#while brothers trying to kill each other or childhood friends fighting against their will is inherently fucked up and terrible

[arundolyn]

x-matic is honest to god one of the best blazblue songs like ever. for SURE like top.. 3 vs themes, specifically in terms of thematic appropriateness. its a really tough call in general for me to pick a favorite At All for themes in general or vs themes but x-matic is for sure one of THE best ones bc the energy it captures is extremely vivid for the specific situation it was made for

[happybunny999]

A complete arsenal magical girl in Gotham

Part 2

(In this part of the story you will get to know readers best friend and older siblings and how your party was ruined by your enemies and how you caught the attention of the batfam and villains) (this chapter will be longer then the rest)

-

As the sun roses up I open my eyes and quickly get up with glee and timidly as today was my 18th birthday and I was going to have fun with my family and my best friend as I walk to my closet and grab something comfortable and cute as I open my door and walked to the bathroom to get ready for the day

After changing, brush my teeth,and doing my long pink hair I want back to my room and got my cloak and mask and made my was down stairs to the dining room and see my mother and father there eating/serving breakfast with a happy smile on their faces as they looked at me with a knowing smile that made me even more excited about to day

“Happy birthday sweetie “ my mother and father said in unison as my mother gives me a plate of food that looked delicious and testy

While I was eating my father told me that my brother and sister are coming back home to celebrate my birthday but still have to back to college when the party is over and that made me both happy to hear that my siblings are coming home to celebrate my special day

After that I left the house and headed to my friend’s apartment to hang out with him before we head out to Gotham carnival fair at night so while it was still daytime I wanted to spend time with Mikey at his apartment and play some video games. And as I walked down the street my mask hiding my face and cloak covering my hair and passing by some people who gave me weird looks that made me shy and caused me to walk a little faster

Once I arrived at Mikey’s apartment I went to the room door try to ignore the stares and whispers of people who looked at me and was talking among each other about me but each glare and comment made me timid but soon I found Mikey’s room number and knocked on the door gently and called out to him with a soft voice.

Mikey and me have been friends since we were kids and Mikey has had a troubled childhood living on the streets of Gotham since his parents were addicted to drugs and were killed by some gang members when his was little and would have next if I hadn’t saved him while I was fighting a monster to collect another relic Mikey has never my face at all and has only seen strings of my pink hair so at first he was weary of me and we weren’t friends for awhile until finally he decided to be my friend after a long time of being alone and forced to be independent in the streets of Gotham

“Mikey, it’s me reader are you there” I spoke with a calm and nervous but also a happy tone and stepped back and waited for him to answer

The door open slightly before being swung open completely which frightened me a little to reveal Mikey on the other side of the door. Shirtless and with a happy but tired expression on his face

“Hay reader! Happy birthday!” Mikey said happily as he pulled me into a big hug as I felt his warm chest against mine but was too shy and naive to realized the blush on his face when he was so close to me

After that me and Mikey were in his living room playing video games until it was evening and then I got a call from my mother saying that it’s almost time for my party so I told Mikey that it’s time for the carnival fair in downtown Gotham so Mikey got dressed in casual clothes and we left his apartment and walking down the road the bright lights of the city always felt beautiful to me despite the always chaotic atmosphere of Gotham.

Mikey walked closer to me at we past by some gang members along the way ready to get his hands dirty if anyone try to do something to which it completely confused me since Mikey knows of my power and many abilities so if anything happens I would be able to know right away and try to prevent it if possible but I prefer to talk things out instead of fighting since I wanted to make Gotham a better place.

-

Soon we made it to the carnival fair and once there we saw people having fun and it made me happy to see people enjoying themselves and not being afraid of the city of Gotham

Finally we found my parents and siblings in our reserved tables placing down decorations and my birthday cake and presents from them to me and I felt really happy at that moment but I couldn’t help but feel like something is going to happen really soon.

But regardless of that everything was going well as the night dragged on as we talked, laughter,eating, and playing games and as it was almost time for the birthday cake I thought to myself “this is going so great, nothing as ruin it so far”

But I would soon regret that thought very soon.

A scream was heard followed by destruction and people running all of a sudden which confused me even more but I soon found out why when I sensed a powerful “defeatist” and one of the dark soul lords in the area close to us and where people are running from.

“What the hell is going on “ Mikey yelled confused

My mother looked at me with a knowing look and I nodded as she whispered for my father and siblings to run back home with her since she knows I would be fine

As they left I quickly told Mikey through my mask that it was the dark soul lords and a defeatist that was causing this and he nodded as I ran behind a food stand and transformed.

“Precure magical time!”

-

As I followed the trail of destruction to the center of the carnival fair I saw a horrible scene the fair was almost destroyed and the “defeatist” was cornering a small crowd of people and the people I was hoping I didn’t have to fight right now….was Bella hyena , Chris Berg, and Phantom malice. But I was kinda glad it was them and not their other dark lords from the defeatist world.

As soon as I got close they turned to look at me with a dark smile on their faces that made my stomach churn since I was five years old I have been fighting these three for a very long time when I had unlocked my powers and when my mother told me about them and how it was now my job to defeat them and the others just like them

As I got ready to face them Bella and Chris teleport away and only phantom stayed behind to fight me but he just commanded the defeatist to attack me and as I battled the monster I didn’t realized that there was a reporter and cameraman recording and talking about the situation to the whole world and about the weirdly bright and colorful girl fighting against a scary monster

-

“Bruce are you seeing this right now” Dick said while on the rooftop of a building watching the scene as he talks to Bruce over the mic

“Yes I am on my way to the scene now” Batman told nightwing as he rode down the road to the fair at fast speed

Bruce had pressed a button on his arm to alert the others to come to the scene as well

-

I’m a hideout where all the villains come to meet they were all looking at the TV showing the strange monster, the dark soul lord, and the beautiful, gorgeous woman in pink fight against them

“Look puddin! It’s the girl I was talking about!” Harley yelled out in pure joy as she blushes and jumps around making the other’s look at her with annoyance but they too also blush at how pretty the woman looked

“My my Harley!” The joker said with a huge smile “looks like we got a new face in Gotham to meet!” He smiled crazily with a laugh as the other villains smiled as well

-

“Father do you see this” Talia says looking at the the tv then at her father who was in his chair

“Yes, I do” he says with narrowed eyes and a slight smile on his lips “we need her she will be a great asset to us “



-

I groan a little as I get up from the crater I had created after the defeatist threw me into the ground my outfit has tears in some places and I am completely covered in small cuts and bruises as I stand up ready to continue fighting

“Still won’t give I see “ phantom said with a grin as the defeatist charges at me but I was reader and dodged the the attack by jumping into the air and landing a hard kick to the defeatist making it faceplate on the ground causing the street floor to collapse and break

I quickly landed on the ground and prepared a strong attack at the monster tried to get up

“Mega sparkle attack!” I yelled out as I swing my hands forward at pink and blue come blasting out my hands and to the defeatist making it vanish as a relic is left in its place

“Sights… you just don’t know when to quit do you warrior “ phantom says with irritation in his voice as he crosses his arms

“Why are you, Bella, and Chris doing this now. You just hurt innocent people and ruined a birthday party too” I replied with a calm and sincere voice as I was not mad but disappointed that people were hurt in this battlefield I really didn’t mind that my party was destroyed I was more worried by the people around us.

“Do you really think we care if people get hurt. Are you really that naive that we wouldn’t crash this place because we knew you would be here” phantom told me with a stoic face.

“Well see you later “cure Pinkney” this won’t be the last time you hear from us” as he said this dark shadows circle around him as he vanished away leaving me alone as I crumble to the floor out of exhaustion and from the pain from the small scratches and bruises on my arms and legs.

I look down and saw how my uniform had small holes and tears in it.

I look around and stand up and walk towards the relic and pick it up and putting it in my magical purse as I turned I caught sight of the crowd of people looking at me in shock

“Um hi don’t worry your safe now” I say nervously as I just stand there with a red face and started to slowly move back and begin to walk away until I hear a gruff and stern voice call out to me

“Stop” a stern and gruff voice said from being me from a distance

Slowly turn to see the one and only Batman standing there with a scowl on his face that made me scared and shake a little

“Um hi Mr Batman nice to m-meet y-you” I stuttered shyly as the crowd looked on

“Who are you” he said walking closer to me to which I step back a tiny bit out of fear I could feel my powers start to glow from my hands and mostly on my right hand as I was holding my weapon tightly

“I-I sorry but I can’t t-tell you that information” I replied meekly and as he step closer. Out of fear, instincts and purely accidentally I Raised up my hands to say “wait” then just like that pink light blasted from my hands and hitting the Batman and knocking him to the ground with a loud thud as the crowd of people looked at me in shock

As I stood there unable to move from my spot after what I just down I yelled out a loud sorry to the Batman who was trying to get up from the ground with a groan

At the corner of my eye I see Mikey running towards me with concern and realization in his eyes when he got close to me and saw the Batman on the ground

Mikey quickly broke me out of my thoughts and told me we need to go and I pick he up and fly away after giving him one last sorry before leaving the now ruined carnival fair

Not realizing that the cameraman’s camera was still recording the whole scene

So the whole world had seen what has happened today.





[grapejuicestyless]

Mad Woman

Conrad Fisher x fem!reader

Angst to less angst???

Summery: Out of his own jealousy, Jeremiah decides to take the one thing Conrad has always wanted away from his brother in an attempt to finally have something over him. He never meant to hurt anyone, but in doing that, he hurt everyone.

Jeremiah is a total douche in this(I love him it’s just bc I needed a mean character.)

“You can have her, I won’t get in the way. But I will not watch you climb over people like her. She might be your girlfriend now, but she was my best friend first. Whatever you do, I will not defend it.” He was seething in anger when the news broke. Chest heaving unevenly the moment he had to watch as my lips captured hers. How my hands had a home in her hips. I was the one who got to worship her. I hope it killed him to know I finally had something he didn’t. I won the girl, not him.

He left the room, leaving behind the lingering shadow of a storm that brewed between us. A tension that was caused solely by his own jealousy. Conrad had always been older, stronger, smarter. The better brother. I hoped it killed him to know that even if all those things were true, he still couldn’t get the one thing he so desperately wanted. I felt giddy about it, in contrast to him.

I had the warmth of a childhood friend to crowd my bed on the chilly summer nights. Company that would only be for me, she was all mine.

Of course, Y/n was completely oblivious to the rift being created from this scandal. She always was so blind to what people felt for her, too nervous to see if her instincts were true. She never wanted to feel like an idiot if she was wrong, so she ignored them.

She would’ve never let me kiss her, hold her, have her if she’d known what Conrad felt for her. She didn’t want to see anyone hurt. So much so, she would rather live a life of misery and loneliness than to pit two friends against each other, much less brothers. And if that wasn’t enough to point out her stupidity around the topic, it was painfully apparent the way Y/n and Conrad shared glances. Like he was the only boy in the world. She didn’t idolize him, she had too much pride to put a boy over herself, but the love she felt for him was overflowing in a way that seeped into everyone else’s lives. Always trying to push the pair together.

Now, Y/n was mine. I could call her my girlfriend, my own. Conrad had finally lost, I had something over him. It wasn’t like I didn’t like Y/n. I thought she was the most beautiful girl in Cousins, maybe even in Pennsylvania. I hadn’t been, but I could assume that she was.

The relationship started slow, easy. I still remember the first night we spent together. I hadn’t touched her more than my arm slung around her shoulders so she could prop her head up on my bicep. I didn’t push for her to give me affection. She never hinted that she wanted more anyways. It was never rushed, we were always able to enjoy the closeness of our company, never needing more. Just being close was enough.

Sometimes we’d kiss, my hands in hers, eyes fluttering shut. Mostly, I did it in front of Conrad. I believed it felt better when it was more than just a kiss, but a way to rub salt in the wound that Conrad wore shamefully on his sleeve. Sometimes he would clear his throat, start talking to break it up so he could save the last bit of composure he had left. More often than now though, Conrad just walked away. Not willing to fight for her attention anymore. Not strong enough to even try.

It was a pattern like this, Y/n and I having small intimate moments behind closed doors, saving the steamy things for the couch cushions or the poolside mid-afternoon. Our dirty laundry was aired out in the open, allowing the mind to not only imagine what we were doing, but have physical proof of it.

Part of me felt bad, horrible inside. Y/n was the best of all of us. The kindest, the bravest. The second oldest. While Conrad struggled to keep us all safe, she was always his helping hand. Keeping everyone content and satisfied. Truly, I did really like her. I loved being with her. I’d always had a little crush on the girl, how could I not? Everything about her was so perfect. She was a dream. But deep down I always knew that what we had together had only started through some sort of twisted competition I held with my brother. The burning desire to have something he never would.

Maybe that’s when I started to push her away, because even if I had once been able to convince myself that I was with her out of my own feelings, I knew better than that. I knew I was doing it out of pure selfishness. What was so new and vibrant in June was rusted and unwanted by the following spring. Our long history together only making the shine turn into a matte finish, something old and worn out. I no longer had any pull towards her. I no longer imagined how her soft skin would feel under my fingertips. How her lips melted against mine. Our closeness, even in the most intimate moments felt dull. Sparks that once flew hiding away.

I began to try to pull away without a reason. Only that I was bored. Conrad seemingly felt better about it, coming to terms that maybe this was the end of his little daydream he always imagined he had with Y/n. So the competition felt useless. It was no fun anymore, I didn’t care. And with that dying down, so did the excitement. The thing that had sparked the fire burning between us in the beginning.

………………………………………………………………………………….

“Hey, Jere.” Her voice was like honey, smile so infectious as she waited for me by the front door. Summer had begun again and still, I strung the poor girl along instead of just cutting the ties. Slowly wrapping my noose around her, slowly breaking down her confidence. I watched her genuine kindness turn into a cover up for the scathing anger underneath it.

“Hi, Y/n.” I brushed past her, shoulder bumping, I expected her to follow. She didn’t.

Her frame was still at the door, hands clenching and unclenching quickly. I heard her sigh out of irritation. Finally then, she turned on her heals to meet me in the kitchen, elbows leaning on the counter, eyes killing me slowly with her deadly glare.

This was some form of punishment that was aimed directly at nothing. Only due to the fact that I didn’t have a single care about her anymore. Not even her darkest moods had any affect on me.

“What? What’s got you so upset?” I almost wanted to tease her further, knowing fully well that what I was doing was getting under her skin. I swear she almost broke, but her mouth was sealed shut.

“I’m not upset.” She breathed out evenly, putting on a false smile. Just once I’d like her to get mad. Freak out on me, end it so this whole game could be over.

“Really? You seem mad.” Looking away from her, I went to focus on anything else more interesting in the kitchen.

“Well, I’m not.” Her voice was raised, but she didn’t scream. She never did. She would never let anyone see her upset, always wanting peace. So instead of taking out her frustrations on me, the person who was the source of them, she left. Walking away to find where her head had gone.

“Who do you think you are?” His voice was harsh, like a slap to the face. Conrad never put his hands on me, but I almost wished he would’ve. A punch would’ve ended much quicker than this long argument that was about to ensue.

I shrugged.

“You have someone you don’t deserve at all, someone who stands by you even at your worst and you treat her like that?” Conrad was always the more mature out of the two of us. To describe him as more levelheaded would be untrue. We both had our moments, lost our cool on multiple occasions. But out of the two of us, he usually made the better choices. Did the right things. It would’ve been the right thing to let her go after that. It should’ve been a wake up call. But instead all I got out of his small outburst was the confirmation that even if he downplayed it, deep down he was still hurting. He still wanted her. So I would continue to play the game.

