#this just uh. fell out of my brain. idk what the plot is

[kvetchinglyneurotic]

For the title thing - "Do You Think About Me?"

When Jamie was little, he'd talk to his dad — not to his dad his dad, but who he'd never met in person but sometimes made his mum cry when she talked to him on the phone or, once, came pounding on the door in the middle of the night while she told him it was no one, baby, go back to sleep — but the version that lived in his head. That version was strong and tall and never afraid of anything, and he loved Jamie very, very much, only he had some big important job he had to do first, and mummy didn't cry 'cause she was afraid but because she missed him but she knew he couldn't come home yet.

Late at night when mummy was at work and their flat was dark and empty and full of leering shadows, Jamie would wrap his blankets tight around himself and squeeze his eyes shut and like that he could almost pretend there was a warm solid weight sat at his side. He'd ask, what're you doing, dad? And if he concentrated hard enough he could pretend he felt a spark of warmth and that it was dad's hand rubbing his back through the blankets the way mummy did when he couldn't sleep, that he leaned in close like he was telling some great secret and he'd say, I'm off fighting ghosts on the moon, or, I secretly play footie for Man City but I can't tell anyone who I am 'cause I used to be a spy, or, I got turned into a vampire and now I can't go out in the sunlight to get home. And Jamie would say, that's so cool, da, can I come? And his dad would tell him no, it's too dangerous, or too far away, or too expensive, but he was waiting and when Jamie grew up and became a famous rich footballer then he could come find him. And Jamie'd say, I miss you, da, even though he'd never known him long enough to miss. Do you think about me? And his da would say, of course I do, Jamie. I think about you all the time, and I love you so much.

[artyfartyperson]

ALSO!!!! finished Prime Empire!!!!! Uh basic opinions: Art direction was great, the music direction was great except for when the music track wouldn’t finish at the end of the episode but would fade out halfway through the song. Writing was ASS i cant believe they labelled this a Jay season, we had absolutely no focus on him at all in fact I feel like we had way more focus on Lloyd and then Jay like kind of ate up the last one. I would’ve liked if they had some sort of snotty communication with Unagami/Pixal and Zane or received snippets from rumours and Jay could sort out his feelings about his own past as well as Unagami’s. Unagami being the game itself held no weight whatsoever, neither did Kai nor Cole nor Lloyd nor Nyas death. I was more upset with Scott’s death than everyone else’s !!!

Deadass I feel like Skybound picks up the slack where Prime Empire falls short. It gives enough narrative to know what’s going on outside of Jays POV, but overall the plot follows him. It’s his season. If I was never told Jay was the poster child for Prime Empire I would’ve fully expected Lloyd to be the last to go. The deaths were deadass HEAVY because it left Jay more alone than ever. The odds were slowly stacking against him and he had to lock in to have a chance at winning. In Prime Empire it was literally like oh whatever….

Following up on that I miss the old formula they had when the villains would literally WIN for a hot minute, and the ninja REALLY had to lock in to beat their asses. Unagami really just felt like an every Tuesday villain by the end of it. Maybe it’s the general tone of the writing that changed but who am I to say… Jay did not seem to struggle in the slightest, and I genuinely think thats where the life system falls short. I would’ve MUCH preferred if it was a life AND hp system instead of “oh I got hit by a helmet bye guys catch you later” It would’ve added so much more stakes to the fight. The one hit only system just ensures the reader that no, they won’t get hit, sure how else are they going to win? It became so predictable once Nya, Lloyd and Jay had only one life left. Of course they won’t get hit, yeah sure everyone but Jay got cubed, but at THIS rate in the story you know for a fact Jay HAS to progress the story because the way they’ve written themselves into a worldbuilding corner ensures that the plot will go nowhere if he dies, so naturally he can’t.

Scenes in the season also held no weight whatsoever. Again, bringing up the deaths, and I’m also gonna bring in Lloyd and Harumi’s fight because even though she wasn’t real we still got to see him unpack some sort of emotions. It was also so…. glossed over though….. idk F in the chat ig.

Anyways I had my fun with this season!!! It’s definitely down there with Season 11 and 7 in terms of writing but it’s better than the two in terms of boredom. It was a fun watch but it’s definitely one of those seasons where you have to shut your brain off and accept that this season is just a big nothing sandwich.

Overall I think they hit some interesting key points, but fell short in the execution. Definitely a lack of focus as well I’ve noticed that a lot recently with the newer episodes.

Anyways I know I am like 4 years late but leave me be……….

[th3worstinm3]

Okay I saw this ask in @kingdom0fcards blog and I knew i had to do something because it's so fucking hot

noah and folio hatefucking? why not!

Warnings: USE OF SLURS, spit, degradation, insults, unprotected sex (wrap it up, dont be a fool), uh explicit anal sex, things with feet, porn without actual plot? idk there's probably a lot (THERE IS A LOT OH MY GOD DID I REALLY JUST WRITE THIS)

this is my first time writing something like this so i am so sorry for any mistakes and errors in the plot LMAO

I'm so sorry.

Minors i can't control what you do, read at your own risk ig

nick looked down at noah once again from his drum set, this was the fifth time he did and every single time his brain got needier. and he hated it. he hated how attracted he was to noah. he hated how good he looked when he dropped on his knees, arching his back and moaning while he sang. nick despised how hot his best friend looked.

he cursed under his breath as he confused the beat of nowhere to go. he was getting angrier as the set passed, and he wanted nothing but to grab noah by that neck of his and fuck his fucking brains out while telling him how bad he hated him and his stupidly hot body.

bad decisions started, and nick almost bucked his hips at noah's low singing voice. he fucking hated that man.

the set went by smoothly, only interrupted by a fight that visibly frustrated noah. nick was the first one to walk to the green room not even greeting the fans and throwing his drumsticks. as the fans cheered, he found himself sitting on the small sofa in the middle of the green room, backstage. jaw clenched in anger, head thrown back in the headboard of the sofa and arms crossed around his chest, his dick was pulsing with need. he needed to feel noahs walls clenching around him as he moaned and screamed beautifully with that haunting voice of his.

he heard noah's voice approaching, and with no previous advice, he got up, quickly walking towards the sound. luckily for nick, noah was now alone.

he grabbed him by the neck, walking him to the green room. noah let out a sound of surprise, drowned in the sound of the door closing harshly. nick pinned noah to the wall behind him, not once leaving his neck. noah's eyes widened in fear and uncertainty, as nick's knee pushed noah's thighs apart and landed on his crotch. noah whined.

nick leaned closer, breathing on noah's ear making him shiver and let out a pained groan. "i fucking hate you. i fucking hate how hot you make me feel." he whispered. noah squirmed underneath nick's body, trying to get some friction by moving his hips over nick's knee. nicks hand stopped his movements, and noah whimpered, breath picking up and heart beating faster. nick leaned back, and swallowed as he saw noah's already fucked out, flushed face, sweaty, chest heaving as ragged breaths left his parted, pink shiny lips.

"i fucking hate you and your stupid attitude on stage, you made me fucking mess shit up, and its your fucking fault for making me feel like this." so, nick isn't gay or anything, and he's convinced of that. hes convinced he definitely doesn't find men attractive. but noah, noah has something that makes him want to bend him over and fuck him from behind until he forgets his own name. and he hates how bad it is, into what he has turned him.

"you and your stupid fucking voice, dropping yourself on your knees like a slut begging to get your mouth fucked-" nick interrupted himself, pressing noah's neck slightly harder, but making sure he can still breathe, as he squirmed again. noah's hands went to nick's, digging his nails into his skin hoping he'll release him.

nick complied, stepping back and tucking his hands into his pockets. noah fell down as his back was still pressed against the white wall of the green room. noahs legs were spread as he caught his breath. nick nonchalantly eyed him from above, and in a swift movement, his foot went right to noahs crotch. noah let out a choked out sob, grasping nick's ankle harshly.

nick's foot moved over noah's dick, working him harshly as the mentioned let out short and pained sobs. his nails were digging into nick's skin, but he didn't care. "do you know how much i hate your stupid slutty attitude all the time?" nick whispered, noah closed his eye, moaning and bucking his hips into nick's foot. "fucking look at me" nick threatened. noah didn't comply, just dropped his head lower as he let out ragged breaths through teeth.

nick's foot stopped. noah whined, grasping at his skin and moving it towards him. he needed to cum so goddamn badly it hurt. nick shook noah's hands off his leg, kneeled down, plopped his elbows on his knees and looked at noah through lidded, wide pupils. he chuckled at noah's fucked out face, bringing a hand to his chin and lifting his head up to him. nick could feel noah's hot breath on his face, and he could smell his post show odor. normally he would tell noah to take a fucking shower, but this time, it only brought him closer to that feral state he was falling into.

his lips were so close to each other, and noah was so eager to feel nick's against his own. nick wouldn't comply though, and this only brought noah closer to the edge. nick chuckled darkly again, and with a jokingly pitiful coo, he stood up again, making a long whine leave noah's mouth.

"nick-" noah moaned. the mentioned interrupted him. "did i tell you to fucking speak?" he spat out, angrily. noah shook his head, dropping it an instant later. his shoulders rose and fell with each desperate breath he took, and his hands were shaking needing to touch himself so badly.

nick decided he had enough of whiny, noah, and bringing his hands to his belt, he patted his thigh with his foot. "stand up." but noah didn't obey. as he fidgeted with the buckle of his belt, his eyebrows furrowed together. "i told you to stand up." noah's hands dropped on his side.

this just made nick lose the last thread of patience he had. noah left a pained gasp as nick yanked noah from his hair. noahs hands went to nicks, breathing harshly. nick guided him to the couch, bending him over with a hand on his back, pressing him impossibly harder into the cushions.

"you wanna be a brat? go ahead and be a brat, im just right with that." he spat out darkly, pulling his own stage pants and underwear down in a swift motion. noah's head was hidden between his folded shoulders, and the sounds he was letting out just made nick more eager to fuck him.

"up." nick commanded. noah quietly and slowly shifted his hips up, letting the shroter almost break those stupid pants that clung into his ass beautifully. he yanked noah's underwear down in a fast motion, and drowned in the sight of noah's exposed ass, spread legs and painfully hard dick. it made his own jump.

nicks palms landed on one of his asscheeks, massaging it and digging his fingers into his plush skin, all while noah drooled all over himself and pushed his hips into nick's hands. "fuck i fucking hate how beautiful you look right now, all spread out for me." he cooed, and noah moaned loudly, dick jumping at nick's words.

noah sighed. "nick, please," the mentioned chuckled. "please, what?" he leaned over, chest finding noah's back as he whispered over and licked noah's ear. noah's hips bucked. "please touch me" it came in an almost inaudible whisper. nick groaned at noah's neediness.

the silence made noah feel uneasy, did he break the rules? did he do something he shouldn't have? was nick going to let him cum? he felt nicks hand roam from his stomach to his hips, making him jump. "is that what you want?" nick's hand creeped painfully close to noah's dick, and he nodded desperately, slurred out "pleases" leaving his lips.

just as nick was around to wrap his hand around noah's cock, he pulled away. noah let out a drawn out mewl, shifting against nick's hips. he felt nick's own hardness hit his ass, and now he needed him inside him as soon as possible.

nick chuckled again, grabbing noah by the hair and pulling his head towards him. he left a trail of kisses from his neck to his lower back, free hand roaming under noah's black stage tank top. nicks cold fingers landed on noah's perked up nipples, and he oh so slowly started rolling them between his digits. noah's knees were threatening to give out, so nick's hand left his hair and placed it over his stomach keeping his hips high up in the air.

noah's whines became louder and louder, and his hips shook uncontrollably. his dick was begging to be touched, tip dark red and dripping cloudy precum. nick seemed to take pity on him, as the hand keeping him up wrapped around his shaft. he didn't move, instead he just pressed. noah moaned loudly as his thighs flexed, he needed nick to move. the shorter chuckled in amusement, watching noah's desperate moves.

nick's hand finally moved, and noah gasped as nick's other hand pinched his nipple. nick held a painfully slow pace, making noah grow more desperate as minutes passed. he whined nick's name, as his thumb pressed on the slit of his dick. noah felt the familiar fuzzy feeling in his belly, he knew he wasn't gonna last long with nick all over his body. he felt nick's dick pulse over his ass, and that was enough to almost bring him to the edge.

his orgasm was interrupted by nick's hand stopping suddenly. he cried, sobbed and gasped nick's name, needing to cum so goddamn badly. nick was also growing anxious, he honestly didn't know how he had this much patience.

nick shushed noah's drawn out moans with a hand to his mouth. muffled out sobs of his name made nick snort. "do you want to cum like this? or would you like me to fuck your ass like the disgusting little faggot you are?"

noahs hips bucked, and he almost came right there. the insult got to his head and he needed nick to degrade him more and more. he nodded, and nick's hands left his body. noah squirmed around, but stayed as still as he could just as nick liked.

with a smirk, nick spat in his hand, pumping his dick a couple times before lining it with noah's hole. noah choked out a gasp. "wait- wait," noah slurred out, making nick stop in his tracks. the silence indicated noah to continue. "can you please use your fingers first? please?" noah slurred out quietly, fearful that nick would just go at it before even prepping him.

nick thought for a second. he didn't really want to. noah had been teasingly horrible the entire night and he felt like he didn't really deserve what he asked for. but he complied. this was his friend we are talking about, and he didn't want to hurt him and lose his friendship.

so, nick did what noah asked for. he let his mouth fall open over his ass, and a string of saliva traveled from his lips to his bum. the warmth made noah jump, but he was happy nick had listened to him. without previous advice, nick licked his index finger and slowly entered noah's shaky body.

noah closed his eyes with a moan, and his hips moved in unison with nicks slow thrusts.

the shorter added a second finger, and as noah whined, he began looking for his prostate. he knew he had found it when noah arched his back and muffled a loud, high pitched moan in one of the cushions. he kept his pace, pressing against that bundle of nerves that made noah's knees shake and his head spin.

noah moaned nick's name again, and nick hummed, not stopping his movements. "i need you-" a moan interrupted him. "i need you inside of me-" and a whined please was all nick needed to retract his fingers. he leaned on noah's back again, pressing his chest against his skin and bracing himself on one of his arms, he lined himself up with noah's hole once again.

biting his shoulder, nick pushed his dick inside of noah. noah whined loudly, and nick couldn't help but groan at how tight he was. "fuck you're so tight-" he mumbled.

he cursed under his breath as their hips met, and he stayed still for a moment. nick's free hand went to noah's chest, feeling his fast heart beat. in a swift movement, he pulled out slightly, only to pull in again, making noah gasp and choke on a moan. he tried to keep a steady pace, but noah's high whines and his walls clenching around him snapped something inside of him.

his thrusts became harder and sloppier, and his grip on noah's hips grew stronger. he was sure he was gonna leave bruises. noah's moans never ceased, and when nick took a hold of his dick, he sobbed out. tears started spilling from his eyes and painting his flushed red cheeks.

"you like that? you like how im using your hole like the fucking slut you are?" noah's walls clenched around nick as he sobbed. nick's hand went to noah's neck, and he pressed as he brought him up to his level, never once stopping his brutal pace. "open your fucking mouth." noah complied as he whined.

nick spat in noah's mouth, forcing him to swallow which only added to his arousal. "i fucking hate you, you hear me? fucking-" he cut himself off with a groan. "-fucking making me feel attracted to a faggot like you" noah moaned out.

nick's wrist sped up, and noah started to feel that knot in his bely about to snap. he needed it so badly.

nick's hand traveled from noah's neck to his chin, tapping his lips with his index and middle fingers. noah complied, opening his mouth letting nick introduce his fingers inside his mouth. noah's tongue swirled and sucked on nick's digits.

muffled out pleas and cries left noah's body, knot aching to snap at any given moment. "you want to cum? hm?" nick continued his fast pace as noah nodded desperately. "go ahead, cum for me like the stupid little bitch you are."

noah's eyes rolled back as he almost screamed out, ropes of cum painting his chest and nick's hand white. nick kept fucking him through his orgasm, pumping his dick even though he was already going soft. it hurt so bad, but he couldn't find his voice. a slurred out call of te shorter's name left his fucked up throat, and nick shushed him with a hand on his mouth again. noah took it all.

nick kept pounding him, using him for his own pleasure, until his own orgasm got to him. noah was crying, squirming under nick's painful touch. his back hurt like a bitch and his shoulders stung. nick caught his breath, flopping against noah's back. noah whined, and nick gave him a filthy kiss to shut him up.

he pulled out, watching noah's hole clenching against nothing as his seed ran out of him. he huffed a snort, rubbing his hands on his sides as he made his way to the bathroom to properly clean himself up.

noah's knees gave out, and he dropped to the floor, head still hidden between folded arms. his breathing was ragged and harsh, and his eyes were closed. he took a deep breath, and smiled slightly when he heard the door close, leaving him all alone in his own mess.

[krizkrozapplesoz]

Hello hello!! What are your favourite pieces of media, any type of media! :D

Ah uh uh uhm i really love Nintendo games! The Mario games mean a lot to me, Especially the Mario & Luigi series! It's so charming and lovely and cosy and i adore how those games put a twist on usual mario plots by using unusual, original villains (at least until dream team)

Pikmin also means the world to me, which is a very recent development cause I got invested via oatchi last year and then fell madly in love with Louie. But I really adore these games, the cosy tone mixed with the stress of wilderness survival is so well done and i adore the aesthetic of it, for the first three games. The fourth starts looking really clean and that kind of brings it down for me. Also i adore the characters early on, like Olimar amd Louie really have personalities outside of their jobs, meanwhile in pik4 the rescue corps kind of made their jobs their whole personality. I just love a good everyman protagonist who's doing what he has to, not what he wants, to get through these situations. Also funny doggies <3 love funny doggies <3

Uh that's kind of the big ones. I have other things I'm obsessed with but idk if I'd call them favourite media really. Moreso media that screwed open my head and pulled my brain out and is using it as a squeaky toy

[dumbgothbunny]

I had an idea for a series again so imma slap it here and if Someone likes it totes feel free to it

You’re on an archeology trip in Egypt with your college, the only one out of all of them (besides your professor) who can even translate ancient hy-uh hyro…. Hyrogliphs? Is that the right word dude omg anyway you know what I mean yeah? Okay so while on this dig your entire class gets kidnapped and taken by some really BAD GUYS. Maybe a cult? You hear them mention they need someone to translate carvings?

Idk so anyway your classmates and your teacher get really dead really quick and they only keep you alive because you tell them you can translate. You’d been able to learn and remember them almost as if you’d already known them

Turns out some really even bigger BAD GUY wants a REALLY sacred ancient artifact of the Gods which isn’t actually a myth but he has to find someone to translate the location.

So you’re forced to, they take you with them, all handcuffs and guns and shit, because they’re gonna need you to guide them through. There’s another person there whose a hired gun.

