#the board was originally gonna be more chaotic but I got too caught up in explaining myself through text weh

[alangdorf]

Hi :) I finally made my Magolor conspiracy theory board! I know the text is small so I’m gonna write out a transcription plus all the stuff I couldn’t fit without making everything completely illegible. Be warned, this is gonna get long.

By the way, please don’t take this overly seriously; I’m just shaking thoughts out of my head. I used to be all “yeah Magolor is exactly the type of character I would like but I’m just not that crazy about him.” But then the Epilogue came along and we had a blackout where I barely had internet access for a couple days and these two things combined flipped a switch in my brain and I thought about/talked about nothing but Magolor for literally a week straight. And so here we are!

First off, a note about the Another Dimenion creatures (Doomers, Darpas, Deppas, Dippas, and Dupas). In Japanese, Sphere Doomers are called Sphere Lowpers – Lowper being the romaji spelling used in the files, although in Japanese it’s pronounced Rōpā (ろーぱー), and most likely originating from the English words “interloper” and/or “robber”. B and p are closely related in Japanese writing, both being a slight alteration of the consonant h (via diacritic marks called tenten [two little lines] and maru [a circle]), so は is ha, ば is ba, and ぱ is pa.

The other creatures are variations on Rōpā with different vowels in the first syllable (they’re actually called morae [singular: mora] instead of syllables though): Rāpā, Rēpā, Rīpā, and Rūpā. These are changed in English to match the fact that Doomer starts with D: Darpas, Dippas, and Dupas, according to the Magolor Epilogue song titled “VS Darpa-Dippa-Dupas”, and then Deppa for Rēpā as a logical extrapolation of that.

(Side note: since this game came out before Kirby localization teams were given a lot of guidance, the names in other languages for Doomers are alllllll over the place in terms of meaning. Sphere Chimera, Sphere Spook, Spectre Sphere, and my favorite is the Italian, “Fenix Sferix”, meaning Phoenix Sphere. For their translation of “VS Darpa-Dippa-Dupas” they went with the same play on the vowels, so it’s “VS Fanix-Finix-Funix”. But then?? What are their Deppas called???? Probably Fonix but it’s still funny lol)

Now is probably a good time to talk about Magolor’s name; get all the translation fun facts out of the way. In Japanese, his name is Mahoroa (まほろあ). “Mahō” is the word “magic” in Japanese, so the English version starting with “Mago”, derived from “magic”, is a good close translation. “Lor” and “roa” are both their respective language’s name for the Lor Starcutter, and are roughly equivalent in Japanese pronunciation. The devs have said in a Miiverse post that Magolor’s name was also partially derived from the Japanese word “Mahoroba” (まほろば), which is the name for the concept of a “far-off land full of bliss and peace” (per the Wikipedia page for Mahoroba), which could certainly be translated as “paradise” (note on that in a second). With ba and pa being almost the same letter, it makes me wonder if Mahoroba and Rōpā (まほろば and ろーぱー) are meant to be so similar as a cheeky wordplay thing. Mostly because I think it would be really funny if that was the case.

The aforementioned note which is about the meaning of “Magolor” in the language the Jamba speak: there is a pause screen in Star Allies that lists a bunch of translations for words in their language, most notable here being “Mafo = lie” and “Lor = paradise”. “Mafo” having a different third letter than “Mago” is hardly an issue; fo and ho are written the same in Japanese unless you’re being really pedantic about loanword spelling (ホ vs フォ), “Maho” being equivalent to “Mago” is already established, and Star Allies had a notoriously messy localization anyways, so I would hardly be surprised if they just forgot to change it to “Mago”.

Also, given the fact that Return to Dreamland Deluxe added a line for 100%ing the game that clarifies that Mags was lying about being from Halcandra but studied Ancient culture there for years and that this whole post posits the theory that he was originally some sort of Another Dimension creature like the Doomers and co. (Side note: in the context of whatever possible relationship the Doomers and Ancients used to have [Rampaging Doomers are implied by Sphere Doomers EX pause screen lore to be ancient Doomers and have the gear aesthetic and that could mean any number of things], and the limited individuality of the Doomers/Darpa-Deppa-Dippa-Dupas and their subservience to Grand Doomer, I see this less as cultural appropriation and more like uhhhh trans coding, kinda. Please don’t come at me about this; I often joke that Kit, my nickname, is short for Catboy Discourse but I don’t actually want to fight on the internet about this catboy), the fact that this pause screen is for a version of Unhooded Hyness from the SAME UPDATE that added Magolor to the game is so hysterical. Maggie rocks up to a fight with someone he’s never heard of (Hyness claims in his rant that the Ancients erased his sect from their history after the schism), they reveal themself to be an actual Ancient, and the game itself calls him a liar???!? Like dude you had at least one other outfit you could’ve worn today lol

Anyways, I have some loose appearance similarities to point out between Magolor and the Doomers and co. His ears are shaped, striped (his hood is at least, though I know it’s more similar to Hyness’ ears), positioned, and even move similarly to the top two projectiles on a Deppa. The ears do have more jiggle physics now, unlike the Deppa projectiles, but they’re often portrayed as horns instead of ears in his boss forms (and concept art but that doesn’t necessarily mean anything for current Mags) anyways. Also, Dupas’ feet are a little strange. With the way that they move back and forth unrelated to how the Dupa actually moves and the way that they can stand upside down, it definitely could be that those appendages are disconnected similar to Magolor’s hands and the Dupas actually move by floating around. Admittedly they’re not the same color yellow and this one is a vague connection at best, though the Dupas are also slightly egg-shaped like Magolor. Oh, and in Magolor Epilogue his projectiles and the Rampaging Doomers’ projectiles look almost exactly the same to me. I could also point out the fact that Magolor’s 2nd phase/Soul form has a large mouth like the Doomers, Deppas, and Dupas, though it doesn’t look very similar. Girl what is that thing. Why do you look like W.D. Gaster.

A slightly stronger connection is the eyes. Flat yellow eyes (upright ovals with variations for expression in this case) aren’t that uncommon on Kirby creatures, but a lot of notable examples, such as Hyness, the other Jambas, and Wester, have their eyes on a black background, likely to symbolize shadowed, glowing eyes. In Hyness’ case at the very least, this is proven by his unhooded appearance. Magolor, on the other hand, has his on a brown background, which, as indicated by his visible ear in the Epilogue, is just his skin color. (Meta Knight is similar in this regard, but he has his own whole thing going on species-wise, and his eyes were white when not shadowed until like Brawl anyways which just supports my point.) It being a solid color, and comparatively a dull one at that, is dissimilar to the Doomers, though it makes sense with his design to not make it too busy. Also a couple of the Doomer types have different eye colors, but that’s also clearly for the purposes of making a good palette.

My favorite evidence, however, that links Magolor to the Doomers is his first phase boss theme, Welcome Your New Overlord (née Under My Control). I think it’s so similar to Another Dimension (the song that plays in the rift segments before each Doomer fight) and VS Sphere Doomer (context self-explanatory) that they were intentionally written in the same style. (Grand Doomer is also somewhat similar, but to a lesser extent in my opinion.) All these songs have synth chords through most (less in Grand Doomer) of them that, well. I didn’t take enough music theory to be able to identify chords more complex than triads, but I would describe them as “dissonant” or “jazzy”, and they step around to different keys relatively frequently (Oops, just realized I wrote “chord structure” instead of “chord progression” on the board, oh well. It’s probably non-functional harmony anyway but either way, I just meant this). They also have very similar rhythms, playing the same chords multiple times in a row, often falling on offbeats (again, Grand Doomer is the outlier here). Pre-final boss themes in Kirby are often written to be complex and disorienting, but the way that these songs are similar is specific enough that I think it’s reasonable to assume it was on purpose. Also can I just say how much I love Welcome Your New Overlord? Amazing song.

Overall, the trick to all Kirby lore is trying to judge whether things are done by the developers for the purposes of gameplay and game experience or for the purposes of canon lore, and I’m not gonna make a judgement call on this one, but I really like it as a headcanon at the very least. A couple more related headcanons about Magolor for reading this far: Not sure whether I think that Mags named the Lor after himself or himself after the Lor, but I think for the “Mago” part, he either named himself after the Ancient word for “lie” on purpose as an inside joke for only himself (not knowing the Jamba were still around to call him on it) or he named himself after the Ancient word for ��magic” and it just so happens to be either a homonym or synonym for the word “lie”, possibly because of negative opinions toward the Jamba. Possibly both options, even. Also I think the reason he talks Like That, at least in English (in Japanese he just uses katakana instead of hiragana a lot, which, katakana is usually used for foreign words so it gives a “foreigner” feeling), is because he’s a very studious and book-smart foreign language learner, but unfortunately the first native speaker of Kirby’s language he met was Marx (there’s a well established fan theory that he has met Marx before based on his dialogue that he knows someone who knows Kirby) and he internalized entirely too many of his speech patterns. On purpose. Mini speech headcanons: At Merry Magoland he either addresses to the patrons as “parkgoers”, “paying customers” (he doesn’t charge admission but he got used to saying it at the Shoppe and thought it would be funny to continue saying it in an inappropriate situation; it does make some people freak out thinking they were supposed to buy a ticket), or “gamers”. Also during the beginning of Return to Dream Land he laid the flattery on a bit thick with calling the main group “kind strangers” and “my saviors” and he still calls them that sometimes after they’re friends for real just to be annoying.

Thank you for reading!

[zachsreaderinserts]

sleepy boys inc x gn!teen! reader headcannons

trying something new! i like bbs and all, but i wanted to write for other youtubers! lemme know if yall wanna see more content like this lol.

this takes place in a minecraft au!!! also, mentions of bad parenting/abusive parents

wc: 2,319

okay the sleepy boys

chaos incarnated, all of them. you can’t deny it

so, when tommy invites a friend from a local village, at first, everyone else is skeptical. since when has tommy made a friend who didn’t hate him within 20 minutes from all the screaming and insults he spewed?

unlike his friends, phil is more excited than anything. though he isn’t tommy’s dad, he feels like it sometimes, so he really wants to meet this new person who has caught the youngest’s attention

techno is very much not on board. he has a hard time trusting people at first glance and having been friends with tommy for the longest, he knows that tommy readily jumps the gun and attempts to befriend literally anything just because he can

and wilbur? indifferent for the most part. yes, he feels the need to make sure tommy is protected and cared for, but he also recognizes that this situation is out of his hands. the best he can do is hope that their friend isn’t an absolute asshole

so, it’s saturday. all three men are sitting on the couch in phil’s cottage, talking amongst themselves as they wait for tommy to come back. techno makes a joke about murdering them, which leads to phil scolding him about his violent tendencies

“you haven’t even met them yet, techno, what the fuck.”

wilbur is simply adding fuel to the fire, making little remarks here and there and watching the whole thing escalate to phil lecturing the piglin hybrid.

because of this, not one of them had noticed that tommy returned, with his newest friend. they both stopped at the sight of phil in dad mode, tommy considering just turning around and taking his friend as far away as physically possible

too late, since techno’s sixth sense made him whip around and stare at the newcomer. this made phil stop lecturing and wilbur quit giggling long enough for tommy to introduce his friend

after saying their name, the friend lifted their hand shyly, face burning from slight embarrassment. their other hand was latched onto tommy’s, feeling intimidated.

can you blame them? the fucking blood god looks like they wanna skewer them and cook them over a campfire.

tommy took notice of their shyness and cleared his throat, “we were planning on going to the carnival in their village if you three assholes feel like tagging along.”

like there was any way they were gonna let tommy and his friend go out without chaperones.

tommy turned back to his friend, “give me a second, i’m gonna go grab my sword just in case.” and proceeded to run up the stairs and towards the guest bedroom in phil’s house that he claimed.

the millisecond he was out of earshot, techno grabbed his friend by the front of the shirt.

“what are your intentions with tommy?”

the friend blinked once, twice, then bit back a smile. “you’re asking that as if i’m about to date that motherfucker.”

this time, it was wilbur who bit back a grin of his own. who would’ve expected the originally shy kid to have replied like that????

techno’s brain short circuited and his grip on their shirt loosened slightly. did.... did this kid just brush off his question???

“can you put me down? you’re gonna stretch my shirt.”

techno’s brain blinked back into focus and he gripped the kid’s shirt harder, shoving them against the nearest wall. “i asked a question, kid.”

“you know, tommy told me something like this would happen. i’m glad i came prepared.” and then, tommy’s friend sucked in a deep breath. techno leaned back, expecting the worst...

“MWISTER TECHNWOBWADE, PWEASE PUT MWE DOWN BEFWORE I SCWEAM”

oh god, this was far worse than anything he thought of.

he dropped the teen out of disgust more than anything, reeling backwards. if there was one thing that haunted his dreams, it was uwu-speak.

phil started howling of laughter, clutching his stomach and hunching over. originally he was going to stop techno from threatening a literal child but this outcome was so much better than anything he was anticipating

wilbur was no better, already tearing up from how hard he was snickering. he started choking on his own spit at one point, smacking his arm against the couch.

tommy was so fucking confused when he came back down the stairs, seeing the mayhem that was, for once, not caused by him. he glanced at his friend, who had the world’s biggest shiteating grin.

yeah, they were gonna fit in just fine.

and they did! phil took them under his wing (both physically and metaphorically) and allowed them to come visit his home whenever they wished. and whenever they did, phil was the first to ask how they’ve been and what they were up to

to phil’s surprise, the kid was overall calm in their choice of activities. things like playing soccer or drawing or figuring out how to learn instruments in their free time. it seemed like they were desperate to get their hands on anything and everything just to learn

he found it funny, though, when their chaotic side shone through. they easily were on tommy’s level when they got into that headspace and it was so hilarious to him.

his favorite memory of the kid was when they walked into the house and marched right up to where techno was reading idly in the corner. planting their hands on their hips, they spoke.

“if you were to fuck a clone of yourself, would it be masturbation or would you be considered gay?”

phil, who was washing the dishes six feet away from them, just about crumbled into a ball on the floor from how hard he was laughing and sobbing.

of all questions, that was the one that came out.

but he had no idea that the chaos was a coping mechanism. he just thought they were naturally like that in their free time.

he soon found out the truth when they came home with tommy, who was cursing up a fit, visibly angry. his friend was slumped over, as if trying to hide themselves from the world

when phil asked what had happened, tommy exploded.

