#this blew my mind when she said this xD

[lasandra]

Sketches of the Dragon Age men I've romanced + my reactions to their romance! For funsies!

Under the cut because it's quite long... There are spoilers for DA:O, DA:2, and DA:I (Probably not an issue because all these games have been out for 10+ years but I wanted to say, just in case).

These are just how 'I' feel about them. I'd love to hear everyone else's opinions on the characters as well! One thing I love about Dragon Age is that the characters are so complex that people can have very different opinions on them (and mostly not kill each other for it! :P).

Alistair:

Alistair was the reason I started playing the game back in 2010. My father had been given the game by his best friend and he would always let me watch him play games. He hadn't gotten further than defeating the Ogre in the Tower of Ishal before he quit playing, however, much to 12-year-old me's disappointment. I had immediately fallen in love with Alistair and wanted to see more of him! I asked if I could play and fortunately my father was not as careful about checking game ratings/content and said sure!

Words cannot describe how stunned I was when I found out you could romance companions in this game, this was an entirely new concept to me that blew my 12-year-old mind. To this day Alistair is my favorite fictional man and I would destroy all of Thedas to protect him.

Zevran:

I didn't have as positive an experience initially with Zevran as I barely took him anywhere with me initially (so my approval with him was always pretty low). Back then I figured he always would betray you when Taliesen shows up. One day I decided to run a playthrough where I romanced him. When I knew I was getting close to when Taliesen showed up I was sad, but thinking he was still going to betray me, I removed all his weapons and armor so that it would be easier to kill him. Boy was I surprised when he didn't betray me and was instead punching the other crows in his underwear... It was that playthrough that I realized how important it was to check approval lol.

Anders:

Anders and Nathaniel Howe had been my favorite Awakening characters. In my canon playthrough, I had protected the city but lost the keep, with Anders and Justice along with it. Or so I thought. When I loaded up DA:2 and saw him, I thought him being alive was a bug and was so excited that he wasn't dead! And when I saw that you could flirt with him, 13-year-old me was like, "Yeah, I'll be doing THAT!" It was all going great until the end of the game when he BLEW UP THE FREAKING CHANTRY! I was so upset, I wondered what I did wrong to make him do that. I loaded so many saves and started the game over 3 times trying to figure out how to avoid that. When I realized I couldn't stop him no matter what I did, I was completely and utterly devastated and PISSED. He is the reason I have trust issues in Dragon Age. I still choose to romance him sometimes because the guy is such a romantic but I do so expecting sadness and anger in the end lol. Knowing Hawke will never be as important as the cause and the fact that he LIES to Hawke, tricking her into helping him without full knowledge of what she's taking part in, will never cease to annoy me.

A lot, I know... He just makes me feel a lot of things xD It's a complicated love-hate relationship.

Fenris:

It took awhile for me to warm up to Fenris but he is by far and a way my favorite DA:2 romance now. Things are complicated with him and within the romance but it's very clear that he actually cares about Hawke. I can relate to him a bit in one way, the reason he leaves after he and Hawke get together in Act 2. Trauma like that can really ruin things that should make you happy, and it can be very frightening when memories of the traumatic event surface, and the last thing you want to do is make the person you care about feel bad or like it's their fault. It just makes me want to give him a hug. Poor spikey boy...

Sebastian:

I really wish Bioware had had the time to do more with Sebastian. I really do. His romance has some cute moments (and there are some interesting implications if you rivalmance him) but he was made as a DLC companion and it shows. I still quite like his character though, I know a lot of DA fans aren't fond but yeah lol. He can be a bit of a dramatic pain in the butt if you don't kill Anders though. That is very valid criticism.

Cullen:

Ah... Cullen... He was always controversial. A lot like Solas is now. There are people who hate Cullen's guts and people who adore him. I am quite obviously the latter. I wanted to romance him in DA:O, I wanted to romance him in DA:2, and then we finally got him in DA:I and it was better than I ever could have imagined.

Honestly, I kind of suspect that if I hadn't done Alistair's romance first, that Cullen's would be my favorite in the series. It's so sweet and he PROPOSES and married you IN-GAME. That's freaking awesome! And his ending slides after Trespasser just make me really really happy lol.

Alistair is still my favorite but Cullen is a very close second.

Blackwall:

Blackwall is a solid character and a sweet guy; his story and romance are very well written as well. Honestly though, he just looks too old for me. I was 16 when Inquisition came out and I'm 26 now. Dude looks like he could be my dad and so it's hard to convince myself that my characters would be interested in him. No shade to those who like him, just different preferences, and like I said, he's still a very compelling character and if he were younger or less bearded, I could probably enjoy the romance too.

While I make a big deal about Blackwall lying about being a Grey Warden, it's mostly just me picking on him. I actually do think it makes for an interesting narrative. It's so easy to sus him out when you've played Origins though lol! That being said, I DO make him become a legitimate Grey Warden because it just feels right to me and ensures that every Dragon Age game I play has at least one Grey Warden companion (so that everything is right in the universe).

Please don't hate me Blackwall fans lol!

Solas:

Am I a massive hypocrite for loving Solas so much while not being all that fond of Blackwall? Probably yes... But I can't help it! To be fair though, before I finished Inquisition for the first time (this was before the Trespasser DLC btw), I didn't even think I'd be interested. I'm a diehard Solavellan now, but I had initially just seen him as a pajama-wearing fade nerd (aren't I sweet?). As I've said I was 16 when I first played Inquisition and was too busy romancing Cullen to notice all the (in hindsight) obvious signs that there was more to Solas than met the eye.

When I saw that he was the dreadwolf... I kind of flipped my ever living shit. Fen'Harel had been the most interesting of the elven pantheon to me since I played my first dalish elf warden in Origins and now my Lavellan had the chance to romance him??? So naturally I did just that my next playthrough.

I didn't use the internet like I do now so I had no idea what was coming in Crestwood though. OOF! I was in shock. How dare this pajama-wearing fade nerd elven god just dump my poor Lavellan like that! Then Trespasser came out I had round 2 of getting my heart ripped out of my chest, dashed into a thousand pieces, and strewn about the fade in the most tragic way possible. *Is dramatic*

Cullen and Alistair may be my favorite romances for the romance itself, but Solas is my favorite romance for the overarching story. I mean, because the Inquisitor is seen by so much of Thedas as the Herald of Andraste, Lavellan is canonically a religious figure of the chantry whether she agrees with it or not. Solas is a religious figure of the elves. This means two religious figures from two separate religions get together and that is just SO interesting from a story perspective!

I can't wait to see what they do with the Solavellan romance in Veilguard. I hope it doesn't hurt too much xD

The Iron Bull:

16-year-old me was not prepared for this romance... At ALL. My poor mostly innocent eyes lol (Cullen's too!). It's a fun romance though, and my default inquisition romance for my Qunari and dwarf characters. He's cool. Plus I had a bit of a crush on Freddie Prinze Jr when I was a kid so like, that makes it kind of neat!

Final Thoughts:

Bioware has always written truly amazing characters and romances and I am so excited to see what Veilguard has to offer. I am probably going to have to do two playthroughs at once so I can romance Lucanis and Davrin so I can play both without knowing too much in advance.

Like I said at the top, I'd love to know what everyone's opinions of the characters are! Loveya!

[theheromira]

Nimona Movie appreciation post (Part 2 of idk how many)

Sooo, here's part 2 ^^ another pic for attention ;)

the whole first interaction of Nim and Bal is pure gold, also that "jumpscare" with the music in the background, like I already said: Christophe Beck (and everyone in the music department of the movie for that matter) did a more than amazing job

"Did it bleed a lot? Did they let you keep the old one?" Nimonas expression just XD and Bal also answering her with a "No"

Loving Nims lil laugh when she says "Little girls?" and her just casually stopping the saw with her arm

the whole interaction with that little girl/how old he thinks she is

you'd like it to stay that way, yeeaah sure, you gotta just have that one 1000+ years old child

I love how Bal says kebab

also: where did Nim get the paper, there is some gold symbols etched in, almost looks like stationary from somewhere?

"Up here"

the whole to-be-your-sidekick-speech

also great foreshadowing with the phoenix and stuff

also Bal regretting his life choices while Nim does her lil speech and then him being jumpscared by the plate she throws against the wall

also that is a veeery clean plate for that kind of dreary place but hey, I'm also a very picky person when it comes to plate (and utensil) cleanliness (just gastronomy things in my case I guess lol)

Bals face after "Or we could just… talk"

The punchable face scene lol

all the little details of the innocence-wall

"Yeees!", looks at shattered bottle he wanted to kill the intruder with (probably), throw it away

Love how she seems disappointet that he isn't a villain but sshe already decided to adopt him, so it doesn't really matter to her anymore if he is or not

"It's complicated" 1x

Character-in-a-movie-says-he-won't-do-something-only-to-do-exactly-that-in-the-next-scene-clicheé (which I always love btw)

"I love lunch" lol same

the Director is such a good actor but in retrospect I really noticed how she speaks about Bal ("someone like you could be a hero" I mean, how that flew over my head the first time around I don't really know) or to the other knights ("you act like common children" as if there is a difference between normal children and those of commoners/as if commoners are not worth as much as them)

spotting Nim in rat-form when Bal asks for a chance blew my mind the second (or third) time I watched the movie

No matter what you try, if people think one way about you, you're always gonna be that in their eyes is a lesson I also learned when I was really young and ngl that's probably one of the things that made me be a completely different person when I'm not on the internet, soo… that's also one reason I can relate and why I love this movie so much

"I gotta hand it to ya.", she says and hands him his arm lol

Violence is also a code

loving the little noise she makes after she says "You know there's no toilet in there"

the whole murder 'em/ hide scene

"That's a hard No" made me laugh way to much

that whole break out scene until "They were like this when I got here" lol best break out scene of all time

Nims joke with the club of the one armed XD also the lights reflecting in her eyes as a little foreshadowing that she's not human

Nim casually knocking out that one knight with the axe

Bal reacting to her plan like: "Of course. The old something, something, something, we win." As if he alreay knows that plan and you can't convince me that that wouldn't be because Amb likes/ liked/ used to make plans like that

[spooky-activity]

Psst. Tell me about your fancomic 👀

Oh god, okay okay, I'm giving you ALL the context(as of the most recent patch, 2.4) because I know you know nothing about the game, and ALL my thoughts, are you ready Tjerra. Well. Most of my thoughts. I won't say any spoilers for future plans. But if my explanation peaks your interest you can absolutely message me on discord and I will spill EVERYTHING. If it doesn't peak your interest that's fine too I know not everyone has to like the same thing and I absolutely won't be offended XD

I'm going to put it under a cut because I've written you a dissertation.

OK. SO. CONTEXT.

In Honkai: Star Rail you play as the Trailblazer, who can be a boy(Caelus) or girl(Stelle). I picked the girl, so I'm going to refer to the Trailblazer as Stelle from here on out.

Our first moment of consciousness controlling this character is this scene, where Kafka shoves (what we later learn to be) a seed of disaster, AKA the cancer of all worlds, AKA a Stellaron into our chest. These things have the ability to corrode reality, so like. They're bad news. We get picked up by the crew of the Astral Express, which Himeko is the unspoken leader of.

About Kafka

Kafka is a member of a group known as the Stellaron Hunters, who have been going around the universe gathering these dangerous reality bombs. They are widely regarded as criminals. She seems to be the right hand of their leader, Elio. Her inter-astral bounty is 10.899 billion credits. (The highest bounty of all the currently known Stellaron Hunters, one of which blew up an entire planet.) She has an ability called Spirit Whisper, which essentially allows her to mind control people.

Here's her Character Trailer and her Myriad Celestia Trailer, which I would recommend watching if you want to get a sense of her personality, but also because these trailers kinda kick ass.

Stelle has amnesia, she doesn't remember anything from before waking up. But according to things Kafka said in an optional companion mission you can complete with her later in the game, she was the one who was "...responsible for protecting you, teaching you general knowledge, common sense, and combat skills." (I kind of see her as a motherly figure to Stelle because of this, but others see their past relationship as romantic. No confirmation of their past relationship dynamic aside from this line has appeared in the game.)

From her companion mission, we can also learn:

A bit about her backstory: "I used to be a Devil Hunter. I grew up on a planet contaminated by a Stellaron: Pteruges-V – “New Babylon.” Humans there don’t know what fear is – the concept itself simply doesn’t exist. When people don’t feel fear they are dominated by desire and pleasure – they become “devils.” When Elio found me, I was in the middle of a mission… and the conditions he offered me caught my interest."

She joined the Stellaron Hunters because "I have no mechanism for “fear”. There is an empty space in my mind and my heart, but I am unable to perceive it. Changing that part of myself isn’t something I can do alone. Elio can help me, if I follow his instructions."

