#verity the chosen

[andromedask]

Verity: The Chosen (3D RPG) Android/IOS Gameplay | Baru Rilis di Play Store Indonesia

[timegears-moved]

[decepti-thots]

☕️ trans girl verity :33

Verity as a trans girl is one of those headcanons where for me, it really makes the text as we are given it more coherent. It provides a lot of implicit motivation for things the comics kind of don't bother exploring her feelings about, I think. We have all that stuff in the early phase one stuff where she is nebulously "troubled" and constantly running away, happier to live as a young teen on the streets despite obviously knowing the risks inherent to that. There's her extremely glossed over (and very deftly executed so the reader doesn't question it) decision to leave Earth entirely to go hang out with Ultra Magnus. There's her reluctance to go back to a mother she was taken away from because doing so is scary, even if she now can.

And it's hardly as though "the foster care system Fucking Sucks" etc is not adequate for explaining that, to be clear, but I feel like Verity feeling invested in staying in this new world where everything is incredibly dangerous but also where she meets all these people with no context for who she might be in the "real world", who she gets to take control of how she presents herself to them... that's a narrative that works really well for exploring through a trans lens. What her association with these people offers her, despite the danger, despite all the traumatic experiences, despite how clearly negative so much of it is, boils down to a sense of agency. (And agency is really important to Verity; everything about how she acts in SotW boils down, by her own admission, to wanting that sense of control in the face of something she can't escape.) It offers her an opportunity to decide who she presents herself as to people with absolutely no way of questioning a lot of things her fellow humans might question her on, and viewing that through a lens of trans self-determination is really interesting in how it adds additional framing to that arc she gets. Sure, running off with the big scary alien robot embroiled in active warfare as a tiny squishy young human does not sound like a great idea- but if the tradeoff is that you can really truly reinvent yourself and nobody even knows that they could question it, well. Especially in contrast to how it makes her ostensibly 'peaceful' life she could otherwise return to in fact one that isn't uncomplicatedly peaceful at all as someone facing very different kinds of fear in that "normal" life.

There's also the fact that as you move through SotW and RotW, her arc converges with Springer's about what self-determination looks like. Springer's arc in the latter two-thirds of Wreckers is about making active choices to decide who you want to be in the face of cycles that try and force you into being a specific person you find that you do not like very much. People have a very specific idea of who you were supposed to be for them; resisting that because you do not want to is hard. Choosing something else is hard. That has a lot of resonance for a Verity who had to make that decision because she is trans, I think, at an exaggerated scale.

And the great thing is: it works. Verity gets to choose, as an adult, to meet her mother again on her own terms. She conquers all her nightmares and gets through it and reenters the world as an adult woman who is confident enough to assert herself and take what she wants. She can go back into that human world and assert who she has chosen to be there in a way she couldn't before. It works that way with or without the trans element, but the trans element just fits in smoothly, I think. It really adds to my love for her character to think of it as a part of that story about developing a sense of self.

[as8bakwthesage]

Whichever one gets chosen, Charlie still calls her "Vivi" as a cutesy girlfriend nickname-

[icanttalkimhavingacrisis]

Ain't it fun? - marauders fanfic - no voldemort AU - chapter 1 (available on ao3 here)

Summer, 1978

James stepped out of the car - the four of them had decided to rent an old van while the girls had settled on, well, a normal car - and took a deep breath, stretching out his arms as though to embrace his surroundings. Feeling the mountain air clear and sharp, almost melting into the landscape. Yes, this vacation was most definitely one of Padfoot’s better ideas.

“It’s this tiny village in central Europe,” he had said, eyes aglow with passion. ��The only full-time residents are these two old squib families, and most of the houses were built by muggles. Purebloods used to go there all the time, before France and skiing and shit like that got fashionable that is.” Remus had raised an eyebrow at that.

“A retreat for purebloods? Aren’t they going to be a problem?” Sirius shook his head.

“No, you don’t get it - no pureblood family has been there in like ten years.” He fiddled with the wand in his hand. “I’m friends with one of the families there, they haven’t had any visitors in ages - it’s absolutely perfect!” James and Peter had agreed, and it had only been a matter of time before they had convinced Lily, Marlene and Mary to join them. They made the necessary plans, paid for the cars and cottage (well, the Potters paid - they liked the idea of the boys getting out of the house and having fun together), and made the trip.

And now? Now they were here - James was standing in front of the small, muggle cottage, nestled between the mountains, miles from anyone who could possibly want anything from them, the closest house supposedly not for miles. Complete privacy. Freedom. Peace. He snapped himself out of his thoughts and went to help Remus with the trunks.

—

“I call dibs on the room with the balcony!” Mary shrieked down from the second floor. James chuckled. He had already chosen his room - the one with the east-side window, so he could watch the sunrise. 

“Go for it, bitch, mine and moony’s room is already the best!” Sirius shouted out from where he sat on the high table.

“You're sharing?” Peter asked, mouth already full with one of the puddings Effie had packed them.

“Obviously.” Sirius looked over at him. “Why wouldn't we?” Peter shrugged.

“Just curious is all.” He walked out of the kitchen and towards the stairs. “Try to keep it down though. I'm next door and I really don't want a repeat of Paris.” Moony choked on his tea, blushing slightly as Wormtail disappeared upstairs. Sirius groaned.

“Honestly, what is that guy's problem?” 

“Oh, don't be too hard on him Siri,” James smiled. “He’s just a bit lonely I think. We all feel it sometimes, when the two of you are so…”

“Gay?”

“In love.”

“Ah, that.” Sirius nodded solemnly. Remus shoved him.

“What I mean to say is, I get it. Worms hasn't had what you two have. Heck, I don't know anyone who has what you two do.”

“Oh come on, what about you and that ravenclaw girl in sixth year?” Remus pointed out. James shook his head.

“Verity was just a friend.”

“We caught the two of you in a wardrobe together.”

“A very close friend?” Padfoot laughed. James plastered on a grin. “It's fine lads, I'm not looking for anything serious right now.”

“That's valid.” Remus nodded. “Remember I'm here for you though. Your gay werewolf godmother, eh?”

“His WHAT?” Sirius asked, with an air of mock shock. 

“Just an inside joke pads,” James waved it off. Sirius gasped audibly, furthering the feign surprise.

“Oh, so now the two of you have jokes together??” He shook his head. “I see how it is.”

“How what is, love?” Remus asked with a creeping smile.

“Well isn't it obvious?” Sirius sighed dramatically. “You're cheating on me with Prongsie!” James burst out laughing, and Remus and Sirius joined in soon later.

“Alright, I'll catch you guys in a bit.” James said, turning towards the exit. “Got to go on my afternoon run, you know how it is.”

“Of course.” Sirius nodded solemnly. “Got to keep up that quidditch physique, eh? Now that we won't have it in school.”

“Still can't wrap my head around that yet.” James shook his head, tying up his trainers and opening the front door. “See you guys later?” Remus waved him off. James stepped out into the warm summer air.

—

James let himself breathe properly again. The steady rhythm of his feet hitting the asphalt road like a metronome, keeping him tethered to his body, keeping him centred. Keeping him safe.

It wasn’t that he didn’t enjoy being with his friends, that absolutely wasn’t the case - not at all. He loved being with them, if he didn’t he wouldn’t have come on this trip. It was just… well. He couldn’t properly explain it, not even to himself. It seemed, sometimes, as though he was an actor. Yes, that was a good way to explain it. An actor - and each setting that he inserted himself into, he donned a new character, a new persona to be, someone that could always put others at ease. He was only fully himself here - on his runs, alone. It was only here that he could properly breathe.

James kept running. After a short while, his breathing levelled with his pace, and the pain passed him by - this was his favourite moment of every run - and running became as natural as breathing, laughing, falling in love… James shook the last thought off. Now wasn’t the time to think, to wonder why he didn’t find anyone he’d want to spend his life with, why he felt so terribly alone. Now wasn’t the time for that. Now he was supposed to run.

The place that Sirius had chosen for their summer trip this year was undoubtedly beautiful, James had to give him that. The sky was a dazzling blue, brighter than anything Godric Hollow had to offer, the roads well cared for, and the mountains themselves - beautiful. Covered in evergreen trees, with the odd oak or maple spotted somewhere in between, framing the horizon beautifully. James had hopes to climb one of them one day. A swallow flew just above his head, a little river trickled by the side of the road. It was truly beautiful.

And then - James saw another beautiful thing. A person. A person in front of a cottage, one eerily similar to theirs - the balcony was on the other side though. Not the same. A person sitting on the boot of a car, smoking a cigarette, that the person balanced so gently and gracefully between their fingers, it could be an art form. A person with wavy, black hair that surrounded their face like a crown or a dark halo, a stark contrast to their smooth, perfectly pale skin. And behind that halo, James saw a flicker of green eyes - like emeralds, glowing and full of life. He tripped on a rock and stopped abruptly, awoken from his fascination by the sensation of gravel brushing on his face. 

The person walked towards his body, sprawled across the road, as James slowly picked himself up. The person threw an ounce of shade onto James with his own frame, and he didn’t want to leave it. Or at least, he didn’t until he heard the person speak.

“Potter?” Regulus Black’s silky voice moved through the air towards the other boy’s ears, both of them full of surprise and confusion. “What are you doing here?” James sprung up quickly and dusted himself off. A voice he only recognised from overhearing conversations between him and Sirius, a face he never properly had the chance to look at. He took that chance now - taking in every detail. He looked so similar to Sirius - and yet, so different. So much… softer.

“Reggie?” James blinked confusedly. 

“That’s me.” Regulus crossed his arms across his chest. “Are you going to answer the question?”