“their fucking dad took all their money from their savings! said he needed it more than them and when they asked for it back, he called them a fucking disappointment! that fucking bitch--”

phil can count very few times when he felt true anger and he can confirm that when tommy had told him what had gone down, he saw red.

but he knew better than to outwardly show it. judging by how hunched over and defeated the kid was, what they needed was a stable support system

so he walked over and shut tommy up with a hand on his shoulder, “why don’t we take the rest of the night to build up that game room you wanted in the basement. i’m sure if we knock it out before techno and wil are supposed to be back, we can all play something like monopoly.”

seeing where phil was headed, tommy nodded and brushed away his anger. he knew that what his friend needed was a serious cheering up. tommy ran towards his guest bedroom, claiming that he was going to find his blocks.

phil crouched in front of the teen, tilting their head up to look him in the eyes. “you’re not a disappointment. you’re an amazing person with a chaotic joke machine going 120 kilos over the speed limit in your head and you are talented. your dad doesn’t know shit about what you’re capable of doing.”

oh boy, the kid’s crying. those are tears, full on tears.

that night was one of the best nights of their life, however. they enjoyed the entire three hour long game of monopoly where they watched the light leave everyone’s eyes. it was funny when wilbur lunged across the table when he landed on a railroad, out for phil’s blood.

speaking of wilbur, he enjoyed every minute in the kid’s presence. they often asked creative and random questions and went along with the abstract jokes he made, the two of them laughing heartily the entire time.

when the kid first mentioned wanting to learn how to play the guitar, he practically burst through the wall of the room next door, breathing heavily and exaggeratedly.

“did someone say guitar”

yeah, he’s feral. that’s canon.

they proceeded to spend the entire day in phil’s garden, each of them equipped with a guitar. despite their outwardly smooth brain and stupid demeanor, the teen was a fast learner and could play the most basic chords by the time the sun was setting.

wilbur’s favorite moment was the first night they met, when they went to the carnival. there was the game where you shoot the water and fill up the balloons and the kid was going head to head against techno and tommy.

it was when techno won that the teen turned to techno with murder in their eyes and spoke in a deadpan tone of voice,

“you’re lucky you won this time, you gentrified mayo monkey.”

wilbur’s jaw dropped, as did techno and phil’s. tommy was already in hysterics, smacking his hand against the counter that held the guns.

needless to say, wilbur found his favorite, not-quite sibling in a heartbeat.

techno was the last to come around with the child. can you blame him? every time he tried to threaten them or had beaten them at something, they would respond in a cryptic threat--

“i’m going to pee your pants if you don’t let me win”

or just brushed him off. without a second thought.

“anyways, i was murdering a chicken the other day, and the fucker had the audacity to ribbit at me.”

to say he was confused was an understatement. he was terrified of the fact that a literal child held so much power and disinterest in things like their own life. so for the first few months, he avoided them.

but he had seen past that when it was around midnight on a weekday. tommy was hanging out with tubbo and ranboo in their village miles away from the area. wilbur was out drinking with schlatt, niki, and fundy, and phil was already asleep.

techno wasn’t too far behind, sitting in front of the fireplace and staring out of the window that showed the front yard. it was only then when he saw the flash of a familiar face and looked closer as the teen walked up to the house quietly. their head was down and they carried a small bag with them.

techno opened the front door with a long creak as they reached the porch steps. it was only when they jumped and looked up in surprise that techno had noticed a deep bruise on their left cheek in the moonlight.

despite the fact that he kept away from them, techno was very protective and territorial of tommy, phil, and wilbur. and since they were attached to the teen, he became protective of them as well.

so all the voices in his head went quiet for a second. before exploding into a mixture of screams and threats, all leading back to protecting the child in front of him.

without thinking, he reached forward and cupped their face for a better view of the bruise. at the warm and soft touch, tears slipped down the kid’s cheeks and they sniffed pathetically.

the voices quickly took a 180, all screaming to take care of them. make them feel better. so, techno led the kid inside and let them spend the night in his room, with them falling asleep on the bed and him falling asleep on the rocking chair in his room.

phil did not hesitate to officially declare himself as the teen’s official father, saying that their biological father was a “little bitch”

now somewhat living with the teen, techno found an appreciation for their quieter moments, when they were reading or simply daydreaming. it was cute, in his eyes. but he also grew to enjoy when they were absolutely feral, especially toward tommy.

his favorite moment with them was when they had gifted tommy a music disc for his birthday. it was sweet and sentimental and tommy just about burst into tears when he saw it.

all of the sappiness quickly vanished when tommy put it into a jukebox.

“FUCK THIS PUSSY, BOY, FUCK. FUCK IT RIGHT, BOY--”

tommy had let out the most terrified scream and it practically engrained itself into techno’s brain. it was the first time he ever laughed at something the teen had done and the teen felt proud of themselves.

and finally, tommy. he was already happy to call himself a friend of the teen’s. they were like peas in a pod, working together.

tommy came to them when his insecurity felt heavy and they came to him whenever their dad’s words got to them. they had a nice system of dependency on one another and neither of them would trade it for the world.

tommy’s favorite moment of being friends with them was during their first birthday living in phil’s house. it was a birthday befitting their personality, with brightly color streamers hung and confetti all over the floor. he knew that they enjoyed it severely and once the cake was cut, the kid turned to phil.

“phil, where’s the big tiddy strippers i requested?”

tommy was GONE

he all but choked on his slice of cake and walked away, shaking his head while trying to stifle his giggles. but when he heard phil’s scream of “WHAT”, he just lost it.

all in all, his friend had made a fine part of the sleepy boys. they were a happy face in an otherwise somewhat bleak and dangerous world. and all four men appreciated it.

[readingtherooms]

Vanilla

Summary: After a long day, you just want to lay down on the couch. Unfortunately, our resident genius got there first. 

Pairings: spencer reid x fem!reader

Requested: nope!! just me being in love w baby spence

Warnings: fluff, so much fluff. 

Word Count: 1568

A/N: hey guys! sorry this is a little all over the place, but i thought it was cute. I wrote this with season 1 in mind, but it’s really up for interpretation. I don't currently have a taglist but I think i'm going to start one so let me know if you want to me on it! The moodboard below was made by me however the images are not mine!

It’s almost midnight, and the team is flying back to DC from Seattle. The case had ended well. (Y/n) should be relieved. She wasn’t. She had fought with her brother right before she left, and going home means she’s going to have to talk about it.

 “I’ve never been good at that. Talking. I much rather just hug it out, I've always been tactile”, she explains to JJ as she gets out of the car. 

Boarding the jet, everyone is welcomed by fluorescent lighting and the overwhelming essence of day old coffee. Spencer quickly makes himself at home on the couch, as Hotch and Gideon settle into a game of cards. (Y/n) tries to read, but after twenty minutes of staring at the same page, lost in her own head, she debates giving sleep a shot. She glances over at Spencer. He’s awake. 

“Is there any hope of me convincing you to give up the couch”, she mumbles as she sits down across from her best friend

“Is there any hope of me convincing you to come to the Jacques Delille convention with me on Saturday?” He quickly responded. (Y/n) sighed - her and Spencer had been friends at CalTech, long before she got the job with the BAU. Over the years, she grew quite fond of the eclectic conventions he would drag her to. She loved listening to Spencer go on his signature tangents, it gave her a chance to just listen. Not worry about being awkward or saying the wrong thing, like she did around most people. With Spencer, all she had to do was listen, and she loved it. Unfortunately, she was going to be spending her Saturday in a much less pleasant manner. 

“I already told you, I have to go to brunch with my brother” she groaned. 

He chuckled, “Well then I’m not moving”. 

“You know what, screw it” she thought to herself. She was tired, she kept getting caught up in her thoughts, and if she was being completely honest with herself, she was in desperate need of physical affection. 

“You don’t need to move” she stated bluntly.

“Wait, what?” Spencer responded, not even attempting to hide the surprise in his voice. He didn’t know (y/n) to go down without a fight.

“But you can’t stop me from laying on the couch” she countered. He responded only with a slight tilt of his head, and a look of confusion. (Y/n) stood up and walked over to where he had propped himself up. 

“Can I lay on you?” she half-whispered, her confidence starting to falter. 

“W-What?” he looked up at her with bewilderment in his eyes.

“Nevermind, it was a stupid idea.” She said, barely loud enough for him to hear. The fleeting confidence she had only moments ago, had completely drained out of her. She turned to walk towards the bathroom, attempting to escape the situation.

“Wait” he stopped her, despite still being perplexed by what she had just asked. “You can, uh, lay on me - if that's, uh, what you want.”  He clears his throat. 

“Are you sure?” (Y/n) responds, equally as flustered. He nods in response. 

After an uncomfortably long pause, she begins to lower herself onto the tan leather, leaning back as she does so. 

The next three minutes were chaotic to say the least, with neither of them not knowing exactly what to do. However, after those three, awkward, giggle filled minutes, (y/n) found herself lying between Spencer's legs, her head gently resting on his chest. She knew he wasn't always great with physical affection, she kept asking him if he was comfortable. He, in return, continued to reaffirm that he was, in fact, comfortable. 

A few more minutes went by, and soon (y/n) felt herself drift asleep, lulled by the soft fabric of his cardigan, and the gentle movements of his breath. 

Spencer, in contrast, was anything but peaceful. 

This just isn't the kind of thing that happened to him. Pretty girls don't just want to lay on him. His mind was a whirlwind of thoughts. He had just about convinced himself that this was a dream, when (y/n) shifted slightly, snapping him back into reality. 

He was suddenly very conscious of his arms. He had them resting lightly over her shoulder blades, in a position which he originally thought to feel natural. Doubt started to wash over him, he had never really done this before. Despite Derek's mocking, he wasn't actually a virgin, but it was in that moment that he realized he had never actually cuddled before. What if his arms were in the wrong place? What if (y/n) is judging him? Wishing she had never asked to lay on him? 

He lifted his right arm off of (y/n), and managed to pull his cell phone out of his pocket without too much movement. He really didn't want to do this, but he honestly couldn't think of a better alternative. He cursed himself internally, and reluctantly opened his phone, tapping on his second contact - “Derek Morgan”

Spencer : Derek, please turn around. Do not make a scene. 

Spencer sees Derek's head whip around as he reads the message, eyes widening when he notices (y/n). Despite being fairly certain that she was asleep, Spencer shifts his arm so that his phone was out of her line of sight. 

Derek : MY MAN!!!!!

Spencer : Don’t be dramatic, I need help. 

Derek : Dramatic?! Help?! Man you’ve liked this girl since COLLEGE 

Spencer : Trust me, I know. However, what I don't know is how to do this.

Derek : Do what? Cuddle?

Spencer : Yes, where do I put my arms?

Derek : Dude, you just gotta be natural

Spencer : That is completely unhelpful. Are you aware who you are talking to? Yesterday you watched me walk into a door. 

Derek : Yes, and I got it on video. Alright I guess I’m going to have to coach you through this. 

Spencer : Yes please. 

Derek : You owe me

Derek : Okay, take your right hand, and set it right above her waist

Spencer : My right or your right?

Derek : The hand with your phone in it

Derek : Now, your left hand, set it parallel to your right hand

Spencer : Does this look right? 

Derek : You’re doing great loverboy, are you finally gonna ask her out? 

Spencer : Maybe. 

Derek leaned over the back of his seat, clearly taking a photo. Spencer furrowed his brow. 

Spencer : Why did you take a photo of us?

Derek : Penelope. 

Spencer chuckled to himself lightly. He felt much more at ease than he had five minutes ago. Scanning the jet, he noticed that Derek had gone back to staring out the window. Everything seemed at ease. Hotch was facing away from Spencer, with a passed out Gideon across from him. JJ and Elle were both sleeping across from Derek, JJ lying on the brunette’s shoulder. 

Then there was (y/n). She was so peaceful as she slept, Spencer found himself entranced by her. He tucked back a strand of hair that fell onto her nose, and he felt her hum lightly with contentment. She smelt like vanilla, she always has. It was more than just perfume though, she must use vanilla body wash, shampoo as well. Is it possible she’s been using the same body wash since college? 

That is how Spencer Reid fell asleep that night, with (y/n) in his arms, thinking about the smell of vanilla.

-

Two hours later, Spencer’s eyes slowly started to crack open. (Y/n) was awake, nestled into the crook of his neck. 

“Hey sleepyhead” she teased. She received only an incomprehensible mumble in return. She looked at her watch, 4 AM. 

“We’re going to land in about a half hour, so I’m going to untangle myself and hopefully avoid a disapproving look from Hotch” she whispered in his ear. She placed a kiss on his forehead, before leaving the couch and returning to her original chair. 

The kiss was so soft, so light, that Spencer wasn’t even sure that it was real. The morning light was just beginning to spill through the small jet windows, and he waited for his eyes to adjust, before escaping to the bathroom. He was desperately trying to process what had occured in the past few hours. His mind was flooded with questions. 

Does this mean she likes me like I like her? 

Did she just need the comfort of a friend?

Is Derek going to make a big deal out of this?

IS THIS a big deal?

Hotch was awake, was he watching us? Does he care?

How does she always smell like Vanilla?

He finally realized that he would never find answers to all these questions standing in the jet bathroom. He fixes his hair, and steps back outside. 

“Hey (y/n)?”

“What’s up Spence?” 

“How do you always smell like vanilla?”

(Y/n)'s face lit up, giggling at his question. Suddenly, all the questions in Spencer’s brain felt like they were melting away. 

“Everything’s going to be okay” he thought to himself.

Everything is going to be okay because (y/n) is sitting in front of me

She’s smiling 

That smile could grow roses in the desert. 

Everything is going to be okay because she’s sitting in front of me

She’s smiling 

She’s smiling and she smells like vanilla

Oh, how I love vanilla. 

[fireinmywoods]

the heart of the matter (is Leonard McCoy)

Followers...friends. I come to you today, hat in hand, to ask for your support in a certain fandom matter, a trifling concern of little real consequence which nevertheless has been driving me absolutely cross-eyed bonkers for some years now.

Simply put: can we please all agree that Bones is the heart of the Enterprise???

In AOS, I mean. I’m not aware of any debate over this when it comes to TOS, where the roles of the triumvirate have always been explicit, though there are a few different ways to identify them:

Spock = logos = superego = head

Bones = pathos = id = heart

Kirk = ethos = ego = soul

So clear! So clean! So universally accepted by Trek fandom at large!

