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golbrocklovely · 4 years

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the chosen daughter // colby brock - chapter twelve

A/N: i know a lot of us are still mourning the death of corey. i am too. i figured maybe this will be a nice distraction from everything. hopefully this brings you some happiness, even if it is just a for a moment. let me know what you think, i’ love to hear it. have a good one :)

story description

taglist: @far-to-many-bands , @idfk-tbh-oops , @muted-mayham , @ughwhyislifesohard , @justtanerd , @ashyoungxblood , @cmburgos

trigger warning: cursing, mentions of turning into a vampire, drinking mention

word count: 2190

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

I groaned as I sat up in bed hastily, wiping the sweat off my forehead and chest. This was the third time this week I had woken up from a weird, reoccurring dream.

I keep dreaming about Kat, but... it isn't her. It's someone that looks extremely similar to her, like her sister or something. In the dream, I'm running after her in a forest. It's like she's guiding me somewhere I need to be. I always feel like someone is chasing after us, but I never feel confident enough to turn around. I just keep running, my feet unable to keep up with her. She's always calling to me to keep going. And then suddenly, I wake up.

It's weird enough she looks like Kat, but the fact that she isn't is causing slightly more concern for me.

I slowly trudged over to my bathroom, flipping on the light. I gazed at myself in the mirror: my hair a mess, a light sheen of sweat resting on my skin. I sighed as I splashed some cool water on my face and neck.

Suddenly, letters popped into my head. They were all jumbled around, and I felt a deep urge to write them down. I rushed back into my room, grabbing a notebook and pen. I started to jot down the letters I can see in my mind: I, O, A, A, R, X, M.

I look at all the letters. Nothing came to my mind as I stared at them. I began to try and rearrange them. After a couple of tries, I came up with a name.

"Xiomara..." I whispered to myself.

That's the girl from my dreams.

~\/ \/~

I exhaled as I looked up at the Trapp Haus building. It was weird to be here. The last time I was, I was inside Colby’s head and we almost kissed. That was over a week ago. I was trying to keep my distance, trying to get back to a normal life that I had prior to all this.

That was fucking unlikely, but a girl can dream.

The only reason I was coming back here was because I needed to know about Xiomara. I had a feeling the boys would know since they were the most knowledgeable about things dealing with vampires.

As I slowly got up to the apartment, I could hear a bunch of voices. I slowly opened the door and everyone’s heads turned to me.

“Well, look what the vampire dragged in!” Kevin grinned, his hands resting on his hips.

Sam nodded his head. “We were starting to get worried about you.”

Mike shrugged as he leaned again the kitchen counter. “I was kinda hoping she wouldn’t come back.”

I glared at Mike, holding back an eye roll. “Thanks Mike.”

I glanced around the room, seeing everyone that was here. Kat and Sam sat on the couch, cozying up against each other, Jake was sprawled out on the opposite couch, eating an apple. Kevin and Mike stood in the kitchen.

And finally, my eyes landed on Colby, who was by the window, twirling a stake between his ringed fingers. He hadn’t even acknowledged me, keeping his gaze out the window.

Ouch.

“So what can we do you for, Jade?” Kevin chuckled.

I replied. “I have a question about something. Um, it might be nothing, but I figure you guys would know if it is something or not.”

“Well, now I’m thoroughly intrigued.” Mike deadpanned.

“What is it, Jade? What’s on your mind?” Jake questioned, taking a bite of his apple.

“Do you know if the name ‘Xiomara’ is important?” I answered.

The room’s heaviness became apparent, no one’s eyes wanting to look at me, as everyone fell silent.

Mike suddenly spoke, his voice low. “How do you know of Xiomara?”

“I dreamt of her... I think. Or at least her name.” I admitted.

“No human knows about Xiomara unless a vampire told them. We like to keep her a secret.” Colby finally chimed in from the window, turning to me.

“Who told you about Xiomara?” Kevin asked.

I shook my head. “No one.”

“Well, obviously some vampire did.” Colby stated.

Mike accused. “Maybe it was you, Colby.”

“What? No, I didn’t.” Colby responded, his face scrunching up.

“She was inside your head a week ago. Maybe she saw something about Xiomara.” Mike argued.

“No, I didn’t see anything about Xiomara.” I continued, “Besides, I still don’t know who she is.”

“Xiomara is the reason why vampires exist.” Sam revealed, cutting everyone off.

I exhaled, surprised. “Oh…”

“Maybe we should have one of the vampires explain the vampire lore, yeah?” Mike remarked.

Sam rolled his eyes. “Be my guest, Michael.”

“Thank you, Samuel.” Mike smiled sarcastically, his body facing me. “Xiomara was a witch that was to be killed back in the 16th century in a village somewhere in Europe. She cursed the king and queen that were putting her to death, turning them into vampires. She’s the reason why any of us exist.”

“You’re forgetting that she was the maid of the king and queen and they found out about her being a witch.” Kevin mentioned.

“Why did she turn them into vampires?” Jake queried.

Mike informed. “She didn’t want to die, obviously. She gave them a choice: either let her go and she would turn them back to human, or kill her and be vampires forever.”

“Didn’t the king and queen have a daughter or something?” Sam suggested.

“If you believe that, then you would have to get into the idea of ‘The Chosen Dau-’” Mike started.

Kat interjected angrily. “How about we stop talking about fucking Xiomara?”

Everyone fell silent again, their eyes falling onto Kat.

“Whatever.” Kat mumbled, jumping up from her seat and leaving the apartment, pushing past me.

“What the fuck was that?” Mike hissed.

“Dude, c’mon…” Sam grumbled.

“I’m gonna go see if she’s alright.” I motioned, leaving the apartment and going down the steps.

As I walked into the empty club, I saw Kat behind the bar, getting a drink. She stared up at me as she continued to pour the alcohol into her glass.

I joked, smiling awkwardly. “I won’t tell Kevin.”

“I don’t care if you do.” She grunted.

“…Did I do something wrong?” I puzzled.

“Why the fuck are you asking about Xiomara?” Kat barked.

I stepped back. “I was just curious about the name. I didn’t know she was an important person.”

“Do you know most vampires hate witches because of Xiomara? Are you trying to get me killed?” She fumed.

“What? What are you talking about, Kat?” I fretted.

“I knew I shouldn’t have used my powers in front of you. Dumbass Colby getting himself almost killed…” She took a huge gulp from her drink.

“Is there something wrong with people knowing you’re a witch?” I inquired.

She huffed. “It’s not people I’m worried about. It’s vampires.”

“So, vampires have killed witches before.” I noted.

“Exactly. On top of the whole Xiomara thing, there is a belief that if a vampire drinks a blood witch dry, they can obtain the witches powers.” She described.

“Blood witch?” I raised an eyebrow.

“A human that is born a witch. Not many of us still exist.” Kat sighed.

“You’re a blood witch.” I repeated.

“Why do you think I’m a vampire now?” She confessed bitterly, downing the rest of her drink.

I squeaked. “You were turned?”

“Well, no. I was killed, or… almost killed. A vampire-witch is extremely hard to come by, since it’s technically an abomination.” She retorted, striding over to a seat at the bar.

“Do they not know?” I took a seat next to her.

“Sam and Colby know now. And you. You guys are pretty much the only people that know.” She divulged.

I questioned. “Mike and Kevin don’t?”

“I’ve known them for a long time, about twenty years, but I’ve never told them.” Kat disclosed.

“Why?” I asked.

“I trust them, but the last time I trusted a vampire, I got turned.” She murmured, “And now I’m this.”

“Oh… I’m sorry.” I uttered.

“You can’t tell them.” She insisted, looking into my eyes suddenly.

“I never thought about it.” I assured.

She paused, humming. “Good. I already begged Sam not to either. Colby said he knows most witches don’t speak about their powers to vamps, so he knew not to say anything.”

After a moment of us not speaking, she turned back to me. “Did you really dream of Xiomara?”

I confirmed. “Yeah. Well, I didn’t know it was her. I just saw a woman in my dreams. It wasn’t until today I got the name ‘Xiomara’.”

“A lot of vampires don’t like talking about their lore. I don’t know why, but maybe it’s a way to keep information away from humans.” She commented.

“Or anybody that would use it against them.” I pulled at my necklace, fixing it.

Kat’s eyes landed on my necklace. “That’s so pretty.”

“Oh, thank you. I’ve had it for forever.” I beamed.

“Obsidian crystal, right?” She guessed.

I shrugged. “I think so.”

“I use crystals from time to time. I don’t know why but that looks weirdly familiar.” She requested, “Can I touch it?”

I smiled. “Sure.”

Kat lightly placed her fingers around the crystal. A vision abruptly clouded my mind, like it was playing out right in front of me. I could see Xiomara again, running in the same forest. This time, a dark black mist was following behind her, almost swallowing the forest whole. She turned towards me.

“Something’s coming for you.”

Kat ripped her fingers away from my necklace, stumbling off her bar stool. I did the same, feeling like I was jolted back into my body.

After a breath, I stuttered. “D-did you see that?”

“Of course I saw that!” She whispered, “Why did she look like me?”

“I don’t know. I didn’t want to bring it up, but that’s how she looked in my dreams too.” I confided.

We both stood there for a moment in silence, just trying to catch our breaths.

So much for normal, right?

She stood up straight, letting out a deep, annoyed sigh. “Let’s just go back upstairs. Don’t tell them what happened.”

I agreed. “I was thinking the same thing.”

We slowly walked back upstairs. As we reentered the apartment, Sam gazed at us. “What were you two talking about for so long?”

“Girl stuff.” I sassed.

“Oh boy, we got company.” Colby broke in, staring out the window.

Sam called. “What do you-”

“Oh my God, she’s here!” Kat gasped.

Kat rushed to the window and looked at the parking lot below. I slowly followed her, peeping down. A baby pink mini cooper drove up, a girl got out quickly.

“Tara’s here.” Colby announced.

“Tara?!” Jake stammered.

I watched as he jumped up and rushed to the bathroom, looking at himself in the mirror and fixing his hair and clothes.

“Aw Jake, your girlfriend’s here.” Kevin laughed.

“Tara’s his girlfriend?” I muttered.

“No, they’re not dating. Jake and her had a fling a while ago. Now Jake’s in love with her.” Colby teased, leaning towards me.

“Cute.” I giggled.

The apartment door busted open, everyone turning to the noise.

Tara smiled brightly as she took off her sunglasses. “What’s up fuckers?”

Tara was short, her hair in a part updo. She wore a black tank top, plaid red pants, and high black platform boots. She had a light smirk on her face as she glanced around at everyone.

Well she seems fun.

Kat screamed as she ran up to Tara, hugging her tightly. “Oh my God, I haven’t seen you in forever!”

“Same here! I gotta start coming out to L.A. more often.” Tara belted, squeezing Kat back.

Jake came out of the bathroom, his eyes immediately on Tara. He shook himself off, sauntering over to the kitchen and leaning against the counter coolly.

What is he doing?

“’Sup Tara.” Jake spoke as Tara and Kat ended their hug.

“Go fuck yourself, Jake.” She smiled sweetly.

Her eyes landed on me swiftly, her eyebrows raising. “You’re new.”

“That she is.” Mike pointed out.

“I’m-” I began.

She interrupted. “No no. I got this. Let me ask the spirits what your name is.”

Tara took a deep breath in, closing her eyes delicately. A purple aura appeared around her. I watched as she tried to focus it on me.

She stood still for a moment, and then dropped her arms dramatically. Her aura disappeared as her eyes glared at me. “Why can’t I see your name?”

“Don’t take it personal, Tara. No one’s powers work on her.” Colby crossed his arms, his back against the window.

She stared me down intensely. “I’ve never met someone like you.” Then in a blink, she was grinning again, her eyes mischievous. “I love it. Nice change of pace.”

“Oh. Cool.” I half-smiled.

She strutted into the kitchen, passing Jake. “So, Kevin, when does the club open?”

He looked down at his watch. “In five hours.”

“Let’s make it two. I want to party.” She sang, smirking.

<< CHAPTER 11 || CHAPTER 13 >>

#colby brock #colby brock vampire #colby brock x oc #colby brock fanfiction #colby brock fanfic #colby brock fic #colby brock story #the chosen daughter #sam golbach #tara yummy #jake webber #mike's dead #kevin langue #sam and colby

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makeste · 6 years

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BnHA Chapter 193: The First

Previously on BnHA: Recovery Girl healed up Endeavor and he left the hospital with a shiny new scar. Hawks apologized for everything that happened and came up with some bullshit story about how they were probably spotted by villains earlier and made a tempting target and that’s why they were attacked. We also learned that he was more or less raised to become a hero from a young age and didn’t have much of a choice in the matter due to his talent. Endeavor headed on home where his kids were waiting to greet him. Although they were glad he was all right, Natsuo couldn’t hold back his anger toward Endeavor for tormenting Shouto and Rei for all those years, and for taking this long to finally get an attitude adjustment. Shouto acknowledged that Endeavor the hero was amazing, but he felt similarly to Natsuo as far as forgiving Endeavor the father. However, he said he was willing to wait and see, and that he knew better than anyone how “one small inspiration” could change a person. Endeavor thought about the epiphany he’d recently had that his children were the most important thing and that as a hero it was his duty to protect them. He also realized it was too late to apologize for all of his wrongdoings, and that the only thing he can do now is to move forward. That evening, Deku fell asleep after a long day of training, and dreamed of the past wielders of One for All, including the very first, All for One’s younger brother.

Today on BnHA: Deku finds himself in the midst of a wildly trippy dream sequence. First he sees the eight other wielders of OFA, and then his attention is drawn towards a flashback conversation between AFO and OFA the First. The First accuses AFO of using his quirk to fulfill his own selfish desires. AFO maintains he is using it for the good of the people. He demonstrates this by taking a mutation quirk from a man who wants to be rid of it, and bestowing a quirk upon a quirkless man who wanted a power of his own for self defense. The two men appear grateful, but the First says that AFO is really just creating an army of loyal servants to do his bidding. AFO says he intends to restore order to the world, and goes on to imprison his brother while he creates his army. Some time later he visits his younger brother and brags about how his dreams are becoming a reality, “just like in that comic we read together way back when.” The First says that AFO never finished the comic, and at the end of the story the Demon King lost to the Hero of Justice. AFO is all “well whatever IT’S NOT LIKE THIS IS A MANGA OR SOMETHING,” and then forces a quirk on OFA in order to entice him to join him. The scene fades, and Deku finds himself speaking with the First directly. He mentions something about them having passed “the point of singularity”, and tells Deku that he is not alone. Deku wakes up and finds that he’s somehow activated his quirk in his sleep and destroyed his room. He stares at his hand in shock and the chapter ends.

(As always, all comments not marked with an ETA are my mostly unspoiled reactions from my first readthrough of this chapter. I’ve read up through chapter 213 now, so any ETAs will reflect that. If you haven’t read that chapter, don’t read this recap! Don’t be like me and think “eh I’m probably good, I bet I know most of the big stuff by now” and get cocky and then live to regret it sob.)

so just a quick thing here -- I have unfortunately been spoiled for something big related to Deku, which is that he is going to be getting additional quirks. six, to be precise. and that’s all the details I saw before I clicked away (much too late), but unfortunately it was enough to put everything else together. because he is the ninth owner of OFA, and the second quirkless wielder, and the original dude’s quirk was OFA. but the other six wielders presumably had their own quirks, and so in hindsight it makes perfect sense that he would inherit not just their strength, but all of their abilities. and since it had been hinted at that there would be more OFA stuff coming up around this point in the manga, and also that Deku would be getting some sort of huge power-up, it wasn’t hard to put two and two together here. so yeah, I’m pretty sure that’s what all of this is eventually building up to

but oddly enough, that’s not even in my top 5 list of things that I’m actually excited for here! I don’t even care about him getting their abilities tbh, but I’m just curious whether he’ll be able to talk to them and have access to their memories! and for the first time it appears that yes, he will! which makes me so fucking excited you guys, because I have at least two of three fanfic ideas that have been permeating in my head for quite a while now which are very reliant on this concept. so I’m so fucking glad this panned out omfg

AND I WANT HIM TO MEET NANA OH MY GOD

ANYWAY!! LET’S START THIS THING ALREADY

so it appears that that fog or whatever that’s surrounding Deku is actually him not having a full body in this state, whatever he is. because his mouth is missing, he isn’t able to speak. but he can watch, and he can move his right hand

that’s so fucking clever and I love that eventually this ability will grow stronger and presumably he’ll be able to interact with the others and maybe even train with them??

right now he can’t move since he doesn’t have legs though

and there are still two figures that are complete mist and he can only see their silhouettes thus far

kind of weird that these guys are out of order, no? because All Might is all the way back there for some reason. and I assume his form is less distinct than the others because he’s still alive? maybe? though that doesn’t make a lot of sense but idk, it’s a cartoon, people

also there’s a disappointing lack of female representation here, but unfortunately that seems to be par for the course recently. poor Shimura having to rep an entire gender because the mangaka decided that just six or seven dudes wasn’t enough. nope, better make it eight!

though I suppose the somewhat androgynous Shouto-looking one in the trench coat could be female, possibly. that would be pretty awesome. or one of the two shadows, though based on the silhouettes I’d say that’s less likely

(ETA: although the second-from-the-left one, though... I’d say there’s a shot. fingers crossed!)

and lastly, the missing one is clearly the original, who’s fighting AFO in your dream sequence as we speak! pay attention, Deku!!

oh shit you guys I’m so fucking hypppppped. more AFO stuff!!!

and even though Deku has never seen his face, he recognizes his voice instantly and is thinking that he’ll never forget it

and so he’s finally realizing that the person AFO is talking to must be his brother, the First

why is the First such a hot mess. look at that scraggly looking hair and outfit. looks like he just rolled out of bed

why would they be aware of your presence if it’s a flashback dream. have you never read a fucking manga before Deku

oh shit AFO is beckoning to some dudes and they’re appearing out of the flashback mist

and you, being the kind soul you are, are going to “help” them both I suppose

also interesting that quirks were not called “quirks” at this point, but superpowers! taking more notes for that fic I mentioned!