Cut to Marc/Jake/Steven (they would all be working together now) absolutely slaughtering the bad guys, and he turns to you, and you try to run, but he doesn’t know you’re like, not bad, so he rushes you and right as he topples you over into the sand and has you pinned (while you’re like crying and just like “please don’t hurt me”) and Khonshu is all “STOP” so obviously he chills. The God can sense something about you but he’s not sure what it is. Realizing you’re actually cuffed. One of the boys, probably Jake tbh, will break them off (like woah? That’s hot) and he just goes to leave you and you’re like “wait!” And you beg him to take you with him because bro you’re in your early 20s, in a foreign country and literally everyone you came with is dead. And you have no idea where you are. And he’s like “not my problem” but Khonshu, actually now very intrigued by why he feels something so divine from your very being. A feeling he’s only felt once for a mortal eons ago. So he tells him to take you with him.

So reluctantly Marc and Jake listen, Steven doesn’t need convening because he notices how scared you are. They aren’t done in Egypt, in fact they have a lot of work. So you share a hotel room with them and they actually buy you some new clothes because yours are dirty and covered in blood and sand. Things are kinda rocky with Marc and Jake at first only because one, you’re super hot/beautiful and young and two at first he thinks it’s a burden. (there’s an age gap but you’re legal) and Khonshu slowly starts to kind of think he knows who or what you are. During the night, when you dream, he (Khonshu) comes to you and shows you places that were significant to him and you in your past life. There’s romance there too. OASIS SEX SCENE WITH KHONSHU WHEN?

no but anyway

Turns out you’re like- a reincarnation of a goddess he used to love or like, a reincarnation of a high priestess who he fell in love with.

It’s really just one big romance Marc/Steven/Jake/Reader/Khonshu fic with lots of fucking but also plot.

But that’s all I’ve really thought of in respects to it so like if anyone wants to fill in blanks and run with the idea-

I had a massive panic attack this morning and smoked a bowl and my brain just did this idfk

[lovetorn]

the one where roman is your stubborn ex-boyfriend

Roman Godfrey x Witch!Reader

Summary: You try to warn Roman about Miranda, but will he listen? Warnings: Swearing, mentions of blood Word Count: 2.6k A/N: i love roman godfrey. also can i just say i have no idea what this is like it was gonna be 8k words but turned out a lot shorter because i lost motivation tbh and didn’t know where to go with it; this also ends very abruptly so i’m really sorry about that. may write a part 2 but idk yet hehehe. also, i changed the show plot slightly to fit my fic :)

“Have you heard?” 

The sound of Destiny’s voice over the phone scares you slightly. After her dramatic bitch session over the girl Peter had been fucking, she stopped for a long pause, returning to the phone with a solemn tone. 

“No? Heard about what?” You answer. 

“She’s fucking him too.” Of course she is, or should you say, he is. Rolling your eyes, you sigh deeply down the line, “what like an orgy?” 

“No, like one of those relationships with three people? Uh, polyamorous?” You groan, “Spare me the details, D.” Destiny’s glamorous laugh echoes into your ear, and you can’t help but smile. 

“Please come over!” Destiny begs, her voice still full of laughter as you tell her ‘fine’ before you hang up. You bask in the morning sun that peers through the curtains of your apartment for a moment before you get moving. 

Opening the front door of Destiny’s apartment, you're met with her running up to, her eyes wide with alarm as she quickly slams the door behind you. 

“What’s going on?” You ask, thoughts running a mile a minute as she frantically ushers you to sit. 

“I saw her in my visions, Y/n. I-I don't know what it means, but I don’t trust her, and neither should my cousin,” She stutters. Your eyes flicker between hers as you sit her down on the couch. 

“When did this happen?” Destiny points over to the jacket laying on the wooden dining room table. “When I was on the phone to you. That’s hers. I went to pick it up and boom! Instant headrush.” 

You lean back on the couch and shake your head. You're at a loss for words. The fact that Peter could be in danger scares you; but more importantly, it's his ex-best friend’s safety that makes you panic more. 

“Have you talked to Roman?” You ask. Destiny’s head snaps towards you, shocked you even brought him up. She shakes her head and grasps your hands. “Have you?”

You inhale deeply, “No.” Destiny sighs, “We don’t have to talk about him, you know. I know your break up was pretty messy.” You let out a small laugh at her concern. 

“I’m okay, I promise. It was like 9 months ago, D.”

She nods and turns to look at the folded jacket, wanting to change the subject. “Did you want to look?” She throws her thumb behind her as you suck in a sharp breath. 

“Yep.”

The jacket lays on the table in front of you, and you stare at the leather.

“It will keep him safe…” You trail off, meeting Destiny’s eyes as she smiles softly. The doubt in the pit of your stomach is unsettling, but you need to see the vision. You huff before tilting your head side to side and shaking out your arms. Sweeping your hair back, you square your shoulders. Destiny gives you a reassuring look, although there's tinges of regret and panic in her eyes. You purse your lips while your heart beats rapidly in your chest and your ears. 

As soon as you reach down and let your fingers graze over the material, you're transported into a series of flashes—snakes and blood on the walls, the floor, everywhere. The screams you hear are far away, but they’re close enough for you to catch the utter agony that powers them. Your eyes move wildly under your eyelids as you search for something that will tell you anything. Tears line the edge of your waterline, and the guttural screams grow nearer, the cries rattling your bones until you squeeze your eyes shut and rip your hand away from the jacket. 

You step back in utter terror. You feel sick as pure fear and anxiety churns in your stomach. The blood-curdling screams still reside inside your brain as you walk towards the door. 

“Where are you going?” Destiny yells. 

“Roman’s.”

—

Stopping in front of Roman’s new house, you scoff. Last time you were here was when he first bought it, and you left screaming and crying—a perfect storm for a perfect couple. 

It was also the last time you saw him. The two of you were freshly 18 and were addicted to the speed of your relationship; a year in and he was already asking you to move in with him. It was built to fail: his mother and your ancestors, your kind, weren’t a good mix. Olivia had threatened you more times than you can count, but Roman always defended you, even if you didn’t need him too. Maybe that’s why you fell so hard so quickly, because he was there when you needed him. To protect and to love. But then you fell apart and were never to fall together again.

Stepping up the front door, your hand goes slack against the door. Do you just barge in? Or be the polite ex-girlfriend and knock. You go for the latter and bang your fist against the pale timber. Not a second later, the door swings open and you’re met with a blonde girl. 

“Hi—” “You must be Miranda. I was just wondering if Roman’s in?” You cut in, stepping through the doorway despite her distress. “Um, you can’t just walk in,” She says as you look at the top floor, hoping to see the lean man hovering above. 

“Lovely house he’s got. Ugh, I remember seeing this and telling him it was the one.” You laugh. This sentence causes Miranda to pause in her spot, her face scrunching up in confusion. 

Looking towards the kitchen, two pairs of eyes are staring at you and, you have to hold in a laugh. 

“Peter! Oh my gosh, it’s so good to see you,” You almost squeal as you rush towards him. He looks back at Roman in shock as you engulf him in a hug. “How have you been?”

Peter swallows with an unsure expression on his face, “Yeah, good.” You smile at him and then peer over his shoulder at your ex-boyfriend. 

“What are you doing here, Y/n? And cut the shit.” He mutters. He’s blunt with his words, but you understand why. It was messy. 

“Shit? I speak of no such thing, Mr Godfrey,” You give him a tight-lipped smile, sarcasm thick in your voice. You step back from Peter and watch as Roman saunters over to you. 

“What are you doing here?” He asks again, this time his tone is icy, and his stare is hard. 

“Does she know?” You ask before you say your true intentions, waving your hand in the air. Roman shares a look with Peter before shaking his head. You run your tongue along your front teeth then nod. 

“Ok. Well, firstly, I had a vision.” The sentence has Miranda instantly asking questions but is quietened by Peter who puts his hand up. Roman furrows his brows and steps closer to you, “What do you mean? About what? Does Destiny know?” The number of questions leaving his lips prompts you to lift your finger to stop him. 

“Destiny had the same one.” 

Roman glances over at Peter who shrugs. “When did this happen?” 

“Half an hour ago,” You move to sit on the couch as the boys stand and Miranda cowers in the corner. “And it’s very important.” You strain your voice so only Roman can hear. 

“Okay, well, tell me.” He says. You deadpan him as the corners of his mouth turn upwards slightly. 

“The woman you have both been fucking, she’s dangerous.”

From her spot, Miranda is overcome with anger as she pushes off the wall and stomps towards you. You keep a calm facade as she throws her arms in every direction whilst she’s talking. 

“Who do you think you are? Coming here at 8 am to run your mouth about God knows what and insult me and especially these boys.” 

You raise your eyebrows for a split second before standing from the couch to move in front of her. 

“Alright,” Roman buts in, his voice booming through the glass house. “That’s enough, Y/n. You can’t just come in here and insult her. She’s done nothing wrong.”

“You hardly know her! You don’t even know what she’s capable of,” You bite, spinning towards him. 

“I’m gonna go see Nadia.” 

You don’t recognise the name as you cock your head at Roman. 

“Who’s Nadia?” Roman freezes at the question. His shoulders tense and his body rigid as you tilt your head, waiting for his response. You grow impatient as the question lingers. At this point, Miranda has gone upstairs, and you watch as she punches in a code for a door. 

“She’s um—Letha’s.”

Your heart drops at the sound of your late best friend’s name. “You’re telling me…” You can’t find it in yourself to find the words as rage erupts in your stomach. 

“You’re letting a stranger look after Letha’s child?” You yell, “Peter?” 

“I only found out about her last week, Y/n. I’m as in the dark as you are.” He mumbles, head dropping towards the floor as you peer back at Roman. 

“The vision I saw was fucked up. If you saw them like I did, I’m sure you would feel the same, and you would want to be miles away from her right now.” You could cry at the sheer naivety of him. 

“You’re letting a complete stranger in on our lives! If anything, I’d be better off caring for my best friend’s child than some whore you picked up from the bar.”

The sound of footsteps catches your attention as you narrow your eyes at Miranda walking back down the stairs. She makes her way towards Peter and stands next to him as you are face-to-face with Roman.

“She’s feeding you vicious lies, Ro. Please listen to me.” You don’t beg, and you don’t want to give him the satisfaction, but it’s in moments like these, you need him to listen to you; to trust you again. 

“Jealousy isn’t a good look on you, doll.” You roll your eyes and try your best to bite back a snide remark. 

“I’m telling you this because I love you, Roman, not because I’m jealous; don’t flatter yourself. Maybe start to think with your brain instead of your dick,” You place your palm on his cheek before you bring his other cheek to your lips, placing a kiss against his silky skin. “You know where to find me, baby.” Patting the side of his face, you step back, and without acknowledging Peter and Miranda, you walk out of the front door. 

Watching your retreating body, Roman feels a pang of remorse in his chest; the feeling leaving him breathless for only a moment before Miranda speaks.

“What a bitch,” She spits before Roman shoots her a stern look, “Don’t call her that.” He stares longingly at the door and then his legs take him upstairs and into his room, leaving the pair downstairs. 

—

Getting a call from Roman was odd. You assumed he deleted it when you broke up, but looks like he didn’t. The words that slipped out of his mouth hadn’t shocked you, but you felt like breaking down at the thought of Nadia missing. You hung up without a word, and every action you did after the phone call was aggressive, your anger evident everything you did. 

Storming up the driveway of his house, you spot Roman in the doorway, remorse painting his features. The look of anger on your face almost scares him and as he backs into the house with you coming at him. 

“I fucking told you I had a bad feeling and now look what she’s done! I can't believe you let this happen, Roman! I know you’re touch-starved and dying for female attention but come on, I saw this happening a mile away.” You snap, running your hand through your hair as Roman cowers with guilt. You hadn’t seen that expression before. 

You slam the front door behind you and glare at him. His look of regret slips and then irritation sets on his face. There he is. 

“And where were you? Hm? Probably off fucking some scum from the bar in town whilst I was worried shitless about my daughter.” Your eyebrows almost fly to your hairline as you listen to his newfound confidence. Rolling your eyes, you wave him off and turn to leave. You can’t bear to listen to his bullshit assumptions. 

“That’s right! Walk away like you always do.” He seethes, a frown contorting his features. You know he’s only saying that to get a rise out of you, it’s his specialty. So you don’t react to piss him off even more. You spin around to meet his hard stare again and stomp towards him, your finger up to press against his firm chest. 

“You really wanna go there, Godfrey? Really?” You see a flash of regret pass over his cold eyes before he leans down to your eye level. His face is vacant of any expression when he growls a response. “Yeah, I wanna fucking go there, dollface.” 

Your face screws up before you huff and step away from him. You bring your hands to rest on your cheeks as you feel tears sting your eyes. 

“I can’t believe you’ve let this happen,” You murmur. Roman growls, but when you look at him, he’s staring at the wall trying to stop the tears blurring his vision. 

“Where’s Peter?” You ask. 

“Fuck knows!” He yells, and you cringe slightly. Roman’s eyes go wide as he watches you shrink away. His face falls before he puts his hands up in front of him. 

“I didn’t mean to scare you, Y/n,” He says softly. You give him a small smile as you reply, “No, it’s fine. Don’t worry about it.”

His gaze falls to the floor before he sees your shoes. “Come here.”

Roman looks up to see you with your arms outstretched. You tilt your head when he doesn’t move and shift to wrap your arms around his torso. Being alone with Roman was different from when you were in a group. You couldn’t quite explain it, but he was far more emotional around you. 

“Hug me back, Ro,” You feel his shaky hands on your back as he bends down slightly, resting his head on your shoulder. Despite his arms around you, his body remains stiff.

“Loosen up; it’s just me.”

“Sorry, my family was never really the touchy-feely type.” he spits softly, “But you already knew that.” You only laugh and squeeze him tighter. 

Feeling his heartbeat comforts you. You haven't been this close since your break up, and even that was closer than this. You wish you never heard it; his cries against your skin. The sound and the vibrations make your breath hitch and your body freeze. 

“Let’s move to the couch, yeah?” You whisper, backing up until the backs of your knees hit the couch. Roman pulls away for a second as you lay down before he clambers on top. He lays his head on your chest and wraps his long arms around you. You wonder if he can actually fit on the couch or if his legs are bent awkwardly, but choose not to bring up the topic. 

“Could you play with my hair? Please?” Your eyes widen at the sound of the verb and the smallness of his voice, “I’m not gonna ask again, Y/n.” And there he is, the usual Roman. You roll your eyes and work your nimble fingers into his hair, the soft strands like silk against your skin. 

His sniffles eventually seize, and his body stops shaking as he calms down. 

“We’ll find Nadia. I promise you, Ro.”

[tessisawriter]

Invisible String, Part 1 (Colton Parayko)

Request: Can you write an imagine where the reader is John Krasinski’s [niece] but she’s dating Colton Parayko and like she has to breaks the news and John acts mad or something and scares them but then he says he’s joking and he’s fine with it? Thanks

***NOTE***: I changed some details in the last scene b/c I moved the timeline up from October 7 to September 14.

A/N: I’m back! The protagonist is an OC but I decided to call her Y/N instead of giving her an actual name b/c John Krasinski has nieces and/or nephews irl. I already planned the entire plot but idk whether the series will be 2 or 3 parts—I’ll post an update when I know more. This series takes place from March 2018 to June 2019 and is loosely based on Taylor Swift’s “Invisible String.” Here is the playlist.

Warnings: Six swear words, rough breakup, alcohol, loneliness & homesickness

Word Count: 3.4k

March 21, 2018

You were impervious to the mix of pitying and derisive glances from passersby as you sat on the curb. You knew you looked like a cliché, crying in front of a restaurant because your boyfriend broke up with you on your 22nd birthday, but you didn’t care. One question gnawed at you: how had six words upended your seemingly perfect day and relationship?

Your brain was buzzing with activity, wondering if Max had given you any clues that something was amiss. This morning, you woke up in his Cambridge apartment to him singing “Happy Birthday” while kneeling at the side of the bed. As soon as Max finished singing, he kissed you before grabbing his backpack and hurrying out of the room. That didn’t mean anything, though: Max was one of the only seniors to have the misfortune of taking all morning classes because his major was Theater, Dance, and Media. He was also (as usual) running late.

The rest of the day unfolded like any other Wednesday as you followed your schedule of lounging in bed, studying for an hour, going to the sandwich shop across the street for lunch, and heading to campus at 1PM for your classes. Afterwards, you went back to the apartment to find Max waiting there, already dressed for dinner. You quickly showered, curled your long (Y/HC) hair, and changed into a dark green dress and black booties before taking his hand and going to an Italian restaurant in Boston’s North End.

There were no warning signs at dinner, either. In fact, everything was perfect until you were waiting for the check and Max said with a detached look in his eyes, “I think we should break up.”

You didn’t want to relive what happened next, but the images of you acting like Elle Woods when Warner broke up with her in Legally Blonde popped into your head unbidden. You closed your eyes in humiliation and shame as you remembered Max, the man you dated for three years, abandoning you at the table and fleeing the restaurant. The other customers stared at you, some sympathetic, others scandalized, and the rest in pure shock.

You snapped out of the flashback when you felt a large hand rest on your shoulder. You whipped your head around to find a young man with blonde hair and black rimmed glasses squatting next to you on the curb.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

The panic faded as you took in the man’s features. He was definitely in his 20s, probably a few years older than you, and his blue eyes were filled with concern. Something about that concern, though, made you snap.

“Do I look like I’m okay? I mean, come on, look at me!” you demanded while pointing at your face, which you (correctly) assumed had giant black streaks of mascara on it.

You fully expected the man to walk away and leave you be, but he sat down on the curb instead and said, “My bad, that was a stupid question. I’ve got some tissues if you want them?”

That made your attitude soften. He was only trying to help, so you nodded and he handed you a pack of tissues from his pocket. You smiled at him, took the tissues, and wiped your eyes and face. As soon as you were satisfied that they were clean, you broke the silence. “Thank you…?”

“Colton, and it’s no problem. What’s your name?”

“Y/N.” You held out your hand for him to shake, which he did. After a pause, you asked: “Why did you stop? Surely you have somewhere better to be tonight.”

He chuckled, and the sound of it made your heart flutter. “I was just heading back to my hotel when I saw you, and I figured I’d stop and make sure you get home safe. That is, assuming you live here?”

“Yeah, I live in Cambridge.” As soon as the words left your mouth, you realized they were no longer true, so you amended your statement. “Well, I lived in Cambridge until about 15 minutes ago when my now ex-boyfriend dumped me. On my fucking birthday.”

“Shit, that sucks. I’m really sorry.” He paused before adding, “I’m assuming he isn’t here.”

“Nope. He hightailed it out of the restaurant as soon as he got his credit card back.”

Colton shook his head. “What a jackass.”

“I know, right? I wasted three whole years with someone who not only broke up with me in a very public setting on my birthday, but also couldn’t be bothered to ask where I would go! He probably assumed I’d go to my parents’ house, but still.”

“Your parents live here?” Colton asked as he fished his phone out of his pocket and unlocked it.

“Yeah, right by Boston Common, why?”

“I’ll get an Uber and drop you off before going back to the hotel.”

“Oh no, you don’t have to do that,” you protested while going through your bag for your phone. “We just met! I’ll pay.”

“Nonsense. You’ve been through a lot tonight. Let me take care of it.”

You stared into Colton’s eyes and realized he wasn’t going to back down. It took everything in you to suppress your pride, thank him, and provide the address. Colton typed it into his phone, waited for a moment, and said, “The closest one is around the block.”