Oh, but things get murkier in AOS, and there are plenty of posts floating around which suggest that it’s Kirk, not McCoy, who serves as the heart in the Kelvin timeline. Even the writers of the first two AOS films have outright stated that their interpretation of the triumvirate had the original roles switched, with Kirk as the highly emotional one and McCoy as the arbiter between Kirk’s passion and Spock’s logic. It’s true that this technically counts as a Word of God pronouncement by the actual creators of 2/3 of the series thus far, which some would argue renders it canon. However, it’s equally true that those same creators also felt that Kirk was a fuckboi and that Benedict Cumberbatch wonderfully embodied their vision for Khan Noonien Singh, so honestly, who gives a hot hollerin’ fuck what those dingdongs think. This seems as justified a time as any to invoke Death of the Author, and in fact, it’s my firm belief that despite the writers’ intentions, Star Trek and Into Darkness both support the original triumvirate breakdown.

Under the cut you’ll find a long-winded and self-indulgent ~*~character analysis~*~ of the Kelvin-timeline incarnations of Jim Kirk and Leonard “Bones” McCoy, reviewing why Leonard is still unmistakably the heart, unpacking what the hell Jim’s deal is, and finally taking a look at some key examples from canon, because ya girl believes in showing her work.

Let’s get down to business.

[A quick warning, as this is starting to spread beyond my own followers: if you don’t like McKirk as a romantic pairing, you ain’t gonna like part IV, so I’d bow out before then or just take your leave now.]

i. Leonard

Independent of Jim’s characterization, it should be blindingly obvious that Leonard is the heart. He’s by far the most nakedly emotional of our seven core crew members, a trait we see writ large and small throughout the films. He’s reactive; he’s passionate; he’s humane. He cares, first and foremost.

Not about Starfleet, of course. Leonard doesn’t give a damn about playing the game or advancing his career, or even really about the Enterprise’s mission - he has no desire to explore strange new worlds, he’ll pass on seeking out new life and new civilizations, and he spends half his time trying to convince everyone else that boldly going where no man has gone before is a great way to die horribly. Fuck exploration, fuck space, and fuck the Federation while we’re at it. Leonard is perhaps the most improbable of the Enterprise’s senior officers for the simple reason that he seems to resent everything about the job.

Well. Almost everything.

See, what Leonard cares about is people. He cares about their lives, about their stories, about their hopes and dreams, about their suffering. That’s why he entered and has stayed in an extremely taxing caring profession, and it’s why he’s still on the Enterprise despite his incessant bitching about everything they do. He wouldn’t trust anyone else to take care of the crew he’s become so attached to, and he finds fulfillment in helping the people they encounter out there in the nightmare of space.

In every timeline, Leonard McCoy defines himself by what he can do for others: the pain he can ameliorate, the wounds he can heal, the diseases he can cure, the small amounts of good he can bring to a galaxy filled with so much absolute horseshit. Unlike most of his colleagues, he’s not motivated by curiosity or an adventurer’s spirit or a burning desire to make sense of the universe. (Fuck the universe, too, as a matter of fact.) Instead, he’s driven by the incredible depths of his compassion and empathy and concern for the people he serves alongside and those they meet along the way.

Sure sounds like the heart to me.

ii. Jim

I actually totally get why some people characterize Kelvin-timeline Jim as the heart. He’s quite literally a different man than the original timeline’s Kirk, and he definitely has more of the pathos qualities to him. Early on, he’s a total spitfire, fierce and hot-blooded, quick to anger and other sharp-edged emotions we’re not used to associating with James T. Kirk. Even as he grows into himself and leaves some of those traits behind, he remains spontaneous, passionate, protective, and self-sacrificing - easy enough to mistake for the heart if you squint.

But let’s not confuse having a heart for being the heart. Sure, Jim is more openly emotional and reactive than his TOS counterpart, but there’s still a marked difference between the way he and Leonard express and act on their emotions.

AOS Jim definitely has a lot of feelings - big ones - but at the end of the day, he’s not driven by his heart. He’s driven by his gut.

Whenever there’s trouble, Jim makes a beeline right for the center of it. He’s impulsive as hell, rarely pausing to think past his first instinct, because he just wants to be doing something, no matter the odds, no matter what it costs him. He explicitly calls himself out on this in ST:ID when arguing with Spock: “I have no idea what I’m supposed to do. I only know what I can do.” He doesn’t have the patience or the constitution to sit and debate all the options, either internally or with his crew. If there’s a path forward from where he is, even a bad one, Jim’s gonna take it.

[Sidebar: One could make the case that the roots of Jim’s instinct to act reach back to his childhood traumas - canonically ignored abuse and neglect on the one hand, and the Tarsus IV famine and massacre on the other - but that’s a whole post on its own and we ain’t got all day here.]

Jim can’t not act, and while that gets him into a lot of trouble, it also saves lives. Sulu probably appreciated that Jim’s gut drove him to leap off Nero’s drilling platform without a moment’s hesitation after a man he’d only just met. He may have been a real shithead about it, but Jim’s impassioned insistence on going after the Narada and not wasting time on the possibility of a better option was key to saving Pike and Earth itself. And I don’t know why Spock was so surprised that Jim intervened to save him on Nibiru, considering that the reason they were there in the first place was because Jim couldn’t sit back and watch the Nibirans die when there was something his crew could do to help them, even if it meant risking a violation of the Prime Directive.

Jim is a good man with a big heart, and he cares about people, absolutely. But he cares most of all about Doing The Right Thing - which in the heat of the moment often translates to Doing Something, Anything, Hold My Beer.

iii. heart vs. gut (i.e., time for some receipts)

I think one of the main reasons Leonard and Jim’s characterizations get confused is because they both tend to act on instinct, only lightly informed by higher reasoning. However, I’d argue that their motivations and the nature of those actions are super distinct, and those distinctions remain relatively consistent throughout all three films. (And y’all know I really mean this shit if I’m out here calling ST:ID consistent.)

Jim is a big picture guy, figuratively and often literally heaving himself full-body into the mix of whatever problem the crew has encountered for lack of any better alternative. That energy propels the plots of all three films: the chaotic path he carves through the events of Star Trek and ST:ID, and the slightly calmer but still undeniably bananas course he charts for himself and his crew in the second half of Beyond.

As the heart, Leonard operates on a more micro level. His concern invariably lies with the individual people caught up in those grand events Captain Chaos is busy dragging them all through. While Jim’s zooming around flipping plot switches, Leonard can always be counted on to bring it back to the personal.

We frequently see this juxtaposed right there on film. Think of that slow pan through medbay in the first movie after the Narada’s ambush and the destruction of Vulcan: while Jim is stewing over what to do about the Big Bad, Leonard has stepped into the CMO role without fuss or fanfare to care for the wounded crew and traumatized survivors.

Or jump ahead to Beyond: during Krall’s attack on the Enterprise, there’s a gorgeous cinematic shot of Jim sprinting down the corridor with two crew members to take on the invaders - and then we cut to Leonard moving slowly through those same ghastly red-lit corridors, searching for casualties in need of help, visibly affected by what his scanner is telling him about the downed crewman he tries to save.

Actually, Beyond as a whole does terrific justice to each of their roles. (Perhaps because it was not written by dingdongs.) The first act finds Jim flailing around for a sense of purpose and forward momentum - an understandable consequence of a gut-driven character having stalled out for too long - and he ultimately gets his mojo back by spending the rest of the film careening through one insane seat-of-his-pants ploy after another. Meanwhile, in the quieter moments between all the mayhem, Leonard serves as the empathetic sounding board for both Jim and Spock as they struggle with deep emotionally charged secrets and Big Life Questions, helping them untangle their feelings and reminding them of the emotional attachments which are ultimately key to their respective decisions to stay on the Enterprise.

More examples, you say? Don’t mind if I do!

Star Trek

GUT: Jim hurtles around the Narada, improvising almost every step of the way and paying the price for his and Spock’s scheme in bodily harm, and ultimately succeeds in rescuing Pike. HEART: Leonard calls out for Jim as he runs into the transporter room, overwhelmed with relief that he’s made it back, and takes Chris Pike’s weight literally and figuratively onto his own shoulders to begin healing him while Jim runs back off to the center of the action.

Star Trek: Into Darkness

GUT: Jim argues with Leonard, Spock, and Scotty in quick succession as he’s preparing to drag them all off to Qo’noS, immune to their attempts to reason with him because, unraveled as he is by grief and pain, he can only focus on his visceral drive to Do Something. HEART: Unlike the others, Leonard is upset not about the larger moral questions of whether it’s right to go after John Harrison or bring torpedoes aboard the ship, but about the fact that Jim himself is hurt and hurting and won’t accept help.

GUT: Jim makes a snap decision to sacrifice himself by hurling his body against the warp core to realign it and save his crew. HEART: Shellshocked by the emotional grenade of his best friend’s death, Leonard suddenly realizes, through the haze of his own numbness and upswelling grief, that he might still be able to do something for this lonely radiation-ravaged body he’s been brought and the life it represents.

Star Trek Beyond

GUT: At the tail end of an improvised plan to out-maneuver Kalara, Jim quite literally shoots first and asks questions later, igniting a fuel tank and setting off an explosive series of events which he and Chekov just barely escape. HEART: The next time we see Leonard, Spock is opening up to him about Ambassador Spock’s death and his own plan to leave Starfleet for New Vulcan - and while he’s empathetic toward Spock (I can’t imagine what that must feel like), Leonard’s thoughts go immediately to the emotional impact of Spock’s plan on the other people he’s closest with. (I can see how that would upset [Nyota]. / I can tell you, [Jim]’s not gonna like that.)

GUT: Jim frantically strains to reach the final switch in the life support hub, believing that he’s going to die either way since the vent has already opened, but spurred on by the knowledge that his ability to move that switch is the only thing standing between Yorktown and annihilation. HEART: Knowing exactly what’s at stake, with the fate of the station and millions of lives hanging in the balance, Leonard’s greatest concern is that Jim won’t make it out in time.

iv. never bet against the heart

Let’s wrap this up with a deep dive on one of the absolute best examples of Leonard as the heart: his decision to sneak Jim onto the Enterprise in the first movie.

As relentlessly as I drag him for the, you know, poisoning and kidnapping aspects of that whole deal, there’s no denying that it is a god-tier heart move. Is it logical? Absolutely not. Is it really the right thing to do for either himself or Jim, as far as he knows at the time? Nope. It’s 100% the wrong choice for his own job security, reputation, and relationships with his fellow crew, and it’s almost guaranteed to get Jim into even worse trouble. Leonard is a smart dude who must understand that this course of action will likely end up coming back on them both in a real bad way. For someone who argues loudly and often in defense of self-preservation, this is a shockingly bad idea.

But none of that matters, because Jim shakes his hand and tells him to be safe with that horrible empty-eyed smile, and it gets him right in the heart, one-two-three.

One: sympathy, worry, and affection for Jim - his best friend, his wild and troublesome stray, his only family.

Two: guilt over adding onto Jim’s pain, and the instinctive urge to fix whatever‘s hurting him.

Three: fear of heading out into the unknown by himself, the agonizing uncertainty of not knowing what’s coming, craving for the security and reassurance Jim’s presence would give him.

“Dammit,” Leonard says, as his heart wins out over his brain. He knows this is a garbage plan, and he doesn’t care. His heart chooses Jim. That’s all that matters.

So he goes back for Jim, and to his own surprise it turns out that this Very Bad Idea was actually a Very Good Idea because Jim’s impulsive instincts end up saving Earth, and Leonard’s not in the habit of fixing what ain’t broke so he figures he may as well keep on chasing Jim’s crazy ass around the galaxy for a while, through jungles and off cliffs and into the goddamn afterlife when need be, until finally one day Jim’s gut drives him right into Leonard’s arms and he suddenly realizes that this is what his heart was choosing all those years ago: Jim’s wide terrified eyes, Jim’s voice breaking over his name, Jim’s hand pressing hard against his chest, reaching out for what’s his.

But that’s another story.

[therealtsk]

okay so i think before I really start delving into this fandom I wanna give my thoughts on the game itself.  so MUCHO SPOILERS FOR CONTROL. IF YOU WANNA EXPERIENCE THIS AMAZING GAME YOURSELF DO NOT READ THIS POST.  You good? Alright, let’s go. 

So. First, I wanna talk about the game-play of CONTROL.  It’s fucking amazing. In a year where I played five incredibly strong games (Bloodborne, Uncharted 4, Red Dead Redemption 2, God of War and of course, CONTROL), it was my favorite game. In fact, I think it might be my favorite game of 2019.  It has something that all of the other games lacked, with the possible exception of U4...the core gameplay was inherently fun. The word “Next-gen” gets tossed around a lot in the gaming world, but this was the first thing I played that truly felt like it. The gameplay of CONTROL is at once simple and wildly different: I think I speak for most people when I say that the Launch ability is my favorite gameplay aspect: it just feels amazing to use, even after a year of playing it. It’s the closest I think a game has ever come to truly come (for me) to making me understand the sort of power the character wields in a way that isn’t superficial. From the sound design to the rumbles of the controller, to the superb animation, all of it comes together to make you feel powerful.  It’s amazing.  Okay so now that’s over, let’s talk about the world, characters, and story, the biggest reasons I love this game. As a long time fan of the more surreal and ethereal types of the supernatural, CONTROL immediately stood out to me with it’s central location: The Oldest House. What an incredible setting for a game, but also just what an incredible setting in general? When I walk through the hallowed halls of the House, I never feel at ease. I think it’s a fantastic combination of visual and audio design, but the House has a way of making you feel both unwanted and watched: even with all of the human touches the Bureau has scattered throughout the map, The House feels starkly inhuman- the ceiling too high,the doorways slightly too broad. Even after centuries of co-existing with humanity, the House has not quite adapted to humans. And yet there’s something also irresistibly compelling about wandering a place you know, logically, you probably shouldn’t be. It’s a fantastic way of putting you inside Jesse’s shoes: you feel both her fear and the powerful call of the unknown that beckons her to the darkest corners of the House.  The Altered Items themselves are also just...fascinating. The twisting of the mundane into the paranormal- there’s a word I’m looking for, but I can’t find at the moment. I know some people got annoyed with all of the reading in the game, but personally, I loved scanning through every document, case file, and correspondence. Dead Letters in particular caught my imagination: I’ve never stopped thinking about the woman trapped in the phone since I read about it, I even turned it into an original short story. CONTROL’s world feels very much lived-in, like it has history and activity outside of the game’s story, which is crucial to the livelihood of any setting.  Now, for the characters: Jesse Faden is perhaps my favorite video game character to date. I love her so much, words can’t describe, but I’m gonna try anyway. I love her sass, her jump-down-and-figure-out-a-plan-on-the-way-there attitude, her frustration and quiet sadness, her anxieties and ultimately- her love. Jesse Faden loves her brother so much that she literally threw away any chance she could have had at a normal, peaceful life and risked everything for him, not even knowing if he was still alive. As a proud brother of two siblings, It’s nice to see familial ties being just as strong in games as romantic ones.  Speaking of romantic ones, Emily freaking Pope am I right??? The minute Jesse and her sat down at the table I was like :eyes: “these vibes...the chemistry...the delivery...” I don’t care what anyone says Jesse and Emily are gay for each other and you cannot tell me otherwise, just look at all of their interactions. Remedy thank you for giving me another ship to stan until i die  The other characters are also amazing! I love my bois Simon Arish and Fredrick Langston, adorable dorks that they are. RIP Marshall but damn you were badass- also your long coat. Remedy make merch so I can buy it pls.  As for the more supernatural characters: Polaris.  Oh my god I love Polaris. My first assumption was that Jesse was speaking to us, the player, but learning the truth about what Polaris was and her own character was so fantastic- I would literally watch so much of just Jesse and Polaris communicating, the idea of humans and these...ethereal life-forms co-existing is just fascinating.  And then there’s the Hiss. I have been obsessed with the Hiss since I first heard those words. You are a worm through time. Like...the idea of a malignant radio wave, burring into your mind and planting itself within you, overriding your thoughts with song...just fucking chills. I can’t wait to write about this audible horror. 

