#unless that means the thing in the tunnels was also a near miss?

[brionysea]

here's another example of mike breaking the pattern by being the first one to do it

bonus foreshadowing:

[scratchyemporium]

i've got some monsoon body-based and mindset-based headcanons that i've gathered from both wiki articles and images across the web (i'm not forcing you to believe them!! i am not an expert on anything that i talk about here but it's what i've gathered from personal observation. i also have not gotten to his boss fight yet so i might be entirely wrong on things!!):

1. his hair is fake. it's reconstructed onto his body with some sort of stringy wire. human hair cannot be that naturally white in that amount of hair unless bleached or colored. considering he's in his late 50s/early 60s (he grew up during the khmer rouge crisis in cambodia [according to fandom wiki {which was around 1975-79}]), there's no way he can keep that amount of hair in that clean of a state naturally (there at least has to be some gray hairs and/or his original hair color at the ends of the hair [idk i'm not a hair expert]). the most it can be is a wig, but his hair is definitely fake (wig/wires somewhat explains the stringiness/solidity of his hair).

2. he can't see well without his visor (a duh moment). i believe that he can still see without his visor, but the shootout he had with a gang back in cambodia had damaged his eyes significantly. his iconic "snail eyes" can only help him see objects close up, since a vision like that would likely be some sort of tunnel vision (think of looking out of some binoculars). when he puts on his visor, he also has to be careful as to not damage any links between the visor and the snail eyes so he can see correctly, as i believe that the visor connects with his snail eyes to provide a better view of what he sees, helping him be both far-sighted and near-sighted at once. i also believe that what he sees is covered in a tint of red due to his visor color.

3. splitting apart into different parts is hard to control and he only can stabilize his body if his body parts are close to each other and are obviously in the right position. we all know monsoon's iconic entry. he descends from the ceiling/roof and reconstructs himself when he gracefully lands on his feet at the bottom (gathered from a gif [pronounced geh-if]; again, i haven't gotten to his boss fight yet [this might've actually been in the jetstream sam dlc]). i did notice how his body pieces shake in the air almost uncontrollably until his head gets close to the pieces, to when they snap together almost immediately. magnetism is hard to control, and his visor is the only thing that can control them (confirmed: in the boss fight, the head is the weakness; when striking the generator [the cylindrical piece in his visor that pops out sometimes], he loses all control of his body and is vulnerable to effective attacks). the further the body parts are from the body, the more unstable it becomes, and he eventually either loses control of the piece that is far enough away or his body falls apart altogether. this is why when he's dodging raiden's (alt: jack the ripper's) attacks, his body snaps together instantly once the blade misses.

4. his body can possibly get overheated due to speed and efficiency he has. all electrical machines produce heat. heat is a common product of energy use (electric energy -> heat energy), but sometimes it's not wanted since it can lead to problems like short-circuiting and burning of the inside components of the electrical machine (example [and science experiment!]: try charging your phone with one of those small charger blocks. after a while, touch it. it should feel warm to the touch. that means that it's working faster and more efficiently to charge your phone that demands a faster charge [i'm not that smart with how a charging block works but it does a few things to make it feel like lava]). this can possibly apply to monsoon in a certain scenario, like a very tough fight, many agonizing chores, or a murder spree. if left alone for a long time as he speeds through and slices through enemies with maximum efficiently, his body would start to overheat and eventually shut down. he would suffer heavy consequences from his body shutting down, like the obvious paralyzation but also the inability to move as quickly and efficiently as how he used to, even after he regains his body control. he also wouldn't be able to split apart as freely as before too, since his electromagnetism abilities would be shot and would need to be repaired.

5. if he had the possible ability to bleed, his body fluids would be some sort of purplish byproduct of his electromagnetism process, while his head would just bleed normal blood. this is just all heavy speculation and just a wild theory here. refer back to the gif that i used to explain half of headcanon three. see that purplish wisp-like aura around monsoon? i believe that's a byproduct of the electromagnetism, and if he bled, it would be the same type of byproduct, but more condensed (similar to jet fuel or oil; a slick substance that is hard to get rid of [think of the sticky balls from the incredibles but more melty]). i feel that the byproduct could give a small shock, but would be stronger the more it condenses due to the electric current going through it. his head, however, is a different story. it would just bleed normal blood if sliced into. most people believe that he still has his brain, or at least a part of it, and i don't believe brains can function in sticky oil/tar byproducts of a funky electric process. that's why he would bleed normal blood. there would be a barrier between his body and his head to stop the two fluids from mixing inside the body i believe. circulation and other bodily functions would be out of the photo, as i don't know how he even functions without organs.

6. monsoon chose to be built like what he is now to avoid what happened in the past. there's no way he looked even remotely like that when he died. there was absolutely no way he was two meters tall (for the imperial system fellows; six feet, eight inches) when he died. he chose that body. to be honest, everybody would choose a body like that, including myself, but i feel like he chose that body for a reason. he chose the that body with the ability to split apart with electromagnetism because he secretly fears that he'd die in a shootout again, or something similar to that. he does eventually die by decapitation, which doesn't help him. "what do you mean he fears death??" you might be asking. well, there is an easter egg in monsoon's boss fight where if you act very aggressively, he screams "stop! stop it!!". this shows that he's very well aware that this is his last chance at living and he doesn't want to die to someone who "lost their mind", as monsoon would've put it when talking about raiden (jack the ripper). this just makes monsoon's death more depressing...

7. biased one: even though monsoon has some sort of "humanity" left in him, there's no real way for saving him from his fate. i feel that there's no way to "fix" monsoon, like others (including me) have. to be honest, starting out during the khmer rouge crisis in cambodia solidified his hatred towards people, and the human race in general (quote [well, not really]: he says that humans are diseased [according to the metal gear fandom wiki]). he doesn't see nature as good or evil, but rather just a player in the course of life. his speech of memes (both ironic and iconic) explain his beliefs and how he felt about everything. he has no hope in humanity left, and it shows through his actions and through his words. it even is present in "stains of time", his theme song. he is destined to be sadistic, malicious, absolutely heartless, and so much more, and being killed by jack the ripper is the only way to stop him (even though they used his body later to fight raiden again). hell, his sais are named "dystopia". what more is there to add?

so that's all my headcanons! please tell me which person i should do next through either comments or reblogs! i really liked doing this!

[eristic-kaleidoscope]

A Fiery RecommENDation | E.N.D. | Trial 3-3 | RE: Letters, Rocks, Gloves | ATTN: Adrik, Erik A, Eureka

"Would you two cut out the 'waa I'm silly' followed by flirty telling each other off bullshit??? For five fucking minutes? Two people have died, you assholes. Is now really the time?"

END just stares at Adrik and Azr for a few moments after that snapped response, a deep frown on her features. It's at least more so directed at Erik and Adrik, but she's clearly not happy with either of them.

Still, it's not as bad as it could've been--thanks once again, to Erik A. Whether he meant it just to try and keep the peace, or he genuinely didn't enjoy the thoughts of people also coming for Ae-ra like this, his words act as a balm against her rising anger. It's not enough to soothe it, nowhere near close, but it's at least enough of a lifeline to hold onto to keep herself from exploding at the moment.

"Any fucking way, to address Adrik's question of why people might have been there early..... Well, I don't have an answer to that, but I will point out-- The discarded letters in the petting zoo said to meet at 6:00, not 5:30. I have no idea why the time would have been arbitrarily changed, but it's worth noting. Maybe it was just so that the rain could be avoided, but the point is--the timeline was already being altered at least once.

Speaking of, something else I keep circling back to-- Why was there a letter stuffed into Ae-ra's mattress in the first place? It'd be one thing if that was the only other copy of the letter, but since all the other copies were tossed in the petting zoo or in Erika Chen's pocket, why was that one left behind? If it was tossed aside, I'd understand it just being forgotten about and missed, but it was hidden away between the mattress and bedframe, deliberately. I can't imagine forgetting about that if you were planning to assault someone--and why not keep the other copies together, anyway?"

She frowns more as people outright accuse Ae-ra of murdering Erika Chen. She knows it's the first result people would come to, and it sucks, as Erik A said. She's at least not tearing into them about it, even if she wants to.

"So, two things-- do we know for sure that the gloves were grabbed today? Because unless I'm misremembering something--which I could be, sorry if being upset makes me miss it--Only Byrne and Erika C were seen in the storage room, yeah? So if they were grabbed today, it was either of them, or someone managing to dodge all of us--which, granted, is totally possible since we don't know who else went to the fountain room either. But I'm guessing that either the killer already had the gardening gloves and didn't have to go to the storage room, or else it was Erika Chen who had the gloves in the first place. Thinking of it--isn't it entirely possible that it was Chen who made the poison in the first place? She openly knew more about poisons and injections than the rest of us, and I don't think it would've been hard for her to figure out the hemlock thing. 

Also, as much as I hate to admit it, Arakiel makes a good point--There were only two rafts used, and both Ae-ra and Chen were dry. Which means our third person had to have swam out there. The water on the ground could've easily been dripping off of them from swimming, not the rain, which throws off our whole idea of when the third person was there. Obviously, they would've had to have been there around the same time frame we set, but it means that someone besides Ae-ra could've been there to assault Chen as well."

It's a bit of a reach, and she knows it, but she also doesn't want Ae-ra killing Chen to be the only choice. She gives a sidelong glance to Erik A. No tunnel vision, huh?

"At the moment, I think Adrik, Eureka, KOKONE, Erika L, and Erisu are the ones that are the least cleared. I also want to bring up--I found a rock at the base of one of the closets in Erik, Erik A, and Adrik's room. I didn't have time to run back and double check if it matched the one in the pool and thus the ones in the greenhouse, but if one of you have an explanation for that, I'd love to hear it. Because otherwise, despite the fact that you'd have to run, Adrik, I can only think about you admitting you went back to your room to change clothes, so if the rock was on your person.....

Also, frankly, I find it hard to believe that you can point out so many flaws in you being who we're looking for and how you'd do something smarter, while also saying you were unable to figure out how a water hose worked.

I also wanna hear from Eureka-- Since she shares a room with Ae-ra, she'd be easily able to plant anything she needed. Even if Eureka doesn't exactly know Korean, we have a translating device, and until recently, we had a laptop that could be used to help look up how things would look when written in Korean. On top of that, aside from the time she was in the Eatery, we have a pretty sizable chunk of missing time from her. Granted, I guess Arakiel would've mentioned if she were sopping wet before she left, but still, she certainly had the time in the greenhouse to make a poison and then come back and kill Ae-ra after leaving the Eatery.

One last thing? Erik A, what had you breathing so weird after you got to the petting zoo? I didn't think anything of it without the context of a recent murder, but with it I'd like to know why--Even if you weren't involved directly, I wanna know if you knew anything."

[fadebolt]

In this matchup, we're getting two that are also sort of mildly similar, as one's a shelter, while the other is a usually peaceful entry room to a shelter. They're both relatively simple, and… uhh… I don't really have anything else to add into this beginning section, so let's just get into it, and pretend I said something clever here.

So to start, there's MIDSHELTER from Outer Expanse, and I suppose here's where my comments about the region having a bunch of great shelters comes in.

Because while I did talk about how SEXTRA is not that great, but this one, by contrast, is one that absolutely deserves to be here.

And I'd attribute that to its visuals and design, more so than its placement within the region, as that part is honestly sort of just fine. There aren't any shelters in the near vicinity, so it can extremely useful, but it also placed into a part of RUIN14, where it could easily be missed, unless your exploration is thorough, or you've been checking the map.

And while I do genuinely like RUIN14, I'm not sure if it works as a room that a shelter immediately leads the player to (I would have liked to see a smaller, and more calm/peaceful room, that could be placed between RUIN14 and MIDSHELTER, as a way to connect them).

But was this place looks more than makes up for all of that, cus oh boy, this thing has some wonderful vibes!

The main thing I like about it is how the background is sort of intertwined with the actual shelter. Because when you look at another shelter with a background, like S06 or EXSHELTER, what you'll see is that the shelter and the background are very clearly separated, and can be perceived as two different entities, essentially. Meaning that you could easily remove the background, replace it with the usual metal wall, and nothing would realistically change.

You cannot do that here, however. The layout of this shelter simply would not work without the presence of the background elements. And that really is special, because it's not something that this game has ever done in any of its other shelters. This is the only one that's designed like that, and I think that's awesome.

Though one issue I have is that it does this annoying thing, where it puts down extremely tight tunnels with absolutely 0 visual clarity, which is something that was unfortunately done in a few more Outer Expanse and Subterranean rooms as well. But since this is a shelter, I can mostly forgive it for that.

But what about its competitor? Does the city get to beat the jungle?

Well, splitpath is one I've already rambled about a bunch, and my opinions on it haven't changed one bit - I still love the heck out of it!

Every detail just clicks so well here. The Popcorn Plants, the windows, the shelter placement, the pipe placements… it's all relatively simple, yet it's still so effective!

Of course, it would be nowhere near as great if the three rooms around it wouldn't hit so well.

Shelter_above is a masterpiece in its own right, Lost City starting up as you enter entrancezone for the very first time is unforgettable, and B04 is… sort of tedious, but that just serves to make the rewards feel even greater, and it can absolutely save you if Scavengers decide to throw a surprise party in splitpath.

That very last part is my only gripe with this place, as the kill squads can very much show up here, even though the place is not particularly well suited for Scav combat. Still, you can probably avoid them by just sticking near the top, or cheesing them through B04, so this isn't really a huge deal.

Overall, this is a very difficult choice, as I don't have a particular bias towards either of these. However, I did find splitpath to be slightly more important, and at one point, I've also managed to bump into it during night time in Expedition as Monk, and I do appreciate how the shelter is still very much reachable for someone with Survivor's mobility, and how this place is even prettier when it gets dark. (And fun fact - the game actually plays Train Tunnels when you get here during night. If that track name sounds familiar, it's because that's the one that plays by default in the Expedition menu screen. This is such a cool detail, I just had to mention it) So I'm thinking I'll stick with splitpath, even though this is a very close one for me.

Pick Your Favorite Rain World Room, Day 291.2 R5

There is a hidden slugcat in one of the rooms (they can be in any color). If u can see it comment or reblog with where they are and if u are first, u get a cookie!

Credit for game screenshots goes to: Rain World Interactive Map, Rain World Wiki and me

Congratulations for day 290 winners!

[reversemoon255]

(This is the second of a three-part series chronicling the story, concepts, and original Pokémon that appeared in a Dungeons and Dragons campaign I worked on for several months. This entry will be more focused on a lot of my original designs and how their encounters would play out, rather than concrete story. Also, much of the art was done by @extyrannomon on Twitter, and I suggest you check them out.)

Dungeons ‘n’ Dragonites - Phase 2: Ultra City

The Queen Durant would prove to be a difficult foe, able to use all manner of elemental attacks to strike from a distance to compensate for her low speed. Furthermore, she would have full command of the Duranthill, using her followers to guard herself. As the battle rages, the team slowly begin to evolve, and their newfound strength and Types, along with the aid of the Princess, would have them see victory.

I was unsure as to the ultimate fate of the Queen. Either having it disappear into the tunnels alone, or be sucked into another Ultra Wormhole like the Poipole. And with the Queen vanquished, the Princess would choose to become partner to whoever she felt most worthy (a combination of good role playing and damage dealt).

I designed every Pokémon in this campaign under the pretense that it could actually exist. The Queen and Princess fall under the category of “Rare Variants.” There’s only one queen in a colony of thousands of ants, so it makes sense for it to be rarely seen. They’re still Bug/Steel, but special attackers, with the three spheres on each of their abdomens made to mimic the pattern of Tri-Attack, symbolizing their ability to use those Types.

As for the Starter evos, Flymph has evolved into Epipesis, gained the Electric-Type, and become a full Dragonfly. Calfyre into Steared, staying mono-Fire, but growing considerably (4 feet at the shoulder, the largest mid-stage Starter). Squisque into Knaval who’s now Rock, because he’s a rock lobster! And Utaw into Uteteo who may still be pure Fairy, but has gained some gold adornments.

=====

My working title for this campaign was “Ultra City.” Hinted at by the appearance of the Poipole early in the game, my intentions would come into full swing during this portion, with boss encounters against many of the known and some unknown Ultra Beasts. I had a few encounters planned, from a pickpocket Pheramosa that they’d fight in a mall store room full of mannequins, to a Blacephalon that had kidnapped several children, hypnotized them, and had them watching his performances, to a beach episode where there’s just a Buzzwole hanging out and not causing trouble.

Things would take a twist when a Guzzlord would take over the abandoned district, raining destruction down from its highest building. The crew would have to climb a multi-floor dungeon in order to battle it, many scared and aggravated Pokémon blocking their paths. After reaching the top however, after initiative had been rolled, a mysterious Pokémon would descend from the sky, felling Guzzlord in a single strike...