“That’s good.” Your burst of energy dissipated as quickly as it came, and you fell silent. From the corner of your eye, you saw Colton open his mouth as if to say something before the headlights of a car momentarily blinded you.

“That’s the Uber.” Colton stood up and offered his hand, and you took it. You couldn’t help but notice how well they fit together as he pulled you up and off the curb, but after regaining your balance, something else grabbed your attention: his height.

“Gee, how tall are you? No one’s ever made me feel like a dwarf before,” you joked as he led you to the car, your hands still intertwined.

He chuckled and opened the door for you. You let go of his hand and slid into the car. After Colton slid in next to you and shut the door, he replied, “I’m 6’6” and no one’s ever made me feel like I’m not a giant before. You’re what, 5’10”?”

“6 feet, actually,” you corrected him. “So, where are you from, Colton?”

“St. Albert; it’s just outside Edmonton in Canada, but I’ve been in the States for a while. I went to the University of Alaska in Fairbanks before moving to, uh, St. Louis.”

You noticed Colton’s hesitancy and the fact that he lowered his voice when saying “St. Louis,” and you were about to ask why when you thought better of it. You were protective of your privacy, too, especially whenever people commented about how funny it was that you shared the same last name as John Krasinski. It wasn’t a coincidence—he was your uncle, and the two of you were extremely close—but you went along with it and never corrected them because it wasn’t their business. So, you let it go. “And what brings you to Boston?”

“Work,” he said before changing the subject. “What do you do? Are you still in school or—”

“I’m a senior at Harvard,” you cut him off. You generally didn’t drop the “H-bomb,” as you and your friends called it, with people you didn’t know well, but this was a special case. Colton just confirmed he was hiding something, and after looking at him in better lighting, his face seemed familiar, which weirded you out. You had to get back on equal footing, and the H-bomb almost always unsettled people.

“Wow, you must be really smart,” Colton said, seeming impressed but unphased. You couldn’t help yourself from raising an eyebrow as he asked, “What’s your major?”

“Government. What was yours?”

“Business administration.”

“Ah.” You fell silent again, this time on purpose, as you racked your brain for where you might have crossed paths with Colton. He wasn’t from Boston, not even close, but you couldn’t shake the feeling that you’d seen him before, and recently.

Colton didn’t let you ruminate for long before reviving the conversation. “What do you want to do when you graduate?”

“I’ll be a lawyer one day, but I have to be a paralegal first. I’m looking for jobs right now.”

Before Colton could reply, the car came to a stop. You looked out the window and saw your parents’ townhouse and your childhood home.Your time in the car had flown by, a sensation you rarely, if ever, experienced. And there was something between you and Colton, a connection you couldn’t quite describe, that made you want to spend more time with him. But your time was up. “This is me. It was nice to meet you, Colton, and thanks again for the ride—I really appreciate it.”

“It’s no problem,” he replied. “I’m glad I found you.”

You were overwhelmed by an intense desire to ask for his number. If only he lived in Boston or somewhere in the Northeast. But he lived in St. Louis, so you moved to open the door, only to feel Colton’s hand wrap around yours and hear him say: “Y/N?”

“Yeah?” You turned around and locked eyes with him. It was like being in a trance, and your heartbeat thundered in your ears.

It felt like years, but it was more like a few moments before Colton let go of your hand. “Good luck with the search. I’m sure you’ll find a good job.”

You wanted to let out a sigh of disappointment, but you just said, “Thanks,” and smiled at him before getting out of the car.

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

The smell of bacon finally lured you out of your bed at noon the next day.

It had been a rough night. The reality of the breakup hit you like a ton of bricks when you rang the doorbell and all but collapsed in your mom’s arms when she answered the door. She brought you over to the couch, where your dad was waiting anxiously. As soon as you sat down, you grabbed your mom and cried for an hour straight as she held you and stroked your hair. You knew Max wasn’t worth your tears, but it had more to do with you. Despite his major, he wasn’t that good of an actor, and yet, he fooled you into thinking he could be your person. You took immense pride in your instincts, but they failed you with Max. How could you have possibly fallen in love with such a heartless person? More terrifying, would you have ended up marrying him a few years down the road if he hadn’t broken up with you?

You didn’t know the answer to either question, so you stopped crying and began venting about how the breakup went down. Your dad almost hit the ceiling after hearing that Max left you at the restaurant, and you had to talk him out of driving to Cambridge to “give that little shit a piece of my mind!” That wasn’t to say you weren’t thinking about revenge, but your dad potentially getting arrested was not helpful. After that, you started crying again, only this time out of frustration, and didn’t stop until you practically passed out on the couch. The last thing you remembered was your parents guiding you up the stairs to your bed.

Thankfully, you had no classes on Thursdays, so you were able to sleep in and be, if nothing else, well-rested. Your stomach rumbled when you smelled the bacon, so you got out of bed and made your way down the stairs to the kitchen, where your parents were sitting at the table and watching the television.

“Ugh, why are you watching the news?” you said as a way of greeting while making a beeline for the bacon.

“Good morning to you, too, sweetheart,” your dad replied. “I’m waiting for the sports report. I missed the game last night and Uncle John wouldn’t tell me the score. He said he’s sorry about, I quote, ‘the scumbag’ and he’ll call you tonight.”

“God, I miss him. And you,” you addressed your mom as you shoveled a load of bacon onto your plate, “are the best.”

“See, honey? I knew bacon would cheer her up,” she said to your dad.

“I didn’t doubt it. Y/N, we have to figure out a time to get your stuff from that piece of shit’s apartment. I’m not letting you go by yourself, but do you want to let him know ahead of time or just show up?”

“Who did the B’s play?” you sat down at the table and changed the subject immediately. You didn’t care about sports, but your dad and Uncle John were major Bruins fans and the mere mention of Max gave you a headache.

“The Blues.”

“Where do they play again?” you asked as you ate your bacon. It had to be a team from the Western Conference, but the only teams you knew there were the Canucks and Blackhawks because they were on your dad’s shit list.

“St. Louis.”

You almost choked on your food. “What?”

“St. Louis, sweetie. You know, the Gateway Arch—”

“Yeah, I know, Mom,” you recovered. “That’s the team Jenna likes, right, Dad?”

“Yes. Shh, here it is!” He didn’t need to tell you twice; you doubted Colton was a professional hockey player, but your curiosity won out as you intently watched the television.

The score flashed on the screen—an OT loss for the Bruins—and your dad groaned. “Ugh, I’ve got to turn this garbage off.”

And suddenly, a few Blues players, including one that looked awfully similar to Colton (albeit without glasses), flashed onto the screen. You didn’t get a good enough look at him to be sure, though, because your dad changed the channel. You let out a noise of frustration.

“What’s wrong, sweetie?” your mom asked, and your dad looked like he had the same question when he turned away from the television.

“I’ll text the scumbag and tell him I’m coming this afternoon, if that’s okay with you, Dad,” you said. “I want to get it over with and besides, I need my laptop and textbooks.”

“That’s perfect, sweetheart. The office doesn’t need me today, anyway.”

“Okay, I’ll be right back; my phone’s upstairs,” you called out behind you as you raced back up the stairs. You did not want to text Max, but it was better than telling your dad that the man he praised for making sure you got home last night was potentially part of the team responsible for his beloved Bruins’ loss.

You locked your bedroom door and grabbed your phone to pull up Google and the St. Louis Blues roster. Part of you thought there was no way a professional hockey player actually cared enough to bring you home, but the Blues being in town and one of its members resembling Colton were too many coincidences for your liking. You tapped your foot impatiently as the phone loaded the roster, and you scrolled through the list until you found a name of interest.

“C. Parayko, 55, R, 6’6’’…”

It cut off after that, so you scrolled sideways to see the other information. It left you without a shadow of doubt, but you clicked on the name anyway to view a picture. Colton’s headshot and full first name stared back at you as if they were looking into your soul.

It really was him. You had to have seen him on the little television at the sandwich shop’s register yesterday.

But what did this information mean for you, really, besides discovering his identity? It was nice to know his full name because it confirmed that he was a real person instead of a delusion your reeling mind made up, but it didn’t change one important fact: you lived in Boston and he lived in St. Louis. Barring a radical change in one of your lives, which you didn’t see happening, that was the reality of the situation. It was time to stop dreaming and confront your immediate future.

You pulled up Max’s number and began composing the text which, after several drafts, read: “I’ll be at the apartment today from 3 to 5. My dad’s coming with me, so make yourself scarce. I want my shit back.”

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

6 months later: September 14, 2018

You were miserable only two weeks after relocating to St. Louis.

It was funny how one phone call could completely change someone’s life. In your case, said phone call involved an extremely attractive job offer with a clear path for advancement within one year. The offers you had received from legal firms in Boston, New York, D.C., and Philadelphia were underwhelming, to say the least, and you were only a week away from graduation. You had already endured a lot of change this year, so why not one more?

After nearly giving your parents a heart attack but ultimately receiving their blessing, you accepted the offer and moved to St. Louis on September 1st. Uncle John had been especially supportive, enlisting Jenna (known by the rest of the world as Pam from The Office) to fly out from L.A. and show you around the city last week. She made sure you knew the ins and outs of the city, which you really appreciated. You also loved your job. You were doing important work every day, and your boss was already hinting at giving you the promotion you wanted. 

So, why were you unhappy? It was your social life, or rather, lack of one. You didn’t know anyone in St. Louis, and while your coworkers weren’t mean, they didn’t make you feel welcome, either.

That seemed to have changed earlier today when two of your desk neighbors who were around your age, Harper and Ellie, invited you out for drinks after work. You couldn’t have been happier. You went home after work, did your hair and makeup, put on your favorite royal blue mini dress, and met them at the dive bar you recommended. You were so excited on the way over that you could barely sit still; maybe you’d make friends with these girls and finally feel like you fit in in this city.

Unfortunately, that didn’t happen. Harper and Ellie abandoned you within less than five minutes after two guys came over and asked them to dance. You were now sitting at the bar alone, nursing a cocktail and despairing over your situation.

It was times like these when you thought about Colton. It had been six months since you’d met him in Boston, and you didn’t want to risk looking like a lunatic by slipping into his DMs on Instagram, but you were getting desperate. It was bad enough that being from the Northeast made you stick out like a sore thumb, but the loneliness was eating you alive, and the combination made you feel unmoored. Maybe a familiar and friendly face could change that.

As if God had answered your prayers, you heard a commotion near the entrance. You swiveled your stool in that direction and saw a group of tall, good-looking men in their 20s entering the bar. The tallest one had blonde hair and black rimmed glasses.

It was Colton.

Your brain screamed at you to look away and approach him after he settled in, but you couldn’t take your eyes off of him as he laughed at something one of his friends said. It was as if he felt your stare because he suddenly looked in your direction and appeared to gasp.

It was only then that you turned away and faced the bar, drinking the rest of your cocktail in a few gulps. You were so embarrassed; he probably thought you were a stalker or something. You were about to flag down the bartender for another drink when you felt that familiar large hand rest on your shoulder.

You turned your head and found Colton staring at you, his blue eyes full of incredulity and…happiness?

“Y/N. It’s really you,” he breathed.

[cruddyborderlandstheories]

I've mentioned this before a few times but seriously imagine if instead of Maya having to die (let's be real), Ava got Tyreen's powers and realizes being a Siren actually isn't as cool as it seems cuz whoops thousands of people are now hunting you for sport or experimentation and you can't touch anyone anymore without accidentally hurting them. You may now regret begging for the siren curse. Also, we'd actually get to see Maya train Ava as a Siren AND see what the phaseleech powers would have been like if they weren't broken between two people and the Phasewalk/lock powers weren't thrown into the mix.

Yes I'm still on this alt. Scenario because I think it would have been really cool and helped develop Ava as a character since her entire thing up until Maya's death was literally just "I'm going to be a Siren Vault Hunter" and then at the end of the story she just gets it without really working for any of it or even being prominent in the plot at all. She shows up, like, twice and then disappears until Troy dies. She literally just shows up at the end of the Troy fight and gets powers for that cutscene. I don't hate Ava but I will admit that was kind of a 'forced' moment for me. I knew what they were trying for, but damn they really missed the mark trying to make Ava Maya's lil trainee cuz we barely see them interact, and Maya isn't even alive long enough after her introduction to have the two of them talk beyond arguing. Im guessing a lot of their interactions were cut, and maybe also because Athenas was only a single map, but still.

And yeah okay for Ava to get powers, Maya dies and I guess that can be considered a drawback for her, but let's be real the issue I truly have with this whole thing is that Ava doesn't even work a BIT on screen to prove to the players she's a good choice (and in fact 2 of her most prominent moments are her disobeying a fan favorite character that then dies- it doesn't help her case). Maya dies, but that's not Ava's fault imo, and so Ava does literally nothing the whole story (I'm down for arguments either way, but the minute Maya decided holding Troy physically instead of using her Phaselock was somehow the better option when she knows at least one of those siblings can give others the deadly suck by physically touching them, my brain just shuts off) and she also learns nothing. If anything, she probably learns that if she just yells it enough at people, she'll get what she wants, cuz that's pretty much the extent of what she does in the main story beyond being sad and lockpicking (u wanna leave Athenas? Okay. You get your wish. You wanna be a Siren? Okay. Here's some powers. You wanna be a Vault Hunter? Okay. Here's the ship. Everything she yells about in the beginning of the game is handed to her just because um. Maya, I guess. She earns none of it herself). If, instead of it being Maya's powers, she got Tyreen's powers as one last "fuck you" to the Raiders, I think it'd make it feel a bit more like she's not just being handed everything she wants without working for any of it or learning a lesson because plot. Her character doesn't really change from the start of the story to the end, except that she's a bit sad that Maya died. It just feels so wrong. Idk. I think it'd be pretty cool if Ava accidentally hurt someone in the Raiders because she couldn't control her new powers so she could have that "oh shit" realization moment that a) being a Siren isn't all it's chalked up to be and b) she's gonna have to work to get her powers under control or risk hurting everyone around her. Her having that hurdle I think would have made a lot more people at the very least appreciate her as a character instead of calling for her death (yikes!)

Uh. Yeah. I have no idea what came over me to write this. I think Ava's biggest flaw to me is that she had Potential to be a good character but the writing fell flat under her. It started a story with her and then dropped it (like another character we know 🤔 his name rhymes with... boy), so she never really develops or learns beyond getting sad that Maya is gone. I don't hate her, but I can see why some people would, tho it's not really "her" fault, it's the writing, if that makes any sense.

Also, interesting note, I do consider Roland's death to be because Lilith ignored Angel's request and showed up, unlike Maya's. I don't think Jack would have shown up in control core Angel unless he thought there was very, very good reason to, and Lilith was Right There for the taking. He seemed to even plan that out, having the collar on him and everything, and Angel knew to warn them specifically because of that. Before that, Angel tells Jack that Maya is incapable of processing eridium like her (either due to ignorance or a desire to stop Maya from having a similar fate to her own) so Jack wouldn't have brought the collar for Maya. That said, it's fully Jack's fault Roland died and the blood is on his hands, I just don't think the situation would have played out the same without Lilith there.

Unlike that, I think the situation in the Vault of the Rampager would have happened regardless if Ava showed up or not. I always assumed the cutscene that happens when you 'leave' the Vault is actually what's happening while you're inside, and when the VHs walk out, Ava is alone.

If that's the case then Maya would have been alone when the twins showed up, and probably would have been done for like Lilith was, as Lilith is supposedly the More Powerful Siren. We'll never know for sure, but I get the feeling things would have played out pretty much the same. It's not like the twins showed up for Ava, they wanted the Rampager, and the Rampager was already dead when Ava made herself known. Maya's alone, against 2 cult leaders with no way of contacting the other VHs cuz they're in the Vault and Tannis is the only one who apparently can (since Maya does not have a freaky live action pop up ad, good for her) and echoing is a no go as it's established connection is awful down below the city. She can only Phaselock 1 person at a time, so she either Phaselocks Tyreen (if she even can) and gets dusted by Troy, or she Phaselocks Troy and gets her powers stolen (and probably killed or left to die by cultist) by Tyreen. No winning for her. It would have happened regardless if Ava was there or not, so people blaming Ava for Maya's death should probably just blame the finalized script.

I don't think it's right to blame either Lilith or Ava for their respective loved one's death. Like yeah Jack wouldn't have gotten that opportunity to kill Roland had Lilith not shown up, but Jack wasn't suddenly forced to pull the trigger because Lilith showed up. He did that all by himself. Similarly, Ava not showing up wouldn't have stopped the twins from attacking Maya. She just changed the topic of conversation a lil bit. And Ava has all the combat ability of thin air at this point, so her appearance or non-apperance made no difference whatsoever when it was Maya vs the twins.

Oh God I've been typing for like an hour BYE bed time for me

[thebadchoicemachine]

my brain is ERROR rn so instead of articulated have some half baked lsadflakshd Dimensions rambles 

@thecatchat​ 

-----

Fundy in Orch

- Fundy was a child when he fell through a portal to Orch and doesn’t realize he’s from another dimension 

- He’s semi-holographic with only an endoskeleton being physical. Sort of hard light situation, like touching him is part way between a gas and a solid, sort of glitchy. 

- Thats how he can look like a fox! With some effort and practice (like drawing) he can change his form. 

- Sam helps repair his body with redstone and everyone just assumes he’s sone kind of strange damaged cyborg As robotics aren’t strange in Orch.

- He’s got a different kind of body than Tubbo because of it. Aside from just being different builds (Tubbo is a solid robot) but after so many years of being worked on by Sam he’s no longer made up of the same sci fi material. Simpler metals and such. He’s got more dull dusty red glows and not the bright blue signature to Ywuscore.

- Nobody talks about it much but everyone agrees Fundy was probably created and treated unethically. As far as Sam knows he’s someone they rescued after he ran away from some maniac in Orch. 

- (He wasn’t, the portal just screwed him up because unstable) also he doesn’t really care where he came from. He knows they’ve got a worry about him but now they’re all grown up and doing good he shrugs it off. 

- Protective friend group? yes. Especially Ponk. 

- He remembers Ywuscore but not in detail and overtime has morphed them into just “somewhere else I used to be.”

- mmmmm Hannah sister figure to everyone.

----

Tubbo in Orch

- Tubbo and Tommy ending up visiting Orch?

- TUBBO SEES BEES!!! charlie slimecicle reaction ensues. Tommy gets Phil to make some bees in Sleepy.

- idk if Fundy ever fully realizes where he’s from, agt least not blatantly stated in story. He’s different enough from Tubbo it’s not obvious but he finds a kinship in friendship him :) 

-  I imagine a scene where Azure (or alex?) something something Karl is explaining it he’s there for plot exposition and he just makes a face and goes “wait, so- it’s- ...mom?” and there’s a nearly audible record scratch as everyone, even almost azure, is like “dude. what.”

-------

Oh yeah here’s some karl lore

- (Karl can portal, he’s like skipping the shell altogether. Only people who are willing can enter his portals if someone is consciously not thinking about entering they won’t. Also, obviously, he needs to want them to. If he wants to drag someone through forcefully it’s a throw of wills with him at a disadvantage.)

----

Tubbo and Tommy in Prowa

- Since Travelers have to phase through it’s harder the more solid the world. 