Also just something I wanna note before I wrap this rambling thing up: CONTROL was not a game I expected this from, but I love how they handled representation in it: they never call attention to it or try to get clout for it, but they have a wide scattering of nationalities and a very even split of women and men: it was just so nice to have a game that didn’t feel dominated by dudes, you know?  Anyway: the story. I think this is where the game lost a lot of people, but I thought the way that it unfolded was fantastic, and every ending (Base game, Foundation, AWE) has left me excited to see more. I think my favorite plotlines thus far comes from the DLC’s: The Astral Politics and, of course-  Alan.  Fucking. Wake. 

But more on that in a bit. I think The Board and the presentation of them was fantastic: It’s so hard to for humans to write utterly in-human mindsets and persons, but I think Remedy’s team did a truly amazing job with The Board. Down to the method of communication alone, blasting divided concepts into Jesse’s thoughts that are literally shattering into synonyms because they don’t quite understand human language is just...aaaaaaahhhh, so good. And then The Foundation, my favorite DLC out of the two: So much expansion on the lore of both The Board and The House itself. The implication that The Board may, in fact, be just as much of an intruder as the Hiss are is chilling, and of course, The Foundation gave us even more Emily/Jesse ship fuel and development so like come on. As for the AWE DLC: I know a lot of people were disappointing with it, and I get that! Don’t get me wrong, when it ended, I literally went: “Wait, that’s it? That can’t be it.” I was expecting something roughly around the same length as the Foundation, and I think other people were too. Once I got over the initial surge, though, I sat down and really thought about it.  Story and content wise, Foundation is 100% the better DLC. But gameplay-wise? Oh man, AWE was so much more thrilling. I think this lends to Remedy’s incredibly atmosphere building, but after spending hours of Control feeling like an unstoppable badass, for them to completely turn it on it’s head and make me feel like a rat trapped in a maze, desperately lunging for any light and being utterly terrified of the dark: god, what an amazing fight the entire Third Thing was. The Service Tunnel in particular had me shook, man.  Was AWE short and felt more like a teaser trailer for Alan Wake 2? Yeah. Was it still really fun? Yes. And also, I think people missed out on how much lore we got for CONTROL, as well! Two words: Chester Bless.  So, to sum this completely chaotic post up: I adore CONTROL, every bit of it, and I can’t wait to talk to you y’all about theories, fics, and the like. 

[ceffythesquirrel]

Birthday Blues

What? What?! I wrote a normal fic for once?! This is a completely normal fic for Logan’s birthday! I tried writing one last year but I failed. I wanted this to be the year I wrote a normal fic for my favorite side. Don’t ask why I keep repeating normal over and over again. It’s not worth reading into. So here! Take this fic I’ve been writing for three days straight (gay) pretty much! I’m happy with how it turned out! I hope you guys enjoy.

Happy Birthday, Logan!!!

Birthday Blues

Ships: Platonic Lamp/calm, some analogical if you squint.

Words: 1,991

Warnings: Logan is the scrooge of his own birthday. Twinges of angst. Let me know of anything else.

~~~~~

It was that one fateful day of the year when Logan woke up in the morning groaning in dread at the date on his calendar. He continuously reminded his fellow aspects that they all shared the same birthday on April 24th because they were all Thomas, but the fandom celebrated them differently and Patton quickly caught on. Roman was on board soon after and both of them were able to drag Virgil in it, but Logan remained adamant that his birthday was absolutely NOT November 3rd.

Once he was up and dressed, he took a quick look at the calendar and narrowed his eyes at the small “Birthday” surrounded by question marks underneath today’s date. He sighed and continued his routine hoping that when he stepped out in the hallway, nothing would happen. When it came time, Logan armed himself with his pillow and carefully turned the doorknob of his room out into the mind palace’s hallway. Almost immediately, he saw confetti fly past the opening of the door and he quickly shut it before any other unidentified flying objects made their way into his room.

A couple of whines could be heard from the other side of the door. “Awwww, C’mon Logan! Aren’t ya gonna come out for your birthday?”

“Yeah! Get out here Logan! I even got Virgil here to cheer you on!”

“Whoop di doo…”

Logan saw the doorknob turn multiple ways and he pressed his body against it, refusing the other three entry inside. “No! And It’s not my birthday. I do not understand your incessant attempts to celebrate me on a day in which I wasn’t even born. Virgil, we’ve had this talk before. We do not have mothers!” He grew annoyed with the constant turning of the knob and quickly locked it before Roman tried to summon a battering ram...again.

“Look, dude, I’m just tired of fighting them. It’s only one day, Lo. You can deal with it.”

“Maybe I can’t-oof!” Logan felt the whole door shift as something ran into it from the other side.

“Roman!” Logan yelled out of fear for his room door.

“I will get you out of there if it’s the last thing I do!” Roman ran into it again and Logan let out a small yelp as the force was enough to push him off the door and onto the floor. He thanked his mental lock for holding out as chaotic of a force as Roman.

“Roman! Roman, stop!” Thankfully, Patton came to his rescue and his door was saved. “This isn’t going to get him to join us! We need to come up with a better plan.”

“Fine, fine. We’ll go to plan B. Just you wait Nerdicus! We may yet get you to join! Muahahahaha!”

“Don’t laugh like that, it doesn’t suit you.”

“Well fine then…” As their voices died off, Logan rose to his feet and gave a heavy sigh. He was not looking forward to whatever crazy plans they had in store for him.

He quietly stepped out into the hallway not 20 minutes later. Logan had unfortunately run out of his stash of Crofter’s in his room and needed to find something better for breakfast. When he rounded the corner into the kitchen, all three of them sat with breakfast already made.

“There he is! Let’s sing. 3! 2! 1! Happy Birth-” Logan flew back around the corner, attempting to hide the odd blush that had crept on his face when he saw all of them smiling at him. Even Virgil was wearing more than just his usual smirk. He heard the voices grow ever so slightly closer until Roman peeked around the corner and flashed him a devious smirk. The logical aspect let out an undignified squawk and ran back to his room just before Roman or Patton could catch him.

“I just want breakfast!!!” He whined behind his closed door and he pouted at their snickers.

“You can get breakfast,” Patton affirmed. “Just come out here and let us sing to you.”

“Absolutely not!” Logan felt the tiniest twinge of guilt at the disappointed sigh that Patton exhaled on the other side of the door.

“You really won’t let us celebrate you?” Logan’s lips pursed into a frown, but he stayed adamant about his decision.

“No.” He bit off behind the door.

There was a little bit of deafening silence and Logan could practically hear the mood switch in Patton. “Virgil? Can you get a plate for Logan to eat in his room?”

“Sure thing.” Once Virgil walked off, Roman scoffed in disbelief.

“Wait what?! You aren’t just letting him go like that...right?” Logan heard Virgil return with a plate of food and he passed it to Patton.

“Thank you, Virgil. Here you go, Logan. Just go ahead and take it. We won’t try to pull you into anything.”

“What?!” Ignoring Roman’s exclamation, the logical aspect cautiously grasped his doorknob from inside and cracked opened his door.

“Let him go Princey.” Logan opened the door all the way and saw Virgil comically restraining Roman as Patton held out a plate towards him with a sad expression on his face. Logan took the plate and silverware into his grasp and retreated back into his room. The pang of guilt quickly grew in size and sat in the bottom of his belly as he shut the door behind him.

He smiled sadly as he heard Roman’s complaining ring down the hall as Virgil dragged him by the ear back to the kitchen where Logan found them in the first place. It was kind of Patton to understand his need for space and understand where he was coming from, but he couldn't help but feel slightly guilty.

He sat with his back against the wall and scarfed down the food, hearing the soft voices coming from the kitchen. Once finished, he set the plate down on his desk and walked over to his bookshelf. He skimmed his fingers along the spines until he found a pale, rainbow notebook detailing all of the events of Thomas’s last 30 birthdays. He thumbs through a couple pages before flipping to the bigger section of the book that detailed all of the friends’ birthdays Thomas had been to in the past.

He knew the origin of birthdays and where they came from. He knew why they were celebrated, but why should his be? He wasn’t a full person and was of less importance than Thomas himself, let alone known by any of Thomas’s friends. After pondering his existence for a solid minute, he decided Thomas might have a better idea of why this was happening inside of his mind. He took a deep breath and sunk down, reappearing in the kitchen as he watched Thomas make some scrambled eggs for himself.

“Thomas?” He asked softly, hoping not to disturb him.

“Huh?” Thomas turned around and acknowledged the side in his vicinity. “Yeah Logan?”

Logan shifted from side to side, hoping to make sense of the question he was about to ask. “Uhm...what would happen...if your friend had a birthday, but they didn’t want their birthday to be celebrated?”

“Huh?” Thomas gave him a look of confusion. “What brought this question up?”

“Well...For whatever reason...everyone wants to celebrate November 3rd as my birthday, but I was not born on this day. I see no reason for anyone to think anything more of it. There’s nothing special about it.”

“Oh wow.” Thomas pulled out his phone and checked the date. “Yeah. Sure enough! It’s your birthday today.” He gave his side a half-smirk before glancing down at the spoon in his hands.

“Not you too…” Logan groaned. “Why?”

Thomas scratched his head, looking for a way to explain this to his logical aspect. “Well...what is January 15th?”

“That’s Patton’s birthday,” Logan explained.

Thomas smiled at him. “Would you celebrate it with him?”

“Of course. He would be sad if I didn’t.”

“Then, why wouldn’t he be sad if you didn’t let him return the favor? You know he enjoys giving things to the people he loves.”

Logan frowned. “I just don’t understand. What’s so important about me that everyone wants to celebrate?! I’m literally a part of your mind Thomas. There is nothing unique or interesting about me except...you!”

Thomas sighed sadly. “That’s where you're wrong Logan. I’m sorry you think that of yourself. I can tell you if my friend thought that about themselves, I would do everything in my power to make them feel loved. Maybe, that’s what they are trying to do. Patton, Virgil, and Roman I mean. They are trying to show you that you are valued and that’s why they want to celebrate your birthday.” Thomas stepped toward Logan. “If you don’t want today to be your birthday that’s fine. But, I want you to know that a lot of people love you, Logan. The people that see you on their screen, the other sides, and me. I know it’s not going to make sense. The only real reason people could see this as your birthday is that you starred in your first vine on this day five years ago.”

The logical aspect gave a small smile at this, and let Thomas continue talking. “They celebrate you because they love you. They want you to know that your existence is good and they like hanging around you! Why do you think we went all out for Virgil’s birthday when he was first accepted two years ago?”

Logan nodded and his facial expressions told Thomas he was beginning to understand. “Because...we wanted to show him that he belonged in this group.”

“Right. And you belong too, alright?” Thomas smiled at him. “I mean, I wouldn’t be me without any of you, but especially you. So, go back in there and let them shower you with love.” Thomas laughed at the blush that spread across his face.

Logan rubbed his biceps awkwardly. “I have to find a way to apologize first. I may have told them off.”

Thomas frowned a bit. “I hope you can make it up to them.”

Logan tapped his chin before raising his pointer finger in epiphany and sinking down. “I think I may have an idea.” He smiled as Thomas waved to the floor before he found himself popping up in Virgil’s room near the staircase. He knocked on one the rungs and the darker aspect appeared next to him.

“You called?”

Logan let out a deep sigh. “I...want to apologize to Patton.”

Virgil chuckled. “Did Thomas finally talk some sense into you?”

Logan mirrored the laugh. “I don’t know how he did, considering we have the same mental processing.”

“Nah. You just finally decided to listen to your gut feeling.”

“No, I...I felt bad. I didn’t realize how much I meant...to all three of you. And I want you all to know how much I appreciate you for attempting to celebrate this. I’m sorry for-”

“Being a stick in the mud?” Virgil raised an eyebrow and finished the sentence for him.

“If you must put it that way, then yes.”

Virgil smiled. “I’m sure they’ll forgive you, Lo. I had a feeling you’d come around. You’re too smart to let something like that go without first coming to a valid conclusion.”

The logical aspect cleared his throat and let a small blush spread across his face. “Yes well. I do what I need to.”

Virgil scoffed. “Don’t be too quick to thank me for the compliment.” He patted Logan on the shoulder before turning to walk out the door. “Now come on. We gotta go find Patton.”

“Thank you, Virgil.” Logan stated as they walked down the hallway towards Roman’s and Patton’s voices.

“Don’t mention it...and Logan?”

“Hmm..?” He shut Virgil’s room door behind him, turning to look at the darker aspect in front of him.

“Happy birthday.” Logan’s following grin grew uncharacteristically wide and Virgil couldn’t help but mirror it.

~~~~~

[villanevest]

you know what the ke fandom needs more of? more AU fic. like gimme some chaotic college au or coffee shop au or neighbors au

U are so right. Honestly hit me with ur suggestions.

