#the seasons changing and it’s time to get home

[lostinlovingrevery]

He's Definitely Obsessed With You (Series)

Origins! Logan X Fem!Reader

Plot: You're an army nurse, deep in the trenches of the Vietnam jungles, doing everything you can to keep yourself together, and the infantry that come into your tent. One day a soldier you aren't familiar with is brought in, and you find out something about him that leads to the start of an important relationship between you both that changes the course of your lives together...

A/N: This is basically the plot of Origins, but with my own spin on it with a Fem!Reader! This is my first time EVER writing an X reader, so comments appreciate! I plan to make this a series, but I wanted to put out a prologue first. Okay, it's not really a prologue and more like a chapter, and ended up being super long because I started writing and then didn't stop, and prologues are short- but IT'S MY STORY AND I'LL CREATE MY OWN RULES. The prologue is just how reader and Logan meet! (PS, there's eventual smut...Soon as I figure out how write it without getting embarrassed) Also, I'm still figuring out how to format on Tumblr, so please don't mind any funky design choices. Probably spelling and grammar mistakes somewhere in there

Warnings: Reader POV only (for now) Reader is female, also an army nurse, also a mutant- but powers aren't specified, blood mention, medical stuff talked about (like amputations), injury descriptions, Vietnam war and slight politics mention, probably a lot of historical inaccuracies i just googled things but I tried! implied reader could be religious but honestly there's nothing concrete to that. The only description of reader is her clothes and that she has hair, and wears makeup (lipstick). Reader has a hard on over Logan (she has a cruuuush), let me know if there's anything I missed!

Word Count: 4753

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Prologue:

Rain rapped lightly along the top of the large tent, creating a soothing sound throughout. A radio, playing an american music station, played a rock song, of some new band slowly making a name for itself, sat nearby on a metal cabinet. Stacks of manila folders and papers were disorganized and spread, almost completely covering a desk. A clock ticks rhythmically. The tent was lined with cots, tables, ratty mattresses, IV stands, and small tables covered with empty food trays, water canisters, and paper cups filled pills. Some of the beds were taken up by injured men, snoring and groaning as they attempted to sleep, only slightly more comfortable here in the medical tent than out in the muddy, rainy trenches. It was monsoon season in Vietnam, and you were at your wits end with paperwork in the middle of a small but-not-that-small camp, set up not far from an American fire support base.

You were sitting at the desk, half asleep as you attempted to fill out another request form for medical supplies. Halothane, Methoxyflurane, Morphine, Penicillin - are common medicines that you find yourself constantly having to restock. Of course bandages, gloves, needles, saline, tubing, multiple surgical supplies, other things you find yourself low on often too, considering the amount of amputations, large and minor, that happen around here. The medical tent that you currently reside in was a revolving door of soldiers, both American and Vietnamese, as well as nearby villagers who come for aid after the American presence near their homes led to viruses they can’t combat on their own, or other unfortunate injuries if war breaks out in their village. 

You were simply an army nurse, this was not your usual duty to perform, it was normally left to the assigned doctor of the camp. Your job was to assist the doctor, take care of the patients, administer medicine, IVs, change bandages, wet baths, feed them, and hold their hands as they cry for their momma and to God. You were busy enough, and the doctor, Doctor Frank Jones, who you were assisting had got shot by a stray bullet when out in the jungle, and had to be taken back to the main base, and back to the States. Due to a communication failure, his replacement ended up somewhere else, and transportation wasn’t an option due to the fighting happening.

 Fortunately, Doctor Jones had seen potential in you and believed you would be an excellent doctor one day - something you wanted to pursue after your service was fulfilled. He became a mentor, helping you study and learn medicine, and giving you skills that an average nurse- even an army nurse- wouldn’t usually have. Now, it was just up to you, and a few young army medics - teenage boys who were given no choice in going to war, and their skills were found best in assisting injuries on the battlefield, but they were eager to help, and their light-hearted jokes and company helped relieve some stress for you, especially with the pain you watch day in and out. You didn’t always have the luxury of their help though, as when patrols went out, they required at least one of them to join. It leads you to have to order around other grunts who have no idea how to even measure the proper dosage of cough syrup for themselves whenever a serious injury comes in, having to give detailed orders on what to do- usually just getting you the supplies and medicine you need, as the grunts are typically too distracted and upset over their fallen brother to assist you in anything medical and complicated. 

With being the only medical authority in the camp- as well as the only woman- you were well respected and popular. Your compassionate personality, and comforting presence, as well as your “Take-no-shit” attitude, led to soldiers of this camp visiting you all the time, usually making up excuses like having a cough, or a splinter in their finger, just so they could have the pleasure of your smile and encouraging words. The CO here made sure that they all treated you with respect, as a woman- and a nurse, so you never once felt unsafe- or unappreciated. Besides, a good section of this camp is young boys, too nervous about their situation to worry about trying to flirt with a woman like you. You're more of a comfort figure in these parts than anything else. Despite the stress and worry you face in day to day life, in the middle of the war, you were just happy to be doing something. You weren’t exactly a supporter of this war, but the moment you saw young boys lining up to go to war, something in you made you fiercely determined to follow, and do whatever you can to make sure those boys can go back home to their mothers and fathers.

The Rolling Stones was now playing on the radio, this was a band you were more familiar with - one of your favorites. Your foot tapped to the beat of the song, as you checked off another item you needed to be stocked up on- and hoped the supply chain doesn’t hold out on you again. For some reason, they seemed convinced that you must surely be lying about the supplies and will not send you the full amount of what you requested, leading you to storm into the CO’s tent on more than one occasion and rant to him with a few unsavory words about the supply lines commander.  He always listens though, and does his best to get you what you can- which you can appreciate. 

“Hey turn that up-” You heard one of the patients call out, and she smiles, reaching to the radio and turning the volume higher. She looked up from the desk to see one patient in bed moving his foot with the beat of the song, and the other, who asked her to turn it up, raised his arm in the air, hand in a fist as he rocked with the song. “This is a good one, hadn’t heard this one yet.”

“It came out in 65’ dumbass.” the other called out. “How’d you not know it?”

“I’ve been here since 64’ asshole! Think we always had access to a radio?”

They all chided each other, making you laugh as you shake your head, turning back towards your paperwork, determined to finish it today so you can send it out. It was rare you get these moments of quiet, so you appreciated it when you could. Things could turn on a dime in a second, especially since the fighting was getting closer to where this camp was set, and you’re hoping that you would get some help before anything serious came. You were just starting to get absorbed in the letter you were writing to the CO of the supply line, something slightly passive aggressive, when one of the soldiers yelled to you from outside. 

“Hey! Nurse! There’s some guys coming this way! They got someone injured-” 

You looked up, dropping your pencil, and turning the radio down as you readied yourself, brushing the pants of your army fatigues to straighten it out, and rolling your sleeves farther up your arms. You watched as the flaps of the tent get pulled open, as two men carry someone resting on a cot. You didn’t like how quiet the man was being.

“In here-” You lead them to another section of the medical tent, ment solely for treating wounded, in an attempt to keep something sterile and clean- well, as clean as you can get it. The soldiers set the man onto the table that sat in the center of the room, small trays and medical supplies, as well as a large overhead lamp that provided lighting to give you a better view at what you’re working on, surrounded the table. 

“We got ambushed on patrol, fortunately he’s the only one that got hit, a VC jumped out of the grass and stabbed him. We got pressure on the wound, and he’s still alive- for now.” 

You nodded as you went to a basin to pull on some sterile gloves, and walked over to examine the soldier. He was handsome- you couldn’t help but noticed but quickly put that out of your mind. A full head of deep beautiful brown hair, and a thick beard framed his face. He looked older, possibly in his mid 30’s. A sheen of sweat covered his skin, as his teeth were gritted and eyes cinched shut in pain. A wave of sorrow hit you, as you never liked seeing people in pain, it hits you bad enough to wonder why you chose to go into the medical profession of all things. Nevertheless, you push through, and began working on removing the uniform so you can see if you can save this one. At least he wasn’t screaming.

“Whats his name?”

“Logan ma’am. He’s Private First Class.”  The private responds, voice professional, but quickly drops into something softer. “He’s a good guy, and smart, usually quick on his feet, its surprising someone ambushed him…” 

“Need any help ma’am?” The other private who brought him in ask.

“No, I got it, thank you.” You tell them as you grab some sheers and began cutting through Logan's army garments. “Just make sure others are alright. See if any of the boys out there need water.”