First is running toward his big bro begging him not to do it and saying that once he does there’ll be no turning back

but he’s collapsing in a coughing fit oh shit

OH MY GOD ARE WE ACTUALLY GOING TO SEE IT??? I’VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS HOLY SHIT

DUUUUUUUUUUUUUDE

so his quirk is gone! is he happy though?

and meanwhile the other guy has the defense he wanted so badly

so far nothing about this seems that evil, but I’m sure the other shoe is going to drop any minute now

well he is implying that they both owe him a favor now, for starters

and we know he’s going to go on to be the future kingpin of the underworld, so him acting all Godfather here is definitely on point

and they’re saying of course, and that they’ll never forget what he’s done for them

sophistry is a super fancy word for a fallacious, intentionally deceiving argument, FYI. jesus Mangastream, put that fucking thesaurus away for a bit will ya. or am I the only plebe here who had to double check what that meant and everyone else already knew and is cool with it lol

AFO is acknowledging that he needs people who owe him a debt so he can know they’ll come through when he needs them

building up that loyal army of followers huh

but he says that by trying to deny him, First is also denying them of their happiness

but will they still be happy by the time you’re through with them? that remains to be seen

already one hell of a god complex building up here

First says he’s just taking advantage of people’s vulnerabilities and using them and throwing them away after

yeah I’m inclined to agree with him lol. AFO your MO has been made abundantly clear already

what is this?!

oh shit!

-- IS THIS KUROGIRI!?!?!??!??!

lol that’s crazy right. that’s a crazy thought. but idk I’m still convinced that AFO and Kurogiri are very old friends, so it would not surprise me at all to see him running around in this timeline already. hell, he doesn’t even need to have the same quirk at this point; the warp quirk could just as easily be something that was given to him by AFO

(ETA: this is an absurd theory that I’m gonna continue to push until the end of my days you guys.)

so as Deku continues to watch, AFO is loftily monologuing about how his poor pathetic brother was born without a superpower

“without power, one cannot even assert their ideals”

but he says that even so, he still loves him. “you’re my only family after all”

oh shit is this when he makes the mistake of giving him OFA??

but the black fog is getting much more prominent all of a sudden? like, I don’t think we’re going to get to see this flashback play out in full

I swear to god, if Deku wakes up and it turns out someone is shaking him awake or something I’m gonna be so pissed at that person lol

oh shit nope, never mind, we’re just getting a scene change! EVEN BETTER OMG

YOU GUYS

seriously you don’t understand, I have this plot bunny in my head that involves time travel and is tentatively set during the early days of quirks, and it also involves the past users of OFA and the concept of them passing on their memories as well as their power

so basically what I’m saying is this whole chapter thus far has been an absolute goldmine

does Deku even realize what he’s seeing here, though? whose narration is this

(ETA: I think that’s actually a paraphrase of something All Might said back in chapter 59, so we’re probably just being reminded of it.)

you guysssss AFO’s origin story is so fucking metal oh my god I love it. I love this so much

YESSSSSSSS

YESSSSS LOOK AT THIS MAGNETO BULLSHIT. LOOK AT HIM WITH HIS FUCKING ARMY HOLY SHIT

and now we’re transitioning again, this time to a dark cell

jesus christ AFO

that’s your own fucking brother for christ’s sake?? what the hell do you have him locked up in, a bank vault? are you that concerned about his sickly ass somehow getting out? for fuck’s sake there’s not even a bed in here

First says he refuses to be manipulated by AFO, and AFO says it’s about time he gave up already

oh my god!!!

OH MY FUCKING GOD THERE WAS A FUCKING RESISTANCE MOVEMENT YESSSSSSS

this is another thing I needed for my fic, fuck yes!? this worldbuilding is giving me life right now

(ETA: not that anyone cares, but despite my not shutting up about it, this isn’t something I’ll probably be writing any time soon. more likely I’ll spend the next five years or so outlining every last detail in my head, and then finally get inspired to write it only to flake out before the very last chapter hahaha sob. but it sure is fun to construct imaginary WIPs in your head though.)

so I’ll just assume that even though he thinks they were all killed, some of them survived! and continued the fight!

anyways

so AFO says he didn’t actually give the order to kill those people, and that his “friends” and followers simply did it on his behalf and made his desire to bring order into a reality

and he says he was happy beyond words. “I simply think it, and everyone takes action on my behalf”

so much fun being the god of your own world huh

HOLY SHIT

WHAT THE FUCK AFO, WHY THE FUCK ARE YOUR EYES SO FUCKING CREEPY

oh my god I for real shuddered

(ETA: and I was so creeped out by his eyes that I didn’t notice this my first time around, but underneath his nose there... are those freckles?!)

but First, nerd that he is, says AFO only read up to volume 3, and that the story continued and eventually the hero won and defeated the demon king

I like how Horikoshi clearly drew these in the style of the old timey American comics of the gold and silver ages

OH SHIT!!

SFLHKSDLKF HERE IT IS!!!

DEKU’S REACHING OUT, BUT OF COURSE YOU CAN’T STOP IT, DEKU! AND EVEN IF YOU COULD, YOU’D UNDO THE ONE GOOD THING AFO EVER DID LOL

YESSSSSS OH MY GOD I’M SO HYPED TO FINALLY SEE THIS MOMENT OH MY GOD

(ETA: there really is something fascinating about watching the moment when someone seals their own doom and doesn’t even know it. if only AFO had gotten himself an irony-understanding quirk.

also, this answers the question All Might raised in chapter 59 about whether or not AFO gave his brother the quirk out of pity/affection, or whether it was to control him. seems like it was mostly the latter, but seeing as he could have killed him but chose to keep him alive all this time instead, maybe there’s a little of the former there too. like, he wanted him to submit to him, but the reason he wanted it so badly was probably because some part of him wanted his little bro fighting by his side. that’s why he spent so long trying to convince him of his own free will before he finally went with this option instead. but little did he know...

also also! that just goes to show you how much OFA has leveled up over time, because this quirk was originally so weak that AFO picked it specifically because it was something that his “frail and starving” little brother would be able to handle. and look at it now. quirks. are. fucking. wild.)

and now the scene is fading!

AHHHH!LHLKlksdhflahks

YES!! HE IS!! WHO’S TALKING!??

OH SNAP

YOU KNOW, LIKE A LIAR

HOLY SHIT IT’S THE FIRST WHO’S TALKING!!

YOU GUYS THE HYPE IS TOO MUCH I’M FUCKING LOSING IT HERE OH MY GODDDDDDD

“BUT YOU CAN ONLY MANAGE ABOUT 20%” HOLY SHIT DEKU FUCKING HURRY UP AND MASTER THE REST OF IT ALREADY AHHHHH

so the memories are the same as the powers and will come to him little by little? but why lol. with the powers I can understand, because his body can’t physically handle the strain

...well actually, thinking of it like that, maybe his mind can’t handle the strain of all this info dumping yet either, though

and the hands touching omgggg. the connection! the bond that they now share despite being separated by time. the same shared fate oh my god

there is so much more to this than All Might ever let on. he barely even scratched the surface. did he think about all of this before he made the decision to give this power to a 14-year-old? this is so much, though. holy shiiiit

(ETA: so a couple more things to add here! first, we now know that All Might apparently didn’t know shit about most of this, so he gets a pass for the most part. and that’s a relief, because there’s a limit to how irresponsible I can accept him being lol. at some point it becomes less of a gift and more of a burden. but he had no idea of the extent to which this would happen, because his own OFA experience was very different.

and second, I totally missed this the first time around, but “the point of singularity” which First refers to is something that was brought up by Seiji in chapter 166. basically it’s the whole “eventually quirks will evolve to the point where no one can fucking control them and it’ll be chaos” thing. I didn’t realize this would become an actual plot thing so soon, but this is something that’s come up again in the chapters I just got up to, and now I can kind of see what they meant. best of luck with that Deku.)

HYPE AND FUCKING FEELS, COME ON THOUGH??

oh sweet moses

this chapter is blessed

so now he’s charging in to Deku’s room and asking why he’s making so much noise

WHAT’S GOING ON WHY IS HE HAVING THIS REACTION

OH SHIT

holy fuck

is it weird my first thought was that I bet this exact same thing has happened to Katsuki in the past. accidental activation of your quirk in your sleep, destroying all of your precious All Might merch in the process

and is his hand all right!? his hand was the only thing he could move in the dream so I’m worried the power was concentrated there, and that’s his fucked up hand and he’s not supposed to use it oh man

what is this

lol well actually I probably know the answer to that already huh

oh man. ohhh hhhhhhhh man

that was so intense. easily one of my favorite chapters ever. I said “oh my god” and “oh shit” so many fucking times lmao. that was fucking intense! it’s late and I have to get up early tomorrow but I’m gonna read the next one anyway because I need to see what kind of a conversation he has with All Might after this lol, and ALSO! TELL KATSUKI, YOU COWARD

(ETA: THEY DIDN’T but it’s okay because Kacchan realized something was up and took matters into his own hands! KEEP KACCHAN IN THE LOOP 2K19 IS ALIVE AND WELL.)

by the way, I haven’t done omakes for the last few chapters, but we actually crossed over into volume 21 back in chapter 189, so at some point I’ll have to go and find what I can from that volume and edit it into one of the upcoming recaps. this volume has way more bonus content than the last one, thanks to the presence of the Todoroki children as well as all of the class B kids finally making their appearance after all this time lol. so that should be fun to find out more about them.

#bnha #boku no hero academia #midoriya izuku #all for one #one for all primo #bnha spoilers #mha spoilers #makeste reads bnha #I need to come up with a better nickname for afo's brother #'the first ofa wielder' doesn't really cut it #too long and boring #and roman numerals don't get interesting until you get to at least II or III #I have been calling him 'ofa primo' in my head off and on because I'm still ride or die for khr even now #but I'm not quite satisfied with that either #I have to give this some more thought #ofa the first

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thevoilinauttheory · 5 years

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Never-Ending Survey | Maximiloix

Tagged by @elegie-de-sang! Thank you so much, and thank you for your patience! It’s been a while since I got this orz

Tagging: uhh... anyone who has wanted to do this and hasn’t! Please! Do! It! And tag me! I want to see all of your lovely characters!

BASICS.

FULL NAME: Maximiloix Soleil Voilinaut

NICKNAME: (Hates all of his nicknames) Max [by most], Maxie [by Caromont].

AGE: 109

BIRTHDAY: 28th Sun of the 1st Astral Moon

ETHNIC GROUP: Elezen

NATIONALITY: Ishgardian

LANGUAGE/S: Common, Old Ishgardian, Old Sharlayan, Dragonspeak (to a degree, his pronunciation is horrible), Sign Language; in the process of teaching himself Far Eastern languages and dialects; is familiar with Ilsabardian words and terms, unable to speak the language fluently.

SEXUAL ORIENTATION : Pansexual

ROMANTIC ORIENTATION : Panromantic

RELATIONSHIP STATUS: It’s complicated. Legally, he’s single.

HOME TOWN / AREA: Ishgard, Coerthas

CURRENT HOME: Mist, Limsa Lominsa

PROFESSION: Teacher, Aetherologist, Historian

PHYSICAL.

HAIR: Unnaturally white with hints of brown. Base of neck length, kind of wavy. Very well groomed and taken care of.

EYES: One is a whitish-silver, the other is a light teal. Almond shaped, with constant bags under them.

FACE: Squared, angular jaw. High cheekbones.

LIPS: Kinda average for his face shape and size, always wears lipstick.

COMPLEXION: Tanned from outdoor work, usually on the paler side.

BLEMISHES: Aside from the bags under his eyes, he has very few visible blemishes.

SCARS: A lot. Mostly covering his chest and back. The most noticeable ones are the thin scar along his cheek, and a nasty deformation on his right arm.

TATTOOS: Geometrical patterns are tattooed around his entire body, everywhere except his face, to help him cast magic easier and more efficiently.

HEIGHT: 7′4′‘

WEIGHT: ~200lbs.

BUILD: Lanky and frail looking. He has muscle due to his time as a logger and Templar, but he is lacking in physical strength with his old age.

FEATURES: Long and well kept fingernails, well-groomed. All other prominent features have already been stated.

ALLERGIES: Deathly allergic to mushrooms.

USUAL HAIR STYLE: Well washed and maintained, looks very soft. It is usually kept loose. On rare occasions, it will be tied back to keep it from getting in his face while he works.

USUAL FACE LOOK : Annoyed, irritated, and angry.

USUAL CLOTHING: Does not have much of a closet - or he does, and he prefers to wear the same thing everyday. Garishly long white robes, tight black pants, black high-heeled boots, and a black eyepatch.

PSYCHOLOGY.

FEAR/S: Drowning, being buried alive, being alone, being forgotten, losing his friends and family, powerlessness.

ASPIRATION/S: To correct his many mistakes, and hopefully become on good terms with his family. Or at least speaking terms.

POSITIVE TRAITS: Protective, inquisitive, friend to the poor man. He *does* know how to have fun, I swear.

NEGATIVE TRAITS: Almost constantly annoyed or irritated at something; power-hungry; selfish; will not hesitate to throw anyone under him when it comes to gaining new power and knowledge.

TEMPERAMENT: Choleric / Melancholic

SOUL TYPE/S: 16% Educator / 15% Thinker / 12% Leader

ANIMAL/S: Falcon.

VICE HABIT/S: Alcoholism, Self-Martyrdom

FAITH: Halone, apparently.

GHOSTS?: Believes in them to a degree.

AFTERLIFE?: Kind of?

REINCARNATION?: A more plausible and sensible option after death.

POLITICAL ALIGNMENT: Absolutely loathes people of noble birth, unless proven themselves to *not* be assholes. Stays on the side of the poor man, and will fight for their rights.

EDUCATION LEVEL: While he doesn’t know everything, he does know a lot for someone who’s education level is “I learned how to read”. There were no schools for him to attend as a child, so he learned through experience, traveling, and reading.

FAMILY.

FATHER : Adelnard Voilinaut

MOTHER : Genevieve Voilinaut

SIBLINGS : He is the eldest of 9 - here’s a list.

EXTENDED FAMILY: He has a lot of children and extended family members, and here’s a list as well!

NAME MEANING/S: Based off the Common, Eorzean, name, Maximillion - which means “Greatest Rival”. (Also I just used the random name generator and went “what a cool ass name” until I learned how to pronounce it.)

HISTORICAL CONNECTION?: None, in-game.

FAVORITES.

BOOK: Will never admit it, but thoroughly enjoys raunchy romance novels. Good luck finding his collection.

DEITY: Halone.

HOLIDAY: The Starlight Celebration. It gives him a reason to (begrudgingly - to keep up appearances) give gifts to people.

MONTH: Likely the 6th Umbral Moon (December)- not only the month of his favorite holiday and season; but it was the month he met Caromont as well.

SEASON: Winter.

PLACE: Says Ishgard, but really wherever his family and friends are.

WEATHER: Loves snow, maybe not blizzards, but definitely show showers.

SOUND / S: Silence, tea kettle boiling, pages of books flipping.

SCENT / S: Coerthan cedar; Dravanian Lilies; Furymint.

TASTE / S: Furymint, black tea - lots of salt.

FEEL / S: Wool and mink. Sanded down and polished wood; cold stone.

ANIMAL / S: Likes animals, will not own any. Falcons are his favorite.

NUMBER: 3,582. Specific, but there’s a reason behind it.

COLORS: White, blue, gold.

EXTRA.

TALENTS: Magic and all things magical in nature; the ability to learn new things quickly.

BAD AT: Focusing on anything that is not studying or interesting to him; cooking; can’t swim; bad at dealing with people - even worse if the person is upset.

TURN ONS: Major turn ons include having his hair pulled on, and being embarrassed in public or in front of others. He is attracted to intelligence and someone he can lean on; being attractive is a plus.

TURN OFFS: Needy, or greedy for his attention. Displays low intelligence in situations that do not call for it. Sexually, does not like preforming oral - does not like mouth stuff, whatsoever.

