#this got too long. but i'm happier with this version. so here. have it. enjoy.

[munofmanyminds]

A CLOSED starter for @ardentghcst ft. CASSIUS BOUCHERRE & SEMIRA DURMAZ

The  alley  behind  the  club  was  shrouded  in  shadow.  The  kind  of  thick  darkness  that  creatures  like  himself  usually  thrived  in.  The  kind  that  let  monsters  feed  undisturbed,  fangs  dug  deep  into  the  yielding  flesh  of  terrified  prey.  No  streetlights  reached  this  far  back  into  the  alley  -  and  for  the  most  part,  that  was  by  design.  No  cameras  had  ever  been  installed  back  here  either.  No  prying  eyes.  It  was  like  Cassius'  own little  corner  of  the  world,  a  place  carved  out  for  moments  when  hunger  grew  sharp  and  he  needed  a  place  to  eat  in  a  pinch.

Tonight,  however,  he  hadn’t  made  it  that  far.  The  scent  had  caught  his  sharp  senses  first;  blood,  rich  and  heavy  on  the  hair,  curling  towards  him  like  the  hot  steam  of  a  meal  being  prepared.  This  wasn’t  a  meal  though.  No,  this  scent  was  too  familiar,  carrying  a  signature  he  couldn’t  ignore.  So  he’d  ushered  his  would-be  meal  off  into  the  night,  muttering  an  excuse  he  didn’t  bother  coating  in  his  usual  charms.  The  ache  in  his  throat,  that  dull  burn  pressing  against  the  back  of  his  throat,  only  deepened  as  he  rounded  the  corner  and  drew  closer. 

There,  Cassius  had  laid  eyes  on  her.  Semira.  It  just  had  to  be  Semira.  Of  fucking  course  it  did.  Of  all  the  stupid  fucking  humans  to  end  up  gutted  and  gasping  in  his  alley,  it  just  had  to  be  Celeste’s  favourite  little  plaything.  Despite  his  first  instinct  to  walk  away,  leave  her  to  her  fate  and  get  back  to  his  own  plans  for  the  evening,  that  wasn’t  really  an  option  here.  Celeste  was  out  of  town,  which  meant he  was  the  only  thing  standing  between  Semira  and  the  end  of  her  fragile  little  life.  

That’s  exactly  how  he  found  himself  kneeling  on  the  damp  concrete,  the  dying  human  cradled  awkwardly  in  his  lap.  Her  head  lolled  against  the  crook  of  his  arm,  her  body  limp  as  a  doll’s,  while  his  other  wrist  pressed  firmly  to  pale  lips.  She’d  protested  at  first,  of  course.  Even  half  conscious,  she  knew  as  well  as  he  did  what  his  blood  would  do  to  her,  but  survival  had  its  own  way  of  silencing  pride.  Now,  barely  there,  she  drank,  each  faint  swallow  causing  her  throat  to  bob  weakly  under  torn  skin.  His  lower  lip  bore  its  own  smear  of  crimson,  slick  from  when  he’d  torn  himself  open  for  her.

He  let  her  drink  until  the  pull  of  her  mouth  faded  and  the  wounds  on  his  wrist  sealed  itself  shut,  dark  skin  once  more  smooth  and  flawless.  Then  he  drew  back,  eyes  lingering  on  her  face  as  her  breathing  steadied,  the  tremor  in  her  limbs  persisting  for  a  moment  longer.  His  head  tipped  slightly,  watching  the  way  her  pupils  dilated,  sluggish  and  glazed.  With  the  amount  she’d  consumed,  she  probably  wouldn’t  be  able  to  walk  straight  anytime  soon.  The  initial effects  of  his  blood  would  be  taking  hold  of  her  faculties  now,  leaving  her  warm  and  dizzy,  coating  her  thoughts  in  something  heady  and  powerful.

[dandylovesturtles]

I lied

this fic is going to have at least four parts. oops.

Sorry this took longer than I intended! I started working on it literally the next day after the first part went up and banged out 3K words, then wrote another 1.5K over the next couple days, ended up hating it, deleted the whole thing and started over. I'm much happier with this version.

I had intended for this part to go deeper into the immediate aftermath buuuut this part ended up so long I decided to make that the next part!

And I got enabled on discord to be mean with the cliffhanger, so... sorry <3

CW: minor violence, angst, nobody having a good time, Bishop being Bishop

btw this is Part 2 of the Room Fic that doesn't have a title yet. If you're confused, start here!

-----

They're somewhere in Nebraska, and Raph's never seen so many stars before.

He thought he had seen stars, when they went camping in the woods that time with Todd. Now, sitting on the side of the road by the Turtle Tank, he's realizing that he didn't really see them.

He wishes he could enjoy it, but he can't. Not really. Because nine days ago, Leo stormed out of the lair and never came home.

(Raph knows the thing he'll always blame himself for is picking the fight in the first place.)

It took them several days to learn what had happened to him. Even more days to learn where he was taken. And now they're stuck on the side of the road in Nebraska while Donnie fixes a flat.

Mikey's dozing against his shoulder. He hasn't been getting enough sleep, not that any of them have. April's handing Donnie tools and keeping him company while he changes the tire. Draxum and Splinter are inside the tank, on the lookout for cops with the help of Donnie's police scanners.

It's cool since the sun went down. Quiet. Crickets are out and playing their songs. Raph's seen a few deer, and an owl. The stars are twinkling overhead, and it's calm, peaceful.

The weight on his shoulder is suddenly gone; Raph looks down to find Mikey sitting up straight, wide awake and head cocked to the side like a bloodhound who just caught a scent.

He opens his mouth to ask - and then he feels it too.

It's a cacophony of emotions, strong and hot and mixing together until they're overwhelming. Fear, pain, exhaustion, loneliness, and a blinding fury like even Raph has never felt before. Hatred and bile and the desire to attack, to harm, to destroy.

And underneath it all, a presence as familiar to him as his own, one that's been by his side since almost the day he was hatched. One that is fragile and desperate and screaming out for help.

Leo.

Raph stands up - next to him, Mikey is already on his feet. Raph reaches out his hand, his ninpo flaring to life, straining out into the open air like if he just stretches far enough, he can pluck Leo out of the hell he's trapped in and bring him home.

But he can't reach far enough, because the EPF took him all the way to Colorado. And they're still on the side of the road in Nebraska.

As quickly as it came, the presence is dying away again. It shrinks smaller and smaller and then fizzles out. Raph releases his breath, letting his ninpo fall away, his fingers still grasping open air.

A sniffle. Raph looks down and finds Mikey sobbing. He scoops his little brother into his arms, and Mikey throws himself into Raph's chest, heaving breaths shaking his tiny frame.

"Leo," he whimpers. All Raph can do is pat his shell.

He turns to take stock of Donnie next, carrying Mikey over. His other little brother has tears trickling down his face, too, more subdued but still visible. He's holding his wrench in a vice grip, and for once he doesn't utter a single protest when Raph reaches out and tucks him in under his free arm.

"...What just happened?" asks April, hesitant. Raph wishes he knew how to explain.

"It was Leo!" Mikey does it for him. "He... he's reaching for us."

"What!? Like, mind meld or something!?"

"No," answers Raph. "I don't really know what that was... but it was definitely Leo."

"So..." April pauses, eyes searching each of their faces. "Is he... okay?"

None of them know what to say, but she gets it anyway.

"...I'm going to destroy the EPF," says Donnie, voice dark and cold. "I'm going to raze it to the ground. There will be nothing left."

Raph squeezes his shoulders, pulling him closer.

He doesn't know what to do other than agree.

-----

"This is a good thing," says Draxum. "That means he's still alive."

"But they're hurting him!" Mikey argues. He's halfway in Draxum's lap, arms wrapped around Draxum's middle. Donnie sits on one of the bench seats, curled tight around his own legs, while Splinter strokes his head. Raph sits on the bench seat across from them, April leaning against his side.

"I told you what the EPF is capable of," Draxum reminds them. "This is not a surprise."

"Read the room, Barry," says April.

Splinter's look is increasingly far away, his touch on Donnie's head automatic and absentminded. He's able to stay in the room with them when there's something to do, but now the fear and depression are threatening to take him away again. For the hundredth time since this nightmare began, Raph feels the hopelessness set in.

Draxum sucks, but he's right, echoes the voice in his head that sounds too much like Leo. The plan hasn't changed. Now get moving before you tire out.

"Drax is right that Leo's alive," Raph echoes. "So we need to get a move on. Donnie, how's the tank?"

Donnie uncurls, coaxed by the request to talk about his baby. "The spare's on, and I did some checks on the engine and interior systems. We're ready to go."

"Alright." Raph stands up, rolling his shoulders. "It's Raph's turn to drive. Everyone buckle up."

The mood in the tank shifts after that; they have a direction, and a plan. Leo is hurt, but he's still alive, and nothing has changed.

Donnie and April sit together in the front seats. Mikey passes around snacks and drinks from their cooler, then snuggles in between their dad and Draxum. Draxum says something negative about the snack food, which pulls Splinter out of his trance and starts up some heated bickering between them. Even more of the tension leaks out of the cab.

Raph puts the tank in drive and pulls back onto the quiet highway, driving west again. At their back, the sun starts to rise.

-----

It's late in the day when they reach Colorado Springs.

Donnie was able to pin the EPF base's location down to the mountains surrounding the town, but he couldn't find its exact location. Whatever equipment they have, it's completely scrambled the subcutaneous tracker Donnie put on Leo (and boy, was that a stir when Donnie revealed he'd put trackers on all of them). It had taken a combination of Donnie's hacking and April's investigative skills to get this far.

"It makes sense," says April as they pull the tank into a campsite outside the city limits. "There's, what, three bases here? Where better to hide a secret branch of the military than with the military?"

There's snow on the ground outside, even though it's early May. Even so, the temperature was pretty mild while the sun was up. "It's the proximity to the mountains," Donnie explains when Raph mentions it, but the rest of the explanation blurs together. He's too tired to keep up with Donnie's science facts, but infodumping calms his brother down, so he lets him do it and nods along.

They eat a proper meal that Mikey cooks for them on one of the campsite grills, then settle in to nap until the sun goes down. Raph isn't sleeping, and he can tell from all the shifting around that Mikey and Donnie aren't, either. They're too close to Leo now to rest.

But you gotta catch some Zs before you go storming into enemy territory, the Leo in his head reminds him.

Raph hates every second you're in there, he thinks. But it won't be long now. Big bro's comin'.

He wishes the Leo in his head would say that he believes that. But all Raph can remember are the words they said during the fight, and he never quite goes to sleep.

-----

They break into pairs for their search. Raph goes with April, Mikey with Splinter, and Donnie stays with Draxum at the tank. Donnie uses his tech to try and narrow down the location of the base, while the other two teams go in opposite directions and start scouting the area on foot.

It takes a long time for them to learn anything, and as the sun comes up again, Raph starts to worry that they're going to have to leave Leo trapped for another full day.

But then he and April finally get a lead. They send the info to Donnie, and it helps narrow down his search.

Just after dawn, they reconvene at the tank, gathered around satellite images and drone shots of a nondescript military compound several miles outside the city.

"There it is," says Donnie with finality. "That's where they're keeping Leo."

"Then what are waiting for?" asks Mikey.

Wait for dark, says the Leo in Raph's head.

And that advice makes sense. There will be fewer employees at night. The dark provides natural cover. It's sane. It's smart.

Raph ignores it entirely.

He's not leaving his little brother with those people for one second longer. Not after what he felt, sitting on the side of the road in Nebraska.

"We're not waiting for anything," he says. "Let's move out."

From the looks on their faces, they all agree.

------

The site looks as generic as possible. There's a high electric fence circling the whole thing, with a basic "No Trespassing - Government Property" sign. A simple guard stand sits at the drive-in gate. The buildings visible beyond are drab and featureless.

The government stopped publicly funding the EPF in the nineties, Draxum had told them. But the organization had never truly gone away; it was just funded through underground means now. Miscellaneous defense funding. Anonymous donations. Private benefactors.

Originally it had been founded to defend Earth against aliens. But when no alien threat appeared, they moved on to a new mission: defending the United States against yokai.

"Even though we were here first," Draxum had said testily. "Typical Americans."

Raph hadn't liked anything Draxum had to tell them about the EPF. That they weren't bound by any of the laws the rest of the military was. That the yokai they had managed to capture were never seen again. That Draxum had had a very brief run-in with them once, decades ago, and he doubted they had ever forgotten it.

Really, though, all he'd needed to know was that they had his brother.

It's the middle of the morning, so their stealth options are limited. Still, they aren't ninja for nothing; they use the forest and the snowy terrain to their advantage and sneak their way into the compound. Raph has to admit, he was a little worried about Draxum on the trip over, but the old goat does a pretty good job keeping up.

It takes them a bit of time to work out which building to enter. They rule out a mess hall, a medical ward, the barracks, and some kind of training center first. Then, toward the furthest reaches of the compound, they find a building that looks particularly suspicious, with a guard gate on the path leading to it and more armed guards on the roof.

"That has to be it," says Raph. No one disagrees.

They use a passing supply truck to slip past the guard gate, then sneak around the back and use a fire ladder to get to the roof. They dispatch the guards on top quickly and easily, then find a ventilation shaft leading inside. Mikey, Donnie, April, and Splinter fit easily enough, but Raph and Draxum are too big to wiggle through.

"Find out where we're going. Radio us as soon as you find something," Raph says. Then he gives Mikey, April, and Donnie's shoulders each a squeeze in turn. "And be careful."

"Take care of Red," their dad says to Draxum just before he follows the others inside.

"He's safe with me," Draxum promises.

"You're safe with Raph," Raph feels the need to say. Splinter chuckles before disappearing into the shaft after his siblings.

Waiting outside becomes nerve-wracking quickly. Raph starts to pace the length of the roof, back and forth, glancing at the unconscious guards from time to time to make sure they're still unconscious.

"You're going to wear a rut on the roof," Draxum admonishes him. Raph keeps going anyway.

-----

Finally, after what feels like ages but is only about ten minutes, his radio crackles. Raph freezes, pulling his wrist close, where Donnie's tech is hidden under his wraps.

"Hey." It's April's voice. She sounds out of breath, but not distressed. "Come to the back of the building. Should be a door."

"On our way," says Raph, waving at Draxum to follow before dropping off the roof.

The door is easy enough to find, the snow around it trampled down. He gives the metal a rap with his knuckles when he gets there, and the door swings open, April grinning, her bat perched against her shoulder. Behind her is another unconscious guard.

"Nice, April," says Raph, hustling inside. He kicks the last of the snow off his feet once he's on the cold linoleum floor, Draxum following suit. April lets the door swing shut again. "Where's everyone else?"

"We found some kinda security room. Leo's gear was in there." She pushes by and starts to lead them down the hall, voice low, eyes watching for anyone rounding the corner. "Donnie's poking through the camera footage. Didn't look like anyone much was in this hall, so I came to get you."

"And Leonardo?" asks Draxum.

April gives a shake of her head. "Haven't found him yet, but he's gotta be here. There's not much more of the building to search, so we're close."

Raph peeks in open doors and through windows as they walk, taking in the space. It looks like an ordinary office building inside; nothing nefarious, except for the fact that the people working here are kidnapping scum who have done something so terrible to his little brother it made him scream out in anguish and fury. But if he hadn't known that coming in, he wouldn't have expected anything. It all looks very...

Raph comes to a sudden stop. Through the sliver of window in a door, he sees the first occupied room since he's entered the building. Only one person is inside, wearing a white lab coat and tapping away at a computer.

But what's more interesting is the door on the other side of the room: solid metal with no window, and a sign that reads "Inmate Observation - Authorized Access Only".

Raph grabs April by the shoulder before she can get too far ahead, pointing at the window. "Do you know what's in there?"

She turns back and takes a peek. "...No. I don't think we went through there yet."

So they haven't ruled this part of the building out yet. And it's the only one so far with anyone inside.

Inmate Observation.

"Raph, wait, I think we should-" April starts, but Raph doesn't listen. Raph can't stop himself.

His little brother is in here. He knows he is. The one who was taken from them. The one who cried out to them in fear, begging to be saved.

He's not making Leo wait a moment longer.

Raph throws open the door and marches inside.

"...Okay," April says behind him. "I guess we're doing it this way.

-----

The scientist or whoever they are tries to radio for help. Raph picks the radio up and crushes it in his hand. They turn and run, and that takes care of that.

April calls the others on her radio. Raph doesn't listen to the conversation. His eyes are locked on the door.

Inmate Observation.

He reaches out and throws the door back with a bang.

He's ready for the gunshots before they come, and his ninpo is already active, forming a protective bubble around himself and shielding Draxum and April. He's expecting bullets, but instead it's darts; they embed themselves harmlessly in the arms of his projection. Raph waits until the volley stops, then drops the projection, and the darts fall harmlessly to the floor.

He steps into the room and clocks one of the guards on the head before they can reload, watching as they fall to the ground. April wallops the other one, then kicks their fallen gun under a desk. She brandishes her bat at the other occupants of the room: two more scientists in lab coats, and one steely faced man in a suit.

The scientists seem intimidated. The suited man does not.

"Ah," he says. "So you've finally made it here, Draxum."

"Bishop." Draxum sounds equally unimpressed. "I thought you died in the nineties."

"So does most of the world. It's convenient for my work."

"You guys know each other?" April asks, looking between them.

"We know of each other." Draxum sneers. "If my plans had gone as I intended, he would truly be dead by now."

