

"I'm starting to think this was a bad idea," Demido grumbled.

"I don't know why we were so afraid of these guys if that sleepyhead is not doing anything." Haruko chuckled. "Ooh, look, he's gonna take a nap; I'm so scared!"

"Don't start laughing now, Haruko; these guys are not to be messed with." Rick stated as he unsheathed his guitar, readying it for a fight." They're soon to become admirals in the Marines, or so I've heard, so don't underestimate these guys, especially Clifford the Big Red Homicidal Maniac here."

"Well, I guess if Kuzan isn't up for it, I suppose it's up to us now, Borsalino." Akainu snarled as his arm turned into pure magma. "Just try and keep up."

"Don't underestimate me too much." Kizaru smugly said as he vanished in a flash of light and reappeared just as quickly to strike Birdperson in the chest, sending him crashing into a nearby house.

"Okay, what the heck was that?!" Haruko yelled as she clashed her Flying V with Kizaru's abnormally long leg.

"They got Devil Fruits. Basically, take a bite of one of them, and you could either become a particular element, alter your body, or become a giant animal!" Rick said before discovering a massive army of Medical Machines flying towards Canfodd at Repre's command, led by a large bull-like machine dressed like a basketball player.

"Medical Machine Armada, transform and rise up!" Repre declared as the Medical Machines touched down and transformed into various deadly machinery to combat the Flesh Curtains.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd think we're in the final battle," Rick commented.

"Really? We only got two chapters left in this baby!" Haruko added. "Of course, that's implying the author won't just forget about us like he did with Marvel Gems or Boiling Blood."

"Guys, save the snarky meta-humor for later," Squanchy said as he swallowed a pill, transforming from a small cat-like creature into a massive, hulking furry titan that began fighting Medical Machines left and right. "SQAUNCHY SMASH PUNY ROBOTS, SQUANCHY SQUANCHIEST THERE IS!"

"I guess it's like they always say: there's always more than one way to skin a cat." Repre grinned sadistically as he transformed his middle finger into a shearing knife and leaped towards Squanchy, leaving Rick and Haruko alone against Demido and Akainu.

"Okay, Ruko, here's the plan. I'll take Big Red; you settle the score with the Emperor." Rick decided as he charged at Akainu and swiftly dodged the vice admiral's lava-filled assault.

"Screw you, I can take 'em both!" Haruko replied with an audacious, Getter Robo-like grin as she leaped towards her archnemesis and landed the first attack with her guitar. "DAICON THREE!"

"Ah, I see Rick is starting to rub off on you, little girl," Demido observed with a similar smile as he drew his weapon. It looked like an ordinary bo staff at first, but with the press of a button, Demido revealed numerous weapons hidden inside its faux-wooden body, from lighters to screwdrivers, knives, corkscrews, swords, laser pointers, and various other tools for whatever situation the Lord Superior Officer found himself in. "Pretty impressive, huh? I bet you're pretty impressed. I had this custom-made with weapons I collected in my line of work. Like this one, right here." He gestured to one of the weapons that emerged from the staff. "They call it a Keyblade; I got it from a man named Xehanort, who was kind enough to give me one from this place called the Keyblade Graveyard."

In the middle of Demido's explanation, however, he was suddenly struck in the face by Haruko jabbing him in his mechanical eye with the head of her guitar. "So, you want to play hard, Vespa Woman?! I was hoping you wanted to!"

"I've been itching to settle things with you for a while." Haruko growled as she punctuated every word with a bash of her guitar over Demido's head, which he tried to deflect with his weapon. "Especially after how you took everything from me! My home, my family, my friends, my normal life! But now, I get the chance to take it all back! The only thing that would make this revenge even sweeter was if I had Atomsk empowering me to waste your sorry ass!"

"Ah, I see you're jonesing for Atomsk as well." Demido sneered, hoping to incite Haruko's righteous anger further. "Well, I don't know what to tell you, little one, but I don't believe Atomsk would ever be interested in someone as immature and self-centered as you are. He only sees potential in those willing to grow as people before lending them his power. And frankly, I don't see you being strong enough to capture any galaxy in any universe. You're no universal singularity, you're no Devil Fruit user, and you're certainly not Rick Sanchez! You're just a scared little girl trying to take some control over the little life she has left."

Despite Demido's attempts at breaking her will, his taunting only made Haruko angrier and angrier with every word he said with every intent of demeaning her, calling her out for being a mere tagalong to Rick and company and refusing to grow up, as something inside her began to snap. "Face it, Haruha Raharu, I've observed you for long enough." Demido scoffed before grabbing her by the neck and smashing her into the ground. "You have officially reached your limit."

"Limit? Limit?!" Haruko muttered in pure rage as she got up and glared daggers at Demido. "LIMIT?!" Then, like a pink blur, Haruko ran all the way to the very edge of the other side of the island, cluing Demido in on what she was planning to do.

"What is Haruko doing?!" Birdperson exclaimed as he continued facing off against Kizaru.

"Demido pressed a few too many personal buttons." Rick observed as he and Akainu gawked at what Haruko was planning to do. "He shouldn't have did that."

"LIMIT?!" Haruko screamed, letting out the most furious and deranged laugh she had ever let out while preparing to charge at Demido with everything she's got. "I'VE GOT YOUR LIMIT RIGHT HERE!" With an absolutely beastly roar, Haruko launched herself straight towards Demido with every intention of murdering him on the spot, a fact Demido was willing to accept as he egged her on.

"Come on, come on, I want you to do it, I want you to do it." Demido muttered eagerly as Haruko got closer and closer. "Come on, hit me, hit me, hit me!"

"Sir, get out of the way!" Repre yelled in horror, not wanting to lose his boss and father figure to a mere lower being like Haruko.

"Hey, what did I miss?" Aokiji muttered as he awakened from his nap, having missed out on everything that had happened since he dozed off.

"Come on, hit me!" Demido continued chanting, getting louder and louder until he reached his limit. "HIT ME!" And Haruko did just that, hitting Demido so hard that it caused an explosion that could be seen from all across the world, even from space.

--

On a small island in the East Blue known as Dawn Island, a young boy with a straw hat and a face like a monkey excitedly watched the explosion from afar with his two sworn brothers, even though none of them had a clue what just happened.

On another island, a green-haired boy trained rigorously in the art of swordsmanship when he noticed the explosion as it interrupted his workout.

Not too far away, on an orange farm situated within the Conomi Islands, an orange-haired little girl was caught off guard by the explosion and fell over while carrying a basket of oranges.

A long-nosed little boy saw the explosion and immediately ran into his hometown of Syrup Village, yelling to everyone that pirates were coming.

On a cruise ship known as the Orbit, a blonde boy with curly eyebrows who was cooking a meal stopped what he was doing when he heard the explosion.

On Drum Island, an island in the Grand Line that seemed stuck in perpetual winter, a blue-nosed reindeer wandering through the woods was briefly startled by the loud sound and hid behind a tree.

While hiding from the Marines hunting her down, a nervous black-haired girl briefly perked up upon hearing the explosion, causing the Marines to stop what they were doing and wonder what was going on.

A blue-haired boy dressed only in a gaudy Hawaiian shirt and a pair of briefs accidentally hit his thumb with a hammer he was using to pound in some nails on a plank of wood once he heard the explosion.

In the darkness of the Florian Triangle, a living skeleton with a large afro stood alone on the ghost ship his deceased crew once sailed, gazing out into the foggy sea before the explosion reached his ears. That is, if he still had any ears.

A large shark-like Fishman watched the explosion from afar with his pirate crew, all resembling various kinds of marine life. One in particular, a saw shark Fishman with a large, serrated saw-like nose, rolled his eyes with a grimace.

--

As the dust settled, Haruko panted harshly as her adrenaline high wore off and she collapsed on the ground from exhaustion. "How do you like that, BITCH?!"

Unfortunately for the Vespa Woman, Demido emerged from the smoke none the worse for wear, but he did reveal that his suit & cloak were damaged in the attack, and his cybernetics were beginning to malfunction. "All that, and the only thing you did was ruin my suit?!" he roared angrily while grabbing Haruko's arm in a way that caused all her other limbs to cease functioning and take advantage of her being completely drained. "I must admit, you keep impressing me, Haruha, but unfortunately, this is where we must end our little encounters." He then raised the barely conscious Wasprian to the sky, presenting her exhausted body to the crowd of scared villagers. "Now then, anyone else care to join her?!"

All was silent for just a few more moments before Squanchy, having been injured from his earlier battle with Repre and returned to his normal size, emerged from the crowd and defiantly tossed a piece of trash at Demido's face. "If you wanna squanch Haruko, you'll have to get through me first!"

"And me!" Rick added.

"And me!" Birdperson declared.

"And me!" a villager spoke up, inspiring others to stand up for the Flesh Curtains and their home in defiance of Medical Mechanica's cruelty.

"Dammit, Demido, I think you might've gone too far," Akainu observed as the people of Canfodd finally decided they had enough of Medical Mechanica's destruction of their home and began fighting off the Medical Machines. "You only recruited us to defend these people, and now you've nearly killed them all just to get rid of four specific criminals!"

"Wouldn't you have done the same?" Demido asked coolly, making Akainu's eyes widen in shock at this question before he facepalmed with a groan, realizing that Demido may have been right. "Good to know we're on the same page. Now then, without further ado!" He then turned to the giant basketball machine. "Kareem Abdul JabBot! I command you to burn this worthless island to the ground."

The basketball-playing bot nodded and generated a bomb in its hands to dunk onto the ground, causing another large explosion that shook Canfodd and its citizens.

"Oh my, he truly is a monster," Kizaru said as he watched the carnage. "Whatever shall we do?"

"So, it turns out our colleague is a sociopathic maniac, huh?" Aokiji muttered disdainfully. "Well, I've been sitting around long enough. Time for me to go to work." The Blue Pheasant then locked in as he cracked his knuckles, causing a distinct icy chill to blow in the wind as he lazily strolled towards the destruction the Kareem Abdul JabBot was causing. "Hey, you, giant basketball-playing robot, either stop what you're doing or I'm gonna have to shut you down! Who knows? Maybe Vegapunk will have a use for you."

The robot stopped its rampage and turned to Aokiji, steam blowing out of its nose as the vice admiral stood in defiance of the giant robot, a far cry from the lazy man he presented himself as earlier, as he conjured up a sword made of ice. "Ice Saber!"

"Look, pal, I get what you're doing, and I think your powers are really cool, but I think I'll go with a different approach." Haruko stated as she stepped up beside Aokiji, who noticed Squanchy riding on her back. "Let's go, baby, time to come on and slam!" Haruko quickly changed her bunny girl costume into a skimpy basketball uniform as she dribbled a ball she conjured out of nowhere, causing the robot to get into a defensive position.

"Well, this is new." Aokiji observed curiously as Haruko challenged the Kareem Abdul JabBot to an impromptu basketball game, with everyone else eagerly watching from the sidelines.

"You have got to be kidding me," Akainu grumbled in confusion at what he was seeing. "I don't get paid enough for this level of shit! And trust me, I've seen plenty of shit as a member of the Marines!"

"As a matter of fact, I agree," Repre replied dryly. I have had enough of this world; I just want to go home."

"Whoo, you go, girl!" Squanchy yelled as Haruko tried to score a goal, but the Kareem Abdul JabBot kept blocking her path.

"She's got moves," Kizaru said, admiring the Vespa Woman's fancy footwork. "And that robot is really good at basketball."

"Probably being programmed for such a thing helps," Akainu replied.

"Geez, big guy, could you try not to look so smug?!" Haruko smirked as the robot continued blocking, only to receive some unexpected assistance. "You!"

"Ice Block: Partisan!" Aokiji announced as he launched several spires made of ice at JabBot, and they all pierced straight through its massive body. "Now, Vespa Woman!"

"Don't have to tell us twice, Mister Freeze!" Squanchy replied. "Ready, Haruko?!"

"You betcha!" Haruko agreed as she prepared a final attack. "Hey, big boy! Prepare yourself for this! "

"Yo, what's she doing?!" Rick exclaimed.

"She is performing the ultimate game-making…." Birdperson began.

"THREE-POINTER!" the duo shouted in unison as Haruko jumped into the air, ready to make a perfect slamdunk. "SHE'S FLYING!"

"The left hand is a whole 'nother place!" Haruko and Squanchy declared as Haruko touched the robot's shoulder. The two smashed the basketball directly on its head, causing the Kareem Abdul JabBot to explode and ending Medical Mechanica's assault on Canfodd.

"It's all in how you dunk the ball." Haruko confidently said with the ball in her hands before she turned to Demido with a growl. "So, how's that for my limit, suit man, huh?! What's the matter, gonna cry?!"

"I see I have much more to learn about you, Haruko." Demido shook his head in disbelief at Haruko's skills. "I believe we've seen enough. All troops, evacuate at once and return to base! We are finished here." As the Lord Superior Officer gave his orders, the Medical Machines gathered around the destroyed basketball robot and began picking up whatever remains they could find before leaving Dimension D-722 through N.O portals.

"This isn't over, Haruko." Demido sneered as he and Repre began leaving, too, acknowledging the three vice admirals one last time as they exited via Demido's portal gun.

"I suppose our work here is done." Akainu proclaimed. "Surprisingly, you turned out to be quite helpful against Medical Mechanica, Flesh Curtains. But mark my words; your bounties are still in effect, and should you ever return here, we will hunt you down."

"Well, you know what they say, gubba nub-nub doo rah-kah," Birdperson responded. "That is how my people say, 'Whatever helps you sleep at night.'" With that, the vice admirals finally left Canfodd to rebuild itself after Medical Mechanica's invasion and boarded their ship back to headquarters. They were going to have a word with their superiors once they returned.

"And that, as they say, is the end of that." Rick declared before turning to Haruko and patting her on the back. "Not bad, kiddo, maybe we should shoot some hoops together sometime! You got some real good moves."

"Thanks, Pops," Haruko said coyly and gave Rick a peck on his cheek when the island's mayor emerged from the crowd.

"Rick Sanchez and Haruko Haruhara, for you and your band's efforts to protect our people from those vile mechanical miscreants, we would like to thank you and your amazing performance with a grand celebration in your honor!" the mayor announced.

"What, you're not pissed off after how we nearly squanched your home?" Squanchy asked.

"Eh, don't worry, this happens often on our island." The mayor answered. "In fact, we're used to it by now." He then turned to his people with his arms in the air like he just didn't care. "Now then, who's ready to party?!" The people of Canfodd began cheering for the Flesh Curtains as the band started another performance, and this time, they wouldn't have anybody interrupting them.

--

After what felt like a week of partying, the Flesh Curtains were finally ready to leave Canfodd for a new dimension to tour, but not without a final farewell present. Over the week, a statue was erected in the Flesh Curtains' honor, depicting Haruko's heroic basketball game against the Kareem Abdul JabBot with Squanchy clinging onto her back, with Rick, Birdperson, the admirals, and Medical Mechanica watching from afar.

Back at Marine Headquarters, the Flesh Curtains' bounties remained in effect, with Rick still being worth 800,000,000 berries, Haruko having a bounty of 600,000,000 berries, Birdperson retaining a 210,000,000 berry bounty, and Squanchy being worth a measly 500 berries, totaling in the Flesh Curtains being worth 1,610,000,500 berries. But this time, they would be joined by Demido Kuriya and Repre S. Entative, the former now having a bounty of 900,000,000 berries for his assault on Canfodd and eagerly endangering the lives of a whole island, while the latter was given a bounty of 700,000,000.

However, as the Flesh Curtains left Dimension D-722, Haruko sat in the darkness of her room, her only company being Demido's taunting words from their showdown on Canfodd. "Well, I don't know what to tell you, little one, but I don't believe Atomsk would ever be interested in someone as immature and self-centered as you are." Demido sneered in Haruko's head. "He only sees potential in those willing to grow as people before lending them his power. And frankly, I don't see you being strong enough to capture any galaxy in any universe. You're no universal singularity, you're no Devil Fruit user, and you're certainly not Rick Sanchez! You're just a scared little girl trying to take some control over the little life she has left."

Haruko began tossing and turning in her bed as Demido continued mocking her. "Face it, Haruha Raharu, I've observed you for long enough. You have officially reached your limit."

"Oh, I'll show him my limit once I find him!" Haruko murmured to herself while looking at the metal bracelet on her wrist. "Thankfully, Rick and the gang should be just what I need."

Outside Haruko's room, Rick began writing something in a notepad titled "THE MECHANICA MISSION."

--

Meanwhile, at Medical Mechanica's primary headquarters on a distant, heavily industrialized planet that bore a curious resemblance to Earth, the multi-dimensional technology conglomerate's board of directors stood together on a balcony overseeing throngs of excited cybernetic employees. To the left stood a cyborg dressed like a stereotypical wizard, a giant mutant cyborg ostrich, a cyborg gargoyle-like monster, a muscular red demon with a pitchfork for a hand and his horns shaved off, and an effeminate humanoid who decorated his cybernetics with lavish jewelry and was wearing sunglasses for no reason. To the right stood a mutated cyborg fusion of a gorilla and a baboon, a living computer virus in a robotic body with wire-like hair, an orange-skinned Rockinoid with cybernetic eyes and wristbands depicting the four elements, and a stereotypical pirate with hooks in place of fingers, his energy core sticking prominently out of his back, and peg-legs serving as feet.