HOBBIES: Reading, teaching, studying new things, traveling/adventuring.

TROPES: Jerk with a Heart of Gold; Big Ego, Hidden Depths; Villain with Good Publicity

QUOTES:

“He is not yours to burn - get out, GET OUT!”

“I have not felt such exhilaration in years…”

“I am not stupid, I am mad. You were a fool to trust me in the first place.”

MUN QUESTIONS.

Q1 : If you could write your character your way in their own movie, what would it be called, what style would it be filmed in, and what would it be about?

A1 : It would probably be one of those villain origin stories, either of his life growing up; or it would be him slowly going mad - like my Memories!AU. It would be very dark, definitely an R movie, maybe even something horror-esque. As for titles? /shrug I’m no good with those.

Q2 : What would their soundtrack/score sound like?

A2 : Definitely piano, organ, and harpsichord based. Maybe a little violin and cello. Something soft and somewhat haunting.

Q3 : Why did you start writing this character?

A3 : Ha... ha... I don’t want to admit that it gave me a reason to be mean to people lmao. I’m generally a super nice person, a people pleaser, and a rug that everyone walks over. Max’s character was supposed to reflect a couple of things - if I handled my guilt worse than I have irl, and if he were the sarcastic, rude, bastard I have no heart to be.

Q4 : What first attracted you to this character?

A4 : ^^ The above. Max was originally supposed to be young, naive, clumsy, and an anxiety ridden mess; and for the love of god, do not get me started on his original design. He became the opposite of those things, and Lothaire took up the mantle of his original personality.

Q5 : Describe the biggest thing you dislike about your muse.

A5 : Max is an absolute fucking asshat that can’t let things be. Let dead things be dead, kind of thing. Can’t move on. He will definitely step on his friends and family if it meant gaining more power.

Q6 : What do you have in common with your muse?

A6 : The guilt of believing that we are the cause of the death to a loved one. I’m pretty sure I handled it better. We also have a lot of internalized rage.

Q7 : How does your muse feel about you?

A7 : lmao, he probably hates me. I *am* the source of all of his angst and anger, tbh. His life has been a mess and it is literally all my fault.

Q8 : What characters does your muse have interesting interactions with ?

A8 : Caromont, Shango, and Amarice - definitely. All three are people who push his ability to be a better person.

Q9 : What gives you inspiration to write your muse ?

A9 : Max is one of those characters that everyday is inspiration for him - it’s just finding the motivation to write. He’s not necessarily my longest running XIV character, but he is certainly one of my favorites to RP.

Q10 : How long did this take you to complete ?

A10 : A while - I lost motivation, forgot it was in my drafts, then got it done during my entire shift at work lmao.

A big ol’ shoutout to @shangomango and @amarice-sovald for their characters and helping shape Max into what he is today.

#tagged answers #about: Maximiloix Voilinaut #the cold truth: tagged

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ramblingshit · 5 years

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Jane Eyre - 1996 - 2/5

what even is acting. what even is a script.

wasn't gonna do this one but fuck it's aunt petunia and rogue. here we go.

lots of credits fairo. more credits. damn fukin eh - i hear you're a wicked child! lol hi. now we're talking about hell and where bad people go. 'keep well and not die' ahaha m8. fkn reed putting seed in that she's a liar. teach her at her prospects, don't let her come back, she's a lying little shit take her away from here. he's appropriately scary oh shit she's saying this in front of the priest. damn tear that lady a new one. unruly, obstinate, wicked, deceitful, man these people hate kids who act out. walks in and damn she's on teh stool already - IS THAT THE LADY FROM PERSUASION. damn she just got here and he's telling everyone to not trust her, she doesn't get to eat and has to stand - she's just done hours of travelling fuckin assholes. IT IS THE LADY FROM PERSUASION. shes got dark hair and dark eyes and shes like glaring at everyone like shes onna kill him in their sleep. lol enjoy helen while she's alive. eatin bread and cheese in bed like she's not gonna get crumbs. omg telling these kids how to stand properly what why this lady hate her she's gonna cane her for not washing her hands. bish doesn't even flinch go helen. 'cleanliness is next to godliness' alright crazy. this school is a lot more chill than most of the others - they're laughing and doing what they want as well as learning and playing games. making jane out to be a pro artist. oh no ol mate saw her with her hair out. no dont cut it. 'vanity?' shes out here with naturally long, red and curly hair and he's out here calling her vain? because he recognises it as lovely she must be vain about it? what a fkn dickhole get off your high horse sexist moron pig anus head. what. he's saying her naturally iwgh what i don't even understand his shit - it isn't offending him thats the issue its her naturally occuring sin and vanity (because her hair exists?) that is the issue?? what. lol go Jane. NO. oh fuck go Jane go. this guyyyy. don't do it Jane. chin held high she only does it when Helen nods at her to. DAAAAAAAAMN. took of her own bonnet. if Helen's hair goes so does Janes. they stood together looked at each other and flipped their heads over for him to go snip snip, bish looked shock and actually stepped back in horror. What a bae. Helen's fkn dying send help. fuck this lady should not be working with children considering how much she hates children. o shit where's helen. her beds all rolled up. can hear her hacking away in the distance. yikes that sounds bad. jane be creepin. oh fuck she's a terrible actress even as a kid. who honestly thinks its a good idea to hire her. she lying in her dying friend's bed and she's breathing all over her. isn't anna paquin australian? no? ah new zealand fairo. oh fuck Helen's daed. she's trying to squeeze out tears ahah oh no. she can't manage it. anna go back to new zealand you suck at acting who hired you ever. Riparoonies helen. that was actually the greatest jane and helen moment i've seen tbh. oh damn cool transition as she walked from helen's grave - she went from kid to adult. whats this part down the midde all of them got. Miss Temple fam, persuasion lady, fantastic lady, crying as Jane leaves like her mumma. this jane is long-flat-faced with a long protruding jaw, and very tall and skinny. thornfield looks like its already burned down ahaha. straight up castle here. she's got her drawing stuff as well as her bag. nice friendly ol mate meets her and opens the gates - big ass square this is some game of thrones shit yearh this place is like medieval more than victorian. the middle parted hair and the curled twists behind her head they're pretty much exactly the same in most Janes. all chillin and chatting about this together rather than completely separate. adele actually legit sounds french rather than just pretending? noice. dreary, cold, dark halls. her room is bright and airy with a four-poster bed and bay windows and lots of very nice furniture. river runs beside it; enormous tapestries; main gallery with lots of furniture and paintings and sculpures all covered in sheets with windows open to let in light; the doors are very large and heavy. Janes got a very long neck she looks legit like a fkn swan lmao. ooh a rochester backstory. well-travelled, intelliegent, can't tell if he's talking in jest or in earnest, or if he is pleased or irritated, not a happy man. they're just walking about in his rooms. the sun shines bright but cannot reach them through the thick mist. they're very soft-spoken. god her head is so far forward she's like the alien - long ass neck stretching forward and then her chin and jaw stretching wayyyy forward. wack wack anatomy. it's very dark and dreary. she's off for a walk leaving adele to do like 5 sums. oh she's been here five minutes and they're already meeting. the music is like ... not appropriately intense? he just sorta looked at her, the horse tripped over and then he was on the floor and she's like whoops uh you alright bro. he's outright lying and pretending that he's not rochester his hair is grotty he's got like no hair on top they've just tries to scraggle it. this is so stunted and awkward. i hope it gets better. he's very gentle and she's pretty nonexistent to far. my god very gentle man. what. is he even rochester? that's a german shepherd. noice. playin chess by himself by the fire lol. this movie would be made infinitely better by an actual soundtrack. they're all chilling together again it's interesting - adele and fairfax and rochester and jane. wait she's been here 4 months. it literally didn't show anything about her chilling here. she talked back and now he's grumpy lol. what a terrible start compared to like... every other first convo. isn't she supposed to be not great at piano and yet she's teaching adele -- wait now we're at another convo between the duo. this convo is the other half of --- wait now we're talking sketches? jesus she hmm what are they talking about she's being forward and fuck her chin twists forward as she speaks she kinda looks like the wicked witch of the west. he's judging her drawings like he can do better. this is a mess? the best part about this so far is adele. there's no sense of time. adele is gorgeous honestly. she's pale and gaunt with bags beneath her eyes. wait here's the next part of the conversation. blunt and brusque replies from her. god they're so obviously acting its painful. they have no chemistry because the CONVERSATION IS ALL OVER THE PLACE. they've done it on pruspose to try stretch things out a bit but like plz EY why he scrunch up the drawing wtf. 'and remember the shadows are as important as the light'. dudes. these are private conversations? it would be alright to try it more naturally but they're just not the kind of things you casually say. it's impersonal and there's no intimacy. sit there and watch a kid dance to the sound of a music box. he's so grumpy looking. now snapping at the kid. he's annoying. like a violent dude he feels more like a nice guy quick to snap - definitely kinda unhinged. and now drunk. hmm i don't like it. she told him not to be mean to adele and he rages about her mother, 'you've made adele feel unwanted and unloved' damn this Jane goes for the throat. she's too good for him I can see it now m8. he's a psycho run. red flag red flag. don't like it. lol he wake up like huh.... oh look beds on fire... huh... well suppose i should sort it out... huh... fuck they're barely acting huh. do they even want to be here. how much are these guys getting paid. he's literally a drunk. and has she had a drink in her life? she just went for it? omg so impersonal - isn't he supposed to be already half in love with her by this point? camera angle just flicks forward and back as the conversation goes on and when theres action it just pans back to the widest shot ever lol just show the entire scene why give any emphasis or focus to anything who needs reaction shots and feelings of being in it rather than observing it. fkn ey. he's literally just an angry blitering brooding drunk yikes. he's staring at her tits? these conversations man... he definitely just said jade instead of jane. m8 don't tell me he didn't. there's more intimacy between all the servants and jane and feeling more like an actual squad living together than there is any feeling between rochester and jane. adeles got a frog lol cute. 'you're a fool,' jane tells her reflection. this music is so shit it's bringing everything down. rochester, who's been an unfeeling ass the whole time, holds her hand once and now she's got a big crush on him. she's very spirited - to the point where she could too easily be cruel. like it's not just a repressed forcefulness it's like a hidden rage. can see her going mad and chopping someone up with icy rage and poised pleasure. wonder if i'm in a mood and interpreting this wrong? but honestly. dancing rochester now? instead of singing. adele is glaring at Mrs Ingram who just insulted jane lolol go kid she's definitely the best part. the background people actually make this place feel alive and natural, completely unlike their FUCKING AWFUL conversations. jesus what. god could you have two people less interested in each other? i think this fairfax knows about bertha. there's a 'tapestry bedroom'? lol what does that mean. they're dancing, playing cards, piano, the lot. oh the walls are literally covered in tapestries, that's creepy af. theres so much blood my dude would be dead yo. will hurt like doesn't know how to act. wwait theyve skipped my 'fav scene'?? theyre shaking hands again, wtf is this. wait what shes just met stjohn n he;s the one telling her all about the reeds? petunias dying 'love me then or hate me as you will - you have my full and free forgiveness' - i cant forgive any version that misses that out: its so powerful as part of her character. stalking her while he smokes in the dark what a creeper. 'how cuold you be so stupid!' lol fight him Jane i dont even know how we got to kissing likr the movie is almost 2 hours and yet it feels SO rushed. literally took away all the secret courting and his sneaky declarations. shes a modern woman trapped in an old age. she is so skinny. and with entirely stiff expressions. ew he makes me so uncomfortable. theyre not even trying lol. acting ey acting have u heard of it. just left jane at the altar like bye bitch.shes just in a giant empty ugly room. bertha is a very young and frightened girl but also very sick in the typical long white dress and long dark hair. god this guy is a whingebum. bertha understands everything he's saying. oh yikes lol she just whipped a log from the fire and went after Jane and Jane just put her veil back down with like a sigh turned and yeeted slowly away long ass veil over a white bonnet, silk cape thing in a dark hallway walking all miserable. she's outies lol he's just let her walk out? i love u and i love u. bye. bertha's taken another log from the fire and lit the wedding dress on fire along with the house ahaha. wait he let her leave the house then ran after her on horseback but had to stop after bertha lit the place on fire it started burning and we're actually seeing it happen? interesting. the house is burning, pepople are running, bertha's on the battlements and rochester is going up there to --oh fuck grace poole got yeeted over by bertha oh she's flying ahahaha jumped down to where she threw grace poole. rochesters in the fire. jane's off and racing. it's all happened at once. she went to stjohns, didn't even get dumped in teh marshes but down she goes after chilling in a coach for 3 days. shes been there a month. her jaw is so long and forward its creepy. again one fo the few telling her that she's wealthy from inheritance from her uncle. more backstory. she was deeply loved by her parents, now she's wealthy, lifes looking up but she's all upset after than asshole lol move on and be happy. she's hearing his voice on the wind like please chill. damn 6months. what. um. he's very awkwardly trying to propose? but its like the last half of the conversation with the first bit just cut out. so weird. she looks normal face-on. oh she decides after the proposal to go back - none of that chasing after voices nonsense. whoops that shit burned downnn. doggoooo is still alive. what a good boy. fuck me there's like no anticipation, no intensity, no build-up, no chemistry, it's so dry and cold and heartless. christ acting. act. acting. act. please. act. what is happening. act. she has the neck of a swan ol mate. fucking gross. their words are stilted, and not romantic in the slightest and especially not in their delivery. theyre walking with no kids but the dog but they're talking about the kids. oh my god. that was pretty fkn awful. like seriously not good.

#jane eyre #charlotte bronte #1996 #movies #commentary #review #ramble #shit #ramblingshit #charlotte gainsbourg #william hurt #anna paquin

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bisexualdanavidan · 6 years

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oh boy oh boy my friend tagged me in a WIP tag meme thing! thank you @thepartyresponsible, you don’t even go here and you’re still my favorite

we’re gonna go under a cut cuz i can’t ever shut the fuck up

i wanna tag uhhh @orgyforone @sweetiefiend @theseusinthemaze and whoever else that follows me that wants to do this, i don’t want to impose!!

1. wip #1 (“and start again”) is a three-part thing about arin & co living in a little oregon town where arin is the elementary school art teacher and dan is a single dad to a seven or eight year old

The farmers’ market starts the first Saturday of September and ends the last Saturday of November. It’s always been that way - it’s certainly been that way since he moved here, six years old and starting out the season in shorts and a t-shirt and ending it bundled up behind the little stall his mom rented to sell bread and muffins out of. He’s made it a longstanding habit to get up early on Saturdays year-round, and it pays off by the time fall rolls around - he’s almost always the first person to get his stall set up on the town square.

It isn’t that he has anything very interesting to sell. There are other gardeners and farmers with better tomatoes, and Mrs. Culver talks about different breeds and cross-strains of blueberries like his mom used to talk about horses, and anybody with opposable thumbs can grow herbs like he does, even if he does have twice as much mint and lemon balm as anyone else because he let it overgrow a couple summers back and never did get around to wrangling it back to a more manageable level. He kind of likes the way it looks, more garden than yard on three sides of his little house.

[...]

“Hey,” Ama’s dad says, “I’m sure Mr. Hanson has stuff to do,” even though Arin’s pretty visibly not doing anything other than talking to them. Arin takes a moment to look him over while he’s distracted by his kid: they might be the same age - Arin might be a little older - but he looks harried, Arin thinks, and thin in a way that suggests he’s getting over a long illness rather than that he tries to stay that way. He’s pretty, in a skinny sort of way, with Ama’s long face and curly dark hair.

2. wip #2 is a record/bookstore au; dan is a former opiate addict whose grandparents/parents set him up with a small shop to run so that he would have something to occupy his time that wasn’t drugs (and set him up with an “employee” aka babysitter in the form of barry, who’s grandma probably went to shul with danny’s or something); arin moves to new jersey, which is as far away from los angeles and his cheating jerk ex-boyfriend as he can get without leaving the country, and ends up spending maybe too much time in this weird little shop; also, arin has a dog

(Part of him is aware what a romantic comedy this is - the whole post-breakup-get-a-dog thing - but there’s not a ton about his life that feels romantic or funny right now, so maybe that specific cliche isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.)

The guy at the front desk seems delighted that he's coming in with the express purpose of adopting a dog. "If you don't fall in love with someone today," he says after he gets Arin's basic information, "we can get your email or your number or, like, your Facebook or whatever, we get surrenders all the time. But we've got a really, really great group in right now."

He's short-ish, with a dense scrub of dark beard and bright, clever brown eyes, and his nametag says Hi, I’m Barry. He's cute, Arin thinks, but there's no spark of legitimate interest like there might have been a couple years ago back home. Back in California, he corrects himself inside his head. He leads Arin with a surety through the shelter, past offices and vet tech rooms until they get to the actual anima holding areas.

"Are you thinking, like," Barry says, "a puppy? Size preference?"