Raph narrows his eyes at the man. "Are you the one who's been keeping my brother here?"

To his credit, Bishop still looks unphased, even though Raph is tall enough to hulk over him. "I am the director of this facility."

It's enough of a yes.

Raph rushes Bishop, slamming him into the wall behind his back. Raph keeps him pinned, one hand on his neck, the other arm pressed against his chest, and Raph presses until he feels something start to crack.

Bishop hisses but does not cry out.

"Where are you keeping him?" Raph demands.

"He's in there," says Bishop, wheezing only slightly from the constriction on his lungs, his voice firm otherwise.

Raph tosses a look where Bishop indicates, seeing a large window. It's looking into a seemingly empty room; white walls and no furniture other than a toilet in the corner.

"Raph don't see him," he growls.

"He hides under the window." Bishop's eyes flicker to one of the scientists. "Pointless, really," he says, giving the man in the lab coat a nod. "Show them."

The scientist looks uneasy, but he turns and clicks a few buttons on a desktop. A screen pops up, but it doesn't show anything other than static.

"...Something is wrong with our camera signals, sir," the scientist reports.

"Ah." Bishop's eyes glint, and then flick back to Raph's face. "So there are more of you."

Raph doesn't answer that. He gives Bishop a rough shake. "What have you done to him?"

"Your brother?" Bishop clarifies. "Nothing."

Another shake. "Don't lie to me."

"I'm not lying." Bishop's eyes are steely, even as his wheezing picks up the more Raph leans into his chest. "Other than as was necessary to move him, we have not touched him."

Raph doesn't move an inch. "I don't believe that."

"Then see for yourself." Bishop looks at the other scientist now, giving a small nod of his head. "Dr. Keller, open the door for this brute so he'll stop assaulting me."

Raph scowls, staying exactly where he is while the other scientist scurries to the metal door by the window and inputs a code into a keypad. There's a beep, and a clipped, artificial voice says, "Inmates clear the door. Security personnel entering. Stay still and you will not be harmed."

Finally, Raph lets Bishop go, and approaches the door.

-----

When Raph imagined one of them getting kidnapped by a shady, quasi-governmental agency intent on imprisoning mutants, he always pictured something... different.

He thought they would be in cages, not tall enough to stand in. That they would be fed from dog bowls or water drippers. That handlers would patrol the room with cattle prods, ready to shock anyone who stepped out of line.

But there is no cage, and no cattle prods. Leo is just in a room.

The first thing Raph notices about the room is the cold. The rest of the building is hardly stifling, but even then, the blast of air that comes through the open door feels like Raph is stepping into a freezer.

As he saw from outside, there's no furniture. Or he doesn't think there is, until he looks down, under the window, and finds a cot.

And what's on the cot makes his heart stop.

Raph can barely remember the last time he saw Leo pull himself fully into his shell for anything other than shell bowling. He complained that it was too small, that the hot and cramped space made him feel claustrophobic.

Now he's completely pulled inside, still and silent in a way Leo should never be.

For an eternity, Raph thinks he's too late. They came all the way here only to save Leo's corpse.

"Leo...?"

He kneels by the cot, reaching out and putting a hand on Leo's shell. He's cold to the touch, and it unsettles Raph even further. He shouldn't be this cold.

Raph keeps his hand where it is and stays very still and very quiet. And he waits.

And then he hears it, so faint he almost misses it: a terrified, whimpering chirp.

Leo is alive.

Raph feels tears spring to his eyes. He puts his other hand on Leo's shell, rubbing in big, soothing motions.

"Leo! Leo, it's me! We're here, we're getting you out! It's all going to be okay, just trust Big Raphie, alright?"

So saying, Raph straightens back up, and grabs Leo's shell in his hands to carry him out, to take his little brother home.

A hand shoots out of the shell, stick thin. Though it's clearly weak, it grabs on to Raph's arm with a desperate ferocity, clawing at the skin there.

Raph freezes, not putting Leo down but not lifting him any further, either. He peers into the gap in Leo's shell, and sees eyes peering back at him, glassy and wide and full of terror. A cornered animal fighting for his life.

Raph takes a deep breath. He summons all the love he has for Leo, all the relief he feels at finding him alive, all the happiness he has from having his little brother in his arms again, and he pours it into a genuine smile, no matter the danger outside.

"Hey, Leo," he says, voice soft. "It's just me. Raph came to get ya. Everything's okay now."

A second passes, then five, then twenty. April starts to come in, but Raph waves a finger at her to tell her to go back before she startles Leo. He keeps the smile on his face, his eyes locked on Leo's, his hold secure but non-threatening.

And then, slowly, Leo pokes his head out.

"Raph?" he asks, in a voice that is exhausted and hoarse and warbling and absolutely beautiful.

"Yeah," says Raph, blinking tears back. "Hey, buddy."

Steadily, Leo unfurls the rest of himself, one limb emerging at a time. He looks terrible. His cheeks are sunken and gaunt, his skin is an unhealthy color, his eyes are ringed by dark black circles showing off how little he's slept.

Raph is so happy to see him. He so wishes this wasn't the state he was finding Leo in. If he could turn back time and make it so Leo never suffered, he would in a heartbeat. But he's so happy to have Leo back that the tears keep flowing.

The grip Leo has on his arm shifts. No longer trying to claw himself free, but grabbing on, holding still, with all the same desperation as before. His eyes search Raph's face, over and over until it seems he's finally satisfied.

"Raph," he repeats, and it's not a question this time.

"Yeah," Raph says anyway. "I'm here."

He lifts Leo the rest of the way, cradling Leo against his chest. Leo's so much lighter than he should be, and Raph feels a sharp pain in his heart over it.

It's okay. They'll leave. They'll take care of him. And then Leo will be all better again.

Leo shifts himself, reaching one arm up and hooking it around Raph's neck. Just that much movement seems to sap a lot of energy, and he slumps his head against Raph, giving up on holding it upright. It reminds Raph of when they were little and he would carry Leo to bed, before Leo started insisting he's too old for that.

"Am I dreaming?" Leo whispers.

Raph's heart breaks, but he doesn't lose his smile. "Nope. You're wide awake."

"Then..." Leo nuzzles closer. "Can we go home?"

"Yeah." Raph sniffles, shifting his grip so he can get a hand free without disturbing Leo. "We can go home."

Leo doesn't say anything more, just hums quietly against Raph's neck. Raph wipes his tears away, then turns and carries Leo out of the room.

-----

Bishop is still against the wall; it's Draxum's vines holding him there now.

When Leo sees him, he shrinks into himself, crossing the arm not hooked around Raph over his chest. Raph turns his body so Leo is shielded from view, glaring hard at Bishop as he does.

"Didn't do anything to him, huh?" he asks, voice icy.

"He is unharmed," says Bishop, equally cold. Raph wants to kill him.

"That's enough out of you," says Draxum, and a new vine wraps around Bishop's mouth. That shuts him up.

April's eyes are wide, her hand over her mouth as she looks at Leo, but she quickly pulls herself together, her expression turning to one of hard steel. She comes closer, only softening when Leo's eyes lock on her.

"Hey, Leo," she says, reaching up and giving his arm a pat. "How're you feelin'?"

"Happy to see you," Leo rasps, and it's so sincere that Raph feels tears spring to his eyes again. April has to blink hard behind her glasses.

"We're really happy to see you, too."

"Yes, everyone is happy now," says Draxum, though his eyes are worried as they look Leo over. "But we still need to get out of here."

"Right." April opens the door back into the offices, letting Raph through, before she pulls up her wrist to talk into her Donnie tech. "Guys, you there?"

"We're here, April," comes Donnie's voice. "We've extracted the information and we're on our way to meet you."

"Great." She smiles up at Raph. "We got Leo."

"Leo!" Mikey's voice comes booming through the radio, loud enough that April cringes and leans back. Raph can hear Donnie make a noise of protest in the background. "Is he okay!? Can I talk to him!? Did he miss me!?"

April raises her wrist so the tech is in front of Leo's mouth. He tilts his head towards it, saying, "Course I missed you."

"LEO!" screams Mikey even louder, and Raph thinks he hears the shout from somewhere in the building, too.

"-key, give me back my arm-" comes Donnie's voice, then there's an exaggerated throat clearing before he's saying, "We'll be there in one minute. Be ready to move."

"We're ready," Raph assures him. They move to the door and watch for the others to appear.

-----

Days of stress seem to fall off his brothers and Splinter when they see Leo.

Raph wishes they could have all the hugs and reassurances he knows they all need, but there's just no time; they're still in enemy territory, and the man who hurt his brother the most is just behind two doors, only being held by Draxum's vines. There's time only for brief shoulder touches and for Splinter to jump up on Raph's shoulder and give Leo's forehead a quick, relieved kiss.

Raph gives the rest of his family a quick glance over. Mikey is carrying Leo's gear, the katana sheathed across his shell and the rest of it slung over his shoulder. They haven't gotten any injuries, as far as he can tell. Everyone looks good to go.

"How do we get out of here?" asks Raph. Donnie pulls up his wrist tech.

"It may be inevitable that we'll face resistance on our way out... But the closest door is this way." He points down the hall, back the way Raph, Draxum, and April came from.

There's a weak thump against Raph's shoulder. "Gunners on the roof," Leo rasps once he has Raph's attention.

Raph wonders how he knows that, but there's no time to ask.

"We took care of 'em," he says instead. "You just relax, okay? We're getting out of here."

Leo lets his head fall against Raph's shoulder again, and Raph takes that as the okay to move.

It takes less time to get out than it did to get in. No need for stealth now that the director knows they're here, after all.

They run down the hallways, through doors, past the still unconscious guard April took care of earlier. Draxum takes the lead through the door, and they all crash as a group outside.

Where a ring of soldiers are waiting for them, guns trained their direction. And Raph isn't sure they're loaded with darts this time.

Leo shudders in his arms, and Raph curls protectively around him, already summoning his ninpo to shield them. His family forms their own protective barrier around the two of them, readying their weapons and squaring off against the soldiers.

Behind them, the door opens.

"This doesn't have to end in anyone getting hurt," says Bishop as he walks out.

Raph doesn't turn towards him, keeping the shivering Leo out of his sight. "What, like you didn't hurt my brother?"

"I've already told you, I didn't touch him." Bishop sounds only mildly put out. "He can attest to that himself."

"It's cute that you think any of us care what you have to say," snaps April, rounding on him and pointing her bat his direction.

"You should care what I have to say." Bishop nods at Raph. "Your comrade needs medical attention. Care that I can provide, if you lower your weapons and surrender."

"Care he only needs 'cause you jerks kidnapped him!" yells Mikey.

"Mikey," whispers Leo. Raph glances down at him, but Leo isn't looking his way.

"I gave Inmate 24365 plenty of chances to cooperate in exchange for more comfortable living conditions. That he declined was his choice. But I have no wish to see him dead. We were going to transfer him to the medical unit just as you arrived and interrupted us; surrender, and we'll take him there now."

"No," snaps Splinter, stepping toward Bishop. "You will come nowhere near my sons ever again."

"Mikey," Leo hisses with more urgency.

"These turtles are your sons? Really?" Bishop sounds disbelieving. Raph still doesn't turn his direction. "What am I supposed to believe next? That humans can give birth to birds?"

"They are my sons!" Splinter asserts. "Come near them again, and you are dead!"

"Perhaps we should kill him now, Lou Jitsu, and be done with it," Draxum suggests.

"Mikey," says Leo, kicking one emaciated foot. Mikey finally looks their way, confused. "Gimme... swords."

He doesn't have to explain. But Raph feels uneasy. He exchanges a glance with Donnie, who seems similarly concerned. "Nardo, I don't think-"

"Hey," says Leo, and even though his vocal chords sound tired and out of use, they can all hear him, their confident face-man of a brother, with a big ego and a cocky tone, shining through. "Trust me, I got this."

Mikey gives him the katana.

"The American government have allowed the yokai to live peacefully within our borders up until now," says Bishop. "If you kill me, that peace will be ruined."

"This war was started when you kidnapped my child!" cries Splinter, snapping his tail.

"You threaten the Hidden Cities as though you know anything about them," says Draxum. "They do not fear you."

"We know more about them than you think."

"You expect me to listen to this blathering?"

"Is it a chance you're willing to take, Draxum?"

Draxum falls silent. The lack of answer makes Raph feel even more on edge. But Leo is holding his katana now.

"You'll threaten the yokai no matter what we do today," says Splinter, voice dark. "No. We will not hand Leonardo over to you. You will not lay a single finger on him."

"So you're saying you won't surrender." Bishop pauses. Leo takes a deep breath. "You agree, Draxum?"

"...Leonardo is my creation. My son." Draxum sounds resolute. "No. I will not surrender."

Bishop scoffs. "Your son... this animal."

It's only the fact that he's holding Leo, fragile and shaking in his arms, that keeps Raph from turning around and killing Bishop right then.

But he doesn't, and Bishop raises his voice.

"Baron Draxum is a known yokai terrorist, who has threatened mass murder on the civilian human population of the United States and the rest of the earth. These five yokai are co-conspirators, and this woman with them a sympathizer and accomplice. They are attacking this base with the intent to harm those inside, and so anything we do now is self defense."

There's a smile in his tone as he says it.

"Fire at will."

Around them, triggers are pulled, and gunshots sound off.

But the flash of blue under their feet is faster.

For the first time since coming outside, Raph chances a look over his shoulder at Bishop, just as he's falling through the portal. Bullets whiz overhead, and one hits home.

The last thing Raph sees as he disappears into the blue light is blood blooming across Bishop's suit.

-----

They fall out of the portal somewhere outside the fence. Raph's not sure exactly where. He's not even sure Leo was aiming, beyond getting them away.

He lets out a relieved laugh, looking around at everyone, in one piece and notably not shot. They still have to get back to the tank, but they made it. They're safe.

"Leo! You did it!" He whoops, looking down at his little brother. "I can't believe you really- ...Leo?"

That's when he realizes that Leo isn't moving.

He's slumped over in Raph's hold, no longer holding himself up. His katana slip out of his lax grip and fall into the snow with a soft whump.

"L-leo!? LEO!"

Part 1 | Part 2 (here) | Part 3 | Part 4 Part A |

[storiesbyjes2g]

3.142 Keep it in the family

After that rather heavy breakfast, I suggested we head to Gilbert Gardens for a stroll around the lake to burn off the calories and the effects of such a serious conversation. He told me a few stories from his childhood and how he and Mama met, which was a story I had actually never heard before. They were at a bar, and she turned around and told him he was beautiful and asked him out at the end of the night. It wasn't hard to imagine her being so brazen, but I only knew the more matured and careful version of Emerald Kierra Pope. Heh, I still couldn't believe Dwayne called her "Kiki." That sounded like a completely different sim, but I suppose she was a different sim then. While I enjoyed hearing happier stories of my parents' youth, I found it odd he would tell so many about him and her. Did he miss her? She must have gotten to him. I hadn't forgotten about them acting weird lately. Maybe what they say about the things we remember at the end of our lives is true. No one on their deathbed lamented about not making enough money or buying a bigger house. No one remembered the petty arguments and dumb stuff we did. It was the good times and people we loved, and he still loved her.

It was quite hot that afternoon, and Dad got tired and wanted to go back home, but I wasn't done with him yet. I needed more time and suggested we go check on Less and the babies, and he agreed. When we arrived, two of the three babies were hungry and screaming. Less already had Arvin, so I took care of Breanna. Dad stood quietly behind us, admiring how well we took care of them...or something. As soon as Arvin was satisfied, Lex woke up and demanded a meal too. Like every other visit, at some point, Dad left to take out trash and do whatever else he could find to help out. The fear of holding newborns must have been pretty strong. If I were staring death in the face, I'd like to think I'd suck it up and hold my long-awaited grandchildren. But to each his own.

Once all the babies were happy and asleep, we retreated downstairs to hang. Mama came in from the pool and was surprised to see us all together in the living room.

"Two days in a row? I should have given you my final wishes sooner!"

"Ha ha," I said flatly.

"You could have just left instructions like normal sims," Dad said.

Mama's head jerked back so far, I thought it would fly off and sock Less in the face. I could count on one hand how many times I saw my parents fight, but each time was dangerously entertaining.

"Did you leave instructions, smartie?" She paused a few seconds for dramatic effect. "I didn't think so!"

He shook his head at her. I could imagine their marriage being full of that, had it continued.

"While we're on the subject," he said, "if you don't mind, there's something I want to discuss with my children."

"Okay. I'll go. But don't be in here traumatizing my babies."

"You've already done that, Mama," I said. "Thanks for that."

"Why, I never! I know where I'm not wanted. I'm going back to the pool!"

He watched her leave, but still didn't say what he wanted to say. Maybe discussing their deaths was just as awkward for them as it was for us to hear about it, even though they spoke so casually about it.

"So...what is it, Dad?" I asked.

"Despite what she thinks, I do have instructions," he said. "But there is one matter left to finalize, and I could use your help."

"Uhhh...okay," Alessia said, nervously.

"Lessi... I want to give you my house..."

"A house?!"

"Yes. But if I leave it to you, I want you to live in it."

"But...I live here."

"I know. After your mom is gone, I thought maybe you'd want to be closer to your brother. My house isn't nearly as big or as nice as this, but it's homey, and there's enough room for everyone."

"But...I..."