She is very interested in Stelle because "One day, Elio handed you over to me. He said that if things continued to transpire according to the future possibility he foresaw, you would eventually change me, and I would change you. In other words, you and I are each other’s destiny."

Another Stellaron Hunter, Firefly, has QUITE A FEW very important things to add to Kafka's characterization, which previous to Firefly's lines about her was still very very mysterious.

Her thoughts about Kafka if you ask her: "She willingly approaches me, and when I try to approach her, I get the feeling that the distance between us is getting bigger and bigger... Kafka told me: "When making friends with someone, keep the right distance, in order to maintain a long-lasting relationship." But I don't think she actually believes this."

She revealed that Kafka just. Gave her her credit card and pin and told her to buy anything that caught her eye. The context of the scene gave the impression that Kafka has a very doting personality towards people she cares about.

She says that Kafka "knows people's hearts". This combined with her Spirit Whisper ability leads me to believe that Kafka is very, very, very good at manipulating people.

It's also mentioned that she loves velvet coats specifically because of how fragile they are/how difficult they are to care for and keep looking nice. And basically everyone she seems to actually truly care about (Stelle, the rest of the Stellaron Hunters) she has seen in an incredibly fragile and vulnerable state.

My personal interpretation of her character is that if you're not one of the people she considers "hers", you can basically go fuck yourself as far as she's concerned. She simply doesn't care about you or what happens to you. I think you become "hers" if she sees your fragility, and decides she'd rather see you whole than broken.

I think she wants to be able to feel fear because she dislikes being able to "know the hearts" of the people who are "hers"(people she loves), but being unable to empathize with them, and being unable to fear losing them. I think... She might be lonely because of this. Feeling like she can't "truly" connect with people unless she makes herself "whole".

About Himeko

Himeko is the Navigator of the Astral Express, which is a Space Train created thousands of years ago by Akivili, the God of Trailblazing(who is now missing and presumed dead). It is able to warp jump between worlds and lay down a "Silver Rail" which other people can traverse. Civilizations on different planets were unable to contact each other before this. The Express itself(and by extension, the current Crew of the Express) is extraordinarily famous throughout the cosmos because it and its Silver Rail connected the universe in the first place.

She's also the mechanic of the Astral Express(AKA smart enough to fix God's spaceship), but she never introduces herself that way. She has a very good memory. From her her Character Story: Part III "...She remembers the specifications for every single component of the Express and how they're assembled. She remembers when to oil the Express's bearings and when each plant on the Express needs watering."

We know almost nothing about her past, because this woman refuses to fucking talk about herself no matter how much I ask her.

All we know is that at some point, the Astral Express was destroyed, stranded on her home planet, and the young Himeko repaired it. Then she left her home planet, and has been Trailblazing ever since.

Her character blurbs you can read in her profile imply that she is incredibly lonely, though. Her personality is like. Elegant Team Mom. She's incredibly warm, always making sure everyone is okay and their needs are met. She MADE the outfits for Stelle and another member of the Express who ALSO has amnesia, and built a weapon for the other amnesiac too. She named the groupchat all the passengers of the Astral Express are in "The Astral Express Family" so. yeah. But also she’s allergic to talking about herself

Here's her character trailer if you'd like to get a bit of a better sense of her personality. She was one of the first characters to get a trailer, and uhhhh it's a bit lacking in pizzaz compared to Kafka's trailers.

Shipping Them

Tjerra I'm going to be honest with you. They have only met one time in the game. This is the scene.

Kafka is literally the only person we've ever seen Himeko act like this towards, including members of the IPC (Interastral Peace Corporation, which is basically just. Space Amazon if Amazon was also the government.) who she also hates. She's always, at the very least, extremely polite to everyone we've met(who isn't actively trying to kill us). Except Kafka.

Because of this aggression and this video where Himeko says: "...as for my encounters with Kafka, they were little more than footnotes to a bigger journey." people who ship the two normally headcanon them as exes, on account of the plural "encounters" mentioned here.

But it's unclear(to me) if the "Keeping up with Star Rail" videos are canon. Or if Himeko is referring to their singular ingame interaction, because Himeko also says this in that video: "Why take kindly to someone who holds up your train journey?" Which. Is what Kafka did in their one ingame interaction.

So MY personal take on the whole thing is that this actually was their first time ever meeting, and Himeko just dislikes her because she was the one who shoved the Stellaron/reality bomb into Stelle's chest(personal grudge) and has also killed a bunch of people(general dislike of mass murder).

Basically my first "huh, I think I could get into this" thought was what if Kafka, playful tease that she is, thought it was funny that she could get on Himeko's nerves so easily, and essentially decided to keep on poking her to see what kind of reactions she could get. For me, that's a really fun dynamic to play with.

What interested me further was that, in the beginning of Kafka's optional companion mission, she texts you to come help her with something, asking you not to tell anyone. You can actually go and ask Himeko about what she thinks you should do. And she actually encourages you to go and talk to her, putting aside her own feelings about Kafka in order to facilitate what she thinks is an important relationship for you.

Exploring what it would take for these two to actually fall in love is kind of the premise of my comic. (I am demisexual and demiromantic, so Love At First Sight is something I am 90% sure is not a huge prank, and is 100% something I do not understand) Kafka just wanting to push Himeko's buttons, and maybe sleep with the famous Navigator of the Astral Express (what a feat!) and Himeko hating Kafka's guts but knowing she's important to Stelle, and being willing to deal with Kafka if it is to Stelle’s benefit.

If you'd like to read all my panels in order, you can start (here), then go (here), and finally (here).

[beewolfwrites]

The Oar in the Sand - Chapter Twenty-Nine: The Cost of Freedom

Just as a forewarning, sorry not sorry! 

A lot of you might hate me for this chapter - that, or you’ll hate Niragi even more than usual, which is saying something. 

This fic will be coming to an end soonish, but rest assured, things will look up after this chapter XD

AO3 Link

___________________________________________________

It was a bad dream. A skewed nightmare that I would eventually awake from. Chishiya wasn’t actually lying on the ground. He wasn’t clutching his side, the sticky blood coating his fingers.

Except he was. And this wasn’t a dream. 

This isn’t real. It can’t be real. It can’t be.

At the sound of the gunshot, Arisu spun on his heel. When he finally saw us standing there, his eyes widened and he shakily raised his rifle. 

‘Niragi.’ 

‘Yo.’ Niragi trudged closer to them. ‘It makes me pretty damn happy to see you here too, Arisu.’ 

Their words were nothing. A blur of blood and death, happening somewhere far away. My arms and legs were numb, and I couldn’t seem to move. All I could do was stare at Chishiya’s form on the ground. It was a scene, acted out by hand puppets in a diorama - a performance of reality. But no matter how many times I blinked, the scene before me didn’t change. 

Until it did. 

Chishiya sat up, assessing his wound with faint amusement. ‘If that shot was supposed to kill me, you failed miserably.’

You’re really alive. 

I released a sharp breath and Chishiya’s eyes shifted from Niragi to me. The smugness disappeared and his face became unreadable, a guarded wall with a trace of conflict. It would have worked on anyone else, but not me. I knew him too well. I could see the thoughts racing through his mind — he didn’t expect me to be here, he didn’t expect me to be alive. 

Without a word, I moved towards him, only for Niragi’s forearm to wrap itself around my throat, snaring me in a bruising headlock. 

I can’t… I can’t breathe! 

I twisted back and forth in an attempt to loosen Niragi’s grip. His arm tightened in response and the pressure was crushing my throat. It was too much, too tight. If this kept up, I was going to die here, drowning without air. Fearing the worst, I went limp, focusing all of my energy on trying to inhale as best I could. In the midst of this delirium, I felt the barrel of his gun against my head. 

‘Let her go,’ Chishiya hissed, slowly pulling himself to his feet, one hand pressed against his wound. 

‘Niragi, that’s enough!’ Arisu exclaimed.

‘You know, I wasn’t going to end this with a surprise attack,’ Niragi said. ‘But now that we’re all back here together, let’s do this. A game of shootout - a Battle Royale! It seems pretty suitable, don’t you think?’ 

‘A game between players?’ Arisu asked.  

All at once, a cold wind blew through the streets. The light turned grey as the sun disappeared behind thick grey clouds. I felt the first drops of rain hit my cheek, cold and full of life.

The cyclone… it never went away. 

It was as if the storm knew what was happening. Everything had been building up to this moment, the cat and mouse chase with Niragi, the unresolved tensions from the Beach. I wasn’t the only one who could sense it. Arisu and Chishiya looked up at the clouds, their faces darker. Meanwhile, Niragi let out a pleased hum, as if he was impressed by the change in weather. 

‘The three of us are very similar,’ he explained. ‘We’re freaks who can’t fit in with society. We’re scum. But we still feel the need to stay alive, probably more than most people.’ 

‘You might be right about us,’ Arisu said, ‘but leave her out of it. She doesn’t need—’ 

Niragi cut him off with a wet cough. He shifted, and I heard the sound of something splattering to the ground. From the corner of my eye I could see blood and saliva mixing with streams of rain. 

He’s coughing up blood? No wonder I smelled it on him earlier…

‘I don’t have much time left,’ he muttered. ‘So let’s get on with this. As kindred spirits, let’s play one last game.’ 

I felt the handgun pull away from my head as he pointed it at Chishiya and Arisu. Chishiya reached one hand into the waistband of his sweatpants and took out the familiar pistol. My heart suddenly filled with dread. 

No, you can’t be falling for it!  

That pistol couldn’t possibly have many bullets left. I wanted to scream at him to run away, to hide like he always did. But of course, he didn’t move. Chishiya had never feared death. 

‘I like it.’ His mouth curled into a smile, but his catlike eyes were cold and hard. ‘You should join us, Arisu.’ 

The rain drummed against the roofs of cars, the noise almost drowning out all sense. I shivered in the icy wind. It disgusted me to be so close to someone as monstrous as Niragi, but I had no choice but to cling to his arm around my throat, ready to rip it off the moment I had the chance. 

Arisu was wide-eyed, caught between the others. ‘Chishiya? You too?’ 

‘I’m sure you despise me as well,’ Chishiya replied. ‘Now’s your chance to take revenge for everything I did to you at the Beach. Let’s play, just the three of us.’ He looked at me pointedly, then at Niragi.

Don’t, I wanted to tell him. Don’t try to help. Just run away. 

Although I couldn’t see his face, I could hear Niragi’s grin as he spoke. ‘Since I’m half-dead already, she’ll be my shield. Got to even out the playing field, you know.’ 

Arisu frowned deeply. ‘Are you insane?’  

‘Come on!’ Niragi insisted. ‘You’ve got a gun too, take aim.’ 

Arisu was incredulous, looking between the other two for any sign of rationality. ‘Please! Do we really have to do this?’ 

My eardrums exploded with a sharp pain as Niragi fired several times at Arisu. He ducked and hid behind the nearest car. In the distraction, I felt Niragi’s grip become ever so slightly lax.

It’s now or never. 

Twisting my neck as far down as I could, I clamped my teeth on Niragi’s forearm. He let out a guttural howl and finally released me, coughing and spluttering as I fell to my knees. But there was no time. 

‘Chishiya, now,’ I croaked. 

Bullets flew past me, hitting car doors and wet gravel as Niragi swerved, staggering on the ground. Even though Chishiya didn’t have the best aim, the plan worked. I was finally free. It was a small victory, but the moment was short-lived.

Niragi retaliated, firing two rounds at Chishiya who leapt behind a rusty car. With Niragi so focused on firing at Chishiya and Arisu, this was my chance. I had to run, fast. One hand braced against my aching throat, I tried to stand. 

I think I can—

A crushing blow slammed into my stomach. And then another. The pain was blinding in its ferocity, and I curled into myself, wrapping my arms around my head even as my body was thrown back and forth. I was vaguely aware of a woman screaming, but I could barely hear her as Niragi kicked me again and again. Just when I thought it was all going to end, I heard a snicker, and an incredible weight stamped on my shin. Something cracked deep inside and a white hot pain flared throughout my body. Only then did I realise that the person screaming was me. 

Gunshots sounded once again from Chishiya’s direction. However they must have missed as Niragi ducked a little, but didn’t move away. Another kick landed on my stomach. But this time, his foot caught my ribs, knocking the air straight out of me. I wheezed, winded by the force of the blow. 

‘Stop this Niragi!’ Arisu shrieked. His voice sounded so far away. ‘She doesn’t have anything to do with this!’ 

Niragi only laughed. ‘She has everything to do with this. Why else would I bring her here?’ 