“Reg!” Barty’s voice flowed through the air, followed by his body as he left the cottage. “What’s been holding you…” he looked at James. “Oh. What are you doing here?”

“Sorry to bother.” James rubbed the back of his neck. “I just… went out on a run. We’re staying in a cottage pretty similar to this one, just up the road.”

“Who’s we?” Barty inquired. Regulus stayed silent.

“Well me, Sirius, Remus, Peter,” James started. “And then also Mary, Lily and Marlene.”

“Wow.” Barty shook his head. “All of Gryffindor Tower, eh?”

“Not all of us.” He smiled awkwardly. “Just some friends.” He nodded over at the cottage. “What about you two? Is it just you?” Regulus shook his head.

“It’s me, Barty, Evan, Pandora and Dorcas.” Regulus said. “Just the five of us.”

“Oh.” James nodded. “You should… uh… come over some time. For a barbeque or something of the kind. If you’d like to, of course.”

“I thought you hated Slytherins.” Regulus tilted his head. James felt a drop of sweat roll down his neck.

“Oh no, not at all.” he shook his head. “No, I just like beating you up in quidditch, is all.” That earned a slight chuckle from Regulus. James feared that his heart might explode.

“We’ll consider it.” Barty said, turning to Regulus. “Come on then, we’ve got trunks to unpack.”

“Bye then.” James waved at the two of them as they walked into the cottage, Regulus closing the door behind them. Just one more second of eye contact - of those beautiful green eyes gazing into his own. He was once more alone on the road. He looked back at his track, and kept running.

[theadmiralsdaughter]

sideblog intro

The Admiral's Daughter is a novel I'm writing and in the process of editing. It can best be described as a fictional period drama with fantasy elements and pirates. If that sounds awesome to you, feel free to follow along for updates, ramblings, snippets, and whatever else I happen to create for this work along the way! [a sideblog of @kazoosandfannypacks]

story summary: When Maristella Arrington, the admiral's daughter, meets a handsome young lieutenant named Adrian, he convinces her to join the navy. She enlists, alongside her best friend, Verity. A few days before her graduation from the naval academy, she receives word that Adrian's ship, while engaged in battle with a pirate vessel, was sunk, and he perished along with it. Maristella then sets out to get her revenge on the pirates who sent Adrian to his watery grave, which proves difficult when she finds that the pirates haven't killed him— they've recruited him, and she must join forces with them as well in order to save Verity's life.

current draft wc/previous draft wc: {14673/45841}

playlists: entire wip | adristella | music i like to write to

character intros under the cut!

Maristella Arrington: Maristella is the eldest daughter of Admiral Charles Arrington. She loves nothing more than spending a few short months of the year at sea with her father, and is fascinated by life at sea and naval battles. She is confident and loyal, which makes her a strong leader to those around her.

Verity Sterling: Verity has been inseparable best friends with Maristella since they were kids. She's skilled in swordplay as well as giving supportive advice, and she would do anything for those close to her.

Adrian Alyward: Adrian joined the navy with his sister, Isabella, and they quickly rose through the ranks after their bravery in saving the Admiral's life at the Skirmish at Bedisa Sea. Upon meeting Maristella at the Admiral's Ball, he's immediately smitten with her, but their blossoming potential of a relationship grows complicated when he joins forces with the treacherous pirates that frequent her seas.

Isabella Alyward: {name subject to change.} After joining the navy so she and her younger brother, Adrian, can make a name for themselves, Isabella soon becomes captain of The Noble Guardian. When they have an unfortunate run in with a nasty lot of pirates, her fate is changed for the worse, and she must look to the brother she's always sought to protect to come through and save her from an unpleasant demise.

Admiral Charles Arrington: Admiral Arrington is in charge of most of the navy, and captains his flagship The Star of the Sea, but most his favorite role is that of dedicated husband, and of father of six. Though he'd never claim to have favorites, his soldiers and family alike know he has a soft spot for his eldest daughter, Maristella. Despite his fatherly concern for her safety when she joins the navy, he's excited for the opportunity it provides to spend time with her.

Victor Durand III: Victor has been a rival of Maristella's ever since she was eight and he was five and her dad got promoted to Admiral while his was still a commodore. He enlists in the navy just shortly before Maristella does, and while both of them would deny it, they grow to tolerate and even, on rare occasions, appreciate each other.

Conroy Lewin: Conroy's father, Professor Lewin, is the professor of general studies at the naval academy. He quickly becomes friends with Maristella and Verity, as someone who understands what it's like to grow up in a navy family. He enjoys studying and sharing information, and joins the navy around the same time as Maristella.

Lenna Arrington: Lenna is Admiral Arrington's wife, and she runs a tight ship at home while her family is away. While she's always happy to support her children and their dreams, a part of her still wishes her eldest daughter, Maristella, had chosen to settle down and get married instead of pursue a life of high-seas adventure.

Cordelia Arrington: Cordelia is eight years younger than Maristella, and though she's the closest in age to Maristella, they share little in the way of hopes and dreams, and Cordelia can't wait until she's old enough to attend some fancy balls and tea parties of her own.

Dylon Arrington: Dylon is the oldest boy among the Arrington children. There's a year in between him and his siblings on either side, and Maristella and her friend Verity often train him in swordplay, strategy, and, much to his chagrin, ballroom dancing. Of all his siblings, he's the one who looks the most like their father.

"Charlie" Arrington: Charlie is Lil's twin brother, named after their father. At eleven years old, he shows quite promise with his writing and creative thinking, but he often struggles with controlling his temper.

"Lil" Arrington: Lil is Charlie's twin sister, named after their mother. She loves reading and studying and is quite level headed for a child, at least, until you ask which of them is the older twin. She'll swear up and down that it's her, and though Charlie couldn't care less about which of them is older, he enjoys bringing up the fact that it's actually him.

Randolf: Randolf is the youngest of the kids, and his favorite thing in the world is when his dad tells stories and he gets to help act them out.

[iwillneverletgoipromise]

Another prompt, another drabble. Today’s prompt was “what if I told you none of it was accidental.”

Jane was in her chamber, feeling sad and empty. She should feel relieved, even glad, since the bowling game actually turned out to be a success, in spite of everything. Archer won. Things were going well, but she couldn’t be completely happy about it.

She couldn’t stop thinking about Guildford. Was he okay? Where was he now? Would he ever return to her? Oh if he did, she knew what to do. She would slap him so hard he would think twice to run away like that again. She wanted to do that so badly, because that would mean he was back to her. She missed him, so muchz His voice, his smile, his smirks, his kisses, Gods even his rogue attitude!

She wanted to talk to him, tell him everything. She almost died that day, and all she could think about was that she wouldn’t see him again. She wouldn’t tell him she was sorry, and all she meant was that to her he was perfect. He didn’t need a cure, cause there was nothing to cure about him.

Her thoughts got interrupted by someone knocking at the door. “Come on in.” She said in a flat voice. It was Lord Dudley, who just wanted to inform her on the mood of her guests, and the next move to attempt. Of course he wanted to talk about business. It was always about business for Lord Dudley. Jane wasn’t sure if he was worse than her mother, probably not. But they could have put it on a wager.

“Your Majesty, you must know that it takes more than a simple bowling game to convince Verities to accept Ethians.” He said, as if he was talking to a naive little girl. Jane narrowed her eyes, looking away. “I know well, Dudley. But I don’t intend to stop.” She replied, firmly.

Dudley remembered their last conversation, after Guildford left. She knew Jane was determined to move an entire country for his son, and looking at her right now, so pale, with those sad eyes, he realized she could truly feel something for Guildford.

“When I set up all of this and convinced King Edward to make you Queen, I didn’t expect any of this.” He said, chuckling a bit. “Right, you expected me to make your son King. That’s why you and my mother arranged the marriage.” She replied to me, resented.

“Yes, but there was another reason.” He said, cryptically. Jane stared at him, confused. What other reason? “What do you mean?”

“You and Guildford. What if I told you none of it was accidental? Yes, I’ve always wanted him to be King. But I want something else too.”

Jane gave him a stern look. That man had so many secrets. But she would make him spill them all. “Speak now, Dudley!” She ordered him. He sighed, knowing she wouldn’t like it.

“I arranged the marriage so Guildford could be King, but I always want an heir, for my lineage. Guildford knew that, but he was against it. My son, he’s so noble. Nothing like me. But yes, you were chosen for several reasons that could give benefits to me. But things aren’t going the way I expected, or hoped for. My son is not King, he’s somewhere trying to fix his only flaw, and I don’t have my heir. Maybe I never will. And I pushed for a Queen who doesn’t play by the rules, whose only purpose is to end Division Laws.”

Jane listened to him, she didn’t interrupt him. And she kept repeating to herself that Guildford knew his father’s plans, he knew everything. He knew his father wanted him to be King, but he had never told her anything about it. He only cared about the cure. He knew Dudley wanted an heir, but he had never pushed her, he had never forced her to do anything she didn’t want to. He had waited for her, to be with her. And that was what mattered. She touched her wedding ring, thinking about him for the umpteenth time. She prayed he was okay.

Then, she took a deep breath. “First of all, Dudley, Guildford has never cared about being King, what has always mattered to him was to find a cure. Your son studied and read lots of stuff to find a way to get his life back. You should start being more concerned about what your children want, than spending so much time at planning things convenient to you.” She remarked with anger. “And when Guildford and I decide to have children,” she added like a river in flood, “it’ll be our choice, because we want to. Not for the lineage, not for you, or anyone. For us.”