"DEMIDO, KURIYA! DEMIDO, KURIYA! DEMIDO, KURIYA!" the servants of Medical Mechanica cheered as their supreme leader emerged from the shadows to face his subjects, accompanied by Repre, Yamaguchi, and a pair of Medical Machine guards wielding hard light spears. Elated to see his minions delighted by his presence, the Lord Superior Officer gave them all a little wave before he began his speech.

"Employees of Medical Mechanica, today is the most joyous of days!" Demido announced.

"Are you bringing back Taco Tuesday?" a mechanical hedgehog enforcer of the LSO's will asked excitedly while standing alongside a cyborg fox with four tails and an echidna whose fists seemed too big for him to carry.

"Actually, yes, but I was planning on keeping that a surprise," Demido answered. "But I have gathered you all here today for the presentation of our latest acquired asset! BEHOLD!" To the side, a sheet was pulled off a massive birdcage that contained a gargantuan, red-colored phoenix trying desperately to escape. "I present to you all the successfully captured Pirate King himself, Atomsk! If not for your combined efforts, he would not be in our clutches at this moment. As a reward, I shall give you all a week's worth of free tacos!"

"Yeah, you go, girl!" a crocodilian cyborg cheered delightedly.

"We love you, Demido!" a female frog-like cyborg squealed.

"SIGN MY READER-INSERT FANFICTION!" a dark-skinned cyborg woman cried desperately while Demido reveled in the adoration of his slaves.

"So, can we begin subjugating all who have ever existed, ever will exist, and ever could exist in the multiverse and eliminate all traces of individual thought now, milord?" Repre asked eagerly while rubbing his hands together like the sniveling worm he was.

"Not quite. We need to run a few tests first to ensure he's ready to go." Demido sneered as he turned to the computer virus and the wizard. "Malbyte, Mersid, how is progress going on our tests?"

"Which ones, the experiments on the ones we collected from Wasprus or our examination of Atomsk?" the wizardlike Mersid asked.

"Both are progressing splendidly, your grandness." Malbyte said in a surprisingly boyish voice for his intimidating form. "Soon, ultimate power shall be yours to take, and absolutely no one can stop us." Demido grinned evilly at the news.

--

"Oy, quit making a mess of me money bin, you five-fingered heathens!" an elderly duck yelled in a thick Scottish accent as he caught Rick and Haruko spray-painting "SCROOGE MCSUCK" on his massive money bin in Dimension DT-217, the pair being unaware of the sudden chill running down their spines as a warning that danger might be afoot.

--

In Loving Memory of The Pillows, The Music Behind FLCL

September 1989 to January 2025

Thank you, my twilight.

At long last, we are done with quite possibly my longest and most ambitious chapter of Rick and Haruko yet. I did not expect this to go so long, but then again, I've been putting off this chapter for a while now, so what do I know? Regardless, things went absolutely insane once we got to the One Piece world! We finally get a taste of just how evil Demido Kuriya is, Haruko is pushed to her absolute limits on what she's willing to do to hunt down Atomsk, and now it's becoming more obvious she's just using Rick and pals to fulfill her endgame. How will Rick eventually respond to a betrayal of this caliber? We'll just have to wait and find out! Hopefully I won't keep you waiting too long this time. Thanks for reading this chapter, everyone!

[cheruv-ii]

LuciBen/LoveBug HCs/Facts:Pt.3-Sillies

(Last part! This one won't be as lore based as the others and will mainly just be silly lil hcs/cute stuff-thank y'all for sticking around for my shenanigans 🙏)

-Ben's the lil spoon

-Ben isn't much of a hugger but he will always cling to Lucien when possible, whenever anyone questions him about it he just tells them Lucien's just "comfortable" to hold onto (not a lie tbh)

-Lucien has a service dog named Latte that absolutely adores Ben, like if she's "off work" then the second she senses Ben, she's BOOKING IT to him. S1 Ben would've been a little icked out (and scared) by a full-size Malamute coming at him, but Big Ben is always happy to give the big pup all his love

-Ben was nervous to come to Lucien's place at first since he lives on the sanctuary he works at, which means theres a lot more of a chance of running into dinos, but he does quickly learn the ones that he will run into are very chill and used to humans so now he can come over without being spooked

-Mia(Lucien's lil sister) is a mechanic and has done an ungodly amount of repairs on the Van, at this point, she's the only one Ben will let touch it

-Lucien and Ben share a pretty similar music taste, mostly because they're constantly introducing each other to new music, so long roadtrips are pretty chill when it comes to who gets the aux

-Whenever they go out and have to look at least somewhat put together, Lucien will put a tiny bit of eyeliner/mascara and lipgloss on Ben, at first Ben was iffy about it but he very quickly got used to it, and even carries around his own little pouch with chapstick, gloss, mascara and eyeliner in his dork pouch

-They absolutely do the little dorky couples' trends you'll see on tiktok (like the nail polish to match each other's eyes, those hug shirts where they paint each other's arms then hug, matching pjs, etc.)

-Neither will admit it, but they are hopeless romantics. Even small romantic gestures from the other will have them giggling n kicking their feet for days

-Lucien's main love language is acts of service, if Ben says he's been stressing about doing something Lucien will do it for him, if Lucien notices the trash/dishes are building up in Ben's dorm he'll take it out/do them for him. Sometimes, Ben won't notice until Lucien's already done it and left, but it always makes him smile.

-On the other hand, Ben's main love language is gift giving, little trinkets he finds that reminds him of Lucien, post it note doodles, plushies (Lucien adores plushies and will always love getting them), you name it. Lucien doesn't really buy many nice things for himself unless they're necessities, so it always feels nice to have someone that does love him enough to think he's worth the money/time spent on gifts.

-Ben does most of the cooking, Lucien knows how to cook but unless it's certain dishes or he's in a certain mood it just stresses him out, whereas Ben grew up cooking with his mom a lot since she was at work a lot and therefore dinner was most of the time they got to spend together, so he finds it actually helps with stress. The boot slop was a low point in his life that we do not talk about.

-Lucien will compliment Ben at whatever chance he can. His hair looks good that day? Compliment. He's cooking, and it smells good? Compliment. The sun hits him in a way that makes his eyes shine and his freckles pop? 100 compliments. Lucien just loves Ben and thinks he's perfect in everything he does, and he's going to let him know that. Ben always gets flustered no matter how many compliments he's gotten.

-If Ben has an essay or exam coming up, Lucien will always stop by to bring him food, make sure he's resting, etc.

-Ben is a notorious clothing thief, I feel like I've mentioned this before, but I am mentioning it again because of how much he does it, someone help Lucien he's running out of clothes.

-They'll spend hours cuddling and talking, nothing else, just taking in each other's presence. They've both "lost" each other at some point in their lives, so they know not to take these things for granted.

-They have inside jokes in ASL, the other camp fam know if they're signing at each other and trying to hide their giggles, then the joke is probably at their expense. Especially Kenji.

-Lucien gets "Love Zoomies" as Sammy calls it, where sometimes Ben will do something or just like- exist- that has Lucien doing laps in his head, stimming, just a huge burst of energy that usually contains him going on about how much he loves Ben while trying not to do a backflip

-Lucien looks like he'd be the scary dog but he is like- the biggest dork, literally and figuratively- especially when it comes to Ben, like I know I've stated it fifteen goddamn times but I genuinely do not think there are enough words for me to properly describe just how madly, insanely, hesd over heels in love with Ben Lucien is, like that is his soulmate, he would take the trauma of Jurassic World an infinite amount of times if it meant he got to love Ben every time.

-Ben has Lucien wrapped around his finger, if he wants something he doesn't even have to say it, Lucien knows and he's already doing it

-Lucien is a biker, and while Ben does very much find it hot, he is also terrified by the way that man drives. He will be a backpack if absolutely necessary, but he will nearly break Lucien's ribs every time with how hard he holds onto him

-Ben was never really a concert enjoyer, hurts his ears and theres just too many people, but after seeing how excited Lucien gets at concerts and how much fun he has, suddenly Ben is a huge concert person, as long as he's with Lucien.

-Lucien's favourite sound in the world is Ben's laugh, the way he squeaks at the end of it, or how if he's laughing hard enough he'll cover his mouth and just go silent, and you can only tell he's laughing because he's shaking and has tears in his eyes- it's just the greatest thing in the world to Lucien. There has been so many time Lucien has completely embarrassed himself, and if it was anyone else laughing he'd curl into a ball and die, but the fact that it was Ben laughing just made everything so worth it.

-Ben thinks Lucien somehow hates pteranodons more than he does, which is crazy, Lucien's whole shtick is that dinosaurs are just doing what they have to do to survive and they shouldn't be punished for it, but pteranodons are a completely different story, they are the wasps of the dino world, they are hell spawns and will be treated as such if they dare come near him. Man, wonder why he hates them sm 🤔

-Lucien is the type of bf to send Ben pictures/videos etc. Of two random things and just caption it "us"

[burst-of-brilliance]

Sitcom AU

Sort of thought of some things for how @sadsoftserve ocs would fit into the Sitcom AU along with some other thoughts. Keep in mind that stuff I'm about to say about Sadsoft's OCs only applies to this AU unless she says otherwise. Also she has full permission to end my life in the event I say something she doesn't like.

Sabrina is like Mera in the sense that her epithet negatively affects her in a much more purely comedic sense than trauma. A running gag would be Sabrina mentioning very bizarre nightmares that she has. Sylvie and Sabrina are both working on getting into good colleges and are sort of competing on who gets their acceptance letter first. Bonnie's mom is not in a coma, hooray! But Bonnie will still not hesitate to throw hands. Bonnie's dad is still in jail and is still a terrible person. I know I first said that sitcom AU kinda waters stuff down but even in sitcoms nothing is perfect. Parker lives with her parents but they still have a hard time handling her ADHD and often drop her off at Percy's house without warning. Percy doesn't mind, Ramsey does sometimes. Oh right, Ramsey and Percy are married. Yup 100% married and they kiss and stuff. Parker realizes this makes her and Bonnie cousins and is super excited about it. Bonnie is fine with it and accepts it in stride. Sabrina pretends that she doesn't feel sort of left out by this. Parker would randomly blurt stuff out like"You're better than my parents, you guys should have kids." and Sabrina and Bonnie would remind her that she can't just stay stuff like that. Eventually, Percy and Ramsey do end up having twin boys. The doctor somehow missed the second baby until Percy started popping him out. Their names are Booker and Patrick. Booker has red hair and blue eyes while Patrick is blonde with yellow eyes. Sadsoftserve has made art of the babies.

SadSoftServe has confirmed 

Ramsey has to deal with Parker AND Diane trying to take his babies. Diane spoils her great nephews excessively and has bought them many expensive gifts. "Oh, I have already paid for their college." "What do you mean you paid for their college, they are babies!?" Diane's bar would be a common location visited in the Sitcom AU. Diane would find Rick in a dumpster in the back, and bring him inside Then when she isn't looking Martin walks in, looks at Rick, and thinks "He could work at the toy store" Then when Diane turns around Rick is gone. The sitcom AU is the result of Zora using all of her stamina all at once and she permanently distorted the time-space continuum. Just joking! Zora is still the number one bounty hunter but she's not a terrorist at least. She's worked with Percy before. She still harasses Ramsey and has joked about practicing juggling using his babies. Ramsey and Percy do not find the joke funny.

[mommyofkittens]

A Court of Fallen Heroes: Chapter 6 - Decisions. Part I.

          An arabic quote I read months ago that stick with me so far said: " Some say its painful to forget someone, other say it's painful to wait for someone. But I say, the worst pain comes when you don't know wheather to wait or forget. "

          It made my body tremble with an unsettling feeling of chaos. My life was an untamed, catastrophic tornado since my parents threw me out of their house and suddenly, the situation went from bad to deadly when I got thrown here. It felt like I had a personal vendetta with life and the universal powers that controled us.

          I've been here, with Niven's family, for almost two weeks now, working and trying to be useful. Half of what i promised myself to wait before I find the courage to kill myself. Not much changed, I just grew used to the wound I had in my sould. I had no new horizon, no signs from the deity that brought me here, no shooting star to make a wish upon. Nothing. Only my pathetic body to count on.

          My old lifestyle was just a reminder of what I never cherished when I had the time.

          So I took what I had at this moment, considered the time I had left as well, and made the best of it so far.

          Every morning I woke up around 5 a.m., disturbed by my dreams. The potion Nimue gave me helped me grab with force some shattered pieces of my previous mind. I can remember faces better, my old university and one single name: Nadia. The girl I talked lastly on the phone before I got pushed here.

          Altough the medicine had some good parts, it had repercusions as well. While I gained more knowledge about my past, I forgot other dear to my heart details: my father's eyes, my mother's voice, the smell of my cat's hair.

          There were moments of clearence, when I watched the crystal empire of the skies and a fugitive image of my dad's irises runned through my head. Other times, I listened to Cynthia's soft voice while she hummed a sad rythm, and tears stung my eyes as I recalled my mom. When Misty was around and climbed on my dress to find her spot next to my chest, underneath my clothes so she could get warm, I used to sniff her furr and close my eyes so I can picture Icarus's joyful personality. I grabbed with my nails whatever small detail mended my bloodied heart. 

          But those where passing moments, fast as time itself and they were rare and prone to be forgotten easily.

          Sometimes I even had this feeling that maybe I can't go back because my life there was finished. I had no purpose anymore, nothing to give and nothing to receive. Other times, I hopped I was more useful here, working for money, feeding the animals, helping the people from Thaibar as best as I could.

          But feeding the pigs and cleaning Nimue's desk wasn't something I felt blessed about, either. I wanted more. It was hard to believe that everything was a damn coincidence. I fell into a book, for god's sake, one full of magic, of adventure, of wars and a little romance. I had to do something for this universe.

          I bought some other clothes as well, at Nimue's request to stop looking like a homeless cowgirl, and learned to style my hair in braided buns, so I could hide its colour better from curious eyes. Everyone warned me about my looks several times, and I grew a little conscious about my complexion. Not to mention the three rosy digits, forever imprinted on my cheek. A parting gift from the sly deity that sent me here. Even with several hours of working under the sun, my pale skin refused to get darker and I received only red spots of sunburn. Nimue offered me a potion to darken my wine tinted hair, so I could go unnoticed by the palace servants and mythical creatures who roamed the forests.

          To no avail. The red dye was hardly getting replaced by the jet black one. The change would last until the next time I washed, when my hair would reject the color, bringing back its shiny burgundy. It was like he had a mind of himself. Not to mention the fact that it seemed to grow with the same color, not my natural chocolate brown. So we all grew use to it and I learned to put a handkerchief around it.

          I started to help Cynthia around the farm every morning. Sometimes I cleaned the kitchen, other times we washed clothes by the river and chatted, like mother and daughter. I started to deeply care for her. I felt like she filled a part of my mother's empty space with her peacefull presence. She wasn't her, but it helped me ease my pain, little by little. She taught me some of their traditional dishes: fried venison, lamb soup, pork sauce with mushrooms, bread.

          I even got the courage once and described her the person I was in love with. Of course, masculinizing her, and she laughed at me and advised me on how I shouldn't jump at every flower he brings me. That I should have my nose high and let myself be chased, to test his patience.

          " A man who desires you should leave everything behind and follow you like the light of his eyes. He should kneel only to you, pray to you like you were his saint, his goddess. Never settle for less, or you will have a miserable life ahead. "

          I would listen carefully to her words. I was still a newborn in this world, basically, and I craved every piece of instruction so I can learn to manage. I wasn't going to tell her that I knew everything she told me. I learned enough from my mother's miserable marriage.

          We got along good, but from time to time, a dark cloud covered her eyes and she would watch me and ugly cry, without saying another word. Her face would distort in a silent plea and she would shiver violently, like the cold claws of death sank under her skin, dragging her to the Underworld.

          We were alone when that happened, and I didn't know how to react so I hugged her through her episode and whispered that I will be by her side, no matter what. Cynthia would sob heavily, making my body tremble as well, and she would clutch my arms like she was about to drown in her sorrow. It worked, rarely, but when her mind was too absorbed by her thoughts she whimpered like a baby:

          " I won't be here anymore... You'll have to carry yourself without me. I am so sorry... I beg you... Please give me your forgiveness... "

          " I trust him... That man tied to you by the tongue of Death... Trust him... I promise you... Don't run from him anymore... He is your fire, that man surrounded by darkness... "

          Then her vision would clear and ask me what happened, with no memory of what she said. I never told her either. She seemed quite unstable and I was afraid I'll make her sadder than she already was. So, I always resumed in only cleaning her face from tears with my blouse, smiling as sweetly as I could. I lied to her multiple times, but she disturbed me with her words and I always tried to forget so I could move on with my task: searching for a way home.

          Only I knew what lied in my heart every time I heard that. It made me wonder if my crashing here was actually meant to be. If I had a role. Nobody told me anything, but I never had the courage to ask, either.

          The worst part was that I started to love them, slowly, surely. They all were dear to me and I tried my best to thank their kindness by sharing my hardly earned golden coins, buying dresses and shoes, flowers for Cynthia and even cheap jewelery, like an iron sun I gifted Niven a few days ago.

          Even Shum and I got along. Some days better than others. We wouldn't talk much, but every small conversation was polite and innofensive. He let me take care of the mare, and it was more than enough to burry the hatcher of war. But even with his nice behaviour, I felt him off.

          I was always super sensitive to people's energy, I could feel their emotions, I could read them fast. Back home I used this gift to learn and read tarot cards for me and for my closest people. I felt like my intuition was helping me guide the reading session. It seemed to work.

          Instead, here, my higher self was always alert every time Shum made a move. He seemed to focus all of his attention on me, as if he tried to combust me with his gaze. I often felt his presence close behind me when I went to work. I didn't know what he planned, but I knew it wasn't pretty.