Majra, the Dragoon Pokémon (a slurred portmanteau of Magic and Dragon). A Dragon hunter with a unique ability, “Hunter of Evil,” that removes all its resistances but makes it immune to Dragon, Dark, and Ghost. This Pokémon came about as I was trying to create a dramatic encounter that would interrupt an expected one. As I was thumbing through DnD and fantasy ideas, the idea of a Dragoon who furiously hunts Dragon-Types came to mind. Ice/Fairy seemed the perfect combination, and the sentient suit of ice armor fell into place soon after. As Pokémon don’t typically hold weapons, I made him part scorpion, having him hold his tail as a workaround, and also informed how his extremities would look. The Haxorus skull buckler also helped drive the Dragon hunter aspect home.

Ultra Beasts were the second category of original Pokémon in my campaign, and encompass all purely original Pokémon (including the Starters). However, I didn’t want to just haphazardly make a ton (as commissions cost money), so I gave myself the condition that if I made an Ultra Beast it had to play with weaknesses and resistances in a way to trip up experienced players, hence Majra’s ability.

Majra would not attack our players in their first encounter, unless someone was using a Type he hunts. He would be a reoccurring boss character, helping or hindering the players depending on their enemies or allies.

The next unique encounter would have been a tutorial battle against another Rare Variant, a Shiinotic possessed Parasect. Every boss encounter is technically 4-on-1, so I wanted to give a Pokémon a reason to have multiple turns, and fused or symbiotic Pokémon felt like a naturally occurring way to have that happen. I created this Shiinotic as a way to teach the players how these Pokémon work.

As Shiinotic is a bio-luminescent mushroom, I wanted to have Parasect faded in color from its light. I also thought it’d be a nice touch to have Shiinotic’s spindly fingers act as puppet strings to move Parasect’s arms around. It would have been encountered after a swarm of scared Paras started flooding out of the sewers near everyone’s school.

Then would be Fortifiend, who would be encountered a few times as an easily circumventable castle wall in the middle of the street before Majra would eventually attack it, forcing our players to take a side in the battle (with Fortifiend possibly joining them if they help it). His ability would make all attacks not very effective while it had over 50% HP, and the opposite when under 50%. Despite the name, I pictured him being very nice, and giggle whenever he heard someone compliment his stone structure.

I imagined that the world he came from had naturally occurring stone structures similar to him, and his folded castle form was a sort of net to help him catch large prey; partly why he doesn’t attack the smaller people and Pokémon of the game’s dimension (he’s around 30ft tall). He could be encountered anywhere, so he wasn’t a full quest; just a fun “what the heck is this” moment to confuse players.

Also, while it wasn’t purposeful, Fortifiend and Majra both also matched the DnD aesthetic. That definitely helped them stand out as some of my favorites, and Fortifiend barely missed the final pass for the last round of commissions.

Then was the twin encounter of Feyerre, a Fire-Type igloo and snowmobile Pokémon, and Eyescse, an Ice-Type pyramid and four-wheeler Pokémon (probably the most Ultra Beast-esque concepts I came up with). They would be messing with the weather across the city, causing disturbances until the players eventually found one of them, in when the other would appear. Their ability would flip their weaknesses and resistances, and they would have an attack that could do the same to a target. And fun fact: there’s meaning to the color and number of their eyes! Feyerre’s are F.I.R.E (Fire=Red, Ice=L.Blue, Rock=Brown, Electric=Yellow), and Eyescse’s are I.C.E (Ice=L.Blue, Sea=D.Blue, Electric=Yellow).

But their defeat would incur the wrath of a mysterious Pokémon they had encountered a few times:

“As you turn around, you see a grey Charizard standing there. It stares at you for a moment, wide-eyed and unblinking. Then it begins to open its mouth, wide, wider, and wider still, stretching beyond what should be possible. Then a hand reaches out of it...

“Suddenly you’re falling. The lights and sounds of countless unknown worlds whir past you incomprehensibly as you plummet through time and space. You try to close your eyes to shut out the flurry of stimuli, but it’s impossible to drown out as your minds begin to feel the strain of the void. Then, after what feels like hours, time seems to stand still as the heavy rain of an unknown world hits your face. For a brief moment you are able to take in the desert that surrounds you before a flash of lightning illuminates the sky, revealing a titanic silhouette looming above you before you are once again thrown into darkness. And as you come to outside the warehouse (where you encountered Feyerre and Eyescse), in the distance, you hear what sounds like laughing.

“Fofofofofo...”

The final original encounter I had planned for Stage 2 was Meadew. It would have been wandering the city, spawning grasses and flowers wherever it went. However, while beautiful, the sudden growth would be causing havoc and destruction to all the buildings and vehicles it could root into.

Unlike the other Ultra Beasts, Meadew’s ability didn’t affect its weaknesses, but instead created Substitutes since I wanted a way for it to form its own adds (the concept behind its inception). However, it wasn’t without a Type gimmick; rather than an ability it has a signature status move called “Radiance” that raises its attack and special, as well as give it the Fire-Type, making it Grass/Water/Fire (the 3 Starter Types). It would invoke this after its adds were defeated, but could be talked down through diplomacy, unlike some of the other encounters.

=====

I’ve mentioned Rare Variants and Ultra Beasts, but there was a third Type of original Pokémon that could appear: Mutant Evolutions. Essentially, evolutions like Probopass or Leafeon where being in an energy charged area or coming into contact with a huge ore deposit (what I interpreted the Mossy and Icy Rocks as, since they became Leaf and Ice Stones in later Gens) could force an unusual evolution in a Pokémon already shown to be susceptible to unique evolutionary conditions. Due to a future encounter, I already knew there would be large Metal Coat and Ice Stone Ore deposits in the mountains to the north, so I wanted to do some test prototyping using each of those items, whether I used those evolutions or not.

Poliwhirl is already shown to be capable of multiple evolutions, all of which use items, so I thought having it come into contact with a massive amount of Ice Stone Ore (since it should be chemically similar to Water Stones) could force a Mutant Evolution. This is Policuti, from the Latin Cutis meaning skin, and Poli-Cutis would mean “multiple skins,” as it wears the shed skin of preevolution. And being freshly shed is why its skin lacks pigment. It’s just a cute little frog in a raincoat! Also, the swirl on its jaw is actually its tongue.

Since Magneton evolves into Magnezone through being electrically charged, I thought about how it might evolve if charged with Steel energy. I imagined it being magnetically attracted to the Metal Coat Ore, fiercely trying to pull itself away, being stretched and elongated in the process, resulting in the bullet train Pokémon Magneline. The Mutant Evolutions weren’t supposed to be anything important to the story or that they’d run into in the wild. They were more so surprises to excite the players who would be expecting something, well, expected. I had considered doing at least one for each player if they caught a compatible Pokémon, but as no teams were filled out, I was merely left with my prototypes. The only reason I had these two commissioned was because I was very happy with their designs.

=====

As we reach the end of Stage 2, the reoccurring group of rowdy Onix would return once more. Following them deep into their tunnels, our heroes would come across a massive chamber with a giant metal stalagmite and frozen stalactite in the center of it. The Onix would then appear, twisting around them, forcing their evolutions. One into Steelix, and the other into Glacix...

[beyondthetemples-ooc]

OC-tober Day 2: Glass

OC-tober prompts put together by @oc-growth-and-development​! I have to ramble in meta instead of write, because my brain is Mush lately. (I know I’m behind but I have a lot pre-written, I just need to put it into coherent words!)

This one especially can be rambled about at length, because the most important “glass” object in my stories is one I greatly enjoy exploring: Dove’s mindscape mirror!

^ I drew it forever ago; here’s the deviantArt link if you’d like to see the big version! 

https://www.deviantart.com/ravenshiddensoul/art/Dove-s-Keepsakes-Mirror-and-Box-284227087

It’s largely modeled after a bird stretching its wings upwards, with a handle like a tail and certain details are inlaid with Azarathean gold to better channel its magics.

Now, this is where the rambling begins: The mirror’s backstory, and I’ll be exploring one of my favorite things to develop in all of my stories: Dove’s mindscape!

Dove's mirror isn't one of her most prized possessions, nor super incredibly sentimental, but it IS an object touched with her mother's magic, it has flourishes of Azarathean gold (some of the last pieces to exist), and it's useful for introspection and self-soothing, so it does have some value and importance.

Dove struggled with meditating quite a lot as a child, and there was only so much her mother could do to help. Meditation was pretty important to them as both a means of helping Dove control her powers, and as a staple of Azarathean spirituality. As she so often did, Alerina poked around and asked enough questions around the temple that she was told about Raven's mirror, and she decided to replicate it for Dove. She custom ordered a gold-lined wooden hand mirror, and then cast the spells to connect it to Dove's inner world herself. It took a few tries (it's much harder to connect something to someone else's mind than your own, after all), but she was nothing if not determined to help her daughter, and eventually figured it out.

As for its main purpose: Self-reflection! (If you'll pardon the pun.) Dove uses it to meditate, but where Raven uses hers for centering and compartmentalization, Dove uses it more as a blend of escapism and a focusing aid.

Much like Raven's, Dove's mirror acts as a portal to the depths of her mind, and this is where it gets fun!

The vortex that transports the users is usually white and gold, imbued with the same energies that give Dove her powers, at least on her mother's side. It's noticeably touched with black and red in DDD. (Dove's evil side starts taking over her mind, and thus its energies manifest through the mindscape, and Dove's portal into it, hence: black and red energies instead.) It tends to open up like a light tunnel and almost opens the mental world around the user, rather than dragging them in.

Once inside, one can't expect to navigate the same way as Beast Boy and Cyborg did in "Nevermore". Every mind is different, after all! We saw Raven's mindscape divided nearly into emotional sections with a neutral space between them, and the way through each area was preset and linear. While different parts of Dove's internal world manifest in different "areas", they're not so totally divided and separate, and there's no real "neutral" zone except at the very "center". The scenery changes, but it's more of a gradual transition, and though Dove employs thresholds to mark key areas, they're very much just visual aids.

Dove's mindscape is laid out more like a series of rooms and courtyards in a very (very, very, very) large mansion. The ground is generally of crystal, spires and columns decorate the scenery, and the thresholds are modeled after birds with their wings outspread. (While this seems like a play on Dove's namesake, it's actually based on Azarath's architecture, particularly that of George Perez's Azarath in the 1980's New Teen Titans comics.)

Dove's sky shows various stars and often casts moonlight from an uncertain source, particularly when she's introspecting. The ambient temperature varies amongst the locations, chilly in the regions ruled by fear and sadness, uncomfortably warm near her demon's domain, and comfortable and breezy where her peace and contentment reside.

One could easily get lost in her mindscape if they don't know where they're going. The place can shift and change on a whim.

Where Dove spends her time building that peace and contentment, it's very closely modeled after her mother's memories of Azarath (which is where she learned how to find peace, after all): there's marble and gold everywhere, and the stars twinkle with dozens of colors in the sky.

Where Dove retreats when there are feelings of timidity, her excruciating shyness, her grief and doubt, the world becomes shrouded in thick fog. Broken buildings and pale light litter the grounds.

Where she built her love for reading, for history, for creativity and study and learning, it's arranged as rooms with dark marbled tile and a carpeted path, the floor for dozens of feet on either side littered with piles of books.

Dove's inner happy place is an open field on gently rolling hills, where thoughts take the form of birds and somehow the sky holds both the stars and suns. One might find trees, flowers, abstract forms of cottages, and forts loaded with mugs and cozy cushions. If you wander far enough you'll find very tall stone walls surrounding it, because Dove's mind is such that her happiness is one of the few things she really truly believes she needs to protect from the rest of herself.

And then there are the aspects of herself that she shoves the deepest down, secreted far away from the surface: the anger, the hunger for power, the mean streak. (Yes, believe it or not, Dove does have a mean streak! You just have to work especially hard to bring it out. Or trigger her in just the right ways around sadism, violence, war, or death. It's very much Not Recommended; bringing too much of that mean streak out could mean Dove loses control of her powers, or worse: her demonic aspects.)

Those secret forces aren't so much located in one particular space of her mind as they're hidden in every dark corner, coursing through the underside of all the ground, a tantalizing power running through every part of her, only ever set free enough to use the dangerous powers to her own ends.

Her places for Fear and Curiosity in particular will be explored in the upcoming Missing: Raven rewrite. (As they're the strongest things Dove is feeling in that story, that's going to be what Beast Boy and Cyborg encounter.) I also explored the way these things manifest in DDD, and in that same story Dove will focus on rebuilding Peace in the final chapter.

I can't talk about Dove's mindscape without mentioning the "emoticlones". These fun little guys are called by the fanon term given to Raven's "emotion clones", the separate parts of her that express a specific set of traits based on particular aspects of her personality. I had so much fun playing with their voices and thoughts in Dove's head during DDD, you have no freaking idea! I also copied the concept of them having Colored Cloaks from Teen Titans canon, because honestly it's a quick and easy way to identify them, and the fandom's familiar with this system through Raven.

Which colors mean what was more inspired by details from a really old, now-defunct website called Cartoon Orbit that had separate "online trading cards" for each of Raven's emoticlones! On that site, Raven's were labeled as such, and this is what I based Dove's system on, loosely: - Pink: "Raven Happy" - Red: "Raven Rage" - Orange: "Raven Rude" - Yellow: "Raven Smart" - Green: "Raven Brave" - Brown: "Raven Fear" (I'm pretty sure there was a purple one, but I don't recall what it was called. "Love" maybe? That might be from fanon; this site was running like 15 years ago, and I was like 10 years old, so I hardly thought to pay Super Special Attention to it...)

But I digress. The point is, I adapted that system for the key aspects of Dove's unique personality, and came to understand them as follows:

- Pink: Joy, relief, coziness - Red: Cruelty, impulsivity, anger - Orange: Apathy, indifference, disregard - Yellow: Curiosity, study, intrigue - Green: Courage, determination, activity - Blue: Contentedness, pacifism, spirituality - Purple: Compassion, friendship, romanticism - Gray: Sadness, grief, longing. - Brown: Fear, fear, fear!

But for Dove's mind in particular, it's not only HER experiences and personality that form the world! She's a telepath, and though she holds others' privacy in very, very high regard and tries never to read someone's mind without their permission, her sense of receptive telepathy is ever-present. Echoes, lights, shadows, reflections of others' memories and thoughts might affect the very edges of her mind. It's a constant sense, but it only ever causes very ephemeral changes unless something deeply affects her.

Her mindscape also grows and changes as Dove grows and changes, experiences life, learns to cope, and changes how she handles her own emotions.

Most notably, the internal struggle in DDD tore her mind apart. Initially it was due to a breakdown of certainty and confidence, hastened by guilt and grief, but it soon became a deliberate tactic to wage war on the parts of Dove's mind that were trying to resist the evil; eventually her inner demon began intentionally breaking/corrupting everything it could touch.

By chapter 20, that evil is the only strong and stable thing in Dove's mind. Raven's attack to remove the evil in her took away that stability, and strength, and thus took away what was essentially the last support holding Dove's mind together. As it says in the story: "everything collapsed". Dove's mindscape was utterly destroyed, and only the most basic aspects of her remained.

For awhile, that left Dove unable to remember things clearly, or feel emotions without great pain. Rebuilding it to the point where she was able to talk and feel Mostly Normally again took months of meditation.

When Dove is kidnapped and Leyla has distressing dreams about her mother, she, Srentha, and Raven use the mirror to check on Dove by accessing her mindscape. With her powers stripped away, surrounded by people who mock her, and certain Fauni rituals sickening Dove to her soul, naturally her mind is very different: shadowy forms flitted at the edges of vision, the ground wavered, her discomfort was thick in the air and the constant fear made everything so, so cold. "Shadows" of others' thoughts flashed in and out of existence, and Dove's desperation manifests as fleeting voices on the wind. It's uncomfortable to be in her mind while she's so distressed.

It's also worth mentioning that her mindscape changes again, essentially "growing" the part of her that belongs to Love when she finally lets herself love Srentha, and it expands again when Leyla's born and Dove once more finds depths of love she didn't know she could carry.

[skimblyshanks]

💖cardimi!

Cardimi my beloveds 🥺

SEND ME ♡ + A SHIP AND I’LL TELL YOU…

Who is the most affectionate?

Neither are super affectionate, and definitely not in public, but I'd say they're about equal in how far they both like to go and for how long. Carbucketty will initiate it more often, though.

Who initiates the handholding?

Carbucketty; it's a great way to defuse situations, actually.

Who worries more for the other?