Another shot was fired. There was a tearing of fabric and suddenly, the assault ceased. Every inch of my body was on fire, and I could tell already that my leg was fractured. Even the tiniest movements were torturous, but I knew I had to somehow get away from here. 

I couldn’t die after coming this far. I couldn’t let myself. 

Opening my eyes a little, I was relieved to discover that Niragi had backed away. He was now standing on the roof of a car, his shirt sleeve ripped from that last bullet. 

‘Isn’t this great weather?!’ His voice was nearly drowned out by the wind and rain. ‘A typhoon like this doesn’t happen often!’ 

‘You’re surprisingly still pretty lively,’ Chishiya said. ‘I think we need to fix that.’

‘A bullet between the eyes would do the trick,’ I groaned under my breath, trying to find the strength to move even a little bit.

‘Cut it out!’ Arisu pleaded from his hiding place. ‘Nothing good can come from something like this. Stop involving others in your own self-abandonment!’ 

There was a pause, and then Niragi chuckled lowly. ‘Self-abandonment? That’s not it at all. I’m simply doing what I want, the way I want. You guys are the same. It’s always “me” with you two. It’s always about what you want!’

With my good leg, I tried to push myself forward, even if I was just inching along the wet ground. The wet stones and gravel were sharp against my skin, and shooting pains ran along my fractured leg. But I pushed it aside, gritting my teeth and fighting away tears as I dragged my body across the wet tarmac and grass. 

I was halfway to the nearest car, halfway to safety. There was just a little more to go. 

A little more. 

From his ledge on the car roof, Niragi was simmering with tightly controlled mania. It was impossible to tell whether he was laughing or outraged. 

‘You aren’t experts on life just because you saw a bunch of people die,’ he raved. ‘“Living for Others” - that’s just bullshit! The only people we care about are ourselves. We’re still pieces of trash who’ll never grow up. The only thing people like us need is our own worthless ego!’ 

My ego?

‘We can never change. So the only thing we can do is embrace it!’ 

There was a silence as Niragi’s words sank in. His methods were grotesque, but he was telling the truth. We were all flawed in some way or another, from throwing others under the bus to ignoring others’ feelings. In some ways, it was human nature. 

But to embrace that selfishness?

I had always chosen to stay hidden away in the cage of my father’s control, never thinking independently or following my own path. I hated my my past self for being so naive and unwilling to change. Clinging onto romantic fairy-tales spun from jewellery… refusing to come out of my hotel room just because of a stupid bikini… running away to get drunk at the bar just because I had been faced with a few hard truths. It didn’t matter how well I performed in games back then, because I had never really understood the reason why I was fighting for my life. 

‘I’ll try and make my own freedom from now on.’

Those were the same words I’d sworn to Chishiya on the hotel rooftop. But what did freedom really mean? How could I fight for something I didn’t understand? But now, at this very moment, crawling towards Chishiya… towards my older brother… towards my future, I finally knew my reason for fighting. 

I wanted to live without constant fear. 

And like hell I’m going to quit now. 

Looking in Chishiya’s direction, I found him watching me over the car bonnet. But then, his eyes moved to something behind me, mouth parting ever so slightly. He raised the pistol. 

‘Unlike you guys, I’m embracing it fully,’ Niragi muttered. ‘Starting right here.’ 

The last thing I heard was a familiar click, followed by a gunshot ricochetting over the wind. Everything — the aching cold, the pain spreading throughout my body, the bullets. It was all washed away by the rain. 

[blackjackkent]

For the lyric prompt: "I might walk home alone/But my faith in love is still devout" or "See, I’ve already waited too long/And now my hope is gone" for Matty/Ash? (If you feel like it. XD)

Yay, thank you for the prompt! (Wild to be doing Mass Effect writing again after so long. c: )

"See, I’ve already waited too long... And now my hope is gone..."

-----

Ash sits in one of the waiting areas of Gagarin Station's makeshift field hospital and tries not to fidget too much. Military discipline feels very far away when the only activity available is watching the orderlies slowly bring in the wounded from the battle on Earth. There's a muted scent of blood to the air that has lingered for days, but that's not the real reason for the sick feeling in her stomach.

They all sort of hoped, when the Normandy limped back to Gagarin - after the Crucible fired, after the chaotic crash into the jungle and the frantic field repairs to get them spaceborne again - that they would find Matty alive and waiting for them. Joker made a few comments about it, here and there - "He's fine, right? He was alive to pull the trigger. No way the old man would let a little knock like that take him out." Even Ash caught herself hoping, now and then - daring to believe that after everything, there could be a happy ending.

But of course, they all knew the truth, deep down.

According to Hackett, the last contact with Matty was aboard the Citadel, just before the Crucible went off. "He sounded bad," the Admiral had said grimly. "Weak as hell. Started mumbling stuff that didn't make sense, right before the signal cut out. I almost tried to send a few fighters in after him, and then the whole thing blew out. And, well, you saw the rest."

"Yes, sir," Ash had answered tonelessly. She remembered that rolling tide of red light chasing them through the relay and the brutal knowledge that they had to run, had to leave him behind. "Thank you, sir."

So why is she here, watching the endless parade of dead and wounded?

Hope is a funny thing. The thing with feathers/that perches in the soul... She held onto hers for quite a long time, but it has gone silent now, in spite of Emily Dickinson's assurances. She's just here, watching, waiting - perhaps to remind herself that even though Matty is gone, others survived the cataclysm and will be able to see this strange new world on the other side of the war...

Her breath catches in her throat and she hunches over in her seat. As that thought passed through her mind it suddenly became real in a whole new way. Matthias Shepard is dead, the news reports will say, and there will be memorials and celebrations of his bravery, the soldier that led the charge for the galaxy's freedom and died for it. But Matty is gone -- that is the truth that she has to carry in her heart, and grieve alone for the man that so few got to see.

The man with soft brown eyes staring over the top of a book at her when she thought he wasn't looking. The man who excitedly told her about the discussions he'd had with scientists about his ideas for biotech and prosthetics. The man who gifted her poetry and wrote his own scribbled on the margins of old reports. The man who cried out in his sleep, his body locked tense and rigid as he walked in restless dreams. The man she loved...

As once I wept, if I could weep, My tears might well be shed, To think I was not near to keep One vigil o'er thy bed; To gaze, how fondly! on thy face, To fold thee in a faint embrace, Uphold thy drooping head; And show that love, however vain, Nor thou nor I can feel again.

"Byron," she can almost hear him say. "I do love that hidden romantic streak you have..." And he'd grin and lounge back in his chair and recite the rest of the poem for her, out of that prodigious memory...

Her stomach hurts with the effort it takes not to sob. She grips the arms of the chair, white-knuckling her way through the sudden surge of grief. And just when she's begun to get a handle on herself, there's a burst of chaos from the other end of the hallway.

Several of the orderlies and the harried, exhausted-looking doctors are converging near the elevator, all talking at once. In spite of herself, Ash looks up, automatically tracking the increase in activity, picking up on muted snatches of the hubbub of conversation.

"--about eight broken ribs--" "--stopped the hemorrhaging planetside--" "--barely stable--" "--going to need a transfusion--" "--Shepard--"

Her heart seems to stop in her chest. The hope that she thought was gone from her flares to life abruptly, with painful intensity. No, she tells herself. It's not possible. You're just hurting yourself more.

But without realizing it, she's on her feet and moving, clambering over the chairs in the waiting area rather than going around. Her boots hit the decking again and then she's running down the hallway.

One of the doctors looks up, hearing her approach. "Commander Williams," he says briskly, not seeming to register her agitation. "Good. I was going to send for someone from the Normandy, but now there's no need."

She stares at him, gasping like a fish, not quite sure how to form words. "I-- did I hear you right?" she asks blankly. "Someone said Shepard."

The man blinks, and then some of his distraction fades for a moment and he seems to see her face more clearly. "Did no one tell you, Ms. Williams?" he asks. "I suppose not - we've only just learned now ourselves. Commander Shepard was found on Earth two weeks ago. They sent him by fastest transport to us here, but communications have been so spotty the message only got here a few hours ahead of him." He nods towards the elevator. "We're preparing for admittance and triage now."

Her breathing feels like it's not working quite right, each exhale catching in her throat. "He's alive?" she whispers.

"Barely, by the sound of it," the doctor says grimly. "But alive, yes. And we're going to do our best to keep him that way. I'd advise you to stay out of the way when he arrives--"

She's stopped listening, because the elevator has made a soft, somewhat off-key chime and the doors are sliding open...

Four Alliance soldiers in bloody, ragged BDUs are standing inside. Between them they're carrying a makeshift stretcher covered in more blood, and on it is stretched--

"Matty!"

He looks terrible. One of his arms hangs at an odd angle, his clothing is tattered and bloodsoaked and she can see more than one bone poking through torn flesh. But he's breathing; she can see the soft rise and fall of his chest, and at the sound of her voice, his eyes flicker half-open.

"Ash...?" he whispers.

"Commander, clear the way. We need to get him hooked up to a line," the doctor snaps. "And don't agitate him."

She backs up; the reaction to the tone of command is automatic. But she met his eyes, just for a moment, long enough for her to see him within that battered shell, and for him to see her waiting for him. It's enough for now.

Commander Shepard is not dead. Matty is not gone.

That thing with feathers in her soul is alive and well again and shouting its song at the top of its lungs.

[kumeko]

A/N: For the Oasis Rarepair zine! Well, this ship was a rarepair when I first wrote this fic XD Which tells you just long this has been buried in my to post folder.

…

…

…

…

Jean was heavy. Not in the way a real person was, all bones and flesh and sinew, but in the way a rock was, a concentrated gravity that sank to the bottom of a lake. Diluc adjusted his grip on her legs, keeping his back angled so she wouldn’t slip off and fall. Her arms were looped too loosely over his shoulders to be of any help if she tipped over.

He wasn’t sure what he’d call their relationship. They had too much history to be mere acquaintances and too much distance to be good friends. Whatever word fit, it certainly wasn’t one where he expected to carry her across Mondstadt in the dusk.

Jean’s head lolled, her soft hair brushing his neck, and Diluc fought the urge to stiffen. They had never been this close, not even before. He had never let it happen. He certainly would never let it happen again, not when it sent a shiver down his spine, not when his neck still tingled from the contact.

As though sensing his discomfort, Jean stirred. Her head slowly rose, her hands weakly grasping his shoulders. “Master Diluc?” she murmured, voice still husky from sleep.

She was too close to his ear. Diluc tightened his grip in anticipation. “Yes?”

“You’re—” Her breath hitched, and Jean jolted straight up as she realized her position. For a precarious moment, he wasn’t sure if they could both stay upright, but then her training kicked in and she leaned forward before they fell. Her nails dug into his shoulder like little daggers as she quickly took in the situation. “What—where—how—?”

“You collapsed on patrol,” Diluc answered slowly, plodding forward now that she’d regained her balance. A cool evening breeze blew, ruffling his hair. Small lights lit up the path to Mondstadt, their glow only getting brighter as the sun slowly set. “Again.”

“That…” He didn’t have to look to know that she was chewing her lip, her expression a cross between embarrassed and ashamed. “Sorry.”

Diluc shrugged. At least they weren’t far from the city. He could just make out the bridge’s outline from where they were. “It’s fine.”

“It’s not.” Jean wiggled, pulling back. With her sense of decorum and pride, he wasn’t surprised her first instinct was to hop off. “I’m sorry for the trouble. I can walk the rest of the way.”

He tightened his grip in response, forcing her to hold his shoulders lest she fell off. “It’s fine,” Diluc repeated.

“But—”

Forgetting how close they were, he shot her a sharp look over his shoulder. Even in the late light, the sun’s rays painting the sky a soft purple, he could make out the bags under her eyes, the tired droop of her smile, the soft red blush of her fever. Her eyes met his and Diluc quickly turned back. “You’re sick. I’ll carry you the rest of the way.” Sensing she was about to argue, he added, “Jean.”

She stiffened. It was unfair, he knew. Diluc had seen the way Jean looked at him when she thought nobody was looking, the way she said his name, the way she leaned closer when he spoke. He was many things, but blind wasn’t one of them.

But if saying her name was enough to make her listen, to make her stay still, then he didn’t mind playing dirty.

Jean sighed. She leaned forward, pressing her forehead against his back. Even through the thick material, he could feel her heat, as though her vision was pyro and not his. Softly, she uttered, “Sorry. Thank you.”

He kept his gaze firmly on the path. “No need.”

“Still.” She sighed again, her breath tickling his neck. “Sorry.”

Diluc clicked his tongue. “If you’re really sorry, you’ll stop working so hard you faint.”

By now, it was common knowledge in Mondstadt. Jean was a great fighter. Jean was the acting grand master. Jean overworked herself on a daily basis. Kaeya would sometimes drop into the bar and leave hints about Jean’s well-being, his sharp eye on Diluc’s the entire time.