They nodded, saluting- leading you to roll your eyes- and left your section of the tent, just as you manage to cut off the white wife beater he was sporting underneath his army garments, giving you a complete view of where he had been stabbed. You breathed a small sigh of relief, the wound appeared in the part of the torso where nothing vital was located and you managed to roll him to his side- seeing the stabbing didn’t go straight through, meaning this guy had a good chance of surviving, assuming he doesn’t succumb to infection…

“Alright Logan,” You turned you head to look at the man, who was still tense, eyes squeezed shut. He was somewhat awake, with his breathing and the way his muscles contracted, but he didn’t seem to be aware of what was going on, you still felt it important to talk to whoever you were treating though. You had to hold the hands of many scared soldiers, and quickly have learned the right things to say when comforting. “I’m going to take care of you, and in return, you’re going to need to be strong for me here.” You say softly but firmly to him, hoping that he’s hearing you through the pain, as you went and quickly grabbed a wet cloth out of a basin nearby, squeezing out the excess water, and gently placing it over his forehead, in order to soak up some sweat, and provide some more comfort to cool his skin that seemed to be burning hot. You couldn’t help but note that you don’t recognize him- you wouldn’t have forgotten his face that’s for damn sure, if he’d ever came to visit you, which most privates in this camp has at one time or another. You shook the curiosity out of your head, you had to move quickly, fighting the urge to wanting to take in the details of his face- his very handsome face, and moved to focus back onto the wound on his torso. 

You started by slowly removing the packed bandages, examining the blood flow to make sure nothing gushed, but he really wasn’t bleeding much anymore- actually, it didn’t look like he was bleeding at all now. Confused, you began cleaning the area of the stab wound so you could get a clear view of what you were looking at. At first, you thought you were losing your mind, you had to been because what you were seeing…

It was as if the skin was growing back, the wound, going inwards seemed to almost pop out, before the skin stitched together, going through what the bodys usual healing process would look like- except doing it within a matter of seconds. Turning from a bright red inflamed wound, into a baby pink scar bump that slowly faded off, you couldn’t even tell anything had happen there- except from the blood stained around it. You were blinking in disbelief, mouth slightly agape, before it suddenly occurred to you what you were just seeing.

Oh

Oh shit-

He’s a mutant.

You looked at the man, who’s muscles seemed to be relaxing now, as he took deeper breaths, the sweat on his face began to dry and disappear. You weren’t sure what to do at this point, you’re so used to every minute counting to fix someone, and this guy just healed himself in seconds!

And by god, he was so handsome. You thought that already, got to stop thinking about that. Turning away from his face, you went to examine where the stab wound used to be, gloved fingers gently pressing on the area- before the soldier- Logan, practically yelped- and sat up rushed on the table, startling you even more so than him, as you jumped back, hands in the air in surrender- as if you did anything wrong.

He was panting, the cold wet cloth you had placed on his forehead fell into his lap, as he looked around with wide eyes, pupils dilated, his nostrils flaring, he almost looked animal-like in this state. He turned to look at you. His eyes took you in, and suddenly you felt embarrassed by your army clothes you were sporting, green cargo pants, and a green collared button up shirt, tucked into your pants, making you feel less than girlish in them, despite their comfortability, your forehead was covered in sweat, and your hair pulled back in a bun neat bun with baby hairs sticking out everywhere. At least you had lipstick on to give yourself a little bit of a pop in your plain looking outfit. That should be the last thing you should be worried about. 

“You’re okay-” You finally found your voice, holding your hands out to him, “You got ambushed, but you’re okay now.” 

He blinked, then let out a small sigh, his whole self seeming to relax, his expression turned more human-like, as he faced forward, then looked down at himself. His hand went over where he had been hurt- seeing that there was no longer any injury there, although something in his expression told you he could still feel it. He swallowed, jaw tensing, before realization struck him, and his head snapped to look at you. 

“You saw- You know, don’t you?” He asks, his voice was deep, but sounded a little dry and scratchy. Still, it was enough to make your knees weak. 

You turned, going to a cabinet that held medicines and various other supplies, but on the counter was a pitcher of water and a few glass cups. Pulling off your gloves, you poured a cup from the pitcher, turning back and handing it to him. 

“Yeah. I saw.” You say cooly, holding it out for him to take. He looked at you, his deep and should you think gorgeous hazel eyes felt like they were piercing your soul; as if he was trying to decipher what was going on in your head, which you wish you knew as well because his stare was making your brain fuzzy; then glanced at the cup and finally took it from your hand, your fingers brushing together, making your heartbeat just a little faster, and you could feel a small heat blooming in your cheeks.

Jesus christ, pull yourself together 

You thought to yourself. You cleared your throat while he took several swigs of water, dropping his hand with the cup to his side as he took a moment to breathe once more. 

“Got anything stronger?” He asks, his low and smoother now, quirking a brow at you. You smiled, 

“Sorry, anything alcoholic you may want to drink in here, I gotta save for the guys who can’t heal themselves within minutes.” You say teasingly. “Supplies are low enough already.” 

You could see a small quirk of his lips, in something resembling a smile. He was still tense though, his eyes seemed to be somewhere else. He looked at you again,

“Does it…scare you? Me being a mutant?” He asks, his voice low

“Um….No?” You responded, confusion on your face, a small shake of your head, “Why would it?” 

He seemed relieved- and surprised by that answer, his shoulders finally relaxing, and he took another drink of water, eyes closing as he finished the cup, and handed it back to you, where you set it back on the counter. Wiping his mouth with his arm, he sat up more confidently, bending his leg as he brought his knee up to his chest, and propped his forearm over it, and leaned back on his other hand, taking a few deep breaths as he lowered his head down, then looked back up at you, his expression suddenly stern.

“You gonna tell them?” He asks. You knew he was referring to the army. Mutants weren’t well accepted in the world- much less the US army. The American government is actually sitting comfortably in the capital and writing out bullshit laws on mutant regulations, rather than trying to figure out a solution for the war here in Vietnam. You, a mutant yourself, albeit your powers were easy to hide and conceal, you still feared of a day that someone somehow discovers your secret. You’ve heard stories of American soldiers revealed to be mutants being killed, due to some bullshit excuse that they “lied” about who they were, and couldn’t be trusted. Whether those stories were true or fearmongering to keep mutants hiding their true identities, you didn’t know, but you certainly weren’t gonna find out yourself. You definitely wouldn’t put another fellow mutant, just trying to survive like you, in any sort of danger like that, even if he could probably just heal if he got put in front of a firing squad.

You pursed your lips together. Then smiled. “No. I’ll keep your secret.” You say. “All it means to me is that I have one less person to worry about around here. I was actually wondering why I hadn’t seen your face in this tent yet before, and now I know why.” 

He softened at that, but his face quickly fell back into something more serious and stern once more, which you’re starting to think might be his baseline. 

“You okay?” You asked, your voice was soft, and sweet, and borderline angelic for a man like him, who’s been in wars almost his entire life- which you don’t know about that. “That probably didn’t feel good, what happened.” He nodded. 

“M’ fine….Thank you.” He grumbles lowly, looking down at his hands. “I heard about you- actually I-I seen you around. You’re the only nurse on camp?” He asked, looking back up at you, there seemed to be a bit of curiosity in his voice. 

“Yeah. I’m pretty popular.” You say, in a teasing voice, blushing at the thought that he’s noticed you. Which shouldn’t be a surprise, you are quite literally the only woman around, save for the women in the village not far from here.  

“Must be busy.”

“Oh… Nah-” You playfully wave him off. “Some days are so slow, I’m actually bored.” You say matter-of-factly, but you both knew you were kidding. Another quirk of his lips. You smiled softly at him, but there was a voice in your head telling you, that since he doesn’t need your help, you should probably get back to helping the ones who do. Not that you want to leave, he was so damn handsome, you could stare at him all day. It wasn’t just his good looks though, his whole self drew you in with just a few words, and you find yourself wanting to get to know Logan, because the look in his eyes told you that he was someone worth knowing. Or maybe that was just your hormones talking. There was just this energy between you both, some type of unseen connection. His eyes trailed down you again, this time fully taking you in, stopping at your chest, and for a moment you were about to be completely turned off by this man being a pervert, but he nodded towards it. 

“Your necklace?” He asked. You looked down, oh, you thought to yourself. You pulled the string of your necklace, lifting the small coin that it held, string carefully wrapped around it so it doesn’t fall off.

“It’s a prayer coin. A priest gave it to me.” You explained. “It’s the archangel Raphael. A protector, patron saint of medical workers, like doctors, nurses.”

“Like you?” 

You nodded. He examined it, before you tucked it back under your shirt. You usually keep it hidden, but it must have fallen out while you were rushing. Now it was silent again, and you both weren’t sure what to do or say. 

“Well….” You took a breath, you glanced down at his abdomen, and suddenly your brows creased in concentration. 

“What?” He asked, by your sudden change in demeanor. 

“You can’t exactly walk out with no injury. Those two privates were pretty worried about you.” You say, putting your hands on your hips and pursing your lips together. You clicked your tongue.

“I can figure something out-”

“No no-” You held your hand up and looking around the room. “Those privates brought you in, there’s probably an incident report written right now, not to mention I have to write a report on your injuries too-” you explained. “I mean, how are you gonna explain it if you walk out, completely A-okay?”

Logan shrugged simply. “I can think of something, it isn’t the first time this happened.” You rolled your eyes. Men. 