- Tommy is stuck for a while while he recharges enough to exit but first he wants to find Wilbur so he can brag how he made it into Prowa.

- Tubbo gets hurt somehow (maybe electrocuted?) and gets hyper because robot  

- They go to the Casino where Wilbur talked about cleaning out some people (he screws over Charlie a lot for funsies. They’ve got a card rivalry)

- Anyway they make their way to Virido Chip which is closed and, having little to no social care and whatever they did have being either drained or overpowered, they just break in. Tubbo breaks the door in so it’s still closes but the lock is gone and handel is broken.

-Tubbo’s strong btw

- Schlatt is there (it’s after hours) and being used to being attacked goes full defense mode and sneaks up front, gun pulled, only to find two weird looking kids just shuffling around. 

- He’s thrown off enough to let his guard down in this moment of “wtf”

- Anway Schlatt has to babysit a glowy blue and (racoon? avian?) teenangers. One of whom is tired and grumpy and the other is very cheerful and hyper. WHile trying desperately to get a hold of Quackity because there’s no way this isn’t his weird boyfriends chart.

- He calls Charlie. Imagine this full grown bouncer ram man struggling to work a 1920s phone as Tubbo runs around looking at all the cool new stuff, tryong to stop him from grabbing the phone out of his hands, also while a very tired Tommy swears at him from the ground.

-Charlie shows up to help after not really understanding the explanation and Tubbo get to talk about the BEST creatures from other dimensions (Slimes and Bees)

- Charlie also figures out where Wilbur is, cleaning out some other Casino since Virido was closed.

- Quackity comes back from a date to either A) a surprisingly wholesome scene where they’re all laying on the floor playing dominoes, Tommy having gained some energy and Tubbo having spent some, or B) 

(i think I like A better although it was like B at some point definitely) 

--------

Wilbur in SaiSai

- wants to see what all the fuss is about after talking to the fiancees about it so tags along

- Isn’t with them at first, just goes on his own

- Takes the form of a merfolk at first because water world. Swims around for a while, then meets a ship and has a bit of a conversation with the crew and wants to come on board. 

-They’re like “uh, no? Even if yes, how? You don’t even have legs.” and he laughs darkly (because he likes screwing with people) and turns into smoke? bird? flies up onto the ship and lands, taking on his ordinary form. 

- His mysterious stranger moment (tm) however gets cut short by Pufft deking him over the side with either her fists or a mop or if she’s got her horns she head butts him off? 

- “NO MORE! No more fucking omens on my fucking ships! I’m sick of it!”

- Jack: “Puffy, this is my ship.” 

- something something she ends up saying “Karl, Quackity, and Sapnap are an exception because they’re very polite.”

[tinyboxxtink]

Hey so loved your black magic series! I read your post about using REE/Rafael. I’ll read anything you write but this idea to me is RPF and kind of squicks. ☹️ Maybe if you use another character he played? Nevada?! Someone sees “Barba” doing something super bad and they’re all “omg omg” and think it’s Barba? 🤷🏻‍♀️

I hear you, I do. HOWEVER, I made a "Version" of Raul Esparza in this story that is 5 years younger, and...I hate to say it, "more" famous?

IDK I wrote a 'prototype' chapter last night, so I'm gonna put this to you. I assume/hope you're an avid reader and I can gauge the public consensus, but also I want ALL my readers to be happy!!

So here, read this and then tell me if you still find the idea "Squicky".

That goes for anyone else! Maybe I should put my tag list in here....

The way I wrote him though anon, I truly feel in my heart that it's not RPF, because like I said RPF freaks me out as well.

Before you already go in skeptical, let me set up the plot I had planned. {As told to @madamsnape921 in an IM:

the thing was gonna start that someone sees Rafael proposing to the reader, and tells a tabloid that Raul Esparza is engaged to some rando. Because they think that it was him. And then Rafa, the reader and Chloe start to discuss on how either it's a multiverse thing, or a doppelganger thing because it turns out that Rafael and Raúl are very similar, like personality traits and the Broadway dream, except that Raul's childhood was basically the opposite of Rafael's so Chloe THINKS that Raul is Rafael from a "multiverse".

Right and then Raul goes to Rafael's office to confront him and then the reader and Chloe are there to take Rafael out to lunch and they're like holy shit!

And Rafael is super uncomfortable with the idea of the reader EVER being in a show with Raul because obviously they're like the same person and Raul probably has more in common with her

Oh and also Raul is five years younger, and thinner. So then Raul's like you shouldn't listen to him, I could really help you with your career.

Annnnd that's all I have so far.

Okay so read this really and tell me you honest opinion.

Screw it putting the tag list:

Tag List

@madamsnape921

@lolliepopsicle

@chasingeverybreakingwave

@milkshqke

@wanniiieeee

@word-scribbless

@gibbs274

@sassyada

@aprildecker-blog

@bookishfanfic

@stars-in-the-skies-world

@stars-trash-18

@omgsuperstarg

You were walking towards the exit of Central Park hand in hand with your now fiancee, when all of a sudden two giggling girls came running up to you.

“Oh my god!!!!! Raul we didn’t know you had a girlfriend!” One of them started squealing.

“Fiancee,” He corrected. “Wait I’m sorry, what? Did you just call me Raul?”

“Uh...yeah, duh,” One of the girls made a face. “Raul Esparza?”

“What?” You bursted out laughing. “I’m sorry, you think he’s Raul Esparza?”

“Um, we know he is,” The other one crossed her arms.

“Um, no he isn’t!” You wrapped your arm around Rafael protectively, as if the two girls were going to kidnap him or something.

“I can promise you ladies, I am not-- whoever you just said,” Rafael assured them.

“Why are you doing this? Are you trying not to embarrass your lady friend here?” One of the girls made a weird face at you.

“Wha? No--” Rafael tried to defend himself but the girls were already clearly ticked off.

“Wow, I have heard of actors trying to get away from fans but completely pretending to be another person, that’s pretty low Raul,” One of them glared at Rafael.

“Yeah, it wouldn’t have taken you much effort to just take a selfie with us,” The other one added with a scowl.

“I...um--” He looked to you for help, but you just shrugged. You had no idea how to handle such a weird situation.

“I guess we can take one--” He offered.

“Oh no, forget it now,” One girl scoffed.

“Yeah, jerk!” The other one stomped her foot and they both sauntered away angrily.

-----------

“...What the hell was that?” Rafael looked at you in utter confusion and disbelief, you just gave him a “wtf” smile.

“I have no idea baby--”

“Oh my god, are you guys ok?” Chloe suddenly came running up behind you. “What the hell did those teeny boppers want? To rob you with water guns or something?”

“No they-- they wanted a selfie?” Rafael was still confused, trying to figure out what just happened.

“A selfie? With you?” Chloe snorted.

“No-- With Raul Esparza,” You looked at her with a confused smile. It was pretty entertaining to think that your fiance looked like a Broadway star.

“I don’t get it, you said that I didn’t even look like him!” Rafael looked at you.

“I mean I said I didn’t see it, and that you were more handsome,”

“....Yeah well you might wanna rethink that answer babe,” Chloe’s eyes were wide as she handed you her phone. She had googled RAUL ESPARZA, and the images that popped up were-- Rafael’s face.

“Oh my God…” You whispered, showing Rafael the phone. He quickly pulled out his own and started searching for himself. You handed Chloe back her phone and did the same. Pages and pages of articles about Raul Esparza’s shows, and accelaides, and all with Rafael's face plastered all over them.

“He’s….me,” Rafael whispered in horror.

“He looks more like you than you do!” You teased, he looked at you with a very serious face. Clearly he was not ready to joke about this yet.

“Holy shit. This is some multiverse shit,” Chloe muttered as she went through her Google search.

“Excuse me?” You asked her.

“You know, the multiverse theory? There’s an infinite amount of universes in every decision anyone ever makes.”

“Meaning…?” Rafael asked.

“Isn’t it obvious?” Chloe raised an eyebrow. “Raul could be Rafael, if he hadn’t given up on his Broadway dream,”

“Oh my god,” Rafael started laughing. “Chloe, did you get loaded in the park or something?”

“Oh okay, so you have a better idea, big brain lawyer?” She crossed her arms.

“He might not, but I do,” You piped up, showing her your phone.

“Doppelgangers?” Chloe read with a face.

“Yes, it’s a fact that there are 5 people in the world with the EXACT same face,” You continued reading.

“And he just happens to live in New York, where Rafael lives? AND is on Broadway, the one thing Rafael gave up?”

“Look sure it’s a million to one shot that those events would line up, but what’s more plausible: Doppelganger or ‘Multiverse’?” You looked at Chloe, who looked at Rafael, so you turned to Rafael as well.

“...Wha--are you asking me?” He asked.

“I mean it is your face,” You shrugged. “What do you think, baby?”

“I’m leaning towards a doppelganger, sorry Chloe,” He shrugged as well.

“Yeah well, you’re probably right,” Chloe nodded as she read her own phone, still on Raul Esparza info. “Most likely because he’s five years YOUNGER than you,”

“WHAT?!” Rafael grabbed her phone; as he read it, his face fell. “Oh God, no…”

“Wha--What does it matter how old he is, Rafa?” You furrowed your brows.

“Or the fact that he’s clearly thinner and more attractive,” Chloe added with a smirk.

“CHLOE,” You scolded her. “What the ever loving fuck?”

“Well, I’m just saying-- Look at them side by side,” Chloe had a photo of Rafael from some mayor’s ball next to Raul Esparza at the Tonys, both in tuxedo’s. You wouldn’t admit to Rafael but Raul was definitely thinner, and...he looked a lot younger. It was probably Botox or something you were sure, but still….

“Okay but again WHY does it matter--?” You wanted to change the subject.

“Are you kidding me? Y/N-- This is what you want to do!” He gestured to Chloe’s phone.

“....I don’t want Raul--” You started.

“No, you want to be on Broadway though!! And, and what if someday, God forbid, you end up in a show with this guy? He clearly already has a leg up on me compatibility wise, and as Chloe so kindly pointed out, a leg up on me age and attractiveness wise, and--” Rafael started ranting and rambling, talking lightening fast, as he did when he got upset or excited.

“Whoa whoa whoa whoa, back up there counselor,” You put up a hand to his face. “Are you actually insinuating that if I worked with Raul Esparza, that I would magically fall in love with him?”

“Don’t say it like that,” Rafael was triggered by the mention of magic and love.

“Okay but I’m not even saying ‘magic’ magic, I’m just saying-- What do you think because he’s an actor, and younger than you I’m just going to think I’m better off with him? Just because he has your face?” You gave him a small “oh honey” smile as you placed your hands on either of his face.

“No, but if you have to play his love interest, and you spend every day with him, it might blur the lines--” He started grumbling.

“Rafael, baby--” You shook his head in your hands. “I am still in SCHOOL. I am nowhere NEAR being in a Broadway show as a freaking techie, let alone a love interest starring opposite Raul Esparza,”

“Yeah, I mean this guy is huge-- 3 Tonys, 2 Emmys, an Oscar--” Chloe rattled off, but stopped when she realized you were glaring at her. “What? I’m helping!”

“...See? He’s far too famous for me,” You pressed your forehead to Rafael’s.

“Right, and I’m just the lowly ADA,” He muttered.

“Lowly my ass, Rafa,” You hit him playfully. “You are the most respected ADA in all of New York,”

“I’m the only ADA of New York,” He made a face.

“Not true! Just the city,” You beamed, proud of yourself you did some research once you had gotten together.

“My point is Rafael,” You now put your hands on his collar and pulled yourself into him. “You are all the acclaim I need,” You kissed him softly. “You’re my everything, I mean for fuck’s sake you just held a one man flash mob to propose to me! Let’s Raul Esparza do THAT,” You laughed, hoping to make him feel better. As his scowl melted into a smile, you knew you had succeeded.

“That was pretty romantic wasn’t it?” He beamed, proud of himself.

“It was EPIC,” Chloe chimed in, for good this time.

“Your voice is beautiful by the way,” You had forgotten in the midst of all of the romantic hubbub to compliment him. “I’m really sorry you had to give up Broadway,”

“Yeah, well-- apparently some part of me didn’t,” He gestured to his phone.

“Well he doesn’t have me,” You pointed out.

“He doesn’t know what he’s missing.” Rafael grinned as he pulled you into a deep kiss.

“Now can we please just forget about--” You hesitated, deciding not to mention his name again. “Anything else, and just focus on our engagement night?”

“Well, I suppose--” He nodded as he put an arm around you, and the three of you continued to walk through the park.

-------

Across town in a swanky New York Penthouse, an alert went off on Raul Esparza’s phone. He had it set to notify him any time his name appeared in a headline on the internet. He glanced over and picked it up, reading the notification. As he read it, his eyes widened and his face grew red. He stood up and yelled to no one in particular,

“Who the FUCK is trying to impersonate me?!”

[dontgotothenetherworld]

jealous

anonymous asked: Hey can you write an imagine where delia and lydia’s girlfriend have a lot in common ( like girly and stuff) and they get along quite well and Lydia gets jealous. That might sounds weird sorry haha..

i decided to go with a mostly lydia’s point of view for this one & it’s not really plot based (also idk why but i keep trying to put cuts on asks and the cuts go into the asks? ugh tumblr get ur act 2gether)

912 words

cw: femreader.

you spent a lot of time at the deetz household. an outsider would credit this to the fact that it was where your girlfriend, lydia lived. that outsider would not know that lydia did not particularly like it when the two of you hung out at her house. no, she preferred to go out on dates to the park, or to show you the abandoned house she found in the woods half a mile from her home, or maybe just being at your house. to her, anyplace was better than her own.

and it’s not because lydia’s home life that she despised you being over. by all accounts, her family was odd, yes, but incredibly loving and supportive of each other. so why did lydia not want you over? it’s simple, really. lydia was jealous.

lydia liked to think of herself as a very relaxed and chill person, someone who is unaffected by other people’s opinions, and especially as someone who isn’t clingy and doesn’t get jealous. so she pretended that the house was the problem.

lydia would explain to you why she never wanted her over as being, “i just spend so much time there, and it’s so normal to me there. i want time spent with you to be special.” to which you usually replied with, “but part of having a relationship is making it normal. we’ve been dating for a while now, not every moment needs to be special.” but lydia persisted.

lydia did not like admitting things about herself. she preferred to ignore them, and keep them hidden. which is why she was becoming more distant with her step-mom, delia. lydia and delia didn’t start off having the best relationship, lydia disliked her. but eventually, they became best friends.

and what happens when your best friends with your mom and you get a girlfriend? your mom wants to meet her. delia was the first member of lydia’s family that you met, and was by far your favorite. delia was what you wanted to be like when you were older, and you were certainly on track to be that way. you and delia bonded over your interest in crystals, and healing. you were able to talk about femininity in a way that lydia couldn’t stand. where lydia suppressed, delia embraced.

so, yeah. lydia was jealous of her step-mom because of you. lydia tried to keep you away from her home, because delia worked from home there. the logical part of her brain was telling her that there was no problem with her girlfriend, and her step-mom being friends, but there was this nagging fear inside of her.

she hated herself for thinking this, but her mind kept coming back to this thought; what if you fell in love with delia.

she wasn’t worried about delia herself, she knew that she was responsible enough to ever even think of that, but you… lydia couldn’t help but note how all of your celebrity crushes were older women. she couldn’t help but realize that she was the only girl your age you seemed to be attracted to.

and she couldn’t talk to you about this, because it sounds ridiculous, and like she doesn’t trust you. so she goes shopping with you instead.

candles. they’re something that you love, that you’ve gone shopping for with delia in the past. not explicitly feminine, but enough so that lydia was slightly uncomfortable. but lydia had to start embracing her femininity, at least slightly, she thought, in order to make you more comfortable in confiding to her about your struggles with it.

”what do you think about this one, lyds?” you shoved a fruity smelling candle into lydia’s face.

lydia tried to control her face. “it’s, um, nice?”

you laughed, “i know you hate it, you don’t have to lie.” you scanned over the labels, smelling a few more candles. “what about this one?” you held a minty one.

lydia tentatively sniffed it. “holy shit.” she held her hand to her nose, “i think that just burned some of my nose hairs off. wow is that a strong smell.”

you giggled, “eww!”

lydia picked of a candle with a picture of the ocean on it. she smelled it and her face lit up. “this one is, uh, pretty good.” she held it out for you to smell.

you nodded your head. “pretty good.” she grabbed the candle and looked at the label. “i see, you don’t like the candle that’s mainly mango, but the one that has a little bit of mango in it.”

”what? it has mango in it?” you pointed at the label. “i guess you’re right.”

”i always am.” you smiled.

mango is delia’s favorite fruit. and probably scent because the downstairs floor of the deetz household always smelled like mango. maybe this could work, though. delia’d probably still like it, and it wouldn’t annoy lydia. and you liked it, which was a plus.

lydia ended up buying the ocean candle, and you bought one that smells like yuzu. which is apparently a fruit that’s a hybrid of an orange and something else that the sales man said but lydia didn’t remember.

as the two of you walked out the store, you asked, “why the sudden interest in candles?”

lydia rubbed her neck, “well, um, you talk to delia about them a lot, so i figured you really liked them. and they can smell pretty good.”

”yeah, like that mint one.” you joked.

@meangirlsx @meangirlmurphy @eliza-is-confused @boredomimi @book--butterfly

[sirsparklepants]

I've been staring at my WIPs a lot recently, as you do, and I think it's time to release everything I've got of my favorite story I will never write. I kind of fell out of Overwatch before I had the spoons for longfic, and now there's so much lore to catch up on (this dates from before Doomfist was released) that I'm just not going to be able to incorporate, but it's still a really great idea that I really love, so I'm going to put my story notes and snippets out into the wild.

The Darkness In Our Hands

Jesse McCree wasn't expecting to get a message when the Recall went out. He'd been Blackwatch, after all - he'd written half their playbook. But he'd lived five years with the death and slander of Gabriel Reyes burning in his chest, not knowing who to blame, and this new Overwatch was the best way to find out who had killed him so he could kill them right back. But the deeper he looks, the more mysteries he finds - and he'll need some help if he's ever going to get his justice.

[[MORE]]

Crime and conspiracy fic

Opening: McCree, in the middle of nowhere, New Mexico - give insight into the state of the world and how territorial governments are, him thinking on Reyes and what he owes to him, the recall message, decides to respond but have his own agenda.

He travels thinking about how different from the rest of Overwatch Blackwatch was, and how he hopes at least one Blackwatch agent has made it back, thinking about past with Genji - flashbacks to unsavory missions maybe? Arrival - he sees new faces and is not particularly prepared because he didn't feel it was secure enough to ask on a comm line who was there. Not as familiar with this base, paranoia rising, but then a familiar face! Sort of. (when he arrives Reinhardt and Brigitte are fighting about Brigitte calling Torb on him, Reinhardt doesn't want to pull Torb away from his wife) ← might combine these two into one chapter?