Neither of them usually worry that much; both of them are capable of defending themselves, and so is Gilbert. That said, Carbucketty probably worries more for Demeter? She can be blunt to a fault, and he worries about her making the wrong enemies.

Who is more likely to ask for help?

When it comes to small, everyday things like directions, or assistance with tasks, it's Carbucketty all the way. Demeter would rather die than ask for help doing simple things.

When it comes to the bigger, deeper, more-often-than-not emotional stuff though? I think that'd be Demeter. I mean, her mom is Jennyanydots*; being open about when you need help with those kind of problems is almost bound to end up seeming easier to do than ask for help while cleaning.

Who is the one always losing the keys?

Demeter, but she will never admit this. Don't even try to get it out of her, you will fail. This is why Carbucketty holds onto the original set, and gives her duplicates as they're needed.

Who leaves little love notes for the other?

Carbucketty leaves little notes, but Demeter leaves little trinkets/knocks out a small thing or two that was on Carbucketty's to-do list.

Demeter feels that love is genuin when it's communicated outright in words. Carbucketty usually communicates through actions.

Carbucketty feels most loved when working as a team with someone. Demeter prefers working on most things by herself and leaving others to their own desires and tasks.

So they both find ways to let each other know they care in compromises between their main love languages.

Who can’t sleep unless the other is there?

Neither of them can sleep apart, I don't think. They've been together long enough, as friends and as mates, that it's p much impossible for them to feel right sleeping without that second body there.

When Gilbert was born, this light-sleeping came in handy because his absence was also one that immediately set off discomfort. As he's gotten older, he's slept by himself more often, and that "missing piece" sensation has weakened when it's just Deme and Bucky, tho the "Puzzle complete" warmth is just as strong whenever Gilbert does join his parents.

Who is more likely to propose to the other?

I'm caught between "It was Demeter" and "The proposal aspect wasn't a super huge deal for either of them" so I will go with:

Demeter came home with the various needed paperwork and said "We've been together long enough"

Who introduced the other to their family first?

Oh it was Demeter. Again, her mom is Jennyanydots*, and that mama is not going to wait to meet her kids' partners until after they're married.

Who is more likely to play with the other’s hair?

Demeter absentmindedly grooms Carbucketty for sure; it's a force of habit after living with Jerrie* and his messy messy fur.

Who makes sure the other has meals/stays hydrated?

Demeter again alsiuhf

Carbucketty and Gilbert can get tunnel-minded while training, so she will go out and drag them both home if they haven't had lunch yet, and she made Bucky set up a regular timer for water breaks.

Who is more likely to stand up to anyone for the other?

Neither of them is going to stand for disrespect towards their mate, no matter who it is doing the disrespecting. That said, Demeter has a much lower tolerance for attitude, and will lash out, though most of her punch is in her words and tone. It takes some serious, persistent insulting to really get Carbucketty worked up, but when he breaks, he gets physical.

Who is the most likely to prepare a surprise for the other?

Carbucketty! Demeter is very good at sniffing out his plans before he can execute them fully, and he loves the challenge of possibly getting to one day actually surprise her.

Who makes the other pinky promise not to do certain things?

Carbucketty. He also does it with Gilbert. Gilbert keeps far, far more of his pinky promises.

Who puts a blanket over the other when they fall asleep on the couch?

Gilbert. If one of Cardimi is asleep on the couch, both of Cardimi are asleep on the couch.

*- my family hc for Demeter. Definitely not anywhere near canon

[theworldbrewery]

manual monday!

here at The World Brewery, we finally got our hands on that most basic of tools, the Player’s Handbook.

as a consequence, today I’m unpacking an oft-overlooked section of the PHB: “The Environment,” spanning pages 183-185 for those following along at home.

this section is professed as rules covering “the most important ways in which adventurers interact with the environment” in dungeons and dangerous places. so, naturally, it begins with the rules on Falling.

Falling

Unless your PCs can fly, falling can be a deeply dangerous thing. the rulebook mainly states that a creature takes 1d6 bludgeoning damage per 10 feet fallen, to a max of 20d6 (read: after 200ft, you’re probably screwed no matter the change in distance). For context, falling 200ft will deal an average of 70 damage. For a low-level PC, that’s instant death; for a mid-level PC, it’s instant unconsciousness, but not necessarily insta-kill. Crucially, you also land prone, which means in battle, a hostile creature can attack (in melee) with advantage.

But most falls are not, in fact, 200ft. More often, a fall is 10, maybe 20--the depth of a pit trap, or a few stories if the party is in a cave system and goes down a vertical tunnel unexpectedly.

It does not, however, discuss how to handle rolling for these things. In the case of pit traps, the DMG does have handy guides on perceiving traps, but notably does not require a saving throw to evade falling. As far as the DMG is concerned, if you miss the signs of an imminent fall, you can’t avoid it. 

However, many DMs house-rule in a Dex save, either to avoid falling altogether, or to reduce the overall damage. In that case, I recommend Dex checks when a character is trying to maneuver around a trap or chasm, and Dex saves to potentially halve the damage of a fall by bracing for impact.

Suffocating

Every PC can hold its breath for 30 seconds, regardless of how bad their Con modifier is. The PHB does not specify whether or not a creature has to make some kind of check if they start suffocating suddenly, so as a general rule, I would go with no. That is, if a character is surprised in combat and the enemy holds a bag over their head, they still get their usual held-breath amount before they start suffocating. Use suffocation judiciously--it’s less a combat mechanic and more a feature of underwater passages, areas filled with natural gas, or other terrain effects.

When you run out of air, you do get at least 1 round before you drop to 0 HP and are dying. This has everything that comes with it, including Death Saves, falling prone, and all the rules of the unconscious condition.

Vision and Light

Vision is hotly contested, frequently brought up, and oft-misused. According to the PHB, we can divide light into 3 categories: Bright light, Dim light, and Darkness. In bright light, most creatures have normal vision; overcast skies, torches, and lanterns generally provide bright light. Dim light refers to twilight or dawn hours or the area around an area of bright light. Darkness is present at night, even when the moon is out, in unlit areas, or in magical darkness.

The rules of light intersect with the rules of obscured areas. Lightly obscured areas can be caused by dim light as well as weather effects like fog, or terrain effects like some foliage. In a lightly obscured area, creatures have disadvantage on perception checks--but a reminder that creatures with Darkvision are able to see normally when the obscured area is caused by dim light. Similarly, heavily obscured areas include darkness and more opaque versions of other obstructions (fog, foliage)--so again, creatures with Darkvision are not affected by the rules of heavily obscured areas when it comes to darkness. And that’s a good thing, too--because creatures are effectively blinded when trying to see a heavily obscured area.

Blindsight similarly is not affected by these rules of light and obscurity, nor are creatures with Truesight.

Food and Water

I’ll be honest, I don’t know any DMs who care about tracking food and water--largely because PCs can afford to stock up well on rations. However, there are moments when it can be useful: say the water supply was poisoned by an enemy, and the party is trying to survive without it. In the wilderness, they may need to find a water source before starting to accrue exhaustion-- which makes them weaker and weaker. Worse, when it comes to food and water, if you already have a level of exhaustion, going without food or water causes two levels of exhaustion to be added, rather than just one, so the effects are increasingly dire with time. Now, characters can usually ration just fine, but again--if food is eaten by a hungry pack of rats, or spoiled by a regional effect like intense heat, the rations may dwindle and characters could have to spend time dealing with that.

If that sounds intensely boring, no big deal! Either ignore the consequences of food and water entirely, or use them to lead characters to other storylines. For instance, running low on rations might make characters explore an area in search of wild game, and from there they stumble upon a den of Giant Elk...which have made their home near the entrance of a mysterious ruin. Seeking water might be dull until the local water source is being contaminated by evil magic, and the party has to find a solution or die of dehydration. Not to be overused, but these are certainly options to incorporate these rules.

Interacting with Objects

Most objects are up to the DM’s discretion--requiring a Strength check to move a rusted lever, for instance--but there are more guidelines when it comes to breaking objects: objects are immune to poison and psychic damage, but they can be attacked. The DM sets an object’s AC and hit points, and adds in any other caveats for damaging an object. When it comes to saving throws, they are immune to all saves except Strength and Dexterity, which they automatically fail. Objects break when they reach 0HP. Strength checks can also be used to break an object outright, using the DM’s DC.

In house-rule terms, a DM might also decide to add a check of Intelligence or Wisdom for a character to determine how to use an unfamiliar object. I would use something like that sparingly, though, since most objects are fairly intuitive and you don’t want to accidentally give a PC the power to use an item when it would normally require proficiency to use. In my own game, such rolls apply for properly using tools that a character lacks proficiency in, as well as situations where characters are faced with totally unfamiliar or even alien technology.

[entitynumber5]

omg 22 and Jonmartin!!!! If you want to 💖

Thank you so much for the prompt, my friend!! I hope you like it <3 Fun fact: this is the first time I’ve ever written Scottish safehouse(ish) era Jonmartin. It got quite angsty I hope that’s okay!! :))

Content warnings: grief, apocalypse, nightmares, blood, scopophobia.

The curtain is drawn, but it doesn’t matter. Jon sees it all, hears it all, feels it all. Outside, the world as they know it is over. But the Eye’s reign has only just begun.

He can’t remember what he said to Martin, when it happened. The world torn apart, and him in the middle holding the ripped edges. He thinks he laughed. Or perhaps he cried. He thinks his laughter—or his crying, or both—spoke for him. Spoke over Martin’s questions, reassurances, fears.

Martin held him. Martin whispered platitudes and pleas. And Jon laughed at the sky, and the sky blinked in reply. I see you, it said. The world is over. And I am watching. 

Now, Martin keeps to a routine while Jon stays in the same place, attached to the desk in what used to be the study of Daisy’s safehouse. They are like dualistic clock hands: Jon slow and lingering in place while Martin laps him. Martin tries to make tea, chases the thing that was once tea around the thing that was once a cabin, reads the books that were not destroyed or altered by the implosion of reality, opens and closes the cupboards repetitively as if looking for something to eat but never settling on a meal, glances very quickly through the curtains before squeezing his eyes shut, tests the floorboards for creaks that might indicate something lurking beneath, paces, sleeps.

Sleeps restlessly in the bed they used to share. But Jon hasn’t gone near it for the purpose of rest since the change. He sits at the desk and he listens.

In the statement—the twisted, cruel, guilt-suffused statement—Martin stutters about tannins.

In the bed—the soft, lonely, purposeless bed—Martin twists in the throes of a nightmare.

So much has changed. 

It is not only the world that is over. The peace that they found here, shattered. The nights that they managed to make it through without reminders of the past, long gone. Jon cannot see it as anything other than an end, a fixed point from which nothing good can ever grow again. They are stuck in place, static.

Martin sighs Jon’s name in his sleep.

Jon can hear him from the study, the next room over. All of the interior doors are open—or, more accurately, blasted from their frames by the change. And the Eye whispers to him the contents of Martin’s dreams: the fog-filled corridor of a hospital stretching out endlessly, a bloodied corkscrew, the masks upon masks upon masks of the people he had once considered friends—

“Enough,” Jon hisses. The Eye retreats, although not with its tail between its legs; rather, it seems satisfied with its work.

Jon stops the tape just before its true end. It’s a petty form of rebellion, but it’s all he has.

Unless.

Slowly, Jon tests his feet, placing them both flat against the floor. He doesn’t know where his cane is. Beneath the soles of his feet, the floor at least feels solid. It’s not going to tilt beneath his feet or fall away entirely or open like a yellow trap door into a house of—he stands before he can finish the thought, and the rush of dizziness that follows banishes all else in a burst of white and grey across his vision, and a ringing in his ears. He holds on to the desk while he waits for the vertigo to pass.

In the next room, Jon hears a muffled shout, the sound of a kick similarly muted by the thick, padded duvet that seems to have survived the change without turning sinister.

Jon moves before his body is ready, his head still spinning on his shoulders, but he knows the cabin—whatever is left of the cabin—well enough to navigate, dragging his hand along the wall for guidance. It’s not far to the bedroom. By the time he reaches it, the dizziness has receded. He can see Martin clearly for perhaps the first time in—how long has it been now?

Martin is curled on his side, a familiar tenseness sitting on his shoulders even in sleep. His left hand is tucked beneath the crumpled duvet, the other rests next to his face on the pillow, twitching periodically as if trying to form a fist. His frown forms and fades to a similar rhythm, his lips moving with words too faint for Jon to hear, although the Eye tries to make him understand nonetheless.

Jon moves slowly towards the bed, avoiding the debris on the floor that Martin hadn’t been able to clear. The rusty drool of the Not-Tea lingers in the grains of the wooden floorboards, unmoving even through four washes with Daisy’s industrial bleach. Jon tries not to think about it, but an echo of terror chases him into the bed, swinging his legs up and under the part of the duvet that Martin isn’t clutching. It reminds Jon of being a child, of running back to his room in the night after fetching a drink, convinced he was being followed.

In Martin’s dream, he is being chased through a very long tunnel, but the thing that is chasing him is also the tunnel itself, and there is nowhere to hide inside this warped paradox, no sense of direction except I have to get out, I have to get out, I have to—

Jon threads his hand gently through Martin’s hair. It’s already messy with sleep, and the shower hasn’t been working since the change. Oh, god, Jon loves him. So much, in that moment, he feels overwhelmed with it—a pot boiling over on the stove and singing with the victory of its escape. It’s over, yet Martin is here. It’s over, yet Jon still has so much love to share and show and save and savour.

Martin mumbles, his voice strained. The word sounds like an old name, a name he’s grieved, but Jon doesn’t know whether it’s Tim or Sasha or Mum or someone else entirely.

“Martin,” Jon says, trying to draw him from the depths of the dream. 

Martin’s fingers curl and then uncurl, but he doesn’t respond. His frown has deepened. It looks almost permanent now.

“Martin,” Jon repeats, voice still soft but slightly more urgent. 

Martin’s lips press together just before he cries out, the sound muffled and pained. And Jon’s heart shatters, not for the first time, that even in sleep, Martin tries so hard to be quiet.

For a long time—or perhaps it only feels like a long time, this twisted new world doing its best to torture everything within it—all Jon can do is watch as Martin cycles through nightmares. In some, he whimpers and thrashes. Fights against the duvet and Jon’s hands attempting to comfort. In others, he is almost eerily silent. These are the worst, Jon thinks, as he watches Martin’s body tense into an unnatural stillness while his dreams fill with fog. Martin cries sometimes, always quiet, errant tears leaking from his closed eyes. They are like small, crystal drops of ice when Jon brushes them away with his thumb.

Jon thinks he might almost be asleep himself when Martin jolts next to him, emerging from the most recent dream with a sharp inhalation of breath and a half-formed name on his lips.

“Jon,” Martin breathes, “Jon.”

“I’m here.”

It’s testament to the cruelty of the dream that Martin immediately moves closer, wraps his arms around Jon’s body where he’s slumped upright against the headboard. He rests his ear against Jon’s sternum, and Jon can feel the brush of Martin’s nose against the soft flesh of his belly as he nudges even closer. Like this, Jon cannot see Martin’s freckles, hidden by his hair and the way he presses his face into Jon.

Jon wraps his arms around Martin and holds him close. He runs one hand in slow circles across the expanse of Martin’s back, tugs the other gently through Martin’s hair. It’s not rest, not really. But it’s the closest they will get now.

“I dreamt—” Martin chokes. And then Jon can feel the vibration of Martin’s twisted laughter through his ribs. It seems to pool where he is missing two, as if to say: look. You did this. “I can’t even remember what I dreamt.” 

“You don’t need to remember,” Jon whispers, “For it to...”

“Hurt?”

“Yes.”

“Maybe I—maybe I want to remember.”

Jon knows he could make this possible. Somewhere inside of him, the Eye coils, ready to strike. “Do you?”

Martin is quiet. Eventually, he sighs, and Jon feels the faintest quiver of his breath through the old, thin t-shirt he’s wearing.

“No,” Martin admits, barely audible, “Besides, it not like I don’t know. Not really.”

“Knowing and remembering are...” Jon searches for the right words, but they seem to abandon him.

“Maybe they’re the same thing. Maybe they’re not,” Martin says, terse, although he’s still curled tightly against Jon, “At the end of the day, at least I—at least I can still sleep. It’s... comforting. To have a routine.”

“Is it?”

“Yes.”

“Martin,” Jon sighs.

“Please, Jon, just—let me have this.” Martin closes his eyes. Jon can feel the fluttering movement of his eyelashes, again through his t-shirt. “Please.”

Jon begins, once again, to stroke his fingers through Martin’s hair. “Alright.”