She looked so lost. Did Mama not talk to her? Or did she not consider the whole picture? Probably the latter. She was never good at caring about much beyond her nose. I, on the other hand, was giddily distracted by the idea of us being neighbors. Ever since learning Jace abandoned her, I had been trying to think of the best way to help her and the babies. Never once did I consider her moving to live near me until Dub mentioned his rental property. It was the perfect solution for both of us. She'd have family nearby to help with the kids, Des would grow up with faux siblings, and I'd get to keep an eye on Less and be a positive male figure in my niblings' lives. Everyone wins!

"I know that's a big decision," he said, "and expecting you to make it now isn't right, so how about this... I'll leave it to Luca until you decide if you want it or not. But no matter what you decide, I don't want either of you to sell it. I want it to stay in the family."

"But...what do I do with it?" I asked.

"Rent it out and make some money. Or keep it and give it to one of the kids. I don't have a pile of money to leave you like your mom does. This house is all I have. That's why I chose not to rent an apartment when we moved. This house is my contribution to our family's legacy. It can provide extra income for you or a head start for your children or their children as long as it stays in the family."

I had only thought of rental property in terms of a shared living situation like Dub had done. I didn't consider I could take a house I already owned and let someone else live in it while I lived somewhere else. The money tree had already done so much for my family's future, but everything Dad had said opened my mind to so many more possibilities. Just like I told Dub, I could leave Desiree more than just money.

"Of course we'll keep it in the family, Dad."

The evening grew late, and I had to get home to my ladies, so I said goodnight to Dad, silently hoping that it wasn't our final farewell. But in case it was, I gave him a good squeeze and told him I loved him.

I grabbed Less next.

"I love you too. I hope you'll take the house."

"We'll see. You're okay, I guess."

"I KNOW you're not leaving this house without saying goodbye to me," Mama shouted, appearing from nowhere.

"Now, why would I ever think about doing that?" I kissed her on the cheek. "I love you. I'll be back soon."

[charmedreincarnation]

Hey charm, is it true that once you get everything in your life , you'll stop appreciating things in general, cuz you have easy access to it?

I'm not sure if I'm wording this right.pls bear with me, english is my second language.

I was questioning myself trying to understand why it's taking me so long to tap into void ,and this fear popped up.

What I want from void is to be a master manifestor ,being able to summon things out of nowhere. And once I achieve this,will I stop being grateful for things ? What if I turn into this egotistical maniac? This sounds absolutely irrational now that I'm typing it out.

Here is my thought process : the only reason I appreciate having money is because I know what it's like to be poor. The only reason I appreciate having parents who loves me unconditionally is because I know what it's like to live with abusive parents. Etc etc .so once I have everything that I want, will I stop appreciating life ? Will I lose interest in myself ?

I guess I'm over complicating things now. Idk.

Did it change the way you approach life once you entered void and got what you want ? If so how ? If other annons who entered void could answer this, that would be great too.

I absolutely love this question! It's something that I've thought about a lot, and to be honest, I believe that the law is an extension of your personality. It's all about your mindset and your approach to life. If you're kind and generous when you're struggling, you're going to be even more giving when you have wealth and abundance. On the other hand, if you're selfish and greedy when you're poor, you're likely to continue that behavior even if your financial situation changes.

I think it's important to remember that everyone is different, and we all have our own journeys to follow. Even if you compare yourself to people who have always had money and privilege, that doesn't mean that they are inherently happier or more fulfilled than you are. I now can find an abundance of joy in simple things like feeding the animals in my backyard (I recently domesticated a squirrel and crow I’m an animal whisperer) or enjoying a cheap meal from my favorite restaurant. I didn’t have the privilege to enjoy the beauty of nature and little things when I was stressed and poor and riddened with anxiety tbh, but it’s always been there??? Nothing has changed I just have the ability to see it now. I love me a channel purse, but a lot of the things that make happy are free and always have been. I’m still a material girl regardless tho 💅💅

For me, the law has helped me appreciate the little things in life so much more. Before I discovered it, I was always searching for more and never felt satisfied with what I had. But now, I'm grateful for everything in my life, both big and small. I take things less seriously and just focus on being a kind and genuine person. I truly believe that if you put out positive energy into the world, it’s going to be a reflection of your inner heart regardless of whatever.

So don't worry about becoming someone like Elon musk or losing sight of who you are. The law is simply a tool to help you become the best version of yourself. And thinking about this already should be a reminder that you have a great head on your shoulder. Keep growing, keep learning, and keep being true to who you are. That's what really matters in life.

[black-arcana]

CHARLOTTE WESSELS On Her Exit From DELAIN: 'It's Frustrating To Me That We Couldn't Work It Out'

In a recent interview with Scott Penfold of Loaded Radio, former DELAIN frontwoman Charlotte Wessels was asked about the circumstances that led to her 2021 departure from the band. She said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "There was a conflict and we couldn't overcome it. That's a very short version of it. I've never really gone into detail about it, and I still don't really feel about going into detail about it. The thing that I will say is we spent a lot of time trying to work things out. We were already putting much energy in that before we kind of got to the conflict where it was hard to come back from. But, yeah, especially since the pandemic happened, we had no gigs. We had all the time in the world to think, like, 'Okay, what are we going to do? Will we be able to solve this?' And we took a very long time. And in the end, the answer was no. There was no solution that we could find where we would continue in that way. And a part of me — it's such a big part of my life, and I'm very happy, I'm very proud with what we did in that time. So it's frustrating to me that we couldn't work it out. The thing that kind of comforts me is the fact that we did take so much time to explore all the different possibilities, like, could we make this work? Yeah, I don't feel like there was really another option. So that's why."

Asked if she still keeps in touch with DELAIN keyboardist, founder and main songwriter Martijn Westerholt, Charlotte said: "I ran into him at one point, but there's been no contact otherwise. And I think right after it, there's been some contact here and there, but that was about it."

Back in September 2022, Wessels was asked by Spain's The Metal Circus TV how she feels about the fact that DELAIN made a comeback with a new lineup. A month earlier, DELAIN released a single, "The Quest And The Curse", featuring Westerholt alongside new singer Diana Leah, original guitarist Ronald Landa and original drummer Sander Zoer, plus bassist Ludovico Cioffi. Charlotte said: "I'm trying not to engage with it too much, honestly. I've seen positive responses about it, which I think is good. But I do try to keep some distance and just focus on what I'm doing rather than checking that out, because I still don't feel like that will make me happier per se."

In February 2021, Westerholt announced the dissolution of DELAIN's previous lineup. At the time, he explained: "For the last year or so, the collaboration within the band ceased to work as well as it once had. Some of us were no longer happy with the current roles in the band. We all tried very hard to find a solution for over a year, but sadly we were unable to find one. As a result, we will all be going our own ways and pursuing our own endeavors.

"I am very sad our cooperation has come to end, but at the same time I am very grateful for all the years we were able to work together. Together we toured the world, shared highs and lows, and met with many successes as well as times that pushed us to learn and grow. We all enjoyed meeting our fans and making new friends all over the globe."

At the time, Wessels said about her departure: "I know that you might have questions about the 'why' in all of this. I fully understand and respect that. Simply put, it is the sad conclusion of more than a year of trying to find solutions to built-up grievances. Part of me feels like I'm letting all of you down, I'd like you to know that this decision was not taken lightly and I apologize to those of you who had high hopes of seeing all of us together live on stage again after lockdown. Until recently, I thought this might still be in the cards for us as well."

The new DELAIN lineup made its official live debut in August 2022 at the Riverside festival in Aarburg, Switzerland.

Wessels's new solo album, "The Obsession", came out in September via Napalm Records.

[marisexmas]

I'm curious, is there any other things in MOTHER 2 with Porky that got poorly translated or removed in the English version? I did notice a lot of Japanese fans tend to be more sympathetic toward him, so that made me wonder if his character is more clear in the original version

I guess I had a lot more to say about this than I thought because Holy Crap it got pretty long. but it's interesting too, so it was worth it. I'll just readmore it for the length though:

The only other Definite example I can think of off the top of my head is the scene after beating carpainter, where porky asks ness to be friends again before pulling the whole "haha I lied, sucker!" thing and running away. He still does the "I lied" in JP, but the way his dialogue before that is worded in EN implies that he actually was lying/being insincere the whole time, while JP portrays it more like a lame attempt to save face/act less affected than he is by ness's "rejection" of him

I don't remember any other Specific Isolated Scenes, but even his dialogue in general (at least for his early-game self, from what I've seen in my not-very far JP playthrough) seems worded more... "neutrally", for lack of a better term. while the EN version, in comparison, seems to go out of its way to use wording that subtly but effectively makes him sound more unpleasant and/or antagonistic. the best (and my favorite) example I can think of is this one here:

this line in EN was "Ok, good buddy! Now let's blow this popsicle stand...", but here in JP it's "All righty, my friend! Let's Go!" (he literally says the second part in english, like 'Let's de Go da ze!'. and it's so adorable. JP porky occasionally uses gratuitous english like that which also mostly gets lost in translation ;v; a shame, cause I think it's a cute little detail. but I digress)

even though they essentially mean the same thing, you can kinda see the difference in tone between them based on the wording, right? and to a lesser degree the punctuation:

EN porky goes back to sounding rude/pushy right after the "good buddy" part, which makes him sound more insincere about it. it makes him sound like he doesn't actually value ness's company, and is only using words like "bestest friend" and "good buddy" to strong-arm ness into helping him for his own convenience.

then there's JP porky... he's still getting ness involved for self-serving reasons, but he also sounds happier/more excited about it, like he's genuinely stoked just to have ness along with him on this little "adventure" of theirs. it makes him sound like he Does enjoy ness's company to some degree, and it makes the idea that they were genuinely close friends at some point a Much More Believable one.

I wanna clarify though that I highly doubt these differences were intentional, at least not entirely... I think they're more just a natural result of english/japanese language differences (things like politeness/respect levels being much more hard-coded into JP than they are in EN). but also, the bar for what qualifies a person as "selfish" and "unpleasant" or a kid as "badly-behaved" is generally much lower in japan than it is in the west, so it might be the localizers trying to make porky's negative traits more "obvious" to western players? that's just a guess from me, though

[catlovergirl676]

Ever since Tetsu has been forced to leave her original timeline and go back to the past (a few years after the Celestial War), she quickly noticed just how different everything is in the Devildom of this past timeline. The past versions of the brothers are especially different from the ones that Tetsu knew, but she has become rather fond of them. Some could even say that she prefers them over their present (future) versions.

After all, in this timeline, none of them know that she is Lilith's descendant. And they love her for who she is instead of loving her because of the fact that she is related to the "demon-turned human". Which makes Tetsu's emotional connection with the (past) 7 brothers that much stronger than the one she had with their other counterparts.

Seeing what Satan, Asmo, Lucifer, Levi, Mammon, Beel, and Belphie went through just after their fall and their arrival in the Devildom has allowed her to gain a better understanding of who these demon rulers really are. And she has the mysterious demon, Nightbringer, to thank for this. He/she was right to say that going back in the past would make the tomboyish human sorcerer, Tetsu, feel happier.

------------------------------------------------------

For how long exactly has she been in this past timeline? Tetsu doesn't know, nor does she even think about it anymore. It's almost as if she doesn't want to come back to the present....

And maybe staying here for a few more months wouldn't hurt....

---------

"Tetsu...", Belphegor called out to her, yawning. "What are you doing?"

The two of them were in the twins' shared room, where Belphie had put up a third bed for her.

Belphie didn't get up from his bed and only spoke to Tetsu with hushed whispers so as to not wake up Beel, who was sleeping soundly.

He looked at his phone. "Geez, it's 10:30 PM... Why aren't sleeping? You woke me up."

"Sorry.", Tetsu said sheepishly. "I just couldn't sleep."

Belphie gave her a worried look.

"Did you have nightmares again? If so, I can help..."

"There's no need for that.", She interrupted him. "I just had some thoughts about you and your brothers."

The seventh born smiled sweetly.

"I hope that those were positive thoughts."

"Of course.", the young human smiled back at him. "I could never see any of you in a bad light."

"Good.", Belphie teased Tetsu. "Otherwise, I'd have done everything in my power to make you change your mind about me and my siblings.

He then got closer to her ear and whispered: "Especially for Beel and I."

In that moment, Tetsu felt greedy for his affection.

And so she hugged him tightly. And Belphie took that opportunity to lay his head on her shoulder.

"I wish moment could last forever", Tetsu said out of the blue.

This made Belphie blush hard.

"Me too.", he said softly. "So, why don't you cuddle with me tonight?"

"I'd love to.", she responded, walking up to his bed and laying down on it.

The avatar of sloth wrapped his tail around her, beckoning her to move closer to him.

And she cuddled up to him super closely. Which helped her fall asleep peacefully.

"Goodnight, Tetsu.", Belphie kissed her on the forehead. "Sweet dreams."

Not too long after, he fell asleep as well.

Who knew what tomorrow had in store for them? Whatever it would be, they would figure it out together.

Disclaimer: I'm not a writer. This is my first time writing anything creative related to Obey me Nightbringer. And I just wanted to write a short fluffy little fanfic with my mc, Tetsu.

I hope you guys enjoyed this :). It was fun to write.

[rosenlily-aka-choconut]

i think the girl in the final scene was the sex worker he had gotten to know, who first dissed him and then defended him/got punished for it (i think that was what happened? again weird pacing and i don't think what i watched was the full version). i got the feeling she was inspired by beom's character's love for his girl to pull herself out of her situation and we could see that he managed to do some good in someone's life but that's just a guess.

but what i saw of their relationship seemed like a really interesting dynamic, especially contrasted to his idealistic love for the main girl, and i wished that was leaned into more. there were just so many provocative relationships going on in this movie (also with the guys he works with/ends up triumphing over in the end) that beom is 1000% capable of showing the nuances of...and he certainly tried!...if only it were better written.

i also don't know enough about film to say whether it was the direction or the cinematography that sucked but i wished it just looked as aesthetic as it was clearly attempting to be imo. part of that was probably the fact that it was made in 2009 but also if you're trying to make an art house style film, the production team could have tried a little harder.

i hope beom would take a role like this now since he seems to have tended away from movies/melodramatic plots like this but who knows? i just hope he announces a new project soon.

let me know how you're enjoying dream! i'm still on a hunt to find psychometry/gifted hands since i saw park sungwoong is also in it and i've become a fan of his too after hidden identity.

finally, have you seen east of eden?

--kbcu anon

Hmm… though I still don’t understand the significance of the (creepy) smile the tattoo-girl had for the camera in the end. But… that’s one of my milder complaints with the movie that could’ve been a masterpiece if well done. As for him falling so head over heals for the girl - why? That romance, to be honest, felt unrealistic. No guy would invest all he has for a girl he’s spent so little time with. Maybe if they had spent time building that love story, it might have been convincing.

I think I did watch the full version because it had the credits rolling after a flashback scene of happier times of the couple enjoying on the beach. You know, I don’t think 2009 is the problem here. The movie I compared it to came in the 90s and it was brilliantly done! This could’ve been at that level but… we got what we got.

I hope someone would give him such a project again - he’ll knock it out of the park with his talent and screen presence. I’m hoping those rumours about the Indonesian movie he’s being mentioned in context with, is true. That is one character I’m pretty sure he’ll do well.

I’m still waiting for that Enemies-to-lovers thing - something similar to Jaime Lannister/Brienne of Tarth in Game of Thrones. Rang has a lot of Jaime’s personality traits and I can bet all my money that Beom would give us something to remember for long. K-drama showrunners, are you listening?

Dream is mediocre - I’ll be honest. Nothing is keeping me going except Beom and even he’s average in that role. But, as always, his smile lights up the screen and Im not expecting more than that. There’s an unnecessary love triangle with a lacklustre FL (the only actress probably Beom doesn’t have chemistry with) and I’m okay with the way it is resolved.

I am yet to watch Psychometry - waiting for the right day and the right mood for it. I read up long back on East of Eden and… it’s not my cup of tea. Though Beom has been praised a lot for his short appearance. Have you watched it? Is it worth?

How about Law school? Did you decide to watch it or not?

[tar-rhaenyra]

Well, if the beginning of the story and journey are angst, I must sorry in advance to you all whoever reading this.

.

.

.

In the beginning, about 20s years+++ ago, my two best friends forever and my younger brother took me to the Middle-Earth.

We all had excellent time together when talking about LotR, both books and films. I had to borrow translated version of LotR books from local library, because they were sold out quickly - though the publishers published them out every month. Eventually, I've got mine with The Hobbit, that time The Hobbit was about to become major motion pictures.

Even there was no Tumblr back then; only communities on webboards and fansites, but I was contentment and enjoy fan-theories on Tolkien Legendariam so much, plus fan fictions and fanarts.

Then, I had been on an anime webboard from 2010-2014, I met many good friends there and they also share their love on Tolkien Legendariam too.

That was good, because I met them regularly in people, hanging out together. But one day, one of them - somebody I used to call good friend - got qaurrelling with me and without reasons, also she is the big fan of Tolkien amongst this small group. I won't describe in details here: just conclusion that she made me despited her and even Tolkien; everytime I saw LotR and any Tolkien Legendariam, I thought of that b*tch and what she had done to me, and I would be in blue for days.

When LotR films got their own 20 years anniversary celebration, altogether with Rings of Power on Amazon Prime appear on my dash, my feed, and my best friend - who weds to English man, accidentally met Robert Aramayo at Cafe and went back home watching Rings of Power abruptly with her husband - she recalls I love Middle-Earth and Tolkien Legendariam so dearly. She talked to me and encouraged me to go back to the things that I love so much.