You rather not waste bandages on a pretend injury, but you need someway to get his injury to look believeable, thats when you spotted your answer. His white tank top that you had drop to the floor, it was good enough to wrap around him, making him look as if he’s been all fixed up from his stab wound. The shirts cotton texture looked similar to the pattern of a bandage, and was good enough, especially considering no one would be looking hard enough at his wound anyway.

After a few minutes of “fixing him up” with your solution to keep his regenerative abilities a secret, you stood back examining the fake bandage/shirt that you tore up and wrapped around his torso, using bandage pins to hold it in place. Then shrugged. 

“It’s good enough.” You say. “You’re not going anywhere anyway, so it’s not like you’ll raise a bunch of questions. It looks like you have an injury, it’ll match the incident and medical report. You won’t get found out.”

“I’m not going anywhere?” He raised a brow. 

“Nope. You were injured, which means I gotta keep an eye on you. So you’ll be sleeping here, and you’ll have to pretend you’re in pain, whining and moaning and all that. Give it your best performance.” You encourage. “Take it, not many around here get a chance to get a break like that.” 

He looked at you, pondering what you were offering him- well, you weren’t offering, he was going to have do it because you weren’t gonna risk him revealing himself as a mutant, which for some reason you were now more concerned about than he was. A small smirk appeared on his face, “That mean you’ll be waiting on me then, hand and foot?”

You smiled, “Don’t get ahead of yourself soldier.” You say teasingly. “You can stay in here a little longer, rest up, maybe shed some tears to make it look like you’re suffering tremendously.” You added a little flair as you brought your hand up to your forehead, pretending to faint, before turning and walking away to leave the room, now knowing you really needed to get back to work.

“I don’t think I need to shed any tears.” He mutters, but there was amusement in his tone though. “Hey bub” He called after you as you were about to leave the room, lifting the tent flap, but you stopped to look at him. “Why are you seen keen on helping me out? Making a plan to make sure people don’t find out what I am…Seems like too much trouble to go through for you.” He frowned. 

“Well…” You dropped the flap of the tent, “Us mutants gotta stick together, right?” Logan looked surprised at first, eyes widening a bit, and jaw slacking, but then a soft, genuine smile stretched across his face, the corners of his eyes crinkling, leaving you thinking that was a smile you never wanted to go without again. Smiling back at him, you winked, and turned back before stopping and looking at him again, “Plus, you seem worth the trouble.” You add, before finally leaving him to himself.

Maybe it was too much trouble. You could leave Logan to figure it out himself. You two didn’t know each other, you weren’t friends. Yet you, the compassionate self you are, and also slightly bull-headed, was not going to leave Logan hanging alone. Maybe it was the fact that you were both mutants that urged you to help him, let him know that someone like him out there has his back, even if he had many brothers at his side watching his back too. Or maybe it was because you felt an undeniable pull towards him- and him towards you. 

While he stayed in the medical tent with you for about a week, the standard time for stitches to stay in. While staying, you both got to know each other better. You found a deep friendship with Logan quickly, both of you having an understanding of each other, not just as mutants but as individuals as well. You were able to laugh, usually at his snarky remarks to the other privates and even his comments to the higher-ups, surprising you in how he likes to occasionally challenge authority despite how quiet and reflective he can be some moments. You saw him as brave, smart, and he was protective, always going first in patrols, and keeping an eye on the younger privates. He’d hid it well, rarely making it seen, but he had a compassion that made your heart swell, especially when you came across him comforting a young private who was homesick and scared. He had a good instinct that seems to attest to his mutation- which he later revealed the full aspects of it to you later on, claws and everything- which did nothing but fascinate you, leading to a full acceptance of him he hadn’t felt or seen in a long time. He’d visit you in late nights when he wasn’t assigned guard patrol, bringing you something to eat or drink, and you’d both quietly talk about your lives, and how’d you ended up there. He listened to you complain about the lack of supplies, and how you got into medicine in the first place. You’d learn of his brother Victor- another Private First Class there at the camp, who you quickly learned a distaste for after meeting him, and how old they both really were- leading you to bombard him with history questions, that he simply answered “I wasn’t there bub.” There was an unspoken yet mutual physical and spiritual attraction between you both, but before anything could have gone further in your relationship, down in the thick muddy jungles of Vietnam, you suffered a similar fate as your mentor Doctor Jones. A stray bullet having shot through your shoulder while you were out, attempting to help a young private who’s leg unfortunately got caught in a dirt trap. You were okay, but orders sent you home on a medical discharge, saying you fulfilled your duty to the States. 

You missed Logan, and you also found yourself struggling to find your place back in civilian life again, the stress and the trauma of the things you saw weighed heavy in your mind, not to mention the worry you felt over Logan's safety while he was still over there. The only thing easing your worries was the letters you wrote to each other, until one day his letters stopped coming, and your own got returned back to you with no explanation, leaving you in fear of the worst….

[42ap]

In the amicable breakup 30s AU, Stan is definitely seeing other people. Spending his days a bit bored in the forest, Stan often drives into the city on weekends for dates. With not much else to do lately, he’s been really wanting to find someone to fall in love with. That’s why, in the first part of this AU, the three of them are chatting about exes.

Every time Stan laments how hard it is to find a good person, Stanford always glances at him briefly, but Stan stubbornly ignores it. What exactly happened on the breakup night has never been explicitly said because I haven’t figured it out yet, but suffice to say it was catastrophic, earth-shattering, absurdly cruel, and utterly over the top—not just some argument that ended with Stan being kicked out by their father.

By comparison, the semi-consensual, semi-coerced straight-guy-experiment-gone-wrong “gay sex scientific research conference” during their final days of high school in the Evil Twin AU looks like child’s play. Whatever happened on that breakup night was so extreme, it defied common sense, which is why it’s so hard to imagine the specifics of it.

That’s why, in this AU, Stanley occasionally takes on the job of cooking but makes sure to over-salt Stanford’s portions every time. And then, while Stanford eats without a single change in expression, Stanley just glares at him with pure resentment.

Fiddleford, completely oblivious, always tries really hard to get the brothers to reconcile. Fiddleford is such a genuinely kind person that Stanley doesn’t know how to refuse him, so he just endures the experience of watching Stanford smugly enjoy Fiddleford's long-winded talks about the importance of family harmony.

When Fiddleford unknowingly eats one of the overly salted meals meant for Stanford, he spends two minutes gagging and says, “Damn it, Stanley, your pranks are way too much!”

But after learning the truth, Fiddleford just nods while watching Stanford calmly eat his salty food. “Bro, good on you—eat it, you know you deserve it.”

Reflecting on that disastrous New Year’s dinner after their devastating breakup at 19, you can’t help but marvel at how, even after breaking up, this bone-crushing pair still manages to go home together for family meals. Of course, the first thing they do after arriving is get into a fight about where to sit in the living room, then argue over who has to sleep in the guest room. When their mom forces them into the kitchen to help cook, they bicker the entire time and even manage to fight while she’s turned away grabbing seasoning.

The endless insults, the attempts to prove in conversation that they’re the one who’s doing better in life—it’s all just deliciously angry young man energy 🤤. Though, based on previous settings, 19-year-old Stanford would absolutely have been avoiding Stanley at all costs, because Stanley might really show up silently with brass knuckles and stand by the bed: “Hey, bro, are you awake? I can’t sleep because every time I think about what you said during the breakup, I get pissed all over again.”

[redfountainpostin]

HOW EVERYONE DIES

One day, of course, all of them will be just pages in the history book, and I am honestly wondering how they'll go. I am craving the bitter sweet cinematic montages to "I know the end" by Phoebe Bridgers. Now, I think Sky goes last. Even after Bloom. He really dies an old man, white hair, hell maybe even white eyes that no longer see the world around him, just the memories of it, of how he changed it, and of the friends and love he lost. After his death, he's given a kingly ceremony and a dragonlord's burial- aka his dragon burns the body, and after a few days, his granddaughter claims him. Stella is second to last, Brandon having been third, and it honestly broke something in her when he died. She barely moved from his crypt where the ashes are, and after a week Sky had to carry her out, telling her Brandon would not want her rotting under the ground for him, she needs to be outside where it is light, with sun shining down upon her. Stella was a ruling queen until then, but after months passed and she did not yet recover from her beloved husband's death (Brandon died of a heart attack) she abdicated in favor of her oldest daughter, Adorea, (credit for the name @cyliarys-starlight) because she no longer felt fit to rule. She removed herself from the title of The Queen and is merely Queen mother until she died ten years later, on the same day Brandon died. She died in her sleep, but honestly, many will say it was broken heart, that she was only holding on for her children, especially the young Queen that would still need her advice at times. Layla, I think, was fourth to last, and she died in battle. Idk which battle, something that should have been minor but someone managed a sneak attack. Nabu died minutes later, as he was no longer fighting but clutching her dead body, screaming for his wife to open her eyes, crying his heart out :) They were found on the battlefield, her in his arms, pierced by the same spear (since Nabu was holding her when he was speared through the back). (Still a better love story than twilight death than what season 4 gave him) They were, by human standards, in their early sixties and they were holding up GREAT, btw. You have no idea how hard I am working not to kill any of the winx in childbirth, btw- you're welcome. The only reason why I am not doing it is because the lifespan's in Winx are crazy old and who the fuck would still be having kids in their 1000s/2000s. Then we have Timmy, who in a riding accident just a few years before Nabu and Layla- he fell of a horse and broke his neck, dead on impact. Million ways to die in the west, people! He lived a great life, even managed to still find light in after Tecna's death. But he didn't die right after Tecna, no- I can't kill the couples all together. Before him, it was... Flora. No dramatics here, she just fell asleep and did not wake up. Which is much better than Musa, who, I want to be brutal, got throat cancer and refused treatment because she'd never be able to sing again. She died in her studio, with a half written song still on her desk. The instrumentals were all done, though, so the song still gets performed, the lyrics just cut off halfway through. No one finished it out of respect. I think... Ohhhhhh, the song was about coming home to Riven, who died first- their equivalent of forties. So the song is literally about her dying and reuniting with her husband. Because Riven died first, and Musa lived for centuries longer, she did date after him, but she did not marry again. She was single when she got her diagnosis though, and that's when she started wearing her wedding ring again. Her boyfriends were lovely and she did love them, in a way, it is just that Riven was always going to be the love of her life. Her friends understood that too, and had great sympathies for her for being left a widow so young.