For a while, they lie together in silence. It’s perhaps the safest place in all the world, and Jon doesn’t want to leave even as the guilt twists and turns inside of him. They fit together. Safe, warm. It’s almost peaceful.

Outside, something wails.

Martin jumps before settling against Jon again. Jon squeezes his shoulder very gently.

“I’m sorry,” Jon says. He means, for everything.

“We’ll fix this,” Martin replies, his voice just as weighted, just as layered with meaning.

When whatever counts as morning arrives, they might find the energy to contest one another’s certainty. For now, it stands: regret and resistance. An apology and a vow, spoken at the end of all things.

[akillysheel]

TENUOUS. ❜ ( 2 )

Summary:  Kuro asks the important questions before he and Cthugha decide on a starting point for their investigation. Warnings:  N/A. Notes:  N/A

    'I need to think about it.'

    Kuro slouched in his armchair, the events of the morning playing on loop in his head.  After Cthugha's untimely arrival, the Sheriff had taken it upon himself to take the rest of the afternoon off in an attempt to compartmentalise his thoughts.  He seldom ever took breaks, but when he'd emerged from his office as white as a sheet, his colleagues had ultimately pulled the plug on his hopes of remaining at work, advising insistently that he should go home.

    'Fine.  But you just remember, every minute you sit around ruminating about your stupid little life, that's another minute that this girl is missing, and that means it's another minute closer to doomsday too.'

    Could it be true?  Doomsday?  The end of the world?  It sounded to him like the paranoid ravings of a conspiracy nut...  yet he'd spoken with such calm authority, countered every one of the problems he'd had with a rebuttal of his own.  Every one of his questions had an answer;  everything he'd said about Raku  ( at least as far as his limited understanding of Gods was concerned ) was true.

    Mia Vanton's case sat on his lap.  It was a thin file, one that spared details for there hadn't been many to uncover, but in that moment it felt heavy.  Cumbersome.  As if he'd been shackled to the floorboards.

    This thing's been shut since 2001.

    One calloused thumb traced over its front, teasing the corner away from the papers inside.  He really didn't know whether he wanted to look at it or not.  It felt oddly like picking at a scab wound, baring himself to old pain that needn't be revisited.  Did he have it in him to feel as hopeless as he did twenty years ago?

    He grunted as a headache set in. It had steadily been growing for the past two hours, fostered in his brain like a bad habit.

    Is there any point in opening this up again?  Surely if she was to be found, she'd have been found by now.  This year marks the twentieth anniversary of her disappearance.  In two weeks, in fact.

    Was that relevant?  He couldn't help but consider it.  As much as he wanted to push Cthugha's prophecy aside as garbage, the fact was that he was impressed  -  and a little worried.  He knew things that nobody could have known, and deep down he knew that his colleagues wouldn't sell some random kid information.  Huron's task force was known for being small, humble and honest, and it's good service had been a near constant hallmark for the district's deep sense of peace.  There had never been a recorded incidence of internal corruption--  not even with other, less composed Sheriffs in the front seat.

    How else could he have known about Olivia?  About Raku, even.

    The Sheriff let out a deep sigh as he closed his eyes, knowing already what he had to do.

    “I’ve decided t’help y’.”

    “Thank.  God.”   The statement trembled with sarcastic frustration, Cthugha’s cobalt eyes all but grey on account of the storm that had entered them.  He sat in Kuro’s chair, his feet propped up on his desk.  The rubix cube--  the one that had previously been half-completed--  sat in his hands, its coloured faces now perfectly arranged.   “While you were busy jerking off to the end of all life in this realm, I was busy compiling resources that might help us stop it.”   He paused to reach inside of his jacket, retrieving a file of his own, before he dropped it unceremoniously on the desk.   “You’re welcome.”

    “Where were y’keepin’ that…?”

    “Just look at it.”

    Kuro hesitated briefly before dragging the file closer, opening it up to find himself staring at a myriad of newspaper clippings, interview transcripts and photographs.  It was makeshift work, by no means tidy, but the sheer wealth of information was staggering to him.  Even so, as he skimmed over them briefly, he realised that there was nothing there that he didn’t already know.

    Of course there isn’t.  Why would there be?

    I don’t know.  Maybe I assumed he was an agent of God or something.

    “Aside from all that,”   Cthugha started, rising from his commandeered seat.  In what felt like a flash, he’d moved from the desk to the far corner of the room, grabbing a hold of a whiteboard on wheels before reappearing where he had been.  Kuro blinked hard.   “We can rule out all the places you already searched in your previous hunt for her.”   Feverishly, the rifter began to fill the board with haphazard notes.   “That means you don’t have to trawl through Whit’s a second time, nor do you need to bother checking their home or questioning her papa.  He came up clean, remember?”

    “Yeah…  he was so dedicated t’findin’ his daughter that he all but singlehandedly led the search party campaign despite us tellin’ him that it was dangerous.  Had t’bust him outta a few compromisin’ positions fer his efforts...”

    “Exactly.  Also means that the tunnels are a bust too, so you don’t have to waste time trawling through the underground like a family of sewer rats.  Wherever she is, she’s somewhere ya didn’t think to comb through.”   He paused when he found his whiteboard pen beginning to run dry.   “Damn it--”   Much like before, he flickered away, a brief rummaging sound filling the quiet office before he reappeared before the board.   “Okay, so--  here’re all the places you don’t gotta worry about that I can think of off the top of my head.  There’s…  what?  Why’re ya staring at me like that?”

    “How’re y’doin’ that?”

    “You can write too, Kuro.”

    “I mean the…  disappearin’-’n’-reappearin’ thing.  Obviously.”

    “Oh, that.  Yeah, I guess that makes more sense…”   It was the closest to sheepish that he’d seen Cthugha thus far;  a break from his smug attitude was certainly refreshing.   “It’s just a teleportation shtick.  Think of it like…  instead of macro-leaps, I’m performing micro-hops in time.”

     "Huh,"   said Kuro, deciding not to question it.

     In truth, the more they talked about the Vanton case, the more he began to recall.  Kuro seldom ever forgot a victim - even though he'd been the Sheriff of Huron for over three centuries, and a police officer for even longer than that - but he wouldn't say that the details were as long-lasting.  There were simply too many nuances in too many cases--  too much information for him to store everything tightly away.  His brief read over the case file before he'd come back to the office that following morning hadn't helped much either, if only because there hadn't been much for him to garner in the first place.

    "I do have a question though,"   Kuro spoke up as he handed Cthugha a cup of coffee.  He wasn't sure whether he was trying to placate or subdue him.   "... or a couple."

    "Are they constructive?"

    "Maybe.  I mean--  y'mentioned parallel timelines 'n' shit.  Couldn't y'just…  hop into one where I found her 'n' tell me where she is?"

    "Parallel timelines are born out of choices, dummy.  Unless you're admitting that you purposefully didn't find her, that isn't gonna help at all."   A swig of his drink was taken, the rich flavour seeming to soothe his annoyance somewhat.   "Nah.  You're thinking of alternate timelines."

    "Then what about that?"

    "We're not really supposed to dip into those if we can help it.  Definitely a last resort sort of deal.  It creates the possibility for people to run into themselves;  fractures the separation between realities.  Doppelganger action is a one-way ticket to hell for the Universe.  Also the fact that, like parallel timelines, there are MULTITUDES of alternate timelines where everything's the same except one little thing, meaning it'd take a shit-ton of time to comb through 'em all--  most likely more time than we’ve got.  There're several versions of you out there, Kuro, but you're this one.  You should focus on that."

     "This's all real confusin’…"   the Sheriff mumbled, deflating a little.  He was so sure he'd had a good idea under his belt, but hell, what did he really know about the way that reality worked?

    "Mm.  Anything else?"   Cthugha asked tersely, eager to move on.

    "Just one more thing,"   Kuro affirmed, shifting in his place for a moment before deciding that brevity was more favourable than kindness.   "... how does this girl stayin' missin' end the world?  People go missin' all the time.  Some come home, some're found dead.  Some’re never found, yet the world keeps on spinnin’.  's just a cruel fact’a life."

    For the first time since their meeting, Cthugha fell silent.  A harrowing emptiness entered his eyes as he thought about the bleak future that awaited them if they did nothing.  A hazy field of fire, the once clean air ashen and thick.  The destruction spread like cancer, first exploding in Huron before it gradually spread outward.  What was perhaps even more frightening was that the one responsible for it seemed impervious to the herculean effort required to topple a district;  by the time he was done with Huron, he was already looking for a bigger, more developed fish to fry.

    It wasn’t the first time he’d seen the Universe in ruins by far, and he doubted it’d be the last.

    That didn’t mean he was accustomed to seeing it though.

    “Well,”   he said softly, whiteboard pen twirled absentmindedly in between his fingers.   “... let’s just say, grief does things to people.  Do you have any clue who Mia’s father is?”

    Slowly, Kuro squinted.    “Aside from knowin’ his name ‘n’ his daughter’s case?  No.  Should I?”

    “No.  That’s exactly why ya should be worried:  he’s got nothing left to lose.  Do you think he’s going to care about hurting anyone when he’s hurting this much himself?  He’s got no children to provide for;  no public image to protect.  When he loses his mind, he does it for real, and damned’re the consequences, get it?”

    “Got it…”   Kuro muttered.  He knew all too well about people like Mr.Vanton.  While an anonymous existence was ultimately a peaceful one, when crime was brought into the mix, it became a dangerous shield.  Who suspected the nobody?  Nobody, that’s who.   “Then we gotta get movin’.”

    “I have to ask,”   Cthugha started as he stepped towards the chair he’d been sprawled in, reaching for his jacket and shrugging it on.  Now that he had a little time to look over him properly, Kuro noted its strange cyan decals and the symbol that he’d never seen before adorning the right side;  two parallel lines with a small triangle beneath the centre point of the bottom one.  It looked vaguely like a seesaw with two slats on top instead of one.  "What made you change your mind?"

    “Well, I guess I never got over the fact that I couldn’t solve it.  D’y’have any idea how hard it is t’look a parent in the eye ‘n’ tell ‘em that the search fer their child is over?  There was nothin’ else I could do, but I still felt guilty.  I figure, even if yer full’a shit ‘n’ this really is some heartless stunt all fer yer own amusement, I can at least make sure that there really was nothin’ else I could’a done fer the Vantons.”

    The rifter hummed softly as he adjusted his tie.   “Heh.  Ya really are a good person.”

    “Y’had doubt?”

    “Who doesn’t?  Much easier to expose a bad person who’s pretending to be good than to find an actual good person these days.  I guess it’s just an unfortunate byproduct of evolution.”

    “Yer wrong,”   Kuro said firmly, pulling his black coat closed.  The gun at his hip was touched briefly before he pocketed his hand, satisfied that he had everything he needed.   “There’re a lot more good people in the world than bad.  ’s just that the bad leave behind their messes t’clean up.”

    “Well, whatever the truth is, it’s clear we’re dealing with a bad person here, huh?  So, got any bright ideas?”

    Already were the gears in his head turning.  With the compiled notes to aid him, he knew of the place that he wanted to start with.  It may have been a dead end--  wishful thinking more than anything--  but he wouldn’t be able to progress until he knew he’d upturned every stone on this property.   “We should head t’the Valerie Vineyard first.”

[tmntgirlie]

Saviors in a Half Shell 2

It was always the same routine. Find somebody (or somebodies) causing trouble, get there as soon as possible, and kick ass. He knew his role- he knew he could rely on his brothers to know what to do as well. They worked almost seamlessly as a team every night. As soon as the shadows began to fall, they were there to protect the city.

This was nowhere near as easy.

“You alright there, miss?”

“I’m pretty sure this is pretty illegal. Leonardo.”

Very few humans had ventured down to the turtles’ lair. It wasn’t the most inviting place. All sewer lines and tunnels leading to the lair stunk like nobody’s business. It was no surprise nobody ever accidentally made their way down.

It didn’t take long for Y/N to begin her complaints about the smell. Longer than he expected, but still. Even when she asked where they were going, why the smell was so strong, nobody gave her a straight answer. It was a good thing she had a blindfold.

Leonardo wasn’t sure why she didn’t seem disgusted at the sight of them. The few humans that had witnessed them had varied reactions- even April was in a state of shock the first time they met face to face. What could she be thinking about them now?

She didn’t even ask what they were. She had seen them.

“Ah, home sweet lair!” Mikey sighed with glee as he hopped down from the rather large ‘pipe’ like entryway. “Welcome to our crib, Y/N!”

The woman took in a deep breath as Raph set her down on the ground. She was thankful he didn’t put her on her feet, she wasn’t sure she’d be able to stand right. “Was the blindfold really necessary?”

The orange-masked turtle snickered. “Of course it was.”

“I guess the smell isn’t so bad now- wait, did we just go through the sewers? Why is it so cold down here?”

“Guys, I think she figured it out.”

“Can it, Mikey.” 

Y/N could hear a quick ‘thud’ before someone untied her blindfold. She blinked a few times as her eyes began to adjust to her surroundings. 

Oh, this would take more than a few seconds to adjust to.

She got to her feet finally, brushing off the thighs of her pants. She did a slow spin, looking the room up and down. She pursed her lips together before she finally turned to the four that had kidnapped her.

Leonardo stood first, his arms placed tightly around his back. She noticed he wasn’t the tallest of them all, but he definitely wasn’t short. This one stood at least a foot above her, and was a wall of green muscle.

Green muscle?

She assumed the next was Raph, he had been referred to a few times on the way there. He’s the one that carried her. He was definitely the biggest, both height and muscle wise. She made a mental note to make nice with that one. Though, she thought, if they had meant to hurt her, they would have done it by now. They wouldn’t have taken her.

She wasn’t going to use the term ‘rescued’ just yet.

The third one was adorned with a purple mask and- were those tortoise-shell glasses?

About that last one.

“Well, whaddya think?” The green thing with an orange mask asked. He was practically jumping up and down. “You’re here!”

Y/N frowned, not saying a word. This was definitely a lot to take in. Were those shells on their backs?

“My bad, my bad! Allow me to introduce ourselves!” the orange-masked green one said quickly as he waved his arms in the air, as if to erase everything up till now. “I’m Michelangelo, the best one of the group. That’s Donatello, the brains. Raphael, the muscle, and Leonardo.”

She slowly turned towards Leonardo. “Huh, you don’t get a description. What’s that about?” It was unclear if it was sarcasm or pure curiosity dripping from her voice.

The blue-masked turtle smirked at her. “Don’t need one, miss.”

She waved a hand mindlessly through the air. “Y/N is fine. I guess. You guys live in the sewers?”

“How’d you guess?” Raphael had never given a better deadpan look in his life.

“I mean, it makes sense. Not sure how you could afford an apartment like this in the Big Apple in this economy,” she shot back, though it was clear this was no longer sarcasm. It wasn’t anger, irritation- what was it. “Now. Do you guys regularly kidnap women on rooftops or was this a one-time thing? I’m sure there are more out there.”

Leonardo shook his head. “Not that we’ve seen.”

“I guess I’ll have to cross ‘mutant turtle ninjas’ off of my list of things I don’t think are real,” she said slowly, thoughtfully, looking towards the ceiling. “That’s really high up.”

Not as high up as I had been earlier, she noted.

“What made you try to do it?”

She turned back to them, not sure which one had spoken. “What?”

“Stand on the edge. What made you do it?”

“It’s… It’s complicated, I guess,” she said quietly. “Probably not something you’d be interested in hearing about.”

The blue-masked turtle (Leonardo?) took a small step forward. “We swore to ourselves and our allies to protect this city at all costs. That includes you.”

“I’m not sure my life story up until now is something you can mentally prepare for.” Y/N forced a laugh, shaking her head again. She had convinced herself time and time again that it was just another sob story, one more tally that might not even be worthy of being drawn. “I’m gonna be frank here. So, are you guys turtles? Not regular turtles, obviously.”

“Mutant turtles, miss,” Raphael said through a grin. “Unlike any other.”

She tapped on her chin. “Mutant turtles that are about twice my height, made of muscle, that… Fight in favor of the most populated city in the country.”

Michelangelo tipped an imaginary hat to her. “Saving damsels in distress in the shadows.”

“I’m definitely distressed,” she snorted. “I must be dreaming.”

 ~

It surprised Leonardo how easy it had been to get this woman to talk to them. She didn’t seem afraid, and she didn’t say why. He wasn’t about to ask.

Sure, she didn’t divulge into her life story with them, but she did agree to play a multiplayer video game with them. Even April didn’t indulge at their requests.

He settled on the belief that she thought she was dreaming. It was an easier reality to swallow than a human simply accepting that she was napped by mutant ninja turtles. He couldn’t stop from questioning what made him notice her in the first place.