Not because I wished to hurt my brother, or Y/n for that matter. But because I just wanted one thing in my life that Conrad did not have. It was cruel, and twisted but I could not see that. It was like some sort of tunnel vision was casted down onto me and I only had one goal. Excluding the fact that I was hurting two very important people in my life.

………………………………………………………………………………….

It was early August by now, and it was a long time coming. This summer, unlike all the previous ones, seemed to drag by. Tensions high each day, only growing worse and worse with each passing hour until a fight broke out. The magic that once put us all in a trance had slipped off, revealing our darkest colors. To say that my relationship was strong, holding up through this would be a lie. It would’ve been a lie since July.

Because in July, I had not only been distancing myself from Y/n, but I had taken an interest for her younger sister. Belly. To compare the two, Belly was a little louder. A little shorter and her hair was longer. Y/n and her shared the same traits other than that. Not appearance wise, but personality wise. Both having some driving force pushing them into an intense competitive state. Both overly kind and caring for others. It was like newer version of the girl I already had, it was irresistible.

Even in my worst behavior, I could see it was wrong. So wrong to have let Belly trap me in the kitchen. No, even I wasn’t that naïve to blame it solely on her. It was wrong for me to kiss Belly. Even in Y/n and I’s roughest patch. She had never done anything to hurt me, always trying her hardest to be the best girlfriend someone could be to someone like me.

Glass shattered on the floors, a soft gasp being swallowed whole by the suddenness of the sound.

Belly and I pulled away with a pop, scrambling to fix ourselves, to downplay our mistake.

“Y/n.” I was utterly shocked to see her standing there, hair pinned up, the shirt she wore was ironically her sisters. She had glitter by her eyes and lips reddened, bitten raw. She looked like something out of a movie, even at her worst. For the first time I’d known her, she was speechless. The worst part, however, was the matching expression painted on the face behind her. The smile fading slowly into a familiar expression mixed with shock, hate and disappointment. Maybe even disgust.

“Y/n…” I tried again, trying to make it sound more pitiful. I reached out to grasp her hands, hold her. I wanted to hold her. It was odd. In the entire situation, I’d never really longed to hold her like this. I’d never felt my heart beat so fast. Shit, was I really? I was in love.

“No-don’t.” She warned, backing away, hands raised as a warning. She couldn’t even look at me, let alone Belly who was now hidden behind my shoulder, sinking down into herself.

“Y/n, hey, no please.” I begged again, not really sure what I was begging for.

She wiped away her tears with the palm of her hands, sucking in a breath. She tried to collect herself, but she couldn’t. It was only a matter of time before shit hit the fan. You can only put on a fake smile for so long before you are driven mad. And no one likes a mad woman.

“Fuck you, forever.” She stormed out before I even had the chance to speak, gone like an early autumn breeze. I could see she was angry, steam practically blowing out of her ears. But she didn’t yell, or give it to me like I had hoped. Our flame simply faltered out. Silently, slowly.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Words I had heard one too many times in the past year. Ones that sometimes I wondered myself.

Truthfully, I didn’t know. I had her, right in the palm of my hands, but I poked that bear, I caused the end of this beautiful situation we found ourselves in. I had no real explanation for it. I just did it because I wanted to. I wanted Belly more than I had ever wanted her, or I thought so. No, Belly was just a crush. Now that I had lost her older sister, I saw her as my other half. Something that I should’ve loved completely from the very beginning.

I expected to hear his rants about how shitty of a boyfriend I was to her. How I’d taken away his one true love only to break her heart.

“You might be my brother by blood, but you are no brother of mine.” It was as quiet as a mouse coming from him, almost as if he didn’t believe such words could come out of his mouth. The venom that was laced within them told me that even in the guilt he felt while confessing it, he meant it. And if it wasn’t obvious in his scathing rage, I knew he had meant it for awhile. I didn’t expect him to leave without even a second look after that. Chasing after the beautiful woman I left behind.

I never meant to hurt anyone. I never wanted to. I was just so blind sighted I hadn’t even noticed how negatively I was impacting everyone’s lives. How I was just fucking up consistently until there was nothing left to mess with. All over some stupid jealousy. A war between two brothers that didn’t exist to Conrad, but only to me. And in trying to win, I had hurt two of the most important people in my life.

………………………………………………………………………………….

“Y/n. Y/n, Wait!” I chased after her like my life depended on it. Even the tightness in my chest couldn’t stop me. The quickness in my steps, and the length of them making it easy to catch her in just mere minutes.

“Go away.” She held her hand up, looking away. By the shaking in her voice, I could tell she didn’t mean it.

She was hurting. But she wasn’t sad. No, the tears that were so obviously glistening in the golden hour light weren’t of despair or even a faint sadness. They were hot, angry tears. And she had every right to be.

She should be mad, she should be scathing like me. Her face was contorted into a frown, eyebrows furrowed. I could tell she wanted to scream, wanted to, but no one likes a mad woman. Not even she did, but it she couldn’t help it. He made her like that.

I knew there was no getting through to her, no talking to her when she was so upset. I could only offer my shoulder for her to lean on. And as her tears soaked through my thin sleeves, I held her. I would continue to hold her until it was all okay. Until my brother was nothing more than a distant memory, one that felt more like a fever dream than reality.

So standing there, on the hill that led down to the beach, we sunk into the sandy grass. Hiding away from the world.

“I’m sorry Conrad. I’m so sorry. I was just so stupid. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.” She apologized over and over, and for some reason my mouth couldn’t move. I could only sit there looking at her and hope that she could read my mind.

[i-am-trying-my-best-okay]

Attempting To Analyze Luka And Till To Try And Figure Out How Round Seven Will Go

LUKA:

From what we've seen of him, while he knows how to manipulate people's emotions, doesn't quite know how to understand them and process them. We see this as far back from when he was a kid, when he and Hyuna's brother would get into fights, and he would use his frailty as an excuse to go running to Hyuna for her to defend him; it's an excuse to get her attention, to get her to side with him against her brother. This probably made him feel good, like she placed him above her brother, even if it was momentarily.

However, this strategy came crashing down when he went too far, when he killed her brother. Perhaps this was an accident, just him being too frustrated that day, him going to far, and he didn't realize it till too late. Even so, it was fine, he just needed to present himself as the victim to Hyuna like he usually did. What he didn't anticipate, was Hyuna's complete horror and rejection of him.

Now, we don't know when exactly Hyuna ran away and went rouge, but it couldn't have been right away; also, if we're going on what we saw that one time with Hyuna still having cuffs when she was an adult, then it wouldn't be till many years later. The aliens wouldn't have put Hyuna in a different group or anything; even if she did somehow try and plead a case that she was worried for her safety or something, they'd take one look at little prized Luka and be like 'nah he's harmless; that stunt with your brother was in self defense', basically not caring at all about Hyun Woo dying at all; he wasn't as profitable as Luka. It helps that Luka is so sickly; it helps with him getting out of any actual punishment on the rare occasion he slips up. And so, in the aftermath, Hyuna and Luka still had to interact with each other everyday for the remainder of their training in childhood.

Now, to backtrack, for Luka's backstory, this is more speculation than anything. But from what I can tell, he's always had a camera in his face, some sort of eyes on him looking for media entertainment. Even before he's been properly trained, we saw that small scene of him as a child with a bunch of aliens crowding him, eyes on him, and him just looking so tired from it. I'm assuming that he was either breed and born for being a singer, or he was clocked at a very early age. Either way, he started getting media attention from before he was even put into training with others. It's in this, that Luka formed his understanding of interactions; it's performative, doing whatever the aliens want out of him for their entertainment, he learns that he needs to do certain things in order to get a positive reaction out of the aliens. It's what he needs to do to survive, all he's been trained to do really. From this all he knows about socializing is how to get an emotional response out of someone, a completely hollowed understanding of how emotions work.

And then he was put into training with other humans, which is likely the first time he's actually put with other humans. He's ostracized; he's seen as sort of 'other', since he's leagues ahead of the other humans who've barely started properly learning and he's been trained for this since forever. Also, the other humans likely have been around other humans before, meanwhile we have Luka over here who as none of the common social ques that humans have. Basically; he's never been treated like an equal before, he only knows the dehumanization dynamic from aliens, who just want him to perform. But with his group, their not asking him to perform, so he essentially ignores them, thinking that's all an interaction is. That's when Hyuna comes in; she feels like the sort of person to see how Luka is put on the outside of the group for being strange, and doggedly tries to become friends with him, despite his initial disinterest. It's through this, that Luka forms an obsession with Hyuna, his first friend, the first living being that doesn't demand anything from him. He can relax around her, do weird shit like chew on his sleeve if he feels like it and she doesn't mind, doesn't have to mask a response. He actually has positive feelings himself when he's around Hyuna, something he's not really used to. But despite this, Luka still has a dysfunctional idea of how emotions are, and really likes Hyuna, so he wants to get a positive out of her, so he still tries to do things he knows will get that out of her, like that thing with her brother.

Now, back to Hyuna now being horrified of Luka, he really doesn't know what to do with this. He tries to fix it, do every trick he knows to get a positive response from her, try to get her forgiveness, but nothing was working, and he doesn't understand why, and he's getting increasingly and dangerously frustrated. Luka is not use to getting a negative response, and I think it's through this that he really learns what that's like. So, I think to ward off his frustration, he tests getting negative responses from his fellow humans, particularly his opponents. It's through this, that he finds out how useful that can be, a more secure way to survive. As the years go by, Luka gets all the better at manipulating others emotions, and it's through this that he understands why Hyuna still won't forgive him, despite his understanding of these emotions being very clinical. Because of this, he knows how to try and better manipulate Hyuna into forgiving him, so much so that it actually starts messing with Hyuna's head. She emotionally begins to be swayed into forgiving him, but rationally she doesn't want to, and it gives her a whole complex of what she knows what she wants to feel versus what Luka is manipulating her to feel. But she ends up running away from the aliens before Luka could completely manipulate her.

When she runs away, Luka falls into a spiraling depression. The one person he's ever loved is gone, the one person who made him feel anything. From this, he dives into his work, trying to glean any sort of joy from manipulating negative responses from his competitor's to make them mess up, turning it into a sort of game at this point. It becomes his only defense against the constant eyes on him from the aliens, the constant and disgustingly dehumanizing attention that has choked him ever since he could remember. Luka folds further and further into himself, burying whatever sliver of humanity he felt with Hyuna. However, he follows very closely the revolution movement that's happening, knowing for a fact Hyuna would join (or start?) the group. The aliens likely have covered up this revolution, especially from the humans so they won't get any ideas, but with Luka being Luka, he likely has the influence to get some insider information whenever he can, causally eavesdropping on important alien figures talking about it while he sings for them. Whatever the case, no matter how much time has passed, Hyuna haunts him just as much as he haunts Hyuna. And even after all this time, he still doesn't hold the proper remorse of murdering her brother or trying to manipulate her into forgiving him, just regretting the results.

TILL:

From what I can try to glean from Till's past, it's littered in violence from the aliens. I can see there being a sort of cycle with Till; he does something that his alien owners lightly punish him for, which puts him on the defense and gets violent, which in turn makes the alien's get violent and try to restrain, which makes Till get even more violent, and so on. The aliens viewed him as sort of this feral dog, completely untrainable, moving him from home to home, shelter to shelter. They try all their methods they have to make him 'submit', but each and every time he simply refuses.

I sort of have this theory that Till didn't start out as someone with an owner, or someone who was even regulated by an alien in a adoption facility or something; he used to live on the streets, completely unmanaged, which is very rare for humans. Maybe he even had other stray humans he hung around, or maybe he managed on his own. Either way, eventually he gets captured by the aliens, and maybe his fellow stray humans get captured and broken down or killed in this. The aliens try to integrate Till into their human pet system, but he's just not having it. He wasn't trained by aliens since birth to act a certain way, which would explain his intense resistance towards them. He sees the situation for what it is, how humans being put in such a degrading and dehumanizing dynamic is wrong, and it makes him angry to be expected to put up with it. It makes him especially angry that his fellow humans expect him to go along with this dehumanization, just to keep the waters calm. Because even the humans that have sort of realized that this is wrong, were still trained under this system, and has just accepted that they need to live with it, and Till won't. They all act like he's crazy, aliens and humans alike, but Till refuses to give in.

Whatever the case, Till proves to show constant resilience, something that probably was having him set up to be on track for being 'put down', having no worth as a 'pet'. Till knew this, but it just made him push even harder, fight back harder. We see in a few flashes of Till be experimented on with syringes; possibly in an effort to make him calmer. This was probably something that happened before and after he became a singer. Even then, physically and biologically abused, he refuses to go along with this system, to try and hold on to any sense of autonomy he has even as they try to restrain and degrade it. And all this fighting does take a toll on Till; we see it in the heavy bags under his eyes, but even so, he keeps going. You know, unironically, I think Till is the embodiment of the term "the indomitable human spirit"; he just absolutely refuses to be cowed for the sake of an easier survival.

I think what kept him from being 'put down' was when it was discovered he had a talent for singing. I don't know how this was discovered; maybe Till was just bored and entertaining himself with singing or strumming a guitar, or maybe they had him tested for a talent before the decided to kill him just in case he had any sort of monetary worth. Once they figured out he had a talent, he was shipped off to be the Anact Garden's problem.

Now, Till, at his core, is an extremely protective person; it's actually kind of insane. Once he decides something is 'his', he tightly holds onto and protects it with everything he has. We see this time and time again; deciding to be the sole protector of the flowers and encouraging them to grow, literally beating someone up if they stepped on them. Following Mizi around just in case she would need help, and one day she did, and she didn't hesitate to run into that cave and fight off whatever monster she had stumbled upon, literally just some child squaring up against some mutated beast (or possibly striking a deal with it? we didn't see the whole thing. either way whatever he did must have been a huge deal because it literally changed Ivan's life). He doesn't even care if Mizi loves Sua and that she'll never love him; he just wants her to be safe and happy. And in defending Ivan as well, cause he was a weird kid, and I know Till would go from snarling at Ivan to snarling at another kid who's making fun of Ivan. And that's why he fights so hard for his own rights and autonomy as well, because he's protective of his own sense of self, refusing to let go of it. His protective instincts are his main motivation for basically all of his actions, all of his supposed feral behavior.

It's probably this that trait that drew Ivan to Till in the first place; his and Till's first interaction was Till beating him up over some flowers. It kind of looked like Ivan felt alive for possibly the first time in his life during that fight. I bet afterwards, if Ivan were to question Till on it, Till wouldn't even understand the point of the question; like of course he would defend the flowers till his last dying breath? Duh? Don't be a dick? Ivan probably followed Till around all the time, but I imagine the reason Till didn't form as close a connection to Ivan was because Till sees Ivan as just another source of violence in his life he needs to fight against. It's why he probably developed such a crush on Mizi; Till is drawn to kindness more than anything, to softness. It's why he forms a connection to the flowers, to Mizi. He can't see the kindness in Ivan, not till it's too late.

It's probably those protective instincts that made him turn back when Ivan was trying to get him to run away; of course he wanted to run away. But then he thought of Mizi, left unprotected. And then he considered Ivan, who upon running away, would also be left unprotected out in the world. His need to protect was being torn at, and in the end, he chose Mizi, leaving Ivan to fend for himself. What he didn't expect, was to see that Ivan came back too. That's when Till truly stopped seeing Ivan; his guilt didn't allow him to. He feels like he abandoned him, thrown him aside what he feels he needs to protect, forced him to come back to the facility, and now Till can't look him in the eye.