[thesimmermo]

SEASON FINALE

After dinner, Morgan gets the kids ready for bed but Dirk paces back and forth throughout their bedroom waiting on her to come in. She finally makes her way into the room. Dirk is standing there watching her and a dark feeling fills her gut.

Morgan: What's wrong with you? Dirk: Nothing.

Morgan: Why are you yelling? What's wrong with you? Dirk: NOTHING IS WRONG WITH ME MORGAN!

Morgan: I need you to calm your ass down and talk to me like I'm a human being right now. Relax.

Dirk: This is a lot, Morgan. Morgan: What's a lot? Dirk: This. *waves hands in circle* All of this.

Morgan: What? The kids? The house? Me? Us? What?! Dirk: All of it. I don't... I can't deal with it.

Morgan: Please, Dirk, I swear to God. Tell me you're joking right now. Dirk: I'm not. Morgan: That's why you've been going on all these trips and staying out late?

Dirk: *Silence* Morgan: You piece of shit! You've been doing all that extra work to avoid being here with your family? THE FAMILY YOU WANTED?! Are you fucking kidding me?

Dirk: It's too much. There's noise non-stop and always something to do. There's never any real peace here anymore. Morgan: Dirk... This is what you wanted. This is what we wanted. Now, after all this time... You finally come home... You kids happy to see you... Just to say you don't like being around them?

Dirk: That's not what I'm saying- Morgan: That's exactly what you're saying. You made the bed and now you don't want to lay in it. You can't handle the pressure or responsibility. What the fuck Dirk?

Dirk: I'm just saying that I need a break. I can't do this all the time. Morgan: But fuck me, huh? I have to do it all the time? Fuck me? Dirk: Morgan that's not what I'm saying. *steps forward*

Morgan: Don't you dare touch me. Dirk: Morgan, I'm... Morgan: You don't have to say it. You show it every single day. You show it in the way that you act! Dirk: I do what I do to provide. That's why I work so much.

Morgan: Oh motherfucker, swallow it! Don't try to change the tone and mood now that you hear how fucking dumb you sound. I do what I do to provide. You do what YOU do to avoid. I get up everyday and make sure that everyone in this house has 3 meals a day, gas in their cars, clean clothes, a clean house to come home too while also still managing my business from home. I never miss a fucking programming meet. I never miss a fucking football game. I never miss a fucking soccer game, talent show, awards show, and anything that my kids do.

Morgan: How dare you say something so insensitive and degrading? Those 6 out there, love you. I love you and you stand right here and act like fuck this family. You hate being here- Dirk: I don't hate- *walks away*

Morgan: You do. You resent it. You thought you wanted to be a family man but you changed... just like the seasons. You'd rather work from sun up to ass crack, than be here to see the fruit of your seed. It's always been fuck me so I don't care how you treat me but you make a decision now. Dirk: It was never fuck you. Morgan: It was fuck me after you made me feel like shit for having a hysterectomy. Something that I dreaded. But you will not, NEVER disrespect the lives of my children.

Dirk: Morgan, I want to be here for them but... Morgan: But not all the time. I get it. So let me tell you your 2 options. 1 you either fully invest and be the best damn dad that you can be or.... Dirk: Or what?

Dirk: WHAT MORGAN?!

Morgan: Or you get the fuck out.

Dirk is caught off guard and his heart is broken. He feels awful about what's happening right now. He doesn't want it to end like that but he sees a look on Morgan's face that he's never seen before. She's checked out.

Dirk: Morgan do you hear what you're saying? Morgan: I hear myself loud and clear. Do you hear what I'm saying? I cannot deal with you and your "when I want too" attitude. It's annoying. It's aggravating. It's childish. I take up for myself and my 6 kids. They don't need someone in their life who wants to be there... ALL THE TIME. So what are you going to do? Dirk: That's not fair.

At the door, Daze and DJ are listening. Their own bodies shaking and full of fear about their parents. DJ is livid by hearing the words from his dad's mouth and Daze feels like regardless, they'll be okay.

Morgan: Get out. Dirk: Morgan, I.. Morgan: You can't even look me in my face right now and tell me that you want to be here. That you want this life because you don't. You want to leave.. It's in your body language, you just don't want us to be mad.

Dirk sighs full of defeat. Morgan shakes her head and steps out of his way.

Morgan: You win dude. Don't go through here slamming doors and being mad. Do what you gotta do in silence, don't wake up my damn kids. Dirk: Morgan. Morgan: Goodnight.

Daze and DJ scurry away as Morgan opens the bedroom door. She sees them but she is too livid to even scold them. She sits on the couch and waits as Dirk packs some suitcases to leave. He walks past her and pauses but she holds her hand up to stop him before he even speaks. She points at the door and Dirk walks by with his head down.

He can't even look back as he walks outside the large house. He hears the lock click behind him and he feels like to world's biggest loser. Inside Morgan sighs a achy, heart broken sigh. She goes to bed and holds her breath not wanting to address her kids tomorrow.

In the end, life goes on. Even if it means we grow apart.

[ofcrowsanddragons]

The ALT POV of the Wigmaker Job from the WIP folder 🙏

WIP Folder Game

Dialogue by Courtney Woods, based on “The Wigmaker Job” by Courtney Woods, in Tevinter Nights.

Illario’s cousin never changed. He took job after job after job, rarely stopping for a rest. Their grandmother’s orders rang constantly through Lucanis’s mind, and Illario could barely predict the few times that Lucanis would choose his little rebellions against the First Talon. The only guarantee was that it would be inconvenient for Illario.

Said cousin had planned this job: an attack on a prominent Venatori at an event that was the highlight of Vyrantium's social season. Of course, Lucanis had rented the top floor of a terrible inn, from which Illario could hear terrible music rising from the floorboards above the terrible tavern. Lucanis now sat on a hard wooden block with his weapons arranged on the bed in front of him, adding to the screeching strings of the music below with the sound of sharpening stone against steel.

On the bright side, it was clean enough that pests getting into Illario’s luggage were only moderately likely. His favourite piece was also likely to have blood on it by the end of the evening, but for now he admired the craftsmanship in the Minrathous-inspired collar and the surrounding details. The stamped navy velvet was accented with black silk, and the fine gold embroidery tumbled across his shoulders in an explosion and faded into delicate stars that fell across his midsection. The layer below the main tunic was a shimmering gold that peeked from between vents in the fabric as he walked.

Lucanis wore black.

“You’re not wearing that, are you?” asked Illario, resigned. The leather coat over a black suit may have been inconspicuous at any other event, but even then it would make him look like a servant.

Illario hated having options closed to him during a job.

“At least I don’t look like a tourist,” said the other assassin, with the faintest trace of humour in his voice.

“No, you look like you’re attending a funeral.”

“Very funny,” said Lucanis, all traces of humour gone, returning to the state of natural killing machine that Illario could tell had been killing him for years. “It’s a job. Not a party.”

“Actually,” Illario corrected, carefully checking his rogueish facial hair had the desired effect. “It’s a job at a party. Might as well look our best.”

“Any excuse to primp.”

Illario snapped his straight razor shut, hating how Lucanis sometimes sounded like their grandmother. He knew what he was good at, he completed his contracts, and they both looked down on him for that. “I’m only here because of you,” he pointed out. “We should be halfway home by now. Only ‘the Great Lucanis Dellamorte’ could delay a summons from the First Talon herself.”

Shuffling from the other side of the room, visible in the mirror. “Catarina can hardly complain,” said Lucanis, oblivious to how anyone else would suffer for saying so. “She’s the one who beat me into my commitment to my contracts.”