          The horse felt better and better. She could stand on her own and ate more than any other from the stall. Her black hair was always shinny and her growing muscles were visible under her dark skin. I treated her eczema and her external and internal parasites with several creams and herbal remedies. I washed her properly from time to time to keep any mosquitos away from her other healing wounds on her hooves.

          The stallion became sweeter, playful even and when Shum gave me his permission, I went with her on walks around the fields, holding tightly her ropes. She loved to be kissed by the sun, she loved to feel the grass and smell the sprouting linden trees. As time passed, I started to love her like she was my adoptive child. I could always hear her gretting when she saw me opening the door every morning, with a bucket of food for her. The mare would let her massive head down, waiting for me to kiss her nose and brush her long hair. Misty would follow us like a faithful guardian, jumping on the horse's back when mud stained her silver furr on our walks or watching me as I cleaned the mare.

          I usually kept long conversations with them, and when we were alone, several miles away from the farm, I told them all the stories I remembered from my past life. Sometimes I would cry, as I felt the stallion's merciful brown eyes on me, like she could understand me and pitied me for my suffering. The cat would climb onto my lap and catch my tears from my face, silently acknowledging my fears.

          Niven became my sister quite fast. She would gossip about everyone in town, about whatever her family did that annoyed her, about her past boyfriends and how they had no idea to please her. I would cringe and laugh, telling her about the memories I had, adapting them to this world. She was gracious, pure-hearted and such a good soul. Sometimes, her desire to help every lost spirit made me worry for her safety. I became attached to her more than anyone else, loving her like she was my family. I was around her equally as much as I was in Nimue's shop, preparing medicine.

          Once, when I hugged her, I remembered she resembled one of my dearest cousins from my old world. I knew her name on an instant, Claudia. They had the same dark looks and pale skin. I clutched her to my heart even tighter, fealing a piece of relief in my chest.

          I wondered why I still didn't have the courage to ask her about a library, to tell her my story, how I got here. I wanted to know more about the world beyond the ocean, about Prythian, about the seasonal courts and their High Lords. Maybe that way I could figure out the time inside the plot I fell into. But it was never the right moment and I was always so afraid of being rejected.

          Aoife was like the younger sister of Niven and I. We would always meet in Thaibar when I got myself a pause from Nimue and visited her store. We would talk about her family, about how her mother's situation was getting worse. I asked her to bring me to her once, so I can consult her, see if I can give her any medicine without making Aoife pay for anything.

          I knew she lived in a less than modest inn and that she was the only provider. Their living space was tidy and smelled like fresh dandelions, but it could trigger claustrophobia for the ones faint of heart. Even so, there was enough space for a chamber with two beds, the main room was also the kitchen and the place where they would bath. I laid my bag on the rusty table next to the simple clay vase filled with fresh flowers. There were three chairs, covered with a brown sheet so it could cover the cracks. Her windows where half painted with something that looked like glue, a pair of worn out red curtains covering them.

          Her mother's illness, Lydia, was quite advanced. She would be delusional most of the time, talking nonsens and walking naked around the house. When she first saw me, she bowed deeply, her forehead touching the ground and chanted a prayer like an obedient nun.

          It took me by surprise, even if Aoife warned me about what I was about to encounter. I blinked a couple of time, shaking the surprised figure off of my face and I smiled swiftly.

          " Like mother, like daughter. " I complimented, searching her blonde locks and deep blue eyes.

          The girl was a devoted image of her mother. Both small, with a slender figure and elegant features.

          Aoife approved with a tiny gesture, her heart-shaped face holding a sad mine as she watched her mother's sanity drifting between her fingers. After I asked a couple of questions and examined the woman myself, I had a strong feeling she dealt with what I used to call in my old world: schizophrenia.

          I would have said that maybe dementia or alzheimer could be involved as well, but it was not only a short term memory loss. Her odd way of acting, how she saw things, how she spoke to someone who was not in the room, all of these were more common for this type of mentall illness rather than anything else.

          Her mother was not with us anymore. She was lost in her own world and only a miracole could help her.

          " I'm afraid her mentallity is trapped inside it's own. " I explain, taking an elegant shaped bottle from my brown bag, " Pulling her outside of the dimension she made to protect herself might be dangerous for more than one reason. "

          " Can you be more specific? " Aoife pleased, placing her small and slim fingers on the table. " I know she's crazy, if your words are just a sophisticated way of saying it. I need to know if there's something I can do to either ease her pain or heal her. "

          She had been working at her flower shop and cleaned in a hurry when I came. Her wrists and nails were stained with mud and bits of grass and she radiated earthly tones of perfume, mixed with chrysanthemum.

          " I'm afraid she has no sense of pain anymore. " Speaking, I sting her mother's bare foot in several places, watching as her lost expresion never falters. " Her illness might be a protective mechanism against a traumatic event. Did she experince something like that? Do you remember? "

          The woman smiled at us, wide, crystal blue eyes piercing us both, like she saw something floating around. " There is so much gold! I want that in my pockets! Oh and those tongues of Death!... " Lydia rocked her thin body from side to side, laughing like a naughty teenager. Her clothes were disheveled and a few sizes too big for her sudden lost of weight.

          " I have no idea... " Aoife frowned, examining her mother causciously. " She was like this before my father left us. The only people that know are probably Niven's father or Nimue, as she was the one to tend to her. "

          Ah, great, so no one I could ask.

          " Alright, I'll see what I can find out and depending on that... Maybe we can find a way to help her. "

          The blonde laughed soflty, brushing a tear that escaped from her peacefull eyes and embraced me. " That will be wonderfull. Even if you don't find a solution, only the fact that you were willing to help means so much to me. "

          I smiled, holding her shoulders in my hands. A sudden thought passed my mind: I used to hold my lover like this before.

          I broke the hug, like her skin burned my hands and rushed to give her the bottle. " When she starts having her episodes, pour a few drops in a glass, enough to fill the bottom, then water. It will calm her and she'll sleep soundly. "

          " Thank you, again! "

          Something caught our attention outside and we stilled in the position. The noise made by a large crowd seemed to grow bigger and louder as they aproached the door to Aoife's place. It seemed like a revolution started on the streets and they wanted to burn all the houses.

          A few expresions passed our faces as we tried to decide what to do.

          In my humble opinion, I had no idea what a noisy crowd could mean here. In my dimension, this was either a protest or a wedding. Here, maybe someone sold his daughter and was throwing golden coins or someone was getting hanged publicly. Two different ideas I gathered from two different shows: Game of Thrones and Outlander. And francly, both of them had too much sexual assault for me to stomach.

          With a growing fear inside my bones, I tried to decide if I should be the one to check or let Aoife be the bait. I studied her for a few seconds, taking in her tiny silhouette and angelic features, just two of the reasons someone would jump her with no remorse.

          It wouldn't be fair to her. It was her world and I had a dying wish. And between the two of us, I was the one with a scar on my face. I was the one to check.

          I put my index on my lips, gesturing to remain silent and I moved closer to the window curtains.

          Lydia started to clap and laugh. " Mother, please. " Aoife asked, grabbing her from the bed and trying to hide her in another room.

          Peeking slowly over the glue paint, I only saw the streets swallowed by men and women, pleading and cheering. Colors of brown and black blocked my view, like a plague covering Thaibar. It seemed like a funeral. The image of that old man being beaten to death by the guards appeared before my eyes, the hollow and sick looks the people gave him as he drew his last breath before me.

          " I don't think it's safe. " I announce and must the courage to open the creaking door just  enough to throw an eye outside.

          Aoife comes to my side and studies the events from the town.

          " A royal parade? " She questiones, both in awe and horror, pushing past me.

          A royal what?

          Several dark knights walked proudly through the corridor made of people, sharp swords on their backs and the royal emblema shinning on their iron shoulders. They looked terrifying in their black costumes, with their face covered, spreading a smell of death and blood in the air. Some of them had arrows as weapons and I couldn't help but wonder if it was the famous ash wood that poisoned their edge. Their horses seemed as dangerous as they were, with red pupils and dressed in heavy armours. They seemed wild and aggressive, their galop loud and synchronised.

          " I don't think it's wise to get out. " I whisper, trying to grip her arm and pull her back inside

          The same hole digged between my lungs as my fingers roamed in the air, unable to find her in time.

          " Who's that? " Aoife asked again, standing on her toes to see over the peasant's head. " I have never seen him inside the palace. "

          As I stepped next to her, I locked our hands together. Alarmed, I studied the people passing, overwhelmed by the loud shouts and the amount of information coming my way. My intuition told me to run far away from that demonstration of power, but the blondie's feet were deeply rooted inside the earth.

          The first one I saw was the new king. Or at least, the one I suspected to be, thanks to the massive, golden crown engulfing his chestnut locks. His sharp face held a machiavelic expression, filled with victory and superiority. The man's trimmed beard and moustache was perfectly alligned with his high cheeckbones and black eyebrows. I felt like his beauty was speckled by harshly cut features: small eyes, straight eyebrows, angular mouth and a square chin. 

          He didn't wear any armour, only a fine tailored brown and gold suit that matched his tanned complexion. It looked like a cheap version of the High Fae's.

          " Is that the king? " I whisper in Aoife's ear and she approves, ducking her head so she wouldn't be seen by him. Her eyes remained locked on the stranger that followed close behind the crowned man.

          I raised my head and something inside me stirres. Red alarms rang inside my brain while I try to get a grip of my balls before I faint. It was like a deja-vu, eerie and unbelievable. I knew this man or... I felt like I knew him.

          The first thing I noticed over the sea of humans was red, a natural dark red, slightly auburn when the few sun rays hit his hair. It was kept at the back of his neck, leaving the long strands to carress his round shoulders. His face was long and arrogant, slightly ducked, so he could see every dirty peasant who asked for a few coins. Moving slowly, he dug his left hand inside his horse's bag and threw a fistfull of money in the air. His thin eyebrows frowned at the disgusting image of humans searching the mud.

          He was noble as well and the colours of his tailored jacket were more than enough to guess who he was. This, and the grey morality of the character visible even now, by visiting Hybern. Green and orange, embroided with heavy, shinny buttons. He must be Eris Vanserra, the heir of the Autumn Court.

          I swallowed and checked the dark handkerchief around my head. What should I do? He might be my ticket to Prythian, to my possible salvation. But how the fuck would I get close to him with so many guards and the high chances of getting fried by his powers. I wasn't even sure that going to the other continent would help me much, who would listen to me there? What was I even going to say?

          " Hi, I fell from the sky. Please help me get home. "

          It was a possibility though, even if it meant to start over...

          Of course, if I made it alive there, if I convinced Eris, the shadiest motherfucker from the series, with dark morals and high standards. Why wouldn't he make his way with me, trick me, then leave me like trash, nailed to a random tree? He was a Fae, after all, and I've heard enough not to trust him at all.

          But he did make it clear in the series that he tried to help Morrigan by breaking their engagement.

          I pressed a thumb to my temple, and focused on him. He was not a bad man... fae, whatever. Maybe...

          Pull yourself together, you're acting like a child!

          " Lower your heads!  " Nimue materialised from thin air, dragging me and Aoife away from the show.

          " What's the matter? " I asked, almost breaking my legs on the slippery streets.

          " You adore being the center of attention, little demon? " She snickered, pushing us inside her shop. " The man from the Autumn Court eyed you for minutes on end and you didn't even had the shame to avert yours. "

          " I was... No, I didn't realise... " I started to apologise, rubbind my hands.

          " Maybe he was watching me. " Aoife said, gathering her dress and peeking out the window again.

          " No, that gruesome king was watching you. That's even worse. For fuck's sake, stay away from the window! " Nimue screamed, grabbing the girl from her shoulders and pushing her aside. " You wouldn't want their attention drawn to you, trust me, these are fae creatures. They are aggressive and possessive, and really, really powerfull. What bussines do you have with him? "

          Aoife opened her mouth, but quicly closed it, ashamed.

          " Who are they? " I asked, trying to calm my breath.

          " The king's name is Draegan. He is a bastard who crowned himself and his mother after his father died during the war from Pryhtian. "

          " Who killed the last king? "

          This, this was the piece of information I needed to be sure of the timeline.

          " There are three sisters, the youngest one is the first High Lady in history. She reigns with her husband, Rhysand, over the Night Court. The first and second born sisters beheaded the King of Hybern. " Nimue confirmed my suspicions, giving me a solid point of where I was.

          So I fell in the fourth book, or somewhere right after the third.

          " And the redhead? " Aoife pursed her lips, swirling a blonde strand on her finger.

          " He is the oldest son of Beron, the High Lord of the Autumn Court. He is heir to the throne and is very, very unpredictable. " She wiped the concerned look from her face and shushed us.

          There was no doubt of what I had to do next. Risky or not, I had to talk to Niven.

          When the voices of the crowd slowly died, Nimue pulled two black cloacks from her drawers. " Both of you go back to your houses. Don't come outside untill tomorrow. Draegan is mad enough to put spies to follow Aoife if he caught his attention. "

          We circled the working table, filled as always with books and potions, and went to the back door.

          " This will help you leave unnoticed. Take Aoife to the farm. " Nimue commanded, her lilac dress swriling aroung her feet as she hurried us down the dusty path. " We'll meet after the weekend passes... Hopefully. "

          I stared back at the woman, noticing the concerned air surrounding her. A bad taste filled my mouth as grey clouds covered Thaibar, drowning the houses in a darker haze. A growing fear held my breath hostage between my rib cage as I studied the Countess's beautiful features. Deep down, I felt like it was the last time I would see her sour face.

           " Go! " She hissed again, throwing her hands in our direction.

          I bit back my anxiety and made a few steps behind. Our eyes met and in that weird moment, a cryptic thought passed between her mind to mine.

          The iminent sense of danger. 

          I took Aoife by the shoulders and put her head down, just as a shadow moved above the houses. Nimue's lips moved quickly, whispering, then blew the air upon us. I felt my skin tingly, like a thousand bugs crawled and nipped at it underneath my dress.

          " I feel so damn itchy. " Aoife started, scratching her face and neck, " The Countess has lices?! "

          I shake my head and push a finger between my lips, telling her to be quiet. As I moved my hand in front of my vision, I catch a glimpse of my aged, pale skin, covered with patches of darker spots.

          " She glamoured us... " I murmur towards the blonde, feeling the gravity of the world pulling me inside the magma center.

          " She really is a witch. "

          And the magic does exist.

          The child inside me danced with joy at the simple realization. Peeking again over my hood, I saw my master talking to two tall men. The third one was coming after us.

          " Aoife, someone is coming after us. Follow my lead. " I whisper, falsely tripping over the uneven road. " Oh... Haha, silly me, Gertrude... "

          The girl watched me skeptical and I nugged her with my elbow, " Your knees might be better, sister, but I took my father's vigorous genes. "

          Her laugh scratched my ears, sounding like a veritable crow.

          " Ladies. " A rough voice caught us from behind and we slowly turned, putting a hand over my hunched back.

          " Oh, look Gertrude, maybe you won't die an old lady after all. "

          Understanding shines in Aoife's blue eyes, and the satisfaction of the game crosses her now old face. " Shut up, you old hag, you know I've always liked blondes. "

          I could feel the knight's smoldering gaze even through the iron mask he wore over his face. The man was at least two heads taller than Aoife and I, and his oppressive energy was like a knife in the back of my neck. 

          " Ladies... " His voice was tinged with a hint of cunning and brute force, as if he had also trained his vocal cords to resemble his massive body.

          " Miss! " Aoife corrected him, brushing her now white locks with her bony fingers.

          The man looked back, as if he could barely contain his irritation, then turned to us, " Have you seen two young women walking around the village: a blonde, works at the palace and another wearing a blue headscarf? A few peasants said they came to these fields. "

         I can feel the muscles in her face tighten, squeezing my forearm tighter. Her eyebrow twitches, but she manages to keep her innocent appearance.

          " Sir, I can't see with my right eye and, obviously, the left one is crooked and suffers from glaucoma. I'm practically blind, I haven't seen anyone. " I laugh loudly, then suddenly stop, faking a backpain.

          " I can see... I won't keep you from your work, then. " The knight's dumb joke didn't pas unnoticed. As he left, he did not bid us farewell, nor did he look at us a second time and hurried to the witch's hut.

          From the distance, I catch Nimue's lilac eyes staring at me, and a slight warm breeze ruffles her brunette hair.

          We're fine. I try to tell her through telepathy, as if my magic  would just pop out of nowhere.

          " Actually, sir, I think I saw something. " Aoife finds herself speaking and I can barely keep myself from throwing her off the hill, " The blonde is preparing to bury her mother, it seems she died last night. She was going to the forest to collect flowers, but I have never seen the one with the headscarf, can you describe her better? "

          " Unfortunately, all we know is that she always covers her head and wanders around the village. The king thanks you for the information. "

          We both turn to our way and walk slowly to the forest where the parties were organized. When we are surrounded by pairs of tall trees, I pull down my hood and stop Aoife. I didn't even realized that spell had dissipated, so now I could look at the young version of the girl.

          " What was that? " I question, pulling my hand from her wrist, " What was with all those explanations? What if we got caught? "

          Aoife doesn't answer right away, instead she takes a deep breath and tugs a few strands of blonde hair from her head as she combs it with her fingers. She spins around a patch of grass, aggressively trampling over a handful of healthy marigolds, good enough for making tea.