Honestly, I think it's these protective instincts that serve in his break down after Mizi left. He feels like he failed in protecting her, and not only that, he feels like there's nothing left for him to protect. He'd already thrown away the idea of protecting himself when he was entered into this competition, only motivated to protect himself to get far enough to go against Mizi in the final round, in which he was going to throw the round so that she could live. He completely threw away any protective instinct for his own survival, having accepted that at the beginning of this competition, because those he loves will always come first, and he and Mizi both couldn't survive, so really it was a no brainer for him. But now Mizi is gone, and he doesn't know how to get that desire to protect himself back, can't find the motivation for it. And so, going up against Ivan, all of the years of constantly fighting are just coming to get him, and he's just so tired. With nothing left, he was just going to throw the match. And then Ivan comes up and starts kissing him, which catches Till completely off guard. But then Ivan starts choking him before Till could process what that meant, and this made a lot more sense to him. Ivan killing him on stage lines up with everything he thinks Ivan to be; just another source of violence, and he's going to let him. But then he realizes what's actually going on, and it all clicks into place for him; Ivan loved him. Ivan had a whole inner world Till never knew because he decided to look away. And Ivan was something Till still had left to protect, but now he was gone. And all he has left to protect is the sacrifice Ivan left behind; himself.

TOGETHER:

It's unlikely these two have ever really met before; they were in different age groups when they were being trained as kids, and given their extremely different vibes it's unlikely they'd be asked to perform together or even be asked for from the same clients. So this competition is likely the first time they've met. Having never really met, what they currently think of each other is Till thinking Luka "is a dick who messed with Mizi and kisses up to the audience", and Luka thinks of Till as "an idiot who will go unhinged at the drop of a hat and has no sense of his own self preservation".

Till finds the motivation to want to survive, for Ivan's sake. He wants to protect Ivan's cause for dying, almost like he wants to make up for not properly seeing him over the years, for tossing him aside and not protecting him. Bro's got a whole complex he'll work on for the rest of his life, but right now it's really motivating him to win, so at least there's that.

It would be really easy for Luka get a negative reaction out of Till; he's very reactive to things. But I think Luka will fail in getting the right kind of reactions out of Till. Typically, when he backs his competitors into a corner, they feel too much turmoil to properly sing. But that's the thing with Till; he's reactive. If Luka pushes him physiologically, his response won't be to shut down, it'll probably motivate him to sing even better, try to sing over Luka out of spite. So Luka's best bet is to try and provoke Till into violence, and it'll prove a challenge for Till who probably already hates this guy for giving Mizi a breakdown. I bet for the entire round Till will have to try so hard not to beat this guy up, to push all his aggressive energy into the performance, but it's so clear how much he just wants to murder this man, leaving the crowd and the guards on pins and needles.

Till's normal style of competing seems to be singing over his opponents, making sure they have absolutely no time to collect themselves. It's kind of funny, how both Till and Luka's strategy is just to make the other one look worse. But Luka has a lot of experience with making the crowd like him, so he throws tricks at Till he wouldn't be expecting, somehow blending the performances perfectly. But Till has never been one to stick to the script, so I can imagine him just playing a wildly different tune, trying to force Luka to change lanes again and again, seeing if he can keep up. In the end, this isn't a performance; it's a fight, a tug of war for the spotlight.

On another point, I wonder if Till will accidently remind Luka of Hyuna; she was obviously a rebel herself, given her whole thing of going to go join a revolution, so I wonder if at some point in the performance Luka will see a bit of Hyuna in Till, and it'll cause some faulter. It's kind of funny; Luka will on purpose psychologically torment Till with those that he lost, and Till will accidently psychologically torment Luka with the one that he lost.

Really, them competing with each other is sort of like a round of chicken, seeing who will crack first. But of course, all this could be for naught when we thrown in these two uncontrollable elements; Hyuna and Mizi. They're here, at the facility, and they're in trouble. This is something both of them will deeply care about, and it's unclear how it'll factor in. I wonder, if at some point during the performance the two of them will realize Hyuna and Mizi's situation, and give each other a look, like they're saying to each other "okay fuck you and all but we've got to help them", and then their battle turns into a weird sort of temporary alliance. Maybe they try to distract the aliens with their performance or start actually fighting. Maybe they do some sort of weird complicated dance move that's made to break the power and to make it easier for Hyuna and Mizi to get away. Maybe they just say 'fuck it' and run off the stage together, going to help the other two and have them all escape. Either way, I think the ending of their performance won't have anything to do with the two of them at all, but rather another. And I suppose it's fitting for the two of them, whose current sense of identity is tied so closely to other people, rather than themselves.

[jayholdenworld]

While the poll for the CarCar fic I should write is going strong, I needed to keep my mind somewhere else. (In case you have not voted yet, here’s the link to the poll)

While we wait for the end I will share some snippets from the bottom 4 ideas from both polls

Today, the bottom 4 from the first poll

1. Everybody Loves Oscar (Chatfic ft. Brocedes)

L: Hey.

L: It’s Lewis.

L: I know we no longer talk. But our kid is in danger.

N: I know it’s you.

N: It was not me the one who blocked and deleted the other’s number.

N: And what do you mean our kid?

N: What happened to Oscar?

L: I saw Lando giving Oscar chocolates. Max was talking about driving with him, Charles was inviting him to play padel, Logan was telling him about a movie night together…

N: Lewis, he’s getting friends, stop being weird about it.

L: Do friends try to kiss each other?

N: Number 1. You said we had a bro kiss the first time we kissed.

N: Number 2. Who the hell tried to kiss Oscar?

L: All of the above and some more.

N: Fuck.

L: But I have two news...

N: Bad one first.

L: Oscar might be interested in another driver, so he’s ignoring all of them.

N: That’s not so bad.

L: I was not done.

L: The bad news is that it’s Carlos Sains Jr.

N: Oh no…

N: Tell me the good news is that Carlos is not interested and we can try to make Oscar move on.

L: Nico…

L: I never said there were good news.

N: What?!

L: I think Carlos and Oscar are in a situationship… or worse, a full relationship.

N: That Fucker!

N: Couldn’t you move to Ferrari earlier?

L: ?!

L: How’s my fault, again?

N: I thought you would keep an eye on him and would keep those wolves away.

N: I trusted your judgment.

N: Now excuse me.

N: I need to threat a Spaniard to death.

N: Again.

L: Nico

L: I swear to God…

L: Fuck

2. Super Powers AU

Oscar knew he was fucked, his eyes were focused on the man in front of him, on the weapon he had to “control” them and the way his eyes went to Logan, Oliver, and back to him.

He couldn’t let that man touch them. He couldn’t take his family away from him. Oscar wasn’t going to let him do it.

Not again.

But his powers were thriving to go out and face the man. Not for the usual reason and that was worrisome. He couldn’t let his powers betray him, he needed them to protect his brothers.

So, he started to prepare to fight, to kill if needed.

It was then that he felt it, small, hidden, scared. But powerful and ready to protect the man in front of him.

The guard had powers running through his body.

His eyes must have shown that he knew, because the man started to panic in that moment, even if nothing but his eyes revealed that.

Both were so fucked right now.

3. Marry, Kiss or Kill

-Oscar.

-No.

The Spaniard tried to keep the younger against the wall, but the wall, but the look on his eyes told him everything he needed to know.

-Were you going to kill me?

The words are out before he can think, and the look the Australian gives him is enough to make him sick. The older man knew he was referring to a game that never left his mind, but in that moment he sounded like he was fighting about the incident they just had.

-You were the one trying to kill me, Sainz. Lando won, you lost a place, but I nearly lost my whole car and I lost a good race. You were the one acting like you wanted to kill me.

And maybe he wanted that. He wanted to kiss… kill, he wanted to kill the McLaren driver.

That didn’t answer if Oscar would have kill him too in that game, so long ago, but the Spaniard knew, if he could, the younger boy would try to do it now.

4. Childhood Crushes

Carlos knows Fernando is going to kill him, he usually doesn’t care about many things he does, and if he cares, then Carlos can call or text his dad so he can talk and control Fernando. So, Carlos usually gets away with everything.

But this, Fernando will never forgive him. Because his adopted son was manipulated by Carlos to do the only thing Fernando told the both of them he was not allowed to do… without him.

-Something to share?

The older Spaniard looks at him before looking at the Australian kid. To his credit, Oscar acts like nothing happened and nothing is wrong, which makes Carlos act a little bit more calm.

Then, Fernando takes his cellphone out and shows them a photo of Carlos grabbing Oscar’s hips, standing too close to each other, and the younger Spaniard panics.

-It’s not what it looks like.

-Oh no? Then tell me, Carlos. Did you took my son to a karting track to race when I told you he shouldn’t go without me or did you not?

Oscar looks at the older boy with some eyes that say, you’re an idiot, and Carlos wants to punch him. But he knows he can’t do that or they will fist fight until one of them wins. Or until Fernando separates them.

Well, Carlos can accept the fault in this. Oscar is 12, he is 15. As the older man between the two, he needs to take accountability of his actions.

-It’s my fault dad. Let me explain…

Carlos lets the father and son talk while he keeps his eyes on the younger boy. God, he doesn’t know if he wants to punch him or kiss him.

If they survive this, maybe Carlos can punch him and then kiss him. Just like he did after Oscar won the karting race.

[class1akids]

Do hawks and shoto todoroki have any parralels? After the whole todoroki thing went down and we got the cute scene where hawks complimented shoto I always thought that after the war they could have a cute big brother like relationship (considering there have already been multiple scenes of hawks kinda nagging shoto already) and it would be special bc they would understand each other easily which got me to wondering if they have actual similarities (ik hawks is meant to parallel dabi but I think he might be a closer parallel to shoto in some aspects)

Hawks is meant to foil Touya (more Twice, but also Touya) - they are the two sides of Endeavor's legacy. Dabi is a culmination of all of Endeavor's sins against his family. Hawks is his the legacy of the good he did as a hero.

But yeah, Shouto and Hawks do have several parallels - it's actually quite ironic how similar their backstories are.

Abusive father    ✔

Dysfunctional mother  ✔

Isolated childhood  ✔

Amazing and versatile quirk ✔

Raised to be a weapon ✔

Finding comfort / inspiration in a hero figure   ✔

Villain counterpart is their shadow ✔

It is very interesting how their stories play off of each other. Hawks is using the reveal that Enji was actually every bit as horrible as his own father to reflect on his own family. But instead of dealing with his own problems, he's projecting still onto Endeavor. He can't fix his guilt over killing Twice, he can't fix the parents he cut off, but maybe if he can fix his "broken doll", things will be fine.

And Hawks "helpfulness" means that Enji gets derailed from the family quest, leading to the fight becoming Shouto's burden, leading to Touya's escalation, and still leading to Hawks failing every single one of his goals: they are unable to stop AFO and Enji still ends up having to face Touya. While Hawks ends up alone on a battlefield quirkless standing guard over the bodies of the children he sent to war (as master of the plan), ready to offer himself as blood sacrifice.

Hawks and Shouto's path diverge because Shouto gets to go to UA, where he can grow among friends and peers. He breaks out of his isolation and is able to face his shadow and clash with him openly rather than trying to find a shortcut.

But yeah, to me Hawks' POV on the Todoroki children, but especially Shouto is really fascinating and something I always enjoy playing with.

[scalproie]

there is something really weird in mk12 about the disconnect between kuai liang and his role as scorpion

He is called feisty. Raiden goes to him so he can help him "stoke the fire" of rage. Such traits you expect from good old scorpion, as he should be and IS the angry revenge-driven fire wraith/ninja/whatever

But if you ignore all that's said and actually look at kuai liang... he is not angry or rageful, and couldnt be any less feisty, the only thing feisty about him is his ability to control flames. He is not revenge-driven, even after being scarred physically and emotionally by bi-han, he doesnt kill him, he knocks him out and carries him away so he cant help out the deadly alliance, all in a logical manner (but also its so unemotional on his part Im willing to bet it's not even smth the writers planned to write him as, it just happened bc they didnt know how to write him in a compelling way). He is rational and patient, you could even call him passive and reactionary. That's not scorpion-like, whose impulsiveness has been an established part of his character for quite a while now, that's more like sub zero. Because for the better part of 30 years, kuai liang has been sub zero

edit: after careful re-watch, my former point no really longer stand, he did very much try to kill bi-han after the reveal he let their father die. But even then, if I may... that vengeance streak doesnt really last long now does it?

I know bi-han being back as the main carrier of the sub zero mantle has rekindled some debates over who the best sub zero is between the two brothers but that just goes to show: BOTH are sub zero.

So having a sub zero being casted in the role scorpion, as both characters are POLAR (eh) OPPOSITES of each other, you end up with a weird hybrid in the middle who is neither one nor the other. In the previous timelines, scorpion starts things, kuai liang reacts as either tundra or sub zero.

Kuai liang took pride in being lin kuei, he's been called the redeemer by previous games and that's really what he is! He fights FOR the lin kuei and steers it into the right direction. Here in mk12 he just... leaves the clan. As soon as it goes toward evil. He wants to restore its honor but he leaves it to be corrupted in the first place. He doesnt fight for it to stay good. It almost reads as if he has no pride for it if he's ready to let its name be tarnished so easily after YEARS of tradition and services toward the forces of good. Did he had no ideals for the clan growing up? Did his father always hyped up bi-han as the next grandmaster? Then why didnt kuai liang also had absolute loyalty for his brother no matter what his decisions are?

No he goes to make a new clan, and why? Well that's only because scorpion is not associated with the lin kuei, but the shirai ryu. In fact, everything that happens to kuai liang doesnt happen because of who kuai liang is, it happens because IT HAS to happen because he's scorpion.

As much as the writers (through liu kang) tells us that "in this new timeline, everyone can choose their destiny" in the opening, kuai liang's character is shackled by being scorpion. If he didnt had to follow the Scorpion Staples(tm) of being a shirai ryu grandmaster married to harumi, he wouldnt abandon his clan and get with harumi (a character he never had history with once, and no, his ending telling us that they were "childhood friends" doesnt count. It feels extremely forced and comes from nowhere) to form a new clan when he could just fight his brother for the legacy and pride of the clan in the first place.

BESIDES. If harumi already had a clan she was the grandmaster of, why did kuai liang renamed it to something else instead? What was that clan's name that kuai, an outsider, decided to overwrite? It makes it look like he married her for influence and the power to go toe-to-toe against bi-han and his lin kuei. But hey. Its okay because he named it after harumi's new last name that cannot possibly work in the canon where she's with hanzo because there, the shirai ryu has been around for hundred of years before her.

Listen, I was willing to give them the benefit of the doubt for Kuai!Scorpion, hell I even called out the lin kuei/shirai ryu rift happening at one point bc it was SO OBVIOUSLY happening. But now that it's out and I see how they handled it. Man I really really REALLY dont like how easily you can see the seams of this narrative, and how clearly it makes everything related to it worse.

[cienie-isengardu]

Why should Kuai Liang even try or want to lead the people who: 1. Ran him and Tomas out of their home 2. Tried to kill him in his wedding 3. Attempted to or killed many of his friends?

Kuai has no footing there in Lin Kuei. They blindly followed Bi-Han to commit crimes in a cowardly ambush and most don't regret what they did after all if the dialogues are any indication. They're as bad as the old timeline Lin Kuei.