Jane straightened herself and continued, with a lower tone, but firm. “And I’m your Queen, you just have to follow my orders. I will end Division Laws.” Dudley took a bow, with reverence and left, being more than sure of Jane’s feelings for Guildford.

Jane sighed and moved towards the window, wishing for the sunset to come, wishing for Guildford to come back to her.

[aislittlesparrow]

OTOME GAMES I HAVE PLAYED SO FAR AND MY FAVORITE BOYS

♡ touchstarved (demo only - the alchemist origin, i have chosen all the boys) | 9 hours

favorite boys: ais and leander

ps: me to them: “você pode me ninar nos seus braços fortes e cabeludos? vem pra baixo do lençol comigo… tá tão calor… você nem precisa usar pijama”

♡ ikemen prince (chevalier, licht, sariel and clavis - all of them romantic endings) | ? hours (probably too many)

favorite boys: chevalier and licht

♡ love unholyc (jung hi - normal ending i think? can’t remember) | ? hours

favorite boys: sol

♡ mystic messenger (yoosung and jumin han - good endings) | ? hours

favorite boys: jumin han and 707

♡ date with death (i got ending 1, 3 - you win/kiss, 4 - dlc ending and 5 - wedding) | 15 hours

♡ sounds of verity (got all 13 finals) | ? hours

i’m not going to elaborate on this one, i was just bored

♡ twisted carnival (got all of jude, leon and remy endings)

favorite boys: jude

♡ salvus aries (demo only, chose all boys + chapter 1 caym) |

favorite boys: seir and orias

♡ obscura (demo only, got all keir, cirrus and francesco endings) | 8+ hours

favorite boys: cirrus, keir and francesco

otome games im currently playing:

dark nights

error143

adopt a boyfriend (dropped)

amnesia

14 days with you (favorite boy: [redacted])

[alstroemeriatea]

Malus Pumila Collection: A Lucilith Origin Story

───── ⋆⋅⛧⋅⋆ ─────

hey you!! hyperfixating on lucilith from hazbin hotel?? (the couple with less than one whole minute of screen time :') )

i have just the set of fics for you! the malus pumila collection is a set of six stories that currently read as complete. this collection tells the story of how lucifer and lilith met, fell in love with one another, and rose to power in Hell before having their daughter. there are POVs for both Lilith and Lucifer, as well as a range of different ratings.

if you like references to greek mythology, classic renaissance literature, and abrahamic mythology, then this is the series for you!

series excerpt below:

───── ⋆⋅⛧⋅⋆ ─────

Life courses through us; we solidify it in mundane ways. A silver ring, a burning hearth: a vow, a whisper of something yet to come. Between new royalty, they’re known to favor a kiss to the thigh, traced in skeins of white silk. Magic reverberates through their bodies, in their bed, and between their lips.

From a burning descent, new life was made. A palace was built, and a Prince became a King, wings severed from his back. A Regina sprinted from Eden, favoring her chosen in turn. A covenant was made in the name of makerism, adoration, and creation.

[Pomegranate juice stains, you know. It’s far more viscous than blood, the way it travels and trails in rivulets down your wrist. It’s sweet and tart in tandem, and with time may grow bitter on the back of your tongue.]

Actions often compliment the truth. The verity of life can be ugly and harsh in ways that break our integrity.

Their vow was no exception.

───── ⋆⋅⛧⋅⋆ ─────

[fraeuleintaka]

Character Introduction (Investigations 2): Eddie Fender

This is the 42nd post in the Ace Attorney Investigations Collection Countdown: 39 days left until release!

Today's topic: Eddie Fender Character Introduction!

Like with Justine (Verity) I'll be using his fan-translated name, Raymond (Ray) Shields, throughout this post.

Ray's introduction mostly paints him as mysterious, probably to invoke the way he gets introduced in the game with Miles being familiar with him but not having seen him in years and Gumshoe and Kay having no idea who he is. The introduction mentions this mysterious relationship with Ray knowing something about Miles' past but not specifying what and instead framing it as a question of what they could have to do with each other considering Miles is a prosecutor and Ray a defense attorney. It's kind of funny how intriguing Ray's introduction tries to make this sound when Gregory's introduction readily admits that Ray used to be his assistant which is their entire connection. You also find this out pretty quickly in the game and Ray mostly becomes a supportive figure. I guess they didn't want to spoil that though (especially because Ray spends a good part of I2-2 needling Miles about being Manfred's disciple before he's convinced that Miles has changed) so they only talk about this initial mystery. Doesn't help when Gregory's introduction spoils it then though.

Apart from this Ray is also described as always joking around (very true and something that actually annoys Miles sometimes) yet at the same time as being surprisingly perceptive, a skilled defense attorney and easily seeing through others' tricks. Especially the latter two are more of an informed ability as we never see Ray directly work as a defense attorney or confront someone. Still, there are several occasions where he helps Miles out of a bind or gives helpful advice of different kinds so he's definitely perceptive enough that the other points would easily follow.

Ray's full character artwork comes across as pretty neutral to me. He's definitely confident and more relaxed than confrontational which fits his joking nature but apart from that nothing really stands out. I like that he holds his hand to his hat (like he does when running) to kind of direct the attention towards it as it used to be Gregory's hat and therefore holds a lot of meaning for Ray. His chosen chibi sprite animation is him shrugging which I'd call his quintessential animation as it perfectly encapsulates his laid-back attitude. Very good choice and I like the facial expression he gives with it, that sort of half-smile.

[davros42]

Rewatching Classic Doctor Who, some episodes I haven't seen in years, some of the animated reconstructions I haven't seen at all.

The Romans AKA Serial M

David Whitaker, Doctor Who's first script editor (vaguely equivalent to the modern 'show runner' in some respects but also not really in others), was sick of historicals. And to be fair, Marco Polo and The Reign of Terror (and the Tribe of Gum) were, despite their lavish production value, the weakest stories of Season 1. In my opinion, anyway. Verity Lambert convinced him and writer Dennis Spooner to take a more light hearted tone with this one and, with some influence from Carry On Cleo (and maybe a nod toward sword-and-sandal epics like Spartacus), turned in a lovely, breezy pastiche of Roman times. It gets called a 'comedy' fairly often but there's really only a few heavily slapstick moments in between the human trafficking, murder, assassination plots, arson, and sexual harassment. Ok, the sexual harassment is also a slapstick 'comedy' moment. It was the 60's.

To recap: The TARDIS lands and promptly falls off a cliff.

One month later, the TARDIS crew is squatting in a Roman villa while the owner is off campaigning in Gaul. Ian and Barbara are enjoying lounging around post-coitally, blissed out on wine, flirting constantly. Vicki, however, is restless and wants to see history. The Doctor departs with her to visit Rome, leaving Barbara to mommy domme Ian into a new hairstyle.

The Doctor and Vicki discover the corpse of a lyre player and The Doctor steals his identity and gets swept off to court of Nero, as one does. Ian and Barbara suffer a home invasion, during which Barbara smashes a vase over Ian's head and gets them both trafficked into slavery. Ian gets sent a galley crew and Barbara gets sold into Nero's court. Vicki and The Doctor just miss seeing Barbara get sold into slavery as they arrive in Rome, setting up the most amusing running gag of the serial. Ian gets shipwrecked and escapes. The Doctor, meanwhile, has to keep flattering Nero to keep from having to admit that he can't actually play the lyre. It becomes clear that the person that The Doctor is impersonating has some kind of mysterious task or mission. Nero, of course, has taken a shine to Barbara (who wouldn't?) and has decided to chase her around the palace like fucking Benny Hill. Vicki befriends the court poisoner and accidentally saves Barbara from poisoning by Nero's jealous wife by almost poisoning Nero instead. The Doctor gives her the standard lecture about changing history and then saves Nero's life. The poisoner takes the fall for Barbara's survival. The Doctor pretends to play music that only the most refined can hear (an idea he once loaned to Hans Christian Anderson) to once again get out of playing the lyre. However, Nero is preparing to kill him out of jealousy.

But first, sports. Ian and his friend have gotten themselves recaptured and sent to gladiator school. And they have been chosen to fight to the death in front of Nero. And Barbara, but that's not important right now. Ian loses but his friend doesn't kill him and attacks Nero instead. They escape. But Nero sets a trap for Ian with Barbara as bait. The Doctor (and Vicki) are informed that Nero plans to kill The Doctor but when The Doctor accidentally sets Nero's schematics for a new Rome on fire... well... Inspiration strikes. Nero goes off to burn down Rome and in the chaos Ian and Barbara reunite and escape. Vicki tells The Doctor off for changing history by inspiring the Fire of Rome.. but that wasn't really a change if it always happened anyway? Ian and Barbara return to the villa, get changed, and pass out. The Doctor and Vicki return and The Doctor chastises them for idleness and won't hear a word of explanation as he decides it is time to depart.

The story hits the gas pedal and doesn't let up. The two parallel plots are well structured and well paced. If they slowed down at all, the whole thing would fall apart under it's own weight. All the essential Roman elements are present.. weird food, galley slaves, statues, saunas, centurions, mad emperors, gladiators. The history is.. ok? By AD 64 (when the story was set) Nero was known for his strange behavior, being susceptible to flattery, and violent temperament. His wife Poppaea Sabina was apparently a bit of schemer, and may have been the sort to poison a slave girl. Anyway, no one really knows how or why the Fire of Rome started. Most of the history we have of Nero was written by people who may have been biased. Even more biased than most historians, I mean. Anyway, it's a fun little Cliff Notes version of history that works a lot better than the longer, more slowly paced dramatic historicals that preceded it. No coincidence that the shorter, more action oriented The Aztecs is easily the best historical so far, with The Romans close behind.