          " Aoife, please stop... " I speak again, much calmer now, and put my hands on her shoulders, turning her face to mine. " I can help you. "

          The girl's physiognomy had completely changed: from hope to sadness, from ecstasy to agony. Tears stood on her lower eyelids, clinging to her blonde eyelashes.

          " I'm pregnant. " Her testimony hangs between the leaves, long enough for me to process the information.

          " With who? " I manage to keep my face solemn, trying hard not to make her go back into her shell.

          She doesn't answer me, but puts her hot hands over my palms and sobs jerkily. I remember our first conversation, in which she acknowledged that working at the palace was not all about cleaning and servitude. 

          " I asked about you because I wanted to know that being seen with me won't put you in any danger. If you change your handkerchief you will be fine, but I... I must either erase my own existence from the earth or someone else will erase it for me. " She puts her hands on her pelvis and falls slightly to her knees. "I'm so sorry, but I can't hold you, you're made with a monster..."

          I wipe a few drops of newly formed sweat and suddenly feel sick. Her child was made with Draegan, hence those languid looks, her searching, her desire to get into someone else's bed to hide whose child it really was.

         " If you're sure that's what you want, I can help you. " I admit as I sit on the ground next to her small body, then cup her face between my dusty fingers. " As long as the pregnancy is not far enough, I can help you get rid of it. "

          My mouth felt bitter talking about an unborn child like that. I didn't know which one was a more appropriate term for abortion: 'to kill him' or 'to get rid of him'. In either case, it sounded as if we were talking about a parasite, not a being in the process of becoming.

          But all these aspects were held by the age of the pregnancy: if it was less than a month or two, we couldn't talk about a life. It was very much an embryo, no heart, no lungs, no first breath, it would have been like any failed pregnancy. But if the child was much older, four, even five months, we were about to kill our first human.

          " A few weeks, three, maybe even four... "

          " Can I take a look? " I ask her cautiously and examine her abdomen as much as possible through the thin dress she was wearing, then feel her belly carefully.

          Everything was imperceptible. I couldn't tell just from a physical exam how advanced the pregnancy was. For a proper determination I had to separate her legs and look with a candle in her vagina in the middle of the forest. It wasn't medically ethical. But, again, nothing in this word was ethical.

        " I'm going to speak to Nimue as soon as possible to give you an abortion medicine. You must remain under her care for a day or two to make sure that the embryo is safely removed and that we can stop any bleeding that may follow. "

          " I can't pay you. All my money went to my mother's treatment. "

          " You don't have to, I have some money. I know Nimue. I'll solve it for you... "

          I bite the inside of my cheek, thinking about the bag of golden coins I'd painstakingly gathered during the weeks I'd worked for Nimue, waiting for me inside the nightstand that was now intended for the few clothes Nivy's mother made for me.

          I always had a little selfishness in me, I hated sharing my material goods and food with my younger cousins. Being the first niece in the family, I had to offer to others, without my will, much more often than I would have liked to. I was often left without the things that I enjoyed or with too little of them to satisfy me. That's how I ended up underappreciating myself and eating much less at our dinners, so that I could leave more to my parents. I thought about how they always worked to maintain our family and how they needed much more strength than me. The same thing occured with my younger cousins. If there were more of us at the table, I would take the wings, to leave the rest of the chicken to them.

          It was a small sacrifice for the things they gave me over the years.

          My father also taught me to save money and to avoid buying too many clothes, books or other things that in his eyes were useless. He gave me a small business from which I made enough money to be able to support myself and not rely on him anymore. It was not always prosperous, it mostly depended on the season, summer and autumn, when wine was made and people needed to preserve it over a longer period of time.

          Of course, other people appeared to whom I would have given my flesh in exchange, but they could only be counted on one hand: my mother, my girlfriend and my cousins from my mother's side. So no, I couldn't say that I would give my skin for my father, even though I knew deep down that he had done so much for me. The emotions that connected us had either rusted with age or dried up and petrified due to the many painful misunderstandings between us.

          " I'll find a way to pay you back. " Aoife sighed, wiping her eyes with the lining of her cloak, " You may think it's horrible that I have to give up the child, but I have no financial situation, nor a good mental state. I can't raise a poor, innocent soul to be happy. "

          " Don't think of me as an executioner. I am not putting a stigma on you and I don't see you differently. As an apprentice in medicine, I appreciate your rational side and I will try to help you as best as I can." I try to calm her down, while brushing her blonde strands that had stuck to her wet cheeks, " If it makes you feel any better, I would've made the same decision as you. You don't want to see your child barefoot like the ones in Thaibar. Let's just hope that he too will understand this when you both reach the skies. "

          From an early age I was taught, or whatever, I taught myself not to show my feelings: not to cry, because I would be weak and annoying, not to be happy, because in the next two seconds my father was going to crush my happiness, not to ask for bicycles, phones, laptops, because I would be constantly yelled at about the sacrifices he made for those money. All I had to do was wear the sickly smile, stuck with force in the middle of my face and a sterile dessert in my soul.

          However, my heart silently ached whenever I was hurt by those around me. Now, hearing such words even about an embryo that was going to be cut off from any chance of becoming a child, it shattered in my chest, throwing its sharp glass into my stomach.

          I place a hand on my own uterus, thinking about my words. I never wished for children. I wanted to live the life I didn't get until I was 23 years old, happy and without worries. I liked saving animals and taking care of them. I loved giving my hard earned money to adoption centers and volunteering there. I loved nature and theater, old music and opera. I could appreciate absolutely any kind of beautiful art and I could be cerebral at the same time. I always fought for what I loved, a living proof was my relationship from my old world.

          Would I be able to fight for a living for my child? Did I knew enough to teach him as well? Where would I get the money to dress him, to buy him something to eat? Could I offer him a roof to protect him from the cold and the rain?

         No. And I think that's what Aoife was thinking now.

          " Come on, get up, clean your face, we have to get to Niven and stay at the farm. " My words pass by her while I try to lift her from her mohammedan position.

          Sobs came uncontrollably from her already dry lips and her hands were shaking. She raises her eyes, now blue as the depths of the sea, and opens her mouth several times, trying to convey something to me.

          " Shh, shh, we'll be fine. I promise. "

          The girl places a hand on her sternum, burying her black fingernails in the white shirt she was wearing. I wrap my arms around her and rock her back and forth, like my mother used to do to calm me down.

          " After I kill my child, I'm going to sneak onto my uncle's ship and go to the continent. " Aoife explained, her voice barely rising through the broken sobs. I remain frozen, with my ears glued to her head. 

          I don't know what shocked me more: the words she chose, the frankness of it or the fact that she had a chance to leave.

          " Where do you want to go? "

          " Far from Prythian, on the northernmost continent, right near the shore where many immigrant ships anchor. There is a place where only women and a few children are allowed to stay. " She watched me with a spark of hope. " Not many people know about this place. It's a refuge for all species of creatures, protected by several layers of spells. Rosehall. "

          Rosehall. Rose-Hall. Another name I had heard of but being such an insignificant detail, I had forgotten about it.

          " You should run away with me. I can feel you don't belong here. "

          A second passes as I stare at her, with my mouth half opened, waiting for her to admit that she knows who I am and how I got here. I slowly roll my eyes around, waiting to see the farmers coming out with pitchforks and hammers from the trees. Not only was I an outsider, but I also had red hair. A flame for moths. And I also admitted that it was okay to want an abortion. Some people would torture you alive just for the last mentioned aspect.

          " What do you mean? " I ask cautiously, raising myself slightly in a more advantageous position for running away.

          " To be honest, I don't know what I wanted to say either. It's just that... " She looks at me carefully, with warmth, as if she knew me for a lifetime, as if she had seen in my soul something that no one has read before. " Don't mention this to anyone, but either I have a vision problem or I inherited it from my mother... I can see colors around people, my mother used to call it an 'aura' and yours is something I've never seen before : a dazzling gold, as if you were the daughter of the Sun incarnated in a mortal form. You are the first and only one so far. "

           I blinked a few times. A lot of compliments in one sentence. They were compliments, right? Golden aura, daughter of the Sun, the only one with such a color. Should I feel special? Because if the answer is yes, then I was definitely totally in the wrong direction. I wanted to make myself small and unimportant, as I was two seconds ago, before she told me what a strange color I have around me. 

          Thinking about it, Lydia did mention something today: enough gold to put in her pockets, tongues of Death. Was this all connected?

          I believed Aoife. I've always had an unbreakable faith in supernatural things, chakras, wicca stuff, crystals, tarot, aura, palm or coffee readings. How many times have I been with my mother to a weird old woman to make us reads in coffee beans. And above all of this: I fell through layers and layers of worlds, piled on top of each other. I could believe anything at this point.

          I was also very sensitive to the energy of the people around me. I could feel them from a kilometer away with what intentions they came towards me, who is bad or good, who is hidden or just introverted. I didn't take it as some superhuman quality, but only as a repercussion of the traumas at home when I learned to recognize the person by the steps and developed my peripheral view.

          " You'll say I'm crazy. " She stated, aware of every expression written on my face. Of course, my eyebrows had risen to the middle of my forehead, but I couldn't control myself. "My mother could see the Shadow People roaming around Thaibar late at night. You've probably heard that you shouldn't go near the forest unless you're in a very large group. It's good that Nimue and Niven's family warned you to cover your hair: these creatures have a weakness for stunning, red-haired women."

          " No, I'm sorry, I take your word for it. I've also seen enough in my life. Thank you for trusting me. " I smile at her and try to pick her up. " Before we leave, can you tell me if you see anything else? You know, in my aura? "

          Aoife seems caught on the wrong foot, but she quickly balances herself and frowns, as if she is trying to move an object with the power of her mind.

          " No. I've tried before, but I keep bumping into something when I want to dig deeper. It feels like you have a shield around you, sometimes they appear like sharp, shadow tongues. They intertwine in a thin thread  with your aura and they go somewhere, but the trail is cut, like it was severed. "

          I nod, half satisfied, half confused. I take her forearm in mine and gently lead her down the treaded path that led to Niven's family farm. The road through the woods was a very devious way to get to their house. It came through the back of the village and led to a large door, hollowed out in the surrounding walls.

          I glance at Aoife out of the corner of my eye, weighing on my tongue the question I've been dying to ask her ever since I heard that her uncle has a ship. This meant two things: if Aoife managed to filter herself in, either she could help me too or women were allowed on board as well. It was my ticket out of Thaibar.

          Of course, I had to think about several things if I wanted to run away with blondie. Well, if she ever let me come with her. Where I was going to go, money, how to reach the characters I knew from the book and how to persuade them into helping me. And all of this only if someone doesn't suddenly decide to kill me in all the other stages. I could get my hands on a map of Prythian. What I couldn't do was get to Velaris, where many of the Inner Circle spent their lives.

          Let's not talk about the fact that sexual assault here was something that occured often inside every court I had to cross to reach the night one. And not only that: it was the killing factor, as I said, thieves, creatures and faes and I had close to zero military training to deal with them. I didn't know how to handle a knife beyond chopping and cutting herbs and meat, I didn't know how to fight with someone. I only knew how to struggle and hope that I manage to do some damage. They had no guns here, just bows or swords or daggers. And on top of that: I had no powers to use.

          It was phenomenal how I had fallen into this universe, survived the crash and received no special power, no unique ability. Nothing. I was just a simple healer.

          The only thing I could use to my advantage, if I was going to travel, was to search through Nimue's manuals and get myself some poisons, sulfuric acid, something that could have resembled firecrackers or bombs, and all this had to be carried in a purse and in sufficiently resistant containers.

          Dear good. How complicated it was to get back to my own shitty life. If I must say one thing: I don't even know why I'm fighting so much to get back. No one was waiting for me except Icarus, and my life was as precarious as here. At least in this world I had something to eat.

          I raise a hand to massage my temples and sigh.

          I didn't know where to start the plan and where to end. My mind was broken. What I needed now was a second opinion: Niven. I was determined, today I have to talk to her, to convince her that I'm not crazy and that neither is she and that  I'm not from this world.

          " Something is bothering you. " Aoife observed, who now seemed a bit more relaxed, " Is it about our discussion earlier? "

          " Not at all. I promised that I would help you and I will do so. It's just..." I grimace, refusing to look at her, focusing my gaze on Niven's house from a few steps away. " If you were to leave, as you said, can I come with you? "

          Aoife measures me from head to toe. Someone calls us from afar.

          " I thought you were happy here. Why would you want to leave? "

          " You were right when you said I'm not from here. I have to find my way back home. " I confess as I stop on my tracks, my black cloak sweeping the ground around me. " I can't stay here forever, I need help and I think I can find it on the continent. "

          " You mean Prythian or the northern continent, right? " Aoife says cautiously, her blonde hair shining brightly in the light.

          I lightly nod my head and see her understanding passing in her eyes. "Something happened here... "

          " Girls, you're on time. Some of the workers from dad's church brought some bags with books they found there. " Niven speaks excitedly, moving her gaze from me to Aoife, who were staring at each other. " Um, since mom has work and Shum is away, I was thinking you could help me organize them and take them back when I'm ready. Did something happen? "

          " I think Cyan has something very important to tell us. "

          I finally look at the most important person in my life for the last few weeks. My savior, who was either going to think I was crazy or kick me out. Sweat was running down her temples and upper lip and the sleeves of her gray shirt were up to her elbows.

          " Niven, it's time to tell you the truth." 

          " You finally found the courage... I have been waiting for you to talk to me. "

P.S.: The chapter is not fully edited. Tomorrow part 2 is up. ❤️

[jenuinelycurious]

It was strange, for only you could hear the soft words. Whispers of a voice that you never knew, but still struck a familiar cord would remind the teachings of your ailing mother and remind you that the tough love of your father was equal weight as it was counter to the protective love of your mother. Encouraging you to not only listen and learn, but try new things and mistakes. One of your favorite sayings from the rock in your primary years still rings true: "You came into the world messy on your first try, so why strive for perfection on your first try in anything else?"

Needless to say, you loved adventuring outdoors and never shied away from gross or unbecoming things and situations. Much to your mother's dismay and your father's amusement. But it was all forgiven and forgotten during bath time.

It wasn't until your pre-teen years did the whispering voice become louder, more talkative. Single reminders and anecdotal lines became full, conversive sentences. Paragraphs of instruction that would sometimes need to be followed to the capital T. And the one time you didn't follow the given instructions, you heard the rock choke on a cry.

"Why did you do that?" It whispered. The voice sounded strained and wet, though the rock was as dry as ever, nestled in your sweater pocket.

You coughed once to clear your own throat, "I thought it would be okay if..." But you couldn't finish. Even you had read on the red flags on what was transpiring, and you still ignored them. Ignored your rock's careful, instructed voice.

You stared down at your hand, the wrist swollen from a break and your thumb cold and numb. The ones of your jeans scraped and torn with a pebbles of blood dripping through, indents of gravel stick in your hands that you were carefully getting it with your one good hand.

You had done your best to catch your fall, listening to the frantic instruction from your rock to pivot forward and tuck into a roll, but you caught yourself late.

Still, it was better than a broken leg or neck when you had been shoved off the land bridge.

When you finally removed what you could of the gravel within your hands, you looked to the rock. It has fallen from your pocket at some point, and it looked just as sad as it sounded. With a wet huff, you gently, carefully leaned over and picked up into a cradle.

"I'm sorry I didn't listen." You whisper into it as you middle it close to your cheek, tears salting the surface.

After a decent bit of silence, the rock whispered: "The harshest lessons derive from heartbreak... But it's the healing that takes place afterwards that make the lessons worthwhile." Before you could process in full what it meant, the voice whispered even softer, "I'm sorry I couldn't protect you."

You blink. You stare. And you find it hard to think until you finally take in a sharp breathe, "why would you say that? You're my rock; my guide. If you think you failed in something, it's because I chose not to listen."

"No," it cut in quickly, voice clipped but meaningful, "I...I wasn't always your rock. At least, not like this."

All you could do was blink as you cradled your rock in your good hand. It wasn't until after a long silence did it speak again, this time saying you should rock back home and have your parents take you to the doctor. You nod, whisper an okay, and do just that.

Later that night, when you were tucked in bed the best you could be with a thoroughly wrapped and casted wrist and bandages, your mom decided to bring out a picture book. This one you had never seen before, and it looked more hand made than the others she had shared with you throughout the years.

There was one picture that struck you with hard feelings that you couldn't understand and pointed at it, "whose this, momma?"

She grew silent and you heard her swallow thickly. Hey arm around you tightened until you pressed against her so tightly, you thought you were either going to be crushed or end up in her lap. Finally, she whispered into the crown of your head, "That's ____, your older sibling. Even though you were nearly twelve years apart, they were so excited to learn you were being brought into this world..."

Get melancholy voice didn't go pass you, as well as the use of her chosen tense. Your small brows scrunched together in confusion with a mountain of questions, but you finally settled on one that you hope might get several answers at once.

"Were?" When you looked back up at your mother, she looked as though she was fighting back sobs. Without a second thought, you reached up and gave her a long hug around the neck and nuzzled her cheek as best you could. She still snuggled, and edges of your hair and cheek became wet for a moment before she sighed a wet chuckle and pulled back.

"Sorry, baby--" you shook your head, but she continued, "it's...a tough discussion, but... We agreed that you're ready."

Now you were doubly confused. Through that confusion, you sensed a story-time and curled back into your mother's side to listen, all the while staring at your older sibling in the picture.