I didn’t want to leave you waiting until any suggestions came in or my brain started working so here’s my totally lame, unsolicited and rushed dot-point take on a Villaneve in the film industry:

- Villanelle is a notoriously bratty but EXTREMELY talented actress

- like she’s a total costume thief and honestly kind of difficult to handle on set if Konstantin (her manager) isn’t around

- but she’s also a one-take wonder when she wants to be, she can just turn on the character, bam, nail it, then go back to the Kraft table and hoard doughnuts

- she starts out doing short films and indies and then swans right into big pictures in that way that almost NOBODY does, but she does

- it’s never occurred to Villanelle that everything wouldn’t fall into place for her, and it’s almost like through sheer force of confidence that it actually does.. people just don’t question her because she’s so obviously got It

- she’s all over the place, doing the most eclectic projects, bouncing from superhero flicks to deep dramas

- she’s a magazine darling bc she has the wildest fashion sense, but in interviews she’s chatty and conspiratorial and funny in this way that means you don’t really notice she hasn’t actually told you anything real about her until much later

- anyway Villanelle wraps the last block for her latest movie and then she’s herded off to London to do a music video with Sebastian, who she’s really not that fond of (she doesnt even listen to his songs)

- but Konstantin’s management group also reps him so she’s bribed into it

- Eve is a director (and aspiring screenwriter), and she’s good, she’s really fucking good, but she’s mostly stuck doing music videos that she’s not all that interested in because her boss Frank won’t cut her a break

- he always promises that “after this next one” he’ll send her through to one of his television buddies, but he never does

- “oh Eve, you’re too good here, just let it go”

- in her spare time, Eve’s writing a TV series, and it’s Ready, and having something she’s happy with and passionate about just makes the sets she’s on seem even more stagnant

- Kenny, an AD she’s had on a couple of projects (who is Very Supportive of her show idea), is the son of Carolyn Martens, who is like THE head of creative development at a huge production company

- and he manages to accidentally-on-purpose get them to run into each other so Eve has a few minutes to pitch

- and Carolyn tells Eve she likes her idea, but it’s kind of off-beat, really fresh in that shiny-new way that makes dusty dinosaur investors uncertain about profit margins

- like maybe it’s Too New, too much of a gamble

- but she says if Eve can find a way to make it more of a sure thing then she is IN

- so then Eve is directing the music video of this (honestly kinda basic) dude singer and this famous actress chick is gonna be in it

- Hugo their sound guy is Hype to meet her

- but Elena is like “yeah I’ve heard she’s a Problem” so Eve is all okay, Here We Go

- and then she sees Villanelle and there’s this whole stretched moment of just seeing her

- and then she remembers hey she saw this woman once in an arthouse film and she was incredible

- and obv That’s why her heart is doing That

- Eve just admires talent when she sees it, okay??

- and Villanelle as always goes from zero to a hundred

- like she can barely be bothered to be there but then she sees Eve and it’s Wow I Can’t Believe Music Videos Are My Actual Passion

- and yes Villanelle’s beyond into it but she’s also an ass, and like, what’s she going to do, NOT try to drive Eve up the wall? As if

- she Has to know what Eve looks like flustered

- has to know if Villanelle can fluster her into dragging her into some props closet and tearing her clothes off 

- so from Eve’s side

- Elena’s sources from wardrobe departments across the country were not kidding

- Villanelle is a total nightmare

- but also not

- like every time Eve tells her to do or try something she always pushes back, has to ask fifty But Why questions

- it’s impossible to stay frustrated with her though bc once she’s on board she absolutely brings it, will keep going until she’s got it perfect

- and then once Eve can see she’s got that to work with she starts trying to really push too, to see what she can get out of her

- but… It’s a music video, not an Academy contender, so they get caught up in this “well how about this” back and forth until Kenny’s like… Uh Eve remember we only have like five days to shoot this whole thing

- Elena thinks it’s funny because there’s going to be a HUGE disparity between Sebastian’s fumbling help-I’m-just-here-to-sing acting and Villanelle’s totally committed nuanced performance 

- then suddenly they’re done, and it’s been this total blur and Eve is kind of on a high from it because it’s the closest she’s come in so long to being able to make something she’s actually engaged with, that means something

- and she’s not willing to trudge back to Basic Town so she bites the bullet and just goes for it, like Fuck Frank

- and yeah Sebastian is … A little ordinary… But he’s commercially successful and has a pull with the 18-35s, so Eve approaches him after they’ve wrapped

- she pitches him being the featured artist on the soundtrack of her TV show

- he gets exposure, she gets his brand

- it’s not ideal – his isn’t the image that’d be her first choice to tie with her series, it’s not really the same vibe – but she’s not going to wait for Carolyn to forget about her

- and Sebastian says he’d like to help her, but he’d have to check with his managers, and what about his tour schedule, and does she need original music, and um –

- and then Villanelle’s all “oh I couldn’t help but overhear… You know, Eve, I’m looking to get into TV”

- Eve goes, “you are?”

- well she is nOW

- nevermind she’s turned down a dozen offers over the last few years to focus on her film career

- but her film career is going great

- and none of it is as FUN as winding Eve up this last week has been, and this was only a shitty music video

- a TV shoot would be a few months, would give them both so much more time and space to see what’s the best (and worst) they can really bring out in each other 

- and Eve’s a bit lost

- because Villanelle is the It Girl du jour

- and Eve’s show hasn’t even been officially optioned but here’s all the free publicity she could want

- and she never bothered to consider it before but actually, Villanelle would be completely perfect for the lead

- perfect

- and now Eve’s thought about it it’s all coming together and she doesn’t want to let go of it again

- (and working with Villanelle some more wouldn’t suck, honestly, not completely)

- (might actually be – well)

- “are you for real?”

- “so for real,” and Villanelle’s drawling, eyebrow raised, almost smirking, but Eve can tell she’s serious

- oh this is so far above and beyond what Carolyn needed

- and that’s the start of it all

[the-final-sif]

Do you think it will ever be made "canon" that Bakugou was abused? Like an official plotline? When do you think Uraraka is gonna have an actual storyline? Do you have any ships other than todobakudeku (and the ships in that ship)? What's your opinion on Aizawa choking Monoma w/his scarf? Do you think Best Jeanist's behavior in the anime is any better than Mitsuki's? Opinions on female adult heroes hitting on teenage boys in the series? Or the ua girls being over sexualized?

I’m honestly not sure if it will every be seriously addressed in canon as abuse.

The initial scene with Mitsuki is played at least somewhat lightly/jokingly. All-Might does note that the family is dysfunctional, but it’s not treated like it’s a super serious issue that the teachers need to do something about.

However, we’ve had it happen a few times now, particularly with Katsuki, where something is played off as a joke only for canon to revisit it with a more serious tone. Almost as if get the reader to assume something is okay and then double back and be like ‘holy shit no this wasn’t.’.

I think the best example of this was the sports festival incident. When we see Katsuki on the podium, it’s played off super lightly. Oh haha, Katsuki’s so angry he had to be chained and muzzled to the podium. Then he’s upset about it and he brushes his teeth angrily. The readers aren’t meant to think something’s really wrong there.

Only, then we hit the kidnapping plotline and we go back to that incident with fresh eyes, and holy shit, they chained and muzzled a teenager to a podium in front of thousands of people. Now all of the sudden it’s not a joke anymore, Tomura has a photo of Katsuki chained to that podium which is really clearly shown to be why he thinks Katsuki will join the league of villains. We also see that the incident has warped the public’s perception of Katsuki to the point that a reporter, directly after this 16 year old child has been kidnapped by an extreme dangerous group of villains, feels comfortable asking his teachers if they think Katsuki will become a villain. Going so far as to call the again, child who is currently kidnapped, mentally unstable. At that point Aizawa apologizes and states what happened at the Sports Festival was his/the school’s fault. It’s taken very seriously even though it was originally played as a joke.

Since that initial scene with Mitsuki, we have gotten two hints about Katsuki’s home life. During Katsuki vs Izuku 2 he mirrors her words very closely when blaming himself for the kidnapping.

To quote from the official viz translation:

“We wouldn’t be in this mess if you hadn’t been so weak and gotten caught in the first place”

(Note the use of the word we, meaning she’s blaming him for more than just the kidnapping itself, she’s including the media disaster UA is facing. As if, it’s somehow his fault the school is being criticized for having a student kidnapped)

Then during Katsuki vs Izuku 2:

“If only I’d been stronger.. If I hadn’t been kidnapped by those stupid villains.. everything woulda been fine!”

Katsuki, a character who didn’t cry while he was actually kidnapped by villains or fuck even during/after the slime villain bullshit, has been driven to tears having emotional breakdown blaming himself for All-Might’s retirement. Using words that sound just like what we heard his mother say.

The second hint is the line from Katsuki in the remedial courses where he wants to fight the kids and doesn’t see an issue with it saying he was raised with violence. We’ve also seen his teacher acknowledging that they fucked up and didn’t watch his mental health after the kidnapping. We still haven’t exactly seen them doing shit to help him, but canon has acknowledged Katsuki has been failed by the adults in his life for the second time.

So, I’m not sure if canon is going to try and address this more seriously. It’s entirely possible given what we’ve seen so far. I do think it’s noteworthy that we’ve seen almost nothing about Katsuki’s personal life despite him being such a major character. We don’t see his dorm room, we don’t really see his bedroom, we don’t see him interacting with his family outside a grand total of 2 scenes (only actually seeing them in 1), and we’re missing a ton of info about him compared to the other main characters. I wouldn’t put it past the author to be purposefully hiding a lot of this so he can pull a more serious storyline regarding it later. Given the current push in Japan against child abuse (they finally made it illegal to hit kids at all, it’s a pretty serious issue right now since there was a string of kids who died from abuse), I would say it’d be quite clever to purposefully play those scenes like jokes, subtly drop hints to the readers that something’s up, and then after awhile hit the readers with a “actually, no, this had serious implications and impact for this character”. In a way it mirrors how a lot of emotional/more “mild” forms of child abuse can go unnoticed irl because people try to laugh it off. It’s also possible it will never get addressed. Who knows.

God I hope like hell we get more development for the female characters soon. On some level the bar is already so low I’m just happy Uraraka purposefully put her crush to the side to focus on being a hero, and that she’s working on improving her Murder Capacity. I’m definitely bothered by the amount of over-sexualization for basically all of the female characters. Actually Foraged By Nitroglycerin and Sparks will have a little after-fic one-shot addressing all my issues with that.

Actually, that kinda leads me into my stance on Midnight. Her hitting on teenage boys is gross af, but I think it’s symptomatic of cultural issues behind her character more than anything else. She’s the only female teacher at the school, so I understand why some people basically take her character and rewrite her to be, you know, not a pedophile. I think it’s really important that we acknowledge that what we see her doing (hitting on teenage boys) is not okay, but I’m not going to give people shit for liking her. Particularly the fanon version of her. 

I’m going to assume you meant Shinsou and not Monoma? Honestly, I wasn’t really bothered by that scene. For one, it’s directly called out out by the background characters of the scene (”That’s corporeal punishment, alert the PTA”). Shinsou’s got the artificial vocal cords on under the scarf guarding his neck, and he’s not spluttering or shaken afterwards. He doesn’t even seem upset by it or out of breath, he just looked surprised to me. I think it’s intended as Aizawa cutting him off when he’s putting himself down instead of Aizawa choking him. This is more of what I’d consider ‘slapstick anime jokes’ than anything else. It’s also important to remember, despite fanon, Aizawa is a mentor figure who taught Shinsou how to fight, and not Shinsou’s parent (yet). Different relationship, different boundaries, different general behavior to expect.

I actually haven’t seen the anime, but going off what I’ve seen from that scene, no I don’t think Jeanist is as bad as Mitsuki. For one, context is important. One of the reasons I take such issue with the scene with Mitsuki is Katsuki was just kidnapped. By villains. And held for 2 days. He’s in a very fragile place mentally, and he’s been through a highly traumatic experience. Beyond that, Katsuki wasn’t doing anything before Mitsuki hit him and started in on her lecture, he was just,,, sitting there,,, looking upset. He cannot/doesn’t fight back, and his childhood hero and teacher are in the room. Compared to his scene with Jeanist, Katsuki makes an aggressive first move before Jeanist restrains him. Jeanist is also a mentor figure, while Mitsuki is his parent (at least in canon). Which, again, are very different things.

Oh! And finally, ships!

Honest to god, I’m on board with almost any ship. I don’t tend to talk about a lot of the female characters because we just don’t have much (if any) development for them and I’m more attached to Katsuki rn, but Jirou is amazing.

I like Momojirou, Mina/Tsuyu, BakuKiri (honestly almost any ship w/Katsuki I’m down with), Miruyumi (I don’t care that they haven’t met, I’m gay and I want them to be gay too), Shigadabihawks, Miritama, Kamishin, Fumikage / Katsuki for Goth Solidarity, Camie / Toga as a more AU style one, tbh Toga / Uraraka and/or Tsuyu too, Vaguely Itsuka/Mei because I love unstoppable chaotic lesbian / unmoveable force lesbian. In even more AU of a setting I think Inko / Mitsuki is cute af and despite my distaste for her in canon, I adore AUs where Mitsuki is a bamf lesbian mom.

Platonic ships I really like are Katsuki and Ochaco where the two of them have a friendship built of their general desire to piss off the other. Ochaco doesn’t take any of Katsuki’s shit and actively goes out of her way to fuck with him in Chaotic Gremlin Fashion, and Katsuki returns the favor. I also really like platonic Bakukiri with them just being Good Damn Bros.  Platonic bakudeku with Adoptive Sibling Energy is Good Shit too. Jirou and Denki both being gay messes together is a Mood. Same for Jirou and Mina. Bakusquad in general.

Honestly though, I’m down for most relationships tbh.

[splendidlyimperfect]

Christmas Day is full of surprises and celebration.

Very late, but a continuation of my Home for the Holidays story for @ftmlmages​ (prompt: home) and @stingueweek​ (prompt: union) 

Chapters (2/2): 1 | 2 Rating: General Audiences Relationships: Rogue Cheney/Sting Eucliffe, Natsu Dragneel/Gray Fullbuster Characters: Sting Eucliffe, Rogue Cheney, Original Child Character(s), Gray Fullbuster, Natsu Dragneel, Weisslogia (Fairy Tail) Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Family Fluff, Family Feels, foster parenting, Adoption, Parent-Child Relationship, Adopted Children, Childhood Trauma, Language Delays, parenting, Fluff, Sting’s so excited to be a dad, him and Ryos are just super cute, Rogue is called Ryos as usual in this series don’t ask me why, Tumblr: FTLGBTales, Stingue Week, Christmas Series: Part 14 of the only hope for me is you, Part 1 of Home for the Holidays 2019

-----

Ryos woke up to the smell of coffee and the sound of Sting’s voice outside the bedroom door.

“C’mon, bumblebee,” Sting said quietly, and then the door creaked open, spilling soft light across the bed. “There you go, let’s go get Papa.”