While Kuai Liang has to eventually unite both clans, now can't be the time. They've hurt and abused him too much.

Before I answer your very good question, let me preface it by saying this: I do not have a habit to base my judgment on source material I’m not familiar with, especially when the source in question is not even officially released yet. Thus I can’t and at this moment won’t address the Lin Kuei attack on Kuai Liang at his wedding, because - again, officially - it did not happen yet and so far beside spoilers and leaks I DID NOT READ, there is only Kuai Liang’s ending hinting at this upcoming confrontation that hardly looks like cowardly ambush, as both forces face each other while preparing themselves for fight.

Not saying leaks won’t turn out to be true, but I wish to see the storyline and examine source material to get the whole picture before leaping to any conclusion. The fandom is already emotionally explosive as it is and I do not wish to add fuel to it based on things I heard so far from other fans. So you need to forgive me skipping this certain part - once the NRS releases the expansion story mode we can happily come back to the matter.

Now, for the rest of your question, Lin Kuei hurting Kuai Liang is nothing new. His character arc in original and alternative timelines walked this road already. 

His own father, a Lin Kuei warrior himself, kidnapped Kuai Liang and Bi-Han, presumably killing the boys’ mother and younger sister in the process. He and his brother were forced into a clan that trained them into merciless assassins, taking away any chance for normal and safe childhood. After Bi-Han’s death, Kuai Liang was hunted down, his friends turned into soulless machines, or in an alternative timeline he himself became Cyber Sub-Zero against his will. And he still fought tooth and nail to take over this morally corrupt clan - a clan that hurted him emotionally and physically, a clan that exploited him and Bi-Han for literal decades. All to set Lin Kuei on a (more) righteous path. Because despite what happened, or how cold-hearted over the years Kuai Liang became, he cared for Lin Kuei. If not for people itself, then for principles like honor, legacy and duty. His dedication to the clan, the desire to reclaim lost honor and build a better future for his people overcame any other senses. 

Is that a realistic choice to make? In real life most likely not. If Kuai Liang was a real human being, then absolutely his safety and emotional peace of mind should come above any duty or responsibility to the family that on purpose hurted him and his friends. And the safety and people who deeply and sincerely care for him would be the thing I wished for him. But since Kuai Liang is fictional character and as such represents specific archetypes and themes that are part of bigger worldbuilding, I do think Netherrealm Studio’s eventual choice to remove Kuai Liang from his own legacy will simply not work. Not just from the perspective of the story but also from the perspective of MK1 Scorpion’s character arc. 

(And yes, I said I won’t judge characters and events on source material that isn’t even released yet and maybe the expansion story mode will provide rational and sensible reasons behind NRS’ choices. So this is less judging Kuai Liang as character for his (authors’) choice and more explaining my own feelings on the matter.)

I assume the question "Why should Kuai Liang even try or want to lead Lin Kuei" comes from my previously posted statement:

“But if Kuai Liang decided to not replace Bi-Han as Grandmaster and fulfill his duty, then half of the intros will sound very hypocritical of him, I think? Original/alternative Kuai Liang dedicated his life to reforming his clan because he cared for Lin Kuei. Scorpion!Kuai Liang appointing someone else to rule it is, wow, weird as hell. ”

and I stand by it. We all may argue over this or that character’s choice, but there is no doubt that Mortal Kombat has a certain theme assigned to each character. Kuai Liang’s from the start is “Honor” and “Duty”, be it to Earthrealm or father’s teaching.

A trait he shares with original/alternative Kuai Liang and ironically, the strong sense of duty is what he and MK1 Bi-Han have in common too. Their sense of duty is currently contradictory, but both brothers put duty to clan (Bi-Han) or to Earthrealm/tradition (Kuai Liang) over their own blood ties. Now, the thing with Scorpion is that available source material clearly states Kuai Liang:

Always wanted to be Lin Kuei and nothing else

Did not give up on Lin Kuei and is willing to battle with Bi-Han for control over the clan and brings it to its original purpose

This was established in

Scorpion’s Bio before the game even came out

Like his cherished father, Scorpion is dedicated to the Lin Kuei and its defense of Earthrealm. When his father died, Scorpion was bereft. Though he took pride in knowing that his brother, Sub-Zero, would succeed their father as the Lin Kuei's grandmaster. But Sub-Zero's unprecedented moves to cast off the Lin Kuei's traditional duties have frozen Scorpion's enthusiasm. He fears that one day he may have to battle his brother for control of the Lin Kuei's legacy.

hinted/ mentioned in the story mode itself

Kuai Liang: "I knew Bi-Han's frustrations ran deep. But I never thought they could inspire such madness. We can't let his corruption spread."

&

Tomas: "That the Lin Kuei won't aid us is unforgivable. Bi-Han has corrupted them totally." Kuai Liang: "When this crisis ends, we will deal with that one."

repeated in intro dialogues:

Raiden: Did you ever want to be an Earthrealm champion? Scorpion: I have only ever wanted to be Lin Kuei.

or

Geras: Your brother's Lin Kuei are an obstacle to peace. Scorpion: It is *my* duty to deal with them.

or

Scorpion: I fear the Lin Kuei is beyond redemption. Scorpion: Together, we will restore its honor.

or

Scorpion: From the ashes, the Lin Kuei will be reborn. Sub-Zero: Do not presume you can burn it down.

and again stated in Scorpion’s ending:

"No sooner had Titan Shang Tsung been defeated than Bi-Han and his loyalists hunted us down. Outnumbered, we fled to Japan. There we sought refuge from an old family friend. As children, we played together. But Harumi Shirai was a woman now, the head of her clan. Her strength, beauty, and intellect awed me. Also incensed by Bi-Han's betrayal, Harumi agreed to help me forge a new clan. One that would stand against him and defend Earthrealm. Her aid proved invaluable. And as time went on, we grew closer. To honor Harumi and pay respects to my new bride, I named the clan after her, calling it the Shirai Ryu. Now the battle against my brother begins in earnest. The Shirai Ryu won't rest until Bi-Han is defeated and the Lin Kuei's honor restored."

Current version of Kuai Liang is a mix of his original and Hasashi Hanzo’s traits, however despite the differences between MK1 and previous timelines, he never truly gave up on Lin Kuei. Shirai Ruy is a means to both protect Earthrealm and to bring back his original clan to its honorable roots. Even if we may argue Kuai Liang doesn’t care anymore for his rebellious brother or Lin Kuei warriors that hunted him and Tomas, Lin Kuei is still his rightful legacy - abandoning it completely, giving up on centuries old tradition would mean abandoning his cherished father and the man’s teachings. Something Kuai Liang refused to do repeatedly and was catalyst for the conflict between brothers.

So though it is understandable that Kuai Liang (and Tomas) may not wish to live with people that turned against him and brought so much misfortune - something that most sane humans would choose - he is still a Grandmaster’s son and pragmatic leader. The same as Bi-Han, Kuai Liang is a dutiful man that puts duty above personal feelings. Him letting Lin Kuei to be ruled by themselves (and in case of Cyrax, by one that once was Bi-Han’s absolute loyalist as stated by him in story mode) won’t resolve the conflict. The risk to Earthrealm will be still there, and any new conflict between Shirai Ryu and Lin Kuei will be in great part his fault. Because he had a chance to unite two clans into even greater power for Earthrealm’s sake yet choose the “easy way out” by putting someone else in position of power, I presume hoping said person will share his mindset. Not to mention that with Smoke and Harumi at his side, Kuai Liang has a trusted family to either entrust the new clan under their care or be protected by them while he is cleaning up the mess created by his brother. 

For me, Kuai Liang rejecting his duty as rightful heir (that allows him to actively control and redeem Lin Kuei), also rejects his loyalty and duty to late father, Liu Kang and Earthrealm’s safety. But above everything else it put the whole Scorpion’s character arc into question - what was the point of all of this if ultimetaly he did not fulfill his goal of bringing Lin Kuei back to its honorable ways and ensuring personally it stays the way for good? A goal so clearly established in source material? Does that sounds satisfactionally to anyone? To be invested into the crusade against corruption of cherished tradition and father’s teaching only for character to ditch the responsibility like it never mattered in the first place?

Of course, this is just my speculation and personal feelings. Maybe the expansion story will lay out a well-thought-out, logical course of events that will perfectly excuse the change in Scorpion’s character arc or what will be the final deal between Lin Kuei, Shirai Ryu and Liu Kang. I’m holding back my final judgment over it as much as I can, but to be honest, I’m a bit worried at the prospect that Kuai Liang can be removed permanently from his Lin Kuei’s Legacy.

In regard to: “They blindly followed Bi-Han to commit crimes in a cowardly ambush and most don't regret what they did after all if the dialogues are any indication. They're as bad as the old timeline Lin Kuei.” The same as withholding my judgment over the attack during Kuai Liang’s wedding, I have nothing to say at this moment about your statement. I did not read leaks and so far people threw spoilers at me that I have no will to research for confirmation, because again, I would like to experience the story mode as it is in the final form. Maybe the leaks provided enough data, but at this moment I personally did not read anything from Lin Kuei’s perspective that didn’t come from Bi-Han, Tomas or Kuai Liang. Still, I doubt MK1 Lin Kuei are even close to being as bad as the original clan. From what I know so far, Sub-Zero does not sell their skills for the best bidding the way assassin Lin Kuei did, so there is a reason to assume MK1 Bi-Han does not exploit its people the way original Sub-Zero brothers were. 

Though I think we could also argue that what people call “blindly following Sub-Zero” is less about enjoying the criminal activity on their part and more about fulfilling their duty, as Lin Kuei pledged to obey their leader. Which raises an interesting question, if personal morality should stand above one’s duty the way Kuai Liang and Tomas rejected Bi-Han, or it is the other way. I assume the answer will vary from one person and culture to another but the game most likely won’t explore this sadly.

Once the story is out, I’m more than happy to come back to discussion about Lin Kuei’s morality if anyone will be still interested 🙂

[duckyfruitbat]

Retro Review: War of the Monsters

Happy Birthday to me

Happy Birthday from me

Ducky you feeling good, you're kinda singing to yourself? Please don't cry again.

That's right friends and lovers, my birthday is coming up! Instead of just eating a whole cake by myself, I decided to do a review of a game from my childhood, while eating said cake by myself. Now what to play what to play? Well if you read the title you'd know I'm looking at a brawler released for the PS2 by Incognito Entertainment back in 2003, War of the Monsters.

You see one day my dad got a PS2 demo disc with said game on it. It had one map and two playable characters, but my brother and I constantly played that game until the disc broke. We loved seeing the monsters, the destruction physics, and just the atmosphere of an old monster movie. Obviously our parents swiped up the full game when they saw a copy in the store. It was the first game I ever completed, and I played it constantly. With the preamble out of the way, it's time to actually play the damn thing.

Everything about this game, from the intro video, the box art, to even the instruction manual is just one big loving homage to the old giant monster movies of the fifties and sixties. The box art is very reminiscent of the hand painted movie posters, and the manual is presented as a news magazine with the same name as the in game newspaper that is shown in the intro video.

The story is that in the fifties Earth is being invaded by an alien race known as the Zorgulons. Things are looking grim until the top scientist of the world develop a series EMP devices referred to as the secret weapons. They are placed all throughout the world and when they are activated the invading fleet is crippled and saucers are crashing down all around the globe. Victory is nearly declared when there is an unexpected side effect to the saucers leaking fuel tanks. The fuel has a mutagen effect turning all sorts of animals, people, and even stone into giant rampaging monsters. That's all established in the intro video, it's full of old movie tropes too.

Heading into the main menu, it's in a drive in movie theater with most things displayed on a screen. I have to say, this old movie thing really does give it a nice charm. There's even black and white footage of gameplay on the screen. Now time to select a character for the story campaign.

There are ten playable monsters, two are unlockable and each one has four alternate skins, with number four usually being the most out there design. Here's a list of said monsters.

(Fake name (Real Name))

Walmart brand Godzilla (Togera)

Beeg bug (Preytor)

Royalty free King Kong (Congar)

Liberty Prime (Robo-47)

Murder Tiki (Agamo)

Voltron (Ultra V)

Four Arms but Lava (Magmo)

Zappy Bitch (Kineticlops)

Dragon (Raptros)

Yip-yip With a Gun (Zorgulon)

I decided to go with Kineticlops because it was one of the two monsters available on the demo, so why not relive that? Also I had this image of one guy in a studio wearing a mo-cap suit with an eye painted on his chest while surrounded by people in rubber monster suits, and that made me giggle.

First level is against Congar in Mid-Town Park. I think it's based on New York, a bit hard to tell. Any way, the opening shot gives you an idea of the monsters story being a massive territorial dispute against each other along with their constant encounters with the military trying to either capture or kill each monster. Here we begin the battles!

Congar was the easiest one, and here I noticed that there are little health pick-ups across the map. You can pick them up at any point, but so can the other monsters. I also noticed that instead of an invisible wall, or weirdly indestructible buildings, the boundaries are marked by the secret weapon emitting a force field around the map. Nice little touch, and is used in all but one level. Now fighting Congar was just laying into him until he kicks the bucket. As we're battling the destruction physics come into play as buildings get caught up in the mayhem. As they crumble, all sorts of debris falls to the ground and becomes a usable item to either throw or use as a club, same for any vehicles around. I also found a truck that explodes on impact, so I threw that at Harambe in order to curse humanity for another hundred years as he burns alive. First level done!

Second level is Gambler Gulch, a legally distinct Vegas. Here I have to fight Togera, after he handles some military vehicles. I just start laying into him like before, but here is when I notice that these monsters have a self preservation instinct. If they get low enough health they start making a b-line towards any health nearby. Lucky for me there was some rubble that I could throw at him and I managed to take him out that way. This is where the military starts inserting itself into the players campaign. Once Togera is defeated, a Platoon of tanks and attack helicopters come through the map barrier and are followed by Robo-47. Yeah the robots are all military meant to defend humanity against the monsters and the aliens as seen later on. This one was a bit harder to get through because of the military taking shots at me, but I managed and the warranty won't be covering this.

The third level also has the first boss in Rosdale Canyon. An obvious homage to Roswell and area 51. First thing to get through is a barrage of mutant ants which are actually one of the alternate skins of Preytor. Their health is lower than other monsters, so the only real challenge is their numbers. With the ants out of the way we see the first boss landing atop the military base, Goliath Prime.

He starts the fight by lobbing bombs at you from behind a forcefield, the coward! The way to bring him down is to throw those bombs back at him. Eventually he falls off his pedestal and you must fight him in hand to hand combat. This is where you realize that he hits Hard. He has two pistols that he fires at you but he also has a charge attack and a spinning attack that knocked me across the map. This bot really spanked me, but I eventually came out on top as the dom I am.

Fourth level is in Metro City, the other New York level. This one is against Preytor and a resurrected Congar. The military has rebuilt him and are now having him do their bidding. This is where the difficulty starts climbing. Whenever going against two or more monsters they will team up against you, and often one will keep you busy while the other tries to get you. In these cases I had to start focusing on one and ignore the other. This also left me vulnerable to attack. Managed to defeat them and became the ruler of Metrocity!

Fifth level is Century Airfield where two Raptros are terrorizing the planes trying to leave. They are a pain to deal with, the previous issue with teams applies, but with the added issue of them flying around me. Managed to get them with one life left.