Genji puts him off when he initially tries to talk though, and when McCree pulls him aside to speak about his own personal mission Genji talks first about Hanzo and Genji's changes, and McCree realizes that Genji is so utterly different as to be unrelatable, so he never does tell Genji the whole story of why he's there. Genji asks him to give Hanzo a chance instead of acting on his loyalties to Genji and providing retribution. End of section, Hanzo arrives

McCree and Hanzo spend some time scoping each other out but they can both tell they're very different from the people around them. A particular do-gooder incident happens and they bond over looking at each other like “r u srs rn”. Meanwhile, Winston is creating profiles for everyone and trying to find a fit for like… intelligence gathering, brute force, explosives, etc - team roles I guess? In the interests of that are exhaustive interviews and training. First kinky sex somewhere in here

McCree is getting antsy at this point and I need to move along from character development to actual plot, so time to send out trial field intel squad for a rootin tootin hopefully not shootin time! They go - somewhere with a large Asian population where someone McCree’s size won't stand out. Uh. This is a note to do more research into where Omniums are. Hong Kong maybe? Hong Kong is a good city for crime. Maybe Singapore if I want to make things difficult for them what with all the weapons laws. Anyway. Somewhere with an omnic population that's not great with outsiders but Genji knows enough about their culture to be respectful and he's metal enough he won't stand out. They're not actually researching Talon but McCree is! Hanzo catches him and then they're wary partners. The omnic culture thing is a breadcrumb, be sure to emphasize it.

They leave and Genji finds out Jesse and Hanzo are screwing and starts laughing and taunting them both and being a fucker, he gets slightly let in on the Reyes plot, Intel Squad tentatively a success, they've all bonded and everyone is confused about it

Meanwhile while they were gone a stomach bug swept the base and Mercy throws a fit about not being a GP. McCree shares a cigar with her to calm her down and starts making a plan to try and get information sneakily out of everyone by reminiscing - I think??? No one knows who Reaper actually is at this point??? Anyway everyone talks shit about the UN and there's more worldbuilding dumps because this feels like the right place to put it. McCree and Hanzo and Genji are kept basically quarantined until the base isn't contagious and in that time they devise A Plan. Also enter Zenyatta because Mercy really needs a backup doctor

Lúcio isn't vetted yet so McCree gets sent out alone to send him an offer, there's a Talon base in Brazil he investigates on the way maybe? I feel like this is enough outline to be getting on with atm tho. Yeah, talon base in Brazil where there's a mention of Talon trying to infiltrate Vishkar

Meanwhile, Ana and 76 have shown up at Gibraltar because they figured out someone was tracking their movements and wanted to go to ground in the general area but spotted the activity there and they're both not best pleased that Overwatch has started back up. When McCree comes back with Lúcio there's another fight he walks into - a running joke? Every time he returns to base there's someone yelling. Second kinky sex, very dominance and pain flavored because McCree needs to shut his brain up. Or maybe not, that’s a long time to go without porn??? Maybe they have coitus interruptus with Genji and that’s how he finds out

Ana and 76 hang around for a while but can't stomach the idea of being there too long because they have their own mission but they drop the bomb that Reaper is Reyes and he's Teh Evulz now because they know too much and i need to get rid of them so we don’t have experienced field operatives for mccree to work around. Also some Widowmaker info dump here. McCree pretends to be shocked but he has a different definition of evil than most people so he doubles down on his investigation and wants Hanzo to give up some contacts. Metal arm fisting here maybe???

what. the fuck. has reaper been doing all this time. has he just been swanning around in the background ruining investigations? maybe he’s laying low because the winston raid thing made him so visible? talon needs to work underground so yeah this sounds right. in the meantime VISKHAR because lucio is here now so we can talk more about the evils of corporations and have corporate espionage going on. Lucio says they should look more into vishkar and they make contact with symmetra who is a whistleblower, ideological clash because that’s what i’m about. lucio and symmetra are both trans with prosthetics btw, that’s happening now because i said so and because hormones are a horrible way to control someone and so it makes sense that vishkar controls sym’s access to them along with her arm. because they’re fuckers. A N Y W A Y vishkar knows things about the old omnica corporation.

sombra makes contact with them here because she’s been keeping an eye on the new overwatch and talon thinks that maybe mccree could be an ally, not that he knows that at the time but they test him out with a dead drop with omnic-related code shit on a TEAM MISSION which happens to, idk, build goodwill or something. winston got info from someone for something and i have to have at least one team mission happen in the foreground, it can’t be all background shit and Intel Group. the mission goes. okay-ish. someone gets fairly seriously injured? tracer, maybe, or reinhardt, either way i can write their significant others fussing over them. it’s a member of old overwatch so winston can be conflicted and take people off field missions for a bit so mccree can tinker around and end up having to ask zenyatta for help. a much longer sex scene than normal here somewhere? OHYES this is where i’m gonna stick the scene where Hanzo makes McCree take off his prosthetic legs and makes McCree leave on his prosthetic arm (because pain kink and metal arm kink and he has to have both arms to handle him) and basically makes McCree fuck him in exactly the way he likes, up to and including making McCree bounce him up and down on his lap. AND THEN ACTUAL AFTERCARE HAPPENS FOR ONCE, A TURNING POINT. perhaps there’s a scene where one of them lays their head on the other’s sweaty heaving chest and doesn’t even mind the sweat in fine romance novel tradition

something has to happen here for pacing reasons but i’m fucked if i know exactly what. uhhhh for Reasons they have to go to an omnic city? more omnic culture and worldbuilding dump here.

aaaaand then the Reveal Chapter: reyes knows something about this mystery mccree stumbled into when he was investigating the death, and he’s willing to talk. hanzo and mccree make plans to meet with him. and then we find out that the reason reyes blew switzerland was because he was working for talon ALL ALONG. the chapter ends with a ridiculous dramatic sequence where mccree puts together all the evidence and goes “so talon was created to fight the god programs”

okay this is the chapter when i get down to the nitty-gritty and break down the structure of talon and have like. a nice artsy chapter explaining how the omnics came to be and how the government created wars to be fucks and all that. i will get to the details of this LATER but the important part is that at the end of it hanzo and mccree are secret talon moles and they have actually pretty kink-free sex while staring into each other’s eyes and kind of freak each other out with how they like and trust each other and that doesn’t happen in their world but it’s overshadowed by the freakout of them agreeing to work for a shadow organization that wants to destabilize all the world’s governments, the fuck were we thinking??? the fuck was i thinking this isn’t even the proper climax, i die

okay for pacing reasons i have to have at least two chapters of them doing double agent things and getting more deeply involved in overwatch, fuck. some public missions should be mentioned where they like. intervene in humanitarian crisises and shit. crises. whatever. maybe hanzo and mccree have to split up and feel sad that they miss each other? one chapter for hanzo to make contact with his shady criminal underworld people to get verifiable info - maybe like. idk. plastic surgery clinic records - and mccree to re-emerge and rehabilitate his image?

and after that one chapter where like. winston gets suspicious about shit. and maybe??? they have to bring EVERYONE in on this huge conspiracy? they have enough evidence to convince other people? yeah i like this, i want to emphasize how ragtag and vigilante-like and underground the new overwatch is. probably an actual defining the relationship talk and possessive sex here.

story ends with like. a giant news story break i think. as i get closer to the end i’ll know more about what threads need resolving. BUT that is the end of my outline. I DID IT HOORAY

Notes

So McCree responds to the recall not because he believes in the cause like Winston does - he probably still sees most of Overwatch as outsiders, although he's at least surface friendly with most of them by the time he leaves based on in-game interactions - but because something in Overwatch killed Reyes, who he doesn't yet know is Reaper, and joining back up with Overwatch is his best chance to find out what it was and hit them back for killing someone who had his loyalty. He's friendly still because that's the best way to get what he wants, i.e. information and access to records, but this isn't like Blackwatch. He's not surrounded by people who came from the same type of lawless loyalty structure he did, who think the way he thinks - they all believe in restorative justice, and his whole life, justice has been nothing but punitive. The only person he was counting on to understand him, Genji, has changed, and it's probably better for him, but he's become different. He doesn't lash out the way he used to. He believes in second chances, where in the places they both came from, you paid for a second chance in blood. He's done with revenge. He's well and truly gotten out of the life, and McCree has never changed his mindset and never will, because it's kept him alive this long. But Genji has brought along someone he does understand - his brother. McCree gets Hanzo, he gets why he did what he did, even though he regrets it. McCree isn't happy about it, but when he was fifteen he came along to meet the cartels with Deadlock, and when he was sixteen he saw what they did to turncoats. You pay for treachery with blood in their world, and Genji betrayed the Shimadas by passing along information. Hanzo paid when he lost his place, and he made his clan pay for what they made him do. Him, McCree understands, and McCree starts testing him out, because he could use an ally in finding out what was under the surface of squeaky clean Overwatch.

And Hanzo understands him. Hanzo is here because he owes a debt to his brother, still, and because he wants to understand Genji. But everyone in Overwatch is alien to him. They take him working for them as a given, as if of course he would want to make up for what he's done. But there's a difference between owing a debt and regretting his whole life. Hanzo was an assassin after he left the Shimadas, and he feels no need to atone for that. It was what he was skilled in, and he also became skilled in finding things out his clients did not wish him to, because being manipulated by his clan taught him to be canny, to find out people's real motivations. So he knows McCree wants his skills for something, but he's willing to make an alliance for the sake of mutual understanding.

So they ally together, with the understanding that any betrayal will be paid in blood, that they both know different tricks of the trade. McCree wants information on Overwatch, and Hanzo wants protection and information on Genji. McCree works on the old guard to find things out, and Hanzo gets in touch with his criminal contacts in every place he's deployed on a mission. And they start to find things out about Talon...

I don't actually know what the resolution to that story would be. The talon-is-hydra-overwatch-is-shield thing has been done. Maybe I'd go a route of "talon was actually founded by Reaper to fight corruption in the UN and that's how he has all those Blackwatch members" and there would be a worldwide conspiracy where the God programs and therefore the omnic crisis were created by top tiers of government and weapons corporations to create a threat that would keep governments separate, give them more power, and give the companies more profit.

...y'know what I actually really like that idea. The world was getting closer and closer to more human rights and one large global government, and corporations and world powers really didn't like that. So what's the best way for humans to give power to government? When they want to be protected from a threat, of course. And they won't be thinking rationally. They'll want to stay apart, because of course the whole thing is *insert other country*'s fault. So Hanzo and McCree run into Reaper and discover this conspiracy and are from then on Reaper's agents inside Overwatch, both to get information and to get enough media exposure they're familiar faces and trusted by the public. So when they blow this thing wide open, it can't be swept under the rug.

Bonus things in this story:

-they have to bring Genji in because he has the most connections to the omnic community through Zenyatta and Omnics have some key evidence to the conspiracy

-bastion provides an essential clue.

-omnic culture and worldbuilding

-underground cities

-Sombra is key, both as a contact that knows what's going on in Mexico (where Important Things should happen just because I mentioned the cartels so they should play at leat a minor part) and in helping them to get into Blackwatch data undetected

-symmetra helps them spy on Vishkar, which was one of the corporations to profit the most from the crisis because they got the most contracts for rebuilding

-Hanzo, McCree, and Genji sit around and exchange stories about things they had to do for deadlock/the Shimadas; it's all horrifically violent and gory but they all three get drunk and laugh about it because it's their life and they won't let it break them and it kept them alive

-it ends with Genji being happy that he's not forced to do lots of violence any more and McCree and Hanzo being perfectly happy with their very violent lives

So Talon has a ruling council which both Reaper and Doomfist are a part of and factions are #confirmed (ty for info people who are up on overwatch lore I Cannot watch a video rn), and Talon is all involved in a global conspiracy. That's canon. So what if Talon is several disparate movements that allied themselves? They need to fight this war on all the fronts they can, given the potential power of their opponents.

Irl, the UN is not a super powerful body - people put much more faith in individual governments of countries. So what makes the UN able to create a peacekeeping force? Well, what if before the crisis, some large thing happened that made the world move towards one earth government and the UN being powerful is remnants of that?

Kind of tempted to channel my frustration with the world falling apart and all the political conflicts into saying that in like... 2022 or sth, something bad enough happened that humanity decided that the only solution was to come together - perhaps we came close to nuclear annihilation? Just writing about it as a small bit of backstory and making the Scary Potential a side note in history seems like it could be really reassuring. Thoughts? (2020 note: I wrote this in 2017 and all I have to say today is OOF)

With this cooperation between nations, corporations couldn't take advantage of cheap labor in developing countries any more, and there was more of a focus on education. That could account for the leaps and bounds in science in sixty years. But that lack of cheap labor meant that robotics was developed more and more, until automation became artificial intelligences. Omnics.

The game takes place in 2076 and the Crisis took place anywhere from 20 to 30 years before that. I'll say it didn't officially start until 2050, but for several years there were developing tensions and small-scale attacks. Historians disagree about the exact cause of the crisis.

It was in the best interest of the Omnica Corporation to not let on how intelligent and sentient Omnics were - with the new focus on human rights, it was only a matter of time before an omnic rights movement erupted.

But the information started to leak. Sometime in the late 2040s, people who worked closely with Omnics started to talk to other people, tell them about how they really were intelligent and person like. And if it came out that the corporation had been deliberately hiding that, things would be bad.

So they had to do damage control.

Meanwhile, the governments of nations that used to be world powers, that used to do as they pleased, aren't that pleased with the fact that they have a lot of eyes on them and they can't meddle the way they used to in the world.

So they get together, and they throw money at the problem, and they come up the the God Programs.

Scientists worked in cells, and when they were done, they often disappeared. There could be no evidence.

And then it didn't matter how intelligent Omnics were. They were the enemy, and everyone hated them. The top executives of the Omnica corporation knew they would be hated, so they had a backup plan. They disappeared. They had surgeries. Their money went somewhere else under a different name. And they resurfaced in areas very far from any of the fighting.

Here is the secret that the Omnics and Sombra help uncover: Omnics were not meant to evolve, to change, beyond basic learning. Originally, they couldn't modify themselves. They had to come to a licensed technician, who was human. Quality control. Planned obsolescence. What the God programs did was take that cap off, distribute a patch that meant that Omnics could fix themselves - but there was a worm in the code that allowed them to be taken over. And the information that would allow that to happen? Before the crisis, it was proprietary corporate information. That shit had the highest security levels in the modern world. Corporations are very protective of their secrets. So either they were infiltrated or the crisis was an inside job. Either way, it was orchestrated by humans.

There's an implication that no humans worked in the Omniums at all, that they were completely automated, and I'm just... Gonna ignore that because it boggles the mind. The people who worked there did have to wear constant radiation shielding because apparently if Omniums are destroyed they leak radiation (or is it that the Australian one was destroyed with a nuclear device? Can anyone help me find a straight answer on this because it makes no sense) but they did work there because automation and seeing things indirectly through cameras and things means the Omniums were networked, and if they were networked they were less secure. So people worked there.

The plan to make the god programs was started off by the fraud accusations and was what caused the executives to bail the fuck out. Several plastic surgery clinics got entirely new wings just before the omnic crisis and I think this should be a weird clue that someone - probably Sombra through her hacking or Symmetra through her knowledge of corporate ins and outs - digs up.

The God programs and the militarized omnics that were pumped out allowed omnics to modify themselves and to develop things like their own independent communication methods and languages. Omnic language is a combination of binary and different computer code languages. There are different regional "dialects" depending what code language was easiest for the omnics in the area to learn and adapt to when modifying their own programming. It's also most often encrypted with... Probably some method I'll have to do research on.

Oops well I think I just ran myself into a big fuckin' wall here, and that wall is Widowmaker. She is canonically brainwashed by Talon into an assassin, and I don't want to make her husband Awful Abusive Forever and erase what was done to her.

Maybe Widowmaker is the face of Talon's moral ambiguity - she was created by a now-defunct Mad Science branch because while her husband wasn't awful for her, he was in a key position, and killing him would destabilize the power structure, and because Talon as a group's motto is probably "the end justifies the means", they still use her. This is probably a major sticking point for any omnics that want to join Talon's cause, and I could use that to highlight how desperate people can get when they're facing someone who has massive power over them.

Actually, have a couple of crime and conspiracy fic tidbits related to that: when he first went on the run, Hanzo got a nasty infection because he was so used to biotics that he didn't glove up or properly sterilize his tools before treating his own wounds. After a ten day course of penicillin derivative and a bad stomach reaction to them, he learned. Conversely, Deadlock probably had one or two fairly low-power biotic emitters, probably military surplus, and use of them was a privilege if you were high-ranking or a reward if you'd done particularly well but got kind of fucked up in the meantime. McCree has one or two big scars on his torso, and they're pretty visible because he got them young, but they don't inhibit his movements because he got treatment for them during his Blackwatch days. Hanzo, on the other hand, has a nasty hypertrophic scar on his upper thigh from the infection he got, and it occasionally restricts his movements.

Snippets

The stomach virus one

They hadn't been directed to medbay after the debriefing. This new Overwatch hadn't exactly established much standard operating procedure - hard to when you were a bunch of vigilantes and more or less all wanted under international law - but it still struck Jesse wrong, whatever Winston said. He'd known Angela longer than he'd known anyone here but Genji. They didn't run in the same circles, but they'd both been recruited before they were really supposed to be, and that gave them a bit of camaraderie Jesse wasn't afraid to lean on. He left the Shimadas to their not quite good-natured bickering and headed for the office just off the infirmary.

Angela's face, when he opened the door, made him glad he'd stopped by. Even her legendary (and probably nanite-enhanced, given the direction of her research) youthful looks were flagging under some kind of strain. Her undereyes were dark and her mouth was drawn, which in a trauma surgeon used to work in the field meant she'd been working for days on four hours or less. Jesse didn't have to do much beyond waving the nice cigars he'd picked up in (location) at her before she was out of her chair and headed towards the nearest balcony with him, monitor clipped to the lapel of her white coat. They hadn't smoked together since the recall, but the old tradition they shared seemed to be as clear in her mind as it was in his.

He was quiet for a few moments, just passing her the lighter, until they'd both blown out slow mouthfuls of fragrant smoke. Then Angela sighed, and some of the tension slipped away from her shoulders as she stared off at the waves. "You probably shouldn't be even this close to me, Jesse."

Jesse laughed at her, a low quiet chuckle. Anything truly serious and Athena wouldn't have let him anywhere near medical. "And why's that?" he asked her, slowly pulling in the rich smoke and rolling it around his mouth.

"The whole base has come down with a nasty stomach virus," she told him. "I have most of them in cots, hooked up to IVs. It's horrible! A certain amount of bodily fluids is to be expected in this job, of course, but the cleaning drones simply can't keep up. It's as much as I can do to keep everyone hydrated and mostly clean. Comfortable is out of the question. It's very contagious, and I haven't done work like this since my residency! I'm not a generalist. I don't prescribe birth control or deal with routine ailments!" Her accent grew sharper as she spoke, and when she'd finished, she took a deep breath before taking her own smooth pull of cigar smoke.

Jesse winced. He was glad any lingering sour smell was covered up by their cigars. He'd take blood and guts over vomit any day. "The whole base?" he asked. No wonder the corridors had been so quiet.

Angela nodded emphatically. "Everyone present, except for Winston, of course. I'm simply thankful it isn't zoonotic."

Jesse whistled. The infirmary had to be filled to capacity. "And nothing you've given 'em makes the nausea any better? That does sound nasty."