The story was of your sibling; their birth, their childhood, and their near-cusp into their teenage life. From what you gathered, they were smart--clever, even, to where they had to learn to out-smart bullies from both kid and adult ages; funny, more so in snark and sarcasm that your father never got enough of; and their golden trait that even your mother admired, very caring. They always seemed to know what to say to help a person or situation. Especially during her pregnancy with you. He would often snuggle up to her swelling tummy after making sure she was doing okay and whisper all the things that you and them were going to do once you arrived in the world.

"My favorite thing they would say to you was 'it's going to be messy, but you'll arrive messy, so I think that'll be okay.'" She giggled through a small sniffle as another year edged her eye.

Your eyes widened a bit at the familiar words. You look over to your rock, sitting in it's perch on your windowsill with the starlight glowing on its exterior, and slowly asked, "Why aren't they here, now?"

A depressing sigh from your mother had her say fully into you until she had encompassed you fully into her arms. She bent down until her face was snuggling your cheek and keep you two there for a silent moment. You were confused, but didn't say anything; instead, you wiggled your good hand free and gently patted your mother's cheek until she smiled.

"I was breaching my third trimester with you, when I became sick. The doctors couldn't pin exactly what was wrong with me, and you quickly stopped gaining weight. So, I was sent home and had a live-in nurse for the next couple of weeks, practically force-feeding me disgusting gruel and powdered vitamins to ensure your health through the illness.

One night, your sibling came in with an old book, frayed edges and all, and showed me a page they believed was exactly what was wrong with me. And the antidote? A mushroom flower that only sprang up during the wet season. I had to admit, the symptoms listed and hand-drawn in diagram examples were striking in their similarities, but I reminded them it was late Autumn and our best bet might be too show the nurse so she could pass the information to the doctors. Maybe they might have a medicine in their holding made from that very plant?" She chuckled against your check with a find sigh, "Their put-out look was the cutest when they said they tried, but the nurse waved them off with nothing more than a condescending 'there's a good child.'"

Her smile quickly fell into a frown and she kissed your cheek for comfort, of which you suspect was more for her than you.

"They stated that even though it was late Autumn, we had a number of storms come through recently and that the mushroom flower might be growing that very evening in our backyard woods. I knew exactly where their mind was going and I vehemently told them to stay in the house; I'll set an appointment with the doctor in the morning to show what they found to see if it will help on anything. They seemed to agree and I thought that was the end of it."

Her choice of words coupled with her voice told you it hadn't been the end. You stared up at her as she stared into the picture that showed your sibling: kneeled next to your mother, who was sitting in a chair, and nuzzling her swelling tummy with a warm smile up at the person taking the picture.

You watched as the light in her eyes seemed to dim and another tear streamed down her cheek, followed by another that began to dampen your own. If she hadn't been snuggled so close against you, you wouldn't have heard her when she spoke, "They would have been twenty-four this year..."

You blink at that knowledge, but before you could ask, she continued: "It wasn't the doctor I ended up calling the next morning. When they weren't in their bed, which showed no sign of having been slept in that night, and their coats and boots were missing, alongside that book, a flashlight, and gathering gear..." She took a deep breath and wiped her eyes and cheek, "the search party lasted until you were almost six months, and still no trace of them was found."

You stared at the picture of your smiling sibling, trying your best to put the pieces together. You licked your lips in thought and finally said, "they went to go find the mushroom flower... For you."

"For us," she lovingly corrected. When you have her a confused glance, her smile was the saddest you had ever seen on a person, let alone your mother. "No trace of your sibling had been found, but three days after we reported them missing, a gathering basket was discovered on our stoop, filled with the mushroom flowers, a newly hand-written page in that old book on how to prepare and consume the antidote properly, and a curled note that had been wrapped around an item that simply read: Give to little sibling upon their fifth year."

You blinked up at your mother with wonder and leaned into her, "What was the item that the note was wrapped around?"

Her sad smile moved until it landed by your windowsill, and following her gaze, you see your rock practically glowing against the night. Your breath was caught in your throat as you unconsciously held your mother closer and you hear for your own ears in that familiar, faint whisper you've heard almost all your life: "A rock can be metaphorical...or sometimes physical. But, in the rare occasion, they are sometimes both."

you got a magic rock as a kid that was meant to teach you the “magic words” of please and thank you by reminding you whenever it’s appropriate. Now though it’s begun to recommend whole paragraphs whenever you’re in a sticky situation. The best part is following it’s advice always works out best

[fazscare87]

(Not) Just Another day in Jasper (1/?)

Name’s Hunter, Hunter Reyes, I’m just your “average” teenage bandana-wearing dude living with my mamá, Autumn Hope Reyes. We live in the Town of Jasper, Nevada, just a boring little Town in the middle of a nowhere desert. Soooo, you just gotta find different ways to entertain yourself around here, like hang out with friends, catch a movie, play video games, things like that. But for me, well, let’s just say that sometimes, I like to be a bit more daring~! I like to feel that spark, the one that reminds you you're alive, sometimes. Though I will admit, maybe that spark has also gotten me in trouble sometimes... Nothing that'd get me locked up though, I'm not that daring! I just like to live on the edge, ya know~?

Right now I was working my ass off extra hard at my job, trying to earn some extra cash, trying to save up enough money for a new motorcycle. Yes, a NEW motorcycle. Why? Because I used to own one, I had always wanted one ever since I was little, my mom had gotten me one for my 16th birthday (thanks mamá!), and I loved it ever since. But it wasn’t until it was totaled in a hit-and-run by two douchebag drivers in their flashy purple sports cars, at least I thought that’s what they were. Anyway, doctors said it was a miracle I was alive. But when I asked my mom about getting a new motorcycle, she flat out forbade me from ever riding one again, and that was final, not wanting to lose me, despite my protests, I ultimately agreed, but to my surprise, a few months later, she had changed her mind and would even let me pick out any Motorcycle I wanted, looks like her decision wasn’t so final after all. Only, there was one little catch, I was paying for it, and the one I picked was $4,500… I knew that making that money would be long and hard, but if it meant I could get another motorcycle, I'd do it! So, yeah, you could say I have a pretty average life, or rather, I had a pretty average life. What makes me say that? Well, have I got one hell of a story.

“Thank you, sir! come again!” I said with a fake smile, one of the few “work smiles” I had mastered to appear genuine since the day I first worked at the KO Burger. The moment the customer turned their back, and I was sure my boss couldn’t see me, I’d let out a bored sigh, rubbing my eyes, “Come on, come on…” I thought to myself as I looked at the clock, counting down the minutes- no, the seconds until my shift was over. Today’s shift was already long enough, and I was just ready to clock out and go home. Who knew working at a minimum wage fast food burger joint could be such a headache, from the rude and demanding customers, a few lazy coworkers who don’t pull their weight, the constant smell of grease and oil, and not to mention how shifts tended to drag on, and on, and on, and this summer heat wasn’t exactly helping either. Well, that’d be me, because I’ve worked at this place since last year, so I had an answer to that question, but still. I would've picked somewhere else, like, ANY other job, but, there wasn’t really anywhere else that was hiring, and I never exactly quit this job, so, I was sort of stuck here. But at the very least, it’s a manageable job at best, I mean, I had a decent enough relationship with the boss, and I didn’t have to bring my own lunch, since employees like me got free meals and all… not that they were anything to write home about (unless I cooked it myself), my job was still frustrating, but at least it was something. But on the bright side, it was a payday~! So there was that.

After the clock finally hit 5:00, I got my paycheck, clocked out for the day, and walked outside into the warm summer air! It was refreshing, no more looking at the clock, no more smelling grease, and no more dealing with customers. I'd then lean against the wall of the restaurant as I took out my phone to call my mamá, she always wanted me to give her a call when I got off.

“Hi, mamá.” I said over the phone.

“Hi Hun” She said motherly “So, how was your day at work? See any cute girls at work? Or maybe that mystery biker~?” She teased, I could hear her chuckling to herself on the other end, I rolled my eyes in response, even if it got a small smile from me.

“Hah, very funny. But, ya know, it was the usual, just a long day of taking orders, serving those orders, and putting on a forced smile.”I joked “But, yeah that’s about it, how about your day?”

“Oh, nothing too special, just tidying up the house and running a few errands here and there.” she casually said casually before asking “Do you want me to come to pick you up, Hun? Of course, it’ll be a few minutes.”

“Mmmmm, nah, I’m good.” I replied quickly.

“Are you sure, Hun? I really don’t mind, I’m not doing anything.” She persisted.

“No, mamá, really, I’m good! I mean, it’s your day off, you work again tomorrow and probably the next day after that. Plus, I’m 18, I can take care of myself, you don’t need to worry.” I reassured her, though my response was met with a moment of silence, before she gave me her anseer.

“Alright, alright Hun, if you’re gonna be out then I’ll start making dinner for us, so eat something light if you’re planning on getting a snack or something, and I expect you to be back here in an hour, preferably less. Now, do I make myself clear?” She said, motherly and firmly.

“Yes!” I said to myself before speaking back with her, “Yes ma’am, thanks mamá, and trust me, I won’t even be gone that long.”

“Mmm, we’ll see about that.” she slightly teased “Just be careful out there, love you, Hun.” She said in a motherly soft tone.

“I will mamá, I will. Love you too, Byeee.” I said, and after my mom said bye, I hung up. And with that, I was in the clear.

I walked down the sidewalk, nearly a whole hour of free time, just the right amount of time for me to stretch my legs and unwind a bit after a long workday. After all, standing for 8 hours in a fast food joint in summertime isn’t exactly too pleasant, believe it or not. But I didn’t want to think about work, after today, I'd have a few days off, and I was ready to unwind a little~ Further down the road, I decided to make a quick stop at a gas station, where I bought two energy drinks and a snack to help me recharge a bit. As I waited for the cashier, my mind wandered a bit, and I looked out the window… and that’s when I saw, her, again. My eyes immediately widened and my heart nearly skipped a beat when I recognized the rider and her motorcycle, it was her again! The mystery rider! I'd tell you her name here, but, lemme save that for the next part. Anyway, she looked just as stunning the first time I saw her, and her motorcycle still looked pretty kickass. I had seen her around town a few more times after the first time I saw her. Though sometimes, she’d ride next to this vivid red muscle car with horns on its hood, but today she was riding solo. After getting my bag of groceries and paying the cashier, I immediately went outside. I felt my cheeks flushed as I sorta stared at her, she was parked at one of the gas pumps. I thought, what the hell, I should go over there and talk to her! I wouldn’t mind getting to know her, and who knows maybe she’d be into me, big maybe though, but I’d also settle for just being close friends, I was optimistic. So I took a moment to collect myself, adjusted my bandanna and clothes, fixed my hair, and made sure I didn’t smell like grease, meat, or fried foods. I didn’t wanna look like a blushing idiot, after all, I wanted to make a good first impression~ I then took a deep breath, and mustered the courage to approach her. She looked even more attractive up close, and that leather suit really accentuated her figure~ Yet, she remained motionless, in fact, she hadn’t even gotten off her bike to pump gas or anything, but that wasn’t my business.

“Heyo~” I said, trying to keep my tone confident, and even though she still didn’t turn to look at me, she spoke back!

“Hey. Can I help you?” She replied with a strong, firm voice.

“Keep it cool, keep it cool~….” I said in my head, trying to stay relaxed before I spoke again. “Heh, well, in a way, yeah. Think you can teach me a thing or two?” I shot back, feeling this spark of bravado~

“Oh yeah?” she replied.

I then spoke, going for it, “Yeah, teach me a little about you. I’ve noticed you around town a few times, and honestly? I wouldn’t mind getting to know you better, maybe even hang out sometime~ My name’s Hun—“

Just as I was about to finish saying my name, she chuckled lightly and cut me off. “Sorry, “Smooth Operator”, but I’m not your type, believe me.”

And just like that, she revved up her engine and left. That was, odd, and pretty rude if you ask me. But, at the same time, I really could’ve just said, anything else, so that was my fault too, that could’ve gone better. I kinda stood there for a moment and sighed in a bit of defeat. “Huh, damn.” I said under my breath, before shrugging it off. Ah well, at least I tried, and hey, it's no big deal. Besides, it was just another day in Jasper… At least, that’s what I thought! Because little did I know, was that my average life was about to change, forever.

As I left the gas station, continuing to go down the sidewalk, I still had plenty of time to kill before I’d go home. As I turned down the sidewalk, I swore that I heard the sound of humming, like a car engine. But the next thing I knew, that humming sound I just heard, quickly turned into a roaring engine! I turned my head just in time to see a car racing toward me! I dropped my things in a panic, barely managing to dodge it as it screeched to a halt a few feet where I was originally standing. Talk about a close call, cause damn. I turned around to pick up my things, mumbling “Heh, nice brakes, jacka-“ My words were cut short as soon as I recognized the car now that I was so close. It-… it was one of the two cars that nearly killed me! Same paint job, the same tinted windows, and it had that same logo, it was the same car… I felt my heart sink in my chest, I felt frozen in a mix of fear and anger, but mostly fear. I could feel my heart pounding in my chest, as I remembered painful memories of my near-death experience from that night… I’d snap out of my thoughts. Now my fear turned back into anger. At first, I turned to walk away. I didn’t want to give them the satisfaction of thinking they were getting to me. But, as if to push me even further, the car loudly revved up its engine, the sound startled me at first, but then I felt pissed. That’s when I turned around and walked over to the driver’s side window, ready to give them a piece of my mind! I’d proceed to knock furiously on the window. “Hey! Dude! What the hell is your problem, huh?!” But all I got was silence, they didn’t roll down their window, didn’t say anything from inside the car, nothing, which if anything irritated me even more. Seeing that this was going nowhere, I decided just to leave again, but first, I took a few photos of the car, making sure to get a good shot of that logo, and I still had no idea what it was supposed to be, even when I was up close. It was like, some kind of purple, almost arrow-shaped “face”? That had a kind of sinister look to it, probably custom-made or whatever. I had some more clear evidence at least. “Seeya, asshole~” I said smugly, flipping them off before walking away feeling pretty confident. But, a part of me was like, "I Probably shouldn't have done that." I mean, those guys tried to kill me before, but, not in broad daylight, right? Wrong. Heard the engine start up, and I knew that wasn't good. I started walking faster, didn’t even look back, I was being followed. After a bit I did turn my head slightly, and they, stopped. So I thought that maybe they weren’t gonna do anything, but that’s when I heard the engine revving behind me. Like they were saying "You better run." And I did, and I ran like hell! The car gave chase, I didn't even look back, I just kept running because my life depended on it! It felt like they wanted to make the chase last longer like they were just toying with me! I quickly rounded a corner and ducked into an alley. There was a chain link fence at the end of it, I could climb over in case that driver came back, it wouldn't be my first time having to climb up a fence. As I reached the fence, the car actually drove past the Alley I was hiding in. For a moment I thought I was safe, but I then heard the tires come to a screeching halt, saw the car back up, turned and then floored it towards me! I quickly climbed up just as the car was coming down the alley. I just barely managed to get up and over the top of the fence I quickly lept off, I’d admit, I didn’t exactly stick the landing though, the worst I got was a little winded, but I got away. I stood back up and dusted myself off, seeing the car coming to a stop just a few feet before the fence. I felt pretty safe where I was, it was a pretty high fence and a dumpster between me and them. Feeling pretty confident, I felt like saying one more thing to them couldn’t hurt before I left, right?

“Heh, well, well, well. What’re you gonna do now, tough g-?” Before I could finish my remark, right before my own eyes, in almost a second, the car shifted and rearranged itself into this, huge, 20-something foot tall humanoid robot! A Decepticon! (‘Cons for short) But in this case, it was a Vehicon! Basically Decepticon foot soldiers. Several pieces of the car clung to parts of the Con's body like his chest, arms, pelvis, and lower legs, almost like armor. He had a chrome face/head with a crimson red visor for eyes that casted an ominous glow, and that logo was now on his chest. It happened so fast that it didn’t even click with me at first until the ‘Con towered over me “-uy, Oh- Oh my God!..” my eyes widened in shock and disbelief. I slowly backed up, trying to process everything, my mind was just racing, but I didn’t have much time before the ‘Con effortlessly plowed through the fence, sending dust and some debris everywhere! The dumpster was also flung aside with a loud crash as it hit the ground, the sound of it all was deafening. I managed to scramble out of the way, stumbling back as everything was sent flying around me, my heart was pounding in my chest as I stared up at the ‘Con in terror, who stared back at me before he started walking towards me, I quickly got back on my feet as it approached. As the ‘Con closed in, I frantically looked for an escape route, the only options being in front of me or out of the same alleyway to my left. But when I tried to make a mad run for it, all the ‘Con had to do was slightly step in the direction I was running to cut me off, blocking me from both routes as he kept walking closer! I was in a dilemma, to say the least! There was a Vehicon right in front of me that was getting closer, I couldn't get past him, and soon I was gonna be against the brick wall behind me… and he seemed to be taking his sweet ass time like he was getting a kick out of watching me panic. Not having many options, in a sheer act of desperation I picked up a rock from the ground in an attempt to defend myself “St- Stay Back! I’m warning you!” I shouted… yes, I really tried to intimidate the damn thing… but in my defense, it wasn’t like I had a lot of options! But, sure enough, he didn’t stop coming, so I threw the rock as hard as I could! And as expected, all it did was make a loud clang as it hit. But, to be fair, it did stop the ‘Con, momentarily, but only so he could watch the rock fall to the ground, then look back at me as if to silently say “Was that your best shot?” Before he stepped on the rock, crushing it into dust as he slowly came closer. I felt a hoarse lump in my throat as I backed up, I shouted for help, hoping someone would hear me, even if there wasn’t anything they could do to help... My heart sank when I felt my back against the wall, I had nowhere left to go. The ‘Con stopped just a couple of feet in front of me and began to reach his, three-digit hand toward me. I only shielded myself and shut my eyes, bracing myself to be grabbed…

But before the ‘Con could grab me, I heard another vehicle approaching. I feared the worst as I immediately assumed it was the other Vehicon coming, but then I realized it was a motorcycle engine I heard, and the ‘Con hadn’t grabbed me yet. When I opened my eyes, the ‘Con was looking at the end of the alley, it was that biker chick again! She was coming to save me! I mean, I sure as hell wasn’t complaining, I was grateful even! but I had no idea what she planned to do about the big-ass robot! Just then, I watched as the ‘Con transformed his hand into a blaster and started firing lasers at her! But that didn’t seem to slow her down in the slightest, she effortlessly avoided the laser blasts, weaving through them with ease. When she was close enough, the ‘Con stopped firing, raised his fist, and tried to crush her, only for her to quickly swerve around the ‘Con instead, just as he brought his fist down, smashing into the ground. It was like something out of an action movie! She was even more badass than I thought, and I couldn’t take my eyes off her~ But, just as she got closer, she just, vanished! And that wasn’t all, her bike was still somehow driving itself as it steered and came to a stop in front of me, and just before I could process anything. “Hey! You! Get on! NOW!” It spoke! I hesitated for just a split second, but I quickly complied with the motorcycle’s demand, since she was a hell of a lot better than dealing with the ‘Con! I hopped on her seat and held on tightly to her handles, then she tore off at rapid speeds before he could try and grab me again. I wasn’t driving though, it was all her! When I looked back the ‘Con changed back into a car and sped after us.