Level six is Atomic Island, a nuclear power plant that looks like it can power half the country. This one starts as another barrage of Kineticlops. I am now forced to fight my own kin. Here is where the environment starts giving options beyond throwing rubble and cars. There's a button I was able to ground bound that released hot, radio active liquid into the lower area. As I sat there watching my brothers melt into the sludge I wonder to myself how it came to this. I looked over the pile of corpses in mo-cap suits rotting away in the radioactive lake and hang on what's with that alarm? My thoughts were cut short as a meltdown happened and the environment changed to the next boss arena in a crater.

The boss is a three headed carnivorous plant named Vegon. This one is pretty simple, it will spit venom at you followed by trying to eat you. As its jaws are gearing up for a good bite you have to use the debris around you and throw it down its throat. As you do each head will retract back into the bulb until the final one falls dead. I like this boss, plant monsters have my favorite designs, but this one was pretty easy.

Level seven was Baytown, which was just San Francisco. Here we see a couple Robo-47's fighting off some UFO's before turning their attention towards my mocap suit. Ah yes, the thing that kicked off the plot. This team kept giving me the slip, I'd wail on one, the other would tag in letting his friend find all the health pick-ups. Cheeky little shits. Don't worry, I disciplined them thoroughly and moved on to the next level.

Level eight is Club Caldera, which is just Hawaii. Here we see Magmo and Agamo duking it out before they locked eyes with my singular eye painted on my mo-cap chest and decide that I was begging for a wedgie. Just like junior high. They both hit real hard, and I had to be the one who slinked away to get some health pick-ups. The whole time the UFO's start asserting their presence more, taking shots at me as I run around screaming with my underwear over my head. I somehow won against the two jocks of the roster and was able to move on.

Level nine is Tsunopolis, or just Tokyo. Here two Ultra V's backflip into the camera and challenge me to a Gundam fight, just like high school. Unfortunately I remembered the environmental trigger that causes a tsunami that will wash them away. Threw a car at a giant UFO and it created the tsunami and then I picked them off with a couple of lightning chains. With the mechs down I was abducted by the UFO and taken into space.

For level ten the UFO takes me to the Zorgulon mother ship. A citadel and base of operations orbiting between the Earth and the Moon. Here I am faced with a council of three Zorgulon, all appalled by my mo-cap suit. I tried to explain to them that my character design was impossible with practical effects and it can be fixed in post, but they weren't having it and they attacked, just like college.

There weren't many environmental hazards beyond a couple mounted turrets. Despite being in space, this level is one of the more boring ones. At least the canyon had a giant rock to throw around. Anyway, I decided the councils fate with my fists and the mother ship was evacuated. I was warped back into the saucer and as it was flying away it was hit by the ensuing explosion leading to the saucer crash landing on Earth. Thus setting up the final boss fight.

The final level is called capital. I read somewhere that it's supposed to be D.C, but it looks more like the Vatican to me. Anyway, the scene is set when the dome of the recently crashed saucer opens up revealing a brain in a four legged saucer mech. It jet boots its way out of the saucer and destroys the Washington monument before setting up a force field and beginning the battle. This is Cerebulon, the leader of the Zorgulon's and this thing can absolutely wreck my run. I remember having to start this battle over many times as a kid. There are three phases to this monster.

The saucer mech is the first one and it is invulnerable until after it does its main attack, being a laser that eats at your health like me at a sushi bar. You have to hide behind the obelisks around the pool Cerebulon is staying put in. After the laser is done Cerebulon needs to take a moment to recharge and the shield goes down. I took this opportunity to use the lighting chain to zap the brain jar. After I did that enough times the mech explodes into giant pieces and Cerebulon emerges from the wreckage in its second form, being an obvious homage to the tri-pods from war of the worlds. Also the brain can apparently twitch, which was just weird.

Anyway, this form still has a laser but will also use its tentacles to attack. The way to beat this form is to take the giant pieces of the mech suit and just yeet them at the glass brain jar in order to shatter it. After the off brand tri-pod collapses, Cerebulon decides to burst out of the dome in a scene that might be a homage to Alien. It howls and gurgles as it stands up on its tentacles and points towards me with its scythe hands to challenge me head on. Oh now the flashbacks are starting.

This is the most devastating monster in the campaign. It has a ten hit combo move that just deletes health. It does not take a break for health either, in order to heal up you have to make a run for it. If you stop moving it will just spank you over and over again until you beg for more, just like a Saturday night. I decided to just pick off its health with my light ranged attack and my beloved lightning chain. Yeah I took the cowards option here, cut me some slack! The naked dalek was after my lack of buns!

In its death throws Cerebulon's head exploded all over the square, and a smaller version emerged from that completing the Alien homage. Kineticlops declares victory, and the scene fades to black. Before the credits roll I am treated to the origin story of my chosen monster.

That was War of the Monsters. My god this thing just oozes with absolute love for the old monster movies. It is just so charming, from the music, the sound effects, all those posters above are the loading screens. The campaign itself is only a couple hours long and perfectly serviceable. The monsters having a sense of self preservation was a pleasant surprise and helped balance out the battles. The environmental hazards added some strategy to the stages when they were there. I only had issues with the camera, which was the style at the time. I absolutely recommend taking a look at this game, it's available on the PlayStation Store for the PS4. Hasn't been made available for the PS5 yet, but as I've said before the PS5 doesn't exist. If you like a good arcade brawler, and you're a fan of monsters like Godzilla, this is your game.

[superdorkcat]

Assorted KH4 Predictions

Yozora shows up almost immediately after the fight with the Darkside, prompting Sora to run for the hills. He proceeds to avoid Yozora for at least the first half of the game, like that one meme of a floating guy chasing another guy down a hallway

To make up for the limited selection of Disney worlds, there are a number of sidequests related to Disney characters who have also ended up in Quadratum. I can see the Sanderson sisters being the antagonists of a side story arc - while they’re really popular Disney villains, Hocus Pocus likely won’t be made into a KH world anytime soon

Some of the cutscenes make offhand references to a “strange man dressed in red and black,” leading to the audience thinking that the game’s building up to a fight against Genesis (like how the bonus boss fight with Sephiroth in KH2 was heavily built up to). Then it turns out the real boss is Deadpool

Vanitas is in Quadratum since he was still in Sora’s heart at the time Sora got Thanos snapped there. He’s now stuck in the form of a Flood and is very grumpy about it

Sora runs into Vanitas while Strelitzia’s showing him around Quadratum and immediately makes it his mission to redeem his brother by resocializing him like a feral cat

The 14th life that Xehanort mentioned in Dark Road is revealed to be a Replica he stashed in Quadratum that managed to achieve sentience and develop a personality of his own like Xion did

Aside from being a Xehanort clone, Nort-14 is a normal city kid who has no idea who tf Sora is or why this random guy hates him so much

Vanitas tries to beat the shit out of him on sight

After spending some time as a Very Confused side character, Nort-14 gets roped into some Keyblade-related bullshit that serves as his, Vanitas, and Sora’s get along sweatshirt and leads to him joining the group

We finally get to find out what Demyx’s deal is!

Speaking of Demyx, he’s also in Quadratum and gradually grows into the role of Sora and co.’s goofy, incredibly irresponsible older brother figure

Either the Hundred Acre Wood returns as the side world (since Sora gets there by going into a book, he could theoretically still access it due to Quadratum being “the world of fiction”) or we get a side world based on the Muppets

Nomura finally gets his musical

Luxord is revealed to have been secretly working with Oswald the entire time in order to take down the Master of Masters

Also, since Quadratum is rendered in a realistic art style, that means that Oswald looks like a normal rabbit

Not counting the sidequests, a lot of the side content is just Sora and co. vibing in Quadratum

One of the Disney worlds is the Land of the Dead from Coco

Riku spends most of the game lost in the city, finally reuniting with Sora during the endgame only to find that his childhood friend is now besties with a sapient Unversed, a younger version of Xehanort, that weird guy he met in the Keyblade Graveyard that one time, and some random ginger girl

We get a couple of cutscenes showing what’s going on back in the regular KH reality, one of which is Lauriam searching for the other Dandelion Union leaders and Strelitzia in Twilight Town. He runs into Namine and the two awkwardly stare at each other while Kill Bill sirens blare overhead before Laurie just “nopes” out of there

Demyx’s relation to the Age of Fairytales isn’t brought up until relatively late in the game but not because Demyx is trying to avoid more work or anything. After thinking over Xemnas’s whole speech, Demyx just figured that Mansex was lying out his ass (like he always does) and doesn’t think to bring it up until it becomes relevant in the plot

Baldr is there to Cause Problems On Purpose, serving as a side antagonist like Maleficent and Pete in KH2. He serves as a parallel to each of the Quadratum kids - both him and Sora have special hearts that can easily connect to others, both him and Vanitas are the “dark half” to their lighter sibling, both him and Strelitzia struggled over insecurities that their older sibling didn’t have, and lots of fun can be had with Baldr interacting with Nort-14

[belit0]

Aniki!

The real reason for Madara’s madness. Also, he's not the only crazy one.

Characters: Uchiha Madara - Uchiha Izuna - Senju Tobirama - Senju Hashirama

We love some good Uchiha bros bonding don't we

Tobirama focuses on Sasuke's speech while inwardly feeling completely repulsed by the young man's impudence. It seems like over the years, the Uchihas just got worse.

How can it be that the Senjus are no more, but these idiots, according to what the teenager relates to his older brother, are?

Unbelievable.

"Madara..."

Tobi sighs wearily. Brought was him to the world of the living only months ago, and now he's being dragged back here, interrupting his eternal rest to fight the world's worst pain in the ass.

The cursed Uchiha Madara is alive and kicking, threatening the entire planet in his wake.

But as his older brother recounts his childhood and the times the old Uchiha leader was a considerably decent person, Tobirama knows what he must do.

It's not about fighting and fighting foolishly on a brutish base like in the old days. It is not about Hashirama tirelessly facing off against that beastly power until one of the two falls down in defeat again, as in the past. It is not about uniting everyone to overcome him.

It is a matter of correcting the one mistake Tobirama dares to admit he made in his life.

"While you continue to debate the concept of village and shinobi, I would rather amend the world I do not belong to and prevent more innocent lives from continuing to join us in the afterlife. Anija, take your time if you wish."

Before he could hear a reaction from the other Hokages or the Uchiha boy, he disappears with his Hiraishin and moves to a safe distance from where he spotted Madara's chakra signature.

It is easy to identify him, considering that his power glows monstrously reddish amidst a sea of weak and some stubborn marks.

Taking refuge behind a rock, he watches in the distance as the resurrected Uchiha faces off against the current Kages. With pride, he sees Tsnuade's golden hair flying furiously from one side of the battlefield to the other.

A shinobi corpse lies at his feet, and swiftly, the Nidaime picks it up and claims it, determined to use it as a vessel for his technique.

Tobirama forces himself to concentrate and performs the hand seals that will bring the only workable solution to this war. A strange nostalgia appears in his chest when the image of his former rival, the one he mercilessly eliminated, appears before his eyes.

Often, after Izuna's death, he thought about him without noticing it. It only aggravated his guilt as he became Kagami's Sensei. Although it was their destiny to destroy each other, Tobirama never believed it would happen.

He foolishly hoped their eternal battle would end when their older brothers' dream came true, for he trusted in Hashirama's persistence and his influence over Madara, and perhaps then, he could even tolerate Izuna.

But when his Katana pierced him that day, the Senju's mixed feelings only mutated. What at first felt like a sense of victory eventually turned into disappointment at himself.

And when Madara left the village to-then explode against everyone to destroy everything they had built, he knew it was because of his little brother's death.

He himself had changed since he killed his rival. He couldn't even imagine how that event must have affected his older brother's best friend. Could he blame him for starting another war? Not really.

Maybe he would have done the same.

So Tobirama set out to repay Izuna for everything he stole from him. But even though his experiments were successful and several of his test subjects came back to life in front of him, he could not find the courage to summon the younger Uchiha.

Madara had fallen at the hands of Hashirama after going insane. What would be Tobi's excuse to revive Izuna?

However now, in front of the maniacal former Uchiha leader trying to destroy everything again because of his ancient and legendary pain, it was the perfect time to do it.

"Izuna...?"

The voice comes out as a choked whisper, even as the rumble of war and death cries ring out all around them.

Before he can explain anything, severed from his neck is Tobirama's head, causing thousands of papers to fly into the air and his eyes black with red go out for a moment.

The newly revived one attacked as if both of them continued to be in the same place where he lost his life. It is understandable, given the context that surrounds them is similar but even worse. In the past, Madara was not a lunatic.

After a few seconds, the Senju's head grows back from his neck, on the body that fell motionless on the ground. Izuna watches in horror, without understanding what is wrong, without stopping to-seriously analyze what is occurring.

"I'd appreciate it if you'd stay still and quiet before I have to send you to death again, Uchiha." Tobirama's irritation is real and tinges his voice as he rejoins, but he doesn't really speak his words with intent. He is secretly happy to see his old rival again after so many years.

"What..."

"There's no time, Izuna. You must stop your brother."

"Don't talk about my brother and fight!"

The Uchiha rushes at him again, but this turn it is not the white-haired man who loses his head. With an accurate blow, Tobi lets the papers fly in the air and waits for his rival to get up from the ground exactly as he did seconds ago.

How ridiculous must that scene look from afar? He can't help but ask himself.

While the red eyes of the Uchiha widen again, he shifts them in terror to all sides, looking around in shock for the first time.

"BUT..."

"We're dead, Izuna. There's no point in fighting me anymore."

"Madara..."

"You must stop him. Unfortunately, you're the only one who can after all. Otherwise, I wouldn't have brought you here."

"Here...? Where is this... here? Exactly?"

"A thousand years after your death. Future."

"Good... good, it's time to wake up Izuna... come on you useless little wimp wake up wake up!"

"What are you doing?"

Tobirama asks as he witnesses the Uchiha hit his head and pinch his arms.

"This is a nightmare that I'm unintentionally controlling again! Madara said no more sweets before bed and I should have listened but-"

"YOUR BROTHER IS ABOUT TO DESTROY THE WORLD BECAUSE I ASSASSINATED YOU, YOU FOOL!"

Silence falls over them both as he points to that spot on the battlefield where the five Kages fight against the older brother.

"But... my eyes... I have my eyes... I gave them to him before I..."

"I assumed I had them back after Madara's presumed death in the past... I wanted to apologize to you when seeing you again, to both of you, I mean. But now you must go over there and stop that lunatic, Izuna."

Without taking his gaze from where Madara mercilessly beats the presumed most powerful of the current world, the Uchiha stands up on shaky legs and walks over there, ignoring the people fighting around him and death painting the place. Splashes of blood reach his blue robe and he swears he can almost feel at home, having in front of him the huge, imposing back of his older brother who still does not notice his presence.

"Would you like these clones to use Susanoo? Or not?"

Izuna hears that sentence and can't help but smile with mouth hidden in the high collar of his shirt. His brother hasn't changed a bit.

And as he gets closer and closer, Madara speaks again, making him stop almost just as he is about to join him.

"Using my younger brother's chakra signature is both a poor and filthy move as an attempt of distraction, Shinobi alliance."

But just as the blue arm of Madara's Susanoo blindly reaches out to strike him, Izuna speaks up, finding his voice devoid of courage. He has seen so many enemies get killed by said technique flying mercilessly at him, yet his older brother never used it against him.

"Aniki!"

When he should have flown away and turned into papers in the air, nothing affected him. His eyes reflexively closed, but his feet refused to move from the place, showing determination.