Angela froze with her cigar halfway to her mouth, and then began to curse emphatically. (German curses here.) She pulled her bangs with her free hand. "I can't believe I've been so stupid! I never give patients an antiemetic, it's dangerous when they could have been drinking poisoned water, but that doesn't apply here! (More German curses.)" Eventually, she subsided and took a particularly vicious pull off of her cigar.

"Easy with that," Jesse told her. "That's the good stuff - don't waste it."

"Oh, I'm not wasting it, believe me," she told him. "It's keeping me from storming Winston's office and demanding he add a generalist to the staff. Doctors have specializations, and this one isn't mine!"

"I could talk to him, if you like," Jesse told her. His voice was even, though inside he was triumphant. He'd wanted a reason to bring Zenyatta on, and the universe had just dumped it in his lap. "Might even have someone in mind."

"Would you?" Angela asked him, staring wistfully at the half a cigar she had left. "It's only - I have to dose everyone now, and wait half an hour to see how they respond, and I haven't slept since - too long."

"Wouldn't mind a bit," Jesse told her. "You worry about clearing out the infirmary. I'll work on our fearless leader."

Angela looked, briefly, as if she was about to cry. Instead, she breathed in deeply and closed her eyes for a moment. When she opened them again, her expression had settled. "Thank you, Jesse," she told him, and smiled. The expression was no less lovely for being surrounded by signs of her exhaustion. "These really are quite nice," she added, puffing again on her cigar.

Jesse laughed. "You come find me whenever you need another one," he told her. They smoked the rest of their cigars in silence.

The twelve o'clock high one

76 - Morrison - sighed. There came the sounds of him pacing around the room, his ridiculous boots heavy against the grating. "Winston," he said finally, "you like movies. You ever watch any old war movies - from the 20th century, I mean?"

"Well, no," Winston said, sounding honestly puzzled. "Most of them are well over a century old. I didn't think they'd have much cultural relevance."

Morrison snorted. "Not much cultural relevance," he repeated. "Maybe not out in the world, but here in Overwatch - in any place you've got to take command and order people into the line of fire - they still matter. Put one on your list. Twelve O'Clock High. The original, from 1949, not the remake they made right after the crisis." His gruff voice didn't make it a suggestion. Still used to ordering people around, McCree guessed.

"I will, but why would you pull me aside just to say that?" Winston sounded baffled and slightly irritated.

Morrison sighed again, a heavy put-upon sound. "This would be easier if you'd seen the damn thing. Used to have all the command track recruits watch it." The pacing sounds started up again for several moments.

"It's a movie about leadership," Morrison said finally. "And about what happens when you get too close to the people under your command. It's bad for you and it's bad for the mission, and it gets people killed. You can't be their commander and their friend at the same time."

"I fail to see how any of this is your business," Winston said, voice firm and starting to get frosty. You tell 'em, bud, McCree thought.

"I watched this organization fall once because of its commanders," Morrison said. "I can't watch you make the same mistakes. I bowed too far to the UN, but Reyes was too close to his men. Some of them came in young, but they'd done things that made sure they would never be kids again. Reyes couldn't see that. They were all loyal to him in their own way, as much as they could be, but he thought it meant he owed them some loyalty too, and he couldn't do that and send them into danger like we had back then for special ops. They got into his head, made him too much like them, and he snapped."

Winston was saying something else, and McCree forced himself to pay attention to that instead of the rush of blood in his ears, his clenched hands, his pounding heart.

"I believe that will be all, 76," Winston said. The frost in his tone had thickened up into a full ice sheet. McCree took that as his cue to slink out before the super soldier sniffed out his hiding spot - literally, maybe.

Morrison thought his loyalty put Reyes in a bad spot? It sure had - but it was his lingering loyalty to Jack Morrison that had gotten him killed, McCree was sure. Morrison really was blind if he thought Reyes had been doing anything in Zurich besides trying to pull Morrison's blond ass out of there before it blew.

what I have of chapter one

Jesse McCree had disappeared. Oh, he surfaced every now and then in some attention-grabbing way, but it wasn't healthy for a man with a bounty as high as his to go around under his own name. He'd taken a handful of false identities with him when he'd left Blackwatch, and he did enough flashy stunts with his familiar getup from the bounty posters to keep anyone from digging deeper and finding them. Most people figured he spent the rest of his time lurking around all the lonely, uncivilized places of the Southwest, like he had before he joined up - it was closer to the twenty-second century than the twenty-first, but urban sprawl hadn't conquered all the emptiness of his home state yet. So he was very surprised to receive any communication addressed to Jesse McCree at all, much less on the secure comm he carried more for sentiment than practicalities these days. And yet there was still a quiet, persistent chirp indicating a message for him.

Jesse wasn't stupid, of course. He didn't open the message that day. He'd spent too much time in a covert ops unit to trust anything that could send an active signal. He let it stay in the hard-sided guitar case that held his weapons and anything else he didn't want connected to the soft-spoken insurance adjuster who rented his Albuquerque apartment. Instead, he used his legitimate phone to reserve Chris Stevenson a campsite at a national park and rent a car for the weekend. No one had yet managed to bring enough signal towers out there that phones worked, and the campers liked it that way. Chris liked it too - it gave him a good excuse for not being available if his boss called with a last minute assignment, he told the park ranger.

Jesse, on the other hand, wasn't much for camping - he'd spent more than enough time out under the stars, first in Deadlock and then in Blackwatch, and his back wasn't as young as it used to be. But needs must - the signal could be a trap, or it could be someone from the old days needing his help. You could say a lot of bad things about Jesse McCree - most did, these days. But he knew what he owed Reyes and Blackwatch both, and he paid back his debts.

The canyon he'd chosen had several isolated hiking trails, and he set off for one just after dawn the day after he'd arrived. The other tents, few as they were, were quiet. He still waited until he'd reached the peak of his chosen trail, where he could see anyone coming, before he played the message.

Of all the faces he'd expected to project in front of him, Winston's wasn't among them. He was too recognizable, and Jesse stifled the urge to curse. The audio was routed through the wireless headset he'd brought, of course, but five years on, Winston's face still screamed Overwatch to anyone who cared to see. A talking gorilla was hard to forget. Still, Jesse let the message finish - it was very early - and dropped the comm into a pocket of the backpack he'd brought with him. Then he sat down right where he was.

Anyone passing by might have thought he'd be watching the sunrise, but he'd seen too many from the wrong end when he was with Deadlock to be stunned by nature's beauty any more. Chris was watching the sunrise, of course - a natural early riser, he saw sunrises from as many places as he could get away with. But Jesse McCree just happened to be staring at the horizon while he contemplated his options.

He didn't doubt the comm had sent some sort of locational ping out, so he'd need to burn Chris no matter what he decided. A pity - he'd liked being somewhere familiar, a place where he knew the lay of the land, how to find the best restaurant in a little highway town, which outcroppings kept you out of view of the satellites passing by, which streets nice people avoided at night. Couldn't be helped, though. Most of the Southwest was dangerous for him now. He couldn’t be sure someone hadn’t piggybacked whatever ping Winston’s call had sent out. He was inclined to curse his luck, hop a train, and move out - somewhere east, maybe - except. There was something he owed, and a debt to a ghost didn't make it any less real. He didn't have anything in common with the old Overwatch staff he guessed that idealistic message had been aimed at, but they had resources and records. Maybe he could use them to track down what really happened to Reyes.

Jesse’d been halfway to disappearing on a deep-cover mission - all they did in Blackwatch those days - when the news about Zurich broke. He could smell bullshit on a cover story from a mile away, and this one reeked. Reyes wasn’t jealous of Morrison - that asshole had to deal with the paperwork and politics while Reyes got to intervene in the real hot spots. If he’d been in Zurich, it was out of a sense of loyalty to his old army buddy. That loyalty had gotten him killed, and no one in Overwatch seemed interested in doing anything but slandering him after the fact.

Just because they didn't do much of an investigation didn't mean that they didn't still have records up in Gibraltar, though. The Watchpoints had all been networked at one point. Athena had had limits put on her when the Petras Act passed, but Winston had made her devious, under all the fussing. She had to be if she was going to fight Overwatch’s enemies. McCree's access had been stripped when the UN had recalled Blackwatch’s authorization, but that meant jack shit if Athena decided he needed to know something. And he knew how to ingratiate himself with her.

It’d mean the end of his relatively peaceful existence, but hell, he'd already known he'd have to get rid of Chris and go on the run. Might as well run a little farther than usual. He could check out the lay of the land, see who all was there and what they were up to. It wouldn't be fun - he was Reyes’ man to the bone, still, and none of the proper Overwatch agents would understand that - but this was the closest he'd come to being able to pay back the man who'd changed his life in years. He couldn't let it slip through his fingertips.

International travel was, according to those who could remember, a bit more difficult to manage now than it was before the Crisis. The United States especially had buckled down on the jingoism, blaming most of Europe for letting the Omnica Corporation run wild. It wasn't as bad as it has been in the 20s, of course, but if Overwatch hadn't provided the encryption on his passport themselves, McCree would have found himself paying a pretty penny for a good fake. As it was, he wasn't exactly flush with cash right now, so he was glad Chris’s papers were still good.

Chris Stevenson, despite his whitebread name, had family in Spain: a sister who'd recently taken ill. So he - and Jesse McCree, under his skin - was flying to Madrid. Teleporters were still new and expensive, and Chris couldn't afford one. The days of the ancient, cramped airliners were long over, though. Chris had a ticket on an overnight flight, with his own little cot and plastic privacy wall and two credits to use in the onboard cafeteria.

The flight attendant directed them all through the ship’s amenities, pointing out the cafeteria and the bathrooms as well as the small rec area, on the way to direct them all to their berths. They had to go through the first class lounge first thing, of course - probably to make them all regret they hadn’t coughed up enough to spend half the trip on leather furniture drinking premium cocktails. Jesse couldn’t care less about it. He planned to eat, sleep, and then eat on this trip; airline food wasn’t that great, but he’d eaten plenty of bad shit in his life, and he’d need the rest and the calories to find the best ways to ditch Chris’s identity and make his way across the border into Gibraltar.

The berths were more private than the ones on most of the Overwatch transports he’d been on in his time, but that wasn’t saying much; military didn’t think anything of communal bunkrooms for everyone but officers, and Overwatch had always been true to its military roots. The ship wasn’t ritzy enough to have sound cancelling tech in any cabin but first class, so he could hear the contained but emphatic ruckus happening two berths over. Politeness would have dictated Chris did his best to ignore it, but Jesse had always been an incurable snoop, and years of covert ops hadn’t exactly curbed that. He tucked his bags under the plastic frame of his ship’s cot and leaned against the thin barrier under the guise of working his boots off.

“I don’t see why we’re kept out of the lounge,” a voice Jesse pegged as belonging to someone around Reinhardt’s age said crossly. “We paid our fare just like everyone else!”

“I’m afraid the lounge is for first class passengers only,” said their flight attendant, in the calming tones universal to customer service employees who weren’t allowed to tell customers to fuck off but who really wished they could. “However, if you would like to upgrade -”

“Don’t you upgrade me!” the older voice said again. “I went on these transports when they were first made, twenty years ago, and they didn’t have any sort of restrictions! This is just - it’s a cash grab, is what it is, by unscrupulous -”

“Pop! He can’t do anything about that. I’m sure it’s corporate policy,” interrupted a younger voice, audibly embarrassed. “I’m so sorry about this.”

“It’s quite all right - I understand change is difficult. Can I offer you -”

“We’re not interested in little placating gifts, like drink tickets, you corporate shill!” the older voice yelled again.

Jesse felt a twinge of sympathy for the flight attendant having to deal with all that, but he felt it was safe to tune out at that point. His boots - sturdy hiking boots, not the attention-getting cowboy boots of his wanted poster getup, good for grip on all sorts of surfaces - were unlaced and under the bunk and they weren’t quite underway, so he decided he’d be hitting the cafeteria early. And maybe he’d shell out for a drink for the old man’s traveling companion, he thought, shuffling quietly past the squabble. He was sure the flight attendant couldn’t drink on duty, or else he’d send him one first.

It was a ten-hour flight, and mission discipline should have sent him right to sleep for seven of them after his mediocre cafeteria meal. But he hadn’t had anyone hanging over his shoulder to enforce that discipline in five years, and sleep didn’t come easy. After an hour of trying to force himself into something deeper than a doze, he gave up and summoned the flight attendant for a drink. Jesse would have preferred to work out his troubles in a gym or at the range, but the transport had neither, and this was a good enough substitute to quiet the buzzing of his brain enough for a few hours’ rest.

He just couldn’t work it out, was the thing. Why had Winston called him, of all people, back? It didn’t fit with the do-gooder message he’d sent out. Jesse didn’t recall running with him much on the very few occasions he’d been sent to liaise with the main Overwatch forces, so it wasn’t out of some misplaced nostalgia. Winston’d been close with Tracer, though, and she’d seen him in action enough to know that he didn’t hold with tugging on heartstrings as a way to run things. None of Blackwatch had. Why did Winston bother sending the message out to them at all?

Jesse doubted many of the Blackwatch members - those still out of jail after the Petras Act stripped them of their pardons, anyway - would be at Gibraltar when he showed, with a message like that. Maybe Genji would. He’d been pretty tight with Reyes. Not as tight as Jesse, but the man needed some guidance on letting anger fuel you instead of rule you when he first joined up, and Reyes had that in spades. Jesse hoped he’d be there, or else he’d be running a covert mission in enemy territory solo, with no extraction plan and no end point. He could do it, but it’d be tricky. He hadn’t used anything more than basic infiltration skills in years, since his neighbors rarely required the effort. Overwatch was all trained operatives, though, and he’d be kept on his toes even with reliable backup.

Wasn’t worth borrowing trouble about, though. Jesse had more immediate concerns, like the best way to ditch Chris without raising too many suspicions, and how long he’d have to wait in Madrid before Peacekeeper made her own way across the Atlantic. And before all that, he needed to sleep. He knocked back the last swallow of his liquor and laid down, determined to get a little rest while he was secure.

It turned out that Peacekeeper wouldn’t be in Madrid after all. His smuggler contact had left him a coded message that told him to meet her for dinner in Malaga. Jesse’d had to hustle to get to the train, but he’d made it - and he was riding on the inside this time. Europe had more satellite cameras fixed on it than the deserts of the US did, and there was no reason to draw the attention of their flagging algorithms. Besides, the wireless connection inside the train was better.

One of Overwatch’s support staff had cooked up a program that disengaged an identity from public records gradually, in case anyone needed to use them again or the activity was being monitored. Jesse wasn’t supposed to have it still, but it’d been useful enough he transferred it from phone to phone. Over the next couple of weeks, Chris’s landlord and acquaintances would receive messages that his sister was sicker than he thought and he’d need to stay in Spain to manage her affairs. His bank account would make purchases to back that up. And with no close friends in the area, he’d quietly disappear unless Jesse needed him again. The program needed a stable connection to work, though, so it could learn from the communications he’d sent as Chris. The connection on the train was nicely anonymous, so it couldn’t be traced back to him.

Twenty minutes out from Malaga, Jesse took his bag into the bathroom. Instead of Chris’s baggy sweatshirt and wind pants, he put on tight jeans and a flannel button-up and pulled out a pair of wire-rimmed glasses. When he came out, he begged a hair tie off of a woman on the train, waggling his prosthetic fingers in explanation (they did get tangled in his hair if he wasn’t careful). When he was done, he looked like a tourist of a different type - a hipster American with a backpack and a guitar. The two days of stubble on his face made most natives peg him for an aging graduate student and give him a wide berth.

Carla, his contact, had left him a note at the Malaga information desk, and he followed her instructions to a worn-down bar that had probably been popular before the Crisis. It was looking a little worse for wear, though, and even before sundown had plenty of quiet, dark corners. Jesse spotted her iron-gray braid at a corner table and sat down, though not before getting a glass of wine at the bar.

“Auntie,” he said in Spanish as he settled in. He was sure Carla had heard his boots and spotted him well before he’d reached her table, but no use not being polite to someone who had your prize possession. “I hope you’ve been taking good care of my girl.”

Carla looked up at him and rolled her eyes. “Don’t I always?” she said in her crisp Iberian accent.

“You do, but the way you left Madrid, I’d almost think you wanted to keep her,” Jesse said, smiling in a way that didn’t hide the watchful glint in his eye.

Carla shook her head, but Jesse noticed she didn’t outright deny it. “Madrid gets so crowded this time of year,” she said. “It’s a little quieter here.”

“La Linea is even more peaceful, I hear,” Jesse said, leaning back as he sipped his wine. “That’s where I want to take her next.”

“Ah, going to take her to see the Rock?” Carla asked. “It’s quite the sight.”

“I am,” Jesse told her. “In fact, you could call it the reason we even came to Spain. There’s a little problem, though.”

“Oh?” Carla asked. “Nothing to spoil your holiday, I hope.”

Jesse put the fingers of his flesh hand to his mouth and then put it back on the table, like a man fighting the urge to bite his nails. “I hope not either. See, I want to cross the border, but I don’t have all her papers - her mother, you know how she is. But I really want her to be able to see the sights. Are the guards there understanding?” Meaning, of course, could they be bribed.

Carla shifted in her chair and leaned in on one elbow. “Most of them are family men and women, not career military the way it was a few years ago,” she said, meaning mob. “They should be able to work something out with you - they understand how it is for men in your position. After all, it’s not like there’s anything really dangerous she could get into these days.”

“That’s true,” Jesse agreed. “And I’ll keep a close eye on her, of course.” Meaning that he’d make sure Peacekeeper didn’t cause any trouble that brought too much attention to their operations.

Carla nodded. “I might just know a young man down there who could help you,” she said. “I’ll send him a message once I see you both get on the bus, and he’ll look out for you both.”

“I appreciate it,” Jesse told her, with an expression of relief. Carla’s reputation would make it a lot easier to get past the border guards while he was carrying. “How much did she cost you? I know how my girl can eat.”

“No, no,” Carla said, waving her hands in a way that was all show. “She was a pleasure. It wasn’t any trouble.”

“I insist,” Jesse said firmly. “Let me pay for the train tickets, at least. You couldn’t have been expecting Madrid to be so busy.”

“Well, that’s true,” Carla said. “But I’d watch your girl for you any time, you know that.”

“I do,” Jesse agreed. “Now, c’mon, tell me how much the tickets were, and I’ll pay you back.”

Carla named a sum with a show of reluctance, and Jesse added it to the already agreed-upon price before transferring it to her account. If she’d had to leave Madrid in such a hurry, it was probably because the law was getting too close for comfort, and Jesse was sure she’d had to bribe her way out. It was just good business to pay her back for that, and he’d been trusting Carla with Peacekeeper for a long time. His burner phone beeped, and after a moment, so did hers. She nodded, satisfied, and pushed away from the table.

“Come, let’s go get your girl,” she said. “I’m sure you missed her. She’s waiting at the bus station.”

Carla had been as good as her word. Even with Peacekeeper sewn into the lining of a laptop bag, Jesse hadn’t had any trouble getting past the border into Gibraltar, and even if she wasn’t at his hip, he felt better holding her steadying weight. He’d transferred all his belongings into a hiking backpack when he’d gotten there, and only as he started up the Rock did he send the signal from the communicator that would tell Athena and Winston he was on his way - and exactly how close he was. There were plenty of hidden protections that he was sure were still active on the base, and he’d need the signal to get in.