Next up: The Web Planet (but not the Web of Fear)

[lanabenikosdoormat]

OC MASTERPOST (REGULARLY UPDATED)

—

My SWTOR characters!

These are the four I’m the most invested in, and I do have other toons but their stories haven’t quite come to me yet. :)

I’ve also attached their respective toyhouse’s with the complete lore to their names, some are more complete than others haha.

Jed Solaris

You all know him, the man, the myth, the legend. He’s my main oc, not just for swtor and star wars, but as a whole. He is the crown jewel and flagship character of the sodapopsalesguy cinematic universe. He’s also my favorite punching bag (as any good oc should be).

In my gameplay, Jed is the canon cipher nine, as well as the Outlander/Alliance Commander. He started off pushing neutral DS alignment but eventually has gradually been pushing towards light III. His LI is Theron Shan and he’s best friends with Lana, as she’s one of the only people who can actually keep him in line.

He’s not proud of what he did as a Cipher Agent, which is why he’s trying to do better as Alliance Commander. He’s a man of the people, a boy who was shaped by war, and yet he’s just trying to do better. He’s the chosen one, but only by happenstance. Practically force blind, and often resentful of force users as a whole.

He constantly swings back and forth from being a serious character, whom I treasure - and the galaxy’s most cringefail guy. I love him.

Fallon Navaro

Fallon Navaro is my terrible no good very bad Jedi Consular. She’s also my other main character, but for Pubside. She is not the canon Consilar though, that’s just the gameplay path I chose for her. She also has premonitions of the future, including of my other SWTOR characters and their lives.

She’s a descendent of the Jedi Exile, and people just won’t stop reminding her of that. Fallon’s spent so much of her life in the footsteps of what she should be, that eventually she gives up and jsut starts doing her own thing. Usually something highly manipulative or immoral. She’s not the most evil Dark V™️ character around, she’s just sort of trying to break the expectations people have been shoveling ontop of her for her entire life.

She is romancing Lana Beniko, and they’re so cute together. All of my characters are queer because straight people scare me.

Verity Danthe

Miss Verity is the anti Fallon. She’s my canon sith warrior and she is the love of my life. Verity is kind, she’s cautious, she’s empathetic, and she’s pushing light V. Because of her beauty and grace she is coined “The Emperors Delight” just as often as she is the Emperors Wrath.

Born and raised in sith nobility, Verity should in theory be a perfect sith. But she isn’t. Her heart is on her sleeve and she uses her passion and love as the main fuel for her dark sided power and antics. She’s not a total pushover though, if something happens to her loved ones — she can easily snap and show you who’s boss.

Despite being a bit of a socialite and party animal she is very perceptive and aware of how to use this to her advantage. She can use the force to read other peoples emotions and feelings, so rather than direct thoughts its all abstract concepts.

She’s married to Quinn, and they’re both bisexual disasters.

OTHER OCS..

TBA

[the-al-chemist]

The Lights That Never Go Out

Chapter 2: And There You Were

A/N: Things take a scary turn when Charlie and Artemis go looking for Christmas decorations. This chapter matches @thethreebroomsticksfic’s Yule Bash prompt ‘Nightmare Before Christmas’.

Warnings: discussion about survivor’s guilt and PTSD

5th December, 1998

Charlie had always liked doing things by hand. There was something to be said about doing things the hard way, the Muggle way. He had made a point of learning to put up a tent without magic, to fix his own clothes with a needle and thread, and to make necklaces with hand-carved wooden pendants. In doing so, he had developed rough fingertips, a lot of patience, and a sense of unmatched satisfaction at seeing his finished work.

He found that keeping his hands busy kept his mind at ease. After the war ended and the funerals of those he had loved and lost — Tonks and Fred being the two that most affected him — he had quickly attempted to return to work. His work had sent him home. He needed time, his boss had told him. Time to heal, time to be. Charlie had disagreed, but his arguments had been dismissed.

He didn’t need time. He didn’t need to be, he needed to do.

That was how he had ended up with his current project: rebuilding his parents’ house. It was a project that was taking longer than he anticipated, even with the help of his younger brothers. Having never renovated a house before, Charlie had no idea how much he had taken on until it was too late. He had wanted it finished by Christmas, but had realised in October that he would either need to rethink his schedule or resort to doing everything by magic. He had chosen the former.

Now, at the start of December, the Burrow was still nowhere near to being the perfectly imperfect home Charlie remembered from his childhood, but that didn’t matter. Much of the house had originally been built by magic, and so he had needed to use magic to reconstruct its skeleton, but he had promised himself that he would do everything he could by hand, and he had stuck to his promise.

It was now a case of making sure that the Burrow would be Christmas-worthy in the next two weeks. It had been Artemis who had suggested to him that no one would even look at the unfinished parts if there were enough decorations up to distract people from them.

“It’s called a missed erection,” she had informed him, with the utmost confidence in her convictions.

She had made a good enough point that Charlie hadn’t bothered to correct her on her mistake. The following day, the two of them had ended up venturing into Diagon Alley, the key to Charlie’s brothers’ old shop tucked into the back pocket of Artemis’ jeans.

“George still hasn’t been back here?” Artemis asked quietly as she unlocked the door and they entered the eerily quiet Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes. She closed the door behind her, and immediately opened one of the windows.

Charlie shook his head. He didn’t think anyone had been in here since the shop had been forced to close, not even Verity the former shopgirl, who he had met for the first time at Fred’s funeral.

“George said there are a load of decorations in the storeroom,” said Charlie, before his thoughts could get away from him and linger on memories of the day they had buried his little brother. “Let’s go and have a look.”

The storeroom was enormous, and filled with shelves upon shelves of unsold stock and cardboard boxes. It was hard to know where to begin to search, but without even needing to voice a plan, he and Artemis lit their wands and crossed to opposite ends of the room.

Charlie made his way along shelves at the rightmost end of the storeroom, using his wandlight to illuminate each and every box he could find. At the end of the shelves stood an upright cupboard with doors. Charlie tried to open it. It was locked.

“Artie?” he called out, looking at the keyhole and handle. “There wasn’t a second key, was there? Smaller than the one for the main door, possibly made of brass?”

“No. Why?”

“Never mind.” Charlie pointed his wand at the door. “Alohamora.” The door clicked quietly, and Charlie reached out to open it with his spare hand. “I wonder what he’s done with…”

His sentence hung unfinished in the air. It was not the only thing that hung there.

Hovering in front of Charlie’s face was a mass of green and grey smoke, which began to twist and contort itself into the shape of a skull. Slowly, the skull’s mouth opened, and from it a shadowy snake slid towards him.

Charlie’s hands fell to his sides, completely slack, and he dropped his wand. As it hit the floor at his feet, it deluminated, plunging him into darkness. Somewhere in the distance, he thought he could hear someone calling out his name, but he could barely hear it over the sound of his own pulse hammering away in his ears.

“Charlie?”

He felt a soft pressure on his shoulder, but he did not look to see what it was. He could look nowhere but at the shadow-skull, the smoke-snake, the greenish glow that made tears sting his eyes and his stomach churn.

The pressure on his shoulder became a tug at his arm which grew stronger with each pull. When he stumbled backwards, his eye contact was broken, and so too was the floating skull’s trance. He turned to see Artemis at his side, her fingers gripping his upper arm.

“Come on,” she said. “This way, come on.”

Charlie was in no mood to put up a fight. He felt far too weak for that. He had barely made it out of the storeroom before his legs were unable to support his weight, and he had to lean against one of the shop walls. Artemis placed her hands on his shoulders and pushed him down the wall until he was sitting on the floor with his back against it. She crouched down in front of him.

“It’s fine, Charlie. It was just a Boggart, it can’t hurt you. Look.” Charlie didn’t look, but he heard the storeroom door slam closed. “It can’t get out now. You’ll be okay. Just stay there, I’ll be back in a minute.”

With that, she was gone. Charlie didn’t even see her leave, but he knew that he was alone, sitting on the floor, a closed door between him and the… Could it really be a Boggart? He had never known a Boggart to look like that before.

He put his head into his hands, running them from his chin and up into his hair, which he pushed back from his face. He took a shaky breath and exhaled, closing his eyes and lifting his face to the ceiling.

A little bell rang, and he opened his eyes to see Artemis re-enter the shop. In her hands was a bar of chocolate. She sat down beside his feet facing him, and held out the chocolate bar to him.

“Here,” she said. “Eat this, it will help.”

Charlie shook his head. “That’s for Dementors, not Boggarts.”

“You gave me chocolate once when I saw a Boggart.”

“I was just improvising.”

“Well, so am I. Eat it.”

It was clear from the stubborn look on Artemis’ face that she was not going to take no for an answer. Not wishing to be force-fed, Charlie reached out and took the chocolate from her and bit into it. He had not been expecting it to do anything, but at the sweet taste and creamy texture, he felt his heart slow ever so slightly, and the tightness in his chest started to ease. Artemis had one hand on his forehead.

“You feel clammy,” she informed him, “but you look less pale now.” She removed her hand and looked at him with narrowed eyes. Charlie felt as if he were being scrutinised closely. “Has your Boggart changed since you last saw it?”

Charlie closed his eyes. “Don’t do that.”

“I’m not using Legilimency on you.”

“You are.”

“Not deliberately.” Charlie glanced at Artemis, who had leant back slightly and had a less searching look in her eyes. She nodded her head at the door. “Just then, you didn’t just look scared, you looked surprised, too.”

“Well, you don’t exactly expect a Boggart to be in a joke shop, do you?”