Papa. Ryos swallowed down the sudden lump in his throat at the word and kept his eyes closed, pretending to still be asleep. There was a dip at the end of the bed, then little hands poking Ryos’ face.

“Good morning, sweetheart,” Ryos said, cracking open one eye and peeking up at Noah. His curls were wild and sticking out in every direction, and he already had a smear of raspberry jam on one cheek. “Looks like you had breakfast without me, hey?”

Noah didn’t say anything, just gave Ryos a shy smile and tugged at the sleeve of his shirt. Sting sat down next to Ryos on the bed, kissing Ryos’ cheek as he pushed himself up and gratefully accepted the coffee Sting handed him.

“We would have let you sleep in later,” Sting said apologetically as Ryos yawned. “Noah saw the stockings, though.”

Noah pointed to his own sock and then back to the bedroom door, and Ryos smiled fondly at him. “Well, we’d better go see what’s in them then, hey?”

Continue reading on AO3

Noah wriggled back toward the edge of the bed, looking down at the floor and then gesturing at Sting to pick him up.

“Up?” Sting asked as he stood up and reached out for Noah. “How ‘bout you try walking again? Show Papa how we got here?” He lifted Noah up and set him down on the floor, carefully letting go of one of his hands. Noah looked up at Sting with wide eyes, then grinned and let go, stumbling unsteadily out into the hallway.

“He didn’t take long to get the hang of that,” Ryos commented, standing up and wrapping an arm around Sting’s waist. “Your mom’s going to be thrilled – you’ll have to text her to put away all the breakable stuff.”

Sting wiped at his face and Ryos laughed gently, leaning in and kissing his cheek. “Sorry,” Sting mumbled. “’m gonna be a mess all day.”

“Don’t be sorry,” Ryos murmured, kissing Sting’s cheek. “You know Natsu’s gonna cry, too.”

Noah was more interested in the stocking itself than what was inside it – some candy and a new book, as well as a squishy octopus plush. He spent the rest of the morning taking out the toys and putting them back into the stocking, then giggling when Sting and Ryos pretended not to know where they’d went.

Eventually, after a nap and a few too many Christmas candies, they ended up at Sting’s parents’ house. Gray and Natsu’s car was already in the driveway when they arrived and Noah lit up when he saw it, pressing his hands against the car window.

“Hey, monster!” Natsu said as Sting wrestled Noah out of his car seat, then carried him to the front door. Natsu leaned the shovel he’d been using against the wall and reached out for Noah, who giggled and wrapped his arms around Natsu’s neck.

“How was the morning?” Natsu asked as he shifted Noah onto his hip. The question was directed at Sting as Natsu pulled him into a one-armed hug.

“Not as messy as we were expecting,” Ryos said as he hugged Natsu as well.

Noah tugged at the collar of Natsu’s jacket and pointed down at the snow that he’d shoveled into a pile by the front walk. Magnolia didn’t usually get much, even in December, but it had snowed just enough overnight to dust everything with a festive white glow.

“Snow angels?” Natsu asked, grinning and setting Noah down on the snow pile. Noah laughed and flopped onto his back, spreading his arms out and kicking his feet. “That’s more of a snow monster than an angel,” Natsu laughed, plopping down next to Noah. “Appropriate for you, though.”

“Too!” Noah exclaimed, tugging on Natsu’s sleeve until he flopped back into the snow and spread his arms out. Noah laughed, sitting up and grabbing a handful of snow to drop on Natsu’s chest.

“Uncle Gray!” Natsu cried, trying to keep in laughter, “Help! I’m being attacked by the snow monster!”

“I dunno,” Gray teased, coming around the corner from the back yard and crossing his arms over his chest. “I think I should probably let him eat you.” Noah grinned at Gray and grabbed another handful of snow, this time putting it in Natsu’s hair.

Sting’s hand found its way into Ryos’ and squeezed tightly, and when Ryos looked over, he could tell that Sting was trying his best not to cry. “He’s so happy,” Sting said softly.

“I am, too,” Ryos murmured, kissing Sting’s cheek.

“Up?” Ryos turned back to see Noah pointing at Gray, but when Natsu reached over to help him, Ryos shook his head.

“Let him do it,” he said. “Go on, Noah. Go see Uncle Gray.”

Noah looked at Natsu, then back at Gray, then slowly pushed himself to his feet and wobbled for a second before grinning and toddling across the lawn toward Gray. Gray crouched down and caught him as he stumbled over the snow, and he wrapped his arms around Gray’s neck.

“Told you Natsu would cry,” Ryos teased as Natsu sat up and rubbed at his face.

“Shut up,” Natsu grumbled, standing up and brushing the snow off his pants. “When did he start walking?”

“Last night,” Ryos said. “We would have called you, but Sting thought it would be a nice surprise.”

“Daddy!” Noah shouted as he let go of Gray and turned back to Sting and Ryos. He tugged on Gray’s mitten, pointing at Sting and repeating, “Daddy.”

“You’re just full of surprises today, little man,” Natsu said, and Ryos could see the look of adoration on his face when Noah let go of Gray and walked back over to him. Natsu scooped Noah up into his arms and kissed his forehead, grinning when Noah rubbed their noses together.

“C’mon,” Ryos said, tugging on Sting’s hand. “Let’s go see your parents.”

 ~

Dinner was chaotic. Lillian, Sting’s mom, cooked enough food for twice as many people, and by the time the meal was over, Noah was a mess of cranberry sauce and mashed potatoes. Natsu offered to give him a bath, and Ryos and Wes headed downstairs to set up the crib while Gray and Sting helped Lillian with the dishes.

Sting listened to the two of them chat about Lillian’s planned renovations for the kitchen as he dried the dishes. The room was filled with a warm glow from the Christmas tree in the living room, and the remnants of everyone’s stockings were strewn across the couch. The activity board that Natsu and Gray had made for Noah leaned against one of the walls, while the rest of his toys from Wes and Lillian were pushed to the corner of the room.

Sting didn’t realize he was crying until Gray took his hand.

“What’s wrong?” Gray asked.

Sting shook his head, wiping at his face and squeezing Gray’s hand. “It’s fine—I’m not… it’s okay. We just…” He took a deep breath, looking over Gray’s shoulder at the picture above the fireplace. It was of him and Ryos, both of them gazing adoringly at Noah, who was looking seriously at the camera.

“Hey, love.” Ryos appeared at the entrance to the kitchen, with Natsu and Wes not far behind them. “He’s asleep.”

“What’s going on?” Wes asked, frowning. Natsu grinned at Sting from behind Ryos – he and Gray already knew, but Sting had wanted to wait for Christmas to tell his parents.

“We got a date for the hearing,” Sting said, looking over at his mom. “End of March. Kylie signed the paperwork.”

“You mean—”

“We’re adopting Noah,” Ryos said, reaching out and taking Sting’s other hand.

“Oh, sweetheart,” Lillian said, pulling Sting into a tight hug and pressing a kiss to his cheek. Sting could feel her trying to hold in her tears and he laughed wetly, hugging her back. “I can’t believe my baby is a dad.”

“We’re so proud of you,” Wes said, wrapping an arm around Ryos and pulling Sting into the embrace. He motioned for Natsu to join them and for a moment they all held each other in the kitchen, laughing and sharing in the joy.

Sting closed his eyes, breathing shakily as relief flowed through him. Kylie, Noah’s birth mother, had originally intended to reunite with him, but two weeks ago she had informed the social worker that she was willing to sign the paperwork that let Sting and Ryos become Noah’s legal parents instead. They were keeping the adoption open with her – tentatively, if she could get clean and be a safe person in his life – but now the little boy they’d been taking care of for nearly a year now was going to be theirs. Forever.

“I’m going to be a grandma,” Lillian said, wiping at her face as tears streamed down her cheeks.

“You were already a grandma,” Ryos said gently. “You’re all already his family – you have been since we first brought him home. This just makes it official.”

“Well, I think we have another bottle of champagne in the freezer,” Wes said, finally pulling away from the group hug. Sting nearly started crying again at the sight of tears in his father’s eyes, too. “I think we need to celebrate.”

As everyone crowded out of the kitchen and back to the living room to find the champagne glasses, Ryos grabbed Sting’s hands and pulled him close. “You okay?” he asked gently.

“Yeah,” Sting said, laughing through his tears. “Yeah, I am.” He pulled Ryos into a soft kiss, sweet and gentle and full of the promise of new things. “I love you,” he whispered. “Merry Christmas.”

[phoneboothproductions-blog]

‘Put a Saddle on Your Universe’: One Guy’s Uneducated Thoughts on Purpose vs. Choice in ‘Rick and Morty’

SPOILERS AHEAD FOR RICK AND MORTY S3E9 “THE ABC’S OF BETH”

I want to talk about season 3 episode 9 of the insanely successful sci-fi comedy series Rick and Morty. In the episode, entitled “The ABC’s of Beth”, Rick’s daughter Beth finds out that Froopy Land, which she originally thought to be her imaginary childhood fantasy land, was actually a real place constructed by her genius scientist father to keep her occupied. This discovery comes with a number of realizations, some involving cross-breeding and cannibalism (Do you really expect any less from this show at this point?); but the biggest bombshell comes when Beth learns that Rick created this imaginary realm not to avoid parenting responsibilities, but because Beth was, in his words, “a scary fucking kid”, and he felt that she would have been a danger to “every less-than-polite little boy or gullible animal that might cross [her] ‘socio’ path”. Beth is resistant at first, but soon the aforementioned cross-breeding/cannibalistic plotline pans out in such a way to convince her that Rick is absolutely right: she’s as cold and indifferent as her father. This realization leads us to this scene: 

This clip has been driving me nuts since this episode aired. In a conversation less than two minutes long, this show manages to both present and address, in a satisfying manner, a pretty big question when it comes to existence: if you were presented the choice to either stay in your current life, or go out into the world and live an entirely different one consequence-free, what would you do? What makes this idea and this entire episode great is that it’s a question with no answer. Rick doesn’t tell Beth what to do. He gives her advice based on his experience. He makes it clear that whether she chooses to be replaced by a clone, or stay with the family, both options are logical and understandable. It’s her choice. As Rick says, “...no matter what you choose, you’re finally gonna chill the fuck out.” At the end of the episode, we don’t know what she chose. And I think that’s the point.

(Granted, this could ALL be undone in the season finale on Sunday, but as of this writing, the answer has not been revealed.)

Now, a disclaimer before we go any further. My professional experience with philosophy does not extend past two introductory courses in college, and honestly my Rick and Morty experience isn’t much better. I tend to be resistant to pop culture phenomenons due to some misplaced sense of hipster-like superiority, and because of that I was really only brought on board just barely in time to be caught up for Season 3. Much like Rick, I’m an asshole, but I’m not oblivious to my shortcomings. So if something in here doesn’t add up or misses some greater point, just chalk it up to my idiocy. These are just the rambling thoughts of an overthinking fan.

The show, and specifically the character of Rick Sanchez, seems to be built pretty heavily on the idea of nihilism; that is, the belief that life and the universe are completely devoid of objective meaning. This is illustrated and even explicitly stated in several episodes. For example, in the episode “Close Rick-counters of the Rick Kind” from season 1, Morty, presented with the knowledge of infinite Ricks and Mortys from infinite universes, questions whether that devalues his relationship to Rick or elevates it since it’s strong enough to sustain itself over so many different realities. Rick’s response is to quickly debunk Morty’s theories by revealing that Ricks needs Mortys to camouflage their intelligent brainwaves, thus ridding the duo’s relationship of any meaning. Morty subsequently becomes upset about this loss of meaning, only for Rick to point out that it’s Morty’s choice to take it personally. 

This could very easily be seen as a metaphor for the universe itself under the guise of nihilism. We may see something in the world that seems to have inherent meaning, such as the intricacies of nature or the idea of love, but in the end, it can all be explained away logically, and stripped of its meaning. Indeed, nature’s complexity, as well as the reason we feel love, can be dismissed as accidental results of evolution; ways for the planet and humans to adapt and survive. If you take this way of thinking far enough, you can rob anything of its supposed meaning until you’re left with a vast, meaningless void that is our universe. For much of the series, we’re led to believe that this is where Rick parks his outlook on life. He recognizes the utter pointlessness of trying to have a meaningful life, so he does the opposite, constantly trying to indulge in as much pleasure as possible. The only time meaning enters the equation is with the inclusion of Morty.

In the example I mentioned before, Morty ultimately decides to assign his own meaning to his and Rick’s relationship, and tries to demand that Rick does the same. Rick does finally give in, and tells Morty that since he’s “the Rickest Rick”, it would make sense that he has “the Mortyest Morty”. This is an answer which he very clearly doesn’t give a lot of thought to, and seems to be given solely to quell the upset Morty who won’t shut up. This is characteristic of much of the series; Rick only allowing meaning to exist in his life when forced into it by someone else, usually Morty, but also at times Summer and Jerry. The one character who’s been largely absent from these deeper moments, and who up until now has barely been involved in Rick’s adventures...is Beth.

Beth, in a weird way, has become one of the show’s most intriguing characters to me. The daughter of a super-intelligent mad scientist forced into an unhappy marriage due to a pregnancy, who then has her mad scientist father reenter her life several years later. It really feels like there should be more to Beth than this largely typical suburban mom with which we’ve been presented until now. Thus, “The ABC’s of Beth” was a very welcome episode to me. I wanted to see what happened when Beth dove headfirst into her father’s world. Is she just as intelligent as her old man? What was her childhood like with Rick as a father? How does someone with that background end up in such an ordinary vanilla family life? Well, luckily, this episode shed some much-needed light on Beth’s backstory, elevating her from a character I really wasn’t that invested in, to perhaps one of the show’s best.

Beth laments in several episodes about being robbed of her choice when Jerry got her pregnant with Summer. The life she’s lived since then has not been of her own choosing whatsoever, but rather out of necessity to provide for her children. This is demonstrated in the episode “Rixty Minutes”, where she gets to see an alternate reality where she never had Summer or Morty, and she’s living out her perfect life. In the end, however, she realizes that, even in this ideal world, she still ends up falling in love with Jerry. This episode hints at the idea that, given the choice between perfection and her current reality, she might just choose the latter. Of course, a lot has happened since that season 1 episode, including a pretty cold and heartless divorce from Jerry, so it weirdly makes sense to bring up this question again, and “The ABC’s of Beth” does so rather explicitly.