It was a quiet night. The brothers were jumping from the rooftops both for exercise and pleasure. It definitely wasn’t to see who could do it the fastest. And Michelangelo definitely was not the fastest.

He never bragged, of course.

“How did you get all of this stuff down here? Did you really carry things one by one through the sewers?”

It was amusing how easily she spoke now versus just an hour ago. And while dominating at Super Smash Bros, nonetheless.

“We’ve been living here for as long as we can remember, we’ve had years to collect,” Raphael answered before Leonardo could even open his mouth.

“Collect much more and you’d be considered ‘hoarders’,” she said, grunting as she was taken out by none other than Michelangelo.

She set the controller down in front of her, leaning back against the couch. She felt even smaller sitting against the couch on the floor, but it was her fault. She had declined a space on the actual couch.

“Finally! Thought you’d never die!”

As the words left Michelangelo’s mouth, everybody in the room fell silent.

“Oh. Was that too soon?”

That was putting it lightly. You could slice through the tension in that room with a knife. Or a katana.

“Is there anything to drink in here?” Y/N said finally, looking up to the first turtle she could see without straining her neck. She made no comment about what Mikey said.

“What were you thinking you’d want? We have sodas, juices… Not much juice. We have soda that tastes like juice, though,” Leonardo said. He stood up. “Come on, I’ll show you where it is.”

Y/N grabbed a chip from the bowl positioned between Michelangelo and Rafael as she followed the oldest brother. He had to be the oldest. Donatello was a close second, but he didn’t seem nearly as confident.

She was certain that all eldest siblings were just dripping with that oldest-sibling, leader, person-in-charge kind of confidence.

It wasn’t nearly as long a walk as she expected to a room that faintly resembled a kitchen. There looked to be a stove of sorts in the corner, something that resembled a deep freezer next to it, and an assortment of tables between those and a refrigerator.

“You guys kind of have it made down here,” she noted as she followed him towards the fridge. It had to be an older model, but there were wires sticking out the back that made her feel like it had been ‘upgraded’ somehow. “Solitary, no neighbors to disturb you, all the fixings to have a good time.”

“We make it work for us,” the large mutant turtle told her. “It’s our safe haven. Up top, we’re heroes, but only if we’re not seen. Here, we can be ourselves.”

“I always have to be ‘on’, a facade of myself,” Y/N said. “But no matter what I do, it feels like it’s never enough.”

The two stood in silence before Leonardo slowly, oh ever so slowly, opened the fridge. He gestured for her to look inside.

This kind of stock would put any caffeine-addicted young adult to shame.

“Sodas, all flavors, we have cherry, vanilla, orange- I probably wouldn’t touch the orange without Mikey’s permission, he might cry.”

“Wouldn’t want that,” she bobbed her head. “Is there anything… Not carbonated? But also not water.”

“Before you ask, we don’t have any coffee or alcohol. Or milks, not our thing.”

She tilted her head to one side. “Any tea?”

He perked up. “You want some tea? I could brew some. Any requests?”

“Anything but green tea is fine with me,” she shrugged. “I don’t like leaf water that looks like.. Green leaf water.”

Leonardo quickly ushered her out of the ‘kitchen’ and back to his brothers, crossing his fingers that they would stray away from the ‘death’ comments. Mikey was going to pay for that later.

He took his time looking through their rather large selection of teas. It was curious that she asked for tea specifically- his brothers barely touched it unless they were sick. They stuck to the bubbly, syrup-filled beverages that he swore would make their teeth rot within the next few years.

White teas, black teas, caffeinated and decaf varieties covered the table. He had decided to lay them all out to really choose. It took a few minutes of pondering before he settled on his favorite. He hoped she liked chamomile.

As the water was brewing, he could feel a new presence in the room. He turned to see his adopted father, and quickly gave him a slight bow. “Sensei.”

Why was he surprised? He was more surprised it took this long of them being home for him to come see them.

“You brought a civilian home,” Splinter said carefully.

He felt his heart drop. “I had to, dad. She was standing on the edge of the roof- I thought she was going to jump.”

Splinter let out a slow breath. “I see. It was a good decision to bring her.”

“I couldn’t just leave her, even if I talked her off, what if she actually did it?” He didn’t want to imagine that. He barely knew her, but the idea of anybody willingly taking their own life wasn’t something he wanted to picture. She didn’t seem like a bad person. She seemed good. She didn’t deserve it.

“Now that she is here, what will you do?” his master questioned, flipping the switch off of the kettle as the water began to almost boil over. “I see she has already made herself welcome with your brothers.”

“If Mikey can keep his comments to himself,” he gritted his teeth. A deep breath in, a deep breath out. He poured the hot water into a cup, though now that he thought of it, he wasn’t sure she’d be able to hold that quite comfortably. They weren’t exactly for small human hands.

“Leonardo, what will you do now?”

“Dad, I don’t know what to do. I swore to help the people of this city, but against the bad guys and robbers and thieves- I don’t know what to do. What should I do?” He felt smaller with every word.

He was supposed to be the leader, the turtle with a plan. It was his idea to help her, his idea to bring her to their home. He hated to even think the words ‘suicide watch’, but that was it, in a nutshell.

“Dad, do you think we can help her?”

“If she came this far without a fight, I have no doubt she is able to be helped. Mental illness is a complicated matter. I implore you to help this woman see the light. At this point, she might need someone to show her that life is worth the journey to get here.”

Leonardo, as he always was, was both enlightened and baffled by his father’s words. But if he said that he needed to show this human that life was worth the journey, that show her he shall.

Starting with that chamomile tea. He just hoped he didn’t burn the tea leaves.

[asterekmess]

S3A - E9

The last episode took me Hours to get through with all my notes, let’s hope this one doesn’t hurt my fingers so bad.

My fingers hurt too much to come up with a clever pun so Read More:

Thoughts:

This is a dumb first bullet point, but I love Tara’s hair. It looks like it’s braided or something, then in a bun at the back? I like it.

What exactly was the reasoning for her walking into the school alone like this? Let alone going That far into it? If it’s a 911 call that she’s so nervous about she has her hand on her gun, then shouldn’t there be more than one officer??

ALSO, that seems like Very Bad routine procedure? You got a 911 call (but we get no explanation as to what it was FOR) and the first thing you say when you see someone is “Why are you here?” shouldn’t you be asking “Who made the 911 call?” And then you tell them to leave, and to tell anyone Else they see to leave. When they could easily SEE the person you’re wanting to aim a gun at and TELL them to leave because there’s a cop in the school.

So I’m torn between Julia being just that sick and wanting to terrify each of her sacrifices (which...she talks about them like she’s Genuinely sad she had to kill them, but it was necessary to save the world, so that doesn’t sit right with me?) or fear being a Necessary part of the ritual, like, that the sacrifices Couldn’t be willing?

Honestly, Lyds, that’s so smart and reasonable. “I had to have the weird blackout to get here. YOU get to go find the body.”

What was the point of the staging in the shower room if she was gonna get thrown onto the sign?? Why move her at all?

ALSO if this is supposed to be a threefold death, then didn’t she do it wrong? She killed Tara by strangulating her, but didn’t do the head bash or the throat until after she’d moved her body, for some reason??? Don’t they need to happen like..near the same time?

No to mention that there wouldn’t be much blood bc her throat was slit After death, so the blood wasn’t pumping. Even laying her down wouldn’t render a large amount. But they’re going for horror, so...i guess i’ll let it pass.

Why does it feel like Julia is going after people close to STiles specifically? First Heather, now Tara? And then his Dad? That’s a weird coincidence when she’s got the entire town to choose from.

Also, sheriff, i love you, but ‘they’re not going to get away with killing one of our own.” is a REALLY fucked up line. Police getting pissed ONLY when other Police are the ones killed is SO FUCKED UP. Logistically, police are FAR more likely to get killed than citizens are, aren’t they? They’re the ones that’re supposed to be running into danger? Like, Soldiers don’t Only get pissed when other soldiers are killed, right? It’s literally like...your job to be in potentially fatal situations? that’s not even my point! My point is that your line implies that law enforcement was Half-assing it before a cop got killed. half a dozen people have died, so Beacon Hills should be Swarming with cops, but for some reason the big guns don’t come in until a cop dies? Your phrasing sucks, Noah. Were you gonna let them get away with it if they killed everybody BUT the cops? I’m being sarcastic on that last bit, btw.

I’ll admit, it’s nice to get some actual SUNSHINE in CALIFORNIA

Is Chris letting Allison stay home because she saw a dead body? FOr as long as she wants? I’m so confused, she’s seen Much worse things, shouldn’t it like raise an alarm that she’s choosing NOW to stay home?

Your badassery is tainted by the fact that you’re wearing a dress and fishnets, Allison. If you’re gonna go hunting put on some pants. or shorts AT LEAST. that’s just not Practical.

I love how blatant a lie Stiles is telling Julia in class. “do you play?” “No, my father does” when we Know he plays, and besides if his dad plays then stiles MUSt because that’s a two person thing most of the time? But no, he doesn’t want Julia to know Shit about him.

the loyalty of Lydia not going near Aiden after learning he killed Boyd is SO refreshing. I TOLD you, if she knew Aiden was a murderer she’d never have gotten with him in the first place.

NOt Derek. CORA. MY BABE BONDS FAST. (I mean, she was locked in a bank vault with him for however long)

FIrst off, I love Stiles losing his shit. Second, the acting here is so sub-par, and it looks like a writer’s mistake. okay, so, in acting, interruption is an ART. You have to let someone say enough to get their line across, but INterrupt them before they can finish in a way that looks natural. And you have to make sure not to come in late or you get an awkward pause (this is more common with newbies bc experience actors don’t stop their line, they keep it going until you figure it out.) So like The line is ...And shove it up your freaking--” Now, Scott needs to interrupt without being late, otherwise, unless Stiles Continues the line, he’ll pause after saying ‘freaking’ and it’ll be noticeable. here, the way scott interrupts him feels So Wrong, in part because he let’s Stiles get so far into his threat.

Also, I’m fucking pissed that Scott is downplaying how angry Stiles is. “okay, we get it.” is just...a garbage way to respond to a friend who’s hurting and clearly on edge, thinking Ethan is threatening him.

Exactly How do you “Know” Ethan didn’t want to kill Boyd? You weren’t there, fuckface.

Is this set after school? They’re shouting their heads off and no one’s coming? Even Stiles was shouting about wolfsbane.

THAT IS NOT HOW ACTUAL WOLF PACKS WORK YOU FUCKER. THAT’S A GARBAGE MYTH.

Hearing Cora’s little gasp as her head hit the wall hurt my heart.

Normally I’d be pissed about the girl standing back and not doing anything, but Lydia would be ripped apart and I do not blame her for shouting from the sideline.

I don’t understand what the hell is going on with the Chris stuff. Like, I guess he’s supposed to be looking into it on his own, but that still doesn’t explain where he got the information on this very specific ritual.

But I do understand Allison’s hesitance to outright ask her father what the fuck he’s doing, since last time that happened she was taken to a chained up derek in an underground tunnel system. Finding out her family are monsters is kind of her entire life, unfortunately.

Honestly, fuck yes. Cora go off. Though, I’m sad that no one is mentioning Erica, like At All. You realize she ALSO died at the hands of the ALphas, right? why does no one mention her when they talk about getting revenge?

I...am not talking about this scene.

I gotta say that I enjoy the fact that Allison called Stiles. That’s just...that’s p cool. BUT while it’s cute that her contact picture is from her conversation with Stiles in s2, it’s weird bc it’s a screenshot of the show, and we know that Stiles wasn’t taking pictures at that moment. But the effort is sweet!

I will say that it’s interesting that Cora doesn’t fight Stiles about helping him with his dad. She just finished yelling at Scott, Lydia, and presumably Stiles, and she’s clearly unhappy with literally everyone but Derek, but she’s been very humoring of Stiles. In every scene together, even when she’s snarking at him, she’s not an Asshole.

This conversation with Morrell makes...no sense. Scott literally said in the last episode that good liars wouldn’t have jumping heartbeats when they lied. Then he immediately went to ask Morrell if she was the killer and believed her (even though she’s sketchy as fuck) just because her heart didn’t jump. Wtf?

“But if I kill someone, I can’t be a True Alpha, right?” WHO SAID THAT EVER? WHO TOLD YOU THAT? SINCE WHEN? WTF?

I don’t know if it was intentional (maybe they mention it, but i haven’t gotten that far) but technically having this history teacher disappear leaves an empty class for Kira’s dad to fill when she shows up. Which is neat.

I will forever be angry that Aiden is touching Lydia here. He shouldn’t be near her. And that’s not even me being cranky! She IS PISSED AT HIM. She was avoiding him before today and even then the only reason she went near him was to act as a distraction.

Also, again, I am amazed at Cora’s PATIENCE with Stiles here. Seriously, they’ve clearly been there for a while as Stiles tries to find the words, but Cora didn’t just get pissed stand up and say “I’m a werewolf. People are dying. Help.” She continued to wait for him to talk.

When does stiles rearrange his room? I swear in the beginning of this season it was still in the previous formation with the corner bed sticking out and the desk under the window. Now the desk is facing a totally different direction and his bed’s up against the wall. It’s great, but like, when does it happen? Isn’t this literally the second time we’ve seen his room the whole season?

that’s such a weird text. “Mr Westover Missing” like I don’t know if it’s from Lydia or Scott, but you’re allowed to add some detail? Your keystrokes aren’t limited and there are no government agencies watching your texts for information.

Oh, poor Cora. I honestly wasn’t expecting to bond with her so quickly when I first saw her, but there’s something about getting to see characters being calm that really helps me vibe with them? Like, when they’re nothing but Fight Fight Fight it’s hard to actually relate in any way, but when you actually get to see them talk or relax, then you worry about that being taken away from them.

However much I hate Isaac and everyone else Constantly saying “But I want Scott here. We should ask Scott, blah blah blah” I will say that it’s getting REALLY annoying that Allison’s entire personality is “I”m going to run in with almost zero backup bc I want to be powerful and strong, but then I have to be saved bc I refused to ask for help in the first place.”

Wtf do you mean ‘i’m not that good at this yet’ Isaac? You’ve been a werewolf for literally like 5 months, only like two months less than Scott, and you were LIVING with a born werewolf for that ENTIRE time.

Chris you were shooting at nothing for like two-thirds of that time. That was an empty room. ALSO, if you’ve been there the whole time, why did you wait until he was dead to come out shooting?

Chris yells “help Him” and you go run to stand next to his body without bothering to pull him off the cord around his neck? You realize he might not be completely dead right? Or is his throat already cut?

Also, I wanna note, it was daylight when Cora passed out. Now it’s dark! He went to the ER with her and STAYED with her. I get that people say STiles is kind of callous, but he Constantly goes out of his way for near strangers, and I don’t think that should be overlooked.

No youfcking wouldn’t have Chris, you had tons of time while they were using the garrotte and you just stood there. They came in just before the kill was done, and except for Tara Julia has been leaving people’s bodies where they fall so she wouldn’t left right after. You were NOT ‘this’ close.

Yeah, yeah, and you’re both fucking guilty of being incapable of conversation. Chris you are the adult here, fucking act like it. You had a million chances to confront your daughter and you didn’t. Apparently that’s a habit she picked up from you.

What are they talking about, Scott healing himself?? He was thrown back, he wasn’t injured. I literally just went back and rewatched that scene. He falls backward and he’s completely fine. Stiles, there are so many better instances you could point to. For example, things that actually Happened.

That line is never gonna not hurt.

Stop touching Danny. Stop being near Danny. You are a literal serial killer, get your hands off him. GOD. your brother literally said he would murder danny if he saw you with him anymore, why are you putting him in danger? FUck you.

.....okay, lydia’s speech was meaningful until she fucking turned it into scott worship. Why couldn’t you have stopped at letting her say “maybe I’ll find them before it happens” Why couldn’t it be about HER for once? Why did you have to make it about how everyone thinks sunshine comes out Scott’s ass even though he’s literally not done a single thing to warrant it. He hasn’t Saved Anyone. He hasn’t done Anything to warrant all this trust. Lydia wasn’t there when he made Derek kill Gerard. SHE was the one to save Jackson. And Scott was the one who had to be saved BOTH when Allison had to stitch him up and when Stiles had to go after him in the gasoline. Jackson is the one who saved Lydia when Peter went after her. Scott Didn’t save deaton, that was Noah. He wasn’t the one who killed Peter, that was a combination of Stiles and Jackson’s molotovs and Derek’s claws. Scott wasn’t even the one to protect Lydia when Derek and the pack went after her, that was Stiles, Allison, and Jackson. SHe had no idea that Scott was even THERE until she ran out of the house. Scott didn’t stop Matt, that was Allison’s family scaring him off and then Gerard killing him. THe only possible thing that could count was him saving the two little kids while Boyd and Cora were running around in the woods, and Lydia doesn’t even KNOW about that. Scott has canonically done NOTHING worth all this faith and ‘leader’ nonsense.

were...were they hinting at a Scott/Lydia relationship before they brought Kira in? Holding hands isn’t really a friend thing...?