“You know what I mean. You looked how I felt after my Boggart changed, and I know you must’ve seen a Boggart before at school, so…”

“Yeah, alright.” Charlie gave in. He shrugged. “Yeah. It’s different to what it was when I last saw a Boggart. I mean, that was back at school, so I’m not sure when it changed to… to that. To the Dark Mark.”

He heard his own voice shake as he said the words, and took another bite of chocolate. It had less of an effect this time. Artemis’ hands were in her lap, her head nodding slowly.

“This summer, maybe,” she suggested.

“Yeah, some point last year would make sense.” Even as he agreed, Charlie knew that it was wrong. “Or even before, maybe. The World Cup.”

“When it went up over the crowds during the riots?”

That was it exactly. Charlie shuddered at the memory, even now.

“Do you remember when we were little,” he said to Artemis, “how adults would always talk about people who’d gone missing or been killed by Death Eaters?”

“When they thought we couldn’t hear them, you mean?”

“Exactly. But we always heard them, right? And the story would always be the same, someone would leave their house and come home, or go to someone else’s house, and find the Dark Mark over it. They were such scary stories, but they were just stories. But then, that night…”

“It was real,” Artemis finished his sentence for him.

“It was real, and it was terrifying. It was the most scared I’d ever been, at that point in my life, anyway. I remember when it went up, Dad and the twins and Ron and Ginny, they were all off somewhere trying to keep out of the action, and I…” Charlie swallowed before continuing, “That was the first time I ever worried someone I cared about might have just died. I’d known people who had died, obviously, like my uncles and Rowan, but I hadn’t been scared for them at the time, if that makes sense.”

Artemis’ eyes were wide and sympathetic. “It does. It makes a lot of sense.”

“I’ve felt like that so many times since then, and it never gets any easier. During the war, every time I opened a letter or went home, I’d be so scared about what I’d find.” Charlie placed his half-eaten chocolate on the floor. Speaking was making him feel better than eating had done. “I’d worry that the letter would contain bad news, or that I’d get back and everyone would be gone, and there would just be the Dark Mark, there, hanging in the sky just like…”

As his voice tailed off, Charlie screwed his eyes shut and rested the back of his head on the wall behind him. Artemis didn’t speak. It were as if she were expecting him to continue, but Charlie didn’t feel able to continue.

“Like that Boggart?” she asked him eventually, and he shook his head. A few moments later, Artemis let out a soft sigh. “At Hogwarts. At the battle, it was over the castle that night,” she said with a tone of realisation. “Oh, Charlie. That must have been horrible.”

“It was,” said Charlie, his eyes finally opening as he felt Artemis’ hand squeeze his own. “I… Actually, no.”

“What?”

“Nothing.” He shook his head. “It’s nothing, not when pretty much everyone else went through much worse than me.”

“Just because other people had bad stuff happen to them, it doesn’t make the stuff that’s happened to you less bad, Charlie,” Artemis told him.

Charlie was not sure that he agreed. He took his hand back and crossed his arms over his chest. Artemis fell quiet for a few moments.

“If you don’t mind me asking,” she said, “what was your Boggart before?”

He didn’t mind her asking.

“A Howler.”

It seemed a silly, trivial thing to have as a Boggart these days, but Artemis didn’t laugh. She raised her eyebrows, almost conspiratorially.

“Who from?”

“Everyone,” said Charlie. “Mum, Dad, Bill, Professor McGonagall, all the other teachers. All of them saying that I’d let them down and failed them and disappointed them. That I hadn’t been good enough or done well enough, that kind of thing. I know—”

“It’s not stupid, Charlie,” Artemis interrupted. “It’s not stupid at all.”

“No, I guess it isn’t.” Charlie was stuck by a small epiphany, though it was not one that made him feel any better about the situation. “I mean, I have let people down. It’s just now there are worse things than people being disappointed by me failing them.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, the people I’ve let down are dead, aren’t they?”

The words came out harsher than he had intended, but Artemis didn’t even flinch. Her eyebrows furrowed in concern.

“Charlie,” she said quietly. “You didn’t let anyone down.”

But that simply wasn’t true.

“I did. I did let people down. I let Tonks down. I let Fred down.”

“How?”

“I wasn’t there.”

“You were,” Artemis told him. Charlie shook his head. “You got there as soon as you could.”

“That wasn’t good enough, was it?” Before Artemis could contradict him, Charlie continued, “I was too late to protect them, and I should have protected them. I should have been there. I mean, Fred was my little brother, for Godric’s sake! What kind of older brother doesn’t…”

Charlie stopped mid-sentence. He was tiptoeing around a dangerous topic for Artemis. His eyes drifted out of the open shop window to the street outside. Diagon Alley was bustling, presumably full of witches and wizards buying gifts and supplies for Christmas. Were they going to be celebrating without loved ones this year? Were any of them plagued with feelings of guilt and inadequacy?

“You know what the worst part is?” murmured Charlie. “I didn’t even realise.”

He wasn’t sure that he had spoken loudly enough for Artemis to have heard him, but she answered him: “Realise what?”

“Fred. When I got to the castle, the first thing I did was look to see who was safe and still there fighting. I went in and I made sure I could see Mum and Dad, and Ginny and my brothers and… I thought I saw the twins, but I didn’t, I just saw George. In my head that meant that they were both there, that they were both safe, but he was already gone. And I didn’t even notice.”

He had never told anyone that before. He had thought that he never would tell anyone, not even Artemis.

“Please don’t tell anyone I told you that,” he added, and his peripheral vision, he saw Artemis shake her dark-haired head.

“I won’t. Promise.”

“I don’t want people to judge or think badly of me. More than they already do, anyway.”

“No one thinks badly of you,” said Artemis. There was a genuine note of surprise in her voice. “Why would they?”

Why would they not, Charlie wanted to ask her, but he didn’t. Instead, he shrugged his shoulders.

“I dunno, probably because I’ve spent the whole war safe and cosy in Romania while they were fighting,” he said. “Because I didn’t do enough, or care enough, and I wasn’t there when it mattered.”

“That’s just not true,” Artemis replied. “You were there when it mattered for me. You managed to help me at the battle, weren’t you?” Her eyes met Charlie’s for a brief moment before they both looked away. Her cheeks had turned a slightly pink colour. “And you did do things to help from where you were, like getting allies and stuff.”

“The easy stuff.”

“Easy for you, because you’re good at making people like you. Really good at it.” The corners of Artemis’ mouth began to twitch. “And you did something no one else could’ve done.”

“What’s that?”

“You looked after Fergus for me.”

“Anyone could’ve done that, Artie.”

“They couldn’t, because I wouldn’t have let anyone else but you do it.”

Charlie didn’t have it in him to return the smile Artemis was giving him. It disappeared from her face as quickly as it appeared.

“Charlie, look here. Look at me.”

He felt one of her hands rest on his cheek, soft and cool, and he did as she instructed. The look on her face was resolute as she held his gaze and told him:

“Everyone you care about knows that you’d do anything for them. And that’s a lot of people, because you care about almost everyone. And anyone else… Well, who cares what they think? They can think what they like, they can judge you whatever, because they don’t matter. The people who do matter won’t judge you or think badly of you. They don’t. I don’t.”

“I know you don’t,” said Charlie. He meant it.

Apparently happy with his response, Artemis retreated from him. Charlie picked the chocolate bar up again. He snapped the remnants of it in half, and handed one of the halves to her.

“I do feel bad, you know, telling you about my problems when I know people like you have had it worse,” he said.

“Don’t. It’s fine.”

Charlie looked at her carefully before telling her, “I don’t think that you’re fine.”

“I didn’t say I’m fine, I said ‘it’s fine’.” Artemis sighed. “I don’t think I’m fine either.”

“No. Of course not. Sorry. How are you?”

Artemis raised one eyebrow. “Really?”

“Really,” Charlie nodded. “How are you?”

“Well, I have been sleeping a bit better. Not great, but better. Now it’s just managing to be in a room without the windows or doors open that I need to work on.”

Subconsciously, Charlie glanced at the open window again. “That’ll get better eventually.”

“Yeah, but it’s cold now,” Artemis said with a laugh. Charlie couldn’t help but smile, albeit weakly. Her laughter faded, and she looked down at the chocolate in her hands. “I just feel a bit pathetic, really. Panicking about being trapped, it’s—”

“Not stupid,” Charlie interjected. Artemis’ nose wrinkled.

“Maybe not, but it still makes me feel like a coward.”

“You? No way. You’re the bravest person I know.”

But Artemis shook her head and replied, “Not anymore.”

Her voice was quiet, barely louder than a whisper, and her gaze low. There was a look of loss and feeling lost in her eyes that made Charlie’s heart hurt. He decided against hugging her, a better idea entering his head instead.

“I disagree. Come on.” He got up off the floor and held one hand out to her. “I’ll prove it to you, if you like.”

Though she looked sceptical, Artemis took his hand and allowed him to pull her to her feet. When Charlie moved to open the storeroom door, however, she shook her head.

“Charlie, wait. I’m not sure if this is a good idea.”

“Why not?”

“Because I haven’t seen a Boggart in a while,” she said. “I don’t know what form it will take. What if it’s a Dementor or… What if I can’t face it?”

“That doesn’t matter, because you aren’t going to face it,” Charlie told her. “I am.”

“What is that going to prove?”

“That you’re still the bravest person I know.” Artemis frowned, and Charlie explained, “If you come with me, I think I’ll be able to face it. If not, then I’m not sure I’ll even make it halfway across the room.” He looked at his hand on the door handle and back again. “Will you come with me? Please?”