Which brings us back to the clip I presented at the top of the article. Beth had to realize and accept who she was: a sociopath too smart to care about purpose, just like her father. Rick is quick to point out that, “When you know nothing matters, the universe is yours”. Once again, Beth is offered a choice; a glimpse into what life could be like without having to be tied down by “the kids, Jerry, [her] job, and...ABC’s The Bachelor”. The difference here, as Rick says, is that she now realizes that she’s too smart to believe in a higher purpose. Or as Beth herself says rather bluntly, “I’m all out of excuses to not be who I am.” 

This is where existential, or optimistic, nihilism comes in, which follows the backbone of nihilism; that there is no objective meaning in the universe, but puts an optimistic spin on it by pointing out that because the universe has no meaning, it’s up to the individual to apply their own meaning. In other words, if you accept the pointlessness and chaotic absurdity of reality, it gives you the ultimate excuse to live life however you want to, knowing you are fully in control. This is the “gift shark”, so to speak, that Rick presents to Beth. She can agree to be cloned, go out and fulfill her dreams, and come back when she feels like it, and that’s perfectly okay because it’s her choice. Or, she can stay with the family and change nothing about her life, and that is also perfectly okay for the same reason. It is Beth’s decision alone. Nobody, not even Rick, has any business telling her what she should choose. She is, in essence, putting “a saddle on [her] universe”. 

Thus, the moral of the episode, as I understand it, is that whatever you do in life, make sure it’s your choice, because the only person capable of creating meaning in your life is you. If you want to go out, work your ass off, and carve out a life of wealth and power, you should go do that. But I really appreciate that the episode throws in the other side of that coin, which so much pop culture fails to represent; the idea that it’s equally okay to “stay, and luxuriate in a life you finally know you’ve chosen”. Society will always want you to go with the status quo and achieve some universally agreed upon benchmark for “success”. If that path is something that resonates with you, go for it. But for everybody else who feels hollow and empty following such a common way of life, you should be allowed to create your own definitions of success and meaning. We don’t know what Beth ultimately chose, and that’s okay. Her decision is hers, and your decision is yours.

But, hey, as I said, the next episode could make everything I just wrote here completely irrelevant. This series is absolutely unpredictable from episode to episode, but that’s just part of the insane, chaotic joy that Rick and Morty brings to the table, and I’m okay with that.

Thanks for reading! :)

[hannahindie]

Not What She Seems-Chapter 4: The One Where Dean Is Taken By Surprise

**Disclaimer: Supernatural is owned by the CW and whoever else is involved and not me. Ava and Sebastian are mine, though, so if they'd like to maybe use them, it wouldn't make me sad. Again, this is rated M for language, violence, and sexual situations. There will be mention of sexual assault, although not super detailed, so if that's something that will upset you, you may want to skip over it. There will also be consensual situations that will be slightly more detailed (who are we kidding, there's gonna be some smut), so keep that in mind too.  This is my first fan fic, so I hope I’ve done the characters justice. This isn’t quite canon, as there some things that are mentioned in the original timeline and some things that aren’t. Let me know what you think, and I hope you stick around to see what happens to the boys and Ava. :) **

Chapter Notes: Sam and Dean find Benjamin’s house and Dean finds an unexpected surprise. The brothers realize they aren’t just looking for a killer, but another victim as well. Sebastian tries to make Ava feel at home, and starts to open up to her. Ava makes a mistake that could be fatal.

Dean x OC   Sam x OC (friendship)

"So explain this to me again." Dean put the car in park across the street from Benjamin's house. Sam sighed.

"You've hunted vetala before, Dean, it's not anything new." Dean shrugged.

"Sure doesn't seem normal. So explain again why you think that's what it is. Because right now all I'm seeing is some freaky asshat with jacked up teeth making a buffet out of people." Sam flipped open the top folder on his lap and shuffled through the pictures. He found the one he wanted and handed it to Dean.

"Look." Dean grabbed it roughly from him and stared at it. He had to admit, the bite marks looked slightly off compared to vamp teeth. He thought back to the last time they had faced a pair of vetala. He shook his head.

"Even if that's what the teeth look like, and just shut your hole because I haven't agreed with you yet, even if that's what it looks like, everything else is wrong." He handed the photo back to Sam. "They hunt in pairs, Sammy. They feed on blood and drop the bodies. They don't keep them for months and they certainly don't torture them."

"Dad hunted a lone vetala," Sam said, trying not to sound pouty but failing. Dean scoffed.

"Yea, but that was before you even went to Stanford. Seeing vetalas in pairs is rare enough. We've seen 'em, what, like twice? Never mind seeing one hunting alone. They work better in pairs. And the ones we've seen have been female anyway." Dean paused. "Which honestly that's a little weird, but by no means does that prove anything. If anything, it proves my point."

"What about the blood? The coroner said they had been pretty low on blood..." Dean rolled his eyes.

"After the torture they went through, I'm surprised they had any blood left."

"Let's just go inside and see if we can find anything, okay?"

"Fine. But I'm telling you right now, if we don't find anything, we are leaving." Dean climbed out of the car and headed towards the house.

"Fine." Dean kept watch as Sam carefully cut the crime scene tape that sealed the door and picked the lock. The door swung open quietly and the younger Winchester slid inside. From the foyer, everything seemed normal. There was a coat rack in the corner, framed artwork on the walls. Most of them appeared to be original pieces. Dean raised an eyebrow and whistled.

"That's an original sketch from the Walking Dead comic." Sam looked at him, somewhat dumbfounded.

"What?" Dean pointed.

"Walking Dead. Bicycle zombie girl. That's an original, it's signed." Sam continued to stare at him.

"How in the hell did you know that, Dean?" His brother shrugged.

"I have a particular set of skills." Sam opened his mouth to tell Dean just what kind of skills he had when Dean pointed over his shoulder. Sam turned to follow his brother's gaze and his eyes landed on a bloody smear on the door frame. "Guess we know where the party started, huh?" They walked into the kitchen and Dean stopped abruptly, causing Sam to nearly plow him over.

"Dude, what-" Sam's words trailed off. The kitchen was covered in blood. At first glance, it looked like the walls were painted a rust red, until you looked closer and realized you could still see the original light blue paint. The island in the middle of the kitchen was obviously where they had spent the most time, although there was a blood splattered chair kicked over at the other end of the kitchen.

"Holy shit." Sam just nodded in agreement, his words failing him. They'd seen some bloody scenes, but this one was different somehow. All the knives that had been left at the scene had been collected as evidence, but you could still see their outlines on the counter and in the sink. "We have seen some screwed up shit, but this is a bit much." Sam grimaced.

"Just think, he was alive for most of this. Why fight that hard? There had to be something keeping him from giving up." Dean's eyes widened.

"Not something. Someone." He passed through the kitchen, ignoring how his feet stuck to the blood on the floor, and made his way into the living room. He saw a couple of framed photos on the mantle. "See, Sammy, I told you. It's always someone-" he trailed off as he picked up one of the pictures. The guy from the morgue had taken the photo, his arms stretched out in order to get both people in the frame. It was the girl that had stopped him in his tracks, her reckless smile and smattering of freckles across her nose that had knocked the air from his lungs. Her long blonde hair blew in the wind, and her eyes were squeezed shut as she laughed, probably at something Ben had said. Dean knew because he had a similar picture of his own, one Sam didn't even know about, one he'd kept his own little secret. A moment of happiness so rare in their world that he didn't want to share it with anyone else. The girl in the picture looked shockingly like his own moment of happiness, so much so that when Sam caught up to him and asked him what was wrong, he said only one word. "Jo." Sam's eyebrows knitted together in confusion.

"What?" He looked over Dean's shoulder. "Oh wow, she does look like Jo." He picked up the second frame and studied it for a moment. "Man, they could be sisters. That's almost unsettling." Dean remained silent, still staring at the photo in his hand. Sam looked back at his brother and was surprised by how pale Dean had become, and noticed he was gripping the frame so tightly that his knuckles were white. "Dean," he said softly, "what's wrong?" Dean blinked slowly, cleared his throat, and sat the picture back on the mantle.

"Nothin', Sam. I'm fine." Just like that, the moment was over. "Let's look around, see what else we can find. Did the police mention a second person that was missing or any suspects at all?" Sam shook his head.

"No, not a word. Maybe they thought she was involved, although that seems highly unlikely." Sam moved over to the coffee table and picked up a magazine. "Ava Walker. Hmm..." He flipped it back over and looked at it. "She's into abandoned places." Dean grunted.

"I don't see why anyone would be. Places like that get you killed."

"Yea, Dean, but not everyone knows that the thing that goes bump in the night is actually real." He tossed the magazine down and walked towards the bathroom. He flipped the light on. It looked like what you'd expect a bathroom that was shared by a couple to look like, except for the splash of blood in the tub. "This guy was busy."

"Sam, I think busy might be an understatement." Dean and Sam met back in the hallway. "Ready to go up?" Sam nodded and quietly followed his brother upstairs. The first room they came to appeared to be the master bedroom. Dean nudged the door. There was blood spattered around the room but it looked more like it was left while someone was looking for something. There were two desks in the room. One was neat and orderly, obviously someone's work station. It was sharp edges and metal and glass. The other desk was old, smooth wood, rounded where it used to be sharp from years of use. Although most of the surface was covered with bits of fabric, thread, and magnets with needles, it seemed organized, like the person had gone to great lengths to tame their chaos. Above the desk was a cork board full of notes and patterns, lists of supplies, and old receipts. Dean began going through the drawers, each its own little chaotic world, until he found a sketchbook. He flipped through it. It ranged from quick sketches and patterns to detailed portraits. The whole book had been filled, but it wasn't until near the very end that something caught his eye. He quit thumbing the pages and stared. The drawing in front of him was stunning. It was a devil's trap, thrown into a mosaic. Colors pulsed around the devil's trap, incantations that Sam probably had memorized written in beautiful, swirling handwriting. It was the last drawing in the book. "Sam..." he handed the book over. Sam ran his hand over the incantations before looking back at Dean.

"Who the hell is this girl, man?" Dean ignored the question as he wandered over to another board with more pictures. All the pictures were of Ava, Ben, or the two of them together. There weren't any friends or family pictured in any of them. She looked so much like Jo, even at different angles. He heard Sam dialing someone.

"Garth? Hey, man, it's Sam...yea, I'm good. You got a minute? Great...can you look up someone for me? Yea, we've got another missing person...yea, her name is Ava Walker...mmhmm...I know, we found some weird stuff and she's not here...I don't think she's the thing we're looking for though. I don't know man...can you ask around, see if anyone recognizes her or her name? Yea, thanks, we'll let you know." He hung up. Dean was still staring at the pictures. "Garth is going to check around." No answer. "Earth to Dean...hey!" Dean looked at him, realization crossing his features.

"No one knows she's missing, Sam. No one even realizes she's gone, there's not one person looking for her." Sam glanced at the pictures and then back to Dean.

"We know she's missing. We'll find her." Dean's mouth set into a thin, determined line.

"I'm catching the son of a bitch that is doing this, human or not." He stormed out of the house and Sam followed, glad that he was finally on board but confused as to what had changed his mind.

Ava was trying to think of what day it was and how long she'd been captive. The curtains made it impossible to tell the time of day, and since she had been unconscious initially, she had no point of reference. She heard the door sweep open and Sebastian entered the room, smiling and carrying several bags.

"I didn't know what you worked with best, so I just got a little of everything." He sat the bags on the table by the window and walked over to the bed. "Now, I'm going to let you free for a moment. Before you get any ideas, you'll be restrained at the table too, but just your ankles. One step at a time, you see. Can I trust you, pet?" She nodded slowly. She was pretty sure she was too weak to fight back anyway, but wanted to test just how weak she'd gotten since being chained up. Sebastian unlocked her cuffs and gently picked her up. "See? Not so bad." He placed her carefully in the chair and latched both ankles back into shackles. She sat with her hands crossed on her lap, afraid to move. He tilted his head. "Well go ahead, you can go through it." She slowly began pulling out the art supplies and organizing them.

"This is all very nice, thank you." Sebastian beamed.

"Of course! Did I forget anything?"

"I don't believe so. What exactly did you want me to do?" He shrugged.

"The only rule is that you draw me first. I want to see how you see me." Ava looked at Sebastian out of the corner of her eye as she grabbed a pencil to start and the sketchbook.

"Why does it matter how I see you?" Sebastian sat across from her and rested his chin in his hand.

"Oh, it's really important. I like to know how people feel, what makes them tick. Some ways are more efficient than others. I can't read you though. It's...frustrating." She smirked.

"Frustrating, huh?" She glanced up at Sebastian and wanted nothing more than to stab the pencil she was holding into his empty, black eye. Instead she started sketching the outline of his face, falling into a rhythm as she progressed.

"Where did you learn to do this?" She shrugged.

"Practice. I had a lot of time to myself growing up, so I taught myself. The library is a magnificent thing."

"So I'm assuming you did well in school?" She chuckled.

"Yea, sure. When I went. Doesn't matter much anyway, does it?"

"Sure. Beauty is wonderful, but intelligence is a part of beauty. I've always been intrigued by people, and the things they share with me...I learn a lot."

"Hmm...well, I hope I don't disappoint."

"Oh, so far you've been a true surprise. Far more than my previous guests, anyway." She began adding details to the outline.

"You've had other guests?"

"Sure, I've had several. They...didn't work out. We tried, of course. I'm not one to give up, but the girls were...lacking. Seemed like a waste, but what are you going to do?"

"What did you do with them?" When he didn't answer, she looked up and found him staring at her. She decided to toe the line. "If I have to answer questions, you do too." He switched his chin from one hand to the other and tilted his head.

"Is that so?" She nodded. "I'm not so sure my answer would be conducive to continuing this lovely conversation." Ava shrugged again, but remained silent, sketching out the details around his eyes and mouth. “I killed them." She paused briefly, which he may have noticed, but continued without remark. "You probably want to know why. Truthfully, I don't know. I got bored. They weren't strong enough, and they whined, and my patience ran thin. I need someone strong, you see. Someone bright and beautiful, someone intelligent. I miscalculated the last five. It's amazing what a little stress can do to change a person." Ava's eyes widened slightly at the number, but she kept drawing. While Sebastian was talking, she had noticed a slight glint just under the nightstand. She was pretty sure it was a piece of glass from the tantrum he had thrown earlier. So she kept drawing, willing him to leave the room. She put the pencil down and looked at her work. Something was missing. "Are you done?"

"No, not quite." She pulled out a brush and some paint. "So exactly what is your plan?" Sebastian leaned back in his chair.

"Do you know what Nephilim are?" She shook her head.