"Otouto...?"

Peering around again, Madara's back is still there, showing that he didn't budge either, but his arm is outstretched to the side of his body. In front of him, the five Kages lie clenched by the clones he summoned previously, forcing them to remain paralyzed while he processes that voice, that sensation.

In the blink of an eye, the battlefield disappears, the screaming stops, and gone are all the surrounding people. His Aniki must have become much faster and skillful thanks to his eyes because Izuna did not even notice when being lifted into the air and transported away from the war by the Susanoo.

In his face, for the first time, Madara's features glow. Lines and cracks adorn his factions, while a violet eye makes a presence where his characteristic Sharingan should shine.

"Izuna... Izuna..."

Repeated are the words as two gloved hands caress his cheeks, brush his bangs and touch his eyelashes.

"This is real..."

"So it is, Aniki. I'm here."

"They... they killed you Otouto... they took you from my arms... your eyes... oh your beautiful eyes..."

"Aniki, no more. My eyes are back, I am back. Aniki... we must finish this..."

"We must end this Otouto..."

"We must kill them all..."

[ofluckandmagic]

🍀Laufey the Just🍀

———

Name: Laufey the Just

Alias: Faye, Mother (Atreus), Last Guardian of the Jötunar, Fair Haired Warrior

Age: 445, appears late 30s.

Gender: Cisgender

Pronouns: She/Her

Realm of Origin: Jötunheim

Eye color: stormy blue

Hair color: Light Auburn

About this portrayal:

Mun note: Given that Faye is dead in canon, this portrayal lends itself to AUs pre-death, as well as AUs in which she survived/faked her death. I portray her close to canon, but headcanons are the main way I diverge from it.

A lot of the canon influenced headcanons are directly inspired by the Lore & Legends book, as well as side quest dialogue relating to the frozen lightning in Vanaheim.

———

Headcanons:

-Laufey’s role as Guardian was a role assigned to her long before her birth. It was prophesied that she would hold the knowledge of her people long after they were gone, which she would later pass down to her son.

-She spent her childhood in Jötunheim, raised from a young age with the knowledge that she would be the leader of her people. From her early childhood, she was shown to be well versed in prophecies and visions. Her skills in magic only seemed to flourish as she aged.

-Her first vision came when she was a child, a vision of her own death. At the time, she was too young to fully understand it. Nonetheless, it weighed heavily on her mind. As she got older, she had reoccurring visions of her son, Loki, the future Champion of the Jotunar and how Ragnarök is meant to go. As a result, she worked alongside Angrboða’s mother to create shrines scattered across the nine realms to ensure this true fate came true.

-In her teen years, she had visions of meeting Fárbauti. While she could not precisely decipher the exact location, these visions ultimately led her to travel the nine realms in search of him once she went against her people.

-Months before Odin found his way into Jötunheim, and began his crusade of decimating them, Laufey had refused to start her sacred trials.

-The Sacred Trials are/were a series of tests that each Jotunar leader must go through in order to take the role as Guardian. She actively chose to fight against Fate, and her own people’s decisions surrounding the trails and prophecy, choosing to leave Jötunheim behind her. Only to return months later to find her homeland abandoned and her people dead.

-Her grief weighed heavy on her, manifesting as anger. This led to her leading several small scale rebellions in Svartalfheim, Vanaheim, and Jötunheim. These rebellions only seemed to provoke more bloodshed, however, and she ultimately. turned to her old friends, the Huldra Brothers for help.

-Leviathan, her axe not only was made to rival Möljnir, but harbors a piece of Laufey’s own soul. (Though it is not a soul part, so much as is bound to her soul)

-When battle with Thor in Vanaheim ended with another decimated town, Laufey felt defeated. She gave up on trying to fight back and retreated to the Wildwoods, where she hid within a protection stave. She survived off the land for years there, biding her time as her prophetic abilities grew stronger and more frequent. She made an effort to help strangers of all kinds in the abandoned marketplace and started going by simply Faye.

-Her first meeting with Kratos happened on the riverbed outside the stave. She had noticed animals going missing, and sought to investigate. They nearly killed each other, but upon realizing he was Fárbauti, she stopped. The two ultimately found a sense of kinship and later built a home together in the Stave.

-She died of natural causes, an untimely bought of Sickness that came not long after Atreus’ 10th birthday.

———

Faye Lives/Returns verse specific headcanons:

-Shortly before her death, and the sickness progressed, Faye went on a ‘hunting trip’ that lasted several days. She traveled to the Norns, deciding to continue to fight against Fate. Faye begged them to intervene, citing that she did not wish to die, nor let things go the way they were going. After several Trials, the Norns agreed. She was given an artifact that would transport her through time.

-This artifact allowed her to fake her death, only leaving behind one of her soul pieces to act as the guiding light within her ashes. Ultimately she arrived at the Cabin, not long after Kratos and Atreus fled to Sindri’s House. She did not chase after them, instead choosing to repair the broken stave and lie in wait for the right time to fight back.

(This AU is a work in progress and thus will get its own dedicated post in the long run)

[frenchy-and-the-sea]

9, 33, and 72 for Wyn! :D

hehehe thank you!! <3

9. What deity, if any, does your character worship? What’s their opinion on other people’s worship?

Wyn doesn't really worship anything, at least not in the traditional way. Her relationship with her god (if they ARE a god) is built more on a sense of solidarity than it is on devotion. She finds their domain, and their path to it, something that makes sense to her. She wishes to join them on that path. That's all. It's very similar to how Val, my paladin, feels wrt her god, except that she considers HIM to be actively more powerful, and more like an employer that she happens to get on well with. Wyn considers that she and her "god" are more on the level of equals, at least when it comes to their work. Which is why she tends to side-eye people who fall into the more traditional categories of worship. She thinks giving anything blanket devotion is a bad call. (Which is absolutely not at all related to her own personal traumas, no siree!!) She typically doesn't speak her distaste for it aloud, because that's not really her call to make, but she will sort of...make a distance between herself and the more fanatical.

33. What person does your character admire most?

WOOF, unexpectedly loaded question! If you had asked her as little as three years ago, the answer would have been easy: her brother. Atticus was everything that their parents wanted him to be - clever, ambitious, science-and-business minded - but he was also excruciatingly kind, and compassionate, and Wyn's absolute best friend growing up. They got along like a house on fire, and spent their entire childhood getting into mischief and then protecting each other from the fallout. They never blamed each other for the strictness and favoritism of their parents simply because they had a deep and unending fondness for each other. And then he left her, twice, in the absolute worst ways possible. He threw himself so hard into his work - tried so hard to outpace the specter of death that he always saw following him - and it ended up killing him. And then, when Wyn's desperation and a frantic deal with something she genuinely didn't understand revived him, and took years off of her life in the process, he barely acknowledged it. He'd been so fundamentally changed by his experience in the place between life and death that he was hardly her brother anymore. And then he found his own exit, barely a year later. Mostly, she tells herself, she doesn't hold it against him. But she doesn't think she has it in her to admire anyone, anymore.

72. Who in the party would your character trust the most to keep an important secret?

RIGHT NOW, UH. NONE OF THEM? Admittedly, we're on like session 3? 4? So we haven't gotten much of a chance to really gel as a party. But given that Wyn's options are: - the divination wizard who cons people with fake (?) fortune telling, who has spent the last two days trying to swindle everyone's coin from them and running away from half of our fights - the very tight-lipped artificer who mostly has let the rest of the party do the dangerous exploring while chilling in the back -the thief rogue whose only goal seems to be 'steal everything worth carrying in this spooky house before we die' and - the farm-boy-turned-adventurer who accidentally signed up with a bandit crew that robbed Wyn of all of her worldly possessions before the campaign started WE'RE LOOKING AT SOME PRETTY RAW OPTIONS. Admittedly, farm boy adventurer is a himbo extraordinaire who seems to have his heart in the right place and helped Wyn escape from the bandits after realizing what was up, so...probably him...but only by default LMAO.

[takeyourheart]

persona OC just dropped 🔥🔥🔥

word vomit lore dump below

Kararo Shido is the son of Masayoshi Shido and an unknown mother, and the half-brother of Goro Akechi.

Since his early childhood, Shido has raised him to be polite, mild-mannered, and kind- all the desirable traits of a perfect child. However, this was only to allow Shido to get himself a better impression to the masses as a father- if he raised such a good son, surely he must also be a good person.

While Kararo appears nice and collected on the outside, he’s actually struggling with many internal conflicts on the inside. While he pretends to love his father, he really despises him for treating him like arm candy, and isn’t sure who he really is due to wearing his “Shido supportive” mask constantly.

Eventually, he and Goro Akechi meet, and Goro lets him in on the plan he has to undermine Shido, and Kararo gladly agrees to help.

Goro and Kararo become very close as brothers; the first real bond the two of them have really made in years. They confide in each other, Kararo even telling Goro about how Shido forces him to go to places and do things he doesn't want to in order to make a good public image, including how he is basically being made to marry a daughter of another powerful person to make connections. Goro is very protective of Kararo, as Goro is the older brother, and despises Shido for ruining Kararo's life as well. This only fuels his drive to get revenge against their father, and motivates him to spend as much quality time with Kararo as possible to help him feel a little better in his circumstances.

Throughout the course of the canon story, Kararo would eventually become Joker/Akira/Ren’s confidant and close friend, eventually also confiding in him about his true feelings surrounding Shido, but would end up trying to kill him in Shido’s palace alongside his brother.

When they are defeated, Goro saves Kararo’s life by shooting the cognitive Kararo that appears alongside cognitive Goro, and throwing him over to the Phantom Thieves before closing the doors. Kararo then assists the Phantom Thieves in taking down Shido.

When the Phantom Thieves explore Mementos in search of the Holy Grail, Kararo joins them, now a member of the Phantom Thieves. However, he doesn’t disappear like the others, due to the masses not perceiving him as a Phantom Thief.

He then assists the Phantom Thieves in fighting Yaldaboath.

During the third semester, Kararo’s wish was for his father to treat him and Goro right, and as a result Shido becomes a good father. When “waking up” to the true reality, he is devastated by the fact he will have to give up both his now good father and his brother. Even so, he still aids the Phantom Thieves in defeating Maruki.

While in Maruki’s Palace, he eventually snaps and lets loose his repressed emotions in the form of violent rage, much akin to how Akechi acts. He and Akechi fight alongside very well.

[gretavanfunk]

Fighting Fire (Series)

Chapter One

Word Count: 7,190

Summary: Stevie and Sam never seemed to be what people refer to as "two peas in a pod" growing up. He got under her skin more times than she could count and Sam was desperate to be on a level playing field as his older brother and Stevie's best friend, Jake. One summer, Sam is forced to face his demons and in turn, Stevie is too.

Warnings: Themes of grief and themes of depression

This story is written and edited by me and it is my baby so I hope some people out there can enjoy it as much as I enjoy creating it! If there are typos, bear with me lol

Chapter One Playlist for the vibes!

It was around eleven o'clock on a chilly evening in late April when Stevie's nightly reading routine was interrupted by a knock at the door. She doesn't usually have any visitors, especially at this hour, so she was hesitant to even go to the door. However, when the knocking happened again, she got off the couch and shuffled her feet into her slippers, hurrying to see who was there. When she peeped through the peephole, she audibly gasped seeing her childhood best friend standing on her doorstep.

Stevie hadn't seen him in over a year at this point and was usually well aware when he and his brothers came back into town from their lavish rockstar life. This time, he was here unannounced and she knew that was very unlike him. Immediately, she undid the locks and threw the door open to find a wide grin across Jake's face and his long, tangled hair hugging his shoulders.

"Jake!" she exclaimed before tackling him in a hug, "You're back!"

"Surprise!" Jake chuckled, wrapping his arms around her, and lifting her a bit.

His clothes were cold to the touch and she rubbed her hands against his back, excitedly. Once her feet were planted back on the ground, she let him go and ushered him through the front door in a rush to keep the chill out.

"Come in! Come in!" She locked the door and led them to the living room, turning the lights on and settling on the couch next to each other.

"I didn't even know you were coming to town!" Stevie sighed, still smiling so big it was starting to hurt.

"I really didn't know until a couple of days ago myself," Jake laughed, "But I just got in and wanted to see you right away!"

"Probably because if I found out you were here from someone else, I would kill you," she laughed, "What brings you home?"

Jake rubbed his hands together, still trying to warm up and he furrowed his eyebrows before smiling shyly, "Stuff."

"Wait a minute," Stevie ran her hand through her hair, "Aren't you supposed to be on tour? What happened?"

Jake rubbed his face with one hand and shrugged, "It's not exactly my place to say. Some family stuff I guess."

Stevie scooted closer to him, concerned, "Is everyone okay? Did something happen?"

Jake nodded, patting her on the leg, and smiling, "Yes! Everyone is okay! It's something to do with Sam but I can spare you the details. Everyone is healthy and okay!"

Stevie sighed and clutched her chest, "Oh my gosh! You scared the hell out of me!"

"Enough about that," Jake laughed nervously, "How are you? Sorry to show up so late!"

"I'm glad you're here," Stevie smiled, "I've missed you! Will you be staying for long?"

Jake nodded, "Well, we aren't entirely sure yet. Not until we kind of grasp our situation."

She studied his face, knowing he was doing his best to dance around the subject. Jake was never particularly vulnerable and neither was Stevie. They bonded quickly over their natural invertedness when they were young and stayed close ever since.

In high school, Jake was naturally popular, playing soccer and such. However, since Stevie was a writer, she was constantly working on fun little projects with Josh, Jake, and Ronnie outside of school. While they ran in different crowds, Stevie and Jake just always understood each other on a deeper level.

He was popular. Everyone loved Jake, but he never made anything about himself, always knowing how to keep things fun and light-hearted without ever having to be transparent with people about heavier things. She knew him better than she knew anyone and because of this, she was prone to picking up on when a topic needed to stay where it was without any further prying or investigation, so she nodded.

"Well, okay! I'm glad you are here now! It's never the same without you guys around."

"What about you?" Jake asked, "How are you?"

Stevie looked around and she sighed, "I've been okay, surviving, ya know."

"How's Ryan?"

She laughed and shook her head, "Dead to me, that's how."

"Oh no," Jake sucked in breath through his teeth, "Guessing it ended badly."

"He was cheating on me for months," Stevie rolled her eyes, "So, depends on how you look at it, I guess."

"I'm sorry," Jake held her hand, "Fuck that guy."

Stevie laughed and nodded, "Fuck that guy."

"Why didn't you tell me, Steve?" Jake asked, giving her hand a squeeze and she looked up at him, almost moved to tears processing that he was sitting here with her.

She shrugged, "I didn't want to bother you! You're already so busy."

Jake shook his head and smiled, "Yeah, but we're best friends! You and Ryan were together for six years and if I knew before, I could've planned something awesome to ruin that fucker's life!"

Stevie cracked into a fit of laughter and she shook her head, "Don't waste your time on him! He doesn't even deserve to be given the thought."

Jake laughed along with her and nodded, "You're right."

He sat back on the couch and sighed, stretching his arms out and pulling Stevie into a side hug before continuing. Stevie settled into his side and rested her head on his shoulder, feeling a sense of peace that she hadn't felt in a long time.

"Well, try not to tell Sam about that," Jake lightly laughed, "We don't want to awaken his never-ending pestering of you like he did in high school."