At first, as I watched TROP first episode, I was forgetting about almost everything about Valinor, Finrod, Primal race before Hobbits, Sindarin and every The Silmarillion's easter egg. I cried. Both with regret and joy.

I finally told my mum and my best friend forever (who is the first that took me to Middle-Earth), that I had abandoned all Tolkien stuffs because of what I've stated at the previous paragraphs before. So, I pick up all my long lost forgotten (but now they're on top of my bookshelf again) books again, and re-reading it with heart full of joy and happiness like the first time. And then, when I could recall everything, I watched TROP again with my wholehearted and without biases, the result is I LOVE THIS ADAPTATION ARDENTLY.

TROP leads me to numerous new horizons of many fan-theories' aspects, and what I had never thought I'm able to feel and have it again in the real mad world; hope.

Every characters, especially with young Elrond, every relationship - even Saurondriel - and every breathtaking scenry are like remedies curing and healing me.

I can reach out to my old self that I had denied for once, and this self of mine is much more happier than ever, even if I don't make much friends in TROP Fandom, but I make one: @letthefairyinyoufly -- and feel that the whole Fandom is my friends who sharing similar but various original thories, positive opinions, marvelous creations - gifs, edits and fanarts - and kind folks with open-hearted, open-minded, and most important one; supporting each others.

I can go back writing fan fictions, drawing fanarts, learning Elvish again, and now in considering making TROP gifs after I gave up year ago. In conclusion is, this Fandom reignites my creative fire in my soul (Yes, to soul level) like I were real apprentice to Cirdan, burns all sorrow and misery away just like Elrond's speech in S01E01 and his steadfast on hope, and be one of the jovial reasons to live again on this insane Earth.

Thousand times of thank yous to 'The Lord of the Rings : The Rings of Power' and beautiful people in this Fandom. Particularly with @letthefairyinyoufly (again) I love you all so much. And I wish we are going to accomplish abundantly forward until we can do all of tributes no more.

And please stay strong and don't give much f*cks and sh*ts to haters and meanies. The Fandom is our delightfulness, happiness and amusement, never ever let them take our source of inspiration away, never. Just let them be oh-so-rightheous-me in their own narrow world. We, members of Fandom, are happy - that's all mattered.

Love you all with my sincerity.

Additional (edit) : This fandom also awakes my love of languages and linguistics again. ��

Love Letter to the Fandom

I would like to gush a bit about the Rings of Power fandom, because it's been one of the best things that happened to me in the past two years. :-) ROP is the biggest hyperfixation of my life, and thanks to being in the fandom I met so many nice, smart, funny and incredibly creative people (some of them in person).

We truly are blessed when it comes to creativity: there are so many amazing artists, skillful gif makers, talented fanfiction writers. It's also been a pleasure to read all the great meta and exchange theories, ideas, or simple details from the show that I would never noticed if other wouldn't have pointed it out. Our community has also triggered my own creativity; and most of my stills / videos / fanfics would never exist if it wasn't for discussions with other fans. Let alone ending up where I co-organised two events with the lovely @queenmeriadoc. It has also re-awakened my interest in Tolkien. I have been a fan for 30 years, but had a long hiatus. It's great to be back. :-) THANK YOU so much for making my life brighter!

And cheers for the good times to come!

And if you feel like sharing your positive experiences in the fandom, please do so!

[dustbunny105]

Simpatico, RodiDrift, and BumbleBlades for ship bingo? :3

Woo! Tackling theses in order:

So, the funny thing about Simpatico for me is that I was heavily invested in it at the end and their interaction was one of the few things I really enjoyed about the finale but I was genuinely incapable of caring about it for most of the time I was reading MtMtE, lol. Brainstorm having an intense, platonic colleague-crush was just too relatable to me. Also I was sort of obsessed with Brainstorm's tragic taste re: Quark, to the exclusion of any other romantic prospects for him. Something made me start to develop an interest in them as a couple riiight around the mutiny, which nearly killed said interest until we got to see more about what the real situation was back on the ship, at which point the realization that they had completely different ideas of wtf had happened and how that would impact their relationship smacked me back and forth across the face and I was just in it. The Mederi fiasco made it weird for a hot minute-- on the one hand, the potential implications of the Quark construct were highly appetizing and so was the sparkester scene but the recollection that Brainstorm used to try to reach Percy was so obnoxious (I guess the bantz were just too important to not undermine the respect Percy had developed for Brainstorm??) that it legit almost killed it dead for me, lol. BUT I got over and I enjoyed them for the brief rest of the series. I honestly have rarely thought about them since, though, and I'm not sure why since they both went out on a high note and had a lot of interesting stuff left to explore.

NOW, THIS IS WHERE MY FEELINGS LIVE. This is how I know it's not just my general disconnect from MtMtE/LL that keeps me from bothering much with Simpatico anymore, because I think of these two sometimes and wanna cry. Which is also funny because I feel like I only started getting retrospectively invested in them at the point when their relationship was the least interesting to me, lol. Like they're both such glorious messes of unresolved trauma and bad coping mechanisms and they can bring out the best and the worst in each other that way and, Idk, the way they treat each other specifically feels like such a close view of the ways they're both bad at peopling in general? I'm not finding the right words but that's the feeling, for sure. And the thing is I think I've said before that I could've been just as happy with them as an endgame ship as with them having had something that just didn't work out and they're past it but I think I actually wouldn't have been happy with them as endgame just because their reconciliation gave me roughly the end result I wanted without the work I wanted to be put into it? And I say roughly because there were times that their new dynamic just felt like a less aware version of the old dynamic, Idk. I dunno, I guess the idea was that it was supposed to be a more genuine reflection of their genuine affection for each other but it just missed the mark for me. Anyway, yeah, I love them a lot but that love is wrapped up almost entirely in a part of both their lives I'm happier seeing them moved past. Which is more what I meant by marking that I like it platonically here, as opposed to being open to a purely platonic read on Simpatico still.

Yas!! Y'know, I'm only just now realizing that I never read Blades's interest in Bumblebee as platonic the way I did Brainstorm's in Percy for so long and I really don't know why. Maybe IDW gave me certain expectations that were not being met. In any case, yeah, I am all the way on Team BumbleBlades. Or, well, I am actually open to other potential Blades ships sometimes but I chose the OTP square anyhow because I simply cannot care about Bumblebee's romanic prospects outside of developing a return interest in Blades. Probably a byproduct of not caring or barely caring about his shows, lol. I do love his appearances in Rescue Bots, though, and would've liked to see him appear more often (even though I appreciate that he didn't) because I do love his interaction with Blades and really would have liked to see it further developed. My love for this ship is easily the least conflicted of the three, haha. Granted, my standards for Rescue Bots are different than my standards for MtMtE/LL, not because I think the former is beneath the latter in any way but simply because it did not have to go as hard as it did but it did. Plus, entirely different tone, so. Anyway, yeah, I love them a highly disproportionate amount because of that, lol, and probably also because Rescue Bots didn't disappoint me the way MtMtE/LL did. In fact, the only thing I don't like about this ship-- namely, the apparent one-sidedness of their friendship-- is entirely down to the limitations of the story each of their shows was telling and so I simply can't be bothered to dwell on it. I am still pretty disappointed that Blades never got to make the jump to RiD, mind, dunno what made Blurr so special...

[imtryingmybeskar]

So I'm sure we have all seen Pedro in the overalls today and my beautiful friend suggested a farmboy fic and I couldn't rest until I made it a reality.

*Disclaimers* I know nothing about farming, nor am I from the US. I imagined him as having a softer version of the Whiskey accent.

18+ only! You know the drill. 3.9k words.

The first time you saw him he was striding along the dusty road to your farmhouse, the sun at his back, his shadow stretching long ahead of him. Only someone looking for work and out of luck with it would be approaching at this late hour. From your perch at your bedroom window, you could look down and see the fatigue in the set of his shoulders, the dejection in the bow of his head. As he neared he stopped and dropped his pack to the ground before attempting to make himself presentable - raking his hand through his dark hair before setting his cap back on, dusting the legs of his overalls free of as much of the dirt of the road as he could, and finally straightening his back, righting his posture to make himself look strong, tall, not as hard up as he was. His rap at the door came as you were nearly at the bottom of the stairs and your dog, who had been peacefully sleeping at his approach finally woke and defended in a storm of paws and tail and barking.

"Hey! No!" you told her, and she quietened down and stayed where you told her to, in the line of sight from the doorway but no immediate threat to anyone on the other side. Opening the door you were greeted by the sight of a not-so-young-anymore man. Despite his efforts to clean himself up, his arms were streaked with grime and sweat and you could see the stains of his exertion under his arms and at his neck. His head remained bowed as he began to speak and you got the feeling he had replayed this spiel many times recently.

"Ma'am, I'm very sorry to trouble you. I'm here to see if you are lookin' to take on anyone at the farm at this time?" His voice was deep and rich with an enticing southern twang, sweet as honey whiskey.

"What kind of work can you do?" His eyes raised to your face and the hope you saw in their soft, dark depths almost melted you. As if he hadn't even gotten this far along with anyone for a very long time.

"Just about anything," he answered. "I can drive - harvesters, tractors. I can take care of all kinds of animals, muck 'em out, feed 'em. I've helped birth 'em too, though I know that time is passed for this year. I can sow and harvest by hand too if that's needed. And I can mend things, fences, roofs, you name it." Looking at him appraisingly, your curiosity got the better of you.

"Why are you on foot? Must have travelled an awful long way to get all the way out here." He looked down again, presenting you with the brim of his cap to look at instead and shuffling his feet awkwardly.

"I uh...I lost my own farm. Not too long ago. Sold everything I had to try and keep it afloat. Even my car."

"So, if I were to take you on-" his head snapped up eagerly again. "IF" you emphasised, "Would you be needing a place to stay as well?"

"If you had anywhere that could accommodate me, I would be most grateful for that, yes Ma'am."

"I want you to know that I've been out here on my own for a time. I know how to take care of myself. And I'm sure you heard and can see Tank behind me there." He was nodding as you spoke.

"I don't want no trouble. Just a job and a roof over my head." You eyed him for a few seconds more before stepping back from the door to let him in. He entered gingerly, staring around wide eyed as if he hadn't been inside a house for a long time.

"You hungry?"

"No...I mean, I don't wanna impose-"

"No imposition. If you're gonna work for me, you need feeding. Come with me." The dog whined a little as you approached, and you stroked her head. "Come!" you commanded the dog and she raced away ahead of you. Checking to see the man was following, you led him past the stairs and through the living area to the back. Here you had a small extension set up, with a bathroom and shower and a small room with a sofa which opened out into a bed, ostensibly for guests, though you hadn't had any for years. "You can get yourself cleaned up here. Any clothes you want to wash, you can do in the morning. There's no door to this room, so the only privacy you'll get is in the bathroom I'm afraid."

"This is...fantastic," he said in a low tone. "I've slept outside for a week or more, so this is just...Thank you ma'am," he finished, humbly. You left him to it and went to prepare him a plate of leftovers. When he finally emerged, scrubbed and fresh half an hour later, you bid him sit at the table and presented him with it. Without all that dirt streaking him and without his cap on you could finally see how good he looked and you had to tear your eyes away from the fullness of his lips before you went too far down that rabbit hole. The man was clearly desperate, hanging on to the shreds of the dignity of his old life by his fingertips. There was no way you were going to make him feel like he owed you anything by taking him in. You left him be until you heard him hum with satiated pleasure about ten minutes later.

"Better?" you asked.

"Better," he smiled.

"I see you've made a friend," you said wryly, gesturing to the large hairy head currently resting on one of his feet. You trusted your gut about this man, you didn't imagine him to be anything than he had said he was. But you had to be cautious for obvious reasons. The dog, however, had proved to be a truly excellent judge of character in the past and it warmed you to see her take to him so readily.

"I think I may have bribed my way into her affections. Chicken," he clarified.

"That'll do it," you smiled. He insisted on washing his own plate and then there was an awkward silence between you for a time as he stood in your living room, not really knowing what to do with himself. "Hey, you can sit and watch TV with me, or you can hit your bed if you want. I won't be offended either way."

"I...I think I will go to bed. I'm kinda lookin' forward to it."

"I can understand that," you said as you handed him pillows, blankets and fresh sheets to make it up with. "Just so you know, the dog sleeps down here too. She shouldn't wake you. And help yourself to water in the night, coffee in the morning. Whatever you want."

"Thank you," he said again, his eyes catching yours and looking happier than you had seen them thus far. "Goodnight."

The man worked like a machine. Having lived this life for many years, you were accustomed to being up before dawn, but he beat you to it the next morning, greeting you with a soft "Good morning," and handing you a cup of coffee that he had prepared. He kept up a pace all day, and you moved around each other around the farm, lifting your hands or voices in greeting when you passed. You couldn't help but notice how the soft cotton of his shirt creaked at the seams when he moved his broad shoulders, nor how deft his hands were at every task he set them to. The dog had begun to follow him everywhere and you found yourself liking that too, despite the mild sting of betrayal. He came in to help with lunch and after he washed up, set to chopping salad and buttering bread.

"This is gonna sound weird, but erm...your dog...she ain't partly deaf or anything is she?"

"No, why?"

"Its just, she comes when I whistle, but not when I call."

"Ohhh," you said, realisation hitting you like a wave. "Yeah, well, last night I might not have told you her proper name. I er...I wanted to make her seem a little more intimidating than she is. Just in case, you know. Hence Tank. Though she ruined that when she drooled all over your shoes." He gave a small chuckle, his eyes sparkling.

"So what is her name?"

"Cookie." At this, you heard the tell tale sound of Cookie's claws on the kitchen tiles. "Good girl," you threw over your shoulder at her.

"Well, that suits her a lot better'n Tank. She's so friendly."

"Only to the good ones. You should have seen her with the last man that came in here. She knew he was a wrong 'un. Took me a while to catch on, but I get there in the end." You turned your head to find him looking at you with sympathy and a touch of anger. "Like I said, I can take care of myself," you added and moved on with your day. In his first week staying with you he managed to do most of the little jobs that had been irritating, but not bad enough to address. The tap in the kitchen no longer dripped. All of the fencing was entirely without holes for the first time in forever. The roof of the chicken coop was renewed. You decided to celebrate by breaking out some beers in the evening and sat with him on your porch, watching the sky slowly turn from gold to apricot to scarlet. Once he had started to feel less awkward around you, you found him to be good company - intelligent and curious and with a good sense of humour and even your silences were now companionable, especially a few beers in.

"Need to plant some more things in the garden," he grunted, slurring a little. "Maybe some beets and some radishes?"

"That sounds good," you agreed, "but for tonight, just switch off a bit. Enjoy the beer and the view. You've more than earned it."

"Oh, I'm enjoyin' the view alright," he said. There was something low and sinful in his voice that made you turn your head to him in astonishment and definite interest, but as you did, his eyes grew wide and he started to splutter. "Oh God, I apologise. I haven't had a beer in months and I guess my tolerance ain't what it was. I...I didn't mean to offend. I didn't mean to say that."

"Didn't you?"

"No, I-I'm sorry." Putting your beer down, you came to stand in front of him, placing your hands on his knees and running them up his thighs.

"Are you sure you didn't mean it?" And suddenly the realisation of your own drunkenness came crashing around you. What were you thinking? You couldn't take advantage of him like this. He had nowhere else to go and he had said he wasn't interested. You straightened abruptly. "No, I'm sorry. This is wrong. I'm...I'm going to bed." And you did so, walking swiftly away before he could see the redness of your face.

The next morning, your coffee lay on the counter and you could see him outside the house pottering around. Berating yourself for an idiot for ruining the good feelings you had built up between you, you went about your own tasks in a crotchety mood. He didn't come in for lunch either, and you began to get a little worried about him. Deciding to tackle the problem head on, you brought him out a Tupperware with some food and some water. Eventually you found him in the barn, measuring some of the beams. He hadn't noticed you come in and you stood and openly stared for a moment at the sight of him with no shirt on under his overalls. It was pretty warm in here - you were starting to feel the effects yourself. His back was broad and muscular and his shoulder muscles rolled as you watched him reach up to measure something above him.

"Er...hi," you ventured, a little shyly. He whirled to face you, looking as if he had been caught doing something he shouldn't. "I'm sorry to bother you, I just thought you might want some lunch." You deposited it on the hay bale closest to you and carried on, keeping your voice light, "And to say that I'm sorry about yesterday. You said no and I shouldn't have pushed it. I don't want you thinking you have to do anything like that to stay here!"

"Thank you," he said softly as he made his way over to you. "But..I said no because we had both been drinkin' and because I didn't wanna take advantage of anythin' I wasn't bein' offered freely and honestly." His eyes raked over your face, black and piercing in the half light inside the barn. He was so close to you, you could smell the lemon scent of his soap and the musky smell of him underneath. There was a sheen of sweat across his chest and before you could stop yourself or think too deeply about what you were doing, your hands were upon him, feeling the taut, strong muscles of his pectorals. You bit your lip a little as you raised your eyes to his.

"You're not taking advantage," you whispered. "I want this." That was all the invitation he needed to crash his lips upon yours with a fervent desire. His big hands circled your waist and roved your back as his tongue begged entrance at your mouth. Your own hand moved down his overalls to where he was starting to bulge, massaging his length and making him moan into your mouth.