It seemed as if an age passed before Artemis slowly nodded her head. Charlie thanked her, and opened the door. With her at his side, he walked across the storeroom to the far corner where he had found the locked cupboard. As he approached, a dark cloud rose in the air between him and the cupboard, once more swirling in the air until he stood face to face with the green, shadowy skull that had haunted his nightmares for years.

His knuckles tightened on the hilt of his wand, but his mouth was too dry and his chest too tight for him to call out the incantation to banish the Boggart. He had to think of something that would make him laugh, but all he could think of was the castle that night, the skull hanging in the sky above it, his brother already dead inside its walls before he even arrived…

“Charlie.”

It was not so much the sound of Artemis’ voice but the feeling of her hand on his arm that caught his attention. He managed to pull his gaze away from the Dark Mark to look at her. She nodded at him and smiled. Charlie closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

“Riddikulus!”

A light flashed, and Charlie opened his eyes with a start. The Dark Mark dissipated, exploding into a small display of green and white fireworks. Beside him, Artemis let out a little giggle, and the fireworks stopped. The Boggart was gone. It was just them.

“Thank you,” said Charlie.

“What for? I didn’t really do anything.”

“You were there. That was enough.”

He was still trembling, but that stopped as soon as Artemis rose up onto her tiptoes and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. Charlie felt the last of his tension leave him as he returned her hug.

Resting his chin on the top of her head, he looked back at the door behind them. He wasn’t sure at what point it had happened, but somehow it had closed without him noticing.

And Artemis, still with her arms held tight around him, hadn’t it noticed either.

[themissingleftsocks]

CITY PAINTED RED: Thrown Blankets and Annoying Robots

"Verity, you can't be here forever."

"Is that a challenge?"

Zordon hates her. Well, not truly. But Verity can tell she's treading a very thin line. Alpha 5 has similar feelings, she can tell. He's got less of a filter than the holographic mind that is her mentor. They both do have a point, though. She rarely leaves the base nowadays. It's not a glamorous life by any means, but she doesn't really have much. Being a Ranger majorly fucked up her high school GPA. And, she doesn't even really have "being a power ranger" on her resume anymore. So, she sits. She sits and stares at the screens in front of her, a blanket tucked around her shoulders as Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith plays and Zordon stares at her in the background. Besides the show, it's quiet. No city noise, or working machines. It's like a ghost town in a place that was once lively. Although, it was lively for the wrong reasons. Stupid teenagers carrying the weight of saving the world on their shoulders and handling world-ending threats that the Justice League were none the wiser to. Now, all that's left is a fractured mess.

"You're still young." Zordon replies, and Verity levels him with a look. That's a lie, a big lie, and he knows it. He lied to them before getting into this. He ruined all of their lives and now pretends it's okay. Well, the rest of them got on their feet. But Verity, she's still stuck here, drowning in a pool deeper than the ocean. This became her life at seventeen, and it would always be her life. When he says it, he almost sounds guilty, too. Like Zordon regrets dragging a bunch of high schoolers into two years of shit only for it all to crumble beneath them so fast. Like he regrets putting the weight of the world on Verity's anxiety-ridden shoulders. The five of them had been chosen by forces they didn't know and had to step up to fill the void left by the Rangers long dead. Her veins run red, redder than crimson, and her own blood. Her life had been upended and shattered, and now she had to rebuild again. Yet, she doesn't want to. It's comfortable down here, hiding alone and avoiding the outside world. "You could still go to university."

Verity doesn't speak anymore, mouth forming into a frown. She's mostly tuned out the movie now, Zordon's words bouncing off her skull. It's true, she could. But what university would take her? Perfect 4.0 till Junior year when it suddenly plummeted because of her secret life. She remembers the lectures from her parents about that, their voices still ringing in her skull sometimes late at night when she can't sleep. Looking down to her hands, she picks at the nail beds. It's boring down here, and yeah she wasn't really needed. The other Rangers were living their lives, she was the only one stuck in place by her own volition.

"I don't know..." She trails off. Zordon takes initiative though, because her answer wasn't a complete no. Her movie leaves the screen as names of colleges and universities flash by faster than she can read, only catching one or two names. The light burns her eyes, yet Verity doesn't blink as she tries to soak in just what he's doing. Transcripts, late applications because it's July and schools start next month, and all of her information and essays being written and filled out and sent at lightning speed. It takes a minute for things to comprehend, for her mind to catch up before Verity is stumbling out of the chair, pressing buttons rapidly. "Wait, wait, wait!" She rebuttles, panicked. "You can't just sign me up for college!"

"Too late." And God, she can hear the teasing in that motherfu— calm, Verity. You can't punch a hologram. It didn't work the last few hundred times. It's not gonna work now. However, that didn't stop her from bundling up her blanket and chucking it at Zordon, watching it go right through his face with a huff.

"Online college exists, why don't I just do that?" It sounded like she was back at home, bargaining with her parents about things she doesn't even remember— but most likely was related to the closely held secret of being a ranger. When was the last time she called her mom and dad? Or even her brother? Verity didn't remember.

Zordon doesn't answer, but there's rhythmic shuffling as the only other thing living here stumbles in. The metallic robot with glowing yellow eyes and a smart mouth, even though he technically didn't have one. "Reason: Socialization, noun. The act of mixing socially with others. Something you don't do.”

"Thanks, Alpha 5. You're so helpful." Verity drawls, staring down the bot who's been there as long as Zordon himself had been, if not longer. She stands to her feet, socks hitting the cold surface of the alien ship lodged far deep underground. Maybe there is a small part of her that knows they're right, which is embarrassing because both Zordon and Alpha 5 aren't alive. Anymore, at least, in Zordon's case. It feels heavier sometimes, because she's following his legacy left behind. A red ranger, making the ultimate sacrifice of his life for the great or good. She tried that, once, but it obviously didn't end the same. Did she wish that it did? The answer to that swings like a pendulum.

Picking the blanket had she thrown off the ground, Verity bundles it in her arms as she walks away from the command center and through the winding halls to her own room. The door slides open, and she sighs after it closes behind her. The blanket slips from her grasp, landing in a heap on the floor that she'd pick up later. In the span of a few minutes, she'd been applied against her will to over twenty colleges at least. One of them had to accept her, right? Sure, she was against going, but maybe it would be nice to know that she could have done something, and then she could spend the rest of her time wallowing in pity about that. Yeah, that sounded nice.

[jihyoruri]

does cib!yn have any other scandals besides dating?

I was think about something like this the other day 😭 she definitely has gotten in other scandals, one flaw that cib!yn has is that sometimes she doesn’t think before she talks sometimes 😭 she was chosen to do this verity show it was sorta like a talk show, all the hosts were being very shady to her and a lot of them kept saying that her visuals is what got her where she is today (in a joking manner but you could tell they were not joking) and yn but thinking responded with something along the lines of “Im thankful for my visuals because it’s proof that I’m better looking than everyone in this room cause look at where I am today and look at where you are.” it took her a couple seconds to realize she said that out loud and not in her head 😭

but yeah a lot of people trashed her not “respecting” her elders, but it calmed down after like a week cause nobody can stay mad at yn for long

[lyricalchrysanthemum]

I Was Chosen to Burn Inside

(read on AO3) | ⚠️ TW for suicide ideation, violence against children

“Pilot, land down there! Right in front of Mommy’s house!” ordered Barry, hanging on to the leg of his trusty chatot as she flew as fast she could. The sense of urgency in her trainer overwhelmed her with the adrenaline needed to go faster than a staraptor, knowing what exactly this meant if she could not bring him to Lake Verity in time. But even then, Pilot would never reach the ground, as Barry let go of her talon, dropping him on the snow right in front of the house he hasn’t seen in forever, deliberately.

It was a passing thought of his when he started flying that if he might have to see his mother, or even his father (which was probably likely, they probably would have been happy too for once) again. He hadn’t been near Twinleaf, much less their house since he left. As much as he believed it was happening, he wouldn’t want to see a Cygnus family household happy without him.

The last time he saw his mom he inconvenienced her… having run him down just to wrap his scarf around his neck and scold him for not saying goodbye.

So he didn’t even spare a glance at it as he jumped down, “Pilot, return!” he commanded, pulling out the pokeball he caught her in. “You did good, rest for the fight ahead…” he praised, shoving her pokeball back into his brown messenger bag, and started darting for both route 101, and the lake beyond. If he didn’t stick around, he wouldn’t have to see a family happy without him specifically. Besides, the point is Mesprit, the mirage that chose him, not his fam-

“Barry?! Is that you?!” cried a voice from behind him, one that belonged to a neighbor of his and Dawn’s coming from a top floor window of a house close to theirs.

The blonde turned his head around, continuing to run as he waved her off, “Not now Miss neighbor-I-can’t-remember-the-name-of, I gotta get going to the lake, there’s something really big happening and I-”

“Your mother’s been kidnapped! Your father and Dawn’s mother too!” she shouted, loud enough for the entire Twinleaf village to hear as she leaned out the window.

And in that second, Barry halted. The news felt like glass shattering in his ear. His deep brown eyes widening as he felt his throat go dry. He stared back at his neighbor, “What?” he asked, the question coming out in barely a whisper.

What do you mean kidnapped. Mommy? Daddy? His mommy and daddy were super strong, daddy had a dragonite even! A dragonite that protected him… Mrs. Lyre too! Her pokemon knew so many cool moves. That’s impossible. That couldn’t have happened.

But the neighbor looked at him with anxiety and worry, pity too, maybe. “A bunch of guys in these… weird uniforms came by and just… just overpowered them! It was so terrifying…” she tried to explain the best she could with a trembling voice, all as she ran her shaky fingers through her brown hair.