"Not a puppy," Arin says immediately, because the little brown-and-white terrier puppy that's eyeing him from a couple kennels down is cute as shit, but he's never actually owned a dog by himself before. "Do you have, like. A beginner dog?"

3. cw for domestic abuse, skip to the next one if you aren’t cool w it; wip #3 is yet another normal-world-never-famous au where ross and arin are art students in philly and dan works a series of odd jobs in between open mic nights; arin befriends him and gradually tries to ease him away from his piece of shit boyfriend (mostly i want to write about the dynamics of a bad relationship where at least one half of the relationship cares about the other despite being able to acknowledge the toxicity/abuse and avoid the trope where there’s One Final Straw and they make a clean break the first time and live happily ever after)

There’s a chunk of hair ripped out, Arin thinks, and then realizes faintly that it’s not hair, it’s scalp, too, that there’s dried blood matted into his mess of curls, dry and flaky under his fingertips when he reaches to touch it. Dan jerks away infinitesimally, breathes in, careful, and seems to make himself relax.

“Sorry,” he says, and when he looks up, Arin can see the hemorrhage in his left eye, a little explosion of scarlet that makes his breath catch in his throat. He still smiles, though, and it’s small and tight around the edges but almost believable. “Sorry, that’s - uh - that’s pretty gross. Sorry.”

4. wip #4 is weird and way overambitious; tl;dr egobang medieval semi-realistic fantasy where arin gets the attention of the seely court and gets arin-napped and dan, who is wildly unsuited for rescue missions, has to venture through the fae forest to get him back

Morning comes cold and wet to the farm. Mist hangs low over the pastures and stables, clinging to the gardens like a lover; Dan wraps his cloak more snugly around himself before he steps outside, burying his fingers in the thick grey fur lining in search of the cords that lace it tighter. It's Arin's cloak, made for someone far broader of shoulder, but there’s no one there to see how foolish he looks in a cloak twice his size. The wind from the east is brisk and cold, and it only seems to grow colder as he checks everyone over: the chickens first, who flutter their wings at him and cackle the news of the morning’s bounty - and the goats, the little doeling and her mother, who nips at his sleeve and vainly tugs him forward to her stall - and then all fourteen of the horses, the handful of colts and their nosing mothers and the three raw-boned geldings, ready to be traded. Ice clings to the very tops of the long grass in the near pasture, and crunches under his feet as he walks the fenceline.

It seems lonely in a way that the farm rarely does. He lingers in the barn with the hens, scatters more barley than usual so that they peck and prance around his feet, and even offers a handful to the goat doeling. It’s the cold, he decides. The doeling snuffles at his empty palm and bleats, a thin, piteous little noise. Reflexively, he reaches into the bag for another palm’s worth. The cold has come too early, and without Arin -

He stops himself there, shakes his head as if that will shake the thought away from it. He’s given to spells of melancholy, and has been since he was young: they’re worse when Arin is gone away, but he only has only one more day to wait.

so yes those are the myriad things i am Struggling with!! tbh if any of those catch yr fancy send me an ask, if people seem like they’re more interested in one over the other it will probably be Much easier for me to write them lmao

#text #mine #wip #wip meme

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system-architect · 7 years

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gonna be doin some late additions to that ask meme since i was asked a bunch...! it’s a lot for four dif chars so i’ll be splitting it up into two posts. i might have to skip a few questions but we’ll see

here’s the gunner and xinn edition! i was asked uhhh... 1-6 and 9-19

gunner first!

Their physical weak spots: gunner is speedy and evades a lot, but can’t take too many solid hits in general-- anything that disarms him or messes with his ability to move/think fast will hamper him a lot. he’s actually mostly primarily weak to over-exerting his magic and making himself sick/’irradiated’ Their emotional/moral weak spots: he can be too stoic and too cocky and launch into things headfirst without properly assessing the situation or consulting his allies Scars or painful spots: his right arm/side is aaaalllllllll leyline scars! Best places to kiss on their body: he is partial to shoulder/upper back/neck/jaw/near ear kisses. also scar kisses Guilty pleasures: it’s not a guilty pleasure so much as a Secret Pleasure but gunner’s surprisingly talented at baking/cooking. he’s also very into sweets specifically chocolate Their vices (physical or emotional): it’s not particularly severe for him, but he sometimes turns 2 Substances when hyper stressed Humiliating memories: god i’m sure there’s a Lot but i gotta develop him more here. he probably has quite a few from growing up in novus but not being much of a typical asura. plus some embarrassing combat defeats Fears/phobias: afraid he’s gonna squandered his extended lifespan and amount to nothing despite that, afraid he’s gonna end up losing everything he has again like he did in the chak attack on rata novus, afraid he’s just been constantly making the wrong decisions and everything that’s happened to him is his fault and that he could’ve solved it if he was just Better, afraid that bad things are going to just keep happening to him Bad or petty habits: god he can be very stubborn and petty and aggressive or passive aggressive at times... he has a bad habit of overfocusing on himself and not considering others in a situation Grudges and vendettas: he’s got a grudge against Every Single Chak and will go out of his way to kill them. he loathes the inquest for all the shit they’ve done to ppl he loves and all the havoc they’ve caused with his DNA, and he’s also still bitter at zinn for leaving his people behind (he was very.. smug when he learned how zinn died) What gets them flustered: gunner is very strongly emotional despite acting stoic so it’s pretty easy to get him riled up into an argument... anything about synergetics or related to ppl gunner cares for or his fighting strats is a 1 way ticket to Yell Town Ingrained habits/forces of habit: he’s crossing his arms like 24/7 and he’s also a very paranoid person who is constantly surveying the area and whips his head about every time he hears A Noise.. he’s on his tactical survivalist fighter game like all the time What it takes to make them cry: takes a LOT to make him cry bc he bottles those emotions hardcore. things related to his parents or setting off his “alchemy why me, why do bad things keep happening to ME??” complex will do it Dark secrets/’skeletons in the closet’: he keeps the novan thing concealed but u all here on tumblr get to be privvy to it. he’s also very clammed up about how the mists affected him... Regrets: he’s constantly picking over and scrutinizing his past actions, big and small, and wondering how he could’ve done things better or if he could’ve prevented such huge messes by acting a little differently Things they’ll never admit: he’s bottled this a whole ton so he tends to be less aware of it tbh, but inside he’s a big huge softie who’s very emotional about a lot and he should bottle things less and he wants more gentleness in his life. he has a hard time admitting to himself that showing emotions isn’t Bad People they’ve hurt or indirectly killed, and how it affected them: depends a lot on the situation.... idk much specifics but gunner def has had to kill people and generally views it as a survival necessity (think like, fighting enemies ingame-- bandits, centaurs, djinn, whatever). he doesn’t like needless killing. whenever he does have to kill someone he’s slightly crestfallen a bit, he does trudge onwards but the general concept he gets hung up on was how that person had a whole world and spirit inside them and he’s put that to an end now

aaaaaaaaand here’s xinnux--

Their physical weak spots: xinn is speedy and can put great force behind stabbing/throwing with his knives/machetes but he mostly marches in with his pets to attack things, so anything that disarms him or impedes his movement or separates him from his pets will render him useless. good luck catching him tho he’s like a mouse on red bull Their emotional/moral weak spots: xinnux is Les Enfants he gets emotional and confused about a whole lot of things. he doesn’t have a bad bone in his body but he’s still figuring out how morality works; he doesn’t quite Conceptualize death and good vs bad yet Scars or painful spots: he’s got a lot of weird scars from inquest tests and he doesn’t like any of them, they physically hurt and remind him of Bad Things Best places to kiss on their body: i’m just gonna slide in here for future ref, xinn physically appears to be 20 atm (his bday was nov 25th! woo!) but he is literally two years old and the narrative handles him as a child!! (xinn being a child who’s not been given a childhood and has been forced to grow up fast is Very Much a plot point, even!) so i’m not gonna b answerin any kind of questions about romance/sexuality for xinn. xinn is a toddler in a big boy’s body, he has dirt to crawl around in and retrieve bugs from, that’s his life atm he doesn’t mess with adult business like this Guilty pleasures: xinn feels guilty about nothing. he WILL binge eat what he pleases. he WILL ‘accidentally’ steal things. he WILL just literally do whatever he wants at any time. the concept of feeling guilty for something that is fun is like, beyond him Their vices (physical or emotional): this isn’t rlly a vice but like i said since xinn has a hard time conceptualizing things like death and pain, he will sometimes be a bit cruel in his treatment towards others, but it’s out of obliviousness and not direct malice.. he def has a strong sense of empathy he just.. doesn’t Understand things.... (think about when you were a kid and were cruel to animals not bc you hated them but bc you were a tiny untamed infant monkey who acted on instinct and “i want to touch that”, but the thought of “this thing might not enjoy being touched” wasn’t something that occurred to you because your tiny walnut brain couldn’t compute that yet. that’s about xinn’s predicament.) Humiliating memories: there’s probably a few memories he has of bouts with the inquest and tryin to run away but bein wrangled back into his cell and he’s like, embarrassed about his lack of strength there whilst also bein seething mad at the inquest for this all Fears/phobias: A Lot. he’s filled with fear and doesn’t quite process any of it. right now he just knows that feeling hurty things is bad and he feels that and he doesn’t like it. he is also really afraid he will never be Normal and it’s not really a fear he can do much about, or rlly directly a fear, but he’s very bitter and sad about not getting to be a kid and just be born and have a normal childhood. more normal phobia wise, he hates small enclosed spaces with no easy exits, and he hates doctor-related stuff, and he hates being alone Bad or petty habits: xinn can be very stubborn and if he’s told not to do something he will usually run off and try to do it either out of ignorance or just, direct spite Grudges and vendettas: big big ol grudge against all inquest/former inquest. except the one who let him free, that guy’s cool. fuck everyone else tho What gets them flustered: challenging xinn to an argument on literally anything will get him very mad very fast and he doesn’t know how to argue. it VERY LITERALLY will turn into arguing with a child Ingrained habits/forces of habit: he’s always scanning for exits in a room What it takes to make them cry: not much. xinn cries easily, though he does hate crying in front of people and tries to stop it. he doesn’t like bein reminded of his past and also he hates being told he’s wrong or that he can’t do something Dark secrets/’skeletons in the closet’: not rlly a Dark Secret uh, despite being physically 20 he still a lot of the time really wants to be treated like a kid and just entrust himself to parental units and be fussed over jhkgd he does fluctuate on this tho and can absolutely get very “no im adult!!!” too Regrets: the childhood thing i guess? he also feels regret when he unknowingly acts cruelly and it adversely affects someone/something. rn his brain is still forming the concepts of regret, really Things they’ll never admit: xinn can’t really form his brain around concepts like this. he doesn’t particularly have anything complex going on that he would never admit. he has stuff that’s tough to admit, but he does a poor job of hiding it People they’ve hurt or indirectly killed, and how it affected them: i’m sure he’s killed at least one person and probably some critters and like i’ve mentioned he doesn’t really Conceptualize death yet. he knows death is Bad but doesn’t really currently have the emotional development to put himself in other people’s heads and understand why killing someone is so bad and tragic

#text heavy #long post #oc talk #xin #asura!gunner #gunner #didnt rlly proofread sorry

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windypenguin · 7 years

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About Me

i was tagged by @ikallawrites so lets gooo bc i havent done one of these in a while whoops

Name/nickname: michelle, penguin, mistral/mist

Gender: female

Star sign: gemini

Height: 5′3″

Hogwarts House: gryffindor and thunderbird

Favourite animal: cATs and birbs :3

Hours of sleep: uh dont hate me but uh it varies a lot...can be as little as 4, average is 5-6, but sometimes i sleep in for like 8?

Dogs or cats: both (but if you make me pick, cats)

Number of blankets: one...just change which one if its cold (or okay fine 2 if its freezing and you wanna layer)

Dream trip: im not really interested in travel tbh lol

Dream job: doing nothing? does that not count? okay then programming something fun like games or something i care about

Time: 7:32pm mst

Birthday: june 10

Favorite Bands: i dont follow specific bands but uhh fall out boy is cool

Favorite Solo Artists: uH

Song Stuck In My Head: seagulls stop it now (go look it up on youtube if you havent seen it yet ehehe)

Last Movie I Watched: airplane!

Last Show I Watched: the current volume of rwby :D

When Did I Create My Blog: man uh was...early-mid 2013 i think?

What Do I Post/Reblog: did you think there was like...a theme?? bc there sure as heck isnt! basically anything im interested in at the time?

Last Thing I Googled: best day of my life minor key bc it came up on my spotify discover and i NEEDED to share it

Other Blogs: ...i totally made a side blog that i posted on like twice and never again. also a couple group blogs that kinda died

Do I Get Asks: i used to get a few but i havent been good about answering them so they stopped

Why I Choose My URL: i like wind and a hero of breath and i went by penguin for a little while.

Following: 383 :o god i didnt even realize

Followers: 543 whERE DID YOU ALL COME FROM AND WHY ARE YOU FOLLOWING MY MESS (esp when i know i blocked a lot of bots???)

Lucky Number: mm idk if i have a lucky number per se but i love the number 5? its so nice to count by??

Favorite Instrument: clarinet for lyfeee (but god listening to any instrument being played by someone who knows what theyre doing gives me chILLs)

What Am I Wearing: long sleeve shirt i wore to work earlier bc its cold now :c

Favorite Food: lately, belgian waffles. i got a waffle maker now :3

Nationality: half and half. the end.

Favorite Song: this varies so much thoooo -- mm crazy = genius is fun, tho i have in the miller mood in my head atm bc we played it at my concert this weekend (it was a mess tho)

Last Book Read: i finished the will of the empress by tamora pierce literally yesterday

Top Three Fictional Universes I’d Like To Join: uh something fun uhhh pokemon, harry potter (who doesnt want to do magic????), rwby if i were more confident...maybe ill be like velvet and just surprise everyone with badassery

Tag some folks: @nymphofnovels @narukamirelampago @jewishdragon uhh the ohter people id tag have already been tagged lol

#mine #about me #tag game #ikallawrites #<3

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survivingjapan · 7 years

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EPISODE 1 - “Holding Reward At Gunpoint” Jonathan (Part 1)

http://68.media.tumblr.com/46c9df6f59ea9546f5bce886bded1108/tumblr_of3pd5e6Md1vzwwmeo2_250.gif

see. the thing is. I thought the prospect of having 26 people was going to make it a lit season with mess galore but this is too much. i dont know who these people are and im too lazy to go read all their bios so can we fast forward to merge when everyone h8s me and im begging for people to take me back so that I don't have to pretend to care about the early boots? ok tho I got really lucky my first 2 times playing to not be eliminated pre-merge or at double digits so im 99.9% sure my luck is going to run out this time..... just as long as I beat Jaiden, I'm good.

*ring ring* What is this telephone doing in the DR? Hello? OH hey Bodhi, no Matt's actually not here but I was just leaving a message for him, is there anything you'd like to say? http://68.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m9lmmjz1D01r5govf.gif HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA Hi fakes! Sucks you can't join me.....if only you hadn't turned poor lil Crow into a raging bitter bitch in Great Lakes with that goddamn rock!

I'll do a cast assessment later but lemme just say that I am completely shook that Andrew and Pippa and Isaac are here??? God they're so ugly but it makes me so happy that my fellow premerge flops are here to kick some ass.