Stevie shivered at the thought of Jake's younger brother in their high school years constantly hitting her with terrible pickup lines and she looked at Jake, quizzically, "Wait, what? I thought Sam was off the market anyway?"

Jake shrugged, "Well, he's back on it and taking advantage, I should say. He's... been going through it."

Being naturally nosey, Stevie wondered if his breakup had anything to do with the group taking a break from the tour to come home, which made Stevie think that it must've been pretty bad. Or that Sam was being a little bitch about it.

"Well, that's unfortunate," She sighed, "He seemed so happy."

Jake rubbed the back of his neck and nodded, "Things are not always what they seem to be."

Stevie looked at him for a second, waiting for him to expand and when she realized he wasn't going to she chuckled, "So cryptic."

Jake laughed along with her and with the dip in conversation, her focus was back on him. Being long-distance friends now grew harder for her when he always came back and significant chunks of time had passed. He always looked different when she saw him, not in very drastic ways, but in enough ways for her to want to take it all in. His hair was longer, messier, and curlier. A bit unruly. He had grown facial hair out, matching more and more with Josh and she smiled at this. It was weird for her, but she found it kind of fitting. He looked older, more mature. His clothes were always nicer. The style he carried was still very much Jake in the patchwork and casual kind of way, but a bit more clean-cut and... expensive.

It was strange that he was always the same guy who would cliff dive with her into the lake every summer and the guy who taught her how to drive a stick shift when they were sixteen. Strange and comforting. The true makeup of Jake never changed. He always spoke the same way and laughed the same way and it warmed her heart to be in his presence with a personality so familiar to her, no matter how much older they were getting by each passing day.

Jake ended up staying with Stevie and the two of them talked for a couple of hours, catching up on the last year that they hadn't seen each other. Jake told her about the band, their new album, the tour, and everything going on for him out in Nashville and Stevie told him about her job waiting tables with Ronnie some nights while she went to school in her graduate program in Publishing. She talked about losing her dad and what her life has looked like since then.

There wasn't much for her to say about it since she didn't really do much outside of missing him. Her dad was all she had left, and his death happened suddenly. A heart attack. She mostly just isolated herself and outside of work, she rarely left her house.

"It's been pretty lonely," Stevie chuckled, "But I suppose I do that to myself."

Jake looked at her with sad eyes and he shook his head, "I'm so sorry I wasn't here for you when it happened. Your breakup and your dad."

She felt her heart sink a little but looking at the sadness in Jake's eyes just made her push the feelings away and smile anyway.

She shushed him and shook her head, "Don't apologize, Jake! I understand."

They gave each other warm smiles and she wrapped her arms around him, "I'm so glad you are here now."

He hugged her back and rubbed her back softly, "Me too."

They kept talking for a while and Stevie was surprised to find that they both fell asleep on her couch when she woke up the next morning. Jake was still wearing his jacket and he had his arms wrapped around himself while his feet rested on her coffee table. She laughed at the sight of his face resting on his arms and how uncomfortable it looked. But, he was knocked out and snoring softly so it must have been a fine position for him.

As quietly as possible, she grabbed her phone from the coffee table and took a photo of him, chuckling to herself and then she stood up slowly, trying her best not to wake him. She went to the kitchen and brewed a pot of coffee, deciding against her usual half pot and making a full one to share with Jake. Then, she went into her pantry and started to make muffins, the same ones they would eat in high school.

Stevie wondered about what Jake mentioned last night about Sam and why they had to come home suddenly. He probably had a diva fit or something and she rolled her eyes. Sam was always making everything about himself. It was so typical of him, being the youngest in their family. He just was such an arrogant brat and to ruin something that Jake worked so hard for, made her hate him even more. In the middle of a world tour, are you serious?

She shook her head, deciding not to think about it too much and smiled to herself, just happy that Jake was back. She started humming and doing a little happy dance while she baked and jumped when Jake cleared his throat.

"Good morning," Jake chuckled, "Nice moves."

She rolled her eyes but smiled widely, "Good morning! Want some coffee?"

He sat on a barstool and nodded slowly, "Please, I feel like death."

She laughed and nodded, pouring him a mug, "We stayed up pretty late last night."

"Yeah," Jake nodded and smiled at her as he took the coffee, "Sorry about crashing here last night."

She gave him a knowing look and shook her head, "You can crash here any time you want."

Before she gave him his muffin, she went over to a drawer in her kitchen and took out one birthday candle, sticking it in the top of the muffin, and lighting it, causing Jake to chuckle to himself.

"A birthday candle? Don't be silly," Jake shook his head and Stevie nodded, "Hey! It's a few days late, but it's still April! Happy Birthday!"

Jake smiled at her and she set the plate down in front of him, stopping any movements from her with her hand before pulling her phone out to snap a photo.

"Make a wish," she teased and Jake rolled his eyes, playfully before blowing the candle out.

The two friends ate breakfast and drank coffee together until Jake's phone started to ring.

"Hello?" he answered and after a brief moment he sighed, "Sorry man, I went to Stevie's house and fell asleep here. Yeah, yeah, I'll be right there."

Jake rolled his eyes as he hung up and he stood, taking his plate and mug to her sink, "Thanks for breakfast, Stevie. I gotta run. Band meeting."

She nodded, "Anytime, Jake! Give me a call when you're free later! Maybe we can hang!"

He nodded and she walked him out the front door and waved as he got into his car and left. She sighed and smiled again when she closed the front door behind her, feeling more whole than she had in months.

Stevie knew that she did not get enough sleep to handle her afternoon shift at the restaurant today, but seeing Jake last night had her in good spirits, and she was sharing her shift with Ronnie so she knew it would be smooth sailing when she parked her car and took a deep breath in the parking lot. When she went inside, Ronnie was already there, putting her apron on.

"Ah! There she is!" Ronnie smiled, "I haven't seen that smile in a while, guess I got my brother to thank."

Stevie shook her head, laughing, "Did you know they were coming home?"

"A few days ago," Ronnie smirked mischievously.

Stevie gasped and reached past Ronnie to grab her own apron, "Why didn't you warn me?"

Ronnie rolled her eyes, "Please! It's more fun as a surprise, isn't it?"

Stevie's façade of anger faded quickly as she giggled, "Yeah, it is."

"Plus," Ronnie sighed, throwing her hair up into a ponytail, "Josh was very stressed out about keeping it a secret."

Stevie and Ronnie grabbed their order paper pads and pens and started switching over sections with the morning staff. Stevie was right about today being a breeze, she didn't lose her temper nearly as quickly as she could have with a few customers. Ronnie approached her in the back and took a sip of water.

"You can take your break first," Ronnie smiled, "But before you go, the guys and I thought it'd be fun to take off to Electrik tonight if you want to come."

"Oh my gosh," Stevie gasped, "We haven't been there in forever! Count me in!"

"Great, we'll pick you up tonight!" Ronnie winked and Stevie squealed excitedly as she clocked out for her lunch break. Now that she had plans to look forward to, the rest of her shift after lunch flew right by and the two friends cleaned up and walked out to the parking lot together.

"Okay, so game plan," Ronnie stated, "Go home, shower, get ready and I'll text you when we're heading to your place."

"Sounds good! I'll be ready!" Stevie gave Ronnie a squeeze and they went their separate ways to their cars.

Stevie threw her bag down at home and ran upstairs to shower. She scrubbed all of the sweat and food off of her and once she was done, she towel-dried her hair and dug around her closet in a rush.

Ever since her dad died, Stevie felt like she was never actually present in her body. She felt like she was just coasting through in a daze, but seeing Jake last night really reminded her of who she used to be when they were growing up and she didn't realize how much she needed him and his family.

When she was rummaging through her clothes, her mind was searching for something that made it look like she wasn't living her life pathetically for the last seven months. The weather was still on the chillier side and wasn't expected to start heating up for a few more weeks, so she didn't want to wear anything too revealing. She settled on a black corset top that had lace sleeves, ripped dark wash jeans and black boots, comfortable enough for dancing.

Electrick was a club in Saginaw that the group used to go to when they were younger. Specifically, when Sam turned twenty-one, the guys were in town and they all ended up going and found out shortly that he was a lightweight and he ended up getting sick in Stevie's car, which at the time, she was kind of a bitch about and the memory made her laugh. However, doing something with the group just like old times made her even more giddy than before. Stevie put on some makeup and was scrunching the sea salt spray into her hair when Ronnie finally texted her.

"I forgot to say we were on the way, but we're outside!"

Stevie squealed in excitement, took one more look at herself, then ran downstairs and grabbed her bag again before leaving the house. Stevie occasionally hung out with Ronnie outside of work, but she didn't usually get out as often as usual over this past year. However, she was excited to return with her best friends.  Josh's Jeep was in the driveway and his window was down as he hit his horn obnoxiously and smiled a wide, toothy smile and she beamed with joy seeing him again.

"STEVIE!" Josh shouted, "GET IN BITCH!"

She ran to his window and grabbed his face, kissing his cheek, "Oh, how I have missed you, Joshua!"

He turned his face and kissed her cheek back, "And I have missed you!"

Stevie grabbed the backseat door and opened it to see Sam wearing sunglasses with his arms crossed over his chest. Once the door was fully ajar, he let one of his arms free and brought his glasses down to the bridge of his nose, peeking over them at her.

"Did ya miss me, Stephanie?" Sam asked in his annoyingly dramatic "deep" voice and Stevie rolled her eyes, cringing at his use of her full name and already annoyed that she'd have to sit so close to him for the ride to Saginaw.

"Oh, Samuel," Stevie sighed before scooting into the seat and slamming the door, her voice thick with sarcasm, "How could I not?"

Josh shot Sam a look through the rearview, "Watch it, Sammy."

"Oh right, I forgot this was the Sam Purge trip! Please, carry on as if I don't exist," Sam rolled his eyes, pushed his glasses up, replaced his arms over his chest, and sunk a little into his seat.

Ronnie laughed and ruffled his hair, earning a glare from him, "Oh little brother! The drama!"

Stevie laughed too but thought about what Sam had said and the very minimal context that Jake gave her last night about something that happened with him. She wondered about what it possibly could be, given his very sour outlook on it. If he didn't put a stop to the tour because of his breakup and his brother had to intervene, what could he possibly have done? The theme of the exchange amongst the brothers sounded as if Sam was visiting home against his will, and didn't necessarily want to leave the tour. However, her train of thought was broken when Jake looked back at her from the passenger seat and extended his hand to her, squeezing her hand, "Hey, Steve! You look nice."

"Hey, Jake," Stevie responded, "Thank you! You do too."

Sam scoffed, made a fake gagging noise, and mocked Josh's comment from earlier, "Watch it, Jake! Wouldn't want Ryan to catch you making advances."

"Sam," Jake protested, "Mind your own fucking business. You don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh?" Sam raised an eyebrow, "Is there a friends-to-lovers arc that we've missed?"

Jake's jaw tensed and Stevie could see that he was fighting hard to bite his tongue, so she saw this as her turn to enter the fight.

Stevie set her hand on Sam's knee, accidentally causing him to jump a little and look at her.

"Sam," Stevie sighed, "Jake and I have been best friends pretty much forever. Complimenting your best friends is completely normal. And Ryan was cheating on me for the better part of a year. So, yeah, mind your own fucking business."

Josh gasped loudly, "HE WHAT?!"

"It's really not a big deal," Stevie sighed, "We broke up months ago."

"That's a HUGE deal Stevie," Josh shook his head, eyes still glued to the road ahead of him, "I'm so sorry! What a piece of shit!"

Sam was still looking at her when she glanced over at him again, but his glasses were off and she saw the guilt and sadness in his eyes, for the first time in quite a long time. He set his hand on top of where her hand was still resting on his leg and Stevie took in a sharp breath, shocked by the sudden tightness in her chest.

"I'm- I'm sorry, Stevie," Sam's voice was quiet when he spoke and he gave her hand a squeeze.

Stevie studied his face for a brief moment, confused about his sudden tenderness. Sam looked a lot different than the last time she saw him. He had also decided to grow out his facial hair and it made him look older, more like Jake now than ever. There was a light sheet of exhaustion that was set into his features now, not in a bad way, just in a way that she noticed. His once pristine, perfectly straight hair was messier, tangled at the ends and wavy. He still had such a boyish gleam in his eye but, her mind still wandered about what could've happened in the last year to make him seem so different.

Suddenly, she removed her hand from under his and sat a little straighter, clearing her throat and nodding, "Yeah, he was sort of a piece of shit."

Stevie turned and watched out the window as the edge of their tiny town passed them by and she realized she had unconsciously broken into a nervous sweat. She was used to feeling tense around the youngest of the family, due to his insufferable annoyance, but he had never made her feel this uneasy. She tried to shake it off, but she could still feel his eyes linger on her and she said a silent praise when she heard Josh turn the music up in the car.

It only took about fifteen minutes for the group to get to Eletrick, especially with Josh behind the wheel. To her surprise, this still wasn't enough time for Stevie to stop thinking about the weird, anxious feeling she now harbored from Sam, but the change of scenery might help her regulate. The group filed out of the jeep and once Stevie stood up straight and moved out of the way for Sam to follow her, she was attacked by a set of strong arms wrapping her up from behind, squeezing her tightly.

She yelped and heard Josh's laughter in her ear, "A proper hug for my girl!"

Stevie turned around, laughing along with him and wrapped her arms around his torso, squeezing him tightly too, "It's been too long, Josh."

They pulled apart but Josh laced a hand with Stevie's and he nodded, "Agreed."

Josh looked different too, but probably the slightest bit of change compared to Jake and Sam. He got his hair cut and he looked older, just like his brothers did, but there was a sense of newfound confidence about him and Stevie smiled. She ran her hand along one of the shaven sides of his head and giggled.

"Sick mullet," Stevie chimed and Josh laughed and dramatically began to motion his free hand around his head, "It's more of a mohawk, but ya know, big and bold."

They laughed together and he pulled her along, inching towards the building. Sam stumbled out of the car and straightened his shirt before putting his sunglasses back on and slamming the car door sharply. Stevie glanced at Josh and watched him roll his eyes without giving an inch of attention to his baby brother who was begging for it. Josh simply just clicked the lock on his keys and pulled Stevie along with him to the entrance of the club, fingers still intertwined.

Josh dropped her hand when they got to the door, showing off all of their IDs and Stevie took a deep breath, bracing herself for what their night had in store for them. The music was loud, the lights were bright and there was that distinct Electrick smell of cigarettes mixed with hundreds of different types of perfumes and cologne, easily overstimulating all of the senses.

The group made their way to the bar and Josh led Stevie and Ronnie to stand up against the bar, with the three brothers standing close behind, as a protective shield. Josh and Jake were always very protective of Ronnie and Stevie when they would go anywhere together. Josh always complained about not being able to do that much anymore now that his life took him elsewhere.

Josh stood on Ronnie's left side, blocking her from the people around them, Jake stood next to him and Sam shielded Stevie's right side. He pressed up against her, resting his left hand on her shoulder lightly and Stevie widened her eyes, feeling that this was a bit too close to him for her comfort. With his right hand, Sam flagged down the bartender.

"I know everyone is pissed at me right now," Sam sighed, "But drinks are on me tonight." Josh opened his mouth to protest but Jake just slapped a hand on Josh's back to shut him up and he spoke, "Can't argue with that, Sammy."