Knowing his former friend, this was yet another one of Kaeya’s games. The worst part was how it worked every time—no matter how composed Diluc forced himself to stay, no matter how blank his poker face, Kaeya’s eye would crinkle, his lips pulling back into a sly smirk, and he’d leave looking like a cat that caught the canary.

Perhaps he should look into putting a ‘no Kaeya’ sign on his door.

Jean chuckled, light and airy and utterly oblivious to his thoughts. Wryly, she asked, “Are you sure you should say that?”

He grunted, not arguing the point. “I’ve never fainted.”

“No, I suppose you haven’t.” There was a soft rustle as she shifted on his back, her hands still gripping his shoulders lightly. “Barbara says the same thing.”

Considering how much her sister loved her, Diluc wasn’t surprised. The deaconess always looked worried whenever she left the Knights’ headquarters. “Then listen to her.”

“I’ll try, but…” Jean’s fingers dug into his skin. “No promises.”

He stopped walking. Ignoring their proximity, he looked over his shoulder. “Why?”

Jean smiled tiredly. “You remember how it is. There’s too much work and not enough hands. I…I can’t let our people down. Not when they trust us so much. I can’t…”

Let their faith shatter like yours did. Diluc could hear the unspoken words, feel them curl around him like a familiar cat. No wonder Jean was so heavy, he was feeling the weight of all of her expectations, of all the dreams and hopes pinned on her.

“You’re just one person,” he replied. That had nothing to do with you.

Jean hadn’t covered up his father’s death. Jean hadn’t clogged up the requests, delaying even the smallest task behind a mountain of red tape and paperwork. Jean hadn’t accepted loss as an acceptable result to a mission.

If there had been any reason to stay with the knights, it would have been her. But a single person wasn’t enough to stay and fight the corruption. Not even one he used to watch from the corner of his eye.

“I know. But…I thought…” Her voice grew softer, fainter. Diluc strained to hear it. “If I work hard enough, maybe you can rely on us again.”

His breath hitched. No matter how hard he craned, he couldn’t see Jean’s expression properly. And he wanted to, needed to—she had never been good at hiding her emotions. Even without asking a question, he’d find the answer on her face.

“It won’t make up for what happened but…” She closed her eyes, slumping forward. Her chin rested on his shoulder, her cheek brushing his neck. “I want to ease your mind. If only a little.”

Her breathing evened out, her fever finally forcing her aching body to rest. Diluc, however, couldn’t move, still frozen by the sudden confession.

Jean had been a workaholic since they were kids. Whether it had been training, schoolwork, or even just a children’s game, she had always put in more effort than was necessary. When Diluc had seen how seriously she’d taken her position as Acting Grand Master, he hadn’t thought of it beyond her usual behaviour.

But the woman collapsed on his back wasn’t pushing herself for any of her usual reasons. No, it had been out of an unwarranted guilt. A sense of duty.

And now that he had heard it, he couldn’t unhear it. Diluc gritted his teeth. “Why are you always like this?”

There was no response. Her hair tickled his skin as she slept. Diluc sighed as he glanced up at the starry sky—the night had finally fallen, leaving behind only the darkness of the universe.

Leaving behind only the light of the universe, the millions of stars and galaxies twinkling down on him.

Diluc couldn’t return to the knights. That was beyond him now. But he could do other, smaller things. Ease her burden, if only a little—make it so she didn’t have to patrol as much as she did, make it so that when she did, there was no reason for her to collapse.

Perhaps he could talk to Rosaria about it later. And Kaeya. As loath as he was to admit it, they had a good scope of the problems in Mondstadt.

For now, though, he continued to plod home, Jean nestled safely on his back. They hadn’t been this close in ages. Diluc wasn’t sure if they’d ever be this close again. His pace slowed slightly as he shifted her to a more secure position.

Maybe tonight he’d take the long route home. Just this once.

[librathefangirl]

Ask game!! What song reminds you of a really fun event in your life? For me sweet Caroline will always remind me of the school dances, they played it every time without fail.

Hope you’re well and that the stress isn’t making for a miserable time!

Ooh that's a fun ask :) And it was nice to receive it when I did too (at the height of the stress and anxiety) 💜 It got pretty rough these past few days but I made it, I'm passed it, and now I actually get to enjoy some quiet time alone doing whatever I want, so allow me to overshare and ramble a bit lol

The first song that comes to mind is "Rosen" by Arne Qvick (title translates to "the rose" btw) which is actually a song from 1966 that I haven't listen to in years probably. It's also one that I have very clear memories of. As for "fun event", I don't know if car rides with the family quite counts (like not even road trips I'm talking everyday going to the grocery store or whatever car rides). But I think that's why the song feels so nostalgic to me. My parents got divorced when I was 5 and my mom died when I was 10 (plus I don't have a lot of memories from when I was little), so memories of everyday happiness or what you want to call it with my whole family is special to me.

As for why this song, well, it's quite simple. We used to listen to it a lot in the car. I absolutely loved it and would sing along every time (fun fact: apparently I still know the lyrics?). My sister on the other hand found it annoying, especially since we listen to it SO MUCH. Which naturally only made Dad play it more often because teasing each other is what we do in my family lol

Okay, I could leave it at this, but I'm gonna give you another answer too. Just because I can. This is already long enough and I did say overshare, didn't I XD

"I've Had the Time of My Life" from Dirty Dancing reminds me of my grade 6 graduation. At least I think it was grade 6? Most likely? (Like I said, poor memory skills lol). Anne, my grade 4-6 teacher is still the best teacher I've had. I've always been "the quiet little kid with barely any friends" but she made me feel seen in a way no other teacher has. (One time, when we were ice skating in PE she played ice hockey with me and few more who didn't want to join the others' game because they were very good and we were not. Our little game was a lot fun :) Anne also could skate backwards which blew my mind).

Anyway. During our last year at the school (grade 6) Anne had some health issues (pneumonia) and was away from school for a while. (Okay I can't remember for sure if these two events are connected but my mind says they are so...) Most of the class appreciated Anne as a teacher so for our last graduation ceremony we decided to sing "I've Had the Time of My Life" because it was her favorite song :)

Anyway! Get to know the blogger - anonymously (or not) ask me any question you��d like to know about me

My inbox is currently empty so bugging me about my fics, AUs or other projects is also welcome :) (I mean it's welcome even if my inbox isn't empty too)

[redpiperfox]

Local Red Found Almost Ded Following Twice MetLife Concert: a casual debriefing :3

This is me dump processing things I would seem insane if I tried and explained to my family, the poor casual kpop enjoyers (ie my parents who listen for our sakes at limited intervals and my sister who swears left and right off girl groups).

This is my/our first kpop concert ever and !!!

Things the non-Twice fans in my family enjoyed: "How are they so high energy?! The whole time?!" "[Insert Jihyo's high notes] O.O" "Oooh the sea of light sticks are so pretty! [My mom was so enchanted by it]"

I did feel the crowd itself sort of die near the end, towards the last songs and the encore stage, but otherwise, even and especially from the back, it was such an experience singing with 50,000 people! (Their screaming during the girls speaking annoyed me at some times but!) There is Something Else when everyone belts the Cry For Me chorus, and going off on "SOOOLLEMMMMYYY" during Nayeon's stage.

The beginning third group dances were the hits, and the middle third where the live band comes out from Feel Special were so high energy-- the last third they dressed down a little, to transition to their encore outfits, and felt more personal (?)

But I'm gonna focus on the solos because 😍🥰

Dahyun: The Let it Go to Try transition? The upper angle view of her hands on the piano? The aesthetics of the piano and her dress flowing out? The vibes were i m m a c u l a t e. It was also musically and thematically in the concert, a magical sort of moment to have the ballad right then-- even if she joked about it later and how she didn't hear cheers for her name (everyone took care of that and cheered her name then hehe). Speaking of, she was *the* moodmaker, crowd-hyper, and comedian of the evening-- she spoke in english most of the time, and even when she didn't her facial expressions spoke volumes, she was so sassy XD Made me remember when I was first getting into the group, and how her personality completely won me over. She was cracking jokes, rolling with the crowd, and dancing when the crowd started barking (speaking of: what? Why? O.o)

Tzuyu: She mentioned that her stage had the inspiration of Michael Jackson and-- yeah. Her solo stage had all the confidence and joy of her Me! Melody project, and her life in dancing was so so evident. She was so confident on stage, and every comment about her having no stage presence was lost whenever she had center positions and the screens focused on her face.

Sana: The song New Rules itself has always been written in my mind as Yeji's song (thanks The Fan), but the camera opening on the floor dance completely blew expectations away. I'd seen snippets before, but the choreo was so smooth and mesmerizing, and gave a taste of what I expect from the MiSaMo debut (more on that later). The Hair Flips. Yes.

Momo: I admittedly watched very little after she took her shirt off and started pole dancing. My dad said it was like a cirque du soliel show but... I was there with my parents and it was borderline sensual for me. But! Everytime Momo took a dancebreak, everytime she centered, she commanded attention, she was such a dancer in her element, and took everything more into her powerful and sharp style.

Mina: Maam stared the camera down, and had the confidence to level politicians. She approached sassy from the sly angle, and her solo stage showed how she could command a performance and demand attention. (I did not see her twerk do not ask me I looked away XD) MiSaMo performing right after each other, I sensed a theme in their solo stages that made me think it was settling into a more mature, seductive (?), and Woman concept for their debut. They teased a bit of the choreo at the end that all but confirmed it for me-- can't wait to see :3

Chaeyoung: So cute. So so sweet. The camera starting on her bunny-- when she sat and set up her guitar, everyone chanted her name. The only other softer song, her song was like a lullaby, and really touched her identity as a writer, and moreso as a composer. There's a lot of Soul in her songs, that are skimmed over the surface with fairy wings, and it was so sweet to listen to.

Jihyo: Freaking Jihyo. Never Ever dissappointed vocally or in stage presence and her solo just-- MM. She was alone on stage and even though she was the size of an ant, she made that stage burn, I could *feel* her powerwalks, I swear, when the lights went red on her and the holographic effects surrounded her, I was staring at her figure on the stage, and felt like I could *see* every little powerful step in Nightmare. She was the next biggest crowd-hyper, and carried all the Jihyo-energy the entire time, she teased us so much XD

Jeongyeon: Oh I can't even bring all the words to express how FUN. She had fun, the Juice stage was every essence of Jeongyeon's tongue-in-cheek humor and fun spirit. I loved her stage so much, and she had everyone bopping and cheering through the song. You could tell she was enjoying herself, and you really couldn't help but enjoy it with her.

Nayeon: The first notes of Pop played and everyone was screaming, it was as loud as the most popular songs, people absolutely *screamed* Pop, and Nayeon absolutely matched that energy, she did not hold back on her solo stage. She mentioned it later on how it felt to perform her solo song-- and I think she felt the screams of everyone belting her song back to her! She also kept mentioning how hot it was whenever she spoke, sorry for the humidity XD

All in all, was such an experience!!! Even from Timbuktu Seats the energy was high and the professionalism and grandeur of the stage was not lost. I did feel like the language barrier made it hard to have a deep connection with the artists and for them to connect as personally as they would normally, with the added problem of the crowd screaming and cutting off their speeches, but it didn't take away or lower the experience one bit. It was a lot of fun, and I had a blast!

[elshells]

Happy STS, my friend! What is an unexpected thing that your readers have brought to your attention about your stories or characters? (It could be an aspect of your writing, a minor character they got obsessed with, a moment that made them gasp/cry/scream/etc., anything!)

Nopal! Happy STS, I hope your week has been treating you well!! 💕

I actually have an answer for all three of the examples you gave above, and they all come from EMBR of the Earth. :)

1) When I first started writing EMBR, I joined a book club on Wattpad to get constructive criticism on my first few chapters. This was about three years ago, when I was still very new to online writing communities. I got a very polite (and very eye-opening!) comment from another writer about how they counted over thirty adverbs in my first chapter alone! It absolutely blew my mind, because I had no idea I was using that many. And I value that comment so much, because it was the first time I really started to look at my writing through an editor's lens. So while I'm still prone to using adverbs, I'm much more conscious about it and don't tend to use that many!

A quote from this same writer that I still live by to this day: "Adverbs are like rabbits; you start out with two and before you know it there are a colony of them in your chapter." XD

2) There's one character—‌Dr. Clay, if anyone has read it—‌that got a much stronger, but overwhelmingly positive reaction than I had expected. As the head scientist aboard the satellite, he acts as a sort of mentor figure to the main character, Tana, showing intelligence and a sense of humor. However, at some point people shipping Dr. Clay and Tana together as a romantic pairing, which was a problem because he was old enough to be her father XD. I think this happened because I never specified his age, and the characters' early interactions were friendly, and so people took that to mean that they were flirting. I cleared this up in an edit and established more quickly that he was an older man, while she was in her 20s. Definitely not love interests, although the playful father/daughter dynamic stayed more or less the same!