"Christ, I...I've not been with anyone for so long. That feels so good, don't stop." You heeded him, but also brought one of his hands from around your back to your breast where he began to knead it intensely and he groaned again, in between peppering your mouth and neck with kisses. "Fuck, you're so pretty. I thought so from th' first moment I saw you. I didn't know how to say..." For someone usually so reticent, he was on a roll now he had your tit in his hand and you were palming him through his overalls.

You snaked your hands up his body again and undid his overalls, letting them fall and pool around his feet where they landed. His body was gorgeous, broad and muscular with a little fuzz over his chest and running down his stomach. You ran your hands all over it, feeling the slickness of the sweat beading through his hair under your hands and feeling your own body begin to heat and respond in earnest, your clit throbbing a little between your legs. He kicked off his boots, and took off his socks and overalls in one swoop before taking you back in his arms and kissing you ardently again. His hand slid up your shirt and hiked it up, the sweat at your back making it stick to you a little. You broke the kiss to hurl it from your head and away, closely followed by your bra.

"Oh fuck baby, your tits are so beautiful. Lemmie taste you." He got on his knees in front of you and did just that, taking your nipple in his mouth and sucking on it harshly whilst rubbing your other nipple between his thumb and forefinger. Exhaling a moan of pleasure, you tangled your fingers into his dark waves and pulled him even closer, feeling his smile against your chest as his free hand undid the buttons on your jeans. You could feel the wetness in your underwear now, the telltale stripe of moisture under your cunt as he coaxed that sweet feeling all through your veins with his tongue and fingers on your nipple.

"I want you to fuck me," you gasped. "Need you to fuck me hard."

"Oh don't you worry, baby, I'm gonna take good care of you," he murmured against your skin as he pulled the material down your legs. "Fuck, you're so wet already. I can see it on your panties. I wanna taste you there too. Can I?" His big dark eyes looked up at you with pleading and what you would have called innocence had he not already been flicking his tongue back over your nipple, making you squirm and huff with the pleasurable tickle of it. In reply you pulled the rest of your clothes away from you, but before he could reach his prize you took his jaw in your hand and brought his head up to look at you. He was instantly attentive and alert, looking slightly worried, as If you might have changed your mind in the few seconds it had taken for you to remove your clothes.

"You can taste me, if I can taste you afterwards," you offered.

"Hell yeah you can," he muttered appreciatively as he got to his feet and lifted you on to a haybale. The straw poked you roughly and mercilessly, but you forgot about that when he leaned over you and kissed you deeply again. "Gonna make you feel real good, honey," he promised again before kissing a path downward. He hooked your legs over his biceps and ran his forearms up to your breasts, teasing your nipples again before diving right in to lick warm, wide stripes from your cunt to your clit. It had been so long since anyone had been intimate with you, your head felt dizzy and overwhelmed, but he took it to another level with the enthusiasm he brought to the task. He lapped at you and what you were leaking as if he were a man starved, pushing his face into you, so you could feel his patchy stubble rub against your inner thighs, and sucking gently on your clit. It took an embarrassingly short time before your breaths came stunted and your voice rose in a wail of pleasure as he drove you to your peak, the red hot lava of it flowing from your core throughout your body. He ripped a second from you when he pushed two thick fingers inside and curled them wonderfully to strike against that part inside you that you yourself could never reach. His eyes glittered with lust as you came down from your high and you swore you could come again just from the look he was giving you from between your legs. He kissed your inner thighs and wiped his mouth as he came in for another kiss, your taste all over his tongue and lips.

"Your turn." you announced breathlessly, as you got down from the bale on shaky legs. Not breaking eye contact, you knelt in front of him, the straw on the floor not much of a cushion for your knees. He moaned loudly as you raked your nails down his side, catching them on the waistband of his underwear and pulling them down, allowing his cock to spring free and bob up toward his stomach. You had felt that he was well endowed, but seeing him was something else entirely and you couldn't help the hum of appreciation that escaped you before you leaned forward kissed the reddened tip, his precum brushing over your lips. You looked up at him as you licked it off and could see his breaths coming heavy and wild, his shoulders and chest heaving in anticipation. His hands came around to tangle in your hair as you licked a swirl over his tip before taking it in your mouth and sucking gently whilst moving down his shaft.

"Fuck, baby. You're so good. C-can I move?" You brought your hands around to the firmness of his ass and moved him forward a little to give him permission and saw his head roll back in pleasure. He seemed to not want to hurt you and fucked your mouth much more gently than you thought he would. Your head bobbed further and further down his shaft until he was striking the back of it, making you gag a little. Raising yourself back off, you pumped him with your hand while swirling your tongue over his tender head. When you brought your other hand to cradle his balls he trembled a little under your touch. "Honey, I do not want you to stop, but if you don't I won't be able to fuck you before I come." You removed your mouth from him slowly, hollowing your cheeks and sucking hard as you progressed.

He helped you to your feet and reached down to stroke your clit again while he kissed your lips, the taste of you both mingling in your mouths. Turning your back to him you bent over the hay bale, presenting yourself to him and you heard a guttural sound of arousal behind you before the head of his cock was notching at your entrance and pushing in all at once, stretching you and making you whimper as he bent over your back and kissed your shoulder. "Are you ok, baby?" he muttered. "Does this feel good?"

"Yes," you whispered. "Now fuck me hard."

He bit down a little on the meat of your shoulder and whispered a low "Yes, Ma'am," before standing fully and beginning to piston his hips into you with forceful, firm strokes, his cock pushing further within you each time. It was overwhelming and even more so when he pushed down on your back further so that he was fucking down into you and sliding over your spot with each thrust. The change in pitch of your gasping moans and the wetness that you could suddenly feel around the tops of your thighs encouraged him to fuck you even harder, his cock swelling as he got close to his release and filling you up beautifully. "Like that, honey? Right there?" he grunted as you started to feel yourself lose control around him.

"Yes, there, please, don't stop, please," you begged. He captured your arms and pulled you further back toward him, and suddenly he was striking something white hot and golden inside and you were gone, your cunt pulsating around him and flooding him with you. Your head was so dizzied that you only noticed he had pulled you flush against his sweat-sticky chest when his arms were around you, grasping greedily at your breasts and the hot breath of his rich, deep voice was beside your ear.

"Where-"

"inside." He drove into you half a dozen more times before he cried your name aloud and you felt him pulsate strongly within you, jettisoning his spend into you with groans muffled against your shoulder. As he withdrew, he held you up gently before turning you and lying you on the bale he had just taken you over, coming to lie down beside you with his big eyes searching your face and his big calloused hands stroking the soft skin of your belly. The sweet summer sun was slanting over his face, turning his black eyes amber in its glow and you felt a welcome twinge in your heart as you took his face in your hand and kissed him.

[borrelia]

okay i don't thiiiink a second readmore should force the first open. hopefully <3 well i got some feedback i thought i could incorporate without too much effort and for the most part I think I'm happier with this version. first paragraph still a little rough but oh well! such is the way of things.

Even in the middle of summer, the forested side of Angel Island never really got hot.  Although the sun beat down bright and warm, the thin air of the island couldn’t hold the sun’s heat like the air of the surface.  Under the shade of the dense trees and in the shadow of the towering Ice Cap, the air stayed chilled for much of the island’s orbital path.  Sonic had long gotten used to the island’s permanent chill, even if it always came as a shock upon arrival.  Knowing that no matter how heavily he sweated down in the summer heat of the planet surface, Angel Island would always make the tips of his ears and nose sting in the wind, he was able to prepare for the temperature difference no problem.  He found that out in the open, the ever-constant breeze tugged body heat away from anything more than a foot above the ground.  Only close to the ground in the direct light of the sun could he ever relax in the warmth of its rays.  There, or near the Master Emerald, its odd internal light radiating its own kind of heat that seeped into the carved stone shrine like hot coals in a furnace.

Sonic and Knuckles sat at the edge of the shrine, Sonic kicking his legs over the side as they warmed their backs and took in the view.  Birdsong traveled up from the forest below, oddly deadened by the thin air, but beautiful all the same.  Both of them were lightly scuffed, their fur sticking out at odd angles from an earlier tussle, the smell of dirt and sweat wafting up from the dusty prints on their sides.

How Knuckles could stand to live out here alone for so long was a mystery to Sonic.  It wasn’t that he was a die-hard city boy—he definitely preferred to spend time out in nature, with the smell of pine and sound of birds instead of smog and sirens.  But Angel Island was just so quiet, in a way that forests and deserts and snowy hills down on the surface rarely were.  Time spent up here felt strangely intimate, like the only living things in the world were himself and anyone immediately next to him.  It was beautiful—in doses.  Moments like this one where the two could sit and enjoy the stillness of each other’s company.  But Sonic thought he might’ve gone crazy if he’d lived up here his whole life like Knuckles had. 

Actually, he was starting to feel like he was reaching his limit of the island’s silence already.

“Well,” Sonic groaned, stretching his arms back over his head, “I’d better get going.”  He sprung up from where he sat, shaking himself loose.  

Knuckles followed him up more stiffly, watching Sonic out of the corner of his eye.  He folded his arms and raised an eyebrow playfully.  “Someone else needs you to annoy them today?”

“Something like that!” Sonic smiled, matching his gaze.  Then, instead of extending an open hand or a friendly fist goodbye, he leaned forward and slipped a hand up to tangle in Knuckles’ spines.  

“Hey,” he said casually, smiling and gently tugging his friend closer, “Gimme a kiss.”

Knuckles’ arms remained crossed as Sonic gently pulled him down into two quick kisses, chaste and playful, then smoothly backed away with a satisfied smile.  He let his fingers slip down and out of Knuckles’ spines and watched as Knuckles’ face noticeably reddened.  

As sensitive as ever, this guy. Always embarrassed. But hey, at least he’s still having fun, Sonic thought, noting the way Knuckles’ eyes remained humorful, his fond smile only barely wider.  

“Don’t come back too soon, hedgehog,” Knuckles said, his forceful bravado clearly a routine act, the affection underneath readily apparent.

“You’ll be missing me soon enough!  I know you were dying of boredom up here without me before I got here!”

Sonic laughed and started down the shrine steps, hopping down sideways and backwards so he could continue his conversation facing the top. 

“That hurts, Knuckles!” He was almost yelling as he talked, projecting his voice too loud in his usual way.  He only got louder as he put more distance between them.  

Knuckles yelled back “You know that’s not true!” and waved a fist in what was quickly becoming genuine frustration, but Sonic mimed not being able to hear and playfully waved him off.  At the bottom of the shrine, still definitely able to hear Knuckles’ aggrieved shouting from above, Sonic took off in a bolt of blue.

He didn’t have far to go; he followed the curve of the hills for a ways, then hooked behind a thin copse of trees into a large grassy clearing.  Ancient worn stones marked the edges of the clearing, the foundation and crumbling walls of some formidable building from long ago maybe.  Parked in the middle of the grass was the Tornado, sparkling red and standing proud.  It stood over a thin line of wood slats laid out in a makeshift runway; its own dedicated tarmac begrudgingly constructed by the island’s caretaker.  

Sonic hopped out of his sprint meters away from the shining red plane, aiming his momentum just right as he turned mid-air to effortlessly plop halfway into the cockpit.  His legs hung over the edge of the plane for just a moment, before he pulled them in, adjusting himself to sit upright.  Sonic hummed happily as he pulled a water bottle out from under the seat and took a swig, swaying to the music in his head.

It was then that the bat decided to reveal herself.  Rouge slid out of the shadows of the trees and with a flick of her wings slipped up to the top of the Tornado’s wing.  Rouge of course prided herself on her ability to move stealthily, sitting on the plane with crossed legs and barely a whisper of fabric on metal, but it was hardly a difficult thing to do when it came to the ever-distracted Sonic.

“Didn’t expect to see you here, Blue.”

“Huh-? Rouge!” Sonic jolted and dropped his water bottle as his eyes snapped up to see her.

Rouge couldn’t help but snort at his surprise.  When his mind was somewhere else, that hedgehog could miss his own nose in front of him.

Sonic’s shock soon faded, however, and was replaced with a friendly grin.  “Can’t say I expected to see you either.  If you’re hoping the emerald’s unguarded today, you’re out of luck.  I just left Knuckles up there a minute ago.”  Sonic’s gaze ducked back down to fish the bottle out from where it had rolled under the seat.  He struggled with it for a moment before successfully recovering it and looking back up at her.

Rouge sighed wistfully, looking back over her shoulder to where she knew the shrine to be, despite the forest and the hills hiding it from view.  “Well I’m sure he can’t stop me from stealing a glance or two while I’m here.” She paused for a moment and glanced back at Sonic.  “I already got a few earlier, but I saw you two were having a moment together and didn’t want to interrupt.”  

Sonic didn’t seem to notice her unasked question.  He took a swig from his water bottle and set it down on his knee.  “Thanks. He’s all yours.” Sonic made a sweeping gesture with his arm, a playful smirk on his face.

Rouge pursed her lips, regarding Sonic pointedly.  “Well I’m sure if it was Knuckles I was after instead of the emerald, I’d be devastated to find out he’s already taken.”

Sonic’s brow wrinkled in confusion.  “What?”

“It’s no problem to me,” she continued, “I’m just a little nosy by profession.  Though with you, I’m not sure knowledge of your little tryst would work as useful blackmail by any means. It’s too bad, I was hoping I could go home with an emerald today.” 

Again, she sighed theatrically, this time much more for Sonic’s benefit.  He loved helping pitiful and sad things, right? Maybe one day she’d convince him her cause was an appropriately pitiful one to drop his guard and let her at those emeralds.

No such luck this time, by the way Sonic smirked and leaned back.  Well, she could see the lightswitch flick behind his eyes as he finally picked up her meaning. 

“Tryst, huh?” He said, folding his arms. “What exactly gave you that idea?” 

He had that roguish look in his eyes that Rouge had seen before when he was negotiating with Eggman or teasing Shadow:  he’d found a new game to play.  Rouge had no interest in participating in one of his many friendly rivalries, but she could admit that his playful antagonism was more than infectious and by far her favorite side of him.

She smiled, glad they were finally on the same page.  “Well, I never imagined you were so sentimental about goodbyes.”

Sonic rolled his shoulders. “Only as sentimental as a handshake!”

“A handshake, huh? A secret one just for you and Knuckles?”

“Nah, not ‘just.’” He rubbed his nose idly, then turned that mischievous smile back to Rouge. “Why, you feeling left out without one?”

“I’ll pass,” she said.  She shuffled her wings and leaned back on her hands, appraising him.  “But I’m supposed to believe you’re handing out goodbye kisses like candy and I haven’t seen it once until now? C’mon Blue, you can do better than that.”

“Hey,” Sonic gave a big what-can-you-do shrug, “Just because you don’t see it doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen!  Not like you’ve been trailing me trying to catch me in the act.” 

He paused, then raised an eyebrow at her.  “You haven’t, have you?”

Rouge scoffed. “Of course not.  I’ll leave that busywork to your private eye friends.  I’d only trail you if I thought I could steal something nice off you.  Which, for the record, I know I can’t today.  Nice job scattering those Chaos Emeralds after your last adventure, Hero.  I haven’t seen any of them pop up yet.”

Sonic rolled his eyes and mumbled something to himself about Tails—great idea, Sonic, she should go pester the boy genius for emerald information!—before addressing her again.  “Well believe me or don’t, it’s up to you.  I don’t see why you’d make such a big deal out of it, though.  Knuckles is my friend, it’s not a crime to show him a little love every once in a while.”

“No, I didn’t think it was,” Rouge sighed.  “I was just hoping if I couldn’t get any treasure out of you, I could at least get a juicy secret or two.”  She hefted herself up by her hands and pulled her feet in to stand upright on the plane wing.  She set her hands on her hips and fixed Sonic with an unamused stare.  

“I still don’t believe you, for the record.  I just know when to drop a dead lead.”  

Sonic took her cue and turned his attention to the Tornado’s instruments, readying himself to start it up.  “You can ask Knuckles if you want, he’ll tell you the same thing.  And you know he can’t lie to save his life.”

Oh, she planned on taking full advantage of that.

“Thanks, but I didn’t need your permission.” Rouge flared her wings out dramatically and swooped up into the air just as she heard Sonic start up the motor.  She gained air until she could see the Master Emerald shrine over the trees and began to glide in its direction.

“Hey!” Sonic called from below.  

She stopped and twisted to look back down at him.

“Sure you don’t want that kiss goodbye?” Sonic tapped his cheek, a huge grin splitting his face.

“Hard pass!” Rouge yelled down.

The sound of Sonic’s laughter was drowned out by the sputtering start of the Tornado’s engine. Rouge shook her head and began her long descent across the island.  The sound of the roaring engine faded in the distance as Sonic took flight the other direction and the echo was swallowed up in the empty spaces between the air, leaving only the soft whispers of wind in Rouge’s ears.

She kept her flight path to the shrine less than direct, curving down to hide herself in the treetops in case the Tornado’s flight drew Knuckles’ attention in her direction.  She was in no rush:  unlike Sonic, Knuckles wasn’t going anywhere soon.  By the time she had made her way to the shrine and landed with a soft click of her heels atop one of the encircling stone pillars, the Emerald’s guardian had wandered away for a minute and left his post unguarded…. 

Well, she thought, getting blackmail material out of the echidna would be nice.  But an emerald in the hand is worth two in the bush…  

Rouge leapt lightly down from the pillar, smoothing her descent with her wings until she came down on top of the Master Emerald lighter than a feather, her legs kicked out behind her and her hands gently caressing its glinting faceted surface.  She laid down across the flat top, resting her cheek against it and sighing with contentment as she felt its thrumming warmth through her gloves.  