First off.... You people must really hate me don't you? Gosh jeez Connor I thought we were friends! I feel I need to take a bit of a moment to chuckle because, and again, I don't know these people that well, but I know for damn sure I'm one of the biggest villains in this cast, and I couldn't be MORE excited I am so "nice" that I'm placed on the heroes tribe. Tbh most of what i say in my confessional is just so people can laugh at what I said after the season is over, but I HATE talking to people, especially fucking TWENTY FIVE of them, and not only that, but can we take a look at the elephant in the room. The only people who know how I REALLY play and how I REALLY run my confessionals and gameplay are Steffen, Andrew, Pippa and Isaac because they hosted me. WHY IN THE GODAMN SAINT NICK'S ASSHOLE DID YOU PUT ALL FOUR OF THEM ON MY TRIBE LIKE OH MY GOD I THINK I'M GOING TO JUMP OFF OF A CLIFF BRB. In all honesty, I love all four of them. They're like my tumblr parents, but I need to find a way to get them all to individually want me than all of the others, and I hate having to plea my case to any of them as to why I should be trustworthy, because that's not how games work, but the fighting argument for me to be on this tribe is that i'm extremely loyal, and I'm thrilled that I get to play my loyal card and not have to be on the villain tribe, where people feel the need to play like villains. I think I'm going to be more of a villain than a hero this season, but I'll have to make it deep enough for those colors to truly show, and I'm hoping I can make it deep enough. I am right now going to look to make relationships with Kendall, Trace and Drew, in hopes that I can use those bonds early in the game, and maybe make a really tight deal with Kendall and Trace because they both seem like great people, leaving my soloman family as an afterthought for now, considering there's a good chance they'll get targeted. My plan for now: Seem like a starry eyed kid heading into the big times and see how it works out. :)

WELL... After watching all the videos, I first have to say WTF is Jonathan doing... I can't tell if he's being serious or not. Sorry not sorry. Linus' video made me choke and then I see we've got two shitty Great Lakes people in this game, one from my tribe and one from theirs. I can honestly hope that someone just doesn't get around as much as I do, and this way they'll be a target first and not me. I am REALLY liking Trace already because he's a frat boy just like me, and never in a million years did I think that I'd find another frat boy in this community, but here he is, so I hope that him and I can do some damage this season in a very non obvious way. I think the other person I really need to connect with is Andrew because I think he's a really smart player, and I really want to work with him (and Steffen) and especially push away Isaac and Pippa because they seem like weak links on the chain, and I know all of them being here is not going to be good for my game because they're just going to target Steffen or Andrew, so hopefully I can keep those two here. As for the Villains tribe, Tommy has been talking to me all night, and I legitimately feel closer to him than anyone else from my tribe. Same with Linus, who played in Soloman, but we never ever connected, so this is good that he's here, so I can hope to branch a bond with him. I'm also talking to Jaiden, who I have past game experience with, and then Crow and I have known each other for years, so if it comes to that, hopefully we can be secret enough to make moves with each other. Those four villains are ins that I'm going to try to have for awhile in the game, and if it ends up working out, it can put me in a really good position. My night one seems to be over as I'm fucking EXHAUSTED and need to go to bed. My plan for tomorrow is solidify something more with Kendall, and maybe even get a "ride or die" type offer out there since I think she's a really good player, and I know she knows I'm good too, and I think we're both loyal, which is great. I want to take a work on Mist and Alex C tomorrow, in hopes that outside the night one craziness, they can focus on building a bond with me. I need to take a backseat strategically, but a social frontrunner because if I'm being included in things, and minimally strategically contributing, it will take me a far way, and that's what I'm hoping for at this point. With 26 people, it's going to be hard to not write a million confessionals, but let the good times roll and we'll see what comes out of this game. :)

Time for my cast assessment. As I'm doing this, I'm re-watching the cast videos. A lot of this will be based off of first impressions because there are some people I’ve never met before, and others I’ve only briefly talked to in group chats or games I got out early in… Lol. We'll start with the Heroes. HEROES: Alex: Eyeroll. Alex is honestly way too hyped. He is so arrogant and the few games I’ve played with him, he just came off so smug and full of himself that it made me actually want to punch him in the face. Sorry Alex, India was not a fun game for either of us and you made it miserable! He probably hates me because I broke his 80-odd day streak of never receiving a vote for or against him in Tumblr Survivor, or maybe because I knew about ***** being a catfish half the season. Anyways, I hope one of us gets out early or we never swap onto the same tribe. Alex is super close with Kendall and I know Kendall is close with Sarah, so those three are gonna work together well simply because they did it in India. Andrew: My Uncharted baby!!! I love Andrew. We played together in UI with Pippa and later Storybook All Stars so I’m SO happy for him getting cast for the season he’s wanted to play for so long. I don’t think Andrew and I can work together because both of us had difficulty working together in Panem, so… We’ll see. Love him tho. Ashton: I LOVE ASHTON. He’s so adorable, he literally doesn’t even know that this is Heroes vs Villains 3. I’m rooting for him simply because he was a first boot and he came off really kind-hearted in his introduction video. Someone needs to protect this kid, because he CANNOT get premerge again – it would be a travesty. I’ll talk to him at some point tomorrow I guess. Dom: I’ve heard of Dom a couple times before, didn’t know much about him though. I think it’s pretty cool that he’s married to someone who was in the community in the past, he seems like a nice person. I see why he is on the heroes tribe. I want to get to know him a little bit better. Drew: Drew…. Ugh. Another person I didn’t wanna see this season. I don’t know what it is about Drew, but this guy is like a virus. I don’t enjoy playing games with him because he infects everybody else with this ugly ass disease and then he wipes everybody out. Like I’ll give him credit where credit is due, he’s a great player, but at some point in your life I think it’s time to know that you’re not going to do much better than what you’ve done. He can only win so many times and I hope this isn’t the main season he wins against me. Isaac: I like Isaac. I think his self-deprecating humor is very fun and he comes off as very honest about himself. However, I don’t think Isaac likes me. He’s very close with people like Pippa and Andrew and that’s going to be dangerous for my game because there isn’t a lot I can do to convince Isaac that I’m going to be on his side this season. With that being said, I won’t actively pursue a working relationship with Isaac, but I want to rebuild our relationship because I could need him down the road and I want to prove to him especially that I have changed. Johnny: GINGER KING. He’s cool. I aligned with him in his very first Tumblr game and we got along well but I was constantly trying to backstab his ass and ended up quitting that game fhdaskhjk. He deserved it tho because he was super fucking messy. I don’t know how he’s going to play this season and I’m kinda surprised that he’s on the heroes tribe??? I hope I can work with him this season because I like him a lot. Kendall: I can appreciate Kendall. My issue with her is that she is so hard to work with because she only trusts the people she’s been with the longest. So I know her loyalty will always lie with her heroes and Alex and Sarah. Kendall has got to go sooner rather than later and I won’t have an issue getting her out if a swap happens. Sorry, Kendall. Mist: LOVE Mist. I was rooting for them (idk their pronouns btw) in Maldives and then they got removed so it’s messy. I’m actually kinda surprised that Mist is on the heroes but I guess it’s more of a creative decision to have them there. I don’t know where we stand so I’ll try to talk to Mist more tomorrow. Pippa: AHHHH another Uncharted queen! Pippa is so messy and I love it. She’s definite fodder for the premerge so hopefully she lasts just long enough for us to end up together and I can take her out. :’) She hates me and that’s okay because I think I hate her too? Whatevs. Nothing special about Pippa, she’s just typical avocado-hating fashionist Pippa. Ruthie: A lot of people love Ruthie and she does extremely well in Big Brother games, but I don’t think that her popularity there is gonna translate well over to this season. I will keep an eye out for her because I know she’s got a spectacular social game and could easily go far this season. Her placement on the Heroes tribe is no surprise in the slightest. Steffen: I don’t like Steffen. Trace: Total wildcard. Never heard of Trace before and his video was the blandest of the Heroes, unfortunately. He was the first revealed in the cast reveal too so that was kinda cool, I guess. VILLAINS: Alex: He’s cool. I talked to him quite a bit today but he hasn’t messaged me back. I want to get to know him better. I’ve been talking about previous games to let him know the kind of person I am in hopes that he trusts me or wants to work with me, I suppose. Ashley: We have history from India and we didn’t get along around the time I went home. We never spoke much following that and I never thought we’d play together again, but here we are. I think she’s on this tribe because she flipped on the majority in India and it cost her the game at final four. She got what she deserved, tbh! Sorry to say. She is a nice girl, I’m willing to bury the hatchet, but who knows if the bridge between us has been burnt beyond repair. I don’t know if she will trust me or not. Brian: He’s cool, I guess. I haven’t talked to him and supposedly he’s fake as fuck. We’ll see what happens with him. Crow: Love Crow. Like secretly Crow could be my showmance. I just get him more than I get other people in this community. I want to work with Crow so bad, and I think he’s got a better game than he lets on at times. I hope that he can help me mend fences with key players like Sarah and through him, I can develop stronger bonds with people from Cutthroat, too. Jonathan: I barely know him LOL. He reminds me of Justin Timberlake. Junior: Junior can literally go fuck himself, but if you think I’m going to hold that animosity towards him this season… you’re absolutely correct. Junior is going to come after me because he’s a dumb cunt and I truly want nothing more than to send his ass out first tribal council we go to. Realistically, that’s not going to happen because he’s got so many fucking friends here, but as soon as the opportunity presents itself, I will go full chaos Jaiden and throw his dirty ass into the ocean. If you’re reading this and you got me before I got you, Junior, good on you. I don’t forgive and I don’t forget. Kage: Kage is a MESS and a half. I like it. No clue where we stand because I attacked him once and he like, briefly left the community but it is what it is. We’ll see. Linus: LINUS! Not surprised to see him here, but he’s not someone I would’ve predicted to be on the cast either. I’ve talked to him a lot today and he is also pretty cool, and I went overboard telling him tons of things about myself so he knows exactly what he’s getting into with me. I actually want to work with Linus because he seems scrappy, yet loyal as hell and I definitely need bigger threats surrounding me at all times like him. Who knows who this guy’s friends with, though. Patrick: No offense but who is he LOL Richie: Yikes, again who is he? I don’t know anything about him except that he won a season. Sarah: I said this pre-season, I’ll say it again now. Sarah is a very dirty player. I absolutely expect her to lowkey screenshot my conversations, use her magic to record my calls or something, and use everything against me. It is no secret that she’s done these tactics in the past and she is definitely the queen of making pre-game alliances, too. However, this season I want to approach Sarah with as much respect as possible. While using her strategies to get far in games is not admirable, I will admit that it works well for her and I don’t need to be on her bad side already. I’ll let Sarah use me the first couple of rounds so she can trust me, who knows. I just don’t want to turn on her too soon this season. Tommy: In Cutthroat, I basically said that I hated Tommy despite not knowing him, and I have to say that he’s the one person who completely had my feelings about them change during that season. He impressed the hell out of me with just how nice he was? We talked on call for HOURS in Cutthroat and I really appreciate that because he kept the conversation going, too. He’s really cool and I definitely want to work with him this season, possibly with the other Cutthroat players or something. Tommy is a top favorite of mine right now. So there you have it. My cast assessment. We’ll see how this changes as time goes on, hopefully I have a good read on these people.

https://youtu.be/sJNDguNKVpc

Umm, not much has happened so far. Tommy and Ashley seem nice. I had an instant connection with Alex, Sarah, and Crow just from past games and yeah that's about it. The start of Survivor is kinda like a first date. If you don't make a good first impression, you likely won't make the merge (if ya know what I mean). With that said, I think my intro video was ok. I got a few people say it was funny. I fucking hate Jaiden so much. Jaiden can go rot in fucking flaming hell for all i care. You might ask why I hate Jaiden. It's because he doesn't seem like someone who deserves to be alive. Wow, that got dark

Currently the only thing I'm mad about other than Jaiden is the fact I'm not on ashtons tribe. I so badly want to Francesca him

How many puppies do I need to kill in order to get through you people's head that I am EVIL????????????????

6 the answer is 6.

I can't believe I haven't made one of these yet! Life is CRAZY for me right now so I've been super MIA and I just hope that I don't get targeted for it whenever we go to tribal or whatever. I'm glad that we get a reward challenge and that the weekend is coming up so WHEW. I'm sure then I'll have time to talk to more people and make more connections. I have to like... not flop at this reward so that my tribe thinks they need me. :o)

This weird squishy cat is my best friend now

So I'm on day two and feeling a little wary because I really haven't been able to speak to the people I've wanted to speak to, and most importantly I haven't been able to build any GAME relationships, except with Trace, but that was last night. I talked to Ashton a bit, and I'm thinking about bringing him on as a potential ride or die goat, and not necessarily a first boot material person, which a good move for me I believe. I started talking to Ruthie, as well as Steffen, who I knew already, but I really want to have one of the strongest connections with him because I think he's a REALLY strong player, so hopefully that can go in my favor. I've also been talking to Tommy literally nonstop, and he's actually a really cool dude, except I'm being a little wary, but I'm hoping he's got a man crush on me and he'll want to help me out a little bit down the line. I still don't understand the idol system, and I'm going to need someone to explain it to me because I legitimately don't get it. I think it's like a normal search, but instead, someone just says where they want to seearch to the hosts, and then the hosts exploit that location, so I think i'll go for it sometime tomorrow since it's once a round and I'm keen to wait for the reward before I go deep digging into an idol search, especially because I might get that clue, and if I do, I can really use it to my advantage. Such a shame I haven't been able to talk to Kendall today, because her and Steffen, along with Trace, are the people I'm most keen to work with, along with Ashton, so we'll see how this goes for now, but farewell for the night. i'm gonna go drop some cats into some boxes! As for now, it's time to do what I do best and beast out this reward challenge

Sushi Cat is the tru MVP. Anyways, I'm back to being cracked. I keep searching on the blog pages for idols because somehow I think the idol is gonna be hidden on there. Of course, I'm wrong, but there are just so many things that COULD be the idol hidden somewhere... I just don't know. I want an idol for some reason this season??? Probably to avoid going home idk.

Anyways,,, Look What You Made Me Do is the OG villain song and it applies well to me and my Tumblr Survivor experience I don't like your little games Don't like your tilted stage The role you made me play Of the fool, no, I don't like you I don't like your perfect crime How you laugh when you lie You said the gun was mine Isn't cool, no, I don't like you (oh!) But I got smarter, I got harder in the nick of time Honey, I rose up from the dead, I do it all the time I've got a list of names and yours is in red underlined I check it once, then I check it twice, oh! Ooh, look what you made me do Look what you made me do Look what you just made me do Look what you just made me do Ooh, look what you made me do Look what you made me do Look what you just made me do Look what you just made me do I don't like your kingdom keys They once belonged to me You ask me for a place to sleep Locked me out and threw a feast (what?) The world goes on, another day, another drama, drama But not for me, not for me, all I think about is karma And then the world moves on, but one thing's for sure Maybe I got mine, but you'll all get yours But I got smarter, I got harder in the nick of time Honey, I rose up from the dead, I do it all the time I've got a list of names and yours is in red underlined I check it once, then I check it twice Ooh, look what you made me do Look what you made me do Look what you just made me do Look what you just made me do Ooh, look what you made me do Look what you made me do Look what you just made me do Look what you just made me do I don't trust nobody and nobody trusts me I'll be the actor, starring in your bad dreams I don't trust nobody and nobody trusts me I'll be the actor, starring in your bad dreams I don't trust nobody and nobody trusts me I'll be the actor, starring in your bad dreams I don't trust nobody and nobody trusts me I'll be the actor, starring in your bad dreams (Look what you made me do) (Look what you made me do) "I'm sorry, the old Jaiden can't come to the phone right now." "Why?" "Oh 'cause he's dead!" Ooh, look what you made me do Look what you made me do Look what you just made me do Look what you just made me do Ooh, look what you made me do Look what you made me do Look what you just made me do Look what you just made me do

Aight My Day 3 assessment of everyone in this cast: HEROES Mist: I didn't talk to him too much. But he seems pretty cool so far. Nice guy. Idk why but i like his pfp which makes me like him more. Alex C: I would go gay for Alex. He's great. Also he likes calling and calling is fun so there's another plus. I probably like him because he's the most like people I hang out with outside the game. Andrew: Another person I really like and definitely wanna work with. On call Andrew, Alex, (An)Drew and I jokingly formed an "A"lliance which honestly un gonna try and make real since those 3 are all great. Dom: I haven't talked to him yet but fuck he's good at sushi cat. Drew: Drew is one of the people the few people that I know from past games. He's just as nice as ever this time. Hopefully I can work with him. Isaac: Hmmm Isaac is the one of the people that I had a tough time having a conversation with. I'll try to talk to him more but I feel like he's just gonna be someone i don't click with. Johnny: I fucking love Johnny. Hes nice and easy to talk to and he says he's really good at challenges. So i'd love to work with him. Kendall: Her intro video was top notch and overall I think she's a top notch gal. Another one of my faves so far. Pippa: Pippa was the first person to message me after I got out of GL and tell me about everything in this community so she always has a special place in my heart. I haven't talked to her much this time, but I hope we can work together. Ruthie: Haven't talked to her yet either. She snapchatted me tho and I forgot to reply so I kinda feel like she. Steffen: Steffen hosted me before so I'll be wary that he kind of knows how I play. I haven't talked too much with him yet either. Trace: Super nice guy. That's all i can describe him as he's just a cool guy. One of my top picks for someone to work with long term. VILLAINS Other Alex: Idk him Brian: I've played with Brian before and he fucked me over hard so i'm obviously wary of him. I think he's the type of player that will flip on anyone so if i do work with him trust will be short. Kage: Im 90% sure the only reason I was cast was to counteract Kage but Tbh I think I'll probably work with Kage. The Great Lakers are all pretty close so I'd love to work with all of them. Crow: Another Great Lakean but I hardly know him so i'm not sure. Jaiden: Jaiden doesn't have a picture and it annoys me immensely. That is all. Jonathon: Idk him Junior: I liked his intro video but other than that I don't have much to say about him. Linus: Idk Pat: Idk him Richie: The love of my life. Please swap us together. Sarah: She's like Half Great Lakean. I've talked to her quite a bit over the first two days so I think she's someone i'll probably work with. Tommy: Had a fun convo with him so good first impression. Was disappointed when I saw he was a villain. Ashley: Idk her Overall my gameplan this season is to just connect with everyone in these first stages without talking too much strategy. Nobody is gonna target me first cuz they'll feel bad sending me out again and I'm honestly just a very very small target. So I have plenty of time to form bonds and let other people battle it out. CrowI'm such a legend when it comes to starting convos, replying once or twice, and then completely forget about them. Truly, honestly, I'm a social game god. I bet everyone either a) ignores my existence b) loves me in a way that like "haha you would be so fun to talk to but you still need to go....like now" c) doesn't know who I am People have said I'm charming but idk.....I don't see it? I'm awkward and socially inept? like, I'm no threat to anyone socially......so they should take me far....ya know....if they want? =) but anyways..... Obviously I know Kage - he was in my first season where he tried to pull a fast one on me and got himself eliminated and then Sarah, who was the hosting intern late into the season who cheered for me......and then Tommy and Jaiden from Cutthroat. I made a bold move to try and save Tommy and stuck by Jaiden even in his chaotic downfall, so if either of those hoes comes after me, they're fake and rude. Right now though I'm just being social with everyone and NOT talking game with people.....cuz with 13 people on a tribe, trying to form alliances will do much more bad than good, but hey, not to say I'd decline invites into alliances...:D

tbh I feel I’m not socializing as much as I should be, or people just aren’t talking that much, either or, I am just going to chill for now and hope I’m included in whatever I need to be included in for tribal council. I'm definitely just going to pray that I can get into something, and it's the real reason I REALLY need to talk to Kendall, because I know she's going to be the hitch to make something happen, and I want to be a part of that! I hope there aren't alliances made already, but if there are then fuck. It's not my fault I don't know these people as well as I should. Maybe I'll take initiative with a small group and see where it gets me... Perhaps Kendall, Trace, Ashton and Drew? Only time will tell. Maybe I'll take this time to take more notes on people's past gameplay like I've been doing for the past three days :)

jk Drew voted Kendall out of Malaysia. Abort mission. Abort Mission

My first confessional. Yay. Much excitement. So I'mma be quite blunt. I hate hate talking to these people. I'm not some social butterfly myself, but loorrdddyyy... I know a few of these people from before, and I do not like most of the people I already knew. We just do not mesh in games. So now, here, in my 3rd chance at the Sole Survivor title, I have to let these people control my fate? Nu uh. Ain't happenin'. I have to do what I couldn't the first two times and W I N. I'll do a cast assessment later !! xoxo brain