3) Lastly, one moment that stood out to me the most was the first time a character explicitly died on-page. I was especially nervous about the reception I would get, because it was the first time I had ever killed off a character (which is kinda nuts to think about now, haha). The character in question hadn't (to my knowledge at the time) elicited any strong reactions from my readers, either positive or negative, but she was the first person in the book to die and her murder was brutal and somewhat unexpected. I received a lot of shocked comments, but also praise for how I handled the scene, which is what I was expecting and hoping for. But one reader in particular left a comment on the exact line where she dies, something along the lines of, "YES! TAKE THAT!" I remember cackling out loud because the comment seemed so out-of-pocket, though upon a reread of previous chapters and that reader's comments, I understand why they said that. Still a VERY strong reaction that I wasn't expecting. XD

So I guess the moral of the story is, happy accidents arise in writing all the time, especially when you're first starting out!

[youmissedone]

“Is someone there?” the young girl whispered, holding her legs close to her chest. She didn’t dare to peek out from the cash register of the K-Mart. It was her only refuge from the harsh, unforgiving apocalypse around her, and while there were initially other survivors, they’d all left her to brave the outside world.

The shuffling of footsteps instantly put her on edge. That never led to anything good… maybe it was more of those zombies. She’d boarded up the windows and used the flashlights available when the power blew, but she never knew what would happen in an apocalyptic situation, especially now that she was on her own. Elizabeth Jane Case took a breath and reached for the pistol she carried at all times, aiming it directly at Carlos.

“If you’re with Umbrella, I-I’ll kill you! I’ll kill you, you bastard! I’m not afraid of you!” The look in her eyes betrayed her. She might’ve said she wasn’t afraid, but the way her hands trembled as she took aim made her true feelings clear enough. “Leave me alone… I don’t need your pity. I can handle myself.”

Still, they were other survivors. The blonde let the pistol clatter to the tile floor. It echoed throughout the store. She lifted her hands in surrender, and her eyes darted between Claire and Carlos. She never gave them a name - she’d always hated Elizabeth Jane, and they could call her what they wanted, so long as they didn’t actively try to hurt her like some of the other survivor groups that had came through and tried to raid the place back when it wasn’t just her.

“Who are you? What do you want from me?”

{K-Mart and Carlos first meeting! My girl is… not having a fun time, ahahaha}

__________

{ Awww, poor K-mart! XD }

Larger stores were pretty good bets for supplies, usually. Smaller ones were picked clean because there wasn’t a lot of ground to cover, but with large stores, people generally didn’t look everywhere. There was always a locker, a desk, a drawer, a closet, or something that someone overlooked, and that’s where the best supplies could sometimes be found. So when the convoy came across a mini mall with a K-mart in it, Carlos heard Claire over the radio as soon as the thought had entered his mind. Yep, she wanted to check it out. He didn’t blame her at all.

They pulled the convoy into the center of the parking lot, paying no mind to the lines painted to demarcating the spaces, because who cared anymore. A lot of rules and laws that civilization had thrived on were all but meaningless now. And although being out in the open, exposed and visible, might have seemed like a detriment, it also meant they could see anything or anyone coming from a long distance away. Once all the vehicles were situated, Carlos began gearing up and getting his rifle ready. He saw Claire approaching as he got out of his vehicle, and when she asked if he wanted to go with her to clear the K-mart, he nodded. “Let’s do it,” he said without hesitation.

When they first entered, it began like any other routine clearing. They started checking every aisle, every corner, making sure there were no undead or anything else harmful. It was of absolute importance to be certain there was nothing dangerous in the building before they sent civilians, including children, in to more thoroughly search for supplies. They didn’t even get a third of the way through clearing the store when they heard noises up by a cash register. On instinct, Carlos lifted his rifle at the ready, but when he heard the girl’s voice and saw her aiming a gun at him, he knew he wanted to try and do whatever he could to help her.

“It’s alright,” he said, remaining calm and moving very slowly as he moved his rifle to the side and let it hang by its strap. Putting up his hands to make himself less of a threat, he tried to talk her down. “We’re not going to hurt you.” He could see how scared she was, but she also had a fair amount of pride to work around, too. He just hoped she wouldn’t do anything stupid. “We’re not with Umbrella,” he said, though he felt a twinge of guilt at that. Not anymore. “We’ve got a convoy of survivors, all we wanna do is help you.” He smiled a little at her feistiness even in the face of being so afraid. “If you want to take care of yourself, that’s fine, but you don’t have to. Let us help you. It’s alright, I promise. I’m Carlos, and this is Claire. We’re not here to hurt you,” he said, trying to humanize the situation a little in the hopes of making her feel more comfortable.

When she dropped the gun, he nodded to her, as if to say she’d made the right decision. “We just wanna help. Are you injured at all? Hungry?” he asked. He started slowly moving a bit closer, not wanting to scare her but wanting her to better see him and understand that he wasn’t there to cause her any harm. 

[monarch-maelstrom]

Anyone want some jealous Ladybug?

Going once

Going twice

SOLD TO THE LITTLE MAN IN THE BLUE HAT XD

…………

There it was again. That feeling deep down in her gut whenever Chat Noir was with Volpina. Ladybug couldn’t figure out what it was. Anger that Volpina is just using her best friend? Sadness that because Volpina and Chat Noir started dating he’s forgotten all about Ladybug? Worry about what will happen to Chat Noir and Ladybug or what Volpina will do to Chat Noir? Or… she didn’t want to think about it. But could it maybe be jealousy? But why would she be jealous of Volpina? Sure maybe she wanted to latch onto Chat Noir’s arm sometimes. Or snuggle up next to him when they are sitting together. Or maybe… only sometimes… when he did something dorky or kind of adorable… She wanted to kiss him. BUT that was VERY rare. Very. But she didn’t like him. He was just… attractive sometimes. But she was probably just missing being close to him. Being his best friend. She didn’t like him. She didn’t have any romantic feelings for him. She just… missed him. She sighed and watched bitterly as Volpina kissed Chat Noir on the check. But there was something she hadn’t noticed before. The way Chat Noir’s face scrunched up ever so slightly. The way his eyes lit with hatred. The way his body shifted away from Volpina’s. Ladybug hadn’t noticed that at all before. Did… Did Volpina make Chat noir uncomfortable? Did Chat Noir not like Volpina? Ladybug’s body drifted towards Chat Noir and Volpina. Maybe she could just pry Volpina’s little invasive hands off of Chat Noir…Wait. What was she doing? Her body dragged her another step closer to Chat Noir. And if she pried Volpina away from Chat Noir maybe she could take her place. Ladybug you need to stop, she thought. She forced her body to stop in her tracks, but she couldn’t ignore the pull she felt towards Chat Noir. And as if he could read her mind he looked at her. And threw her the dorkiest smile that ever existed. She felt like her heart had stopped beating for a second. But why would her heart stop for Chat Noir? She didn’t like him… or at least she thought she didn’t. Volpina let go of Chat Noir’s arm and blew him a kiss goodbye as she walked away. He pretended to catch it but as soon as her back was turned he pretended to drop it off the building. Ladybug watched as he laughed to himself. That sweet laugh that was like a serenade. She shook her head and when her focus came back into view she noticed Chat Noir staring right at her. He smiled and walked over to her. He was so tall compared to her. She could easily just reach up and rest her hands on his chest. And press her lips against his. Oh she bet that his lips were so soft…. LADYBUG YOU NEED TO STOP! Ladybug thought, slapping herself. Chat Noir looked at her weirdly. “Uh you okay Ladybug?” He asked. She nodded quickly. “You have a red mark on your face…” he said under his breath. He reached up and moved the hair stuck to her cheek away and placed it behind her ear. Soon not only was the mark red, her whole face was red. He laughed a small laugh. But then realized his hand was still resting on her cheek. He pulled it away reluctantly and set it on his side. Then as soon as she realized she was missing his touch, he rested his hand on her shoulder and leaned in close so his mouth was near her ear. And his cheek was touching hers. “You look cute when you're flustered.” He breathed into her ear. “But let’s not tell Volpina I said that.” He said pulling away and winking. She could feel her face heat up even more.

“W-well you don’t look look too bad either.” Wow, how was that sentence actually understandable? Ladybug looked at the floor so he didn’t have to stare at her tomato face anymore. When her face cooled down she looked back up. And her face heated back up instantly. A smirk played on his lips, his face a little more red. He leaned in closer to her.

“Does My lady think I’m handsome?” He whispered into her ear again. This time a smile broke out on her lips.

“Maybe….” Then she thought of what Volpina would think of this. She took a step back. This was getting too close from escaping the “just friends” boundary. Chat noir frowned a little. “But technically I’m not your lady. You have a different one.” Ladybug said quietly and impulsively. She looked away but could see from the corner of her eye Chat noir frowning. She sighed and watched as his frown morphed into a smirk. He narrowed his eyes.

“Is Ladybug jealous?” She looked at him in disbelief.

“W-what no! Why would I be jealous of Volpina?” He raised an eyebrow. She frowned even more then sighed. “And for the record I don’t like you.” But she had to face it. She had feelings for Chat Noir.

That’s the first ending. Second ending is undercut. But if you don’t like the second ending you can just pretend it ended at the first ending XD

“Uh huh. If you don’t like me then how come you’re blushing so much?” Chat noir said. He grabbed her hand gently.

“I-I it's it’s just hot.”

“Uh huh.” He said slyly. He pulled her closer and soon he was inches away from her face. “And why is it so hot?” A smile played on her lips.

“Maybe because you're so hot?” She said flirtatiously. He smirked even more and came closer to her.

“Really?” She couldn’t resist it. He was right there. At her fingertips. They were inches away. And… and before she knew it. He was kissing her. She let out a surprised sound. But soon she embraced it. She took her hand and stretched it into his hair. She deepened the kiss eagerly. And he sighed, he placed a hand on her waist and the other hand was put into her hair. Then she pulled away suddenly. “Chat…” she breathed. “You’re cheating.” He froze for a second.

“I… yes… but… does it count if Volpina has done worse many times with other guys?” Chat noir responded quietly. He went to kiss Ladybug again, but she pushed him away gently.

“It does count Chaton. And you should be better than her. I want this I really do. But we both would need to wait until you’re not in a relationship. Which…. Still isn’t great but… it’s the best option.” He stood there for a second. Neither of them retracting their hand from each other. He sighed and finally pulled away reluctantly.

“You’re right.” He said, staring at the floor. He looked up and smiled tiredly. “I need to be better.”

“I’m proud of you. And I promise I’ll wait.” She said smiling. He smiled back.

“Thank you Ladybug.”

“For what?”

“For everything.”

[tepperz]

happy out of touch thursday!

Ooh I didn’t know page cliffhangers were a thing but I know what you mean! There really is this undertow that pulls the reader through the story, always to the next panel and next page. I wouldn’t even know what to look for to make that happen (except questions like you said?)

yeah!! It's an important thing to do with any manga!! Leading the leader to the next page with a mystery. Furthermore, in every page you can lead the reader to the next panel as well, with the art and bubbles too. Sugisaki does both really well. Heres an example from a random page. I could go on and talk about the next page too for a clearer example study, but I think this is enough to get a rough idea of what im talking about.

its all a lot of manga-comic-paneling technical stuff that she does to make things very fun to read. That's why its easy for you (and me!) to get sucked into reading the same volume for the millionth time after just trying to reference one scene. I mean even looking at this one page again, its so masterful. The way the buildings at the end lead to the next bubble? Genius. I haven't even spoken about how the screentones prioritizing certain objects while also setting the mood. Then the unique panel arrangement with a slight dutch angle? The lineart skill and also her use of blacks? Sugisaki is a queen at fun paneling. Theres a reason why every panel feels like a masterpiece. This is all super geek nerd stuff from a comic makers perspective, but I could just rant. endlessly. It's just so good. Chefs kiss. Again, I have my gripes with sugisaki's artistic choices and storytelling, but I can't deny that she's a genius at a lot of other things. Even just studying this one page blew my mind again.

I can’t blame anyone for avoiding backgrounds lol. But it’s a shame because she goes all out on them when she does try! The level of detail is delicious.

true. And so many of her backgrounds are so western themed. I wonder if she had to do a lot of research. Did she travel a lot for her references? hmmmm

Nah, thanks for rambling! It’s interesting to see her works analyzed from a comic creator!