That....is the softest most broken little ‘hey’ that I’ve ever heard and I’m Instantly on the verge of tears, holy shit.

Derek, honey, what do you mean ‘not again’? You’ve never left Cora, unless you count moving to New York with Laura and Cora was in South America! This line would make so much more sense if they’d given us Any idea what happened to Cora after the fire.

Normally, i’d be annoyed that Melissa is just ignoring the laws about paperwork. I’d even be annoyed that she did it for the Sheriff. BUT, Melissa is in the know about the supernatural and she KNOWS that the murders are supernatural. I’m sorry but Supernatural needs trump human laws. Melissa is totally a boss for this.

EYYYY actual druid (specifically magician druids) thing they got right (though i’m not sure it was on purpose). Magician Druids were Very Well Known for their nature magic. For causing storms and droughts and high winds and fog. The building storm around the school is like, Peak magician magic.

God, it really....it really grinds my gears watching Isaac’s progression toward the most abuse he can find. You notice how, in season 2 when Derek was attacking the Betas on the regular and doing awful shit like breaking Isaac’s hands, Isaac was loyal as Fuck to him? (right up until randomly going to Scott to decide whether to leave town) Then, this season, we start off with Derek being pretty fucking gentle, there’s no indication that he’s been continuing the abuse. Isaac questions his command and Derek’s response is ‘do you trust me?’ to which Isaac easily says yes. In fact, Isaac asks Derek to be the one to hurt him for the memory seeking thing, and Derek refuses because he wants to do what’s Safer for Isaac.Then he throws the glass and Isaac bails bc it’s a direct reminder of what his dad did. Only he goes to Scott, who was incredibly violent toward him in the previous season. (And who we know will be violent toward him in the future as well) But the only time he lists away from Scott, is to go after Allison, who Tackled him to the ground and held a knife to his throat, and whose father inherently hates werewolves and is a constant danger to him. Yet he never goes in the direction of people who Haven’t hurt him. He could go to Deaton, who’d taught him the pain-drain thing and was nothing but kind to him in that short time. He could’ve gone to Boyd after Derek’s lashing out, his pack member, who would never hurt him. Hell, he hates Stiles’ guts, but he could still have gone to him. Stiles was the one to help Derek free him from Jail after all, and he’s not wanted anymore so Noah wouldn’t have anything against him. Stiles may have threatened Isaac to keep him from hurting Lydia, but he never personally laid a hand on him. But he went to Scott. Someone who’s beaten him bloody multiple times.

So, really focusing on the details here, but on Julia’s death record, her  ‘jane doe’ occupation is listed as “Child” Oh, and apparently there was Froth present on the body.

Okay, so I think I understand what they’re saying. The reason Julia lived after getting to the hospital was because the birds sacrificed themselves and their life force kept her holding on. Now, either this was a spontaneous thing, and the birds did it For her. Or she Made them, because we know she doesn’t need to Be There to control weird shit. She could’ve set it up before she left the Nemeton or passed out or whatever. My confusion is. If that’s the explanation for the bird suicides, then what the Fuck happened on the first day when all the birds came crashing through the window?? There was no reason for that to happen. She was totally fine! And doing it to frighten people doesn’t make sense because she set off the radars of everything supernatural in town. (And Stiles.)

This kind of mass mind-control is kind of insane and makes the situation with Derek just That much more awful. I am so sickened.

Now, on the subject of the chanting, I assume it’s part of the ritual since it’s present at the deaths so much. The question is, where did Julia Get it? THOUGHTS: This chant isn’t present at any of the virgin kills. It’s not there with Heather, and while we don’t see the boy at the pool’s abduction/death, Emily Also didn’t hear it during her hallucination. What if it’s part of the virgin sacrifice perk? Like, Julia could Only Use it after killing the virgins, because it’s got some kind of mind-control thing about it?

Wh--why didn’t Julia tape her arms down before she woke up? Why make the garrotte before ensuring her victim couldn’t Punch her in the face??

I thought you JUST said she wasn’t going to be a sacrifice?

Still confused. You didn’t sacrifice Lydia, so that doesn’t count as the third philo, but then the teacher who died onstage wasn’t a threefold death, or the hanging thing, they just got their throat cut and they were poisoned. So....what? Was that supposed to count as your sacrifice?

Nobody TOUCHES Noah, who managed to be the only fucking cop on tv i’ve ever seen follow sensible procedure which is to shoot them in the fucking leg when they walk toward you menacingly, rather than threatening to shoot them in the head and doing nothing.

Final Thoughts:

There was a lot in this episode that didn’t make sense. It’s very clearly an amping up for the finale thing, but it’s annoying that after all this time they’ve essentially made the Alpha pack a time waster. The whole thing with getting Derek in the pack is relatively meaningless now that there’s a Darach going after the Alphas. I dunno, feels kinda off.

Anyway, onward.

[arminty7]

𝘚𝘸𝘪𝘮𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘞𝘪𝘯𝘦

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Mermaid!Jungkook x Reader [Part 1]

Trapped in this life of expensive wine and judgemental eyes Y/N met an unusual lady who offered her a job at an aquarium a few towns away. Despite being hesitant and uncertain for the future she decided to take the offer as it was her only way out, not knowing that many dangers might come her way. 

Jungkook swam his way through the small tunnel in wonder. He didn’t realise what he was ‘walking’ into as he took the entire night to explore a tunnel. He thought it might lead to you, how naive. It is only when he heard the piercing sound of drilling from the small tunnel entrance did he know what was happening, he was trapped. With that, his instincts took over.

Chapter: #1 Swimming in Wine

Words: 2719

Warnings: Mild Swearing // Fluff // Eventual Smut? Idk maybe depends // Spelling might be off because I am not from America so the spelling is not Americanised, sorry - I might edit it later so it is. 

Characters Mentioned:

Main: Y/N // Julie (Otherwise known as “Lady”

Background: // Trudy (Aunt) // Victor (Old man) // Mother

Key: Y/M/N = Your Mothers Name // P/N = Place Name

© arminty7 2020 - All rights reserved

This work shall not be copied, reproduced, translated and/or modified in any way without my permission. In a case where this might happen, legal action will be taken as it would be a criminal act under the law and breaching these terms. Upon reading my work you are acknowledging that this work is mine and that you know the consequences if this work is copied, reproduced, translated and/or modified in any way without my permission.

Authors Note: 

Hi! So this is my first fanfic. Chapter 1 is pretty boring but I promise more will happen in Chapter 2. I just kinda wanted to get some background of the character a bit more before introducing the story. I hope you guys like it. Also, It is my first time really using Tumblr properly so If you have tips on like little things like how to create a masterlist and anything else you think I might need to know please tell me! I’m a baby at this. 

Also this is in first person but the later chapters will be in second person using “You” and “your” instead of “I” 

Sorry for the confusion, I’ll fix it up soon. Trust me the chapters after this are much better

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Have you ever been to one of those fancy dinner parties where everyone appears to be over the age of 40 years old, yet you swore your parents told you that there would be people the same age as you? No? Lucky, because that's the life I live nearly every week and it fucking sucks. 

"Y/N, just this once come for dinner? We need to celebrate Aunt Trudy's promotion! Come on, she would be heartbroken if you didn't come." I remember her pleading eyes as if it's her dinner party we're going too. Even though she was probably there just to get the new latest gossip on, well, whoever she could really. 

"Just this once" I replied with a neutral look on my face. 

Man, curse those three words that came out of my mouth, I was ready to ditch this place as soon as I entered the door. The air smelled of lit candles and expensive wine, truly if I'm being honest, it smelled like rich old people and I did not like it one bit. I sat in the corner of the room holding a full wine glass, trying to avoid anyone and everyone, especially that one old rich business man Victor. It's not like he was doing anything to me but in the first hour being here I'd seen him chat up three ladies and drink enough wine classes to know that he was on the verge of being drunk. 

"Y/N!" My mother grabbed onto my shoulder, pulling me up from the small seat in the corner of the room.

Damnit.

"Yes? Everything okay?" I spoke sweetly, despite me wanting to show her that I had no interest in what she was saying.  

She dragged me out of the dining room and into the lounge. I look over to see my Aunty Trudy and two other ladies who smiled and laughed before looking over to me and my mother. 

"Oh hey... Y/M/N daughter, right?" she paused, looking me up and down at my black pants and hoodie. "What was your name again?" I raised my eyebrows, although I can't blame her for not remembering my name.

I look over at my mother, "she would be heartbroken if you didn't come" I remember the words vividly. 

She doesn't even know me.

"My name is Y/N. Congratulations on your promotion!" I look over to her, smiling. She smiles brightly, her hand on her chest as If I just told her she's the most beautiful woman I've seen. Which by the way, would be the biggest lie as her appearance reminds me that of a dried shrimp. 

"Oh really?! Thank you, you're too kind." I just smile at her, mentally rolling my eyes. Her eyes then lift. "I have an idea... How about I make a toast? This is just such a good memory to not say a few words to, don't you think Y/N?" I looked at her frowning, then quickly changing to a small smile and a nod. If there was anything I've learned over the past years is to not show how you really feel at this type of dinner party, it can cause a lot of trouble.

Ding, ding, ding.

I watch as she taps a small spoon provided by a waiter onto her wine glass. It took a minute before everyone looked over towards her but once they did, she started to speak. By then my mind was wandering aimlessly around the room, eager to distract myself from this tragic dinner party. I come across the television behind me that had the sound all the way down. I become intrigued as it showed blurry clips of what seemed to be something in the distance in the water, resembling a human although it swam away after a quick 2 seconds of filming it. The title on the screen read "MERMAID FOUND! MAN FOUND AND FILMED MERMAID JUST OFF THE COAST OF P/N" I roll my eyes. The media are stupid sometimes. A mermaid? Really? What a load of crap. The video was probably fake. 

I feel a nudge on my arm as I look over to my mother who is clapping happily with the rest of the guests. She looks at me warningly as Trudy comes over and laughs. "Did you like my speech Y/N?" she says holding her now a full glass of wine. Probably a wine too many if I'm being honest.

I look over at her and smile, "It was ah... meaningful. I can see you put a lot of thought in it" I stare at her and cocked my head as I see the waiter coming in the corner of my eyes. I give him my drink as I really didn't feel like drinking tonight, especially here. 

She cocks her head as well as if to challenge me. 

Ah, finally, she realised that I really don't give a shit 

She smiles walking off to another group as this one seemed to be too boring, not that I'm complaining though. One of the ladies who was standing with us looks over at me. "So, Y/N, what are you planning to do in the future?" I'm hesitant to speak but was interrupted by my mother, "Oh my dear Y/N, well at the moment you wanted to do something with marine animals am I correct?" she smiles at me, her arm over my shoulder. I look over at her frowning slightly but smile as I look back at the lady as she actually seemed to be interested, or perhaps she was just really good at faking it.

"Ah yes. I have a job at the moment at the aquarium nearby although it's a very small place, I haven't really got to experience anything grand yet" I take a look at my watch. "Uh actually speaking of work I'm gonna have to go soon, don't want to wake up too tired." That was a lie, I don't have work tomorrow.  

The lady looked at me as if she knew right through my lie. "Oh, that's a pity, I was going to see if you'd be interested in a job offer. Coincidently, I know someone who was looking to hire a young woman like yourself, interested in working in an aquarium with marine animals." She smiles as if she knew how much I wanted this. 

"I'm sorry what? Really?" I say, completely forgetting about how terrible tonight is, maybe it wasn't all for nothing. She smiled, "Yes you heard correctly. My friend is the owner of this brand new huge upcoming aquarium that apparently is opening pretty soon actually. Any interest?" 

I look at her smiling, "Oh wow... yes! Definitely." I felt my hands ball into fists as I was a little child accepting a lollypop for the first time in forever. I suddenly stop, looking down coming to a realisation, "But... there's only one Aquarium in P/N". she sighs, then shrugs before saying. "It's a few towns away from here and near the coast but I assure you, you won't find another job like this one." I squint my eyes at her a little, trying to figure out why she'd want to help me. "I'll have to think about it..." I say quietly. 

She nods, agreeing. "Well don't take too long, it's opening pretty soon. Get your mother to contact me by Friday with a decision" She then smiles, "I'll let you get home now, we wouldn't want you to miss work, now would we?" she winks.

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I get home, barely making it through the door as I start to go upstairs shoving my jacket and shoes off before I make it to my room. I lay on my bed, somewhat uncomfortable in my jeans and hoodie as I start to think about the job proposal.  

"Did she really mean it?" 

"Was she just messing with me?"

See, in this world of silverware, wine glasses and private affairs, it's extremely hard to know If someone has your best interests or not. My father left when I was 12 and now I'm 18, as soon as he left I told my mother I didn't want her money or her help anymore as I felt it was cheating and it was the reason dad left. I can't possibly think that I should take this job offer right? It goes against everything I have ever believed in, everything he believed in. 

Although... he once said to me, "take every opportunity you can get, you never know what could happen unless you leap forward and see for yourself". 

With that thought in mind, I quickly changed into my bunny pyjamas and jumped onto my bed, ready for sleep to drag me away from my problems. 

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5 Days Later

The sun rose up shining violently through my window across my bed as I slowly opened my eyes, ready to be blinded. I groaned as I grabbed onto a pillow on my left and shove it onto my face, mentally facepalming for not closing my curtains last night. It was now Friday and I was already thinking about that job offer. I couldn't help it. It has been on my mind for the past few days now and last night I quit my job before officially decided I am going to do it. 

I rolled on my right side and slid out of bed facing the wall, making sure the light didn't blind me. I went over to the window and closed the curtains, the room now becoming dark. I looked over to my bed, it looked inviting enough to go back to sleep for another few hours although I knew I had to get up. I couldn't be bothered to turn the light on, so I dragged myself around towards my closet and grabbed some jeans and a hoodie that was two sizes too big. I sighed and slowly walked outside my room towards the bathroom to get ready. 

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I walked out of the bathroom, feeling somewhat more refreshed but in desperate need of a coffee. I walked downstairs, hearing my mother in the dining room eating her breakfast. I passed her not saying a word as I went into the kitchen. 

"Ah Miss Y/N, good morning! How are you? Did you sleep well? Want some breakfast?" Marina bombarded me with questions like she always did every morning, but I didn't mind. She's the house cook and a good one, in fact. She greets me with a smile every day and tries to protect me when she sees any of mother’s friends trying to harass me when trying to find out mother’s secrets. It just occurred to me now that I haven't told her I'm leaving yet.

"No, I'm okay Marina. I just wanted to grab a piece of fruit or something." I smile at her, a real smile. She playfully smacks me with her tea-towel that was sitting on her shoulder. 

"Ah no, you’re not! Here have some sweets I made, fresh out of the oven!" She stuffed a doughy substance in my mouth, only for it to be revealed as a doughnut.

I smiled happily eating the doughnut.

To think just last night, I declared that from today that I was going to eat healthier. 

Oh well. 

I sat on the kitchen bench and finished my doughnut, looking at Marina. "So... I know you have always been good to me and I'm so sorry I didn't tell you sooner but-" Marina smiled and cut me off, "you're leaving". 

I stumbled with my words a little, a little shocked. "Y/N, I have known you since you were in diapers, don't act so surprised. Also, I'll be fine here, don't you worry." She gave me a heart-warming smile, but I still was shocked she guessed that I was leaving. She turned around to the fridge and grabbed some banana milk, putting it in my hand.

"I heard your mother talking about the possibility of you leaving Y/N, I may be smart but I'm not that smart." She chuckled and then looked over at one of the cooks. 

"Come on! Hurry up, stop dawdling" she yells and then looks at me. "And you missy, should go and get things sorted. You have your whole life ahead of you." She smacked me with the towel again as I hopped off the counter, my banana milk in hand. 

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"Mother! What was that lady's phone number? The one who offered me the job?" I leaned on the outside door frame as I looked over at her sunbaking. 

"Oh, I don't know Y/N. Just call her off my phone." she reached her hand over to mine as she didn't move from her spot. I rolled my eyes and took the phone, heading back towards the lounge room. I sat down and took a long breath as I pressed the call button. It rang for a while and for a second, I didn't think she'd answer.

"Hello?" she answered. 

"Uh hi, it's Y/N." My voice sounded smaller than I wanted it to. 