And here they stood, the next generation. From the cradle to the grave in Catarina’s shadow.

“All that effort and training grooming us,” he mused, “And the old woman still won’t step aside.”

“Your time will come.”

Lucanis said it like it was fact. Lucanis had been saying it for years. Lucanis had been convincing, for the longest time.

“Will it?” Illario asked, meeting Lucanis’s eyes in the mirror and willing him to understand. “People talk. You’ve always been her favourite.” You’re the only one who can tell her no.

“My talents lie elsewhere,” Lucanis said, holding up a hand and turning it over to indicate the sword and half dozen-odd daggers, now newly-sharpened. “You’re the one with the silver tongue.”

Illario didn’t want to know.

Illario needed to know.

“So, if she named you heir to House Dellamorte,” asked Illario, “You’d refuse?”

Lucanis went still, and Illario felt a flash of anger at the delay. All Lucanis knew how to do was delay, and this wasn’t a topic they could cover at home.

“Lucanis?” he pressed.

Before Lucanis moved, Illario had already realized that this was the wrong kind of stillness. His cousin had moved into the wire-taut sensory mode of a predator that meant that somebody was about to die.

His own blood rose in response, and as Lucanis reached for his sword, Illario pulled a knife from his sleeve. Illario heard a creak from the hallway and Lucanis motioned to him.

Illario said something about the quality of the hotel and the food, and Lucanis quipped back, “You ordered an Antivan dish in Tevinter. What did you expect?” He’d barely grumbled something back by the time Lucanis silently reached the wall of their room and plunged his entire sword through it—and through the Venatori eavesdropping on the other side.

Well, Illario considered, Now that sword might actually need sharpening.

[iveneverbeenmorestressedinmylife]

About to go on a random tangent but i feel like the s5 house finale with houses very real, very serious mental breakdown really changes the way foreman sees him....when john house died foreman took houses disinterest 100% at face value,even went to chase and cameron to complain about how disconnected from humanity house is. Chase was the one who had to tell him that House is probably a mess under all the fake bravado and foreman didn't seem to believe him.

When house first starts losing it fr, (s5 ep23) he locks himself in his apartment for an unspecified number of days. Cuddy sends foreman to find him. House opens the door looking haunted and disheveled, he tells foreman that he is taking a day off, that he can't come to work. Foreman dismisses all of it, he tells him to sober up, to send the hookers home and come to work or cuddy will fire him. When does house not look haunted and disheveled? He is house. He can't be any worse off than usual. Foreman doesnt take him seriously.

House goes to work and foreman is the first one to get suspicious of his behaviour. He can tell that something is Seriously wrong this time. He pries the same way house would have because why wouldn't he? Noone in this office can let anything go. A lot of things happen.

House drops out of a case. Wilson says he is unavailable, full stop, no negotiations. And after the aftermath of it all, when house goes to Mayfield the team must have heard at one point or another about what happened. The details of what was going on. Did foreman connect the dots? The red bloody dots that connect Ambers accident, Kutner's suicide, John House's death to houses deteriorating mental state? House told Wilson that he was seeing Amber. He told cuddy that he hadn't slept through the night since Kutner shot himself in the temple with his own gun. Did foreman go looking for answers? Did they tell him more than they should have? Did he realise that the reason why his boss was looking haunted that morning he ambushed him in his apartment was because he was literally seeing ghosts?

And then of course s6 starts and foremans attitude towards house hasnt really shifted...they spend most of the season "fighting" for dominance over the diagnostics department. But then the s6 finale (help me) happens and house is clearly affected by the death of the woman whose leg he amputated under the rubble. Foreman attempts to comfort him. He doesn't dismiss everything as just house being house. He can tell that this could be it, this could very easily be the night house relapses. He tells him that he shouldn't be alone right now. House ignores him and leaves. First episode of s7, foreman is asking after house. The rest of the team dismisses his worries and he replies with a simple "you didn't see him yesterday".

In s8 when wilson is revealed to be dying foreman again attempts to stand by house. House accuses him of trying to take Wilsons place after he dies. "Dont worry about me, im probably not gonna fall apart." I just can't imagine a foreman from seasons 1-5 understanding house in such a way or making an effort to comfort him. I really feel like Mayfield was a pivotal point in their bizarre employee/boss- boss/employ-friends-antagonists-i don't want to turn into you relationship.

[thatonetargaryen]

The Wolf and the Dragon

Masterlist

Part 7: An exception

cw; explicit language, mentions of extreme exhaustion, not proofread

……

Valaena stood stiffly in line with the many other women in training. Sweat collected on her brow as she waited in anticipation. All the women were staring straight forward—seemingly looking at nothing. Despite this, every time she looked away, she felt someone’s gaze burning into her.

She was short and lanky compared to the other soldiers. Her pale skin stood out like a sore thumb—a sign of her Targaryen roots. Her hair was done in a loose, hurried bun. And her tightly blinded breast were begging to be freed.

After was seemed like hours, the sound of footsteps echoed through the yard. The sound of silence was now even louder, and all the soldiers instinctively straightened—including Valaena.

When the princess caught sight of the woman, she didn’t know whether to be frightened or impressed.

She had heavily scarred, tanned brown skin. Her peppered hair was braided back into a tight bun that made Valaena wince as she gazed at it. Her lips were pressed in a firm line as her cold, grey eyes fell on each and every one of the soldiers. Her bindings wrapped tightly around her large chest and her muscles were probably the result of years of war and training. In her loose fitting pants—she could tell her legs were more toned than any man she’d ever seen.

She studied the women with a fierce gaze—yet passed them by without a word. She stopped when she met Valaena’s eye. The princess looked at her feet.

“It’s official— the General has really gone fuckin’ mad.”, her heavy Noxian accent weighed in every word she spoke.

“First, she thrust in a recruit—a fuckin’ Targaryen— when we are practically in the middle of training season. And she didn’t think to tell me until the night before. She’s practically asking for a spy to infiltrate the camp.”

The princess stayed silent, not being sure whether the woman was talking to her or herself. It seemed like both.

“She still has yet to tell me why you’re here…”

Before Valaena took a shaky breath to answer, she felt a finger press hard into her chest. The breath was nearly knocked out of her as she the woman got so close to her their noses were practically touching. She could feel her hot breath in her lashes.

“No matter. Before I teach you a damned thing—get one thing clear. Back at your little home, you’re a princess. Royalty. Here, you mean as much as the other peasants in Noxus. —if that. You have no titles, no rankings, not a damn dime to your name. When you leave, that might change. I doubt you’ll last long. But as long as you are under my command, in my camp, you are below me.”

Valaena fists tightened as she darted her gaze to the ground. Her words circulated in her mind, and the reality of the situation was finally coming to her. The woman took her finger and tapped the side of her head roughly.

“Do you understand, soldier?”

“Yes…”, Valaena trailed off, not knowing what to address her as.

The woman finally backed away, and spoke so everyone could clearly hear her. “You all already know this—but let me reiterate for the newbie. You are to address me as Sergeant Gold. Not Sergeant, not Gold—but Sergeant Gold. Any disrespect will not be tolerated and punished accordingly. The correct formation when your presence is requested is arms straight, fist closed, and feet together. Everything else you need to know will come to you naturally.”

She continued to speak, “We are four weeks into training—you’ll need some catching up to do. Hopefully one of our comrades can help you, ‘cause I ain’t slowing down. Since I wasted the ten minutes you should’ve had to do your morning drill, you’ll spend extra time with me during the evening. Thanks to your new friend…”

Groans were heard at the news of having to stay back extra time, and Valaena couldn’t feel anymore embarrassed.

“Well, ladies..why don’t we get started?”

…..

Veleana’s arms shook as she attempted to push herself off the ground. She didn’t remember how many push-ups she’d done—nor did she want to know.

Sergeant Gold went on and on about how you were ‘flimsy’ and ‘needed to gain muscles’. And the only way to do that was to do an extensive amount of exercise. The princess could feel her core burning as sweat dribbled down her chin.

It had been hours since she had a cup of water or a crumb of food. Her stomach being empty almost overshadowed the pain she was feeling.

She pushed her body back down, and up again. Her eyes darted to some of the other soldiers, who were doing exercises entirely different from hers. Obstacle courses, bare-handed spars, staff training.

“Eyes on me, soldier.”

Valaena looked back towards the Sergeant. She seems amused as she watched her struggle to pull herself back up. Her smile sends shivers down Valaena’s spine.

“Up, soldier.”

A wave of relief crashed over her—but she suppressed her sigh and resumed the expected stance.

The woman turned to the other soldiers as her voice echoed throughout the yard. “Gather ‘round, ladies. Time for the real training to begin.”

……

Valaena held two empty wooden buckets as she stood last in line. The ladies were currently filling up buckets of water. Whatever for, she didn’t know.

When it was finally her turn, she filled her two buckets. She struggled to lift them as her arms shook from the strain.