I RAMBLED MORE ∑(°〇°)

It is orz We stare at our pieces for hours so there isn’t that element of freshness!

ohhhh good point. I hadnt thought about it like that. I guess its like cooking a meal -- like, it tastes so much better if someone else makes it. Because if you cook it yourself you're basically already smelling it and taste testing it the whole time. I read about that.

Oh yeah, I miss the days of deviantart tutorials where they wrote paragraphs beside each stage to explain why they did things. I try to do that in my “tutorials” since I liked them so much!

I also like that style of tutorial!! Yo people shit on deviantart all the time and I get it but it had some real good trends. Like art memes? I still have so many art memes saved. Nowadays hashtags are so cliquey and you kind of have to already know about them to participate. But back then you could just look up art meme and find so many fun challenges. I still have a big folder of all these art memes I wanted to fill out thanks to deviantart! I dont care if its not cool anymore!!! >U

Σ(°△°|||)︴ so that’s what’s in there… 🧠

i have nothing to say except that was cute and funny xD

Ye, I color correct to try to match my irl colors since so much gets lost in scanning, but I’ll definitely add more contrast and alter it if I think it’d look better that way.

yeah that makes sense i do the same thing when I scan my traditional stuff. Its hard to digitize! Sometimes I wonder if those really industrial scanners they have in art schools would make a difference. What would it actually look like if something could be *perfectly* scanned? idk. Maybe it always has to be touched up by human hands first. I don't know! :U Technology!

Stuff that’s fine in person like paper texture and color intensity (or lack of) become kind of distracting when they’re turned into digital scans, at least for my works, so I do what I can to fix those.

I get that. They weirdly look like mistakes even though they're not. Thats the beauty of traditional work though, that it's hard to replicate authentically. I've gotten into these metallic watercolors lately? They do NOT scan well lol. But They look so pretty shimmering in the light...

only half related but heres something interesting. I have a distant relative who does prints himself, and what he does afterwards is put clear paint on after printing, so it looks like it has brush strokes after it dries, even though it was printed. It shocked me at first!

I see what you mean on your piece– The second one does look much bolder and has a stronger impact!! Your color corrections changed the piece a lot! Do you like to use layer modes to add shadows and lights or is it easier to mix the colors on just a few layers and then adjust afterward?

Yeah, im glad you noticed!!! So when I'm doing those kind of corrections, I usually just combine the whole painting to one layer and then use a brightness/contrast layer in clip studio paint. Makes things a little more saturated.

Agreed 100% on dark pieces. They’re a whole different mood! Oh canson mixed media are pretty durable! I used them a lot back in the day. The number of pages in the sketchbooks are great too. I mostly used strathmore 400 and fabriano 25%, but now I’m finally switching over to cotton papers.

oooooh. What is cotton paper like? owo

I’ve never painted the front of a sketchbook either! Just lots of stickers… But having your own style on the front would set the mood for whatever you put inside! :3c What do you think you’d put on there?

I just did it yesterday! lol

Ahh I know that struggle with other language videos orz  I wish there was a TTS for the subtitles or something (but then I’d miss out on the personality in his voice, dang) I guess that ensures we absorb the information lol! I didn’t know it got taken down wtf… That’s awful!! Why him of all channels?? I’m glad he didn’t give up after a setback like that. He is inspiring…

Yeah! So, from what i gathered... he had this google drive folder that was open to the public, so people could submit their art to be corrected in his videos. Well, japans laws being what they are, probably some of the art sent to him in the folders were considered against american law. Specifically, anime characters drawn in a lewd way that were submitted to him that could be read as being child-like in appearance. Naoki didn't see the art and doesn't think that it was sent in with any ill will, but that's what he guessed happened. And because google drive and youtube are both owned by google, his entire account got taken down with no chance of recovery. He was really devastated when he talked about it, especially because he uses that channel to support his family. But im really happy he's staying positive and continuing to upload, because his knowledge is so great. And not giving up, like you said, is amazing. But yeah, that's pretty much the sum of what happened to him.

Awesome I’m happy the references can be useful!! I have the digital version of the Artist’s Masters book too (wanted to read it before investing~) so I’ll add that to my drive if you want to check it out! And thanks, I really appreciate what you sent too ;v; I’m just trying to soak it all in now but I’ll let you know once I start applying all the lessons! I really like the skin ones at the moment. I “know” the rules about core shadows and subsurface scattering but actually putting them into practice is so much harder so it’s nice to see clear examples! o7

Oh yes, when you have time id love to hoard it! I mean, read it! :D I also have a lot of other tutorials and art books I can send as well.

Do you like motivational books? I feel like some of those I have are my favorites. Like "Growing Gills: How to Find Creative Focus When You're Drowning in Your Daily Life" and my audiobook version of "the subtle art of not giving a fuck"

I actually never seal my works unless it’s a gift. I’ve seen some artists use wax for watercolor and gouache but idk how archival that is. It’s tempting for postcards though since being waterproof is important! So I just put those gift paintings in a glass frame. For dry stuff like charcoal I do use a spray fixative though; I like Krylon workable fixative because it lets me keep adding afterward (though it gives everything a sandpaper texture so not the most pleasant to touch).

ohhhhhh yeah framing is a good way to preserve them. Do you put the glass over the frames too or do you leave it out? I've seen some artist used packing tape over their stuff (I was planning to do it over my sketchbook cover to waterproof it), and recently I've seen people use something called "matte Mod Podge" to glue their work down as well, but it takes like a whole day to dry each page. I have a matte cover spray that dries quicklky but the fumes from it are suuuper thick and toxic, and I don't like using it because i don't want it to harm my kitties (or myself I guess, and i also feel weird about spraying it into the environment?). I've never heard of Krylon but it sounds super handy even if it makes the texture eeeeh.

I’ve heard that about hairspray too! For personal stuff or in a sketchbook it must be really convenient. Some artists say it yellows the paper but then some never have issues so maybe that depends on the brand of hairspray (and the quality like you said)?

Yeah it needs to be really high quality hairspray. I used it for my art one time and I didn't get a yellow texture or whatever. I also tried a cheaper brand and it kinda just made stuff wet and didn't even really seal anything. Hmm.... you know, thats a good question as to how its holding up now. Ill have to dig for that sketchbook to check when I get the energy. It was kinda funny though, I did buy and use the nice hairspray on my art... and afterwards gifted it to my mom for her hair because she said it was a great brand LOL

Hahaha honestly the cleanup is what makes watercolor so wonderful in comparison to oils. Just wash it away with water =v= 

True, it really makes it easy to bust out and have fun with!

You DON’T like mixing them!? But the urge to smear colors around on a palette…! Irresistible

8U NOOOOOOOOOO. LOL. When I'm mixing oils the only thing I can think is "this is going to be such a pain to clean"!!!!!!!!!! And the texture is so... eeeew. DISLIKE! It's like the oils are specifically trying to run away from me. Jail! Jail for oils!

I like mixing colors in general though lol. All my poor green watercolors are neglected because I just like mixing blue and yellow too much~ That wastes a lot of time though so just having your stuff ready is way more efficient~ 

Ohhh that means your watercolor sets will all look unique, as well as your pictures! Seeing used pallets are so aesthetic. Mixing real colors sure is different from digital, I'm learning. You really do need magenta and cyan and neon yellow to get any bright mixes, and white doesn't necessarily make things brighter. It's weird to me! An entirely different skillet.

I’ll wait a million years to see that Kirby (still half-dried probably. damn oils ;;;;)

I will check on kirby. I have checked on Kirby.

KIRBY IS DONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Lool on top of the regular mess of oil paints you also had to deal with cats around just waiting to smear it onto the fur! Plus their loose hairs would find a way onto the wet paint no matter what.

YES. BOTH OF THAT. YES.

Still love cats but making art with them is Extreme Hard Mode!! An ice cooler is a brilliant way to keep them out xD  Maximum security from paws.

kirby actually was stepped by a few paws before he knew safety for a time.

[Also. You have cats? What’re their names? How cute/troublemaking are they?? o//]

YES I HAVE CATS!!!! god i know this message is getting super long but LOOK AT MY BOYS!!!!

Jungle (nicknamed Juju, medium boy, medium, and medium fry), about 1 year 3 months old. He's named Jungle because he's such a creature. He paws around and looks at you with big eyes like he's taking the world in. Sometimes he acts like a cat (cat shaped? Uses litter box, check), or a lizard (kind of walks like a iguana), or a bird (he doesn't meow, he squeeks and it sounds like a high pitched bird chirp). He just does what he wants and never takes no for an answer. Me and Ashley (my wife) thought he was an idiot for a while but he's really not, hes just Weird and unpredictable. He had a couple injuries when we got him and can't raise his arms above his head, and his tail is broken in two places. Charm points: He's slightly cross-eyed, drools when he's pet and is VERY embarrassed about it (tries to lick it up afterwards), is vERY soft, and checks on you if you make any loud noises. A kind but stoic soft boy.

Second is Sandy (/Tiny, Tiny baby, Small boy, Small Fry) whos about 9 months old. He's named after Sha Wujing/Sandy in journey to the west. He's a little psychopath. A little bully with a lot of energy. He's also so sweet too though, you can pick him up virtually anytime and he also actively seeks cuddles. If you're doing something and he wants attention he will try to kill and replace whatever you're holding out of jealousy. If you give more attention to another cat, the kill bill noises go off. Charm points: he has a fat bottom and a tiny head, he doesn't come to his name because he expects to be waited on, and he'll play fetch if he feels like it. His texture is carpet-y. He's my current therapy cat.

Third is Neopoliton (Neo/Big Boy), about 7 years old. He's named because of the three colors on his nose -- chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry. This boy isn't fat, just big boned. Truly a dumpus cat. Very soft, very shy. He's EXTREMELY polite. Charm points: general anxiety, has a pronounced snaggel tooth, THICC.

And an Honorary mention for Hammond, who passed away this year in a tragic accident. I can't make a list of my animals without mentioning my most beautiful and precious son. Hammond was almost 3 when he passed and he was my best friend. He followed me everywhere and constantly snuggled me. We even took walks outside together without a leash. I make art of him because he's my spirit guide now. He passed away two days after Sandy was born and I see a lot of Hammond in him. Jungle and Sandy both came to us this year after we lost him. Not to get heavy, but he means a lot to me.

It’s wild that you’ve had the opposite experience though!! Professional paints giving you less color… They’re supposed to make life easier, not harder! @@ Well, I got a couple used Daniel Smith paints and everyone says they're the best brand, but they’re ridiculously hard for me to rewet so they can be frustratingly weak too. I guess tubes are a way to guarantee you’re picking up all the color, but pans shouldn’t be fighting back quite so much!!

:0

._.

Y... you're supposed to wet them in advance?

Coughs. Maaaaybe that was my problem >>???????

???????????

How did you learn to draw so well? Like was it from classes or a book on fundamentals or just trial and error?

//// thanks for the kind question!

I guarantee you I would have improved faster if I’d taken a class, but I hope some of the materials I’ve used over the years can be of use to you too:

Andrew Loomis’ books - I never made it past the first chapters, but those had some great advice.

Youtube - Proko’s bean method. Figure drawing references will greatly improve anatomy and “drawing what you see”. It’s boring imo, so doing just 5-10 minutes a day can keep one from burning out while still seeing improvement. Speed painting videos are a nice way to relax and study.

Will Terrell’s People Drawing series - He’s a humble man with personal advice for artists. I watch his videos when I feel discouraged or lost.

Art, art, art - Whenever I see an artwork that I like, I figure out exactly what pleases me: line thickness, nose shape, finger positions, composition, the way the hair bends in the wind, etc. Then I try to incorporate that specific characteristic into my own art.

I have growing folders of (I’m a bit embarrassed) almost 8,000 pictures, organized by characteristics, for the sole purpose of studying their prettiness. Sometimes we don’t need a tutorial to spell everything out, just an example can help us envision our own works’ potential. Also, staring at pictures is a relaxing way to study too!

And of course, trial and error~ I don’t post my sad, failed paintings or all the weird sketches I make, but they exist and teach a lot!

[woeismyhoe]

A friend of mine made me realize this little parallel between Avatar and Kungfu Panda...

Sozin comitted genocide against the Airbenders to eliminate the next Avatar who was the only threat to his war.

Shen comitted genocide against the Pandas to eliminate the prophesized panda who would defeat him.

[hamstermastersamster]

I’m finally playing the RE2 remake (as Leon first) and I’m really enjoying it. Really! Even though I hate change! However, I’m a little annoyed at the slight sequenciing changes in the sewer section and the impact they have on characterisation and pacing and urgency.