As the motorcycle sped down the Alley, all I could really think was “What the Hell is going on?!” But at the same time, at least the talking motorcycle saved just saved me!

“Th- Thanks!” I quickly shouted out to the motorcycle, and that’s when the other Vehicon swerved down the alleyway, heading right toward us!

“Don’t thank me just yet, we still need to get out of the chase alive! Hold on!” She said as she managed to maneuver around the charging ‘Con and sped out of the alleyway, so at least she knew what she was doing, but now both of those ‘Cons were after us. We sped down the road as the ‘Cons followed behind us, it was intense! To make matters worse, they suddenly started firing lasers at us from their hoods! I ducked my head down as the lasers were fired at us, the shots would mostly fly right past us or they'd hit the ground close to us. The motorcycle was still able to outmaneuver the lasers and would try to lose them both.

“Wh- who are you?! What's going on?!” I shouted out, hoping for some sort of answer, although that wasn't really the ideal moment to ask.

“Questions can come later, but for now, keep your head down!” She said as she wide open throttled it.

The chase continued until the motorcycle suddenly made a sharp turn off the road and headed for the desert, I had no idea what she had planned, but I’d roll with it. Soon enough, there wasn't much around us but bare desert and rocks. The motorcycle made quite the distance, but those two ‘Cons would catch up soon. But once she was far enough, the motorcycle would come to a halt.

“Alright, chatterbox, this is your stop. Get yourself hidden somewhere safe, and keep your head down, understand?” she said to me in a stern tone.

“Go- Got it!” I said as I quickly hopped off and ran towards a big rock to hide behind. Though I couldn’t help but watch, I decided to peek out from over the rock, I was just close enough to see and hear everything.

I just saw the Motorcycle sitting in the middle of the road, waiting for the two ‘Cons, and sure enough, they showed up, transforming back into their bot-forms, their blaster hands ready. "How is she possibly gonna take those two things on?!” I thought to myself. Suddenly, the motorcycle started to morph and shift around until she was a feminine 15-foot-tall Bot, an Autobot, to be exact! She had shining blue armor made from the motorcycle, complemented by accents of black on her thighs, hands, feet, and upper arms with a dark gray midriff, subtle touches of pink here, and a silver chrome face with blue eyes and pink lips. And I had to admit, I couldn’t take my eyes off of her~—, not, because she was attractive or anything, it was just the coolest thing ever!

I’d watch intently as the two ‘Cons would aim their blasters at the blue bot, but she didn't seem deterred in the slightest, even when it was two against one... “This ends here, ‘Cons.” She growled before charging at them with pure determination, and they started firing, but she just kept going, didn't even flinch! Then she did this crazy jump in the air and kicked the first ‘Con down to the ground! The other one tried to swing at her, but she was too fast, she dodged it, and knocked that one down too. Freaking insane! She was agile and graceful, even though she was 15 feet tall and made of metal! I don't understand it but man, it was freaking awesome to watch! It was all metal clashing, sparks flying, and lasers! It was giant robots battling it out in real life! It was like watching a movie, or a cartoon, only better! The blue bot would then lay a whole lot of punches into the one ‘Con still standing. But through each of the blue bot’s punches, I heard her say, "This-is-for-Cliff!" in a furious voice, for a brief moment, it made a part of me wonder who this Cliff was, they must be somebody important if she was THAT upset about it. However, the ‘Con looked at the blue bot, mostly unfazed by her attacks, and the other ‘Con had recovered from the first attack. She stepped back into a guarded stance, and they both started firing at her again. She did all these crazy flips and dodged their blasts before going right back at them, a total badass! “Whooo! Hell yeah! Go get 'em!” I shouted, cheering her on. What could I say? My excitement might have gotten the best of me. That was a big mistake though, cause I really should’ve remembered that not only was I in a very dangerous, spot close to the action, but everyone could still hear me. And sure enough, one of the ‘Cons noticed me, and started to run towards me, I was about to run, I probably wasn’t gonna get away, but the blue bot reacted almost immediately, WHAM! The blue bot delivered a firm punch to the ‘Con's back, then she she punched him right in the visor.

“Thanks!” I said with relief, though the blue bot fired a scowl in my direction, probably not too happy that I nearly got myself killed.

“I thought I told you to keep your head down!” she shouted.

Just before I could apologize, with her attention split, the other ‘Con was able to shoot her in the leg. She winced in pain as she fell to her knees, my eyes widening in shock as it happened. But just before the Con could take another shot, BEEP BEEP! When I looked in the direction of the honking, there was a yellow and black, mostly yellow, Urbana-500 speeding down the road towards the Con, which took his attention off the blue bot and try to fire at the speeding car. I thought, “Either that driver really wanted to be a hero, or maybe—” My answer would be quickly answered as the Urbana, still speeding, transformed into yet another robot, he had his cart parts cling to him like armor, kinda like the ‘Cons, though he also had doors that looked like little wings, not that he can fly, he also looked about the same size as the ‘Con. I’d watch as the yellow Bot launched himself at the Con, punching him square in the face! Sending the Con flying back and scraping across the ground! And that yellow and black bot? His name’s Bumblebee, or Bee. It’s kinda funny though, the yellow and black paint-job and the “door wings”, kinda fitting, isn’t it?

“Whoa”, I said in awe.

The blue bot then stood back up, having recovered from her shot, “Whew, about time.” I heard her quip, “Stay down and quiet this time.” She said to me as she ran back to help ‘Bee.

I’d watch as the two Bots took on the two ‘Cons, a much more even fight now. But even with Bee in the mix, they still had a bit of trouble taking on the two ‘Cons, those things were tough as hell. However, the battle wouldn’t last much longer, as the two Cons quickly transformed back into their vehicle forms and drove off, which was a relief for all of us.

I came out from behind my hiding spot, taking a bit of a breather, I was glad that was over. I had to admit, that was the coolest thing in my life, hands down! Though most people would say that was dangerous, they’d be right, but still! When Bee approached the blue bot, when he spoke, well, he didn’t exactly speak, verbally I mean. Instead, he just, beeped and buzzed, I just assume that’s how he talks.

The blue bot just casually responded, “I’m fine, Bee… it’s just a little scratch. Thanks for the assist, but I’m fine…”

So I guess he must’ve asked if she was ok, and at least I knew one of their names. But I had a LOT of questions, like, what were they? Are there more of them? What did those ‘Cons want with me? Who— or, what made them? Because there was no way they were man-made, and what was the blue bot’s name? Granted, that one wasn’t as important as the other’s, I was just curious. But that wasn’t even half the questions I had though. It didn’t take long for Bee to notice me, he beeped and buzzed to the blue bot.

“Ah, the human? They're just a little hitchhiker that got caught up in the crossfire... Look, I'll meet you back at base, but first, I need to make a quick drop-off by taking this person back to civilization. Alright?” She said back to the Yellow bot.

A base? Well, that’s just one more thing for me to wonder about. Bee nodded in agreement, then looked at me again, though time giving a wave (I waved back) before transforming back into an Urbana 500 and driving off. The blue bot let out a sigh as she turned around and changed back into a motorcycle, telling me to hop on. So, I got on her, gripped her handles, and she started to drive. Now that we weren't being chased and were just riding, I had to say, she felt pretty satisfying to ride, she had a nice seat, great balance, a lovely paint job, and not to mention her stylish design. Riding her kinda reminded me of when I used to ride my motorcycle, great times~

“Hey, like I tried saying earlier, thanks for saving my life.” I said, breaking the silence.

“Eh, don’t mention it.” She said somewhat dryly.

“Heh, right. And uh, sorry about, getting you shot and all, I was just, rootin’ for ya.”

She let out a small chuckle before she spoke, “Ah, don’t worry, not the first time I’ve had lasers fired at me, I’ve been through worse.” She said in a slightly teasing tone.

“Oh, heh, cool.” I responded back. “Sooooo, if you don’t mind me asking, what’s your name?”

The motorcycle would only let out a sigh. “Look, to tell you the truth. You shouldn’t even know I exist, let alone my name! What were you even doing to get yourself in trouble with those two ‘Cons?” She pressed in a more serious tone.

“Huh, right. But uh, as for the ‘Con thing, I don’t know what I did. But here's the thing, that was the second time I ran into those things! The exact same ones! They nearly killed me a few months ago!” I said to her.

“Wait, a second time? You’re telling me you’ve had a run-in with them before?” She asked, her tone was still serious, but there with a hint of concern.

“Yeah, pretty much.” I responded.

“Hmm, well, whatever the case, you’re lucky to be alive…” She said in a softer tone. Then she offered to drop me off somewhere safe. I figured it’d be best for me to get back, after the day I had and all. And since she was offering. I gladly took that offer, and not too long later, we’d be in my neighborhood, she got me back home in a solid time too. “Right here,” I said as she stopped right in front of my house. I climbed off her as she activated her holographic rider, which looked, very convincing, might I add. I looked on my phone just to see how much time had passed since the whole ordeal, turns out I had about left 20 minutes to spare. “Sweet.” I said to myself as I turned around to the motorcycle. “Hey, again, thanks for everything.” I said as I gave her a light smile.

“Heh, sure thing, it was the least I could do.” She said in a somewhat softer tone, before it shifted... “Well, I guess we’re done here, but one more thing.” She said before she slowly pulled forward and closer to me, and she still was, forcing me to back up. “You better keep your mouth shut about what you just saw today. Because if you tell anyone about me, or your close encounter, I will hunt. You. Down. Got it?” She said as she backed me up against the garage door. Even if I couldn’t see her face, I could tell she was giving me a serious glare. I felt intimidated, to say the least, though that was probably the point.

“Ye- yeah. I got it.” I said with a nod, though honestly, who would believe me anyway?

“Good, now, I don’t exist, and you didn’t see anything out of the ordinary, alright?” She said, still stern but, not as intimidating.

“You don’t exist, and I didn’t see anything weird today. Got it” I said, giving her a thumbs up, and with that, she backed up, but she didn’t say a word. “… Soooo, you sure I still can’t know your name?” I asked one last time.

“Stay safe.” She said in a firm yet soft tone before she drove off to God knew where.

Man, what a hell of a day. I mean, it just started as a regular boring workday, next, the mystery biker chick who I, admittedly had a crush on? turns out to be a robot, the same goes for the two cars that nearly killed me a few months ago, then I’m in the middle of a robot fight, and there were vehicles that disqu– no wait, robots that disguise themselves as vehicles! I probably could’ve died multiple times, but at the same time, that was awesome! And I was probably the only person who knew too! Plus, I got to meet that blue bot too, total badass~! I wouldn’t mind seeing her again~ Preferably, not in a life-threatening situation like today, or being hunted down by her, I’d just, really like to see her again, get to know her a bit more or something. Still wish I got her name though, but ah well. Who knows, maybe by some miracle I’d see her again.

I dusted myself off one last time just to be sure and composed myself before entering. My mom said I came just in time for dinner, though to be honest after everything that happened, I wasn’t all that hungry, too much excitement. Over dinner, my mom would just chat, like we usually do, though when she asked me what I did before I came home, I, didn’t really think of what to tell her, but, I “improvised” a little~ or just lied. Hey, I wasn’t supposed to tell her, right? So I said “Ahh, nothin’ much, just got a drink and a small snack, then I just walked around Town, before I got a ride home, ya know? Just takin’ it easy after a long work day~” I said in a confident tone, and luckily, that little lie worked, she didn’t even suspect a thing. After dinner, things were pretty straightforward, I helped her clean the table, load the dishwasher, we talked a bit, and I washed my bandana before I went upstairs to my room for the rest of the night. Normally I’m more of a night owl, but I guess a long workday mixed with being chased by living cars/robots would probably take a lot out of anyone. But before I went to bed, I video-messaged my dad first. It’s just something I always do, at least once or a few times a week. He, doesn’t reply back or anything, but I know he gets my messages, trust me, plus he always liked hearing about my day. And it’s funny, even if he doesn’t say a word, I swear I can, sometimes still hear his voice. “Ey papá. I know it’s a “little” late, but I just wanted to call and tell you buenas noches. I had one heck of a day today. I even got to speak to that biker chick I saw a few a while ago, and let’s just say, she was just full of surprises~” I teased. Though on a side note, he would have loved seeing those bots in action, he loved cars and was a mechanic, I can only imagine the look on his face if he saw what I saw today, minus all the danger of course. “Wish you were here, papá.” I gestured “I love you”, it was, just a little something he taught me how to do when I was younger, then I ended the recording there and closed my laptop. After I took off my bandana and set it aside for the night, I lazily kicked off my slippers, collapsed onto the bed, and got under the covers. I let out a tired sigh of relief as I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep.

Also, based on Darkness Rising 1-5.

(If you wanted to see it, here's the full ep.. and the series lol-): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGERPeMDFT0&list=PL7VEq3tXc6hsvHKfzdknf8GViPEr5JW5W

Hunter Reyes: https://www.tumblr.com/fazscare87/766640267685167104/tfp-oc-hunter-reyes-12?source=share

His Bio: https://www.tumblr.com/fazscare87/766640951478403072/tfp-oc-hunter-reyes-bio?source=share

Hope you guys like it and have a Faztastic night ^-^

[iamdrowninghelpme98]

Entry 34:

2025

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

January

I miss my daughter. I miss her. I miss her so much it physically hurts. Losing her was the most painful, heart-shattering experience of my life, and nothing has come close to that kind of loss. I want to be with her again more than anything. I would trade every breath I have left to hold her one more time. This world feels empty without her.

What makes her absence even harder is how no one else seems to remember she was ever here. No one talks about her. No one brings her up. It’s as if she’s become a ghost, erased from everyone’s memories but mine. That breaks my heart more than I can put into words. She mattered. She was real. She was loved. Pretending she didn’t exist doesn’t make it easier for me- it makes it worse. People think silence is kindness, but it isn’t. Acknowledging her, saying her name, remembering her… that would bring me comfort. She deserves to be remembered. I refuse to let her be forgotten.

Sometimes I talk about her with R. It feels like he’s the only other person who remembers, but even he can barely speak about her. She was his daughter too, yet the pain seems to silence him. I get it- it’s hard to talk about her without breaking apart. But she’s not some sad secret to be buried away. Her short life was beautiful. She brought more joy and peace into my world than anything or anyone ever has.

Carrying her was the greatest privilege I’ve ever had. Even when R kept me so isolated and cut off from the world, I had her. She was my constant companion, my reason to keep going. I was never truly alone because she was there with me. Her pregnancy was hard, but I would do it all over again just to spend that time with her again.

She was special, my baby girl. She was funny, too-always had me craving the weirdest things like mustard on tomatoes or soy sauce on pretzels. She moved around so much, always reminding me of her presence. I knew she was a girl before the doctors even told me. I just knew. That’s how connected we were.

I’ll never forget the day I found out I was pregnant. It wasn’t planned- I didn’t think it could happen, not in the state I was in back then, but it did. I had all the symptoms: the nausea, the exhaustion, and then I was late. I took a pregnancy test in secret, at the club of all places. Not exactly a storybook moment. I cried for hours in the club bathroom. I was terrified. I didn’t know who to turn to.

The first person I thought of was my adopted mom, but I knew she hated me back then. We weren’t talking, and I didn’t think she’d even take my call. Still, I tried. I dialed her number, but I hung up before she could answer. She never called back. So I sat there, alone in the bathroom, crying until I could pull myself together.

I waited a few days before telling R. He started to suspect something was up, mostly because I’d stopped using. When I finally told him, he was overjoyed. I hadn’t seen him that happy in so long, and his joy made me feel hopeful for the first time in forever. My baby had that effect- just her existence brought hope and happiness to everyone around her.

She was supposed to do great things. I know it. If she’d been given the chance she deserved, she would have changed the world. She was going to be amazing. It’s not fair she was taken so soon, so suddenly. We were so close- just a few more weeks until her due date. But instead, I lost her.