A staff was thrown as her feet. She stared at it with confusion, and looked to see the rest of the ladies were just as confused as her.

They all looked towards the General, “This is one of my favorite exercises we have here. You will place the two bucket handles on the staff, and lie the staff on your shoulders. It would do you good to remember—the water you are left with is all you are allowed to drink for tonight. Unless you want to drink your bath water, I suggest you not to waste a drop.”

The General proceeded to demonstrate what it should look like. She put each bucket on each end of the wooden staff, and placed it behind her head and on her shoulders. Despite how rough she was—not a drop spilled. She looked towards the mountains above. “We will carry these up this mountain. Then, and only then, will I allow you to drink your water. That is—if you have any. Prepare your staffs.”

The woman heeded her command as they put the bucket on the staff and on their shoulders. However, it was clear that Valaena was struggling as she tried to get the staff on her shoulders. When she finally did, she swayed side to side from the uneven amount.

The General laughed at the sight, “Stand straight, soldier.”

The command went in one ear and out the other. She continued to sway from side to side, thankfully, the General decided to ultimately ignore as she began to job up the mountain.

“Keep up, ladies!”

……

Valaena’s vision blurred as she struggled to keep up with the ladies. Her arms weakened, and her arms shook as she struggled to hold the buckets—which now held little water. She had spilled most of it.

The radiant sunlight beating down on her skin didn’t help. She was dehydration, tired, hungry, and now being cooked alive in broad daylight. She could no longer see her fellow soldiers as her legs shook.

Her vision dimmed as she finally collapsed. She fell to the hot ground beneath her as rocks embedded themselves into her skin. Her body had given out completely.

The General looked behind her as she counted her soldiers—who were all keeping up nicely. However, her movements halted as she noticed there was one missing. She huffed as she realized she saw no head of white hair amongst the crowd.

“Iqra!”, she called out. The woman’s head swiveled as she turned to the Sergeant. “Yes, Sergeant Gold?”

She motioned her head behind her, “Retrieve your comrade.”

Iqra turned on her heel as she descended down the mountain. She stopped when she found Valaena at her feet—sweat dripping from her body and frizzy white hair covering the ground around her. Even in this state, she was beautiful.

“Get up, Valaena. We’re not even halfway up yet.”, she said as she touched her with the tip of her foot.

Valaena stayed still on the ground. She groaned as her muscles and skin ached.

Iqra sighed and set her water and staff down. She picked up Valaena by one of her forearms with ease. She turned behind her, picked up the buckets, and placed the staff over both of their shoulders. She chuckled as she looked over her reddened, tired face. “Rough first day, huh?”

Valaena didn’t share her amusement. She simply nodded tiredly. Iqra smiled, “You’ll get used to it. Come on, I’ll share my water with you once we get to the top. We’ll be there before you know it.”

The princess couldn’t help but give the girl a small smile. She didn’t know how to thank her for this—but she promised herself she would.

……

“The girl is weak.”, Sergeant Gold complained as she nursed a pint of ale. She sat before Ambessa, a woman she had grown to admire—and fear—despite her being years younger than herself.

Ambessa chuckled, “She’s only been with you for a week. She’s not going to be up to your standards in that amount of time.”

Sergeant Gold gave her an unconvincing look, “Why did you even bother to put her in camp? She’s a flimsy little princess who spent her whole life having a countless amount of people wiping her arse. She could be a spy for all I know—ready to give up information to her incestuous family the moment she leaves camp.”

Ambessa shook her head, and her deep red locks moved with her. To be honest—she didn’t have a real answer to why she assigned you to training. You’d asked for it, and despite the risks, she gave you the position. It was something about the fire in your eyes are you looked at her, how it refused to dim despite who she was—and who you were to her. It was a feeling that intrigued her, yet scared her all the same. It was why she sent you off to work under her, knowing you had potential.

But Ambessa didn’t say that. In fact, she didn’t say anything as she turned away and walked out of the room.

……

Next chapter is a time skip~

I love young Ambessa 🎀

[cytryndor]

okay but can we cherish this week. like, we have all gathered here about 9 weeks ago to solve the double murder of ben glenroy /w mabel and her dads, and now it’s all coming to an end and while we’re going to live it for a while, we’re all going to slowly fall apart till some next big announcements next year maybe probably

[bacchuschucklefuck]

soon it'll be dawn again

transcript under the cut ⏬

page 01

Fig: no way? - you're still up?

Riz: Wh– yes?

Riz: Why'd I not be.

page 02

Fig: I me~~ean - that took.

Fig: whole day.

Riz: Yeah?

Fig: 'm beat.

Riz: you should sleep.

page 03

Fig: nah. my guy's still up

Fig: I wanna hang out.

page 04

Riz: That's really nice.

Fig: Hah! - Nobody ever expects an Archdevil rockstar to be nice.

Riz: … yeah. - 's just budget work tho. (the stuff I'm working on) - I've heard it's boring.

page 05

Fig: yeah, but you do it…

Riz: It keeps things going, right? - Nothing happens if nobody sits down and - does the thing.

Fig: That's right… - though. Yeah.

page 06

Fig: sometimes it's someone else who - doesn't want the same thing to happen.

Riz: … - mm.

page 07

Riz (off screen): …It took me a long time to get that not everyone likes doing what I do. - 's probably because you guys are so nice– - or. - kind.

Riz (off screen): to anyone too, not just. - the people you /love/.

page 08

Riz: that's not how it is elsewhere. - The world's– not. hostile. - but 's not like it's kind.

Riz: So I'm doing as much as I can now… 

page 09

Fig: Hey.

Riz: ?

Fig: Go dig some dirt with me.

page 10

Riz: [blank speech bubble] - oh you meant like - actual dirt. (not incriminating information)

Fig: o yea.

Fig: there's clay in the backyard soil. - sometimes when I'm sun deficient or something I go touch dirt for a bit.

page 11

Fig: here u go

page 12

Riz: uh

Fig: now we make a thing! - 'm pretty good at freehanding a bowl.

Fig: I'll show u

page 13

Fig: just– yep, flatten that out as evenly as u can, then–! - actually ur nails'd be so good at cutting out the strip. [larger than usual space] wait. - wait. wait u can carve patterns with them! we HAVE to try

Riz: uh - What. do I carve?

Fig: anything!!!

page 14

Fig: and– yep just seal the inside uh. seam?

Fig: yep that works - okay time's up! all contestant hands up

Riz: [blank speech bubble] - okay - wh. what's next?

Fig: haha - watch this.

(sound effect text): FWOO—MP

page 15

Riz: WH– DON'T JUST DO THAT???

Fig: Now it's fired!

Riz: THAT WAS NOT SAFE

Fig: (actually it's just dry. if u add water rn it'll dissolve)

Fig: ok catch!

Riz: [blank speech bubble] - careful!!

Fig: dw no need haha

page 16

Riz (thought bubble): oh - it's warm…

Fig: now I want you to throw this.

page 17

Fig: u gotta do it - c'mon

page 18

Riz: wh– - It's like 3AM right now

Fig: oh it's not /fired/ fired it's not gonna make a loud noise

Riz: And then just? leave a pile out here?

Fig: pour water over it & it'll be gone I told u

Riz: but

page 19

Fig (off screen): RIz.

page 20

Fig: I've done all this before.

Fig: Can you trust that at least?

page 21

Riz: no, I– - I do. - I trust you.

page 23

Riz: okay what happens now

(sound effect text): glob

page 24

Fig: we do it again!

page 25

Riz: wh. [larger than usual space] What do you mean. (this clay's too wet also)

Fig: see! you're already learning

Fig: [blank speech bubble] - there are flows that are futile to fight. - The world changes.

Fig: Things change.

page 26

Fig: I've learned my lessons with "forevers". - But - as an artist

Fig: I can give you one thing: - You can always do it again.

page 27

Fig: most of everything depends on the rest of the world, - but this. - making new. - that's yours as long as you want it.

page 28

Fig: So?

page 29

Riz: Yeah. - Yeah! - let's make another one.

[poisonousquinzel]

they deserved better idc 😐

[beautifulstorms]

Yuna Aoki, FS She • NHK Trophy 2023

[al-luviec]

still haven't moved on from zane in this episode (aka I hit tag limit again and am unhappy about it)

[redeemed-wren]

hilda never fails to make me cry everytime I think ill make it through without ugly sobbing it's a lie I will cry

[infinitelystrangemachinex]

Mel for the unhinged character bingo!

yessss YEEEESSSSSSSSS

[guhhhhhhhhhhh]

Oh little people in my phone, we're really in it now 😔😔

[korkorali]

#I have Ideas(TM) on how I would want to handle the island scene #which in turn bleed into 'ideas on how I'd remake the show if I could'

#okay wait bestie where's your tangent analysis @justaboot

And that's all you needed to say in order to get me into full tangent mode so buckle up, I have no idea where this is gonna go!