In the original, after Leon gets shot, Ada up and takes off after Annette WITHOUT patching him up first. Like, she straight up abandons him after he saved her life. This is Important for her characterisation as a goals-first, people-last agent, but it’s also Important because it means Leon gets to wake up in a puddle of his own blood, dellirious with pain, and go staggering after her because he’s a Good Boy who is absolutely People-First, Own-Safety-and-Wellbeing-Dead-Last. The way the remake handles it, Ada patches him up first and she runs off after Annette with his consent and encouragement. It just completely changes the nature of their relationship and her character a fair bit.

Also in the original, Ada then winds up trapped by Annette and stranded in a face-off against the giant croc. But the remake already blew its giant crocodile load much earlier, in a fun but ultimately brief and sorta forgettable encounter. So this time, when Leon heads off to find Ada, his foe is . . . ENVIRONMENT PUZZLES. He literally can’t even get to her without basically traversing the ENTIRE sewer (AND backtracking unnecessarily into the police station if you’re like me and want All The Things).

The pacing here is ugly, my friends. I had so many sub-goals being tracked in my mind (go back through the Hell Sewer Room and get the flamethrower you had no inventory room for at the time and might have cried about a little, get back to the police station to develop this film you found, find the secret clues in the station, go back to that one locker miles away that you’ve only just got the code for, etc. etc.) that I actually straight up forgot I was meant to be rescuing Ada at one point xD The sense of urgency just is not there.

When you rescue Ada in the original from the giant croc, there’s a cute scene where Leon permits himself a little guilt-tripping and says “This bullet wound isn’t making things any easier” and THEN Ada patches him up. And this is the point at which you can see her starting to soften towards him a teeny bit. It’s like a juicy characterisation reward for stumbling through the sewers with a bullet in you and then blowing a giant croc’s head off to save this girl you like despite the fact she is a total bitch to you and probably doesn’t deserve it. But Leon’s a Good Boy and he thinks everyone deserves it. It’s why I love him.

I’m rambling. Anyway, that said, I’m fully aware my love for the OG game is partially biased by the novelisation of it that S.D.Perry wrote. Her characterisation of Leon as earnest loyal puppy rookie cop who just wants to Help People ended up setting high expectations for me that alll the subsequent RE games featuring him failed to live up to. But rookie cop Leon Kennedy still lives in my heart and soul rent-free for all time <3

[writers-worst-nightmare]

Friending a demon (demon!Dream XD x demon!reader)

A/N: this isn’t that big of Dream XD x reader but whatever, I like it and it is very long so deal with it

Warning(s): cussing, death, near death, major character death

Character(s): reader, Dream XD, unnamed boyfriend, Tommyinit, Dream, Niki, Wilbur, Philza, Tuboo, Eret, Shlatt, Quackity, Techno, Michael, Mumza

Glossary:

y/n = your name

Word Count: 2,093

Request always open!

(Oh ho ho look at that fancy and aesthetic gif, we are moving up in the ranks here)

You didn’t expect to die. I mean, nobody expects to die when they do. Nobody expects to die.  Nobody wants to die. (except for some people) That’s the thing—dying— people hype it up to be all mysterious and scary. But once you die and get to choose between heaven and hell.  Suddenly the barriers between him living and dead opened up, options that you were never given in life went to you. And you, of course, had to fuck it up with a stupid ass joke.

*flashback to the morning of that day*

You giggled happy and content with your life (and day especially) as you swung a basket full of baked goods that you bought from the story in your hand. It had been a long time since l’manburg blew up. But your boyfriend and you sometimes liked going there for dates, nostalgia clung onto the walls of the blown up city as it held memories of everything ad everybody close to our hearts. Everybody thought that they would love forever in L’manburg. That everyone would grow old together and all the drama that they had earlier when the they first got L’manburg was finally over. But that didn’t happen, instead, somebody chose to say ‘it was never meant to be…’

The explosion of l’manburg you meant.

That was the exposition that made everyone turn their heads and realize that everything they had worked for had been lost and forgotten.

The exposition that changed everything. Everything moved so slow paced and was very relaxing in the server, everyone was free and happy. Being away from the government and forming their own country. You still remembered when the only worries of the people in l’manburg was a certain blonde teenage male that goes by the name of Tommyinit stealing Dream’s horse and riding away with it for a couple of hours.

Oh those were the good days… You thought wistfully, you stopped skipping for a minute and looked around you

Speaking of Tommy…

You looked around the blown up area of l’manburg, usually you found Tommy in the area. Just singing to himself.

Poor boy…

You thought to yourself as pity filled your eyes and you pulled out your phone and looked at the text message your boyfriend sent you a few minutes ago.

”I decided to move places and go to the community house, don’t rush or anything tho, love you baby!”

You smiled at the text your boyfriend gave you, turning around  and going to the direction of the Community House to drop off the backed goods. Slowly walking over, you began to think of Tommy. The blonde has always been in your mind. If he was the good or the bad guy. And once people grow out of their immature age. They will realize that Tommy wasn’t the good or the bad guy. He is simply a teenage boy who is looking for a father or mother figure (or both, both wouldn’t hurt the guy).

Apparently you where so lost in your head that you bumped into somebody. “OH!” You squeaked in surprise as you almost fell over in shock. You opened your eyes and found Niki standing there in front of you with a weird expression on her face.

“Oh, sorry y/n! I didn’t see you there!” Niki said as she held out her hand for you to grab. Gratefullly. You took her hand and brushed off the dirt from the black ripped jeans that you where wearing.

“No, it is my fault…I should have been paying attention!” You shrugged as you picked up the basket and internally frowned as you stared down at the basket which was now all squished up and looked ugly.

”Oh darling! Was that basket for your boyfriend!? Here, let me get a new basket and everything and then hand it to your boyfriend and say that you gave it to him and you go take care of yourself!”

”Wait…really!?”

“Yes, of course babe! Go take care of yourself!!!”

You smiled at your friend and then went to take a walk to where Wilbur blew everything up.

You walked over and sat down in the broken chair, staring off into the distance you imaged yourself in the crowd as the explosion went off.

And the look of dread and sadness that pulled in Philza’s eyes when he killed his son.

“I heard there was a special place Where men could go and emancipate The brutality And tyranny Of their rulers Well, this place is real You needn’t fret With Wilbur, Tommy, Tubbo, Fuck Eret A very big and not blown up L’Manburg”

You sung the lyrics out, the words slightly echoing as the words flew from your mouth and bounced off of the walls.

“My L’Manburg My L’Manburg My L’Manburg My L’Manburg”

Now singing the words out loud, it pained you for nobody else to join in on the chorus.

One time, during Christmas, when everyone was drunk off their ass Shlatt sung the verses and bridge while everyone else slurred on their words and joined in.

You let out a breathless chuckle as you remembered the many good memories that this blown up city shares between the members of the group and the hidden memories that you closed deep in your heart. Vowed to never open to anybody. Ever.

”For freedom and for liberty Our nation sought to build on these A victory for all under our freedom Well the darkness came and then it went We built a home and watched it sink And from the rubble Emerged my great L’Manburg”

You kept on singing, slowly bringing your knees and turning around so you stared at the opposite side of the torn of l’manburg, the side that pointed towards the greater cities that where built around it. Las Nevada’s was in the distance with the flashing lights and large buildings.

“My L’manburg My L’manburg My L’manburg My L’manburg”

It felt lonely.

A lonely sensation washed over you as you thought of all the voice that joined as someone joined. But now, it was just the faint echo of your own voice bouncing off the walls. However, if you strained your ears to listen, you could hear the cheering of some sober men in Las Nevada’s.

Quackity must really hate it there right now.

You let out a small huff of satisfaction

Finally, that teasing son of a bitch can know what it feels like to live a day in your shoes

You thought before peeling your eyes away from the bright and flashing lights.

”With bloodied hands And weakened knees Our peoplе rose like The phoеnix Our empty fields and canals ‘round L’Mantree With sweat and tears we armed our ranks We laid foundations in our land And from every lips for Here up to infinity”

Each word that let your mouth seemed to get louder and louder. Almost like, if you sung the words of the national anthem loud enough, it might deafen the tones of trauma that also layered this God forbidden land.

”We sing L’Manburg We sing L’Manburg We sing L’Manburg We sing L’Manburg”

As you finished up the national anthem of L’manburg you let out a short puff of air that resembled a sigh but wasn’t quite a sigh by definition. Slowly (and sort of reluctantly), you stood up and cleared your tear-filled eyes with your graphic t-shirt. Walking out of l’manburg was the hardest thing that you have always had to do

It was like accepting the fact that Wilbur pressed a button and blew a whole city.

With just a little click of a button

A small click and the world went into the chaos that it is now

The chaos that it is now….

Oh how the chaos infused.

Since Niki said that she was going to give the baskets to your boyfriend you chose to walk over to snowchester and check up on Ranboo, Tuboo, and Michael. And you also wanted to see if Techno needed any help with moving into the colder region of snowchester. You pulled out a map and watched as the directions changed, almost being your own little GPS.

Once you finally entered snowchester, you took a look around and soon your eyes locked on Tuboo holding Ranboo back as Ranboo unsheathed his sword and gave Michael a seat glare.

”PLEASE STOP RANBOO!!! HE IS OUR SON!!!!” Tuboo screamed on the top of his lungs, unlike l’manburg nothing echoed here. You quickly took off your armor that you had on from swimming and ran towards and married couple for tax benefits and their son. You snatched up their son as soon as you could. And as soon as Tuboo knew that Michael was safe in your hands Tuboo let go of the half enderman half @$&$ male. Ranboo stoped and blinked for a few minutes before pulling out his journal and flipping through a few pages. Slowly, he wrote something in his journal before closing it and staring at you as you protected Michael with your life.

“T-thank you…” Ranboo managed to choke out before falling to his knees and crying

”Of course, it is my job!” You cheered, handing Michael back to Tuboo.

”Hold on,” Ranboo hissed as he turned to you, you looked back and stared into Ranboo’s multi-colored eyes. The purple and green colors seemed to be darker and have some sort of fire inside of them, some sort of hidden rage.

”What?” You asked, trying to make your voice not quack as the ground seemed to sway under your feet and the world was spinning around you that you didn’t even know when it stopped.

“I didn’t say thank you for saving Michael, I said thank you for going rid of your armor and dropping your sword.” Ranboo finished as he got his sword and stabbed you in the chest with it. You screamed in agony, the pain steering through your body like lava falling on some rocs that had been embarrassing the nice and cold weather wherever those rocks might be. The shock caused the pain to go numb which made it kind of worse you weren’t lying. Your wide eyes turned into closed, very much dead eyes

‘What?’

What a shitty word to die on.

***

You woke up with a start, eyes glazed over with tiredness and your legs where almost shaking beneath you. Letting in a shaky breath, you captured your surroundings quickly. Before staring at the large female figure before you.

There was a women there, who was too bright to get a good look at, you guessed that she was Mumza. Mumza was supposed to brig you to heaven.

While Dream XD

he was suppose to bring you to hell.

Where was he? Was he in hell? Did you make it to heaven?

You felt relief blood over your body like a ocean lapsing up some of the raindrops that dropped from the clouds to the salty ocean.

“Am I in heaven?” You questioned, Mumza breathlessly chuckled at you as you stared at her with a dead serious expression on your face.

“You can be if you want to.” Mumza stated, you gave her a ‘what the fuck are you talking about women?’ Look before Mumza realized she had to explain further into depth. “When people die, they get to choose between heaven or hell. So, which one will you choose?” Mumza prompted, you laughed to yourself and stared at the women before you.

of course you wanted to go to heaven! Who wouldn’t?

”I want to go to hell,” You said sarcastically, a glimmer of humor sparkling in your eyes. Mumza sighed before pulling a lever and sending you down to (what you where guessing was) hell. “THAT WAS SARCASTIC DIPSHIT!!!!” You screamed as you plummeted down further and further into the tunnel.

For what felt like forever. You where falling and falling and falling until you felt like you where almost floating through space. Like you could fall any longer.

Then, as soon as you lost all hope.

You landed with a thud on the ground (head first). You groaned as you rubbed your head and blinked dirt and dust out of your eyes so you could see properly (because you were not about to go into hell blind as a bat).

Your eyes scanned the clearing until you found, what looked lime to be Dream XD.

”Finally!!! A new friend!!!!” Dream XD shouted, his voice rough and ragged as he ran up and hugged you tightly.