"I know. Did you think about my offer?" 

"Yes, and I thought about it and figured I should give it a try," I said, feeling more confident about my decision. 

"That's good to hear. I talked to the guy who owns the aquarium and he said he'd be happy to take in new workers. Although you need to leave as soon as possible" Her voice sounded somewhat stern.

"Wait, by "as soon as possible" what do you mean?" 

"I'll pick you up tomorrow Y/N"

"Wait! Wait-" Oh great, she hung up. 

I still had way more questions, but I don't think they'd be answered until tomorrow. I sighed and got up putting the phone onto the coffee table and heading for my room. It was 4pm and I really needed to pack. 

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I had to get up early tomorrow as the lady who I just recently found out her name is actually Julie was coming here really early. I was in my room, sitting on my bed with my huge ass suitcase getting my things ready before I heard a knock on my door. 

"Miss Y/N" I smiled knowingly. "Yes, Marina?" she popped her head in and looked at me. 

"I made some sweets for you, for the drive" she smiled with a couple of containers in her hand. 

"Oh Marina, I'm going to miss your cooking. And you of course." I grabbed the containers and put them next to my suitcase. 

"Y/N" My mother yelled from downstairs, "Your ride is here. Hurry up". I rolled my eyes before looking at Marina. I sighed as I saw her teary eyes, I could tell she was trying to hide it. 

"I'm gonna miss you, you know Y/N" She sniffles and looks over at the containers of food. "Who else is gonna love my cooking more than you?" 

I smile softly before reaching over to hug her, "Don't worry, I'll come back to visit". She sniffles and hugs me back, "Your very much like your father you know?" I stood back a little in confusion. 

"Because I'm leaving?" I ask. She shakes her head, "no, no, no. Not like that. He was always travelling and going places, always wanted to see if there was another better place... He believed in some absurd things at times, but he was always on the move. Ready for the next adventure..." she tucked your hair behind your ear. 

"Y/N!!" Your mother yelled again before Marina smacked you playfully with her tea-towel, "come on girl! Get a move on." I laughed and hugged her again before grabbing my awfully big suitcase and going downstairs. I looked over at my mother, "Don't go falling for some boy while you’re gone Y/N" I looked at her, raising my eyebrows. I guess that's her way of saying 'Be safe". 

"I won't," I told her as I walked out of the house heading toward the car. The house that will no longer feel familiar to me in a couple of months. Not that I had a profound connection with it, but it was my only home. Despite this, I felt ready. Ready to explore the rest of this vast ocean and see what mysteries will lie ahead once I leap forward.

Authors Note: 

I know it’s short. I’ll update soon! Hope you liked it. You’ll see more of JK next. 

[jeannereames]

One day in my life I'd love to go on Alexander inspired epic journey. I'm wondering if there's any google maps trip plan? Somebody should publish this printed tour guide with photos of Alexander related locations and with informations which museums hold significant antics :) Do you plan some kind of Alexander expedition? Which places are a must see!?

There aren’t (to my knowledge) such maps. That said, I’ve been to Greece and Macedonia several times, and I can offer you at least some advice on where to go there (and in Bulgaria). So consider this a “Young Alexander Tour.” 😊 One difficulty with doing a full tour is that many of the areas Alexander went through are not currently safe (especially if you happen to be white, female, look it, or are non-binary). Not everywhere, but it’s critical to be hip to current politics.

So, let’s look at a tour of Greece and Bulgaria, at least. Let me say, first, that on my website for the novels, I’ve got several vlogs of areas in Greece and Thrace that you’ll want to visit. I was not allowed to make such videos in Greek museums, but at least you can watch the vlogs and get a sense of some places well worth a trip.

So… Young Alexander Tour… first up, you want to focus on the north. That means you may want to fly into Thessaloniki, not Athens. One reason is that the airport is smaller, easier to navigate, and outside the city. The latter matters as you’re going to want to…

RENT A CAR. (That’s Bucephalas. Yes, we named our rental.)

Seriously. Driving in Greece isn’t hard, outside of Athens and downtown Thessaloniki (get an international driver’s license). And the only way to REALLY see where Alexander went is via car. Otherwise you’re stuck with a bus tour that won’t give you adequate time in museums, as they’re made for “general interest,” not crazy Alexander people. They’ll also be curating WHAT you see and how it’s described to you. That matters in Macedonia due to the modern conflict with Northern Macedonia over the ethnicity of the Macedonians, and who’s buried in “Philip’s Tomb.”

Siri can help with the maps, but sometimes she leads you REALLY WEIRD paths to your destination. You’ll quickly note that the major highways, such as the A1 and A2 are in GREAT shape, but other highways, not so much. We went from what would be a perfectly acceptable interstate in the US to…county roads. These sometimes faded into gravel, and even dirt. I’ve seen roadsigns spray-painted on the road itself. Assume you’ll have some adventures, and allot yourself extra time. By contrast, most parking is free, just pay attention to the “No Park” signs (like those in front of people’s garages, etc.). Also, the freeways have tolls, so you’ll want to have coins on hand, most ranted from half a drachma to shy of 3 or 4. (Below: one of the nice tunnels on the freeway through the Pindos, and then one of the “goat tracks” Siri took us down.)

Cities in North Greece to visit:

Pella (obviously—Great museum AND site, you can spend a whole day there)

Vergina (with the royal tombs and palace of Aigai): welcome sign below

Mieza (absolute must—my favorite place in Macedonia)

Veroia (under-appreciated museum and important ancient town on the piedmont)

Dion & Olympos (site and museum, sacred city of Macedonia, and of course see the mountain!)

Florina (optional, but you can see upper Macedonia, it’s on the line between ancient Orestis and Lynkestis)

Edessa (I’m mostly listing this because it’s super cool to see the waterfalls, but doesn’t have a museum there), and it’s on the way back from Florina.

Ioannina (site of Dodona and Ioannina museum, where Olympias was born)

Aiani (beautiful stuff, kinda hard to find but modern museum, ancient Eordia)

Amphipolis site + Drama (little museum, but worth seeing the area of Eastern Macedonia/Thrace). Drama has some interesting Dionysiac stuff.

If you want to explore further east, I recommend the northern islands of Thasos and Samothrace. Problem: the ferries to them come from different cities. Thasos is out of Kavala (a lovely city with a great Norman fort), while for Samothrace you need to go the easternmost city of Alexandroupoli (NOT the one he founded in Thrace!). It’s a pretty modern place with a big port, but it’s only interest for Macedoniasts is the fact you can catch the ferry there to Samothrace, where you’ll find the site of the Mysteries and the Temple to the Great Gods, where Philip first “met” Olympias (e.g., their families nailed down a betrothal when Perdikkas was still king).

Thessaloniki (the main museum is there, “Gold of Macedonia” is gorgeous. But I recommend picking up your car when you fly in, see everywhere else first, then drop it off and hire a taxi to the city, where I recommend staying somewhere near Aristoteles Square, on the harbor. Also—go and see the Jewish Museum: it’s a secret gem. I really love Thessaloniki. Below is the statue of Manolis Andronikos, who found the royal tombs at Aigai.)

THEN…two options.

Option One: Take a bus to Sofia (Bulgaria), rent another car and drive to Kasanlak and the Valley of the Kings, to see Thracian goods in the museum and also the Thracian Royal Tombs. Stop at the museum in Plovdiv, too. Cool stuff. Driving in Bulgaria, like driving in North Greece, is pretty easy, although you’ll need a handy chart to read Cyrillic. And many, many fewer people (outside Sofia) speak English. But it’s beautiful. The Valley of the Kings is the heart of ancient Thrace be sure to see not only the museum and Kasanlak, but also the royal tombs nearby. Drive back and spend 2 nights in Sofia to see the museum and beautiful city. I really enjoyed my stay in Bulgaria; beautiful country, under-appreciated. Catch a bus back to Thessaloniki. Btw, the bus-route goes right along the Strymon River, which was the big “highway” between Thrace and Macedonia. (From the window of the bus to Sofia.)

Option Two (or could follow after option one): Take a bus to Athens, and/or, drive to Delphi and spend a day and a couple nights (Alexander went there), then drive and/or catch a bus to Athens. The airport (and car rental place) is outside the main city, so it’s not terrible to drop it off. Just avoid driving in Athens unless you read Greek well. It’s kinda crazy. The subway goes from the airport right into the old city. WATCH YOUR BAGS. Pickpockets are notorious on that subway route. Put your passport in your underwear. I’m not kidding.

I will confess, I am not a huge fan of Athens (ancient or modern, sorry); it’s busy, dirty, and not that Macedonia-focused. But you should go there. While there’s not a lot of Alexander in the National Museum, go and see it anyway. Go to the Akropolis and the lovely Akropolis Museum to see the Young-Alex bust there. Go to the Kerameikos and Aristotle’s School right near by. Go to the agora. If you’re already in Greece, you really should see those things. Alexander walked those same areas. But after seeing the glory of northern Macedonia (including the gorgeous countryside), Athens may be a bit of a let-down, especially if your focus is All Things Alexander and Macedonian.

Last, you can catch a bus and cross the Isthmus to Corinth, where Philip spent some time hammering out his Corinthian League. There’s really not a lot there of interest for Macedoniasts, but if you want to travel where Alexander went in the south, it’s on the itinerary.

Personally, if I were to choose between Corinth and Bulgaria? Bulgaria! The absolutely amazing Thracian artifacts show just HOW much of a “shared culture” we see between Macedonia and Thrace. But I strongly suggest going to Thrace after seeing material in Macedonia, so you can appreciate the corollaries.

In terms of driving around, it’s probably best to find yourself a “launch place” outside of Thessaloniki. Don’t try to rent hotels in all these places (except Ioannina, which is far enough from the lowlands it’s worth an overnight). Some are just a couple hours visit. Veroia, while not to be missed, is … an hour? More if you like taking pictures; you can do it the same day you see Vergina. They’re not that far apart. Florina is the same. Ioannina isn’t big either, but the site of Dodona is v. cool and that’s going to take your day, but on the way back, you could swing by Aiani; that’s an afternoon.

There are a number of AirBnBs in the lowland area around Vergina, Katerini, Veroia, Nea Pella, We stayed in a lovely one not far off the A1 out of Thessaloniki in Nea Malgara/Kymina. It was pretty ideal as Pella is just north, and a little west the A2 splits from the A1, and the A2 takes you towards Vergina, while the A1 takes you to Dion and Olympos. IN Thessaloniki are lots of AirBnBs, but I’ll put in a plug for the Electra Palace (hotel). It ain’t cheap, but it’s great for location/walking distance of most things. That’s why I suggest Aristoteles Square to orient yourself.

So those are my suggestions, info up-to-date as of May/June 2018. I hope to go back again this summer, Corona virus permitting.

[officialinuyasha]

Yashahime Trailer Analysis - Full Breakdown + Theories

Video -

https://youtu.be/ebFV15yPO6U

The Yashahime - Princess Half-Demon Official Trailer came out August 7th Japan Time like Kaoru Wada had teased for us on the Otakon Livestream. Here we will read off of what was posted on the VIZ Media Official Website "The anime’s been announced, but now you can sink your canines into some more juicy tidbits about the show. The anime stars Towa and Setsuna, the twin daughters of Sesshomaru who get separated in a forest fire. Towa ends up in modern times and is raised by Sota Higurashi, Kagome’s little brother. Ten years later, they are reunited, but Setsuna is a demon slayer with no memories of her sister. Joined by Moroha, Inuyasha and Kagome’s daughter, they set off on an adventure to regain their missing past." https://www.viz.com/blog/posts/yashahime-princess-half-demon-arrives-in-october You guys will be able to watch Yashahime on VIZ Media's Website and AnimeLab.com when it's released.

First Impressions - @officialkagome​ : “I can tell the Rumiko has a lot of influence in the writing because key points and moments are conveyed just as they were in the Final Act. I believe it's going to be condensed like in the Final Act, but maybe only at first. Focusing on the girls but still including that bonus chapter. I definitely appreciate the animation, it's very aesthetically pleasing.”

Yes, the animation is being directed by the same person who did The Final Act, Sachiya. They also were the same person that did the Adult SessRin artwork that sold it on a calender. Which I actually own. I'm glad for them to return and do the animation. As it makes sense in the continuity. The animation in fact looks even improved further than what we had since the Final Act! Definitely one of my favorite animation directors next to Kumiko.

As I mentioned in my previous video, I talked about the extra chapter "Since Then" that took place after The Final Act. It was made because of the Tsunami that happened in Japan many years ago. A long time ago, I also wrote a post saying if we continued to show our support for the official streams on VIZ Media's website and still showed interest in the series that they would make this into an episode. Back in 2018 Anime Boston it was hinted about the staff wanting to have Rumiko allowed them to make more anime if we continued to show interest. When we got ahold of the scans for the AniMage and AniMedia magazine scans we could confirm that they have been talking about a sequel since the ending of The Final Act.

In the InuYasha Special Chapter 559 "Since Then" Kagome was living in the feudal era with InuYasha for six months. We have a half year time skip. Life in the Feudal Era so far had been peaceful. InuYasha and Miroku were tracking minor youkai that was released from a seal by a landslide, and discover that the demon actually was originally sealed away by Kikyou shortly before she met InuYasha. So we can say over atleast 53 years ago. The youkai is called Ne no Kubi or Root Head in the official VIZ Media subtitles for the trailer - and it was seeking the Shikon no Tama, not realizing it is already destroyed due to being sealed away for so long. Ne no Kubi attacks Kagome, because she clearly looks like Kikyou, but she wounds its head with a sacred arrow and InuYasha kills it with Tessaiga. During it Sesshoumaru appears to protect the village because Rin is there. We can see shots during the trailer that all take place here from this chapter.

For all those Westerners out their that use the term "canon", yes Yashahime is in Fact "canon" to the original timeline continuity. Rumiko Takahashi has been confirmed to have written the foundation story for Yashahime, and has been working closely over the scripts with Sumisawa. It is officially licensed and in no where near being a fanfiction. Remember, canon was a term that was invented by Westeners because of Christianity. Regardless, this sequel is happening. I have so much to talk about this new trailer that it feels like even after I'm done with this video, more ideas are still going to keep popping up in my head.

Towa is seen fighting another school student. She's known for her martial arts. She kicks this guy in the head. She says "You know, you should take my advice and let me go." Talking about her possible abduction. "Things won't be so hot when my friends get here." I think she's talking to the man in the Feudal Era from the first trailer. That's when Moroha and Setsuna break into save Towa. Then it's talking about Root Head from Chapter 559. However says "Root Head was a demon slain by InuYasha and his friends." I don't know if she's talking after it was slain. But Root Head was in fact originally sealed by Kikyou before she met InuYasha. A possible change or retcon from the Manga considering Rumiko's involvement in this. Sesshoumaru is then saying the same lines that he says from the manga "Root head... A worthless piece of vermin. Except..." If we reference the manga he's actually supposed to say Except, and then "It's too persistent."

Root Head gained the powers of the Tree of Ages (Goshinboku). This is the same Goshiboku that InuYasha was sealed on, seeing the arrow mark. If we slow down this footage you can tell that Roothead is growing in the roots of the Goshinboku. It created a passage from the Feudal Era to present day. Sucked through that passage, Towa was torn from her twin sister, Setsuna, and thrown into the present day.

But I think that is talking about AFTER Root head was slain again from it reawakening after the landslide. My guess is that IF everything does continue on the manga like normal from Chapter 559. But during the time it was reawakened it had already made a portal through a tree tunnel like it describes as in Towa's translated description that a fire happens, and everyone scatters. Even during the livestream from Otakon Kaoru Wada mentioned the fire. Towa goes to escape from the fire and finds that specific portal that sends her to the modern era. Unless they want to push the time skip further than 6 months allowing them time to have the kids. Towa is in Reiwa period, that means it's either 2019 or further making it overall a 20 year time skip since chapter 559. I expect that they have kids in a six year time skip that would make sense since they are all 14. The Tree tunnel is described in Towa's description, that means that we pretty much have a second Well. Considering the well was already made from the same type of wood as the Goshinboku was as it was talked about in the first movie. Now imagine if we had three different eras or even that certain events had changed because of this.

Here we see an Adult Souta and 4 year old Towa when he found her in the Modern Era. They're talking in front of the Sacred Tree. Towa's robe pattern is clearly based on Sesshoumaru's belt.

It looks like Souta wanted to pat Towa on the head, but Towa was scared - Then we see Towa brushing her teeth and Souta's daughter. Who looks strikingly similiar to Hitomi. I hope he married her.