(Posted as its own thing and put under a cut because hoo boy it is long- seriously, open at your own risk)

First thing's first- I'd make it so that Della's attempts to evade the pursuing Moonlander ship lead to both the Sunchaser and the Moonlander crashing on the deserted island. This would be so that the 'comedy' aspect necessary could be largely carried by a third party -a very confused Moonlander who is pretty sure that none of this is healthy- which would allow for the main cast to focus less on having to become comic relief. And I'd also have it happen for one other reason (which will become quite relevant later).

But the biggest thing I think about the island scene is that it had a lot that it wanted to do (show the twins interacting again for the first time in ten years, show that Della really isn't as okay as she'd like to admit, wrap up Louie's arc, allow the kids to interact with Donald again for the first time since the beginning part of the season), and didn't really have a bunch of time to do it in.

So to change that, I would make the deserted island scene it's own full episode. (Which would subsequently mean changing Moonvasion from a two-episode finale into a final arc- which would still really start with Timephoon).

It would allow for it to cover a lot more, go into more depth with the characters and their interactions with each other, starting with...

Della and Donald's first interaction with each other to be fighting. That'd be a very big part of what I'd want the episode to be about.

They're both exhausted, traumatized, angry, relieved, scared- they've got a whole cocktail of emotions brewing inside of them and they're just so tired of it all.

The episode before The Island would basically end with Della and the kids crashing onto the island and having Donald enter screen. It'd also end with Scrooge and the gang having 'beaten' Lunaris (thanks in large part to Fethry and Gladstone having shown up just in time), which, again, will become relevant later.

The episode would start in largely the same way as the island scene but a little more drawn out, with Donald and Della just sort of stuck in a 'is this actually real? Did I die and just not notice it?' trance before the kids snap them out of it.

And once they do, once they finally approach each other for the first time in ten years and the kids are all waiting with baited breath to see what'll happen... they don't fight.

Not at first.

They also don't cry and hug each other either. They just- greet each other. Awkwardly. Stilted, like they've forgotten how to act around each other. (And they haven't, but they're so scared, they don't want to ruin things and everything is going wrong and they don't want this to go wrong and after so long apart are they even the same people anymore?) So they to be polite, like 'How are you? What's happening? Why are you here? It's good to see you, how's life been?'

And of course the kids would think it's weird- they're twins, and yet they're acting like complete strangers around each other!

But as the conversation progressed, things would start to get more heated. 'Why weren't you around? Why didn't you try to find me? Why'd you leave Scrooge? Why didn't you send any messages? Why didn't you tell the kids about me?' Before they knew it, it'd turn into a full-on screaming match, ten years of pain and regret and loneliness and 'why did you leave?' all forcing it's way to the forefront, unable to be held back because of all the pain running through everybody's minds right now.

And the big difference comes in in that they wouldn't stop fighting. They wouldn't suddenly go 'I missed you' and have everything be okay. The kids would step in and pull the two of them away from each other, so that they wouldn't end up fighting while they've got a hostage (the Moonlander, whom the kids -namely Webby- would've tied up in the background during the whole fight) to talk to.

The moonlander explains what's happening as they're interrogated, and the kids start making plans to get off the rock. Della immediately objects, saying that they need to stay put, and looks to Donald for backup (after all, she knows her brother, right? After everything they've been through, and everything the kids have said about him, she knows that he'll probably advocate for the kids staying out of danger, too).

And Donald instead sides with the kids (which hammers home that Donald has indeed changed to Della). They need to get off the island and go help. And immediately they start making plans to fix the Sunchaser to fly out.

To which Della still objects. Much more heartily, this time. Everyone's a little concerned at the heat to her objections, which she brushes off by insisting that everything's fine, that they're all fine here, that Scrooge has it handled, that they're safer here, that they can't leave her behind, that all their needs will be taken care of, that all these thoughts of bravado and being able to leave in the first place are just going to hurt and they should just give up now, that they're obviously just delirious from lack of oxygen and should change out their Oxy-Chew, she has some spares in her pocket that they can use if they...

Oh, no.

And everything would come crashing down around Della in that moment. It'd click in a really ugly way for her- she's not on the moon anymore. She isn't.

And yet, she's still acting like she is. And has been the entire time- she stopped acting like 'Della' and she doesn't know when, but she realizes that every time something's happened since she came back she's first reverted to 'Moon Della' problem-solving than anything else.

And that'd be overwhelming in and of itself, and including the fact that the sun is glaring down overhead and the kids are staring at her like she's grown a second head (like she's been afraid of ever since coming back) the fact that she doesn't actually know if Scrooge will be alright or not and that's killing her inside (it would've been so much nicer if she could've grabbed him and loaded him on the Sunchaser as well) the fact that Donald is staring at her with that concerned look that she was sure she'd never see again (it's been so, so long)- it's all too much. She needs space.

So she runs away. Deeper into the deserted island, despite the cries of the rest of her family.

The episode would refrain from following Della in order to stick around with the kids and Donald. They all have some stuff to talk about after all, despite all of them being very worried about Della.

And they'd talk (I think they should all get to air out their grievances at their names at least a little), and hug, and try to decide what the next course of action will be. Most of them want to try and find Della, but Donald assures them that she'll be fine, and it'd be better to figure out how to get off this rock before they 'go and try to kidnap her to get her outta here' (He's still a little upset with her).

That being said, at least at the start all of them head out to go search for her as a group (and have a talk about how 'She's a lot different than you made her out to be'/'I don't think she's the same Della who left you behind'/'She really missed you'/'And I know you missed her too')

One by one, after they've said their piece to Donald (most of which are some variation of 'give her a break, she's been through a lot'), each member of the search party would fall back to the beach. They aren't getting anywhere, they need to get work, and they need to trust that Della will come back to them.

In the end it'd just be Donald and Louie, and Donald would mention something about how if Louie has something he'd like to say about the subject, it's okay if he wants to share it. Donald would be happy to hear it, even if it kinda hurts.

And Louie just shrugs and asks Donald what he would've said to them if he'd been there when Della returned. What he would've said if they'd had issues with her coming back and didn't know how to handle it.

Donald would say that he would've assured them that they didn't have to forgive her if they didn't want to. That just because she came back, just because she's sorry, just because she didn't want to hurt them, doesn't mean she didn't. And they're not required to forgive her- even if they do want her to be a part of their life.

And Louie would just say 'Then right back at ya. If you don't wanna forgive her, then don't. If you do wanna forgive her, then do. If it's more complicated than that, then let it be complicated.'

After that (and maybe a little bit of Donald hiding his tears) Donald would say that he should get back to the others to make sure they hadn't killed the hostage, but that he trusted Louie, and if he wanted to keep searching then he should.

Which Louie would do- and only a little bit after Donald left, he'd find Della. Alone in a small oasis, on her back, staring up into the sky.

Now going way back for a moment before continuing (you remember how I said this would bleed into 'how I'd change the show in entirety?'), something that'd be vaguely important to this scene would be a change to Glomtales.

Specifically (a 'canon change' that I've seen talked about on the internet before and gone 'ooh yes gimme' to) that Della didn't head out with the rest of the family on the adventure. Instead, she stayed behind with Louie while he was grounded- which would change a lot of the issues with Glomtales in my humble opinion.

It'd make it more interesting because it'd really hammer home just how alike Louie and Della are. Mainly by having her thwart his every escape attempt by always being one step ahead of him (because she knows the mansion, knows how she would attempt to escape, and knows the order she'd most likely do it in).

It'd also allow for them to have a talk in the Glomtales episode as well- because Louie pointed out in Timephoon that 'Hey, you did the exact same thing, you know' and it would have been really really great to have had Della be able to respond 'Yeah, I did. Look at how that turned out, kiddo.'

She would've sat him down around the end and explained why she was so insistent that he needs to not keep messing around in the way he has been (because it reminds her way too much of how her childhood was and that didn't exactly lead to a healthy outcome), definitely also accidentally pull back the curtain just a tad on the fact that she is not okay (which would lead to Louie mostly just being concerned about her instead of listening), and would allow her to say, specifically-'Your family will always try to be there for you. We will always gladly be your safety net. But having the best safety net in the world means jack if you refuse to use it. And if you keep going doing what you're doing, you might end up in a place where we can't reach you.' (Which, sidenote: I think is what they were attempting to get across in the show, but just kinda fucked up at.)

And largely Louie wouldn't really take what she said into consideration until The Richest Duck in the World, where he'd very quickly find himself in exactly the position Della described.

Anyways, all that said, going back to The Island. Louie finding Della, alone, not doing the greatest.

And Louie would do what Louie would do. He'd head over, lie down right next to her, and make some dumb quip, which she'd snort at and return. ('Seems a little difficult to stargaze in the middle of the day.' | 'Hah- after the moon, any 'starry night sky' on earth just looks completely blank.')

And they'd finally talk. Della would get to explain how she didn't see this coming, and how much that sucks. And Louie would be like well it's not your fault Lunaris is a conniving ass, but Della would shake her head. It's not that she didn't see this betrayal coming (well, she didn't, but honestly at this point in her life it wasn't much of a surprise), but how she didn't see- this. Herself. Breaking.