[adezahnae]

While We’re on a Little Trip (Part 2)

A/N: Here is Part 2 of While We’re on a Little Trip!! Enjoy😊❤️

Warnings: Smut, morning fuzzy sex, oral (male and female receiving), cursing, slight fighting, slut-shaming, Y/n snaps XD

Tagged People: @ahgasearmyfan @whoreforshuaaa

Your POV

Today is the day...I finally graduated from High School! I jumped out of bed and ran to the closet. I heard Jaehyun stir awake. “Princess?” He called in his morning voice. I bit my lip. “Good Morning!!” I replied in a sing-song voice. He chuckled. “I’m surprised you’re still able to walk.” He said. I smiled and went back to him, crawling on his lap. “Maybe it’s just you getting too old for me..” I said teasing him.

He quirked an eyebrow. “I’m getting old?” He repeated. I nodded my head biting my lip. He held onto my hips and pushed me down on the bed, crawling on top of me. “Jae! What are you doing?” I squealed. “You think Daddy’s getting old?” He asked kissing my neck. I giggled. “Noo! I apologize!” I said. “Daddy’s gonna make you pay for that...” He whispered in my ear. “But I have to get ready!” I whined. “It’s only 10:34, your graduation doesn’t start until 12.” He said.

“But I’ll take forever!” I tried to protest. “I can wait. You’re gonna pay.” He said with a teasing smile. He traveled down to in between my legs and spread them. He took of my underwear and threw them behind him. I giggled and then let out a moan as he began kissing on my nub. His tongue flicked it and I arched my back. “Daddy..mmm...” I moaned.

He slipped his tongue past my folds and made patterns. I felt him place two fingers inside. I gripped his hair. “Yesss!!! S-So good!!” I moaned. He then pulled away and turned me around my stomach. He gave me a smack on my butt making me jerk forward with a nasty smile. He lifted up my hips and pushed inside me. He started off at a hard pace. I gripped the sheets and yelled out in pleasure. “Is Daddy still old?” He asked me as he spanked me. I shook my head. “No! Daddy’s not old!” I said.

“Are you gonna take it back then?” He asked me. I nodded. “Uh Huh! Ohhhh my gosh I’m close!” I cried. He went faster and I released on him. He pulled out and kissed my back. He landed a hard smack that made a tear form in my eyes. He seen it and kissed my cheek. “Now apologize.” He said. “Sorry Daddy.” I said. He pulled me back up and kissed my lips. “Daddy forgives you.” He said. I smiled and pushed him against the pillows. “Can I finish you off Daddy?” I asked. He nodded. “Yes you may...” I took him inside of my mouth, still tasting myself on him.

He groaned and ran his fingers through my hair. I went faster and sucked harder. He threw his head back. “Good job Princess..” He whispered. I smiled and continued to give him head. He began to force down my head at a fast pace, while he’s groaning. “Right there Princess, don’t stop...” He whispered. I felt him getting bigger in my mouth, signaling that he’s close. Just as he was about to release, his phone rung. He groaned out in annoyance and grabbed his phone.

He rolled his eyes at the caller ID. “Who is it?” I asked. “Your mom.” He said. “She still has your number?” I asked sitting up. “During our divorce, I was told to still keep contact with her until you graduate from school. You can keep going she’s not important.” He explained. I gave him a funny face and shrugged my shoulders. Why would I pass up on giving this man head? “Hello?” He answered while leaning his head back, trying to keep in his moans.

“Hello Jae. What are you doing?” She asked. “I’m getting head, why?” He replied bluntly making me giggle. “You’re still fucking my daughter huh?” She sighed. “Yes now what is it that you want Mia?” He asked. “I just miss you but you’re still there fucking my daughter like the slut she is!” She yelled. I frowned at her words. His hand came to my cheek and caressed it. “It’s okay.” He mumbled. I smiled and kissed his hand, continuing to suck him off. He groaned out and placed a hand on my head.

“I hate you so much...” She said. “That makes two of us...fuck baby don’t stop, just like that.” He moaned. I heard my mom groaned out and hang up the phone. He hung up as well and threw his phone on the side table and leaned his head back. He finally released in my mouth and I swallow. I pulled away and looked up at him. He gave me a kiss on my forehead. “Thank you Princess..” He said. I nodded. “You’re welcome..” I said. “Go and get ready. We have to be there by 11:30.” He said. I nodded and went to go and get my dress and graduation gown from the closet.

I sat in my seat for the graduation, nervous as ever. It was a good type of nervous. I was one of the students who were next in line for my diploma. My group finally made it up stage and I seen that Jaehyun was in the crowd looking at me. “You’re beautiful.” He mouth to me. I smiled and nod slightly. “Miss. Jung Y/n.” The Principal called out. I heard everyone clap and cheered for me as I accepted my diploma. I seen that Jaehyun was recording me while he clapped.

I smiled and waved at the camera. He smiled back and waved at me. “She will now like to give a speech.” The principal said. I went up to the podium and cleared my throat. “To everyone here today, getting their diploma, I’d like to say that we made it! Through the struggles of meeting deadlines, the feeling of being at the bottom because we couldn’t get a grade up, and mainly, the feeling of just wanting to give up. We made it here, to this stage, with the help of ourselves, our parents, our mind, and our teachers. I know many of you know my dad, Mr. Jung. He also one of the number one teachers here. He helped me through it all, not because I’m his daughter but because he cares. He cared for all the students that he had taught and even the ones in the entire school. He wouldn’t of build the school if he didn’t care about the students. He gave me the power I need to push through it all, even when him and my mom we’re going through a divorce. He kept my head up. He did the same for all of us, we must do the same for him in the future. Why? Because we are the future. Class of 2020 is the future...Thank you all..”

I bowed to the crowd as the clapped and cheered loudly. I looked up at Jaehyun to see him with a smile on his face. I blew him a kiss and he blew one back. “I love you.” He mouthed. “I love you too!” I mouthed back. I took my way down the stairs and back to my seat.

“CONGRATULATIONS!” I heard friends, students, and my family yelled as I walked through the door of me and Jaehyun’s house. I gasped and covered my mouth. I squealed and hugged Jaehyun who was behind me. “Thank you soo much Daddy! Truly!” I cried. He hugged me back and comfort me. “It’s okay, Princess. You did it, not me.” He said. I lifted my head up and he wiped my tears. He kissed my forehead and smiled at me. “Go and get ready for your party!” He said. I ran up the stairs and went to our closet to pull out my dress. I got dressed in it and went back downstairs to enjoy my party. Everything was perfect, it was amazing. I was having such a good time with everyone and getting presents from everybody. I looked over to see my mom, storming in the door. She went straight to Jaehyun.

Jaehyun’s POV

I was enjoying everyone here. They were all having a good time with Y/n. Is it bad to say I want to marry her? She’s everything I could have asked for and she means everything to me. She looked so beautiful in her dress and it twinkled in the light, making her only stand out. I pulled out my phone to look at rings. I’m not gonna marry her just yet, just a promise ring to see how she will take it. As I was looking I felt someone tap my shoulder. I turned around to see that it was Mia.

“What the hell are you doing here?” I asked. “I want to talk to you! Like I said earlier!” She said. “Y/n has now graduated, we do not need to speak no more.” I said. “I’m taking my daughter back.” She said. I scoffed. “No the fuck you won’t.” I said. “Yes I am!” She yelled. “After you called her a slut earlier?” I asked. “You put that girl through so much shit Mia! Do you not get that or are you just dumb?” I exclaimed. “I’m taking my daughter from you. She’s mine NOT YOURS!” Mia yelled.

Everyone in the house stopped what they were doing and turned to us. “Mia, Y/n is mine. To be honest, she’s none of ours. She is turning 20 in a week!” I said. “How is she yours?! You were married into our family! She doesn’t have your blood!” She yelled. “Remember that paper you told me about? And how quick you signed it? Mia, you signed your rights away. She isn’t your daughter anymore.” I said. I heard Y/n gasp. “Y- You did what?” She whispered. I turned around to see tears welling up in her eyes.

“Y/n it’s alright. I’m here.” I comfort her. I couldn’t stand to see her broken like this. “Stop comforting that slut!” Mia yelled. “MIA! WATCH YOUR FUCKING MOUTH!” I yelled. “To everyone who doesn’t know, Jaehyun is fucking Y/n! Yep! She was just sucking his dick earlier when I called!” Mia said to everyone. “What?!” I heard Y/n’s grandmother say. “Yes this is their house! They live together as boyfriend and girlfriend! This is not a daughter and father relationship! Y/n is a slut! She’s been fucking him ever since me and Jae we’re first engaged!” Mia yelled out to everyone. “Just how you were messing around with Doyoung?” Y/n said pulling away from me. “YOU WRONG JAE BEFORE HE WRONGED YOU! AND NOW YOU’RE HERE TRYING TO TURN THE SHIT ON US! JAEHYUN TOLD ME THAT WHEN YOU WE’RE ON YOUR LITTLE TRIP, YOU WERE FUCKING YOUR BOSS, DOYOUNG! AND NOW HE’S LEFT YOU AND YOU’RE PREGNANT WITH HIS CHILD BY 8 MONTHS! YOU ARE THE SLUT! I’M SICK AND TIRED OF BITCHES LIKE YOU!” She yelled.

“Watch how you talk to me! I’m you-“ “WHAT MY MOTHER!? YOU AREN’T SHIT TO ME BUT A FUCKING ANNOYANCE!” Y/n yelled getting closer. Mia slapped Y/n across the face making everyone gasp. “Mia!” I yelled. Before I could do anything, Y/n slapped her back and punched her in the face making her fall to the floor. Mia gasped holding her cheek. Y/n was about hit her again until I pulled her back. “Stop it Y/n! She’s pregnant.” I said. She back away with a tear stained face. “Get out....GET OUT!” Y/n yelled while she held onto me and sobbed.

“Get your ass out of here and do not come back again..” I said. Mia got up and left the house. “I hate you all, fuck you all! I hope you know that this isn’t over Jae!” She yelled getting inside her car. Y/n then teared away from me and ran upstairs to our bedroom. I turned to everyone. “Everyone, please get your things and go. Don’t worry about cleaning up, I’ll do it all myself.” I said. People shook their heads.

“We don’t hate you if that’s what your thinking. Y/n is an adult and if she wants to be with you then so be it. You’re all she has. Go up to her and comfort her. We’ll clean up.” Her grandmother said. Many other people began to agree. I smiled. “Thank you all, you are the best..” I said. Her grandmother nodded and started to get things up.

I went upstairs to our bedroom and knocked on the door. “Baby?” I called. She turned around and ran to me and hugged me.

Your POV

She really did this....she did this...why? What did I do deserve this? I didn’t do anything to her, but she hurts me in this way? I heard a soft knock on the door. “Baby?” I heard Jaehyun called. I instantly turned around and ran to him. I hugged him while I cried. “Shhh...” He said while walking me into the room and closing the door with his foot. We sat on the bed and held each other. “What about everyone else? What about the party and-“ “Hush Princess..it’s alright.” He whispered while kissing the top of my head. “But everyone knows! What about!-“ He cut me off with a kiss to the lips. “They accept, Y/n...” He said with a smile. “What?!” I exclaimed. He nodded his head.

“They don’t care..” He said. I smiled and hugged him again. He placed his hand on my cheek but I winced away. “Oh I’m sorry...hold on.” He said. He got up and got a cool rag. He placed it on my cheek and kissed my forehead. “I know it hurts but it’ll go away soon.” He said. I looked in his eyes. “Jae...” I whispered. “Hm?” He replied. “I love you...so much...” I said. He smiled and kissed my lips again. I pulled him in closer and we began to make out.

He pulled away, stopping me from going any further. “There’s people down stairs.” He said. “And we have to get going soon.” He said taking the rag away and walking off to put it up. “W-Where are we going?” I asked. He chuckled. “Did you forget our trip to Hawaii that quick?” He asked, rephrasing my words from yesterday. I laughed and went to the closet. “Oh..the party had my mind all scrambled and I forgot.” I said. “It’s alright. Get your bags so we can get ready.” He said. I nodded. “I’ll go back down stairs to tell everyone that we’re le-“ “No.” I said cutting him off.

“No?” He repeated. “Can we go together?” I asked. He smiled and held out his hand. “Come on..” He said. I took his hand and walked back down the stairs. “Everyone, I’d like to let you know that me and Y/n are leaving in 10 minutes. We thank you all for coming and enjoying your time here.” Jaehyun said. He turned to me. “You want to say anything?” He asked. “Thank you all. And my apologies about my m- I mean Mia..she’s still not accepting the fact that she’s divorced with this man.” I said.

“You mean your man?” My grandmother said. “I-“ “We all know! It’s alright to say! We accept you all the way!” A student said. I smiled at their words. “T-Thank you! It means a lot..” I said. Jaehyun kissed my cheek and smiled at me. “Thank you! Come on let’s go and get everything in the car.” Jaehyun said. We went back to retrieve our bags. We got inside our car and waved my grandmother goodbye. She said that she would house sit for us.