It only took a few moments to connect, and Winston’s voice was cautious as he answered. “McCree?”

“In the flesh,” Jesse answered. “Know I didn’t call ahead, but I was hopin’ my invitation still stood.”

[your-turn-to-role]

for the cr asks: 1, 7, 19, 29

hey, thanks!

1) How did you first discover Critical Role?

uh, friends, mostly. i was one of the later people in my friend group to get into it, though i’m definitely the one who’s gotten the most obsessed with it now 😂

i have one friend who’s been following it since the really early days, like early 2016 or something? and was very into taliesin’s characters (they have a very similar aesthetic), but stopped after molly died

another friend who’s more into dnd shows just bc she really likes dnd rather than particularly for the story has also been into it for ages, and was pestering me to watch for at least a year before i actually did

(not that i didn’t think i’d like it, it just takes me forever to get into stuff bc when i get into a fandom i get super into it and then am resistant to leave it, and there’s a limit to how many characters i can hold in my brain at once, also because starting a new thing that has literally thousands of hours of content is intimidating as fuck)

but it was also just, fanart of jester on tumblr? she didn’t even end up being my fave of the m9 (though i definitely love her), but she’s 100% my aesthetic to the core, and seeing a lot of art of her around i was like “okay i wanna know who this girl is bc she seems cool”

and then about, idk, 9-10 months ago i started cr2? and fell in love with nott within about two seconds of her speaking, which made me listen long enough to fall in love with the other characters as well, and then after i caught up (which was just before ep 73 aired, i was watching it with more or less all of my free time) i watched campaign 1 in a similar fashion and here we are

7) Do you have any official CR merch?

does explorer’s guide to wildemount count? or the vox machina origins comics? bc if so, i have those (digitally anyway)

but in terms of most actual merch, no, not yet, i’m not 100% ruling it out, but i live in new zealand so shipping is a huge pain and i haven’t come across anything yet that is both within my price range and that i care enough about to pay a shit ton for shipping

(honestly, would have bought any of the dice sets, but the only one that’s been out while i’ve been in the fandom was the whitestone opalite dice and those were suuuper expensive)

(real pretty though)

19) Who’s your favorite CR cast member (Matt, Laura, etc.)?

ohhhhhh that’s so hard to choose. every time i think of any one person at least four others show up in my head like “hey what about us!”

i think i’ll just answer this by saying my favourite things about each of them

matt - really cool person. really fun storyteller. so much more of a dork when not being a DM, it’s not a side of him we get to see often but it’s one i’d love to see more of! i’m still amazed he does this every week when he’s said a couple times he hates being on camera, like... matt, how do you do that. i am a little in awe of you

travis - i love his whole approach to rping? like the whole “you have to take risks at every possible opportunity because whether it succeeds or fails, it’s always worth the chance you’ll make something amazing”. he’s highly relatable as an adhd player. also he’s said he doesn’t want to put romance stories in his dnd characters and i get very attached to characters that could be headcanoned as aro so i really appreciate that

marisha - she’s fucking badass. i am constantly in awe of her bravery to continue to play her characters really well when she gets so much hate with them. also, she’s a really good actor? i feel like no one says it enough but she really is. love all her liveshow outfits.

liam - now, i’ve been that one theatre kid who was way too obsessed with hamlet at like age 15? so like... i feel you, liam. love the places he goes with his characters. love everything about vax. love the language he uses while rping and the small little gestures he comes up with that add so much to a character, i’ve written a couple posts on it

sam - now, on one hand, sam is the cast member i relate the least to. on the other, he did make nott who i love with all my heart. i’m also just really impressed by everything he comes up with as scanlan, especially the super long ode to vax which had to be at least partially improvised/written during that episode

laura - continually dedicated to proving you can make female characters that are super detailed and full of depth while also always being down to make stupid dick jokes. really good actor. very cute and very ridiculous. also, [harp music] ~laura bailey~

taliesin - i love his dedication to being goth, queer, and colourful all at once? bc big fucking mood. love his characters, love his weirdness, love his random pockets of obscure knowledge that occasionally come up on the show and everyone’s like “how the fuck do you even know that”

ashley - is it not enough to be gay and in love with ashley johnson? but no seriously she’s super cool and also a dork and i adore her

29) What’s the most devastating CR PC defeat/death?

i mean..... it’s gotta be molly, right?

like percy’s first death and vax in the finale were both heartwrenching as fuck, but both kinda felt like they were meant to happen? percy, while he came back and i’m glad he did (which also helps make it not the most devastating), taliesin had kinda planned for that to be the end of percy, and it did tie things up in that tragic way his character archetype often goes. had that been permanent, it would have hurt, but it would have felt fitting. and vax, god, i will never be over dalen’s closet, but he had a lot of time to come to grips with his own death and that made it, more cathartic rather than just painful

but molly was just, i mean i knew it was coming before i even started watching, i tried my best not to get attached and then got attached anyway

and i really love what it did to the plot and the characters and i wouldn’t trade away caduceus now we’ve really gotten to know him

but goddamn did that have an impact

[choccos-aaart]

Learn stuff about the story of April and friends!

>>BASE<<

[SPOILER WARNING FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE INTERESTED?!] Also this is a LONG post -Chocco

LAST UPDATE: 13.07.2021

Random Facts Story Meme By ~PhoenixTorque If you're looking for a serious meme, you're in the wrong place! This is meant for original fiction, although it might work for fanfiction as well. It can be done with as many or as few spoilers as you wish, so feel free to skip over a question if you don't want to spoil things for potential readers. So pick a story and get started!

So, what's your story called? Like hell I know! XD It’s gone through multiple changes, but right now I’ve got “Poject: Proclo.” Despite me growing used to it, I’m not very proud of it...

Did you have any early/working titles? Yes! (It’s very embarrassing, though...)

Cloronve Niathea (2016-2017) - I jumbled up a bunch of words just so I could claim a tag

The Cloronia (2018?-2019) - I thought the 2016 one was stupid

Project: Clonerion (2019-2020) - I thought the early 2019 one was stupid.

Project: Proclo (2020-2021?) - I thought the 2020 one fell into this “definitely could have a definition in English which makes no sense in this context” trap

Project: WHAT THE HELL?! 

Why did you choose the final title? It’s titled “Steel House in the Prairie”!

Keeping this answer because I thought it was funny: “I didn’t! I don’t even have one that’s confirmed, yet!”

Was it easy or hard to choose a title? It’s pretty damn hard, I’ll tell you that

Who's the protagonist? Some cyborg kid named April

Why are they the protagonist, and not someone else? Well, here’s multiple things that tick off...

Audience knows just as much about the situation she finds herself in as she does

She undergoes major development, especially in relation to the other characters and in regards to the story’s main themes

She goes through situations that miraculously make her do protagonist things

ETC!!! XD

Are they a hero or everyperson? April’s an ambitiousless everyperson that just so happens to know how to fight.

What's their job? April’s only 15! And she hates being seen in the public, anyway! XD

Do they have a sidekick? Best Friend? April does make good friends with Pillia and Matro who technically do become her first best friends/sidekicks in her whole protag/hero journey

Do they have a love interest? Rivals fighting for their affection? A harem that hangs on their every word? Nope!

Is there a secondary protagonist? Who? I wouldn’t say, necessarily.

The main antagonist? Sad man Skatra XD Doc and co. seems like one at first, but it turns out that they’re also on the same side as April, too.

What do they have against the protagonist? Well, Mr Skatra’s got a goal, right? And April’s pretty much getting in the way of that goal. (Duhh!) Also, he and April are thematic opposites (Like hell I’m revealing this out to the public, tho XD) And also, April’s past has done some major damage to Skatra’s past (yeah, I know. Fiction just so happens to have coincidences like these, but c’mon. Fiction is an art.)

Are they a loner, or do they have a second-in-command? Mr Skatra works very closely with his daughter, Eyn!

Villain with good or bad publicity? Skatra’s got no publicity lol! (All seriousness, people are pretty indifferent to him. But that’s because he hasn’t achieved his goal, yet...)

Sure, but who REALLY runs the plot? Let’s face it. Skatra’s practically the reason for everything major in this story.

Who's the most important character not on this list? Why are they important? Doc/Sarlife hasn’t really been in a direct answer to any of these questions yet. They’re important because not only do they make a huge part of Skatra’s first conflicting side to begin with, but they also have their fair share of importance in the themes of the story, too.

Who's the least important character that you pay attention to? Probably Matro. He’s one of April’s friends, yeah, but the most important thing he does in the main storyline so far is just transport our characters XD

What's the most prominent canon ship? Well, I’ve nobody that’s really canon, yet. Unless Eyn’s slight crush on Pillia at the start counts. It’s not really that important. But I feel like I’ll hint it throughout the story. (Good luck on getting her, Eyn! Must hurt when you learn you’re on opposite sides, huh.)

Any other ships? Aside from Eyn’s small crush, there’s no other main characters that are canonically together.

Any noncanon crack!pairings you would read/consider writing? OH BOY. Alright, here’s a list of my bets:

April + Eyn - Everyone loves that good rivals/protag+antag pair. How can you get any better than that? They even start off thinking they’re gonna be great friends at the start (which is actually kinda sad...)

Matro + Farqua - They bicker quite a bit at the start, but they slowly regain their friendship as the story goes on. Classify them as rivals, if you want. And also, Farqua’s the one that works for Skatra, so there’s some good guy/bad guy stuff going on. BONUS: They’re red and blue with some major height difference, as well!!!

Doc + Wyra - These two consider each other pretty close and as close as they are, you’ll find Wyra teasing Doc a bit, too. That’s usually a joy to watch. They’re also your typical brawn + brains duo. Also, there’s the serious business + ball of energy there. I think this one’s sweet.

April + Pillia - Pillia’s probably April’s strongest relationship out of everyone in the story. She practically becomes April’s sidekick. Pillia’s good at turning trash into treasure, which means she can turn April into something great, too.

Matro + Doc - I’ve made sure that it looks as if they’ve been friends for ages. Matro even gets really upset after learning that Doc’s gone totally nuts. When Doc does end up joining forces with team April, Matro’s obviously got mixed feelings on the situation (considering what Doc’s done), but still wants to maintain their friendship as much as possible. 

Doc + Skatra - Here are two of April’s main antagonists, so that’s a start. Also, despite being on opposing sides of the situation, Doc doesn’t necessarily see Skatra as an enemy, they see him as someone who needs help. Although trying to stop Skatra, Doc’s trying to find the best possible way out of the situation for this guy. This probably the more angstier ones, of the bunch. 

Pillia + Ida - I’ve stated early in the script that these two are close friends. I haven’t had a phase yet where I’ve developed them as much as the others, but they’re the ones that are left, so I’m expecting some, soon. I’m probably gonna base some of their interaction off of Lister and Kryten from Red Dwarf, especially >>This Scene<<

Sorry, Eyn, Skatra, Ida, and Wyra, you’re all lonely as hell XD (don’t worry, I’m aroace XD)

Who is your favorite character to write? Tough one between Matro and Farqua.

Who is your least favorite character to write? Not that I’ve got a least favourite to write, but as of now, I’ve worked with Ida the least out of the main cast. (Sorry! I’ll get to you soon, I promise!!!)

Which character is the most cooperative? Ida, probably. She’s actually the most bored.

Which character is the least friendly? Doc, no matter how much they try to be.

Which character would you most want to meet in a bar? Matro seems the most fun to get drunk with! With his guitar, especially.

Which character would you least want to meet in a dark alleyway? Eyn. Especially in her Axel Duiti outfit!

How many characters are there total? I’m not counting. But, there are three main focus characters, and six other secondary characters!

How many are allied with the heroes? Out of the main characters, it starts off with three, then six, then seven.

How many are allied with the villains? Out of the main, it starts off seeming to be six, in actuality is three, then just two.

How many hate both of them? Oh... Uh... IDK I’ll write that later XD (Well, the situation’s trying to be as private as possible)

How many refuse to pick a side? Ida seems to have the most side struggles out of everyone. Farqua’s unwillingly pulled apart in all directions, too.

How large is the core cast (in 80-90% of the scenes)? Dunno excactly how to calculate much XD Let’s hope it’s a decent number.

Be honest—how many characters are actually important? Let’s hope all nine of them do something! 

When does the story take place? Likely far future (probably not in this universe, though!)

Where does it take place? Lightyears away from Earth, in the Piarosar system

Would you want to live there? If it weren’t for the war, then yeah. Seems pretty cool.

Does your story end in the same place it starts? This part of the story, yes. I plan for it to be part of a bigger story.

What/whose POV is the story told from? It’s in script form! Well, mostly from April’s point of view.

If not omniscient, whose thoughts would have the most spoilers? Skatra and Doc’s!

What genre is your story? Sci-fi, action, & adventure (despite being set inside a building. Well, it’s a massive one, though...)

Where in a library would you file it? Sci-fi. Duhh.

What format are you writing it in? Script! (For a comic)

What format do you wish you could write it in? Still script! For an animated series!

Would you be for or against a movie? It’s better suited for a series. But hell yeah, that’d be cool.

Indie flick or multi-million blockbuster? An indie project. Don’t want it too big, you know...

Write a nice, long description about the story: (Done that) “April is a cyborg kid who finds a large, mysterious building when she gets lost in a prairie. She learns that the main entrance of the place is totally out of the question, so she tries finding her way in from above. Too bad that she can't get out from where she came from, and now she's forced to find another way out.

April then later discovers that inside the building is a community of robots and different races of creatures. Some even decide to help her on her little journey outside the building in the safest way possible. Unfortunately, it also turns out that some couple randos' got some sort of weird deal with April and they clearly don't like her.

Even worse, It also turns out that the building has problems of its own. Robots are disappearing from their homeplaces and so are some of the rest of the people. If this keeps up, soon nobody will be there to keep to the building and its people. And when April finds out what exactly's been going on, there lies the chance that maybe she could do a large part in preventing a major catastrophe that'll take place if nothing's done. And get this. It's not just the building that gets it. Good thing April's not that big a scumbag to not do anything about it.”

That sounds interesting, but can you cut it to under 200 words for the back cover? A sci-fi about a cyborg kid who gets stuck inside a mysterious, giant building after getting lost far outside the city. Upon her arrival in the building, it turns out that her goal isn't just to escape and make her way back home, but to also somehow prevent a huge catastrophe that awaits if she doesn't do anything. Good thing she isn't that big a scumbag.

Quick! Write a 200-character-or-less (with spaces) teaser (think ff.net)! Now give us a catchy tagline for promotional material! A cyborg kid gets stuck inside a mysterious, giant building in the middle of nowhere. Turns out that her goal isn't just to escape, but to also prevent some huge catastrophe from happening.

Is there magic? Maybe? (Really depends what characters I introduce and where they’re fro) Time travel? In a way, this happens. Psychic powers? Nop. Talking animals? No. If I count the aliens, that’s kinda insensitive lol! Pajamas? Not exactly? Different dimensions/realms? Not necessarily. More like they explore our reality. Aliens? Yes! High school? Our protag’s in year 9? Poison? Sorta Dragons? No... Cake? Not many of the main cast can actually eat XD Large guns? O.O?!!!!! Children? Yeah, that’s like almost half the main cast Ninjas? Nope XD Large cities? Not really Advanced science? Yep! Teenagers? Yep! War? In the background, but I might explore this some more in future... Faeries? Nope... Corrupt government? I guess???????? Romance? Nope! XD Witches or Wizards? Nop Spaceships? Maybeeeee Fanservice? In a sense where it means “thing that isn’t necessary for the story, but just to make fans happy”, probably when the alternate versions of the characters pay a visit Ridiculously long names? Hm....... IDK An old, wise mentor? Not in that sense... Swords? Uhh... No??? Internet? Yeah, Housewives? No I guess lol  Conspiracies? ??? Overprotective parents? WEll, sorta I guess Revolutions? I don’t recall that idea coming :P Scented soap? I WISH Stuff blowing up? YEHA Monkeys? Idk? Not here?? A happy ending? YeaH?!?!??? Sorta. How much of the story have you finished? More planning than actual writing tbh

How much of the storyline have you decided on? A lot of the skeleton, now just the actual in betweens

About how long is it? Pretty long. IIt;s actually a part of a bigger thing.

How long is it in-story from beginning to end (flashbacks don't count)? LONG>

Do you ever think it will be finished? YES> DON’T DOUBT ME Anything else you'd like to add?  I’m good!

[makeste]

BnHA Chapter 245: The Second One

Previously on BnHA: We kicked off day one of New Internships with a fun-filled morning of shenanigans. Highlights included: (1) an old bearded man gallivanting around town telling everyone the world is going to end (and making a surprising amount of sense); (2) Bakugou and Deku attempting to rough up a group of impassioned hobos, only to have their thunder stolen from right underneath their noses; and (3) Hawks, the thunder-stealer himself, who proceeded to be all “what’s up fellas, hey Endeavor did you miss me?” Endeavor, who totally did miss him, pretended like he had not, and meanwhile Hawks introduced himself to Endeavor’s new trainees: Finger-Smashing Kid, Kid Who Used To Work For The Guy You Just Murdered, and Shouto (Just Shouto). Then he pulled out a copy of Re-Destro’s book and was all, “hey Endeavor have you heard of this book which was really important to the plot in the previous arc? I think you should read it, for reasons!!” and Endeavor just kind of stared at him, which wasn’t exactly inspiring. Anyways let’s see if these two idiots can manage to pull this off.

Today on BnHA: Hawks shoves the Liberation Army’s book into Endeavor’s hands while staring at him with the intensity of a thousand suns, and then, to avoid suspicion, proceeds to hand out another 500,000 copies of the book without even being asked. He then flies back to the PLF headquarters and is all “good news gentlemen, I gave out copies of the Army’s book to everyone in Japan!” and they’re all “that’s great, Hawks!” because somehow it turns out that this was actually a good plan. Back at the Endeavor Agency HQ, the kids meet Endeavor’s 30+ other sidekicks, who are all “now let’s all stand around and wait for Endeavor to tell us what to do.” Over in his office, Endeavor shrewdly deduces that Hawks was trying to tell him something, and pieces together the hidden code Hawks left in his book, which basically reads “IN FOUR MONTHS WE ARE ALL GOING TO DIE.” Back at the PLF, the League cheerfully discusses their plot to blow up the entire world come Springtime. Which apparently everyone is on board with. So, uh, does anyone else feel like they accidentally fell asleep during a really important part of the movie, because uh. What.

(All comments are my unspoiled reactions from my initial readthrough of the chapter. I did a quick edit for grammar and clarity afterward, and added a few ETAs in the process, but aside from that there are no changes.)

okay so two things: (1) as I mentioned in a previous post, Caleb Cook reported that this chapter took him more than 4 times longer than usual to translate. so like, what does that mean?? guess we’re about to find out!

and (2) HAWKS’S REAL NAME. I started typing up this recap early just so I could liveblog my reaction, since it seems that the databook has leaked, and I figure I’m going to stumble across this sooner rather than later. so I’m just going to look it up now here goes!!