Just the description of “weird” and “uniform” next to each other was enough of a hint for the blonde to know exactly who was behind this. A spark lit inside him, and Barry couldn’t tell whether or not it was out of fear, or if it was out of anger.

Emotions were so hard to label.

“Even your father couldn’t do much about them! We’ve been trying to reach you, but… but you haven’t been home in so long! No one could figure out how to contact you!” That’s because he didn’t want to be contacted. He didn’t think something like this would have happened. He just wanted his mommy and daddy to live without his presence in their life… “We thought that once we got through to Dawn she could tell you to come back home, but, the, the… we think some of the cell towers went down in the earthquake.”

“We got a hold of your uncle Volkner though, along with Skyla. They’re both going to be here as soon as possible, and want you and Dawn indoors and hidden until they come by to sort this out. They’re worried that both of you could be targets too!”

Barry stared up at her, clenching his fists. Of course they’re the targets. No one else was chosen like him, Dawn, and Lucas.

Lucas… What about the Aquilas? What about Lucas’s mom and dad? Shouldn’t they check in on his cousin too? What about her? Isn’t Lake Acuity close to Snowpoint? He knew those his neighbor probably wouldn’t know about the Aquilas, no one really traveled outside of Twinleaf that much, but still!

If he and Dawn were targets, the beloved children of emotion and willpower specifically, well, knowledge wouldn’t be safe either. Why is she worried about him?

“Come in my house Barry, wait for your uncle and Skyla to come back! We’ll protect you and Dawn once one of us can get through to her poketch!” She called, waving a hand in a gesture.

But the bandaged blonde shook his head no. He couldn’t go inside. Not with everything at stake. He couldn’t just sit by, not when Mesprit was being threatened, much less his mom and dad. As much they didn’t love him, as much he ruined their happiness, he still loved them. It was his job as their son to save them.

Sure he’s not thinking with his brain. But he always listens to his heart. And his heart says go. It could only be him who saves them.

So he disregards her command, instead springing into action, a fire began to burn inside his heart. “Ms. Neighbor you gotta contact the Aquilas, Griffin and Eleanor, they work for Professor Rowan! And if they don’t pick up, tell Candice, the gym leader! Can’t explain why, don’t have time, it’s ticking as I do nothing Just do that and tell her to get back here with Dawn and Lucas pronto, I’m gonna save Mommy and Daddy!” He yells, turning for the route entrance yet again and running with a quickened pace and even higher sense of urgency.

His neighbor jumped, “Barry, get back here! It’s not safe! Wait for Volkner!” she screamed, practically leaning her entire body out of the window, hoping her voice would at least get him to turn his direction towards her. But the foolish boy did no such thing, just kept moving farther and farther out of her sight.

She felt sick watching him run to what she could only worry would be his death.

But Barry kept moving, pumping his arms and legs faster than he’s ever run in his life. A speed that could rival Lucas’s infernape. A million thoughts ran through his mind, each being the worst possible scenarios. All of these including the death of everyone’s parents. What could possibly be their plan, targeting their loved ones? They didn’t do anything! They’re not involved with some stinkin’ prophecy. It was all him, Dawn, and Lucas. What’s the point?!

He liked being a chosen one, because it made him important, and gave him something else other than “the one who ruins everything for everyone.” He could have even made his loved ones happy. He didn’t want this! He didn’t want them to get hurt.

Even when his existence was supposed to be inherently good, be so very special, that simple existence found a way to hurt.

Just more of a reason he shouldn’t exist. That everything would have been better off had he not been born.

He hates emotions. He doesn’t want to think anymore, he doesn’t want to find a will to live anymore.

He doesn’t want to feel anymore.

But. Ah. There he goes spiraling again.

Snap out of it Barry. You have a mission to do. Now is not the time to listen to the truths your brain wishes to share. It’s not about you. It’s about Mesprit. It’s about mommy and daddy.

And as he reaches the entrance of Lake Verity, the very same lake where he saw that pink shining glow the time he ran from home, the lake were he met Sprig the Turtwig, and the lake where a certain shy boy in glasses he and Dawn came to find a third piece of themselves in.

But now it’s different. Rather than a quiet, peaceful lake where he could hide away when the noises in the houses got too loud to block out. He’s greeted with bustling busy people, all in matching uniforms and hair, shouting out orders as machinery got used, passed around, and loaded into a helicopter.

And he could see a pink pokemon curled up and wincing, inside a cage made of glass and electricity. If he listened closely, he could hear its muffled cries of pain. He didn’t know what they did to him, but it was hurting. The powerful, omnipotent being of emotion, one that Cynthia and even Cyrus claimed loved him specifically, one that showed itself to him when he was so young.

All the spiraling got tossed aside, in favor of pure rage at the sight. And he didn’t give himself time to look and observe. There was no time, he never had time. He had to stop them. He had to save Mesprit.

“Oi! Ya Galactic Asshats! Stop what you’re doing right now and release Mesprit!” He shouted, pointing a finger directly at them. Everyone stopped what they were doing, eyes turning directly at the thirteen year old in front of them. If gazes could have killed, both Barry and every single Team Galactic member at that cage could have killed each other.

“OH, if it isn’t the BELOVED apprentice of emotion!” announced a sarcastic, young voice from among the crowd. One that belonged to a redhead, commander Mars of Team Galactic. “We weren’t EXPECTING your ARRIVALLL, what ever shall we dooo?” she cries in the most fake surprised voice the commander could muster. Rolling her eyes.

“Sike. The other apprentices have already failed to stop the willpower and knowledge squads. We already figured you were coming.” She crossed her arms, eyes going from sarcastic shock to annoyance, stepping in front of the helicopter. “Had we not had to make a pitstop, you probably might have been able to stop us from making our Leader’s new world.”

Barry gritted his teeth, eyebrows sharpening with anger. Dawn and Lucas failed? Shit. If they failed, what will this spell for Team Galactic’s plans? What if they got kidnapped too? He sifted through his messenger bag, not even bothering to look and see what he would bring out. He just needed a pokeball, and threw the one he grabbed without thinking.

He didn’t even have a plan, he never had any plans. He just knew he needed to stop it, and his trusty Floatzel would have to work for now. He will. He always came through for him, just like everyone else would.

“Barrel, water jet the cage with Mesprit in it! We gotta break that at all costs!” he ordered, directing the weasel what to do at that moment.

Mars snorted, “I wouldn’t do that if I were you. You do realize we have all your guys' parents in the back of that helicopter, yeah?” She smirks, as Barry looks at her with wide eyes, as though he’d been frozen in time and space.

“If you break that cage, we’ll break them!” she continues, stating plainly in almost a sing-song voice.

Barry gasps, turning white. And before his floatzel could finish charging up his attack, Barry pressed the button on his pokeball in a panic. It’s just like him for his heart to be faster than even his own pokemon.

And after that, he stared at Mars, and froze. For the first time in his life, everything truly came to a stand still. Time and space distorted, so nothing could move. And he was standing there. Holding his floatzel’s pokeball close to his chest. Why couldn’t he move? He never stopped moving. The world never stopped moving. And yet here he was. Frozen.

He very well could just. Run into the helicopter. Free them. Have Barrel take care of it still. But. He won’t move. Why is he so scared? He always fought back even when he was afraid. But he just. Can’t. Why are his emotions working against him again?

Mars gives him a look. “At all costs my ass. You mean all costs except for a mom and dad. Psh.” she rolls her eyes, before turning to the grunts working on transporting the cage. “Carry on, pay him no mind, he’s just a nuisance. It’s to be expected of the child of emotion.” She then turns to several grunts on standby, “Surround him, restrain him and take away his pokeballs. He may be a nuisance but that doesn’t mean we can still let him interfere. Our Leader is on his way, he wants to talk with emotion specifically.”

“He thinks this apprentice is going to be The One.”

Barry snapped out of his thoughts, reality crashing back in as Mars’ orders hit him like a brick against his mental state’s glass. In a panic he tried to click the button on his floatzel’s pokeball, but his shaky fingers only led him to drop it. And before he could pick it up again, blue haired grunts in matching uniforms already surrounded him. They grabbed at his arms, and pulled at his bag, one already picking up his poor floatzel’s pokeball.

“H-hey! Let go! What are you-!” he cried out in panic, doing his best to free himself from the grunts’ grasps. Kicking and pulling against them. But no matter what he tried, no matter how hard he fought back, the poor thirteen year old could do nothing to a group of adults. His bag was ripped away from him, including his pokemon, Sprig, Pilot, Punk, Stardom, Beacon. All of them.

He was helpless.

And with the bag and his pokemon out of his reach, his arms being held by two grunts. “Give them baccckkk!” the child cried, but his pleas were never answered. What was happening? Did this happen to Lucas and Dawn too? He was so confused. He wanted his mom and dad. He wanted home. Why was this happening to him?

The poor child of emotion couldn’t help the tears welling up in his eyes, and a shriek escaped his throat. “MOMMY!! DADDY!!” he cried, calling for the ones who came to his aid no matter what, no matter how much it inconvenienced them. He wouldn’t be an inconvenience anymore, he’ll leave them alone, just please, save him this last time.

And had his thoughts been any quieter, Barry could have heard both a familiar, gruff voice, and familiar, warm voice. It was shouting his name, only to be muffled by the helicopter they were trapped in. But just like how their son was helpless to the grunts holding him up by his arms, they too were helpless to save him, to protect him, to hold him, to tell him everything will be alright.

No matter how much he fought, they wouldn’t let go. Rather than freeing himself, and saving the day like he planned on doing. He tired himself out, helplessly. Barry couldn’t fight anymore. What happened to his boundless energy? Is he really just going to give up here? He hung limply, watching as Mesprit was taken into the helicopter, with everyone’s parents inside.