I relive that day over and over again in my mind, trying to find some sense of meaning or purpose in it, but I can’t. There’s no “bigger picture” or “God’s plan” that makes this okay. It was cruel. She deserved life. I should have died that day, not her. She would have mattered in this world so much more than I ever could.

I miss her. I miss her. I miss her.

[monsterkong]

Gwen D’Mar’s Journey to Healing and Intuition

Hey Tumblr fam! 👋 I’m so excited to share today’s episode of the Wilder Possibilities Podcast with you! In this episode, I chat with my dear friend, Gwen D’Mar, about her incredible journey from an intuitive child to a coach who specializes in somatic medicine and energy healing. This convo was packed with so many gems that I had to bring it to you in blog form. 🌟

The Click Moment: A Childhood of Visions and Healing

Gwen’s journey began at a young age when she started having these wild visions. 👁️‍🗨️ Like, seriously, imagine being a kid and predicting future events. Gwen shared a story where, at just eight years old, she told her mom that their neighbor was having an affair. Six months later, the truth came out, and her intuition was confirmed! How crazy is that? But instead of feeling empowered, Gwen was told to keep it quiet. 🙅‍♀️

This struggle continued until high school when Gwen had a near-death experience. She remembers looking down at her body in an ambulance, seeing through her mom’s eyes, and making the decision to come back to help her family. It was such a powerful experience that it reshaped her life’s purpose.

Somatic Healing: It’s Like Therapy, But WAY More

Today, Gwen helps people heal through something called somatic medicine. Ever hear of it? It’s a type of healing that focuses on releasing stored emotions and trauma from the body. 🧘‍♀️ Gwen’s clients often say it’s like “therapy on steroids,” but way more accessible. Instead of spending hours in deep ceremonies, Gwen helps her clients heal quickly, sometimes in just one session.

A Blend of Science and Spirituality

One of the coolest things about Gwen is how she bridges two worlds—science and spirituality. For years, she worked in pharmaceutical research, running clinical trials and studying medical devices. 🧬 But she was also deeply invested in spiritual practices like energy healing and Buddhism. In 2017, she finally left the corporate world and made her full transition into coaching and somatic medicine. ✨

Wrapping Up: Finding Your Own Click Moment

Gwen’s story is a reminder that your click moments can happen at any time. Whether it’s through intuition, healing, or just a life-changing decision, these moments define who we become. If you want to dive deeper into Gwen’s work, check out her website at gwendmar.com or follow her on Instagram at @gwendmar. Who knows? You might just have your own click moment waiting to happen! 💡✨

[echoequinox]

my life story

at 18 i moved in with my girlfriend into a one bed apartment. i was going to college in the city until i messed that up and stopped going to school.

i pushed carts for a while. i tried to be good but sometimes i talked to people. i found out there was a name i liked better.

christmas eve i left, drove an hour and a half to some other girl's house, one who called me a name that felt good. one that said i was a good girl. i didnt go back to my girlfriend's apartment again.

i moved in with a friend from high school. he didnt get it but he loved me as a best friend. that was enough. a girl i used to date was at college in iowa or something, dating some guy from the military. it all made her want to die. i told her to leave. she did.

we lived in that spare bedroom with my rabbit for a while, and then into her mom's house. not for terribly long, only long enough for her to pick up drinking, finding a guy at the bar that she barely liked and wouldnt stay with but at least he "made her feel something". she misgendered me anyway.

so then i went home. to my mom and her abusive boyfriend. i was out a lot, with friends, running around, not wanting to be home.

i met a boy who worked at a taco shop. he'd work at a starbucks later, and when we lived in the halfway house he was in because he was kicked out by his parents for being trans, he'd bring me tea from work. my introduction into the wonderful world of tea.

that was the happiest i was for a while. sleeping at his place, playing games, fucking when he got home and drinking tea. we went to restaurants and pride rallies where i met my other boyfriend.

the three of us moved into a new place together where i lived in the basement. i got alcohol poisoning there after drinking 20 shots of whiskey in a row on an empty stomach. i was miserable then, too, i think. at least they both took care of me.

first boy got another bf. he told me once when he got me drunk to have sex with me (which failed, got me too drunk) that he had to find someone else because id stopped fucking him enough. that was what i was there for.

me and the second boyfriend left. we went back to my mother's. the second time i had returned. we were actively getting kicked out when he proposed to me. i said yes. we went to live in an abandoned motel that had electricity but no heat in the middle of one of the coldest missouri winters.

a girl id reconnected with offered me a place with her and her husband. told me my bf at the time was using me for comfort and affection, didnt actually like me. that made sense. i left.

alabama. it was better there. the housewife's live in girlfriend to a wealthy programmer. he was very sweet and kind and cute. she was very familiar with what she wanted.

it was a few years and a few houses in alabama, getting on new medications and starting to put out applications when she told me i couldn't stay there anymore. the third home i was forced out of.

a friend in florida had a job opportunity for me. i lived with their parents because id fallen in love with them. it was never reciprocated, not in the way i wanted. but we did become quickly codependent in ways that relationships usually never got to.

we moved out and into an apartment. we bought a cat. we decorated our home together. we made meals. the pandemic hit. non-essential workers meant stipends. we made art. we learned new skills. we started working out.

the pandemic ended and i got fired. no job, no income, i was once again a burden. i couldnt do the one thing required of me - previously sex, here rent - and so i was nothing. what we had ended in a matter of weeks. love crumbled to ash in my hands and I was cruelly reminded that unless you serve a purpose to others, you dont deserve to exist.

i got into school, got some loans, and lived off campus in florida. the dream school, the one id wanted since high school. THE programmer school!! THE place that would teach me to make games!!! finally!!!!!

it fell through. classes became harder and harder to attend, and the few i did i felt ostracized and discarded. i remembered why I hated being around people.

it ended too. not the school, thank god for covid for forcing online schooling to become the norm. one thanksgiving, visiting friends, i had them help cosign on a car. i would drive back to florida and doordash to keep myself afloat.

the car broke. stranded in illinois. i had to find somewhere to go. a friend helped me for a time, and then finally when my mom and her horrible husband separated, she let me back in. the third return.

we had to drive to florida to get my stuff, a 20 hour drive both ways while we both had covid, but i survived. everything i owned fit in the back of an suv. anything that didnt got thrown away.

and now im here. back in the house i grew up in. in a house ive come to hate. i hate it here. this is where i live, but it isnt home. i desperately want to go home, but i dont have one.

[beifong-brainrot]

I've seen the "Suyin reminds me of someone I know Irl" thing cited as a reson for disliking Su multiple times. I think this will be like the third? At least. And I get it, our experineces and biases colour how we engage with media, that's understandable and unavoidable. Happens to me too. I do try to seperate myself from my own previous experiences, unless I'm actively incorporating them into a post, but they definetly slip through. But I do think sometimes its important to look purely at the text.

I notice that people use extremely emotionally loaded language when talking about Suyin and Lin's altercation. "Suyin assaulted Lin" is shaky at best, as OP has stated, it was an accident. Especially when, if we're getting nitpicky, Lin was the one who escalated the situation twice. First by yelling at Su, and then bringing the altercation to the physical level. I also want to remind everyone, that this is a 22 year old cop, airing out personal beef with a 16 year old in the middle of an arrest, an already heavily tense situation.

Another one I commonly hear is "Suyin sliced Lin's face open" like Su somehow jumped onto Lin and pinned her down and carved her face with a scalpel or some way. The way some of yall talk about Lin's scar in general, actually, as a person with a scar from a family member, is just.... ew. Weirdly dehumaising. Idk how to describe it. It also happens with Zuko.

Su and Toph also didn't isolate Lin, it is clearly stated that they reached out to her, asking to reconnect and Su welcomed her to her city with open arms.

Suyin : Lin, Mom and I already talked about this years ago and worked things out. If you had gotten together with us like we'd asked, you would know that I'm a different person now. I've been a different person for a long time.

Hell, it's not out of the question Su would be more apologetic and distressed about the situation than she was years after she had worked through it, but that's speculation.

Lin is isolated, yes, but it is mostly self influcted, sadly. I, and this might shock some of you, like Lin as a character. I think she's a very soft and sensitive person deep under it all, and, of course, she's hurting. But she also uses her job as a shield, actively pushes people away, holds grudges to a ridiculous degree and escalates conflicts like no one can.

Lin seemed to have actively isolated herself from her family, even when they were actively trying to reconnect. Like, say what you want, but Suyin was fucken desperate to intergrate Lin to her family, introducing her by name to Huan and Opal (as the twins and BJ were occupied), to which Lin responds with mockery and calling Suyin's love for her children into question.

I also just think a lot of people tend to percieve this weird, hidden, manipulative depth to Su. And while yes, she certainly can be sneaky at times, I think some of yall are taking it to an absurd degree.

Suyin making Lin "look unreasonable" is just a product of Su having moved on and Lin not. And that naturally upsets Lin. I think, subconsciously, she was expecting Suyin to not have changed at all. Seeing that Su changed, grew as a person and is living a happy life feels like a betrayal to Lin. And to the audience too. I suppose does feel like Su is being "rewarded" for doing something bad. But we also have to remember that Su struggled to find her place in the world, and happiness for years, travelling, until she decided to build a home. And not just a home, a city, a city of innovation and growth. Like, yes her monetary status allowed her to achieve this, but i still don't think this was easy.

Suyin: It's complicated. We didn't have a normal childhood. Neither of us knew our fathers and Toph was always busy being Chief of Police. Because mom grew up in such a strict household, she gave us all the freedom in the world, hoping we'd figure out our own paths. Korra : That sounds like a good thing. Suyin : And in a way it was. But we both ended up fighting for mom's attention. Lin followed in her footsteps and became a cop. I was ... more of a rebel. Mom wasn't too happy with how either of us turned out. When I was sixteen, I left home to explore the world. [Pan to show Suyin's various collections and photographs.] I sailed the seas on a pirate ship, joined a traveling circus for a while, and lived in a sandbender commune in a desert. It took me a while, but, I finally realized what I was looking for was a family. So I bought this plot of land, found a brilliant architect who later became my husband, and created a place I could truly call home.

And once again, I don't want to say Suyin is perfect. She's not. She's a deeply flawed character and she's hurt people. So has Lin. And so has, dare I say, anyone who has aged past being an infant.

But she also tries to be good, and she cares and she suffers. She's greets the world with an open heart, connecting with others, even if she's been betrayed. She cares deeply for her family, and is terrified of something happening to them, yet still tentatively supports Opal in leaving to become an airbender and is proud of her for it.

I honestly think that her realism is what makes people dislike her. We have a different lense for her.

We take Lin's verbal abuse and outbursts of violence in stride, because that's just her character to us. So when she actualy has her moments of peeling back that brusque mask, that is what sticks out to us about her character.

While for Suyin, every action counts and is placed under scrutiny. Hell, we might even start using people from our real life to make her more easily digestible.

Of course, there's always a weird undertone of misogyny in a lot of Suyin hate. The constant pitting of two women against each other, the double standard compared to characters like Iroh from atla.... etc. Fun.

It feels like everytime we end up back here lol.

People always say they want complex characters. They ask for nuance, for gray areas, for emotional depth and realistic growth. But when a character starts feeling too real, so much so that they stop acting like someone in a story and start feeling like someone you could actually meet – that's when the discomfort kicks in. That's when admiration often turns into criticism. And very few in The Legend of Korra walks that tightrope quite like Suyin Beifong.

Su doesn’t follow the typical “lesson of the week” formula. She doesn’t get handed a tidy moment of reckoning, followed by an instant transformation. Her arc isn’t flashy or obvious. It’s slow, subtle, and sometimes contradictory. Just like real people. Because the truth is, most of us don’t change overnight. We grow a little here, slip back there. We learn something, but that doesn’t mean we always apply it in every situation. That’s Suyin in a nutshell.

Look at how she changes as a mother. At first, she tries to micromanage Opal’s choices out of fear, mostly, and a need to protect her. But eventually, she lets Opal go and lets her live her life without trying to control her path. That’s a win. That’s real growth. But then Baatar Jr. betrays the family, and Su reacts by putting him under house arrest. It’s easy to point at that and call it hypocrisy, but that misses the bigger picture. Her deepest fears for her kids came true with Baatar, and so, of course, she tries to regain some kind of control in the aftermath. And yet, she doesn’t try to rope Opal back in. She lets her stay free. That shows her earlier growth wasn’t erased, just complicated by pain.

This is the part people tend to ignore. They rush to call her a hypocrite without stopping to think about what hypocrisy really is. People are full of contradictions. We want conflicting things. We act on emotion. We stumble. We grow unevenly. No one is morally consistent all the time. Su isn’t some moral failure she’s just human. And that’s what unsettles people. They want characters who get what’s coming to them or learn the “right” lesson. But Su doesn’t fit into that framework. She just keeps going, flaws and all.

That’s also what makes her so compelling. She’s not a straightforward hero or a satisfying villain. She’s a complicated woman trying to balance power, family, control, and identity in ways that are messy and real. When people critique her, it’s often not because she doesn’t make sense, but because she makes too much sense.

She’s too familiar. Too human.

Everyone says they want nuanced characters... until they’re faced with someone like Suyin. Someone who holds up a mirror. And when that reflection hits a little too close to home, people tend to look away. But it’s in that raw honesty where her character really shines.

[luthienne]

there's just something about the fact that sometimes we are genuinely given too much to bear and we think i cannot do this anymore i cannot bear this for even another minute for even another second and then we do. until either the circumstances change or we change how we react to them. and then we have to find the courage to do it again and again and again. and everyone you've ever met has had to experience this in some form because that's just living.

and the knowing that we can never go back to how it was before feels too heavy sometimes. like i can't swallow that sometimes. we drove to my dad's last fall because i couldn't bear my life. we went to go spend the day with him and then just didn't leave because i couldn't bear the thought of coming home and living my life; i couldn't bear the thought of facing the grief that slept there and kept me from sleeping, i couldn't bear the thought of starving in my kitchen and sobbing in my shower and watching my ceiling spin above me from where i wept on my couch.

over the next few weeks we accumulated belongings in my brother's childhood bedroom. mine has since been turned into the room where boxes of stuff live. so i cried myself to sleep in his bed. i sobbed in our childhood shower. i forced myself to eat in my dad's kitchen. i forced myself to practice in his living room. i wept on his couch. i stayed up all night staring at the dark sky through his windows.

i sat in the dark and wished i could go back countless times and i grieved for myself and i grieved for my mom and i grieved for the life i thought i was going to have that was gone now. and i started a gratitude journal like my therapist told me to because sometimes in very difficult moments i couldn't remember anything that made my life worth living anymore. i found no joy in anything. and i felt like time was running out on me and i was powerless in every way.

and it felt so unfair, like no matter what i did i just couldn't catch a break. like it didn't matter what i did.

my therapist asked me if i could remember the first time i ever had that terrible thought: what if this lasts forever, what if this feeling lasts forever. i was seventeen. trapped in my own body in someone else's bedroom, staring up at someone else’s ceiling painted blue with white clouds. wishing i could go back to before, when my body did the things i told it to do and didn't exist as a traitorous, useless creature separate from me and my wants. i'm still wishing that.

i know she wants me to challenge this terrible thought with the hard-won knowledge that that moment didn't last forever, and so this one won't either. and i try. i develop a routine and i try to follow it, to give myself a sense of normalcy and purpose: wake up, meditate, make a smoothie, journal, practice, go to work. my dad tells me the names of trees on our walks and points out his favorite leaves on the sidewalk. we wrap my mom in scarves and take her to the foothills. my beloved sits with me and holds my hands when i fall apart, and in the dark i sit with my body and remind myself that nothing lasts forever.

i am eating again, and sleeping. i am singing again. i am noticing how beautiful it is when the light catches on wings of birds in the sky and remembering how much i love the smell of the desert in the rain. i am reading, and watching old comfort shows that bring me comfort again.

i finally moved back home. and the grief is still there and i still can't bear the unbearable sadness sometimes. but also sometimes right before dusk the sun turns the mountains pale pink and the sky is soft slate above them and the light that comes through the windows feels impossibly warm and close like a physical presence. like i can almost touch it back. and then the air turns impossibly blue. like i am living inside of dusk and breathing dusk, inhaling blue and exhaling blue.

[let-me-simp-in-peace]

Haikyuu Dating Headcanons for Oikawa, Hinata, Kuroo, Bokuto, and Kenma:

Oikawa:

This guy loves you more than anything else, and he does everything he can to make sure you know it.

He can be clingy sometimes, especially when he’s having a bad day. When he’s struggling, you’re the first person he’s reaching for.

You’re his safe space. His home. There’s nowhere he would rather be than with you.

He totally goes all out for your dates. He spoils you constantly.

He also doesn’t mind having low key dates too. He loves just laying on the couch with you and watching movies.

When his knee gives him problems, you’re always there to help. Whether it’s giving him a shoulder to lean on, taking him to the doctor, or even helping him out at home, he knows he can always count on you.

You often have to drag him out of the gym, and he just holds your hand while you lecture him about overworking himself. Normally, he would be irritated by someone interrupting him, but he can’t bring himself to be mad when he sees your eyes glistening with unshed tears.

“I just worry about you, Tooru.”

He just pulls you into his arms and shushes you gently. His heart feels so full knowing that you care.

Hinata:

This ball of sunshine loves you dearly.

Will randomly compliment you, and when you smile, his heart races at how cute you look.

Loves receiving and giving flowers. He cried when you brought him sunflowers with a note that said “For my Sunshine”.

He’s super shy. Blushes every time you kiss him. Gives you a little bashful smile whenever you compliment him.