“Hello beautiful,” she crooned, closing her eyes.  “Did you miss me?”

“Not in the slightest.”

Knuckles’ flat voice jolted Rouge out of her reverie, her body stiffening and her head shooting upright.  Well, that didn’t last long.

“Now get off the Master Emerald!” Knuckles growled, his shoulders squaring up as he reached the top of the shrine’s steps.  

“Hey there, handsome!” Rouge smiled brightly.  “I didn’t expect you’d be back so soon!”

“Off!” 

Oh well, two in the bush it was.  Rouge kissed the glossy surface of the gem goodbye, leaving a perfect pink lipstick print, and gently lifted herself up in the air.  Her wings beat smoothly as she landed lightly next to where Knuckles stood, gawking with a comically wide mouth and flushed face.  

“You—” he sputtered, looking between her and the Emerald, “You keep your mouth off the Master Emerald!”

“It was just a friendly kiss goodbye.”  Rouge pouted, but was unable to help the corners of her mouth from turning up into a wicked smile.  “You do it all the time, don’t you?”

Knuckles’ blush deepened and his spines puffed up around him.  “I do NOT kiss the Master Emerald!” He shuffled sideways to subtly (“subtly”) position himself between Rouge and the Emerald.  Rouge pretended not to notice him encroaching in her space and kept rooted in place, watching with amusement as it made him squirm.

“Well I’ve never seen you say goodbye to my emerald, but that’s how you say goodbye to your friends, isn’t it? Like Sonic?” 

Knuckles was exceptionally fun to tease.  If she spent enough time with Shadow, she could get some good jabs in here and there, but he never reacted as visibly and predictably as Knuckles.  Rouge could learn to read Shadow’s micro-expressions and his silent pauses to get a good sense of when she said something that hit close to home.  But Knuckles? The echidna wore his heart on his sleeve and his sleeve on his forehead.  Every thought that ran through his mind was as plain to see as the nose on his face—and Knuckles’ nose stuck out much more than most.

Rouge watched in real-time as Knuckles’ expression shifted from teeth-bared indignation, to brow-furrowed disorientation, to wide-eyed realization, to flushed-faced panic.

“What!?” he sputtered. “No I don’t!”

Knuckles backed up half a step, surely unconsciously, and Rouge took the opportunity to more forward half a step, keeping the distance between them close.

“Really? Because I just caught Sonic on his way out.  He said you’re one of his friends he kisses goodbye all the time.  There’s no shame in that.”

Knuckles stiffened.  His cheeks remained flushed as he set his jaw and met her gaze.  “Well,” he started, “I meant I don’t kiss him.  He kisses me.  It’s different.”

Rouge hummed pensively, giving him time to second-guess his defense.  Which, of course, he did.

“I mean, you said I say goodbye to all my friends like that.  But I don’t—it’s just Sonic.  Because that’s what he does.  It’s Sonic’s thing.”

Knuckles seemed much happier with that answer, tilting his chin up to fix her with a challenging stare.  It was a much better defense, of course.  But Sonic was right:  Knuckles couldn’t lie to save his life.

“Really?” she pressed.  “So could I get a kiss goodbye if I asked nicely?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Because Sonic is my best friend. And you,” he jammed a gloved hand to her chest, unable to unfurl a single finger for the gesture, “are a lying crook, bat girl.”

Rouge gasped and threw a hand to her chest in mock-dismay. “I resent that remark!”  She watched as her pitiful expression cracked his resolve, then smoothly turned away as if she hadn’t noticed.  

Rouge began to leisurely circle the Emerald, reaching a gloved hand out to run along its side.  She was careful not to let her fingers touch it, lest she raised its guardian’s ire, but she ran them close enough to feel a soft tingle of power emanating from the gem. 

“Just because I’m a crook doesn’t mean I have to lie to get what I want.” Necessarily.  “I’m always perfectly clear about wanting this emerald here, aren’t I?”

Knuckles pulled back his fist and raised it to his chin, clearly considered her words—as serious as ever. “Well I suppose you are.” He side-eyed her as she finished her lap around the Emerald.

“So could I get a kiss?”

“Still no.” Knuckles crossed his arms and narrowed his gaze. 

“Oh come on.” Rouge smiled.  “We’re friends, you can trust me.”  She continued before he had the chance to object, “So what is it? Am I not pretty enough for you?” 

“No!” Knuckles sputtered, flustered.

“No I’m not pretty enough?” Rouge pouted, unable to resist drawing out another reaction from him.

“No, you are, I—augh!” Knuckles pressed his palms to the sides of his head.  “You’re trying to get in my head!” His face scrunched up as he turned away, blocking her out.

Rouge laughed, dancing around to his front. She tugged at his arms with a sly grin.  “Oh come on,” she goaded.  “I’m not being serious.”

Knuckles cracked one suspicious eye open at her, and begrudgingly dropped his arms.  He was clearly more interested in getting her to move on than to continue with his theatrics.  But of course, she wasn’t planning on it.  She was getting that emerald one way or another.

“Sonic isn’t half as persistent as me,” Rouge said.  Her fingers remained brushing his arms where they’d fallen.  “I can’t imagine you’d hold out denying me, but cave to him.  You two butt heads all the time!  You really expect me to believe this is all Sonic’s idea?”

Knuckles’ expression softened as she spoke, then his eyes flicked downward.  He took a moment to think before letting out a steadying breath, resolving himself.

Gotcha, Rouge thought.

“It is his idea,” Knuckles said quietly.  “That really is just something he does with friends.  Just don’t—” he tensed “—tell him I like him, okay?”

Rouge cringed internally at the melodrama, but maintained her placid expression and nodded encouragingly.  Relationship drama like this never made sense to her.  But it wasn’t about what made sense to her, it was about what would get her leverage for that emerald.

“Of course I won’t tell him, sugar.”  For a price.

Knuckles awkwardly scratched the back of his head.  “Sonic’s friendship means a lot to me.  And I’m happy with what we’ve got.”  He stared off to the side, across the island and into the distant clouds.  “I don’t want to risk losing it by asking for anything else.”

Rouge couldn’t help the soft snort that escaped her—playing guidance counsellor was not her forte.  Knuckles looked up at the sound and she attempted to play it off by clearing her throat.  

“Well you can’t get what you want if you don’t try, can you? Why all the secrecy? Just get it over with and talk to him or whatever.”

Knuckles shook his head.  “It’s not worth jeopardizing our friendship.  That’s what means the most to me.”

“Afraid you’ll lose your kissing privileges if he rejects you?” Rouge smirked.

Knuckles shot her a glare.  

Oops! Hit the nail on the head!  Rouge pulled her hands behind her back and leaned away slightly, the fragile air of vulnerability clearly broken.

Knuckles remained still for a moment longer before looking away with a frustrated huff.  “I think it’s time you leave.”

Rouge hummed and turned to walk to the edge of the shrine.  She looked out across the tree tops to the empty sky beyond. 

“I suppose that’s enough catching up for one day.  But I’m not going without my emerald!”

She heard Knuckles shift behind her, probably squaring up once again. “What are you talking about, you crazy bat!? I said get off my island!”

“I’d be more than happy to,” Rouge purred.  “In fact, I’ll probably head straight to Prower’s workshop to look for more emeralds.  I might even run into Sonic while I’m there.” She looked back over her shoulder, a malicious glint in her eye.  “How important would you say it is that I not tell him about your crush? Enough to give me that big pretty rock behind you?”

Behind her, she could see Knuckles was indeed in a fighting stance, fist up in a threat.   He paused for a beat with that exaggerated frown on his face before he caught her meaning. His shoulders dropped and his eyes went wide.

“What-? You-! You said you wouldn’t!”

“I didn’t say for free—what do you take me for?”

Rouge shot upward with a powerful flap of her wings, narrowly dodging the twin spikes of Knuckles’ fist.  Knuckles whirled around and swiped again at her receding legs.  He missed, growling in frustration. 

“Grr—! You two-faced little cheat! I trusted you!”

Rouge landed lightly on top of the Master Emerald, her heels clicking gently over the smudged lipstick print.  “That’s your loss, echidna.” She dusted herself off and watched with amusement as Knuckles continued to growl and stamp his foot below.  “Now, how does that deal sound to you?”

Knuckles snarled, “I won’t let you have the Master Emerald!”

“Not even to keep my mouth shut to Sonic?  If you let me take it, I won’t tell him, promise.” She held her hands up in appeasement.  Her word was only ever as good as she wanted it to be; all that really mattered was that others could tell when she was being really sincere.  

“You said his friendship was so important to you.”

Knuckles stilled. He looked down at the cracked stone ground, his fists limp at his side as he thought it through.  After a moment he sighed, his eyes softening in defeat. 

Yes!

“Fine. Tell him.”

No!

“What?” Rouge stepped back, bewildered.  “Did I hear you right?”

Knuckles scoffed, “Of course.”  He straightened up, raising a fist to his chest and meeting her gaze.  “My duty to the Master Emerald always comes first.  No matter what, I’ll endure it.”  

His eyes narrowed as he pulled up his other fist, setting his weight back into his fighting stance.  “So don’t make me repeat myself again: Get off the Master Emerald and off my island!”

The two stood in the dead silence of the high air, the tiny scuffing of Knuckles’ shoes on rocks on rock the loudest sound between them.  Rouge broke the moment with a sigh and a dismissive slump backwards.  She hung one hand from her hip while the other gestured lazily at her side. 

“Well, it was worth a try,” she said.  “But what a waste of time.  Listening to all those feelings and not even getting a good payoff for it.  Next time I’ll just skip to snatching the Emerald while you two lovebirds are distracted.” 

Knuckles regarded her warily as she lifted off the Master Emerald and flew to just over the edge of the shrine.  She twisted back to look at him before she left.

“I meant what I said earlier.  Just take what you want for once, Knuckles.  That’s your problem, you know.  You don’t know how to live for yourself.”

Knuckles scoffed, turning to face her without dropping his guard.  “That’s your problem, Rouge.  You have no sense of discipline.” 

Rouge shrugged and turned to fly away.  That may be so, she thought, the sound of her wingbeats and the wind in her ears quickly becoming all she could hear in the empty air, but at least this I can understand:  I’d give up anything for that rock just the same!

posting at a stupid hour oh well. feedback on how to write--especially how to better pace and detail descriptions--wanted pleassee.

guys being dudes sonknux thing ft rouge trying to get to her beautiful wife (the master emerald)

Even in the middle of summer, the forested side of Angel Island never really got hot.  The sun beat down bright and warm, but the thin air couldn’t hold its heat. Under the shade of the dense trees and in the shadow of the towering Ice Cap, the air stayed chilled for much of the island’s orbital path.  Out in the open, the ever-constant breeze tugged body heat away from anything more than a foot above the ground.  Only close to the ground in the direct light of the sun could one warm under its rays.  There, or near the Master Emerald, its odd internal light radiating its own kind of heat that seeped into the carved stone shrine like hot coals in a furnace.

Sonic and Knuckles sat at the edge of the shrine, Sonic kicking his legs over the side as they warmed their backs and took in the view.  Birdsong traveled up from the forest below, oddly deadened by the thin air, but beautiful all the same.  The two of them were lightly scuffed, fur sticking out at odd angles and prints of dust on their sides where they’d tapped each other—playfighting or real fighting, it was difficult to tell with these two.

Sonic stretched his arms back over his head with a groan.  “Well, I’d better get going.”  He moved to stand and Knuckles stood with him,

Knuckles folded his arms and raises an eyebrow playfully.  “Someone else needs you to annoy them today?”

“Something like that!” Sonic smiled, matching his gaze.  Then, instead of extending an open hand or even a friendly fist, he leaned forward and casually said “Hey,” slipping a hand up to tangle in Knuckles’ spines, “Gimme a kiss.”

Knuckles’ arms remained crossed as Sonic gently pulled him down into two quick kisses, chaste and playful, then smoothly backed away with a satisfied smile.  Knuckles’ face noticeably reddened, but his eyes remained humorful, his fond smile only barely wider.  

“Don’t come back too soon, hedgehog,” he said, his forceful bravado clearly a routine act, the affection underneath readily apparent.

Sonic laughed and started down the shrine steps, hopping down sideways and backwards so he could continue his conversation facing the top.  “That hurts, Knuckles!” He was almost yelling as he talked, projecting his voice too loud in his usual way.  He only got louder as he put more distance between them.  “You’ll be missing me soon enough!  I know you were dying of boredom up here without me before I got here!”

Knuckles yelled back “You know that’s not true!” and waved a fist in what was quickly becoming genuine frustration, but Sonic mimed not being able to hear and playfully waved him off.  At the bottom of the shrine, still definitely able to hear Knuckles’ aggrieved shouting from above, Sonic took off in a bolt of blue.

The Tornado was parked not too far off, in a grassy clearing marked by ancient worn stones, tucked behind a copse of thin trees.  Wood slats were laid out in a makeshift runway for the little prop plane, its own dedicated tarmac begrudgingly constructed by the island’s caretaker.  

Sonic hopped out of his sprint meters away from the shining red plane, aiming his momentum just right as he turned mid-air to effortlessly plop halfway into the cockpit.  His legs hung over the edge of the plane for just a moment, before he pulled them in, adjusting himself to sit upright.  Sonic hummed happily as he pulled a water bottle out from under the seat and took a swig, swaying to the music in his head.

It was then that the bat decided to reveal herself.  Rouge slid out of the shadows of the trees and with a flick of her wings slipped up to the top of the Tornado’s wing.  Rouge of course prided herself on her ability to move stealthily, sitting on the plane with crossed legs and barely a whisper of fabric on metal, but it was hardly a difficult thing to do when it came to the ever-distracted Sonic.

“Didn’t expect to see you here, Blue.”

“Huh-? Rouge!” Sonic jolted and dropped his water bottle as his eyes snapped up to see her.

Rouge couldn’t help but snort at his surprise.  When his mind was somewhere else, that hedgehog could miss his own nose in front of him.

The shock soon faded, however, and was replaced with a friendly grin.  “Can’t say I expected to see you either.  If you’re hoping the emerald’s unguarded today, you’re out of luck.  I just left Knuckles up there a minute ago.”  Sonic’s gaze ducked back down as he spoke to fish the bottle out from where it had rolled under the seat.  He struggled with it for a moment before successfully recovering it and looking back up at her.

Rouge sighed wistfully, looking back over her shoulder to where she knew the shrine to be, despite the forest and the hills hiding it from view.  “Well I’m sure he can’t stop me from stealing a glance or two while I’m here.” She paused for a moment and glanced back at Sonic.  “I already got a few earlier, but I saw you two were having a moment together and didn’t want to interrupt.”  

Sonic didn’t seem to notice her unasked question.  He took a swig from his water bottle and set it down on his knee.  “Thanks. He’s all yours.” Sonic made a sweeping gesture with his arm, a playful smirk on his face.

Rouge pursed her lips, regarding Sonic pointedly.  “Well I’m sure if it was Knuckles I was after instead of the emerald, I’d be devastated to find out he’s already taken.”

Sonic’s brow wrinkled in confusion.  “What?”

“It’s no problem to me,” she continued, “I’m just a little nosy by profession.  Though with you, I’m not sure knowledge of your little tryst would work as useful blackmail by any means. It’s too bad, I was hoping I could go home with an emerald today.” 

Again, she sighed theatrically, this time much more for Sonic’s benefit.  He loved helping pitiful and sad things, right? Maybe one day she’d convince him her cause was an appropriately pitiful one to drop his guard and let her at those emeralds.

No such luck this time, by the way Sonic smirked and leaned back.  Well, she could see the lightswitch flick behind his eyes as he finally picked up her meaning. 

“Tryst, huh?” He said, folding his arms. “What exactly gave you that idea?” He had that look in his eyes that Rouge had seen when he was negotiating with Eggman or teasing Shadow:  he’d found a new game to play.

Rouge smiled.  Finally he was on the same page.  “Well, I never imagined you were so sentimental about goodbyes.”

Sonic rolled his shoulders. “Only as sentimental as a handshake!”

“A handshake, huh? A secret one just for you and Knuckles?”

“Nah, not ‘just.’” He rubbed his nose idly, then turned that mischievous smile back to Rouge. “Why, you feeling left out without one?”

“I’ll pass,” she said.  She shuffled her wings and leaned back on her hands, appraising him.  “But I’m supposed to believe you’re handing out goodbye kisses like candy and I haven’t seen it once until now? C’mon Blue, you can do better than that.”

“Hey,” Sonic gave a big what-can-you-do shrug, “Just because you don’t see it doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen!  Not like you’ve been trailing me trying to catch me in the act.” He paused, then raised an eyebrow at her.  “You haven’t, have you?”

Rouge scoffed. “Of course not.  I’ll leave that busywork to your private eye friends.  I’d only trail you if I thought I could steal something nice off you.  Which, for the record, I know I can’t today.  Nice job scattering those Chaos Emeralds after your last adventure, Hero.  I haven’t seen any of them pop up yet.”

Sonic rolled his eyes and mumbled something to himself about Tails—great idea, Sonic, she should go pester the boy genius for emerald information!—before addressing her again.  “Well believe me or don’t, it’s up to you.  I don’t see why you’d make such a big deal out of it, though.  Knuckles is my friend, it’s not a crime to show him a little love every once in a while.”