Okay so this game is going pretty well so far. So far I heckin love Alex (the one on my tribe), we act like we have known each other for much longer than 2 days and I could see myself working really well with him. Kage is also pretty cool, and happened to tell me where not to look for the idol? Even though I never asked them to? Idk if that is a sign of trust or not, but if it is that's awesome and I love it. 13 people on a tribe is pretty hectic, but hopefully with this many people it will be easy to blend into the background for a bit before I start having to make tough calls. Also we won the first reward! And I must say, I have never relate more to a game than I did with Sushi Cat... anyways. We got a firemaking kit, not sure what it contains but we shall see. I usually have nothing to do with the flag making challenges so hopefully someone will just take charge and make a flag, then if we lose maybe they can be blamed? who knows. hopefully it goes okay though.

I'm glad that someone else can take charge with this whole flag making thing because honestly? While I'm kind of artsy by hand if I fail I don't want all the blame placed on me and whoever showed off how well they can make flags IS really good at it, the heroes are totally going to win! Also it sucks that we lost the reward challenge but at least people see that I'm a team player since I had one of the higher scores. I wish we did better though, it's frustrating!

So we lost reward.... No thanks to Kendall for being excused, and Mist for getting a strike. Between Mist getting a strike, Kendall taking an excused, Dom being particularly non communicative because he's on vacation, Ashton sucking at TS and Alex ballsing up to do the immunity challenge for us, it's safe to say there are a good amount of names to throw up there for potentially being voted out first that isn't mine. However, I'm REALLY digging the flag that Alex is working on, and regardless if we win or lose, I hope he gets accolades for doing this because he did an amazing job and it looks really good! I hope tonight is the night that communication starts to flow and I can start making some deals if we lose immunity, especially the one with Kendall that I'm still fishing for. I have a good feeling that Ashton and Trace trust me, but unfortunately that's it for now, and I really just need to solidify something in the form of a vote to show that I can be an asset to people's games because I'm struggling to get my footing in this season compared to where I was in Soloman, so we'll see. I think Pippa and Isaac are more keen to work with me than Andrew and Steffen are, which is too bad because I want to get something with Steffen going early on, and we'll see where that takes me.

New Plan: I'm tired of waiting for Kendall. Steffen, you're up!

I'M BACK YA SHITS! Okay yeah I know it's only been 5 seasons because Hosts but point being, HvV 3 is something I had been dying to get into since I entered this community. Would I be a hero or a villain? Well, hero I guess. But listen - I don't intend on keeping this hero game up. In fact I think I have a better chance as a hero seeing as people might expect more "morally correct" or whatever the fuck you wanna call it shit outta me. So that means I can show the villainous side™ when they don't expect it. Because honestly? I think my app and mixed hero/villain reputation in general leaves me to be flexible with whichever direction I wanna go. So these assholes better get ready hehe Anyway this is day after reward was due (which we lost by a small margin but whatever) so I have a lot to discuss. Initial thoughts on the heroes? Fuck I wanna die. First of all, Connor and co. didn't realize until I pointed it out that they not only cast the entirety of the Solomon hosting team in Isaac, Pippa, Steffen, and I - he also put all of us on the same tribe. Which... Steffen hero? Unlikely content. Isaac and Pippa heroes? Yeah. Me? I still dunno. I mean this could be both good and bad because on the one hand I have numbers but on the other hand I could be fucked in the ass for having all these people I know. Not to mention Drew and Kendall are here and I'm also very close friends with those 2. Although, Isaac could be the one that's slightly more fucked connection-wise just because he not only has the Solomon hosting team but there's also a big fucking Malaysia bloc consisting of himself, Kendall, Drew, and Alex Crooks. Which I guess Crooks said he'll try to keep the MaGAYsians safe but whom'st've knows? Speaking of Crooks... Him and Pippa are gon' fuck. Like. I'm just saying. They vomited about theater on group call for 20 minutes and I'm pretty sure he's one of like the 5 (five) or so guys who actually likes Tits And Vajengas around here so I mean there's a chance... that could happen... I mean he's cool if we're on the subject of him now. He's definitely a more outspoken player and could be a threat? But also myself, him, Drew, and Ashton were on a group call the other night and all got along really well. Speaking of Ashton he's pretty chill actually? And seems down to Earth enough. I mean I still dunno if that Trump pic was a joke or not because he used the word meme but eh. If he's my number he's my number idgaf. I've talked to Trace, Mist, and Ruthie a bit too and I still need to talk to Dom. Which I should probably do today because gotta keep that social game up. And then there's Johnny who seems super excited to play with his hosts and I love him BUT! I know he can be insane. And I wouldn't put it past him to be like "lmao imagine if I vote out my hosts hehe." Not on my watch dot gif! In terms of villains... Holy shit. First of all, y'all cast Brian. Who hates me. I just don't play well with the guy like. He makes everything about him and has this self-righteous attitude but is also a snake so none of that clicks or makes sense and it's just like okay you dunno what you're doing huh. He doesn't like me from the Pacific Islands series after I've killed him twice, so there's that. Him and Isaac have bad blood too from that series so I can tell Brian is going to strictly be an enemy if I ever end up on a tribe with him. Same with Jaiden maybe? Idk the fact that Jaiden's here has me screaming because we just never end up working together. He's one of the biggest wild cards to play with in this community and we may be close friends but I'll vote him out in a heartbeat. And that honestly goes for any of these people. I've also talked to Sarah because she initiated convo with me and she seems fine but I know she's a messy player. I do need to work on connections though with some of the villains. I can probably try other Alex, Ashley, and Linus. Just because I have some prior slight experiences with them. I wanna definitely try getting to know Richie, Jonathan, and Pat just because I have never talked to them before. And like I said, connections with the villains could be very good. In Generations I didn't utilize the One World at all, so people wanted me out just for really not having that strategic connection to them. I don't wanna make that mistake this time. Anyway I guess last little tidbit of info uuuuuuuuh... I got a MOTHER FOOKIN IDOL YA'LL FUCK! I literally DRTYTFUYGIUHOIJPO god I was the first to search for the heroes and I dunno if the villains searched either but first fucking spot I find the hero's idol. Even Connor was shook LIKE YGIUHOIJPI I CANNOT BELIEVE!!! So now I have this and Isaac knows because like I gotta keep him close for now. And not only do I have this idol - but it can combine with the villain idol PROBABLY for a super idol. So we'll see where that goes. And oh yeah Steffen has an extra vote according to Isaac but it reveals who you vote for or something. Snake ass. Anyway wish me luck ya fakes :~)

So the move for me was to stop waiting and start acting! I couldn't do it too much, but I had to make a minor jump in the right direction since so many people were leaving me hanging. I really wanted to work with Steffen when I found out he was on my tribe, so I went to him with a ride or die deal. I am loyal to a fault, and there is no chance I'm going to turn on him with the deal I just made. He's going to be my Jacob, except, no offense to Jacob, but I have more confidence in Steffen to lead me into the right direction, opposed to Jacob, who was kinda loosely tagging behind me last season. Let's play ball, and if we lose this immunity, hopefully it's Steffen and I making power moves and not someone making a move on us, especially with the amount of people who've stood out early on as potential targets.

So I've tried being my weird self to as many as people as frequently as possible and in the process I made an alliance with Alex. Not necessarily because he's the one I love the most, but because he seems like he'll be one of the stronger influences in our tribe and in these early votes, I would like to just go with the flow.... Beyond that, I'm just trying to not flop at all this small talk crap by insulting everyone and hoping they take it as a joke because that's how I communicate... Tommy and I seem to be working together but we haven't said anything yet and there might be low-key tension between Jaiden and I, I can't tell.... I confided a bit in Alex so if I hear it come back around, I'll know he isn't to be trusted (I mean, nobody is to be trusted fully, we're the villains but I need faithful allies in these early days) Right now I'm playing myself down and trying to evaluate how these players are going to play based on their personalities because as of now, I do not feel safe whatsoever. I felt safer on my tribe of 4 in Cutthroat Island than this tribe of 13. here's to hoping that Crow doesn't get 26th *cheers*

https://youtu.be/PLpY4ZXJQD4 I absolutley adore crow, alex, kendall, the other alex, drew linus and junior...god i love everyone..am i really on the villains tribe wtf djdbkdbd

#returnrevengeredemption #confessionals

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quinzelade · 8 years

Text

By No Constraint (chpt 64)

SS x Danse

Chapter List

Thanks to my amazing beta, waiting4morning, for her wonderful work! Thanks to Musashi1596 for the title.

I apologise this is so late. I’ve been having a rough time personally, and then the attack on London happened yesterday and I really just did not feel in the mood for messing around with fanfic tbh.

Hope everyone is safe, and that this at least lifts someone’s mood.

Major Brotherhood/Danse spoilers.

Want update alerts? Follow this story on FFnet or Ao3.

Berkeley Square

“Nuka-Cola?”

Hancock peered suspiciously at Quinn over his cigarette, his eyes slightly unfocused. “Are you high?”

Quinn gestured to the empty jet inhalers at Hancock’s feet and snorted. “That’s rich, coming from you.”

“Since when have you picked Nuka-Cola over alcohol?” he retorted.

“Maybe I don’t have any.”

“You always have booze.”

“Maybe I don’t have any,” she repeated, settling down in the chair next to him. The sun was just reaching its peak in the midday sky—the perfect time to relax in the shade of the porch with a drink and a friend. Quinn held out the Nuka-Cola to him, and after a roll of his eyes, Hancock took it.

“Tin can’s made you all boring,” he muttered, opening the bottle with his teeth, while Quinn opened hers on the edge of her chair seat.

“Or stopped me from being an alcoholic.”

“Like I said—boring.” Hancock sipped his drink.

Quinn frowned and lowered her bottle, staring at him. “Do you really consider that to be ‘not boring?’”

Hancock gave a little shrug. “Everyone has their vices. People who don’t clearly haven’t got enough fun in their lives.”

“I’d think I’d rather do without them,” Quinn replied, thinking about her last drunken escapade with a shiver. “They’ve caused me nothing but trouble.” Her eyes returned to the jet canisters on the floor. How much had he gone through this time? “Honestly, Hancock, I’m starting to worry about your ‘vices’ a little. The amount you take is more than recreational chem use.”

Hancock suddenly looked evasive. “Maybe I just know how to have a good time. Besides, ghouls need twice as much for the chems to have any effect.”

“But—”

“You obviously didn’t come here to lecture me. What’s up?”

Quinn took his meaning. Drop it. She sighed but respected his wishes. “I just wanted to thank you for helping me get my friends back. I don’t know what you said to make them come along, but it worked wonders. I never thought I’d be able to speak to Nick again, and MacCready was clearly pissed over Charlie...and yet here they both are.”

Hancock brightened up at this, and leaned back in his chair, smirking. “Ah, no worries. Old Valentine didn’t take much persuading, to be honest. I think once he’d had time to cool off, he was always gonna come around. As for MacCready…” Hancock’s grin turned menacing. “I have my ways.”

Quinn narrowed her eyes. She didn’t like the idea of Hancock threatening MacCready, for more than one reason. “You bullied him into being nice to my son?”

Hancock paused, still wearing his dangerous grin, and then burst out laughing. “Nah, I’m just fuckin’ with ya. I reminded him about Duncan. I figured since you got rid of the Institute for us, the least I could do is smooth things over with the gang.”

Quinn could have hugged him. Instead, a smile spread over her face, and she knew he understood. “Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it.”

The two of them sat in silence, drinking their cola. Hancock shielded his eyes from the sun, muttering under his breath about it, until he eventually glanced over at Quinn.

“Where’s lover boy?”

Quinn paused, just as she was about to drain the rest of her drink. “You know, I’ve no idea.”

“Not keeping tabs on him, huh?” Hancock cackled, throwing back his head and catching the last of his cola on his tongue.

Quinn smiled to herself. No, she wasn’t. She trusted him to stay safe. And if that didn’t speak volumes about their progress together, she didn’t know what would.

Eventually it was time to get back to work. Quinn assisted with the razorgrain crops while Hancock staggered off to help with guard duty. Part of her wondered if he was fit to guard anything in his state, but she remembered he’d been running and defending Goodneighbor for years, high as a kite. She had to give him some credit.

However, as she was carrying a bushel of razorgrain across the settlement for Mama Murphy to work her magic on—though Quinn had to have a lengthy talk with her first as to why mentats did not enhance the flavour of her bread—Sturges popped his head out from his house.

“General,” he said, looking shifty. “A moment of your time, if you please?”

Quinn nodded to him and then offloaded the razorgrain into Rose Crowcroft’s arms, a Minuteman who had chosen to stay behind and help with the settlement. “Take them to Mama Murphy for me, please? And please remind her: no mentats.”

Rose gave a wonky salute as she tried not to drop all the razorgrain. “General.”

Sturges waited for Quinn until she was at his door, and then disappeared inside. She hesitated, wondering what the hell was going on, and followed him into the house.

Quinn blinked.

Laid out in the centre of the room was a small, circular table. Its surface had been sanded and polished to a high shine, unlike anything that was left in the wasteland. Two chairs of a similar quality were seated around the table, and in the centre, a candle stub in a misted glass. By the looks of things, Sturges had repaired the furniture himself.

“For Preston,” Sturges said quickly, as if worried she would take the set-up the wrong way. “He sent ahead a message to say he’d be back tonight. Thought I’d fix up some dinner for us.”

“A date?”

“Well,” Sturges said, and for the first time she saw the traces of embarrassment in his face. “Things were progressing a little while he was in Sanctuary, but then he had to go oversee some new recruits at the Castle.”

Quinn felt a twinge of guilt at this. She had promised to take on the role of ‘General’ when she’d first met Preston, but somehow ended up with the Brotherhood instead. Maybe it was time for that to change.

“Thing is, you’re friends with him too. So you have a decent idea what he likes. Thoughts?”

Quinn laughed. It was all very cute. “Yeah, I think he’ll like it. You’ve clearly put some effort into this, and that’s what Preston’s all about, right? Hard, honest work.”

Sturges grinned. “Why thank you, ma’am.”

The smile slipped from his face, though, as a familiar voice called from outside.

“Sturges?”

“Dang.” Sturges eyes widened in horror. “Preston.”

“I’ll distract him,” Quinn said quickly, running to the door. “Get cooking!”

She heard some form of garbled gratitude behind her, but paid it no mind as she shot out of the house and ran smack into Preston. The two of them went flying backwards, landing in a heap on the ground. Quinn groaned and looked up to see Preston’s hat rolling away down the street, before remembering to get off her friend.

“General,” Preston said, accepting her hand and allowing himself to be pulled to his feet. “Didn’t expect to see you again so soon.”

He dusted himself off as they walked over to his wayward hat, which hadn’t rolled too far. He picked it up, put it back on, and then dragged her into a bone-breaking hug.

“I can hardly believe it,�� he said into her ear, squeezing her tight. “The Institute is gone. I never thought I’d live to see the day.”

Quinn laughed, and they broke apart. “I’m hearing that a lot.”