Ten years have passed since the Higurashi family took Towa in. It shows Towa talking to Souta's Daughter in front of the tree. In the next shot, she's wiping the blade from her sword. In the narration Towa says "Don't worry! I can handle this." It shows Towa looking up from the original Trailer, where she's abducted. Wearing that patterned robe and the hint of the Lily flowers in the background. She says "Your big sister's pretty strong!" I think she's talking to Souta's daughter as if referencing herself. She picks up her History book and winks. Now it shows Setsuna and Moroha fighting by a waterfall. This is definitely reminding me of some InuYasha VS Sesshoumaru scenes from the past. "My name is Setsuna. I have nothing more to tell you..." "And the reason you die here." Setsuna's eye glows similar to InuYasha's when they found out he had the black pearl inside his right eye that lead to the Inu no Taishou's grave. Everyone has been trying to figure out if there is a special thing showing in her eye. I'm not so sure but I gave it a try as well. I looked at a few pictures of the gravesite and this one seemed to be the best one.

Though I am skeptical of this. Hosenki's son explained it would take roughly 100 years for him to master the process of making one. When InuYasha had returned to his father's grave for the second time, the pearl was somehow able to give him visions of his troubled past as a way to warn him that he wasn't supposed to be there a second time. Now if we think about it, remember how Setsuna has problems with her memories? Maybe in this moment it is a black pearl, and it's showing her flashbacks helping her remember or perhaps she was given an imperfect black pearl that is causing her memory loss.

Moroha is seen sitting down picking her ear. "With this rouge, I become Beniyasha, Destroyer of Lands!" Moroha has her bow, a good nod to her mother Kagome. "Tremble before the bloodthirstydawn!" Now the rouge doesn't always have to mean lipstick, it depends on the context on which it's taken. The rouge could also mean red, the red clothing that she's wearing. If she is going to be wearing lipstick, it would be cool if they somehow were able to magically bring back the lipstick that was once Izayoi's that was given to Kikyou. I know it was destroyed, but you never know. I like the idea of her having InuYasha and Kagome's locket too from the second movie. In the past I always had the idea of their child having that locket. Maybe she's heard about InuYasha as a story or legend, and is calling him "Beniyasha". So she's pretending to be him in a way, along with the bow on her head representing ears like him.

It shows Towa in the modern era, fighting some guys. She's wearing something on trapped onto her back. Could it be her sword, or something else? My wife mentioned that in Japan, open carry of swords is legal.  So I went to double check.

Yes, this is definitely got to be her sword and that she is wearing a sword bag. It has yellow tassels.

I also noticed that there is a symbol at the bottom of her sword bag. It looks like it could be a pinwheel or the Kagome symbol. There are two different versions of the Kagome symbol. 6 pointed and 8 pointed.

"A new wind blows into the Feudal Era." We can see the Dragon symbol on Moroha's sword even more closely. The Dragon is wrapped around an arrow. During the Otakon Live stream Kaoru Wada stated that all three of the girls are the half-demon princesses. Meaning that Moroha would still be called a half-demon regardless of having less demon blood percentage especially during that era. "The Half Demon Princesses are here!"  Moroha is fighting a Mistress Centipede. Is this the same Mistress Centipede from the beginning of InuYasha, that corpse was already in the well? If we remember, Sango has fought Centipede demons before but they weren't a Mistress Centipede. She would be killed for the third time. The Mistress Centipede shown in the trailer has three eyes, while the original one has two.

It shows Hisui, Sango and Miroku's son in his demon slayer armor while riding Kirara. Throwing Hiraikotsu! One thing that stood out to me was the prayer beads around his left arm.

I don't think he has Wind Tunnel but it seems to be a reference to his father Miroku. Considering Miroku has given Kagome prayer beads to wear before. Maybe even Hisui has spiritual powers as well. It also appears that he has Sango's sword as well!

Kohaku, all grown up and he's exactly how I imagined him. It seems like he has a scar on his nose. Maybe it's from wearing his demon slayer mask or from getting cut in a battle. He has the weapon he gets from Toutousai in the last episode of the Final Act. Moroha and Setsuna are battling. Could this be the same waterfall that Kikyou bathed at?

Moroha and Setsuna running off, Towa watching them. A guy knocked out in the background, Spider Lily pattern on the backwall, and a knocked out guy next to where the wall was bashed in. Just like how it was in the first trailer we were shown on the Otakon Live Stream.

Finally, Moroha is using her bow and yes she indeed has priestess spiritual powers like Kagome does! It looks like she's still fighting Mistress Centipede as you can see in the background. The attack is called "Heavenly Arrow Barrage". Similar name to InuYasha's Adamant Barrage.

It shows Setsuna using her Naginata. The Naginata is the weapon that can control wind as stated in her profile when her colors were announced! Much like InuYasha's Bakuryuha, or Kouga's Cyclone. It also reminds me of Sesshoumaru when he was fighting InuYasha inside the Black Pearl at the Inu No Taishou's Grave.

Feudal Fairytale - Yashahime Princess Half-Demon Towa takes out her sword and charges while saying "Setsuna! I'll save you!" Yashahime - Coming this October. October 3rd 2020

When we look at the image that came with the announcement. A few things caught my eye, Kagome and Rin are not seen in the picture. Sesshoumaru and InuYasha are both by the Sacred Tree. Speculating that maybe they're trapped in another dimension, or between times since Root Head was able to take the Goshinboku's power. I wonder if something like this happens, could this give Kagome the ability to not age? I'm still for my theory that she shouldn't age because she wasn't born yet, the same way her items were unaffected by Kaguya in the second movie when she froze time. People think InuYasha is holding something, no that is his forelocks and the shading on the tree. No, there is no secret image in Towa's blue sword attack. But hey we get a better look at Hisui's prayer beads on his arm.

There is a new character, everyone speculates to be Shippou and unsure of the character's gender. Looking at the HD picture.

The character has green eyes, dark red hair and purple eyeshadow. It sort of reminds me of Shippou or Ayame's possible child with Kouga. I would have said it was Takechiyo in a human form since Raccoons and Foxes are known to shape shift. But Takechiyo has blue eyes. It's not Jinenji, has blue eyes - Though I think it could be a new character. Could be boy or girl. Determining their gender is something I'm on the fence about atleast by the physical sight of it. Their body seems flat and rugged with torn sleeves, but wearing makeup. There's alot of males who wear makeup in InuYasha. Their attire also seems to be the kind that is most commonly worn by males. But Towa also is another character that dresses male. This character clearly has a weapon. More than likely a sword. Something that's interesting about this picture is that Towa's sword is shaped like Tessaiga in the picture when she's doing her special attack. It zig zags upward like a staircase into the sky - as if representing time passed. You notice it when you realize the other characters are actually not standing on something.

Seems like we are all looking forward to October 3rd for the airing of Yashahime.  If you want to see more posts about Official InuYasha News, Artworks, Merchandise, my own personal views and analysis on the series - Be sure to subscribe.

[cutiepisenpai]

Gifted part 8

Spencer Reid x F!Reader Warning: Slight angst, fluff Since the team didn’t have an active case, Hotch told them to take the rest of the day and the next day off unless they got called in. Spencer took Y/N home and he wanted to make sure she was okay so he went all the way to her door. The ride in the elevator was strange, he had taken this ride so many times and yet everything about being with Y/N now was like the first time again. When they get to the door, Y/N unlocks and opens it turning around to face Spencer. “Do you want to come in? I can um show you the first episode of the show I mentioned.” Y/N asks. “You should probably rest instead of trying to watch tv.” “Ugh I’m so tired of being told to rest. Rest isn’t going to fix anything. And if anyone should be resting it you. Like when was the last time you got a full night's sleep?” She rants. “I try to sleep but I can’t. The last time I slept the entire night was before you got shot.” He says low, almost a whisper. “Why would that stop you from sleeping? You didn’t get shot?” she asks. “Because I love you! And I was worried about you! And you didn’t remember me and I couldn’t do anything about it.” he yelled in a strangled voice as tears began to fall, all the sorrow and frustration he had suppressed coming to the surface. Y/N’s heart hurts for him. Everyone avoids mentioning anything about their relationship, never saying anything about them being more than friends. She had her inkling but now she was sure of it. She steps closer, reaching out to touch him but hesitates before wiping the tears as they fall, “Let’s go inside.” She leads him in to sit on the couch and she takes a seat next to him rubbing his back trying to console him. “You can talk to me about anything. I might not remember what things were like before but I’ll always be here for you.” They sit together eventually falling asleep on the couch.  

Spencer was the first to wake up a few hours later. The apartment was dark sun having already set, yellow street lights shown through the curtain. He felt a comforting weight on his chest and when he looked down he saw Y/N sleeping on him. It felt so normal to be here with her like this he rubs a hand up and down her back. His hands make their way up to her head scratching at her scalp and lightly behind her ear and she smiles in her sleep. Her smile brings him so much joy, “I miss you so much sweetpea.” He says. She turns in her sleep and mumbles, “I miss you too honeybee.” His heart swells. She does remember not consciously but somewhere in there she remembers him she still loves him. Finally relenting and enjoying the memories he had with her he relishes in the feeling now. She shifts eyes opening to look up at him and for the first time in a long time she doesn’t look at him like a stranger, “Whatcha staring at creep?” She asks giggling. He had never been so happy to hear her call him a creep, “You are beautiful.” He smiles back at her. “Even with this large bruise?” She asks pointing at her eye, he takes a hold of her face gently swiping his thumb over the bruise. When she doesn’t move away from his touch he leans forward placing a gentle kiss on the bruise. Her eyes flutter shut relishing in the feeling even when he pulls away, it’s the most real anything has felt since she woke up in the hospital. “Can I ask you a favor?” She asks. “Yea, anything.” “Can you tell me about before, honestly tell me.” “Yea um yea I can do that. On your first day at the BAU I met you riding up the elevator…” He smiles thinking about it, “When we got out and walked into the bullpen my eyes were glued to you. I was being so obvious and then Morgan noticed and teased me for it. I was such a nervous wreck around you I couldn’t even talk you every time you talked to me I would get lost in your voice.” When he looks into her eyes and sees the tears forming, “Why are you crying?” He asks “I wish I remembered. The way you talk about it I really wish I could remember everything.” He wraps his arms around her pulling her against his chest kissing the top of her head, “Don’t worry even if they don’t come back we can make new ones. I’m just happy you know.” They lie there together until Y/N’s stomach growls, “Shush” She says looking down and Spencer laughs at her reaction. “We should probably eat dinner.” He says. “I don’t feel like cooking.” “We can order something.” “Sounds good” They end up up ordering chinese food and Y/N makes fun of Spencer for not being able to use chopsticks. After dinner they watch the first episode of Doogie Howser M.D. because how could they not. 

That night when Spencer went home instead of sleeping like he should, like he told Y/N he would, he started researching ways to recover memory. When he looks over to the clock and sees the time he runs to take a quick shower before gathering all the stuff he spent the night finding and going to Y/N’s apartment. “What’s all that?” Y/N asks seeing the bags Spencer is carrying. He sits the bags down pulling articles and items out setting them on the coffee table. “I did some research on memory recovery and I have some things you could try.” He says. “Is that why it looks like you didn’t sleep? Maybe you should have slept instead the chances of any of these working is slim.” She says sitting down next to him. “It doesn’t hurt to try right?” He asks. He starts to look so disappointed and she can’t handle it. “Ok fine, but please stop looking like a kicked puppy.” “Okay so exercise, a healthy diet, and sleep are by far the most important, but other than sleep you already have a good grasp on the others.” He says. “Hey I sleep just fine when I’m not being called into work.” She says defensively. “The dark circles under your eyes tell a different story.” “Really? This coming from you. I’m pretty sure your eyebags are damn near permanent. Talk about the pot calling the kettle black.” She says poking at the bags under Spencer’s eyes. “Anyways other things that might also help are meditating, writing in a journal, learning a new skill and puzzles. I’ve got crossword and jigsaw puzzles to start. We can also play chess.” He starts rambling about the benefits of using these tools to strengthen her memories. “You do know these all help retain memories right, not regain them.” “I know” He says, there’s that look again. “Ok I’ll make you a deal if you sleep more I will try these and see if they improve memory.” She offers her hand pinky out. “A pinky promise? We’re adults.” She continued holding her pinky out for him with a look, a look he is familiar with that means she is being serious. He wraps his pinky around hers grasping tight and she smiles, he loves that smile. When they let go she reaches over to pick up the book with the crossword puzzles. “I have a preference for word searches.” She says opening to the first page pen in hand. “I know you do but you need a challenge and you can figure out a word search just by glancing at it.”  She sticks her tongue out at him in response. 

The rest of the week goes well. Spencer checks in with Y/N everyday asking about how the meditation and journaling is going. She checks in with him to make sure that he is in fact sleeping. While they were on a case they did crosswords on the plane and during the little breaks they had Spencer would quiz her on any amounts of random information. The team enjoyed watching the two laugh and joke and even argue again. Morgan, Prentiss, and JJ are driving back to meet up with everyone else. A phone call comes in from Garcia, “Hey Baby Girl, what’s up, any new information.” “Me no but that’s not why I’m calling.” Garcia says. “Not that we aren’t happy to hear from you but what’s up?” Prentiss asks. “How are our love birds? She asks, voice full of hope. “They are doing just fine.” Prentiss answers. “That is not what I mean, JJ said they were acting normal again.” Garcia says. “Well on the plane they were sitting together again arguing over a crossword puzzle. She brought him snacks and made him limit his coffee. Earlier he kept asking her random questions and she got tired of it and glared at him.” JJ explains as they all chuckle. “I’m so happy. I don’t think I would have been able to take watching them apart.” Garcia says. “Well you can’t force anything just have to let it happen.” Morgan says. They hang up when they reach the local police department pulling up at the same time as Hotch and Rossi. When they walk in they are surprised at what they see Y/N is sitting on a table looking up at Spencer who appears to be yelling at her. Initially they are concerned until they see Y/N burst out laughing at a very frustrated Spencer. He storms off as Y/N tells him to wait still laughing. “What happened?” Morgan asks. She is still laughing tears streaming down her face from laughing so hard. When she finally stops laughing and catches her breath, “We were discussing Dr. Who and I asked how he could watch a show with improbable science. To which he argued that it’s not all that improbable and if I actually watched that I would know. And I said how would he know if I watched it or not and he said he already tried to get me to watch it. And I said Oh I remember that and now he’s mad that I finally remembered something and it’s that.” Y/N rambles. “Wait you remembered something?” Hotch asks. “It’s kind of fuzzy but that was the clearest a memory has been.” The team is happy to hear the good news. Y/N is happy as well. The memory itself was strange, kind of blurry tunnel vision like and she hated to admit all the mind strengthening techniques Spencer mentioned probably helped. “Do you want to talk about it?” Hotch asks. “Not in the slightest. Any new information.” Y/N asks. The team delves into discussion of the case. 

After arresting the unsub the team is packing up their things at the hotel waiting for the jet to be ready. Spencer hears a knock at his door, when he answers he sees Y/N. “Hey can I come in?” He moves to let her in. “Are you still upset?” She asks. “I wasn’t upset.” He answers. “You haven’t said a word to me since then.” “I just.. Why is that the first thing you remember?” and she shrugs. “Why does that bother you? I thought you would be happy. You know after working so hard to help me regain my memories.” “That isn’t how I want you to remember things. An argument.” He says. She chuckles placing a palm on his face, “The details are a little fuzzy but even I know that is not a bad memory. It may have been an argument but it was light hearted.” She says with a smile. Spencer can’t stop himself from smiling, “Can I kiss you?” She responds by standing on her tiptoes bringing her lips to ghost over his, barely touching. Spencer doesn’t move, he waits for her. He could hear his heart beating in his ears, drowning out all other sounds. She felt warmth when she fully pressed her lips against his, it was soft and delicate. The smell of coffee and peppermint floods her nose. He grabs her waist pulling her in closer to him and feels her smile against his lips and he smiles back. When they pulled away they smiled widely, “I have waited so long to kiss you again.” Y/N opens her mouth to say something but is interrupted by Morgan walking in. “Hey are you ready….” He doesn’t finish the sentence he just turns and walks out of the room shutting the door behind him. Y/N and Spencer just laughed at the situation sharing another quick kiss and going to meet up with the team. When they got downstairs to get in the SUV’s and head to the jet the team were all huddled whispering and giggling. They knew exactly what they were talking about, “What is this high school?” Y/N interrupts them. “I don’t know lovebird, why don’t you tell us.” Morgan quips backs. Arriving at the tarmac and boarding the jet Spencer and Y/N are inseparable holding hands the entire way. They sit next to each other and can still hear the snickers around them. “Don’t listen to them, they’re just jealous.” Spencer whispers into her ear and she giggles in response. They sit together, hands intertwined until they fall asleep on the flight home.