“No, I didn’t think it was,” Rouge sighed.  “I was just hoping if I couldn’t get any treasure out of you, I could at least get a juicy secret or two.”  She hefted herself up by her hands and pulled her feet in to stand upright on the plane wing.  She set her hands on her hips and fixed Sonic with an unamused stare.  “I still don’t believe you, for the record.  I just know when to drop a dead lead.”  

Sonic took her cue and turned his attention to the Tornado’s instruments, readying himself to start it up.  “You can ask Knuckles if you want, he’ll tell you the same thing.  And you know he can’t lie to save his life.”

“Thanks, but I didn’t need your permission.” Rouge flared her wings out dramatically and swooped up into the air just as she heard Sonic start up the motor.  She gained air until she could see the Master Emerald shrine over the trees and began to glide in its direction.

“Hey!” Sonic called from below.  

She stopped and twisted to look back down at him.

“Sure you don’t want that kiss goodbye?” Sonic tapped his cheek, a huge grin splitting his face.

“Hard pass!” Rouge yelled down.

The sound of Sonic’s laughter was drowned out by the sputtering start of the Tornado’s engine. Rouge shook her head and began her long descent across the island.  The sound of the roaring engine faded in the distance as Sonic took flight the other direction and the echo was swallowed up in the empty spaces between the air, leaving only the soft whispers of wind in Rouge’s ears.

She kept her flight path to the shrine less than direct, curving down to hide herself in the treetops in case the Tornado’s flight drew Knuckles’ attention in her direction.  She was in no rush:  unlike Sonic, Knuckles wasn’t going anywhere soon.  By the time she had made her way to the shrine and landed with a soft click of her heels atop one of the encircling stone pillars, the Emerald’s guardian had wandered away for a minute and left his post unguarded…. 

Well, she thought, getting blackmail material out of the echidna would be nice.  But an emerald in the hand is worth two in the bush…  

Rouge leapt lightly down from the pillar, smoothing her descent with her wings until she came down on top of the Master Emerald lighter than a feather, her legs kicked out behind her and her hands gently caressing its glinting faceted surface.  She laid down across the flat top, resting her cheek against it and sighing with contentment as she felt its thrumming warmth through her gloves.  

“Hello beautiful,” she crooned, closing her eyes.  “Did you miss me?”

“Not in the slightest.”

Knuckles’ flat voice jolted Rouge out of her reverie, her body stiffening and her head shooting upright.  Well, that didn’t last long.

“Now get off the Master Emerald!” Knuckles growled, his shoulders squaring up as he reached the top of the shrine’s steps.  

“Hey there, handsome!” Rouge smiled brightly.  “I didn’t expect you’d be back so soon!”

“Off!” 

Oh well, two in the bush it was.  Rouge kissed the glossy surface of the gem goodbye, leaving a perfect pink lipstick print, and gently lifted herself up to land lightly next to where Knuckles stood, gawking with a comically wide mouth and flushed face.  

“You—” he sputtered, looking between her and the Emerald, “You keep your mouth off the Master Emerald!”

“It was just a friendly kiss goodbye.”  Rouge pouted, but was unable to help the corners of her mouth from turning up into a wicked smile.  “You do it all the time, don’t you?”

Knuckles’ blush deepened and his spines puffed up around him.  “I do NOT kiss the Master Emerald!” He shuffled sideways to subtly (“subtly”) position himself between Rouge and the Emerald.  Rouge pretended not to notice him encroaching in her space and kept rooted in place, watching with amusement as it made him squirm.

“Well I’ve never seen you say goodbye to my emerald, but that’s how you say goodbye to your friends, isn’t it? Like Sonic?” 

Knuckles was exceptionally fun to tease.  If she spent enough time with Shadow, she could get some good jabs in here and there, but he never reacted as visibly and predictably as Knuckles.  Rouge could learn to read Shadow’s micro-expressions and his silent pauses to get a good sense of when she said something that hit close to home.  But Knuckles? The echidna wore his heart on his sleeve and his sleeve on his forehead.  Every thought that ran through his mind was as plain to see as the nose on his face—and Knuckles’ nose stuck out much more than most.

Rouge watched in real-time as Knuckles’ expression shifted from teeth-bared indignation, to brow-furrowed disorientation, to wide-eyed realization, to flushed-faced panic.

“What!?” he sputtered. “No I don’t!”

Knuckles backed up half a step, surely unconsciously, and Rouge took the opportunity to more forward half a step, keeping the distance between them close.

“Really? Because I just caught Sonic on his way out.  He said you’re one of his friends he kisses goodbye all the time.  There’s no shame in that.”

Knuckles stiffened.  His cheeks remained flushed as he set his jaw and met her gaze.  “Well,” he started, “I meant I don’t kiss him.  He kisses me.  It’s different.”

Rouge hummed pensively, giving him time to second-guess his defense.  Which, of course, he did.

“I mean, you said I say goodbye to all my friends like that.  But I don’t—it’s just Sonic.  Because that’s what he does.  It’s Sonic’s thing.”

Knuckles seemed much happier with that answer, tilting his chin up to fix her with a challenging stare.  It was a much better defense, of course.  But Sonic was right:  Knuckles couldn’t lie to save his life.

“Really?” she pressed.  “So could I get a kiss goodbye if I asked nicely?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Because Sonic is my best friend. And you,” he jammed a gloved hand to her chest, unable to unfurl a single finger for the gesture, “are a lying crook, bat girl.”

Rouge gasped and threw a hand to her chest in mock-dismay. “I resent that remark!”  She watched as her pitiful expression cracked his resolve, then smoothly turned away as if she hadn’t noticed.  

Rouge began to leisurely circle the Emerald, reaching a gloved hand out to run along its side.  She was careful not to let her fingers touch it, lest she raised its guardian’s ire, but she ran them close enough to feel a soft tingle of power emanating from the gem. “Just because I’m a crook doesn’t mean I have to lie to get what I want.” Necessarily.  “I’m always perfectly clear about wanting this emerald here, aren’t I?”

Knuckles pulled back his fist and raised it to his chin, clearly considered her words—as serious as ever. “Well I suppose you are.” He side-eyed her as she finished her lap around the Emerald.

“So could I get a kiss?”

“Still no.” Knuckles crossed his arms and narrowed his gaze. 

“Oh come on.” Rouge smiled.  “We’re friends, you can trust me.”  She continued before he had the chance to object, “So what is it? Am I not pretty enough for you?” 

“No!” Knuckles sputtered, flustered.

“No I’m not pretty enough?” Rouge pouted, unable to resist drawing out another reaction from him.

“No, you are, I—augh!” Knuckles pressed his palms to the sides of his head.  “You’re trying to get in my head!” His face scrunched up as he turned away, blocking her out.

Rouge laughed, dancing around to his front. She tugged at his arms with a sly grin.  “Oh come on,” she goaded.  “I’m not being serious.”

Knuckles cracked one suspicious eye open at her, and begrudgingly dropped his arms.  He was clearly more interested in getting her to move on than to continue with his theatrics.  But of course, she wasn’t planning on it.  She was getting that emerald one way or another.

“Sonic isn’t half as persistent as me,” Rouge said.  Her fingers remained brushing his arms where they’d fallen.  “I can’t imagine you’d hold out denying me, but cave to him.  You two butt heads all the time!  You really expect me to believe this is all Sonic’s idea?”

Knuckles’ expression softened as she spoke, then his eyes flicked downward.  He took a moment to think before letting out a steadying breath, resolving himself.

Gotcha, Rouge thought.

“It is his idea,” Knuckles said quietly.  “That really is just something he does with friends.  Just don’t—” he tensed “—tell him I like him, okay?”

Rouge cringed internally at the melodrama, but maintained her placid expression and nodded encouragingly.  Relationship drama like this never made sense to her.  But it wasn’t about what made sense to her, it was about what would get her leverage for that emerald.

“Of course I won’t tell him, sugar.”  For a price.

Knuckles awkwardly scratched the back of his head.  “Sonic’s friendship means a lot to me.  And I’m happy with what we’ve got.”  He stared off to the side, across the island and into the distant clouds.  “I don’t want to risk losing any of it by asking for anything else.”

Rouge couldn’t help the soft snort that escaped her—playing guidance counsellor was not her forte.  Knuckles looked up at the sound and she attempted to play it off by clearing her throat.  “Well you can’t get what you want if you don’t try, can you? Why all the secrecy? Just get it over with and talk to him or whatever.”

Knuckles shook his head.  “It’s not worth jeopardizing our friendship.  That’s what means the most to me.”

“Afraid you’ll lose your kissing privileges if he rejects you?” Rouge smirked.

Knuckles shot her a glare.  

Oops! Hit the nail on the head!  Rouge pulled her hands behind her back and leaned away slightly, the fragile air of vulnerability clearly broken.

Knuckles remained still for a moment longer before looking away with a frustrated huff.  “I think it’s time you leave.”

Rouge hummed and turned to walk to the edge of the shrine.  She looked out across the tree tops to the empty sky beyond. “I suppose that’s enough catching up for one day.  But I’m not going without my emerald!”

She heard Knuckles shift behind her, probably squaring up once again. “What are you talking about, you crazy bat!? I said get off my island!”

“I’d be more than happy to,” Rouge purred.  “In fact, I’ll probably head straight to Prower’s workshop to look for more emeralds.  I might even run into Sonic while I’m there.” She looked back over her shoulder, a malicious glint in her eye.  “How important would you say it is that I not tell him about your crush? Enough to give me that big pretty rock behind you?”

Behind her, she could see Knuckles was indeed in a fighting stance, fist up in a threat.   He paused for a beat with that exaggerated frown on his face before he caught her meaning. His shoulders dropped and his eyes went wide.

“What-? You-! You said you wouldn’t!”

“I didn’t say for free—what do you take me for?”

Rouge shot upward with a powerful flap of her wings, narrowly dodging the twin spikes of Knuckles’ fist.  Knuckles whirled around and swiped again at her receding legs.  He missed, growling in frustration. 

“Grr—! You two-faced little cheat! I trusted you!”

Rouge landed lightly on top of the Master Emerald, her heels clicking gently over the smudged lipstick print.  “That’s your loss, echidna.” She dusted herself off and watched with amusement as Knuckles continued to growl and stamp his foot below.  “Now, how does that deal sound to you?”

Knuckles snarled, “I won’t let you have the Master Emerald!”

“Not even to keep my mouth shut to Sonic?  If you let me take it, I won’t tell him, promise.” She held her hands up in appeasement.  Her word was only ever as good as she wanted it to be; all that really mattered was that others could tell when she was being really sincere.  “You said his friendship was so important to you.”

Knuckles stilled. He looked down at the cracked stone ground, his fists limp at his side as he thought it through.  After a moment he sighed, his eyes softening in defeat. 

Yes!

“Fine. Tell him.”

No!

“What?” Rouge stepped back, bewildered.  “Did I hear you right?”

Knuckles scoffed, “Of course.”  He straightened up, raising a fist to his chest and meeting her gaze.  “My duty to the Master Emerald always comes first.  No matter what, I’ll endure it.”  His eyes narrowed as he pulled up his other fist, setting his weight back into his fighting stance.  “So don’t make me repeat myself again: Get off the Master Emerald and off my island!”

The two stood in the dead silence of the high air, the tiny scuffing of Knuckles’ shoes on rocks on rock the loudest sound between them.  Rouge broke the moment with a sigh and a dismissive slump backwards.  She hung one hand from her hip while the other gestured lazily at her side. 

“Well, it was worth a try,” she said.  “But what a waste of time.  Listening to all those feelings and not even getting a good payoff for it.  Next time I’ll just skip to snatching the Emerald while you two lovebirds are distracted.” 

Knuckles regarded her warily as she lifted off the Master Emerald and flew to just over the edge of the shrine.  She twisted back to look at him before she left.

“I meant what I said earlier.  Just take what you want for once, Knuckles.  That’s your problem, you know.  You don’t know how to live for yourself.”

Knuckles scoffed, turning to face her without dropping his guard.  “That’s your problem, Rouge.  You have no sense of discipline.” 

Rouge shrugged and turned to fly away.  That may be so, she thought, the sound of her wingbeats and the wind in her ears quickly becoming all she could hear in the empty air, but at least this I can understand:  I’d give up anything for that rock just the same!

[stylesann]

Stark’s retirement plan

Steve Rogers x fem!reader

Summary: Steve looks for his happy ending.

Warnings: none?

A/N: idk what this is… I just felt excited about writing and apparently the only thing I’m able to do is twist Steve’s ending 145 times because I did not enjoy cannon version hihi, and welll this is the results tho it might be really bad i still wanted to post lol, bear in mind english is not my first language so there could have some mistakes anddd to finish, any comments are appreciated 💕 💕 -> written and posted 16/06/21 ->I do not own any marvel characters or anything really

Masterlist

“You're a good man, Sam. This one's on me, though” Steve answered his friend and directed himself to Bucky. “Don't do anything stupid 'till I get back.”

“How can I? You're taking all the stupid with you” they both chuckle and hug. Bucky knows something is up with Steve, he knows him and he sees all the signs that something is making him nervous, unsettled. “Gonna miss you, Buddy.”

“It's gonna be okay, Buck” Steve assures his friend. Truth is, he is not sure it will. Steve’s been anxious, every since he saw her that day he couldn’t help but feel his heart ache. All he wanted was to go straight to her and hug her and never let go. He knows he has a decision to make, an important one in fact, but he can’t help but wonder the consequences that the deepest desires of his heart would cause in the timeline, and that itself makes him pray everything will work out as planned for once in his life. Steve goes over to the Quantum portal and activates the time-travel suit.

“How long is this gonna take?” Sam asks.

“For him? As long as he needs. For us? Five seconds… Ready, Cap? Alright. We'll meet you back here, okay?”

“I’ll see you in a minute” Steve tells his friends before he disappears on the platform.

***********

“Steve!!”

“Steve, answer the coms! Are you seeing this??” Steve hears the voice screaming at his past version while you’re all fighting the Wakanda Battle. It’s you. God, he has missed you so much during the past 5 years. He almost cries knowing what is to happen in the near future to you. He can’t let it happen again.

Steve knows his past version is too far from where you where fighting many aliens all by yourself. He knows that what you where referring is a few alien ships arriving from the sky, and normally he would go directly to you but Thanos is about to show up in Wakanda and take all of his attention. Back then, he couldn’t have reached you on time to stop that alien from stabbing you seconds before half the universe is turned to dust. But now, damn him if he wouldn’t be there to take you out of the battle alive.

Steve knows he had to act quickly so that everyone would assume you just got dusted too. When people were to show up in 5 years and you didn’t… well he would worry about that later.

The soldier sees the aliens trapping you in the middle of them and they start to close the circle, leaving you with less and less space to defend yourself from their attacks. You were losing. He could see your movements slower and you were clearly tired. Your breath was heavy and you had injuries on your arms and torso. Steve decides now is a time as good as any to get you out of here. He steps out of his hiding place and runs to you.

With Steve there you both manage to get the aliens down. You seemed to be ready to thank him when the atmosphere changes. What was before a chaotic battle noise, now was silence. That was it, Thanos had snapped his fingers, and Steves time gap to act was getting smaller. He grabbed your hand and dragged you to where he was waiting before. The confusion was evident in your face but he didn’t have the luxury to explain it to you in the moment, so he just asks you to trust him and you both wait until it’s safe to leave without people seeing you or him.

************

Steve could hear the raindrops outside while he prepared a tea for you. He looked out of the kitchen window and spoted you sitting in a small couch that you both decided to put on the front porch of your house. You were wearing his big sweatshirt and had a blanket covering your legs, the perfect description of cozy if someone ever asks Steve.

The weather was chilly but Steve couldn’t feel any happier. He had you, he finally had you in his arms after spending so long without hearing your voice or feeling your touch. He spent 5 years missing your presence, your quirks and your habits. He felt so empty, like a man out of time again. He was out of time with you, except that now he wasn’t.

As soon as you both had been able to leave Wakanda without being caught, he told you what had happened. It wasn’t as if you hadn’t realised his face seemed more tired and older than hours ago, when you had last seen his past self. To you it was obvious when you looked at him, at his eyes that carried the weight of the world, that he was there for a reason. It was clear to you that you wouldn’t had made it out alive if he hadn’t interfered with the aliens and so you understood beforehand what he would tell you, but Steve still had to explain everything else, and he did.

The soldier cried a lot when he told you what life without you was like and it broke you heart to see such a strong man in such a fragile state. Steve then mentioned Stark’s plan of retirement, of moving out of town and starting a family maybe, and he said he wanted that with you, which you agreed.

And now you both lived in a simple house in front of a small lake, that had a lot of trees around which provided the most beautiful sight wether it is a sunny or a rainy day. The house was far away from the avengers compound, you both pretty much spend 5 years secluded without seeing your friends in order to not mess too much with the timeline. But there was one change that couldn’t be avoided and you as much as Steve knew that he would have to reveal in a couple of months, when the avengers were supposed to bring everyone back from the dust.

“How is my two favourite people in the world?” Steve chants from the door. He hands you the tea and hugs your side while you accommodate to his body.

“We’re good, the baby is sleeping I guess, he just stopped moving” you chuckle lightly as your hand goes to your belly to caress you 8 month bump. You feel Steve’s hand on your bump and you see him sporting the biggest grin.

“You sleeping there J?” He lowers his head and whispers to the baby, receiving no kicks back.

“Yeah, definitely sleeping. Probably tired from the party that he threw this morning on my belly. I swear I couldn’t sleep 3 hours straight” you yawn tiredly.