He grinned. “Maybe now the Commonwealth can finally come together and build something good for the future.”

“I had an idea about that, actually.” Quinn folded her arms, mulling over her racing thoughts. Plans had been brewing in her head all morning, but they’d still not formed into something solid. “Can’t put it into words right now, but give me some time and I’ll try and lay it out for you. Either way, I’m going to be taking a more active role in the Minutemen from now on, if you’ll still have me.”

Preston blinked and then grinned with delight at her. “Of course, General! I mean, I’d always hoped, but I thought you’d gone to the Brotherhood, and…”

“I’m done with them,” she replied firmly.

“Then I’d be honoured to defer to your leadership, ma’am.” He saluted. “Though it’s not gonna be all sunshine and rainbows from here on out. The Institute’s gone, but there are plenty of problems left to deal with.”

“Don’t I know it.” Quinn stretched her arms, and then quickly spoke as she heard Sturges clattering around in the house behind her. “I think for me, the attitude towards synths and ghouls has to change. Ignorance is the reason they’re stigmatised—especially synths. With the Institute out of the way, I think we could make real progress in breaking down the barriers.”

“I know you have a personal stake in that,” Preston said, “but maybe securing people’s settlements first would be a solid foundation to build on.”

“Oh yeah, that too. But if ghouls and synths help secure those settlements, that would go a long way to changing people’s attitudes, as well as giving them places to live where they’re accepted by the residents.”

Preston raised an eyebrow. “Would this have anything to do with the master plan you’re concocting?”

“Maybe.” Quinn grinned. She changed the subject. No point delving into the concept when it wasn’t ready. “Why are you back so soon? Sturges said you weren’t due until tonight.”

“Well, I decided to escort a local doctor to his next port of call after he helped me out at the Castle,” Preston replied. “Fixed up one of the new recruits.” He paused, looking around. “Now you mention him, though, where’s Sturges? Why were you in his house?”

As he looked past Quinn to frown at Sturges’ house, she heard a quiet, high pitched noise of dismay behind her. Trying to bite back a laugh, Quinn waved her hand in front of Preston’s face, pulling his attention back to her.

“A doctor?” she asked innocently. “Did he follow you here, or did you part ways?”

“Oh, he followed me here!” Preston replied. “Come on, I’ll introduce you to him. His name is Doc Weathers.”

Quinn frowned. That name sounded familiar, but she couldn’t remember why. It made her uncomfortable. Putting her uneasiness aside, she nodded. “Lead on.”

Danse sat back down in front of the computer and held his breath. Repairing terminals were not his forte, but with the manual he’d dug up at one of the stores in Goodneighbor, he’d been able to give it his best shot. He hit the ‘on’ button and waited.

The screen flickered to life, filling the room with a pleasant green glow, and Danse grinned. He pulled the holotape he’d acquired from the safe yesterday out of his pocket and inserted it into the tape port. It crackled to life after a few seconds, and Danse listened carefully.

Sounds right, he thought, remembering the tune Quinn had sang to him almost a year ago. The words were familiar, at least.

Danse stood up and held out his arms. He waited for a good beat, and then shuffled around on the spot, feeling stupider by the second. What he needed was a teacher, but he’d be damned if he was going to let anyone see him in such a ridiculous state. That was why he’d retreated to the privacy of the Red Rocket truck stop without telling a soul where he was going. Just imagine if—

“Knock knock, tin can.”

Danse cursed as he spun around, hitting his leg on the terminal desk. He glanced up and saw both the ghoul and the detective standing at the inner doorway to the building. Valentine looked mildly amused. Hancock held the expression of a jet addict that had just found a large stash of chems.

In the background, the song ended and a new one came on. Apparently Quinn had made a mixtape, not just a recording of one song.

“What the hell are you up to?” Hancock said, squeezing past Valentine, unable to keep the giggle out of his voice.

“Nothing,” Danse replied with a scowl, sitting himself down on the desk and folding his arms.

Valentine dragged on his cigarette as he stepped into the room, glancing around with a small smile on his face. Unlike Hancock’s barely contained delight, the detective’s expression was kinder.

“Trying to impress a dame?” he asked casually, while Hancock started to snicker.

Danse scowled harder, staring at the floor as his face burned. When the two of them didn’t take the hint, he sighed and closed his eyes. “After everything that’s happened, Quinn needs a break. One night to herself.” He told them about the song and his plans.

“Quinn mentioned that she hadn’t seen you much today.” Hancock’s smirk widened as Danse’s eyes snapped open again with panic. “Oh, don’t worry about it. She’s not concerned and she doesn’t suspect anything. But I asked old Nick here if he’d seen you, and he led the way. I don’t think either of us expected find this, though.”

“I certainly didn’t,” Nick added, his tone lacking the teasing quality of Hancock’s. “But I think it’s a good idea. Need any help?”

“No.” Danse returned to staring at the floor.

“Tin can,” Hancock chipped in slyly, “your dancing leaves a lot to be desired. Sure you don’t need any help? Nick’s a classy guy, and I know my way around the ladies....”

Oh my God.

“I’m not trying to achieve that,” Danse groaned, covering his face with his hand. Yes, he and Quinn had been suggestive with each other recently, but he just wanted to do something nice for her. How things went after that was anyone’s guess.

“Ignore him,” Nick said, and as Danse glanced up he caught the detective rolling his eyes at Hancock. “The good mayor here is about as sophisticated as a softshell mirelurk.”

“Hey—!”

“But I do know how to dance,” Nick went on, ignoring Hancock’s protests. “Or at least I can teach from afar. You’re gonna need a dance partner, bud.”

Danse opened his mouth to say no again, when he stopped. What did he honestly know about dancing? While the last thing he wanted was outside interference, this was for Quinn, not for him. And it was about time he swallowed his damn pride.

“...Fine.” Danse folded his arms, deep in thought. “Who’s going to be my dance partner, though?” Piper was away in Diamond City, Mama Murphy was...not an option, and Rose Crowcroft looked about as elegant as him.

Hancock stepped forward, grinning.

Both Nick and Danse turned to look at him, then at each other, before diverting their attention back to Hancock.

“No,” said Danse loudly.

“Yes,” said Nick with an approving nod.

“No.”

“I ain’t seeing an alternative, tin can,” Hancock said, barely able to contain his glee. He swept off his hat and gave an elaborate bow. “Milady.”

“Never say that to me again.”

“Besides, you’ll be the girl,” Nick added, starting to grin himself.

“I can work with that.” Hancock jammed his hat back on and curtsied. “Shall we dance, tin can?”

Danse put his head in his hands. “Give me strength.” He snapped his gaze up towards Hancock and glared. “The last thing I want to think of while trying to have a private evening with Quinn is you.”

Hancock blinked, before his expression turned ugly. “I honestly thought you were past the whole ghoul thing, asshole.”

“No, it’s just…” Danse looked to Nick for help, who held up his hands and took a step away from the argument. Danse met Hancock’s eye, feeling more embarrassed with every passing second. “If you were trying to—uh—woo a lady—or whatever the hell you call it—the last thing you’d want is to accidentally think of me because we ran a dress rehearsal before the event.”

Danse realised the words sounded much stupider out loud than in his head.

“Well, there are worse looking faces I could think of, but I see your point.” Hancock spluttered with laughter as Danse’s mouth fell open. “I’m kidding!”

Nick lit a cigarette. “Are you two done? Time’s a-wasting and I don’t think we’re gonna find many willing volunteers for this on such short notice.”

Danse glanced from the still snickering Hancock to the terminal and sighed deeply.

“Fine.” He got to his feet, revulsion crawling through him. “Let’s get this over with.”

There was one other thing that was bothering him, but he didn’t want to upset Hancock by voicing it. The very thought of touching a ghoul still made him feel physically sick. He imagined rotting flesh slipping off under his fingers, the stench of decay tainting his hands for weeks, or even months.

Cold. Slimy. Dead.

He hesitated when Hancock held his hand out to Danse. There was an awkward pause, Danse unable to keep the look of disgust off his face as he looked at Hancock’s wrinkled, damaged skin. He glanced up to see Hancock staring at him expectantly, the ghoul’s mouth twisted with exasperated patience.

Danse drew in a shaky breath and took Hancock’s hand.

To his greatest surprise, Hancock’s skin was dry and leathery to the touch, like old brahmin hide. Perfectly normal. Almost the same as a human labourer’s hands.

“There,” Hancock said with a bright grin as Danse felt himself relax. “Not so bad, huh?”

“No,” Danse admitted, an apologetic smile flickering across his face.

“Course, now I’m going to make things uncomfortable.” Hancock winked and took hold of Danse’s other hand, dragging it to his waist as he stepped closer.

“Hancock,” Nick said in a warning voice.

“Oh come on! He’s not gonna hold her at arm’s length!”

Danse didn’t listen as they began to bicker. He’d expected Hancock to reek the same way feral ghouls did, but there was no smell that was out of the ordinary for any other wastelander.

I’ve been a bigot my entire life, Danse thought, the mortification intensifying as he remembered how he’d treated Hancock in the past. But before he could dwell on the subject, Hancock whipped around to face him.

“Right, tin can!” he said, drowning out whatever Nick was trying to say. “Listen to old Valentine and learn how to sweep me off my feet!” Hancock fluttered his eyes and then blinked as Danse started to snigger himself.

“This is surreal,” Danse said, shaking his head in disbelief. He turned to an equally surprised Nick. “Let’s get this over with.”

“I’ll drink to that,” Nick muttered.

The following lesson was chaos. Between Hancock getting the giggles and his frequent chem breaks, Danse kept messing things up by tripping over his own feet. He’d never been a particularly coordinated person, but this was pushing him to his limits. Not falling over required all of his concentration, to the point where Hancock burst out laughing every time he looked at Danse.

However, after several hours of toe-tapping torture, Danse memorised enough of the steps to get a basic grasp of things. Even Nick, who had taken off his hat and coat and loosened his tie as time wore on, looked pleased.

“I think you’ve got it, kid,” he said, smiling wearily.

“I’m feeling pretty damn swept off my feet,” Hancock said as he and Danse shuffled around the room. When the song ended, they broke apart, Hancock dropping onto the bed with a sigh while Danse sat on the nearby desk. He wasn’t as convinced as the other two, but it was an improvement, at least.

“So, who’s babysitting Charlie while you’re with Quinn?” Nick asked, opening up his pack of cigarettes and frowning when he saw it was empty.

“I’ll do it,” Hancock said, pulling a fresh pack of cigarettes out and tossing it to Nick.

“No, you won’t,” Danse said instantly, glaring. He was grateful for Hancock’s help, but the man was a junkie. “Not with the chems you take.” Danse turned to Nick. “Would you mind…?”

Nick dropped the cigarette he’d been about to light. “Me? I mean, yeah, but…” He smiled. “Thanks for trusting me, kid.”

Sanctuary was beginning to wind down for the evening as Quinn walked down the street. She made her way past Doc Weathers and frowned in his direction as he packed away his things and wandered off towards one of the spare bunks.

She didn’t trust the man. She couldn’t say why, but he set her on edge. From his sleazy attitude to his glittering eyes, there was just something not right about him.

Where have I heard his name before?

If she could remember that, she’d probably have her answers about his character. At the very least she was certain he wasn’t affiliated with the Brotherhood.

Quinn decided to let it go for now and instead turned her attention to the sky with a frown. It was slowly losing its steel-blue hue to pastel washes of purple, pink, and gold as the sun departed from the skyline. Worry began to prick at her insides. Where the hell was Danse?

Not that she had concerns for his state of mind these days—if anything, he seemed to be doing better than she was. But if the Brotherhood travelled North West from Diamond City...if they stumbled across Danse…

She should have left Charlie in the care of Danse and gone back to see Maxson herself. Let him know she was fine and there was no need to look for her. Still, it hadn’t been too long. Danse had mentioned before that it had taken ages before anyone was allowed to track down Cutler. And what with the end of the war, likely no one of importance had noticed her absence.

In the distance, she saw a small, skinny figure walking over the bridge towards Sanctuary, carrying a bulky package. Quinn tensed, jogging to the barricades and ducking out of sight. A few seconds later, she stood up again when she realised it was MacCready. As he drew closer, he stopped dead, a blush creeping up his cheeks, clinging tightly to the package. Quinn made her way over to him, noting he wasn’t quite meeting her eye. She thought she’d won him over yesterday, after she’d had to practically drag him and Charlie apart so that Charlie could go to bed. Clearly that wasn’t the case.

“Everything okay?” she asked, already feeling defensive on her son’s behalf. If he gave her any more shit about synths…

MacCready did no such thing. Instead, he looked at her, sighed, and opened the top of the bundle in his arms. She was met with a bright jumble of comic books in varying conditions. Some seemed brand new, their colours glowing in the dull backdrop of the wasteland. Others were torn or heavily worn, their pages yellowed and drained with age. Quinn knew Charlie would love them all.

“I...thought Charlie might like some more stuff to read,” MacCready mumbled, dropping his gaze to the floor again. “I know I would’ve at his age.”

“Wanna grab a Nuka-Cola together?” Quinn said.

MacCready glanced up at her, surprised. When she waved for him to follow her, he did so, meekly. Completely unlike him, but she suspected he didn’t know what to make of her ready acceptance.

They sat on the sofa in her house, the large comic collection set carefully on the coffee table, still covered by the fabric MacCready had bundled it in. Charlie flitted around in the background, eagerly trying to catch MacCready’s attention until Quinn told Codsworth to take Charlie for a long walk with Dogmeat.

MacCready took his cola with a murmured thanks, picking at the label on the bottle instead of drinking it.

“What’s changed, Mac?” Quinn said, swigging from her own drink. “First you’re storming out of Hancock’s place after all but calling me a bad mother—”

MacCready visibly winced, but didn’t interrupt.

“—then you begrudgingly help me escort my son back here, but only after making a point of telling me you’re not doing it for any pleasant sort of reason. Now you’re bringing back comic books for Charlie.” She leaned forward, unsmiling. “What the fuck?”

MacCready didn’t answer at first, stripping away the peeling label completely and scrunching it up in his hand before he spoke. “I...don’t trust synths.”

Quinn snorted with mirthless laughter. “Yeah, that’s fucking obvious. Hancock said he had to remind you about Duncan before you would play nice. And don’t think I haven’t noticed how you are with Valentine.” Her eyes narrowed. “Or forgotten what you said when you realised Danse was a synth.”

MacCready closed his eyes, going red again. He opened them as he said, “I know. I know how I come across. I know how I am with Valentine. And I know how I was with Danse. But I don’t think you realise how everyday people see synths.”

“I have a pretty good idea.”

“No, you don’t.” He looked up at her, frowning. “You know how the Brotherhood treat them—cold, merciless disgust. Not fear, just disgust. And you know that for the most part, Diamond City accept Nick Valentine, although they’re suspicious of the rest.” MacCready’s expression softened. “People like me—we’re just plain scared of them.”

“Scared?” Quinn was confused. MacCready was no coward and could handle himself just fine in the wasteland.

“Yeah, scared.” He shrugged. “It’s not easy to admit it, but it’s true. When I think of synths, I think of people being kidnapped and murdered, and then being replaced by those...things. And then later the replacement killing the entire family and running off. It’s happened...or people say it’s happened. I always tried to be so careful. If I was taken, if I died, who would get the cure for Duncan? And then after the cure, I thought, ‘What if I’m replaced and they find my son?’ Maybe they’d kill him too.”

Quinn remembered the paranoia that was rife in Goodneighbor and Diamond City. People turning on their neighbours or even their own family because they thought someone had been replaced by a synth. People gunned down in the street...

MacCready continued. “Danse is different, because he ran away from them, didn’t he? He got free. But Valentine just looks so...inhuman. And Charlie?” He shook his head. “A replica of Shaun? It seemed too weird. I didn’t trust him. I thought maybe you’d taken him with you for the wrong reasons, or he was some sort of spy with a plan to hurt you for destroying out the Institute.”

“Charlie isn’t—”

“I know he’s not. Now I do, anyway. If anything, he makes me think of Duncan.”

Quinn was surprised. “Oh?”

“He’s not out to carry on the Institute’s cra—um—plans. He just cares about comic books and the other stuff kids like. Wherever he came from...he’s a child.” MacCready squirmed, mortified. “He’s your son, and from what he’s told me, a victim of the Institute, too. So…” He pointed to the comic books with an apologetic expression. “I can’t promise I’m ever gonna trust synths. But I trust you.”

He reminded Quinn of Danse, and the way he had warmed to Sarah - the ghoul from The Slog - after spending some time with her. Quinn and MacCready looked at each other, before he made another vague gesture towards the comics. “I’ll leave these with you, anyway.”

“Nuh uh,” said Quinn, smirking. “You’re the nerd. You can give them to Charlie yourself. You’ll be his new favourite person.”

MacCready laughed just as Charlie walked back in with Dogmeat and Codsworth. Dogmeat bounded across the room, jumping all over MacCready. When Charlie realised what the bundle on the coffee table contained, he threw himself onto MacCready as well.