He loves getting piggyback rides from you.

His friends love teasing him for how whipped he is, but he just laughs along with them because he knows it’s true.

Sulks whenever he has to ask you for help reaching the higher shelves of your kitchen. He always perks up again when you ruffle his hair and kiss the top of his head.

Texts you in the middle of the night just to send you funny memes or cute videos that he found that remind him of you.

He plays twice as hard when he knows you’re watching and grins every time he hears you cheering for him.

Kuroo:

This guy lives on chemistry jokes. He’ll send them to you throughout the day just to make you laugh.

When he tells them in person, he always laughs when you roll your eyes to try and hide that you’re smiling.

Every now and then, you’ll surprise him with one of your own, and your heart melts when his face lights up.

He loves flirting with you. He’ll do it anywhere at anytime, and he won’t stop until you or someone (usually Kenma) tells him to get a room.

Will randomly bring you breakfast in bed, saying he just felt like doing something for you.

Sends you two cards on Valentine’s Day. One is always unendingly sweet while the other is a joke card showcasing an awful pick up line.

He calls you randomly because he thought of a question he wanted to ask about you and your life.

Bokuto:

You’re his entire world, and he’s not afraid to tell you.

Will call up his mom when you get sick to ask for that one soup recipe that she always made for him when he was sick. Literally stocks cold medicine, painkillers, and cough syrup to be prepared if you need any.

Contrary to popular belief, he’s actually a pretty good cook. Loves trying new recipes, and you’re his designated taste tester. Never gets offended if you don’t like something he made. He just appreciates that you were willing to try it.

Once cried when he realized he had a game on the same day as your anniversary. He came home that night to find fairy lights strung around the house, a delicious smell coming from the kitchen, and you standing in front of him with a sweet smile.

He picked you up and spun you around before showering your face, neck, and shoulders in little kisses.

(For Female Readers) When you get your period, he’ll call his mother, his sisters, your mother, literally any woman he knows to ask what to do and how to help you.

Kenma:

He loves you so much. He’s not always the best at expressing it, but he tries.

Plays with your hair and listens quietly when you need to talk. He never judges you.

Likes to be the little spoon because he loves having your arms wrapped around his waist while he plays on his PSP.

Absolutely ✨lives✨ for the proud smile on your face after he finishes a stream.

Mustered up the courage and actually called your best friend to ask for date ideas for your birthday.

You guys have all out video game tournaments with each other. Kenma even has a scoreboard for the two of you in the cabinet with his games.

He loves playing Minecraft with you. The two of you spent two months building an entire town together, complete with custom houses, uniquely colored shops, a playground, library, and a fountain in the town square.

Loves when you cook for him and will eat it even if he doesn’t like it because it means so much that you went out of your way for him.

[spilledkauffie]

Bucky x Pregnant Reader

Just some funny & fluffy HCs (they’re kind of long, sorry!!)

*xFemale!Reader || Part 2 !

He’s super cautious about everything, if you want soup for dinner he makes sure it’s not too hot, if you want ice cream he lets it thaw just a little so it’s not too cold. When you asked him why he was sticking a thermometer in your coffee he simple said, “too much heat isn’t good for the baby, it could burn it,” as he stared at the meter, “uh-huh, and you do know we’re not in the 1940s anymore, right? We have a much better understanding of mom-baby connections,” you tilted your head, “Look I’m just being cautious, for you, okay?” It’s old fashioned, but it’s sweet.

He nearly has a heart attack when he sees you on a ladder, a step, the counter, or anything with heights. He will literally man handle you, grabbing you carefully by the waist or under your arms (yes, like a child in trouble) to bring you down from where you were, even if it isn’t actually that high. “It wasn’t even that high, babe,” you sigh, waiting for him to get your chips off the top of the fridge, “it’s not like I was climbing Mount Everest.” / “Close enough,” he shake his head at you with a sassy tone, still distraught over you just heaving yourself up onto the countertop.

Sam is always over! Though he doesn’t have kids, he has nephews he’s close with and thus has had some experience with babies and children. Often Bucky just rolls his eyes when Sam’s giving advice, but Sam comes back with “Oh, I’m sorry, who should she believe, a 106 year old who took vintage sex ed in 1900, or someone who was at the hospital with his sister, like eight years ago?” you had to laugh at the comment, but Bucky just ducked his head, “it was 1939…” / Sam is actually a big help for you, he said he’d try to get his sister up to visit with you and talk baby stuff next time the boys are on a mission so you’re not alone.

Sleeping, Bucky’s made it a habit of always going to sleep with his hand somewhere on your stomach, it’s mainly a protective thing, since before the baby he just had to have an arm around you, holding you. But now it has to be skin on skin contact, which means you’ll feel him slowly and softly slip his hand under your shirt when he comes to bed later than you. You’ve come to love it, often placing your hand on top of his.

↳ “lazy days” have become much more of a thing as you entered your third trimester, some days you just don’t want to get out of bed, and Bucky is completely fine with that, he’ll cook, he’ll bring you whatever you want, he’ll lie in bed with you.

You’ve gotten really concerned about the pregnancy and being a mom on a few occasions. Usually this results in some bouts of depression. In times like those, Bucky makes sure he is there physically and mentally for you. If you don’t want to talk about you, he lets you snuggle up as close and as tightly to him as you want. He understand silent suffering and how much just a physical person being there means. When you do want to talk about it, he’s always there and ready to listen.

One minor wince or groan or mumble from you and he’s on it with the “what’s wrong?” / “what is it?” / “how can I help? Is the baby coming?!” He’s mildly paranoid that he’s going to miss something vital or important if he isn’t 100% paying attention to every detail. This is why no you’ve never teased him about anything regarding the baby, because he’s so concerned and invested that it might just give him a heart attack… He is 106.

He was beyond panicked when you called him over, desperately reaching a hand out for him as he sat down next to you. Taking his hand, you press it to your side, and tell him to wait. Super confused if this is a good or bad moment he waits with an anxious look until- “did you feel that?” you smiled up at him; his jaw drops and spreads into a smile as he shifts closer to you in awe silence you both feel another kick, “wh- how did you do that?” he asks, stroking his free hand through your hair, as he bites the corner of his lip. Finding it precious you’re nearly crying from the happiness when he kisses your forehead.

He’s that guy that gets a book on “pregnancy for dummies,” so he can attempt to better understand what you’re going through that he can’t necessarily see. Needless to say part of the book horrified him, “oh my g- do you know what’s happening inside you?!” You just shake your head finding 10/10 entertainment in just watching his face whilst he reads it. The actual “how birth happens” chapter might’ve been one of the best.

He’s actually a little scared, or worried, about touching your baby bump (with a certain hand). You’ve told him you don’t mind that it’s cold, but he’s still avoidant. When asking him why, he didn’t want to say because he thought you might laugh, promising you wouldn’t he confessed, “what if the vibranium… magnetises the baby?” You managed to keep a straight face for approximately two seconds before breaking into laughter.

Your random (and very intense) moods are the biggest handful for him. He’s trying his very best to know what to do, but he never wants to make you feel like it’s not normal to feel a certain way.

↳ The Crying: one time he was telling you about this past mission he was on. It was like casual conversation for him to talk to you about it, but when he got to the part of “so they had these big dogs-” he looked over at you to find you in absolute tears, he stopped in his tracks, biting in his bottom lip as you stared at him, “and? then what?” you asked, voice breaking, he shook his head slowly, keeping eye contact, attempting to think of something, “then-” / “then you became best friends with the dogs and they were on your side in the fight?” he nodded dramatically to you response “yes, that’s exactly what- what happened… yep, nothing more to that story.” 

↳ constant State of Annoyed: at times you’re just purely annoyed for no reason, typically more passive aggressively, but sometimes you’re just straight up honest about it. When he tells you good morning and reminds you how beautiful and glowing you are, you’ve said “I love you, but your voice sounds like a duck today,” or “I am not glowing, be honest, I look and feel like a blimp.” He still tries his best to compliment you, other times he just hides for the day. Until you become super needy at night.

↳ MamaBear Instinct already kicking in: you’ve become extra protective / defensive. One time you were at the store, around one A.M. (because cravings!) and you were picking out cereals together. Bucky was surprised to see some brands he knew still around: “wow, Chex?” he picked up a box, “I didn’t know they were still making these-“ he trialed off about the cereal, but you noticed some kids snickering a few feet down the aisle. “Then again, the last time I had these they tasted like cardboard,” Bucky winced, “probably cause they were made out of it back then-“ / the kids laughed again, despite the soft Hello Kitty pj pants you had on, you were far from soft. “HEY!” You called out, “are you laughing at him?!” Bucky turned to see who you were talking to, but before he had time to address them himself, he was reaching to stop you from lunging over the cart at them, “I will fucking fight you if you are!” / “Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!” Bucky completely stepped to block you, lifting his hands to meet yours gently, but you just tried to push them out of the way still flustered.

[miekasa]

Mie, I’m begging for some Jean college au bf hcs - im literally so down bad for this man and the way you write men is just 🤌🏻🤌🏻🤌🏻

Absolutely, not a problem 😌 I saved this ask as a draft a while ago when you sent it, sorry for just now getting to it. Anyway, I love Jean with my whole heart, best boy, best boyfriend <33

King of forehead kisses, and not even just because of his height in comparison to yours; he just likes it. He likes the feeling of pressing his lips against your skin, and making you feel safe.

Brings you tea or coffee however you like it every day without fail. If he can get it to you in the morning before work/school then he’ll do that, if not he’ll meet you some time in the middle of the day to drop it off. Your own personal courier just for drinks.

He… has a thing for long(er) nails. He loves the feeling of them against his skin, even if you’re not scratching to apply pressure—just you holding his hand them grazing his skin is enough for him.

That being said, he will pay for you to get your nails done. Actually, he’ll pay for… almost anything you want, but the nails benefit him as much as they do you so feel free to ball out.

He never blowdries his hair because he doesn’t... know how to do the back of it. You did it for him once and he hasn’t stopped thinking about it since, but he’s also too embarrassed to ask you to do/style it again.

On the subject of hair, he does do his best to style it and take care of it, but he’s a sucker whenever you play with it. Sometimes he feigns like you’re messing up all his hard work, but he’ll literally crane his head into your touch. He loves it. 

The first time he lays on top of you and you run your hands through his hair... top 10 most euphoric moments of his life. He tries to fight off the sleep threatening to take over him, but it’s futile. Give it 15 minutes at most before he’s knocked out like a baby. 

Dogs love him. Anytime you’re in a park or just taking a walk and there’s a dog around, it’ll come up to him and he looks adorable leaning down to pet it. He loves dogs, too! So he’s always happy to stop and pet them. He’d be a 10/10 dog dad. 

Has your name saved in his phone with two hearts at the end. Do not point it out.

Loves taking pictures together and if you guys are on a date, he’ll ask someone to get a picture for him. He just likes having them to look back on (and to send to his mom, later).

He doesn’t mind painting classes or videos or tutorials, but he hates paint by numbers kits. He claims that they have no sense of color theory and that it takes the originality and fun out of painting. Not to mention the quality of the paints isn’t great to begin with; all of which he takes very seriously.

It’s pretty cute actually, to see him get worked up over the paint kits. He claims that painting and drawing isn’t even something he takes “that seriously,” it’s just a hobby for him (one he’s insanely good at); but in moments like these, you can tell that he’s way more into art and art theory and history than he lets on. 

Huge movie guy, from animated movies to martial arts movies, Jean is usually willingly to give anything a watch at least once. When he’s high, he can go on about his favorite directors and art styles and movie details for hours if you don’t stop him. It’s super cute. Just don’t bring up Moana, because he’ll start crying. 

Arm around the shoulder kind of boyfriend for sure. It’s a casual way of keeping you near him and letting everyone know that you guys are together. Plus it allows for him to easily pull you into him for a quick forehead kiss when needed.

Listen. If you hug his arm, he’s on cloud nine. He tries to be nonchalant about it but he’s about three seconds away from his eyes rolling back in his head it feels that good to him. Bonus if you lean your head on his bicep a little—then he’s a goner.

He takes his bagels very seriously and believes that both you and him deserve nothing but the best quality bagels. He’ll grumble if a bakery gives you guys a less than favorable one and make a note that taking the long route to get to his favorite place is much more worth it.

Always makes you walk on the side furthest from the cars. If he notices you’re not, he’ll just shuffle behind you until he’s shouldering the street and you’re on the inside. 

He grew up on a kind of modern ranch situation; not exactly all the way in the countryside, but not isolate from the city, either. Because of this, he knows how to ride horses, take care of smaller farm animals, tend to plants, and yes he knows how to use a lasso. You wouldn’t know any of that though, because he never ever talks about it. The only way you find out is when he takes you to visit his mom’s house for the first time, and she asks him for a hand around the place. 

(He’s got a cowboy hat, too, but refuses to put it on. He got it when he was, like, nine, okay, leave him alone). 

When he thinks you look tired, he’ll wrap his arms around your shoulders to hug you. It’s usually followed up with a kiss to your head, and a promise that you guys will go home soon and get food on the way. 

He’s a really good cook. He just understands and flavors and pairings really well, so he doesn’t need a recipe to make something that tastes good; he just kind of knows what to add to get the balance he’s looking for. 

Naturally, he’ll cook for you. Especially if he finds out that you haven’t eaten all day/in a long time. He doesn’t care if it’s 11pm and it might seem excessive to make steak and potatoes with a side salad at this hour, he’s gonna do it to make sure you eat, and you are going to sit there and watch. 

He also bakes pretty well, though he isn’t as experimental with his baking as he is with his cooking. He usually sticks to what he knows, and it’s not cupcakes and brownies and cakes; he’s better at croissants, and cheesecakes, and canelés. 

Dating Jean means getting along with his friends. If you guys didn’t know each other before you started dating, be prepared to be ambushed by Connie and Sasha (after Jean stops hiding you away and gives them the green light lmfao). Neither of them waste time with the small talk and formalities; straight into mini golfing and beer pong. They make you feel welcome right away.

Sasha always teases that you’re too good for Jean, and that she might just steal you away for herself some day. Sasha is also Jean’s main confidant, so she really knows just how much he loves you, and yeah, she teases him for being lovesick, but really she’s happy for Jean. And proud of him for facing his feelings like this. 

Connie adores you, and you know he trusts you when he starts going to you for advice/help. Could be anything from schoolwork, to what color he should get his new shoes in. He’s also the one who, surprisingly, you have the sentimental talks with about your relationship with Jean. It’s easy to overlook, but Connie loves Jean, and he’s come to love you too; he just wants you both to be happy, so he’s there to listen when you need it. 

Jean waits outside of your classroom after you’ve had a test or presentation, usually with a drink or a snack, or the promise of taking you out as a treat. Always tells you he’s proud of you, and is there to comfort you if you think you didn’t do too well. 

He does not shut up about whatever major you’re in. It could be the same as his; it could be the complete opposite as his. He thinks it’s so sick that you’re doing it, you make it look cooler, you make it look better, and he’s certain you’re the smartest person in your program. 

He’s pretty serious about his studies, too, so he’s always down to study with you in the library whenever you’re both free. More often than not, he shows up after you, usually with food or extra chargers. He greets you with a kiss on the forehead, and asks you how you are while massaging your shoulders gently. If it’s been a while since you took a break, that’s the first item on the list, after that, he gets to work and stays with you until you’re ready to go, even if he doesn’t have as much work to do. 

He always sits across from you. This goes for when you’re in the library, or out to eat at a restaurant; Jean loves sitting across from you. He gets to see your face the best that way, and he adores looking into your eyes when you talk. 

He’s not... not a morning person. He’s not up at 6am ready to grind, but he wakes up before noon; let’s say 10am is his happy medium. That being said, if you wake up before him, regardless of the time, there’s a 9/10 chance he’ll lay on your back and tell you to hush so you guys can sleep for 10 more minutes. 

If you’re (close) friends with Eren, Mikasa, and Armin, Jean is... happy you’ve got people to rely on, but, “Of all people on the planet, you put your trust in Jaeger?” He acts so bitter (because he is), but deep down inside, he’s glad you have Eren to rely on if you need to. 

(Also, you have to humble him and remind him that he and Eren aren’t all that different. If you like him, why wouldn’t you get along with Eren, bye). 

Turns out though, that it’s not Eren who threatens to beat him up if he breaks your heart. It’s not even Mikasa, although, her threat goes without saying; it’s Armin he’s terrified of.

The last time Armin hated someone, it was this guy in your program, who happened to share a few mutual classes with him, too. Jean never knew the full story, just that he’s pretty sure that kid dropped out the following semester. 

If you have a job on campus, Jean usually doesn’t show up while you’re working (knowing how embarrassed he would be if you did that to him), unless you work the night shift and it’s dead. Connie, however, does show up; usually in some kind of crisis (“Please help me, I don’t know what the fuck APA formatting is and this is due tonight, please, please, please!!”). Your coworkers actually thought Connie was your boyfriend for a minute. That’s when Jean starts showing up more lmfao.

He makes it a point to go on a scheduled, night out, kind of date at least twice a month. He knows life gets busy with school and work and midterms, but he always makes sure you both set side a time to take a well-deserved break and be with each other. 

He’s the romantic type, so these dates are pretty swoon worthy, too. Drive-in movies, nice dinners, classy art exhibits, Jean plans it all. On that note, he really likes planning dates; he just doesn’t like talking about them with his friends beforehand. 

All in all, very romantic, very precious boyfriend. He’s always thinking about you, what you need, and how he can help you out. You’re one of his main priorities, and he just wants to treat you right.