AHHHH TAKAMI KEIGO AHHHH

lol. I have no idea what that actually means. let me look up some more stuff about this

oooh thank you reddit!

ooh damn, I love it!? “hawk” + “vision” lolol HORIKOSHI BACK AT IT AGAIN. but “watchman” is a really nice bonus what with how it relates both to the whole spying biz, and in a more general sense toward what he is trying to do as a hero trying to protect society. plus the name “Keigo” just has a really nice sound to it in general. kind of a boyish, youthful sound. not too hard or soft. idk. I like it. that was my favorite character in Bleach too

also apparently both of the kanji used for “Keigo” mean “enlightenment” oooh. my god I could analyze this all day. this being Thursday night, I’ll have some time to ruminate before I read the chapter tomorrow, so if I have any epiphanies I will add them in later!

(ETA: no additional thoughts on this right now, but there is now a ton of other content out from Ultra Analysis, so let’s take a quick look at some of that!

Haagen Dazs’s gender:  I now feel vindicated in continuing to refer to him as a “he” even after the face reveal! let this be a lesson to everyone never to judge a shounen character solely by how pretty they are. not that it wouldn’t have been nice to have another female villain! anyways the important thing is that I still don’t have his name memorized and never will!

Thirteen’s gender?!: now this, I don’t really like. Thirteen was already in the previous databook IIRC and their gender was ambiguous. which to be frank was awesome. having a canon nonbinary character was sick. why you gotta do this now Horikoshi smdh.

Reason for Shouji’s mask: nooooo poor Shouji. people in quirk society are jerks! lol I get the arms being scary, but his face?? now I really want to see what he looks like though. it would be cool if he became more accepting of himself as a result of hanging with his chill classmates and decided to ditch the mask. anyways my boy needs a hug.

and there’s a lot of other stuff, including a whole series of cute segments showing the characters’ relationships with each other, but I think I’ll save those for another post because otherwise this would get way too off-track. but man, so far I’m really loving this.)

okay kiddos. it is now Friday, and time to take our horse to the hype town road. I have been waiting all fucking week for this shit so it had better not disappoint!

“Rising to Action” ooh, nice. guess this is not much of a “sit still” gang, here

okay so we’re picking off right where we left off, and guys, I just need to know, does anyone other than me find this kind of hilarious

like, I don’t know why but just. Endeavor’s face. omg. he just looks like he’s trying so hard to figure out what’s wrong. I think what it is is that this is the exact same bemused/perplexed expression that Shouto gets on his face all the freaking time, and it just tickles me to no end that the apple apparently doesn’t fall far from the tree. ahh Shouto I know you don’t want to hear this but damn boy you look like your dad

anyways. I think we can all agree Endeavor should not be looking this adorable and what the hell. let’s move on

LOOOOOOL

why is this so funny ahhhhhhh. they’re so fucking serious please stop. I mean, but of course they’re serious, though. the weird one is me, right? whatever!

so now here’s the handoff. between these two super-serious dudes

Endeavor you had better not do like me and be all “of course I’ll read it!” fully intending to follow through (really!) but then you never do and everyone is super disappointed and you start to read something else instead, all the while feeling incredible guilt! my point is, Endeavor, I hope you don’t have ADHD or we’re all fucking screwed omg

lol though thankfully we have a backup!

“oh boy!” clamors Deku, a gleam of excitement in his eye. “homework!”

OH MY GOD

WHO ARE YOU, OPRAH

ff now he’s just SLAPPING THEM INTO THEIR HANDS omg. this is amazing

love how Katsuki is keeping an extra 1.5 meters of space in between him and the others because cooties. or something

anyways! I really want them all to read it actually so this is awesome! KACCHAN YOU ESPECIALLY. I want you to read it and then give it a disgusted 1 star review on goodreads. show me how much you’ve grown kiddo

lmaooo

Todoroki Shouto. god’s perfect idiot. bless this child. someone explained Occam’s razor to him one day, and he just sat there nodding like “yes that makes perfect sense” and proceeded to apply it to every fucking thing in his life from there on out. “what’s Hawks doing carrying around 10,000 copies of The Book of PLF and just handing them out to strangers like an old lady on Halloween? processing... processing... oh I see, he probably just REALLY LIKES THE BOOK how keen”

this is what Hawks is up against. this squad of certified morons with two whole brain cells shared among them on a good day. boy literally brought three backup secret messages just in case Endeavor was too dense to figure this out, only to watch these kids exclaim, with perfect sincerity, “GOSH, HAWKS MUST REALLY LIKE THIS BOOK, HUH”

and meanwhile the best Endeavor can do is “............something.......... feels.... off.......” fml. we’re all gonna die. Hawks, I’m sorry. you tried!! next time give Momo your secret message instead!

so now he says that he’s actually recommending this book to all of his acquaintances omg. don’t tell me this handsome canary is actually going around handing out books to every single person he knows?? all to cover up this one action of giving Endeavor the book with the secret message highlighted in it?? okay guys help me decide: is this brilliance or stupidity? like, what is even going on inside Hawks’s head. “I’ll just fly around handing out copies of Atlas Fucking Shrugged to everyone I meet. that’ll seem really natural”

I s2g Endeavor if you don’t follow up on this...! THE WORLD IS COUNTING ON YOU YOU BIG MEATHEAD. GET TO READIN’. MAKE LEVAR PROUD

and now Hawks is flying away with his hands in his pockets

godspeed you dramatically casual bastard

now Deku is all “you know, he’s not much older than us, but he really seems like he’s got his shit together!” which, yeah. don’t you hate that? the truth is though it’s all an act, and he’s actually just as screwed up as the rest of you! the moral is: never trust any 22-year-old who seems like they’ve got their shit together. because, no. he sits on a throne of lies

Endeavor are you actually being thoughtful??!

oh my god. we may actually have a chance here. praise be

now we are cutting to the Endeavor agency! guys, fucking look at this fucking ‘E’, though

ngl that shit is dope. I’m mad. I would buy his merch just for the logo and I hate that about myself

holy shit

the... flaming hot... oh my god

holy shit there’s so many of them

(ETA: hold up -- “Bakugou” and “Shouto”? this is a crucial detail here; they’re using Bakugou’s last name, but Shouto’s given name. so either they’re calling him Shouto because they know his pop, or -- more likely -- they’re calling him “Shouto” because that’s his hero name. in which case, “Bakugou” most likely also refers to “Bakugou” as in the hero name, not his actual name. meaning that still is his hero name. meaning he is still undecided. fucking... Katsuki. honey. why.

ffff and the new databook seems to support this too. instead of a hero name, Horikoshi just wrote “XXX” indicating he still hasn’t made up his mind. welp. looks like it’s back on that slow burn character development train, folks. maybe by the end of this arc, though? please? Horikoshi? Horikoshi damn it look at me.)

so this is how the number one operates, huh. meanwhile All Might only ever had one sidekick, and reluctantly at that. he really was so far out ahead of everyone else that he was basically untouchable. crazy

anyways, yes! they don’t know anything about anything so please teach them!

good grief this girl says Endeavor has over thirty sidekicks?? lmao and her name is “Burnin’.” please tell me the missing g is an actual part of her name please I need this

wow, Burnin’ really went and tried to pick a fight with my famously hot-tempered son knowing full well what his personality is like. and just look at him keeping his cool and firing back though

oh, Katsuki. [hair ruffle] he will thrive here

damn these guys are passionate

Endeavor seriously picked these people as his sidekicks? that Endeavor? they didn’t annoy the shit out of him?? that man is an enigma

btw can we all just stop here for a moment and give a shoutout to this horse-looking dude because. look at him. amazing. new fave

anyway so now the mummy-looking guy is explaining how they organize their shift schedule

so professional. this really is the big leagues

yoooooo my boy is FIRED UP. READY TO SAVE SOME BITCHES! YESSSSS WIN AND RESCUE LET’S DO THIS

LET’S FUCKING GOOOO omg I love him so much. Kacchan you need to cool it or I’m going to spend this whole fucking chapter ruffling your hair

(ETA: incidentally, here’s something I neglected to point out earlier: in spite of being a belligerent asshole in general, Katsuki for the most part is actually surprisingly respectful to most adults, especially heroes. so it’s interesting then that so far, this doesn’t seem to apply to Hawks. he almost seems to consider him another rival rather than another mentor/teacher-type figure to learn from. I wonder if this is because -- as Deku pointed out earlier this chapter -- Hawks is much closer to them in age than the other heroes. it’s interesting that that was pointed out -- and that in the very next panel Katsuki was grumbling about how Hawks pisses him off, at that.

anyway. this BakuHawks rivalry seems to be an established thing now, so I’m very curious to see how this develops.)

lol now Mummy Guy is all “that’s great! now we just need to wait for Endeavor to tell us what to do!” and Kacchan is like “WHAT”

I mean, he’s got a point lol. “we’re so busy!” “great let’s get to work!” “actually we don’t have any work yet!” like, what a fucking tease. don’t worry Kacchan, they’re just waiting to make sure they assign you boys a job that’s plot-related so we don’t waste any time

ahhh, and now we finally come to the moment we’ve all been waiting for! the part that apparently took four hours to translate! ENDEAVOR READING A BOOK

yeah he was acting like he had a freaking gun to his head. why don’t heroes have secret code phrases they can use to let each other know some weird fucking shit is up? or maybe they do, but since he’s being recorded and since PLF has some heroes on roster who probably know those same codes (looking at you, Slidin’), Hawks didn’t want to risk one of them figuring it out. that makes sense

ahhh, here we go

don’t tell me Caleb tried to translate this whole thing. though I gotta admit I am hella curious

anyway. so the rest of this page is Endeavor metaing about Hawks, and it’s some good stuff, ngl

he really is fond of him, huh. look at all those pictures. how many mental snapshots did you take of this kid smiling?? he’s so adopted it hurts

and look at the concern in that last panel! “why is he acting so weird, that’s not like him, I’ve got to get to the bottom of this.” damn, Hawks really did put his trust in the exact right person and it’s paying off

ENDEAVOR STOP MAKING THESE SOFT WORRIED FACES ABOUT HAWKS RIGHT THIS INSTANT I DON’T HAVE TIME FOR THESE FEELS

god damn!! I don’t know why, but I continue to be surprised and impressed at how the character development of Endeavor is actually a subscribe and save deal and not just a one-time purchase. fucking look at Todoroki Enji, proud annual recipient of a different “world’s worst dad” mug every Father’s Day, actually caring enough about another human being to notice the subtle changes in his behavior and realize something is wrong. bruh. good for you!! human compassion is a damn good look for you, negl. fucking growth right here and I’m here for it

anyways, on to the hidden code!

and here are all of the highlighted portions for your code-breaking pleasure

fucking feel like I’m reading Detective Conan right now. yeesh

oooh!

BINGPOT LOOOOOL WHY DID I GET SO EXCITED OKAY LET ME GO BACK AND READ!

“the” “enemy” “liberation” “army” ahhhhhh! HAWKS YOU SNEAKY SON OF A BITCH. GOOD JOB ENDEAVOR!

and now we’re cutting back to Hawks, nooooo I wanted to see Endeavor’s reaction! come on!

lmao although it’s worth it to see Hawks mentally roasting Endeavor exactly like I was mere pages ago omg

his fucking face omg. that’s right Hawks, he’s not the brightest crayon in the box. not the sharpest tack in the bulletin board. he’s a few fries short of a happy meal. the elevator doesn’t go all the way to the top floor

but give him some credit, though! because he did figure it out! not necessarily because he was clever, but because he knows you!

oh shit lol

OH SO YOU PLANNED THAT PART TOO. WELL OKAY THEN

goddamn. he really is a clever bastard. and okay but in all seriousness, I fucking love that he has enough faith in this weird connection between them that out of all the ploys he could have gone with, this is what he chose. he seriously put all his eggs in the “Endeavor will figure it out from my face” basket. and it fucking paid off. this is awesome

AHHHHHHHHHHHH HERE WE GO

LOOK AT HIS EYE OH MY GOD. YOU CAN SEE THE EXACT MOMENT WHEN HE REALIZES HOW SCREWED THEY ALL ARE, YES, FUCK, THIS IS WHAT I’VE BEEN WAITING FOR OH GOD

and we’re cutting back to Hawks again! I’ll just assume the rest of his message went something like “we” “are” “boned” and Endeavor’s face was like :o

BACK AT THE OL’ VILLAIN HOTEL!!!

LOL WHAT IS THIS

THEY HAVE A FUCKING COUNCIL NOW

whose seat is that over on the left? Hawks’s? is Gigantomachia actually wearing a shirt?? AND SHOW US TOMURA’S FACE HORIKOSHI YOU COWARD

lmao oh my god are they really buying this shit

look at him. so trustworthy. nothing to suspect over here! just a 100% sincere born-again villain committed to the cause!

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

NOOOOOO MY BABIES ARE EXPOSED. HORIKOSHI YOU BETTER PROTECT THEM I SWEAR TO GOD!!!

wow is the whole conversation just shifting over to the topic of Deku now, seriously?

oh my god oh my god oh my god. like. it’s been so long since the forest lodge and Kamino that I almost forgot that the League already knows these kids. they did fight Deku and Shouto briefly in the woods, and then they had an extended fight against Katsuki later on, although Dabi was unconscious for that part. anyways, shit. just like that they’re on their radar again I’m getting chills omgggg

(ETA: at least they’re underestimating them, though. “looks like he hasn’t gotten much stronger.” boy have you not heard about his bloop? that bloop will fuck you up just you wait!)

so now have some weird panels of Hawks walking through a door

(ETA: ohhhh you can see the door closing on the tip of his wing close-up! sneaky!)

ooh! wtf are you serious he can use his feathers to eavesdrop?!

(ETA: it only just clicked on my second read-through that Spinner of all people appears to be the mastermind behind this plan? like, am I reading this right? is he Tomura’s second-in-command now or what? damn, boy, good for you.)

okay, question. if he could do this the entire time, why did they even need him to pretend to join the League at all? I guess you never know when having a man on the inside who can possibly influence their decision-making will come in handy. but still, it seems to me like he could have easily done the spying bit without ever having to join up. ehhh but I guess there’s probably a range limit, and too much risk of the feathers getting caught and destroyed... eh, fine. I’ll allow it

AHHHHHHHHHHHH

WHAT THE FUCK WHAT EXCUSE ME WHAT?????

AND OF COURSE THAT’S THE END OF THE CHAPTER, LOL, FUCK. EXCUSE ME WHILE I GO STAND IN A CORNER AND SCREAM

lol “danger lurks” fucking you think?? what the hell! so they have an actual plan already, with the details outlined to the extent that they actually have a freaking timetable and everything? and the Liberation Army is on board with this whole thing too? the “destroying everything” part and all? this is too much to process all at once fuck me I can’t

okay! so four months from now is also when the kids will enter their second year! so that means Shinsou can get in on this action too. I’m trying to think of other significant plot things this could potentially imply, but none are coming to mind right now, other than it’ll be the anniversary of USJ. but that’s basically it. -- oh, wait, this also means that there’ll be a new first-year class of students at U.A. too! so that could be interesting. some potential new characters, and a chance for Deku and the others to be senpais. incidentally, to the best of my knowledge the kids will all stay in the same class and Aizawa will continue to be their homeroom teacher in year two. so nothing will change really aside from them becoming 2-A rather than 1-A. and Shinsou joining them, as mentioned. omg

anyway! let me see, any other stray thoughts before I wrap this up? I guess it’s worth noting that Toga’s eye is fine. the League has healed up pretty nicely in general actually. like, that’s seriously impressive for a group that doesn’t have Recovery Girl on staff. how long has it even been since Deika? a few weeks? this is almost ridiculous

and the “boom” -- is that literal? like they’re actually planning to blow everything up? or is that a metaphorical boom. fucking what kind of plan did they come up with where they actually think they can destroy THE ENTIRETY OF JAPAN all at once? is there a doomsday device?? what exactly is this “power” they’re talking about? HAWKS WHY DIDN’T YOU PUT THAT IN YOUR STUPID MESSAGE YOU BOOB

hahaha. anyways. it came down to the last two pages, but that certainly was a reveal worthy of all the hype. to sum: yikes

[vaugarde]

Could you tell me more about Starfall? I really like what I've heard so far, but some more context for the characters/their world or even just a preview of the very beginning of the story, would be really cool to see, anything you want to talk about!

AAA ok ok so starfall honestly is. weird. its a pmd story ofc but its also a dimension travel story in the vein of svtfoe sooo things may be kinda wacky but i can share some things abt the story and the pmd world itself!! the story itself has. quite a bit going on tk the point where i already have a prequel mostly scripted that im waiting until starfall itself is more finished to actually start. adhd storytelling folks.

basically though the Starting Plotline is that this platinum ranked team called team silverwind (Castor, Atlas, and Quinn!) get roped into a job request dealing with wormholes that have been popping up throughout the world and something goes VERY wrong and the team pretty much drops off the face of their world and the multiverse entirely. so, our main trio team starlight- Asha, castor and atlas’s daughter whose spent her entire life traveling through wormholes and is tired and mad about everything, Skylar, an amnesiac impulsive dare devil adventurer who wants answers and to help their new friends, and Valerie, the optimistic happy go lucky newest friend whose never been outside her hometown much less her dimension and just kinda fell into the plot- have all set out to find the lost exploration team, find out what happened, and maybe see if they can fix the wormhole issue themselves while theyre at it!

valerie’s hometown, Serenade Falls, is set on mist continent (aka the gates to infinity continent) and is “the hub world” as you will... its kiiinda like a vacation place ironically so like there are a ton of attractions and places to relax and Just Have Fun. theres only one official rescue team placed there (as anyone there knows anyways ;) ) because its so safe. as of right now anyways. hint. in fact skylar chose to stay there after meeting valerie bc “asha we are way too young for constant anxiety and stress we need a decent rest stop now”. so yeah thats the town where our main gang rests and plans things in. the first arc basically is them going into the wormholes, searching for these people, getting into some plot relevant shenanigans, and mayybe getting some hints about their lives that make them question their own selves and the universe but perhaps. ;)

there is also stuff going on in the pmd world as well ofc tho!! bc im assuming people read pmd stuff to see more abt the pmd world. the events of the games are referenced, some more relevant than others (one main driving point of the story actually is caused by gti, but uh spoilers for that game so i wont say 😔) but starfall takes place yeeeaaars after psmd, id say five generations or so after that game. idk if people will care for it but the main things dealt with in the pmd world itself will be emotional stuff. some exploring and conflicts there, of course! but the majority it will deal with is character stuff.

i cant give an official preview or anything yet but i can give a brief thing of what the opening will be like! the prologue will basically show team silverwind’s apparent demise, with atlas handing baby asha to castor and he escapes with them and goes on for a while as she ages before he eventually vanishes too. (or i could cut that and just show the scene of him vanishing... still pondering What Works with the prologue 😔) and chapter 1 is basically about how valerie meets skylar and asha! basically she falls into a wormhole and they help her out of trouble! dont mind spoilers like that bc. its chapter 1. but yeah! its gonna be fun, more fun than it sounds! (besides the prologue thats just gonna be sad sorry)

i could go on about the characters but i feel ive made the post too long as is but THANK YOU i love talking about starfall ty!! im sorry if this was kinda incoherent bc my brain is kinda rushing rn it was more rambly but i hope it answered some questions at least!!