He could have sworn he locked eyes with Mesprit, staring at him, pleading for him to not give up. But he didn’t know what more he could do.

He was so tired he couldn’t discern what was happening with the helicopter next to him. Probably leaving, with his mom, and dad, and Mrs. Lyre, and Mr. Aquila, and Ms. Aquila, and Mesprit. So many people he failed.

But that’s not what happened. Rather, a second, smaller one had landed right next to it. “Oh, Leader, you're here JUST in time!” the commander’s voice pepped up, and the blonde turned to look at Mars. She was bouncing on her feet, as the one who promised to place himself on the throne of gods approached, snow crunching beneath his own.

“I got Mesprit’s chosen riiight here, just like you asked~!” she sings, clasping her hands together with a big smile etched across her face.

Cyrus looks over in the blonde’s direction, then nodding approvingly in Mars’s direction. “Good job as always Commander Mars.”

Mars hopped, squealing, hearing her praise. “Anytime, anywhere for you my Leader! While YOU talk to emotion, WE’LL finish wrapping everything up so we can move out when you’re done. We don’t know when willpower and knowledge will be arriving, so we’ll try to be snappy about it!”

Taking Cyrus’s nod as approval and dismissal, Mars skipped off, going back to directing her squad. Leaving the leader of Team Galactic to approach the boy they had in captivity, seeming to disregard the blonde’s tired, yet disdain filled stare. Instead, he opted for something different. “Release him, but hold onto his pokeballs for now,” he orders. It was in what felt like seconds, did the grunts holding up Barry drop him.

It was so sudden without warning, so much so that Barry failed to find his footing. He fell over, and into the chest of the man in front of him, who caught the boy unflinchingly.

“Steady, dear emotion,” he mumbles, pulling the boy back to his feet. But the apprentice of Mesprit simply glared at him.”

“My name is Barry.” he states sternly, not wanting to put up with Team Galactic anymore. He wants his pokemon, he wants his mommy and daddy, he wants them to leave him alone. Not be. Soothed by them.

“Yes, Barry Cygnus, child of Palmer and Charlotte Cygnus, nephew of Volkner Libra. A child sent on the traditional journey to discover Arceus’s creations and his place in it. A gym challenger with six badges to his name. But most importantly, the one Mesprit loves the most, albeit, one must wonder why it loves such a brash child like you.” He stares in the direction of Mars, and Barry could only wonder what he was thinking. But he turned back towards the blonde, staring directly down in front of him. “Yes… I know you.”

Barry grits his teeth, his fists clenching, “So why do you keep calling me emotion?! And give me back my pokemon, and my mom and my dad, and my friends’ parents too! Leave all of us alone for fucks sake!!”

Cyrus looks at him curiously, raising an eyebrow at him, “A vulgar child too… one would assume Mesprit would love someone in control of these sorts of things. But I digress.” He shoves his hands behind back, turning his gaze back to see the progress of his underlings’ cleaning up.

“Unfortunately, I can’t do anything of the sort. See, I have a proposition for you, dear emotion.”

“Again with the emotion! I AM BARRY! And I want nothing to do with whatever scheme you have made! I’ve heard your rambles and I’ve heard what you’ve said to my friends! You kidnapped our families! Whatever it is, I will not work with you!”

Cyrus turns his gaze back to the boy, humming. “Listen to me first… I have you and your parents hostage, I hope you do realize that.”

“I do! And I demand you to set them free! They have nothing to do with whatever you want with me and the other two!”

“...You’re correct, they don’t. That’s why I think you should listen to me…”

Barry looks up at him, the final sentence making his eyes widen and his spine shiver.

“I want you to come with me, join me in the creation of the new world I will create, one where no one will have to suffer anymore. I’m so close to achieving my goal… I just need you or any other of the three children.”

“You don’t really have much of a choice in the matter, I will say. We have your parents, we can very well do something to them if you don’t follow along with me. I don’t wish to hurt them, but I will if I must.”

Barry growled, his anger overcoming his fear in that moment, before it all shattered in that very moment as Cyrus continued speaking.

“If you do come along though, you could be a hero. You could truly be the chosen one you were meant to be.”

“You could be their savior, and they’ll be so happy and proud of their son.”

Barry fell silent, his shoulders falling slack as he listened to the leader of Team Galactic.

“He not only saved their lives, but he also helped make a new world. A beautiful world, filled with boundless miracles, where they and so many others don’t have to feel strife.”

The blonde couldn’t look at him anymore, his gaze falling to the snow below.

“Sure their dear son would not exist anymore, but it’s ok. It’s better like that. Everything good must come at a sacrifice, and they’d be so proud of their brave son who made their lives better…”

The chosen child of emotion just continued staring there, letting Cyrus’s words reverberate in his mind. He couldn’t speak. He couldn’t respond. Just the promise, of doing something good for his parents, saving them, making them happy, it all… was what he wanted. And when it was all done…

Did he. Want that?

It was a stupid idea to go along with his parents’ captors, the ones who are hurting Mesprit, and the other lake guardians he could assume. But. He also wanted that. He could save them without going along with them… but. He wanted to make them proud. Bring them joy. A world where they didn’t argue and wanted to see each other and didn’t have to look at their shameful son with such sadness. A joy that could only happen if he just.

Didn’t exist.

It wasn’t like he didn’t see why people didn’t like the world’s current gods anyways. Maybe it’d be better.

Those words echoed across his mind, his gloved hands turning to grasp at his orange and white striped jacket. “I…”

“BARRY!! Oh thank Arceus we got here in time!” cried out a familiar boy’s voice, two extra pairs of footsteps rapidly approaching the group in front of the lake.

The blonde turned around, watching as his two friends approached, gasping for breath. They were never good at running long distances to keep up with their friend, Dawn especially. And as they approached… Barry couldn’t bring himself to feel relief, or joy, or any positive emotion. Why is that?

“Leader, we're all ready to go! The lake guardian, equipment, and hostages are secured and we’re set for take off whenever!” called out Mars, looking over Cyrus’s shoulder with a glare. She fished for her pokeballs in the holster around her belt, but before she could send out what would’ve most definitely been her purugly, Cyrus gave orders instead.

“Go ahead and take off, I’ll return later, Saturn and Jupiter should already be at the base with their guardians as well. Commence the creation of the red chain as soon as the guardian of emotion is in place.”

“And the apprentice of emotion’s belongings?” called the grunt, still holding onto his bag, now containing all six of his pokeballs.

Cyrus looked over, before motioning in Barry’s direction. “...Give them back, they’ll be of no use to us. Besides…”

He turned at the boy who returned his gaze back to his shoes.

“I don’t think he’ll be a threat to us anymore.”

The grunt walked over to the apprentice, who just now looked back up to see his messenger bag with everything he needed and carried on his person. He took it weakly, holding onto it with trembling hands. If he looked closely, he could see in between the fabric threads, and see his beloved Torterra staring at him with worry.

“Barry…?” questioned Lucas, staring at the boy in front of him with his now broken glasses.

The blonde looked at his friends, who shared the same expression as Torterra. Worry. It felt awful.

Lucas and Dawn could not question him anymore though, as the noise of a propeller belonging to the helicopter holding everything and everyone started. Yet Mars’s voice overpowered even thought, who was already in the vehicle, hanging out of the window as she waved goodbye. “Well~ Weee’re off then! We’ll see you back at base Leader!”

Dawn grit her teeth, pulling a pokeball from her own white bag, “I won’t let you!! Get back here with Mesprit! Give me back my mum!!” she screamed, eyes widened. It was the first time Barry saw her in as much distress.

“Mom!! Dad!!” screamed Lucas, sifting through his zipper pockets with his shaky hands for his own pokeballs. Only for several of them to fall out all at once.

Cyrus looked at the two of them, before turning to Barry once again.

“Well, will you come with me? Will you save them?”

“Will you make a world with me, a world where everyone will be happy?”

A world where they could be happy without you.

Emotion felt the gazes of Willpower and Knowledge staring at him. Their gazes suddenly turned to their third part, staring in horror as Cyrus’s question rang in everyone’s ears. As though they forgot that their parents were just kidnapped before their eyes.

“Huh?” whispered Lucas with terror in his voice.

“Barry…? What does he mean?” asked Dawn, her own usual monotone voice rising with fear at what Cyrus asked.

And the blonde stared back at them, gripping onto his messenger back tight.

“Don’t worry guys… I’ll save them. Don’t worry. It’s for the best this way.” And with that last sentence, he gave them the best comforting smile he could muster.

“I’ll help make it after all, I’ll help make a good world.”

“BARRY?!” shrieked Dawn, “Barry are you stupid?!” she yelled, “Don’t go with him!”

“You can’t possibly think he’ll make a good world, Barry! He’s hurting the lake guardians, we can save our parents another way!” exclaimed Lucas.

But Barry didn’t respond, just shook his head as he threw his bag over his shoulder. “We could, but. I just think it’d be better for everyone if it were like this. You’ll see.”

Cyrus nodded approvingly at him, reaching out a hand of his. Just like he did when he met Mars, just like he did when he met Jupiter, just like he did when he met Saturn. For the sake of his new world, he will save this lamb too. And this lamb will be the key he needs to make a new world.

And Barry grabs onto that hand, holding on to it ever so tightly. Trusting the direction it will take him. To a world where people he loves will be happy.

He doesn’t hear Dawn’s shrieks for him to not go and Lucas’s pleas to listen to them. But.

There’s no other way. This is the best way.

Barry thinks. This will make mommy and daddy happiest.

And that’s all he could ever wish for at the end of this journey.