Quinn left them to it. Although she was glad that things with MacCready were sorted, night had now fallen and there was still no sign of Danse. She bit her lip as she walked down the street, her heart hammering in her chest.

Just as the panic began to set in, Quinn saw him heading back up towards the house. She ran to him, throwing her arms around his neck as he turned to look at her.

“Hey,” he said, squeezing her as kissed her cheek.

“Where have you been all day?” Quinn asked when they broke apart. “I was starting to worry.”

“Your friends are going to look after Charlie for a bit,” Danse replied, blatantly avoiding the question. “I’ve something to show you first.”

Quinn noted the blush in his cheeks, and saw Hancock and Nick strolling past behind them. Nick tried to be inconspicuous, but Hancock grinned, winking as he gave her a thumbs up.

She glanced back to Danse and saw him rolling his eyes at Hancock, before smiling nervously. “Come on.”

Quinn followed him through Sanctuary, past the barricades, and over the bridge into the open wasteland. They walked in silence, keeping their senses sharp for any hidden dangers lurking in the darkness. Despite this, Quinn couldn’t help wonder what he was up to. She knew they had half joked about ‘date night,’ but Danse was an extremely private person. He wouldn’t have allowed Nick and Hancock to be involved just so he could spend the night with her.

Her confusion grew as they reached the Red Rocket truck stop. They went inside, but Danse stopped her at the inner door to the main workshop. He handed her his rifle, mumbling that he had to ‘do something’ first, and then disappeared out of sight, the door sliding shut behind him.

A minute passed, and when the door opened again, Quinn heard the most wonderful sound.

“That certain night, the night we met,

There was magic abroad in the air,

There were angels dining at the Ritz,

And a nightingale sang in Berkeley Square.”

Danse felt sick as he led her inside. At Hancock’s recommendation, he’d dotted candles around the room, the rest of the light being provided by the green glow of the terminal. Then he’d tidied and cleaned up as best he could, leaving a suitable space in the centre of the room.

Quinn looked stunned. She set his rifle down on the nearby cabinet, staring at him.

“When we first left the Prydwen to build the teleporter in Sanctuary, you mentioned that you always wanted to dance to this song, but you never got the chance.” Danse shrugged, the nerves biting hard in his chest. This was the moment: either she would love it, or he was about to upset her. “I’m not Nate, and I’m not trying to replace him, but—”

He didn’t finish the sentence. Quinn flung her arms around his neck and dragged him into a long kiss.

“Thank you,” she said, before kissing him again. “Thank you.”

“Good idea then?” Danse replied, feeling somewhat faint with relief.

Quinn nodded. “Restart it and we can dance to the whole thing.”

Danse obeyed, and the second the song returned to the beginning, Quinn grabbed him by the arm and whirled him around. She dragged him to the centre of the room and took both of his hands.

“Shall we?”

Danse nodded, his mouth dry as he ran Nick’s instructions over in his head. He could do this. He could do this.

He frowned as they danced, trying to keep each step perfect, each move in sync with the music. After a few seconds, though, Quinn laughed and stopped. She reached up and touched his face.

“You’re overthinking it,” she said, placing a gentle kiss on his nose. “Dancing really stiff and awkward.”

Oh God. I’m ruining this for her.

“S-sorry,” Danse stammered. “I’ll start it again. I’ll do better. I—”

Quinn silenced him with a kiss. “Stop overthinking it,” she repeated, grinning now. “I don’t want perfection. I want to enjoy this moment with you. How about a slow dance instead?”

“A slow dance?”

Quinn moved his arms so that they enveloped her, and she leaned her head against his chest. Then she began to sway and shuffle gently on the spot. Danse mimicked her, and suddenly they were dancing. He didn’t know how, since it was less structured and formal than what Nick had taught him, and yet it worked.

Danse felt the tension leave him, and he just focused on the music and the woman in his arms. For the first time since he’d met her, she looked truly at peace with everything, almost melting in his embrace. The way Danse felt about her was indescribable. He’d planned to tell her exactly what she meant to him, but now that the moment was here, every word he could think of was woefully inadequate.

The next song came on, but neither of them stopped. Danse could happily do this all night.

“I don’t even remember telling you about A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square,” Quinn mumbled. “But you listened to what I had to say, even back then. You cared. And you put all this effort in...just for me.”

“Honestly,” Danse said, “this wouldn’t have been possible without Hancock and Nick.”

Quinn looked up and stared at him, wearing a surprised expression and a small smile. Had he said the wrong thing? Was he supposed to take full credit for it? The nerves were beginning to take hold, and he licked his lips before speaking.

“What are you thinking?” he asked stupidly.

“I’m just thinking how much I love you,” Quinn replied.

Danse’s foot snagged on thin air. In an instant the world whirled around him as he went crashing to the floor, Quinn shrieking as he dragged her with him. He fought desperately to breathe while she lay splayed on top of him, the wind knocked from his body, and drew in deep, heaving breaths when it passed.

“Are you okay?” Quinn gasped, trying to help him up, her eyes wide with worry. “Did you land on anything? Did you—?”

“Y-you love me?” Danse stammered. He couldn’t have heard that right. She obviously hadn’t said that. But...he needed to check.

Quinn blinked. “Yes, of course I love you.” She went pink. “Um, I’m sorry. I—”

“I love you, too,” Danse blurted out.

This was not how he’d intended it to go. He’d imagined softly spoken words and a tender kiss of passion—not lying on the floor, wheezing, having been hit with blunt force trauma to the chest by his own girlfriend.

This was almost as bad as declaring his feelings to her inside a bomb factory.

Quinn started to laugh. For a split second, a rush of embarrassment drowned him, and he wanted nothing more than to sink into the ground and disappear. But then she crawled into his lap and pressed her lips to his.

“I love you,” she said between each kiss. “I love you, I love you, I love you.”

“Sorry, didn’t catch that,” he replied weakly.

She giggled, but the sound was swallowed as their mouths met. When they broke apart there was a pause, and then Danse sat up, letting her straddle him as he pulled her close. The kisses grew more frantic, their hands eagerly exploring each other. Things were quickly tumbling out of control again, but this time with no one to disturb them. He kissed her lips, her cheeks, her collarbone...only when she began to nip at his neck, moving her hips so that she grinded against him, did his nerves finally leave him.

Danse fumbled with the catch on her bra, but the accursed contraption stayed firmly fastened, taunting him until the anxiety threatened to come back. Maybe Quinn sensed his frustration, or maybe she was as worked up as he was. Either way, she leaned away from him, taking the damn thing off without even bothering to remove her top.

“How…?” Danse began, but the question was forgotten as she returned to him, her fingers tugging impatiently at his belt. He didn’t need prompting. His own hands pulled Quinn’s shirt over her head. Danse threw the garment aside without a second thought, kissing every new inch of her he could reach, unsure where he wanted to start.

Quinn made the decision for him, finally wrestling the belt buckle free and slipping her hand into his pants.

Danse’s breath caught in his throat, and he leaned against her, momentarily thrown off guard as she moved her palm slowly up and down. Then she stopped, allowing the sweet haze to clear just enough so she could catch his eye. Quinn was smirking.

“Bed?”

Danse grinned. “Bed.”

A/N: Throwback to chapter 7. This is one of the scenes I’ve had in my head the longest, so I’m glad to finally use it. :)

As I have said at some point, though, I am very uncomfortable with writing smut. And I'm not very good at it. So there will not be anything explicit in this fic. Thankfully there are maaaany smut fics out there, so I'm sure you can scratch that itch quite easily. 0D

I'm so excited for the next few chapters. Now I'm past the end of the game, I have free rein.

FLUUUUUUFF.

#Fallout 4 #Paladin Danse #ss x danse #sole survivor x danse #fallout 4 fanfic #by no constraint #story #writing

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absoluteabsolem · 8 years

Text

I have seen Beauty and the Beast and I have a lot of things to say so.. here I come (spoilers, spoilers everywhere).

I won't lie, I went to the cinema with a lot of skepticism and apprehension because I legit thought it was going to be average at best. See I've always loved the animated version and it holds a sacred place in my Disney-fan small heart, so I was a bit scared they'd ruin it because well, what if the Beast is horrible, what if Lumière and Cogsworth and the whole family are completely messed-up, what if everything goes wrong, what if Emma Watson isn't a good choice for Belle after all, what if Be Our Guest is terrible, what if all the songs lose their magic even though Alan Menken is back for the soundtrack, what if what if what if.

My experience was a bit different than it would've been if I had seen the film in my regular cinema. You see, Beauty and the Beast was my very first IMAX experience (and my eyes took their time to adjust to the incredible visuals). It was amazingly beautiful, especially during a few scenes I'll mention later. Mind you, I didn't love everything in this live-action, but my global impression is more than positive. My expectations were low to say the least, and gods was I wonderfully surprised.

I got chills the moment I heard the first notes of the prologue, mostly because of the nostalgia. I think Alan Menken adapted the soundtrack as best as could be done, but some parts lacked a bit of the original magic in my opinion. The prologue has always been my favourite instrumental part, and the beginning of it wasn't as powerful as the original one (once we get to the enchantress, the instruments take you somewhere else entirely though). The introduction is narrated by Emma Thompson, and that was a wonderful idea. I've always loved her voice and damn she does the job. Everyone needs to know that.

A song was written for the film to present the arrogant and empty Prince as well as the people who lived with him; I disliked it, very much. There are two songs I always skip while listening to the soundtrack, and it's one of them. It made me feel nauseous at the very sight of the Prince, the whole scene was incredibly disgusting to my eyes and ears. Not because the actors and the song were terrible, but because of the toxic atmosphere coming from all these people.

Then the Enchantress showed up. She had some Galadriel vibes, she was mesmerizing. It was my « oh, I guess it won't be so bad » moment, that's when I decided I would stop living in fear of every single scene. The Enchantress my dudes, the Enchantress was perfect. Something I loved in this version is that they covered every narrative error (there might be new ones but I didn't see them); the Prince hasn't been a Beast for 10 years so he wasn't 11 at the time but already a grown-ass bitch; the Enchantress erased everyone's memories of the castle and the people who lived in it, thus why no one ever looked for them. Also, every time a petal falls, the dishes lose a bit of their humanity (until they turn into litteral objects once the rose has died) and the castle crumbles a little. I think it makes the whole thing a bit more adult, it adds a dark side to an already quite gloomy story (when you think about it).

I loved the way Belle's song was filmed, the choregraphy was incredible, and my heart melted when Emma Watson sang the part about the book she's reading. Of course it's also the time we get introduced to Gaston. LeFou and Gaston's dynamic is amazing, they're both far more fabulous in the live-action. Their dialogues never failed to make me laugh, and a few scenes with Maurice were just perfect.

Since I'm talking about Maurice, another moment created for this film was a short song sang by him once Belle comes back home, and I loved it. Maurice has a real personnality here, you get attached to him quite quickly, Kevin Kline did a wonderful job. You learn a lot of things about Belle's mother. Every single character has a real backstory here and it was interesting to discover all these new things (even the Enchantress is a more or less regular character). Even Philippe is still a mighty hero.

The first time Belle and Beast meet was great, they changed it a bit because her father doesn't want to leave so she throws him out of his cell and locks herself in it. Also it's Lumière who opens the door to show Belle her new room, so it clearly shows than the Beast does not give a single fuck about Belle at the time when he was a bit more polite in the animated.

Once we go back to the village, it is of course, time for Gaston's song, and it's beautiful, though less exaggerated as could be anticipated (animation has no limits right). LeFou steals the show here (and he's totally gay for Gaston). There's an instrumental part in the song where everyone is dancing on the tables and all and it was so cool you guys. I was waiting for this scene to come and I was not disappointed.

I didn't rly mention Lumière & Co before please forgive me; Ewan McGregor's completely failed French accent is the best thing I've ever heard, everyone is perfect in their roles but what can I say Lumière has always been my fave. The design of everyone in the castle in so on point my dudes ! I gotta say I have a bit of a problem with the permanent duck-face of the Beast but hey they did their best (plus you only notice it when he's not moving and the camera is focused on his face).

But now my dear friends, now is the time to talk about the very best thing in this film. The song we all waited for (nO I AM NOT TALKING ABOUT EVERMORE YOU LITTLE SHITS), the song that made me wish I could visit that bloody castle when I was a kid..

Be. Our. Guest.

You guys. Fellow bros. You all need to see and listen to Be Our Guest. It's perfect, it's a magical experience, Ewan McGregor is wonderful, the choregraphy is so mind-blowing the special effects team probably had a few nervous breakdowns while doing Be Our Guest and it was worth all the struggle. IT WAS SO FUCKING GORGEOUS ALL THESE COLOURS *coughs* srsly watch this film in IMAX if you can. I couldn't stop smiling during the whole scene (also I cried a little because I loved it so much but shhhh). There are no words to truly express how I felt during that moment, I wanted to sing along and annoy everyone in the cinema but I didn't 'cause I'm a nice person. It was flawless.

The way the Beast and Belle slowly discover each other is still lovely af, especially when he shows her the library (in a different way than he does in the animated and I gotta say I prefer this version, it was funnier but still in character). They spend a lot of time together reading lots of books and you can feel time passing by where it could seem like the story took 3 days to happen in the animated (and thus giving assholes a reason to shout WOW STOCKHOLM SYNDROME WOW WOW)

And while we see a romance blossoming we can also observe Gaston revealing his rotten core, his charming mask falling to show us what a monster he is. Luke Evans is absolutely terrifying in this film. He just seems kinda dumb at the beginning but then LeFou fails to calm him and the real beast of the film is released. We see it when Gaston tries to kill Maurice by leaving him unconscious in the woods after failing to find the castle, but in the Mob Song it's truly terrifying. I've read a few reviews and everyone agrees that the Mob Song in the live-action is far, far better than the animated one. The only complain I have is that the camera doesn't focuse on Gaston during the whole thing, and it's not a very important detail so yeah, the Mob Song slays (also Luke Evans sings divinely and LeFou has a great line in the song you need to listen to it just for that tbh).

(if you've seen the film you'll notice I didn't talk about Evermore because I hate that song even if the idea of the Beast climbing his castle to see Belle leaving breaks my heart, I think it was ridiculous. Sorry guys)

OH ALSO I FORGOT but there's a new song taking place after Belle enters her room for the first time, and everybody sings in it, it's kind of a different version of Human Again but better in my opinion. It's so lovely, the lyrics are simply beautiful.

aNYWAY this is getting quite long so I'll try to make it quick. The battle between Lumière & Co and the villagers is really cool, it's also the moment Gaston betrays LeFou so he decides to join the good guys, because LeFou actually is a nice person.

I'm kinda disappointed Gaston's hair isn't loose when he fights the Beast in this version because I just really love long hair and it made him look even more insane. He also uses a gun instead of a knife and shoots the Beast four times if I recall well. His eyes are cold af while he does it but I think killing someone with a knife is more personal and shows more hatred than using a gun, so I was a tiny bit « meh » during that part, but it was still breath-taking. Gaston telling the Beast he's there to kill him because Belle sent him, then the last spark of hope leaving the Beast's eyes THEN BELLE SHOWS UP AND GASTON GETS FUCKING REKT BY THIS GIGANTIC ANGRY LION anyway it was great I just like to rant about details no one else notices.

But then !! shit happens !!! the Beast dies before Belle tells him she loves him, the last petal falls, Lumière & Co turn into objects, despair and sorrow is everywhere, tHE CURSE IS NOT BROKEN BUT DO NOT FEAR MY DUDES THE ENCHANTRESS ENTERED THE CASTLE WITH ALL THE OTHER VILLAGERS AND SHE SAW THAT BELLE LOVED HIM SO SHE BREAKS THE CURSE HE COMES BACK TO LIFE AND HE TRANSFORMS

THE RIDICULOUS FIREWORKS ARE NOT THERE IN THE LIVE-ACTION

DO YOU KNOW HOW LONG I WAITED FOR THOSE SILLY THINGS TO GO AWAY ???

HAVE YOU ANY IDEA HOW LONG I WAITED ?

TWELVE YEARS

IN AZKA- wait a second

anyway

I absolutely loved the transformation, the music was beautiful and there was a golden mist and petals around the Beast it was so, so perfect. THEN BELLE SEES HIS EYES AND SHE'S LIKE « IT IS YOU » AND I'M LIKE YES IT'S HIM YOU FUCKING IDIOT DIDN'T YOU SEE HIS PORTRAIT IN THE FORBIDDEN WEST WING THAT DOESN'T EXIST okay no I didn't think that but I could have

Then everyone becomes human again and we see Cogsworth trying to run away from his newly-returned wife, Lumière and Plumette discreetly leaving because they're horny af, Mrs Potts hugging Chip and everyone's happy and Gaston's corpse is rotting somewhere and LeFou has a new boyfriend and people sing and everything's fine now, and I'm so happy I saw this film in IMAX it was absolutely worth it and you should all give it a try even if you're an annoying purist motherfucker like me (jfc this is a very long review I'm so sorry).

#beauty and the beast #batb

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