“One more month and he’ll be here with us, honey” you cuddle closer to him as you drink your tea. One more month and your baby James will be here. Just one more month and you both are gonna be the happiest ever.

************

“And returning in, five, four, three, two, one–“ Bruce activates the Quantum platform, but nothing happens.

“Where is he?” Sam asks nervously, wondering if something went wrong.

“I don't know. He blew right by his time stamp. He should be here.”

“Well, get him back.”

“I'm trying.”

“Get him the hell back!”

“I said, I'm trying!

“Sam...” Bucky calls, he’s looking at a man sitting in a log. They both walk closer to see Steve, a few years older, wearing normal clothes but caring a round bag with him.

Sams the first one to approach. “So did something go wrong, or did something go right? You look older, no offence”

“Well, after I put the stones back, I thought, maybe I'll try some of that life Tony was telling me to get.” Steve answers, he knew the past few months made an impact in his appearance, considering the baby wouldn’t let you or him sleep for too long. It’s almost laughable that the great Captain America was taken down by his baby son.

“And how'd that work out for you?”

“It is beautiful. And that’s why I can’t have this anymore” Steve hands the shield to Sam. “You’re the best man for the job, and I know you’ll make it proud… How does it feel?”

“Like it belongs to someone else.”

“It doesn’t.”

“You wanna tell me about her?” He asks seeing a wedding ring on his friends finger, and Steve smiles getting up to go back to you and your son.

“Eventually, but for now, I don't think I will.”

[spotlightstudios]

I love looking back at old art of mine. I tried do hard to make it just right and took an obnoxiously long time for every drawing. However, I'm much happier with my art now, with a simpler style and more opportunity for me to actually enjoy it rather than staring at it for so long that I hate it by the time I'm done. (aka art rant time, since I can do that here!!)

These four drawings are from within a span of at least two years. To explain, the top two are drawings of Catacombtale!Grillby (or Chance). The one on the left was my first version (an entry to a contest to draw Grillbys), the one on the right I redrew later on. The bottom left is something I drew for a crossover contest last year sometime, involving Dream and Nightmare (Jokublog). Lastly, bottom right is another contest drawing for the concept of an X-Tale oc (I used Ec-4o.Nightmare).

The first drawing of Chance is easily a good example of an attempt to make the drawing look fun and inviting. I've got a decently fund pose, the colors are warm, and there's a simple background. However, I did this Lineless. Why? I don't know, but I don't like it. Plain and simple, this is my least favorite of the drawings pictured because I took so long to meticulously shade and color and it still wasn't worth it. Served it's purpose for the time, but that's it.

The second one of Chance is overall better. I used cooler colors, and by now I kinda understood how to put deoth into backgrounds. The style I used for him is fine too. Here, I hate the posing. His composition in comparison to everything else makes him look like he's about to fall off his stool. His second set of arms look stupid too, since I recall I either forgot them or didn't want to draw more hands, so I just folded them unnaturally. Better, but not my favorite.

The Fnaf/UTAU crossover drawing is my favorite in concept. It's not the best drawing style, not the worst. I'd redo the designs slightly if given the chance. However, the composition and background I'd keep almost identical. I really liked how the background came out for this one (minus the doorway) because I started to paint my backgrounds around this time. The character poses, I like Night's more, but Dream's is good enough for it's purpose. The execution of using two characters with brand new designs works well enough here, but as I said, I took too much time with minimal effort for this to be too good. (Also completely skipped shading in favor of darker colored gaussian blur.)

The bottom right, X-Night, is my favorite of these specific four. The body proportions are clearly more rounded and small, the style of lineart and colors are very simple and bold, and most of the real charm cones from the lighting and after affects rather than meticulous shading or complex backgrounds. There were still things I'd change if given the chance, but this is a perfect example of my mindset at the time too. The other three drawings here were fun, but I drew them with other people's expectations in mind. For this piece? I drew what I wanted to, since it was my (relatively speaking) design and my art. I'm not as active or social on the app I drew these for anymore. So, I'm much less inclined to please the overlords that might've gotten it more popular had I drawn it in a more realistic or engaging style.

Don't get me wrong, I loved being on that site and drawing so much. I like all of the pieces I posted on too. However, this is a good chance to reflect on what exactly I've been doing all this time in the UT Fandom and how it helped me improve my art over the course of just barely 3 or 4 years.

More looks back on this, a continuation, will be coming soon. This is gonna be a long rant I'll probably revisit often just to catalog ideas for redraws, as well as notes for myself. (Not all of it is degrading, because I plan my next one to be about what things I have enjoyed drawing and why, followed by a completely redraw-cebtric post!

[addictedtostorytelling]

I'm watching immortality cause I'm a sucker for punishment. Anyways a lot a thing bothers me about that episode but like how Grissos talkes to Lady H. about how he feels instead of talking to Sara. But sometimes I feel that he didn't talk to Sara cause he felt like he didn't deserve it, since he was the one that decided the should get a divorce. And also he thinks Sara is in such good place professionally, so he couldn't ask her to give that up and he the dosen't want to be a CSI anymore or be in Vegas for that matter. So what do you think?

hi, @inutilidadesbytamara​!

yeah, i think he avoids talking to sara directly for most of the reasons you mention.

i've got a complete rundown on grissom and sara's interactions throughout "immortality" here, if you're interested.

the tl;dr version is that grissom first initiates the divorce not because he's at all fallen out of love with sara or has tired of their marriage himself but because he is operating under the (erroneous) assumption that sara can't be happy for as long as she is married to him.

he sees the growing distance between them as a symptom of sara wanting to pursue other avenues of life beyond him but not knowing how to "break away" because she is too stubbornly loyal to give him up (even though, in her heart of hearts, she—in his view—actually does want to be rid of him).

that so, though he still loves her as much as he ever has, he honestly believes that he is bad for her, an anchor dragging her down and keeping her from leading a full life. his hope in letting her go is that even if he is dooming himself to be miserable forever without her, she will thrive in his absence, being able to enjoy a better, fuller existence once she is no longer "shackled to him."

while he anticipates that she may initially be upset by him leaving her, his earnest belief is that in time she will acclimate to the idea of being without him and eventually come to embrace the change, realizing that it is ultimately for the best.

he foresees her being much happier without him in the long run.

and maybe even marrying to someone who can be a better husband to her than he was.

however, returning to vegas two and a half years after the fact, that's not what he finds. while sara's life does (from his view) seem better, insofar as she has advanced her career and really put down roots in las vegas, she obviously doesn't view the divorce as the gift he meant it to be; apparently, there are still a lot of hurt feelings on her part.

sara's expression of these hurt feelings quite frankly confuses grissom, both because he honestly thought that he was doing what was best for sara in "setting her free" (and also honoring her wishes) and because said feelings indicate that she still cares about him, as, after all, losing him wouldn't still be so painful to her were she truly apathetic toward him.

of course, on his end of things, since grissom only ever divorced sara because he genuinely believed that it was what was best for her and not because he actually wanted to do so for his own reasons, he would happily remarry her in a second—all he would need to see in order to be convinced that doing so were the right move was that she still wanted to be with him as much as he did her.

grissom therefore spends the events of "immortality" trying to figure out where he and sara stand—if maybe she reciprocates his feelings and would be amenable to the reconciliation between them that he wants so very badly himself.

unfortunately, that’s not the clear-cut answer that he gets from her.

while some of her behavior toward him seems to indicate that maybe she is perhaps interested in making up after all, there are (in his view) ultimately more evidences that suggest to him something different: namely, that while sara may still have feelings for him, he's burned her too badly for her to ever trust him again; she's heartbroken over him, sure, but she's not about to let him back into her life, even though she misses him—not after how he hurt her.

frankly, this outcome is the worst possible one in grissom's mind—worse even than if she just hated him outright—because it means that not only did his best intentions in letting her go fail but he also fucked things up so badly that there's no way to undo the damage.

he tried to make her happy, but all he succeeded in doing was breaking her heart, and now she can't ever forgive him (in his view).

—and it is under this assumption that he airs his feelings to heather.

because grissom blames himself for breaking sara's heart, and because her behavior throughout his visit to vegas indicates that being around him causes her pain, and because his tendency is always to assume he is unworthy and detrimental, and because he believes that there are no means by which to undo that bad thing that he's done, he ultimately decides—after they wrap the bombing case—that he has ruined his relationship with her past the point where it can be repaired and so that the best thing for him to do (despite how intensely he still longs to be with her) is to slink away quietly, leaving her to live the new life she has created for herself.

while he's not sure if she'll ever get over the heartache he's caused her, his reasoning is that things will at least be somewhat better for her if she doesn't have to deal with him hanging around, reminding her of the past.

once again, he concludes that if she's going to have any chance at future happiness, he's got to be out of the picture completely, and that's why he wishes her well in her new position as lab director and then takes off with the intention to never bother her again.

of course, before he goes, he does disclose his continued feelings for sara to heather because he needs to give voice to them someplace and because he feels he owes heather some kind of explanation otherwise; however, he doesn't share them with sara directly because, in his view, there'd be no point in doing so.

the door is already closed on them, so why complicate things by telling her he still loves her? it's not like she's going to take him back anyhow.

as i talk about in the first post linked above,

by this point in the finale, grissom has convinced himself that he has lost his chance to be with sara again—that he probably doesn’t have the right to ask her for another chance, that she has built up this life that doesn’t have room in it for him anymore, that she is too hurt to ever forgive him for leaving her, etc., etc.

... he is reconciling himself to what he views as the sad truth: that sara will never understand that everything he’s done, he’s done because he loves her, and so he will “[die] off, forever alone,” bereft of her love and companionship...

it’s not that grissom is rejecting sara’s affection because he doesn’t want it; it’s that he’s dismissing the possibility that she might still feel affection for him because he believes that he has lost her.

he wants nothing more than for sara to return his love and want to be with him again, but he can’t dare to hope that this might ever be the case, not after he has broken her heart and hurt her so badly, not when she is about to embark on this new chapter in her life that his presence would only complicate, not when so much time has passed, and he has made so many mistakes.

while talking to sara and asking her to clarify her feelings would of course be the emotionally mature thing for him to do, he can’t bear the prospect of having her tell him to his face what he suspects is the truth: namely, that he needlessly ruined both of their lives, and now she can’t stand to be around him anymore.

hearing her say the words “you broke my heart, and now we can never go back to the way things were” would probably kill him.

of course, it’s not just cowardice that prevents him from facing sara but also his sense that it wouldn’t be fair for him to unburden his heart to her at this point. in his view, his desire for reconciliation is something that she does not share, so him telling her he’s still in love with her and wants to be with her would serve no purpose but to upset her, which is the absolute last thing in the world he wants to do; he doesn’t want to hurt her again, pouring salt in old wounds. 

so instead he makes his confession to someone safe and neutral, using heather a kind of receptacle for his grief before he heads off once more into the great unknown to face the rest of his life without sara.

to my mind, this decision on his part actually has little to do with his feelings about being a csi or living in las vegas—if he thought for one moment that sara could possibly want him again, he would move back to sin city in a heartbeat, and particularly as he had never really hated the location, just been sad there in her absence during s8 and s9, which is why he had left in the first place—but rather is all about his (incorrect) sense that he is not wanted.

of course, the good news is that for as convinced as grissom is that sara doesn’t actually want him, could never forgive him, has no interest in reconciliation, etc., none of those notions are actually true.

the fact is that sara does want him and is just as eager to reconcile as is he—she just, like him, fears that her feelings are unreciprocated.

in her mind, the fact that grissom is set to leave las vegas again proves to her that he has no interest in being with her. the whole time he was visiting, he didn’t make a move, so he must not want to, you know?

thankfully, because grissom does tell his feelings for sara to heather, eventually sara is able to realize—thanks to lindsey willows—that she and grissom (despite the initial appearances to the contrary) are actually on the same page.

they both regret the divorce.

they both want to be together.

the love between them is fully requited and just as present as ever.

hence her tracking him down in marina del rey, and hence them sailing off into the sunset together, and hence their remarriage, and hence them still happily together six years later in the reboot.

it’s all just a case where they’re both operating off of faulty assumptions, and it takes them being disabused of those assumptions in order to truly figure things out.

anyway, that’s my take.

thanks for the question! please feel welcome to send another any time.

[ocalaghan]

I finished watching House. Much to think about. Much to process.

I first saw House a couple of years ago when my mum was watching it, so I would catch episodes here and there with her, but I decided to watch it properly from the beginning a couple of months ago.

I don't even know where to start. That finale was insane. I honestly found it... a little anti-climactic? Which sounds crazy given the fact that House FAKED HIS OWN DEATH but there was just so much I would've liked to see happen that didn't.

Like... let's start with when he went into psychiatric care. He got clean. He was happier. He was definitely a better person. Still very much House but just... nicer. A little bit more thoughtful. He had a goal to be less depressed. I enjoyed that version of him a lot and then it felt like that character development was all for naught when he quit therapy and just regressed back to what he was before. When Cuddy broke up with him (for very fair reasons), it seemed like he lost sight of the fact he was getting better for himself, and not for anyone else, and just packed it in. I found that quite disappointing.

Side-note - House and Cuddy as a couple! They really played the long game on that enemies-to-lovers trope there. I guess they were never true enemies per se but... Jesus Christ. At the start I couldn't have pictured that becoming a thing at all but when the show started dropping hints it was going to, it grew on me. Hugh and Lisa played the parts so well. And tbh, the fact that they weren't endgame is kind of annoying. Like, that romance was sooooooo slow-burn. To go through ALL OF THAT and not have them unite at the end was saddening. I think it could've only worked if House's character development had improved back to immediate-post-psych-care House though. It wouldn't have been right to have them get back together after he literally crashed his car into her home. She has a kid to think about too. It just bummed me out that she was gone in season eight and never to be seen again, only mentioned fleetingly. I wanted to know she was doing well, and I definitely would've loved to see her in the finale and have she and House reconcile somehow. Not romantically, just... have House sincerely apologise to her. Something. ANYTHING. A CRUMB, PLEASE. But wherever Lisa and her daughter are, hopefully they are happy and maybe with that handsome guy she met.

I'm not gonna lie, I was really hoping for a Chase/Cameron reunion in the finale. More than just them sitting next to each other at the funeral. I wanted them to be endgame. I was hoping after a couple of years apart that Cameron might be able to try again with Chase but obviously we see her with an anonymous partner and child... a little bummed but the series left it at a positive personal note for them both. Cameron had a family, Chase was no longer squandering his potential. So I will just envision them as good friends. :')

Actually kind of surprised they didn't pair Chase with Adams cos it felt like it was going that way sometimes but I am glad about that, it would've felt out of place and rushed. A shame we didn't really see much personal development for the likes of Adams, Park, and Foreman in general though. I like to think Park stays with whoever Patrick Stump's character's name was lol. Foreman was a real ass throughout the first several seasons and I just did not like him much. After he took Cuddy's job when she left, though, I did like him more. It would've been nice to see him paired off with someone but I really enjoyed his final scene, where he finds House's ID card hidden in his office. Was super fitting for House to leave Foreman a clue that he was actually still alive. Taub was someone else I didn't really like but surprisingly after he finally divorced his wife, he did grow on me. He was also occasionally quite funny, he provided some much-needed comedy relief. I liked him very much as a dad. Too funny that he got two women pregnant with daughters named Sophie and Sophia. I liked his final scene, he just looked far more content rather than the long face he wore for 90% of the show.

Thirteen, my destructive bi queen... sad we did not see much of her in the final season but I am so glad she is happy and also had her endgame relationship with a woman?! Pleasantly surprised. Disappointing we didn't really see that relationship but I suppose we rarely see much of any of their relationships, so I can't be overly bitter about that.

I can't believe they did Wilson so dirty by giving him cancer. Married three times, best relationship of his life ended because she fucking DIED IN HIS ARMS, wanted children but never got them... and they give him FIVE MONTHS TO LIVE. I love Wilson, I am so very hurt. It was weirdly fitting though, and they wrote it in such a way that I can't actually be too mad about it? He's gonna get to live out the remainder of his life doing all the things he wanted to do (bar finally settling down and having kids, I guess...) with his best friend so I can't say I'm that disappointed by it, but still. Damn.

I suppose the point of the ending is that you can envision for yourself what House goes on to do after Wilson's dead. He faked his own death so he could completely reinvent his life so however he does that is anyone's guess.

I really liked that Stacy was one of House's most prominent hallucinations in the burning building, especially when she said, "We are not the only two people who could love you," referring to herself and Cuddy. And House envisioned Dominika but quickly pushed the thought away. I don't think he could go back to Dominika now because she thinks he's dead and I doubt he would want to jeopardise her status in the country, but I like to think that "Stacy's" words mean he will find someone to fall in love with because it was so obviously something he wanted deep down.

I also just want to note I know there are people who ship House/Wilson and that there's even seemingly evidence of them caring for each other in a somewhat romantic way and honestly I vibe with it. Like I find it wild they just dropped random apparently gay hints in but it was never developed on so I'm just gonna ignore it here. I don't think House would've legit revealed feelings for Wilson in those five months but... maybe I'm wrong. He was a very broken man.

But also, if he doesn't go and visit his mother and let her know he isn't dead, I will kill him for real myself. DON'T DO THAT TO YOUR LOVELY MOM.

Don't think there's a whole lot more to say. One other thing is that I thought there was going to be a final resolution on who House's real father is, but that was never solved.

Wild show. Not my favourite medical drama by any stretch, but it was a good watch.