She never saw this coming. Maybe she just hadn't been looking, but she never could've believed that she'd break like this. That she'd carry this- weight around, even after the moon. (She'd escaped the moon, after all. She really thought she'd be able to leave it all behind.)

She was Della Duck, for crying out loud. She always claimed that nothing could stop her, and yet- here she was. Unable to move on.

And Louie would agree. She couldn't move on- not by herself, at least. But what was it she'd told him, again? 'Family was a great safety net, but only if you actually used it' or something like that?

There was no shame to be found in breaking sometimes. You couldn't be expected to keep moving forever, without any breaks, until the end of time. Hell, he broke all the time- and took breaks all the time too, which helped a lot.

And there was no shame in asking for help, either. In admitting that you cannot solve every problem on your own, that you can't see every problem on your own- sometimes stuff affects you in ways you'd never be able to catch on your own.

But she wasn't alone anymore. She had family. And she could break now (well maybe not now-now, since the world was kinda ending at the moment), let herself shatter. And they'd all be here to help her pick up the pieces.

Della would 100% be in tears by this point, and Louie would bust out the song for her and Della would finish it (because that's just a beautiful scene), and Louie would get to explain to her after she asks that Donald sang it to them every night when they were little.

And that would be what finally gets her up and ready to head back. Ready to talk to her brother again, to face the world.

So the two would head back to the beach, where the Sunchaser is still kind of in disarray (without Launchpad around, none of them know how to fix it quickly), though the Moonlander has managed to get the rocket in pretty much tip-top shape by this point.

The kids notice that Della's back first, and immediately run to give her a hug (she apologizes profusely to them for her 'episode' back there, and promises not to react so poorly to one should it happen again), then back off to let her and Donald talk again.

And, again, they're back to that- awkward stage. They've forgotten how to interact with each other.

Della makes an effort to resolve this by lightly punching him on the shoulder. 'You refused to tell 'em anything about me, but you sang my song for them every night, huh?'

And Donald would snort and bandy back. 'Well hey, it was a good song. ...And even if I couldn't manage to talk about you, I thought they deserved to know a part of you, at least.'

And finally (finally), it'd come crashing down for both of them. Della was back. Donald was back. After ten (well more like eleven but who's counting) long years, they were finally back together.

Cue the waterworks. They'd immediately launch into a hug that looked like they were trying to squeeze the air out of each other, blubbering unintelligibly all the while.

Then the scene would be cut short by a loud booming noise. Off hundreds of miles out in the distance, the large Moonlander mothership would be seen blasting up, up, up into space.

And they'd breathe a sigh of relief (and maybe a little disappointment from the kids). Apparently things had been resolved while they were away. Lunaris was retreating. They were okay.

And then the mothership would turn around. And everyone's stomach would drop.

And that would lead into the final (or maybe penultimate if I wanted to be really self-indulgent) episode of the arc, which would start with the end of the episode before the island- Lunaris's defeat at the hands of Scrooge (well really Glomgold, Gladstone, Fethry, and Mitzy). The group is celebrating, momentarily not paying as much attention as they should. Lunaris takes the opportunity to run back to the ship and launch it into space. Everyone's like 'ah damn, wish we hadn't let him get away, but still- a victory's a victory.' At least, until the ship turns and they realize that he's going to try and do a suicide run into the earth. Which is good for absolutely nobody.

And as they realized this, a battered Moonlander radio that had fallen out of one of the ships nearby would start blinking.

Back on the island, the group would be freaking out. What could they do? What was gonna happen? The earth was doomed, everything they did, everything they tried to do- all for nothing.

And Della would look to the fixed up Moonlander ship, steady her shaking hands, and move towards it. And Donald would notice, understand exactly what she was going to do, and immediately run to object.

And they'd have an argument that, while we never saw the first, mirrors the last fight they had before Della went up into space the first time. Which Donald would hint towards by saying stuff like 'I just got you back, I can't lose you again!'

But Della would manage to cut him off eventually. This time was different. She wasn't running away. She knew the risks, she knew that this probably wouldn't end well.

There'd be a whole argument of 'It's the only thing we can do! Would you really be willing to let the whole world die for one person?' 'Yes!' 'Then what about the kids?'

Complete silence.

Della would tell Donald that she knew what he'd pick. If it was between her or the kids, she knew who he'd choose, every time. Even if it would kill him each time. Hence why she wasn't making him choose.

She'd then look over his shoulder and ask the kids if they'd ever seen what the stars looked like outside of the city. When they'd mention that no, they hadn't, she'd offer to show them.

With strengthened resolve and clear minds, the group would all head into the ship and fly up, up, and up to go meet Lunaris's vessel.

But there'd be a complication. Maybe caused by the earth moving out of orbit, maybe just pure coincidence, but as the Moonlander ship made its way into orbit, it'd slowly get harder and harder to see. To navigate. Maybe Della was just cursed, or maybe some force in the universe just really hated her guts- the second time she rocketed up out of earth, she was greeted by another cosmic storm.

But this time would be different. It had to be different- her whole family (obviously much more important than the world) was relying on her now. So instead of waiting, instead of trying to brave it herself- she immediately flips on the radio and tries to hail someone who could guide her through the storm.

And back on earth, Scrooge would pick up the blinking radio and his niece's voice would come out of it. Tinny and slightly shaking, but still putting on a brave face. As she says 'Hey, so promise not to be mad, but I might need your help,' he'd realize what's going on. It's happening again. His going to lose his whole family. Again.

Except- it wasn't happening again. Because this time it wasn't just him and Della. This time Donald was there. And Beakley. And Webby, and Huey, and Dewey, and Louie and Fethry and Gladstone and Launchpad and even Glomgold for crying out loud!

It wasn't just two people acting like they were gods this time. It was a whole group, a whole family, with a mission.

Since the mothership touched down close to the Money Bin, Scrooge could quickly get the remains of the earth team to the long unused command module. A little bit of blowing off dust and very shoddy science, and they could get it working- mostly.

It was nothing fancy, nothing wonderful, but all their heads combined they could figure out a way to track the mothership through the cosmic storm, and lead the space team to it.

What would follow would be a bit of a cat-and-mouse game between the mothership and the Duck ship, with the cosmic storm acting as cover and sort of a mask for both ships. They'd both be flying blind- but the Ducks would have the earth team to guide them. (Mostly Scrooge and Beakley, though Gladstone, Fethry, and Launchpad would help as well- Glomgold not so much. He would be trying, though, and that's gotta count for something, right?)

And all combined, they'd manage to do a decent job! They'd deal significant damage to the mothership, especially when taking into account just how small their ship is in comparison.

But even with all of that, disaster would still strike. In the form of a lightning bolt from the storm getting a lucky shot and frying their systems, leaving them dead in space (it would be specified that it was only temporary, though- the Moonlanders had built in backup systems that'd take over should a cosmic storm fry them after Della told them her tale). Which would already be bad enough- and then the storm would clear.

Granted, that would bring momentary relief to Della (flying through it would not be comfortable for her for pretty much the entire time) it would quickly be replaced by dread. Because without the cover, without the engines- they're sitting Ducks. Lunaris would very easily end them.

Thankfully though, it would end very similarly to how the Moonvasion ended regularly: Penumbra would come flying in at the last moment (in the original Spear of Selene, no less) and blow up the ships engines, momentarily leading to a tense moment where it seems like she died- then she slams onto the window of the Ducks' ship, and it'd be okay.

For the space team, at least. When their systems were fried momentarily, they'd also lose the radio. So earth team -specifically Scrooge- would have to sit in anticipation and dread as it really did seem like everything was going wrong exactly like it did last time.

And then the radio would blip back on, the signal would come back, and the earth team would rejoice. Everyone would rejoice- the earth would get pushed back into position, the space team would land back at the mansion and everyone would get to have a 'We Just Successfully Averted the End of World and Nobody Died! Thank Fuck!' Party.

(And if I was being really self-indulgent -which I totally haven't been already- I would make the 'holy shit we actually made it' party it's own final episode, maybe with a little bit of the 'fighting the big bad mothership' part for the beginning.

It'd actually largely be after most of the other people had left or had passed out in one of the guest rooms, and would be a bit of a mirror to the first episode of the season- Game Night. But this board game night would be -relatively- more chill, and just a thing focusing on what the Duck-McDuck family does to cool down after a large adventure like that.)

So yeah that's like- a little bit of my tangent of 'How I Would Change Ducktales If I Wanted To Make It A More Dramatic And Plot-Heavy Show'

If you got this far I hope you enjoyed it (and I feel real sorry for you if you didn't)

TL;DR: I'd make it so that the Moonvasion finale was instead a final arc, and I'd make The Island a full episode in its own right. I'd also make it so that they fly up to meet Lunaris in a space fight right after The Island, leaving Scrooge and the other cousins to guide them through a cosmic storm