"Not really. I read something about them a long time ago, but I wasn't really into the church scene." Sebastian smiled.

"Me neither, really. Short version, the sons of God mingled with the daughters of man and the daughters gave birth to the Nephilim. The offspring from an angel and a human are stronger than both. They are considered abominations by most, but I find the concept beautiful. It's a nice thought, right?"

"Sure, I guess. I've not about it much, but it's an interesting concept. So you are religious then? What's that got to do with me?' She laid her brush down.

"No, not really. And it has more to do with you than anything else that I've told you." He flipped the drawing around to face him. She had captured both his coldness and good looks to a T. The entire drawing was in black and white except for the eyes. They were a bright blue, with coal black, narrow pupils. He stared at it for a moment, then slowly looked up at her. "This is how you see me?"

"Yes. Is it wrong?" He looked at her, dark eyes intense. She'd begun to think she had pushed her luck too far.

"No, it's not." He clapped his hands together. "How about we try food again, shall we? Do you like sandwiches? I've got peanut butter and jelly, ham and cheese...pick your poison.

"Peanut butter and jelly would be fine, thank you." Sebastian smiled.

"Fantastic. I'll be right back!" He left the room and she waited until the door shut before she scrambled across the floor towards the nightstand. Her fingers grazed the cool glass and her heart jumped. After what felt like several long minutes, she managed to get her fingers around it.

"Should have used shorter chains, asshole," she muttered. She began sawing at the leather with the shard, grimacing as every move cut deeper into her hand. "Come on, come on..." The cuff finally pulled free and a sob escaped her. She started working on the second one, but the glass was slick with her blood and she couldn't get a grip. "No, no, no...please, just a little more..." She dropped the glass and it broke. "No! Dammit!" She picked up the bigger of the two pieces and kept cutting. Her blood was dripping everywhere and between the sweat dripping off her brow and tears, she could barely see what she was doing. Before she could get the second cuff off, the door swung open.

"What are you doing?" Sebastian bellowed as he threw the tray and rushed her. There was nothing she could say, no lie she could tell. So she just looked at him in silence, the next few moments as if they were in slow motion. He finally reached her, grabbed her by the throat, and threw her so hard at the wall that it tore the remaining leather cuff where she had been sawing at it. "How...dare...you? After everything I've done for you!" He kicked her in the ribs as hard as he could, and felt at least one of them crack. "I'm giving you life and this is how you repay me." He kicked her again, then grabbed her by the hair and drug her back to the bed. He threw her down and the last thing she remembered was his fist coming down towards her face, and then the world went black.

@wheresthekillswitch @sassyspn67 @trexrambling

Chapter 5: The One With The Chick Flick Moment

[dracolord1208]

New Recruits

Dracolord1208

AO3

Day 6 Wash the Rat

Summary:

Overwatch is deployed to act as reinforcements for new recruits that engaged in combat with omnics. Symmetra was deployed with the strike team to help. Looking forward to meeting new Overwatch members, Symmetra finds herself on a rollercoaster of emotions as she finally meets them as her expectations are shattered.

Symmetra jumped out of bed as the emergency alarm began to ring through the base. Quickly getting dressed Symmetra ran out of her room to the station’s meeting room, looking around she saw that Winston was quickly typing away at his computer. McCree, Mercy, Pharah and Reinhardt were already waiting for the debriefing while Tracer, Mei, and Genji were still missing.

“Okay. We will have to start the meeting now time is of the essence.” Rustling some papers around Winston began to display videos on the screen. “I have been in contract with two new recruits. The two of them have been traveling here in hopes of joining the team however on their way here they were meet with omnic opposition, and they require our assistance.”

“Where are they that they’re fighting omnics?” McCree asked.

“Melbourne.”

“Australia?”

“Yes. It would seem that a feral pack of omnics was attempted a raid on the city when our potential recruits began a shootout with them. We will be wheels up in 10; it will take us over an hour to reach them so be ready.”

Loading into the plane the group began to ready their weapons for the journey.

Being the newest member of Overwatch the prospect of new members was a relief to Symmetra. As it stood everyone that was currently in Overwatch just seemed to have so much history with each other. Currently, she was the only “new” member because everyone was in Overwatch before it was disbanded. This made it even harder for Satya to make friends, sure everyone was friendly none of them were her friend yet.

“So who exactly are we going to help?” Symmetra decided to attempt to start a conversation with Mercy who was seating next to her.

“From their medical files, I know their names are Jamison Fawkes and Mako Rutledge. Other than that I cannot share any of their information due to doctor-patient confidentiality.”

“Why do you have their medical files?”

“Well, we don’t exactly want to recruit unfit heroes now do we?”

“I suppose you are correct.”

“Loves we are going to be landing in 5 min. Be ready for a fight there seem to be a heavy amount explosions coming from the battle zone.”

“Winston. What exactly do the recruits look like?”

“Can’t miss them they are causing the explosions.”

As the drop ship landed, the group began to aid in the combat, Pharah and Genji set off to get an understanding of the battle while Reinhardt leads into the fight with McCree and Symmetra trailing him. Mercy had Tracer assist her in making a quick medical tent to help the civilians.

Heading towards the sound of explosions seemed to be the fastest strategy to finding the recruits. As the Reinhardt lead the group Symmetra set off making sentry turrets. As she got further from the team, she heard a call from above and was quickly tackled to the ground.

“Behind you!”

As the two fell to the floor, a burst of rounds went over them. Symmetra realized that had she still been standing where she was a moment ago she would have taken severe damage.

“Holy dooley...” The man quickly got up and began firing what looked like a grenade launcher at the source of the bullets. “Back to the scrap heap!” After dispatching the threat, the man turned to observe Symmetra.

“’Ello beautiful. What’s a beautiful one like you doing in the middle of a war zone? Don’t tell me you come here often I don’t think this building is staying up a lot longer.” The man held his hand out to help her up. Looking over the man above her Symmetra saw that his hands were filthy. They were covered in grease, soot, dirt, and blood. She also noticed that his nails were painted black for some reason. He was clad in a pair of shorts that seemed to be more patches than original fabric and no shirt.

“Thank you,” Symmetra said as she began to stand up on her own, letting the man’s hand just hanging there. “And no I do not come here often I am here with Overwatch.”

“Overwatch! Just the folks I was hoping to see.”

Symmetra was caught completely off guard when the man pulled her into a giant hug lifting her off the floor and spinning her around.

“Let me go. Let me go. Let me go.” Symmetra began yelling at him faster and faster until he dropped her, making the distance between him, Symmetra quickly crossed the room as she began to readjust. “Don’t just touch me.”

“Sorry Shelia. Was just glad to see yah? Hope no hard feelings.”

Breathing deeply she asked. “What’s your name?”

“Junkrat, and you?”

“Symmetra.” Turning away from Junkrat she called into Winston. “Hello. I have a “Junkrat?” here. He says that he was waiting for us to arrive this one of the recruits?”

“Yes, the recruit’s aliases are Junkrat and Roadhog.”

Pharah then chimed into the conversation. “It seems that the worst is over and there are only just some stragglers left.”

“Thank you. Everyone let’s begin to regroup and try to get as many civilians to Mercy as possible. Symmetra if you could stay with Junkrat and Roadhog and bring them to base camp that would be best.”

Balling her fist Symmetra turned to the Junker. “Do you know where Roadhog is? We need to regroup with Overwatch.”

“Oh, old pig face is around here somewhere. He ain't exactly the best at hiding.”

The two carefully began to go through the city in search of Roadhog. While at first Junkrat was all right with searching for Roadhog in silence he eventually decided that he want to know more about her.

“So you work for Overwatch? What’s it like?”

“It seems to be a good place.”

“Seems? Sounds like you don’t know?”

“Well I am new, and I haven’t been on many missions yet.”

“That’s fair. How’s that gun work? Looks mighty fancy.”

“This is my Photon Projector it uses hard light energy cells to damage the enemy.”

“Hard light?”

“Yes, I use hard light to create objects that assist me.”

“Can I see?”

“Okay. This is a sentry turret it can notify me when someone is in its proximity, and I begins to attack the intruder as well.” Placing the turret on the wall Junkrat was completely enthralled by the turret.

Reaching out to touch it Junkrat couldn’t believe it. “It’s real! How? You just made something out of nothing that is totally amazing.”

As Symmetra was basking in the comment, a shadow loomed over her. Turning to the mass behind her Symmetra was filled with despair. A wall of flesh and pure intimidation stood before her. Standing almost over two feet above he was a large man in a pig-shaped gas mask. In one hand he had a giant hook while the other held a gun that seemed to be the size of her head.

“Oi hog your back.”

Not turning to Junkrat, Roadhog let out a “Yeah. Who’s this?”

“This is Symmetra,” Junkrat replied as he motioned towards her like she was a trophy. “She is with Overwatch; she’s gonna get us out of here.”

“Hello. This is Roadhog.” Symmetra was still obviously terrified.

“Aw don’t be scared of old Roadie, he wouldn’t hurt a fly. Well, unless he wanted to or if someone paid him then he would merc a fly like nothing. Don’t worry though he is my bodyguard right now so you should be scared of me instead.” Junkrat punctuated his statement with a joyful laugh that Symmetra didn’t read as any part joyful.

“Well let’s get you two back.” Symmetra then began to craft a teleporter that the three of them used to be instantly returned to the ship. “I have successfully rescued Junkrat and Roadhog,” Symmetra called out into the group's communicators.

“Wow. That is amazing.” Junkrat and Roadhog were struck with awe with Symmetra’s teleporter. “How you reckon it works mate.”

“No idea.”

Mercy flew over to the three. “Jamison, Mako I am glad you are okay. Let me patch you up.” Mercy then began to herd the two over to the medical tent. “I see that you were able to meet up with them and even get close to them in your short time together.”

Symmetra confused by Mercy’s statement followed her eyes down to see the current state of her dress, looking down she saw that her blue uniform was covered in all sorts of filth. I would seem that when Junkrat tackled her, he had smeared all of her clothes in his filth. What was even worse is it appears that it was evident that they had been in a very compromising state with how the stains set.

“Oh no.” Symmetra decided just to sit in the corner of the ship until they departed.

Once the group had finished providing support to the area, they boarded the dropship and headed back to the base. Symmetra found herself watching the two Junkers the whole time. She soon realized that watching wasn’t exactly the right term as she noticed that she was starting at Junkrat for the last twenty minutes. He was still covered in soot and grime, but now it seemed that mercy had to clean off a few spots to apply medical treatment. This left him in an even more chaotic level of filth since he was now partially clean. She found herself trying to figure out what she was going to do now. She had planned to make friends with the new members, but it seemed that they were much too chaotic for her to deal with. While Junkrat had been overly friendly to the point of hugging her when she wasn’t ready for it. She was still uncertain about how she was going to interact with them.

The drop ship eventually landed back at the base, and Symmetra headed back to her room to grab bath supplies and a change of clothes on the way to the locker room. The base they were at currently had a communal bathroom that had both personal and public showers and baths. On the way to the locker room, Symmetra saw that Junkrat and Roadhog were getting set up in their room.

“G’day ‘Metra.” Noticing Satya Junkrat walked to the door hoping to start a conversation.

“Hello.”

“Busy day huh?”

“Yes, it was definitely a stressful day.”

“What are you up to now?”

“I was going to get clean I feel quite foul right now.”

“Oh, is there a water source nearby?”

“Water source?”

“You know like a river or something.”

“No there is a locker room with showers and stuff.”

“Oh. You got to show me that! Oi! Roadie get your stuff there’s water and stuff. Hey, you mind showing us around?”

“Well, I guess.”

The Junkers began to follow Symmetra as she led them to the locker rooms.

“Well here are the lockers you can drop your stuff off here while you are in the showers. Over here there are the public showers and the private showers are right there and just past that are the baths. There is also a sauna, Jacuzzi and a pool in the back if you are in the mood for a swim. If you are going to get in the last few, you are going to need to bathe first.”

“How do you turn this on?”

“You can turn that handle on the wall and water will come out.”

“Let’s check this out then.” Junkrat then proceeded to turn the shower head away from them as he turned the shower on. At this point, he then pulled out this sophisticated looking device from one of his pockets, and he began to point it at the instrument at the water. “Roadie this water is clean check this out.”

Roadhog reached out to the water and felt the water pass.

“What are doing?”

“Giger counter. Checking that it’s all clean. After living in radiation for so long, you can never be too careful. Radiation poisoning ain’t exactly doing me any favors.” Junkrat began to signal to his hair and his nails.

“Okay. Well, the further you turn it the hotter it will come out.”

“Wait.” Quickly turning the knob all the way to the left Junkrat reached out to the quickly heated water. “Holy dooley… a hot shower this is paradise.”

“The private showers over here also have a bench if you need to sit down.”

“That would be great hate having to clean up with my parts on you know?”

“Well my arm is waterproof, but yes it can be pleasant to shower without it.”

“Hey. Thanks for showing us around, and stuff.  You’ve helped us out quite a bit even though we just met. Hope we can get along together.”

“Yes. I am also looking forward to working together.”

“Looking forward to being friends. Well, I’ll leave you be we got to get ready to shower and stuff.”

Symmetra was taken aback he seemed to consider the two of them friends already even though they just met. Not knowing how to end the conversation Symmetra let out a quick “Goodbye.” And walked out of the room.

Five hours later Symmetra came across Junkrat and Roadhog as they finally exited the showers.

“Thanks for the help ‘Metra. Haven’t felt this clean in years.”

Looking over Junkrat, Symmetra saw that his shoulders were covered in freckles. She noticed that his hair was somehow looking repaired after its ends had been singed during the skirmish, his face was also longer covered in grime and soot. Now that he was no longer dirty Symmetra was now able to realize that he was quite attractive and she simply didn’t notice earlier.

“Not a problem.” Satya squeaked out as she turned 180 and walked out of the room. She yet again needed to reconsider their relationship with this new revelation.”

Notes:

So when writing this, I wanted to stage how their first meet up would go if they knew almost nothing about each other. Symmetra does know that there are reports of an international criminal named Junkrat, but she has no reason to think they are one in the same. I also believe that Junkrat would try his best to be smooth during his first meetings with someone as gorgeous as Symmetra but at the same time that is with the thought of nothing will happen between them and that they would not know one another for long. Junkrat can only be so cool for so long until he blows himself up. I hope you all have a good week and life. I love all of you. My Tumblr is http://dracolord1208.tumblr.com/

Series this work belongs to:

« Part 6 of the Draco's Junkmetra Week series