Stevie laughed at Jake and he chuckled nervously, grabbing Stevie's unoccupied shoulder and squeezing it before he resumed his position. Sam went ahead and ordered everyone's drinks, not needing to ask anyone what they wanted. He took his wallet out, pulled his card out, and handed it over to the bartender, never moving his hand from her shoulder. Once his card returned and he put his wallet in his pocket, his left hand remained on her shoulder, filled with nervous energy and almost like they were barely touching. He then began tapping the bar anxiously with his right hand.

Stevie was hyper-aware of all of his movements, which honestly annoyed her more than he ever had before. She just felt so uptight in this situation. She turned her head to look at Jake who was scoping out the area, and when she touched Jake's arm, he shot his glance at her and smiled.

"How was your band meeting this morning?" Stevie asked and Jake's eyes flicked over to Sam for a moment before meeting hers again, "Good, just a bit of a check in after getting here. We're kind of halting everything at the moment."

"Well," Stevie sighed, "Selfishly, I'm glad."

Sam laughed at her comment, but she kept her eyes on Jake, "Everybody is so uptight! Let's fucking dance!"

Josh pointed at her and clapped his hands together, "Yes! Exactly! Let's do that!"

The bartender came back with drinks as if on cue and Stevie clapped her hands together, taking her glass and turning to Sam, whose hand finally left her shoulder to let her go on the dancefloor.

"You coming?" she asked him and he smiled a small smile, shaking his head, "No, I'm gonna stick around here! Come back if ya need a refill!"

Sam winked and she nodded, patting his back before she grabbed Jake's arm, following the rest of them to the floor. The farther away from Sam they got, the clearer her mind got, although they were diving headfirst into a sea of people now. Jake looked back at her and he stopped, grabbing her waist and pulling her ahead of him, to follow behind her.

Jake's touch never made her feel tight or anxious. It was so comfortable and familiar to her so, finally, she felt herself relax being around him again. The club music was so loud now, blasting a popular pop song. She could feel the bass in the pit of her stomach and once they got to where Josh wanted to be, the group held their drinks tightly, periodically sipping and swaying to the music together. They laughed at one another and danced together, just like they always had on their weekends together and tears welled in Stevie's eyes for a brief moment, finally feeling whole after so long.

Stevie knew that dancing made Jake nervous, even though she also knew he could get down if he really didn't care, but she made sure to grab his hand and just dance silly dances with him to make it less serious. None of these other people mattered anyway, she was with her home. Amidst all of their dancing, Jake and Stevie took it upon themselves to do the round runs and would check in with Sam who was doing his thing, flirting with any girl that would dare look at him. Jake and Josh had been pulled aside a few times for photos with fans who spotted them but it was few and far between.

After a while, Stevie decided to make the trek to the bathroom, Jake insisting on escorting her there.

"It's okay, Jake," Stevie laughed, "I will be just fine!"

Jake pointed two of his fingers to his eyes before pointing them at hers and she hit his chest before starting to weave her way through the people. After she finally was done with the bathroom, she decided to check in on Sam again and maybe get herself one more drink. When she got back to where the group had left him, she didn't see Sam sitting there and she immediately began to panic.

Stevie searched around with her eyes quickly and figured he must have been having a smoke or in the bathroom too, so she walked outside to check, Sure enough, she found him, but not in a situation she had expected. Sam was being pinned up against the side of the building by a much bigger man, about to get his ass kicked, no doubt. She groaned and rolled her eyes, annoyance immediately filling her body. However, she only let the annoyance hold power for a few seconds before she kicked her mom-friend energy into gear.

Stevie shouted, "Hey! What the fuck is going on?!"

"Shut up, bitch," the guy snarled back and Stevie threw her bag down, immediately switching to anger and started running towards them. She screamed and jumped on the guy's back, digging her nails into his face.

"What the fuck?" the guy shouted, letting go of Sam and backing away from him, holding onto her hands, trying to pry them off.

Stevie's strength began to vanish quickly and she let herself off of the much taller man, falling back onto her ass. He hissed in pain from the scratches on his face and shook his head, "Fucking crazy bitch!"

Stevie looked up at him with dark eyes but the guy just took off and rounded the corner, heading back into the club. When she looked back at Sam, his face was white as a ghost and he was just looking at her in shock. She started to get up and that's when Sam rushed to her.

"Stevie! Are you okay?" he asked and she rolled her eyes, "Yeah, I'm fine! Are you okay? What the hell happened?"

Sam helped her up and shrugged, "I guess his girlfriend was one of the girls I bought a drink for."

"Man," Stevie shook her head, "Where would you end up without constant supervision? All that for some girl?"

Sam widened his eyes at her in shock, "You're one to talk, miss hyena! I wouldn't want to get on your bad side."

The pair looked at each other, smiles fighting the corners of their mouths and they both started laughing. The annoyance and anger shrank inside Stevie as she thought about how truly ridiculous the previous events were. However, that didn't last for long.

Sam stumbled backward and took a deep breath, "Fuck, I don't feel too good."

"Oh God," Stevie said, holding onto him and leading him to rest against the side of the building again, "Here we go again."

She sighed, reminded just how short-lived good moments with him were and how inconvenient he could be. Sam bent over and set his hands on his knees, trying to breathe through his nausea so Stevie rubbed his back, "Just let it happen, Sam. You'll feel better."

Sam looked up at her briefly before shooting his head back down again and Stevie could feel his body tensing, so she quickly grabbed all of his hair in her hands, pulling it out of his face. Within seconds, Sam was vomiting just like he had in this very alley multiple times before. Stevie took all of his hair in one hand and rubbed circles in his back again all while turning her face away and fighting off her own gagging. Sam stood up straight and wiped his mouth once he was finished.

"Shit," he muttered, "I'm sorry."

"It's okay, Sam," Stevie sighed, "It was pretty much inevitable."

Sam leaned against the building and took a deep breath, "Ya know, it's not always like this."

"It is to my knowledge," Stevie chuckled, shaking her head and Sam looked at her with a sly grin.

"Thanks for your help, Stephanie," Sam said and Stevie glared at him, "You know I hate the name Stephanie."

"And you idolize Stevie Knicks," Sam nodded, "I remember."

There was a brief pause and Sam turned his body to face her, causing her to raise her brows in question to him. Sam began to try to close the space between them, lowering his head in an attempt to kiss her and Stevie hit his chest a little harder than she intended, "Woah! What the hell?"

Sam hissed from the sting of rejection and nodded his head, defeated as he backed up and stood against the wall once more.

"Right, right," Sam laughed, "I'm not Jake."

Stevie scoffed, "Or, how about the fact that you're shit-faced and just hurled everywhere?"

Sam glanced at her, tilting his head slightly, "So what I'm hearing is, it's not impossible."

"Not on your fucking life," Stevie laughed shaking her head in disbelief at his behavior, "Sam, what's going on?"

Sam shrunk down a bit and his smile fell, "What? My blabber-mouth brothers haven't told you?"

Stevie shook her head, "Of course not, Sam. It's not their business to share."

Sam scoffed, "Well it's not their business to intervene either, is it?"

"It is if you're in trouble," Stevie muttered and Sam shook his head, "Everyone thinks that I can't handle my shit, but I can."

"Sam, everyone thinks you can't handle your shit because notoriously, you can't," Stevie sighed again but she grabbed his hand, making him look at her, "Talk to me."

Sam's eyes screwed shut and he sighed deeply, rubbing his temple with his free hand. Just as he opened his eyes again and was about to start speaking, the side door of the bar flung open and Ronnie, Jake and Josh all stood there, searching for them.

"Oh! There you are," Ronnie announced with a sigh of relief, "We were worried something happened to you, Stevie!"

Jake crossed his arms over his chest and raised his eyebrows at her, encouraging her to explain.

"Right," Stevie dropped Sam's hand instantly and sighed, "Sorry! I was just checking in on Sam, that's all!"

As soon as the words left her mouth, Sam turned his body away from them and started throwing up again. Stevie worked quickly to grab his hair once more and talk him through it.

"It's okay, Sam," she hushed, "Let it out."

Ronnie scoffed and shook her head, "Honestly, bro! Are you ever gonna learn your limits?"

"Well," Jake chuckled, and then he smiled at Stevie who was now craning her head to look at them all, "Next time, text me or something so I know you're alright."

She nodded, "Sorry, Jake."

He shook his head and reached over to give her a pat on the head, "It's okay! Need a drink?"

Stevie thought about it for a moment and nodded, "Could you just get me a water?"

"Here," Josh stuck his glass full of water out, "You take this one! I'll get another and work on sobering up to get his ass home!"

Stevie took the cup with one hand, still holding on to Sam's hair, and winked at Josh, "Thank you."

Sam had finished vomiting, but this time he stayed hunched over, not wanting to address the embarrassment he must have been feeling. The three siblings' eyes fell on Sammy who was clearly avoiding looking in their direction, so Stevie cleared her throat.

"Uh, I'll meet you guys in there, okay?" She let go of Sam's hair and turned her body towards Josh, "Could I get the car key? Just in case."

Josh nodded and handed the keys to her. Jake narrowed his eyes and Stevie tilted her head, pleading with him to trust her and he nodded, "Yeah, okay. But if you end up not coming back in, you better text me or I'm hunting you down again."

She chuckled and rolled her eyes, "Alright, Jacob."

Ronnie, Josh, and Jake all filed back inside, and Sam stood up straight once they were gone. He let out a breath, obviously still feeling badly. Stevie stuck out the water cup to him and he looked at her with a confused expression.

"The water is for you, bud," Stevie laughed, "Bottoms up."

Sam slowly took the cup into his hand and nodded, "Thanks for that."

Stevie sighed, "Mmhmm. Whatever."

She grabbed his arm, dragging him along, dodging the areas of the ground where he threw up and she led him further away, instructing him to sit down. He did as he was told, and she ran over and grabbed her bag, still sitting on the ground from the fight earlier. She brought it over to him and sat down beside him.

She rummaged around until she found her pack of gum and handed him a piece, "Here. Take it."

Sam took it and he smiled at her mischievously, "You want to kiss me, don't you?"

"Don't push your luck buddy," Stevie slugged his arm lightly, "This is to help the taste from nauseating you again."

Sam stuck the gum in his mouth and nodded before muttering sarcastically, "Sure, it is."

They sat like that together for a good chunk of time in silence, waiting for Sam to finish the glass of water in his hand and they eventually shared a cigarette too. After the water was gone, Stevie asked, "What do you want to do, Sam?"

"Well," Sam sighed, "I think standing is going to make me too dizzy again so, I'm not sure."

She huffed a breath, irritated that she was stuck out here with him and not enjoying her night with her friends. Typical Sam. Once again, it was all about him. They hadn't even been together more than a couple of hours and he was already ruining her time. She thought about just leaving him out here but she sighed, knowing that wasn't the right thing to do. If Sam had gotten beaten up, Josh would freak out and if she left him alone and he wandered off into Saginaw, Jake would lose his shit.

Stevie pulled out her phone and shot Jake a text, letting him know she was taking Sam to the car and she stood up, setting the empty glass on the sidewalk and offering her hand out to him.

"Come on, we're going to the car."

Sam narrowed his eyes at her, "Why?"

"So you can at least lay down," Stevie suggested and Sam laughed, "In Josh's tiny ass Jeep? Yeah, right."

"Well, it's either that or you keep vomiting on the side of this building," Stevie sighed, "Take your pick."

Sam groaned and took her hand, slowly standing up and following her lead out to the parking lot. She unlocked the car and opened the back door, gesturing for Sam to crawl in. He got in the car, and she followed after him, sitting in her original seat.

"Okay," Sam laughed, "How am I supposed to lay down with you back here too?"

Stevie rolled her eyes, reaching her body across to the front to roll the backseat windows down, "Josh is probably gonna be ready to drive soon, so get comfortable, buddy."

She sits back down and pats her legs to tell him to lay his head in her lap and he gives her a confused expression before sighing and scrunching his legs up to his torso and laying down. Stevie moved his hair up and away from his neck as he rested the back of his head against her thighs and he looked up at her, fighting off laughter.

"This is not entirely ideal," Sam laughs and Stevie sighs, "What were you expecting? The Ritz? It's not very ideal for me either."

"Considering it was your idea," Sam scoffed, "Seems pretty ideal for you."

She glared at him and shook her head, "You think I want to be babysitting you? I haven't hung out with Jake in over a year."

"Do you know how to play bass?" Sam asks sourly, "We can trade places."

Stevie started to run her hands through his hair, encouraging him to shut up and fall asleep, "Trust me, you don't want to trade places with me, Grammy award-winning rockstar."Sam laughed at this but the feeling of her fingers against his scalp did soothe him enough to close his eyes.

"If only you knew," Sam whispered and Stevie wanted to pester him about it, but she thought it better to just leave the conversation where it was and continued to lightly play with Sam's hair until she heard his soft snoring. As Sam lay there, asleep, she patiently waited for the rest of the group to be ready to go home. She would be lying if she said she wasn't completely exhausted herself, and the added drama from Sam really threw her for a loop. She looked down at him, watching his eyes flutter and his chest rise and fall. In this state, Sam looked peaceful and even a little bit happy. She felt kind of sorry for him, although she had no idea what caused his brothers to cancel their tour and drag him back home but, she didn't have to know the details to know that he was hurting. Hurting or not, it did not get him off the hook for being a drunk asshole.

His behavior was even more reckless and impulsive than it ever was before. Sure, Sam was normally a very chaotic presence to be around, but mostly in a fun-loving way and competing for recognition amongst his siblings. Tonight, he just seemed like a miserable brat, desperate to cause trouble. Stevie had to admit that the events of the evening did take her mind off of the way Sam sort of made herself feel a bit dizzy earlier but now that the thought was back, she had to bury it deep in the folds of her brain to never think about it again.

She heard Josh's voice in the parking lot finally and she looked out the window and waved. When they got to the car, she shushed them and told them that Sam was asleep. So, Ronnie took her brother's legs and carefully lifted them, shimmying herself into the seat before laying his feet on her lap and closing the door.

Jake looked back at Stevie and looked down at Sam, "I'm sorry about him."

"Don't be sorry," Stevie assured him, "But, it would be nice to know exactly what the fuck is going on here."

Josh sighed and looked at her in the rearview mirror, "All will be revealed eventually, just not tonight."

Stevie saw the sadness lingering in Josh's eyes, so she just nodded, accepting his answer. They all rode home without another word, just the sound of soft music playing amongst them.

[avalentina]

Short Stories Inspired By Harry Styles (and One Direction) Songs

By: Ava Lentina

Author's Note: This is an ongoing series, all of which can and will be able to be read independently from each other.

Another Note: I would love to feature you lovelies in this series, just post your favorite Harry Styles or One Direction song and what name you want me to use for your character using the tag #avaSSIBHSS

Sign of The Times (483 Words)

(Starring Harry and Ava)

Ava just stood there in her finest black dress, watching her brother's casket get lowered into the ground. A hand squeezed hers and she turned to find Harry. Her childhood best friend and long time crush.

"I never did like seeing you cry." He said to her and wiped away a tear.

"Now is not the time, Harry." Ava replied.

"Then when, I miss you, I miss us." He added.

"I miss you too, I miss us too, but right now I need to grieve, my 18 year old brother is getting buried after being fatally shot in a gang fight he had nothing to do with."

"Just remember, I'm here for you."

********

Harry was there for her, and she needed him more than anyone could ever imagine. She needed him as she began her investigation into who exactly killed her brother. She needed him the day she found out, and she needed him as she testified against the guy.

The day of sentencing, they were supposed to meet at the courthouse. But Harry never showed. Ava tapped into the inner strength Harry always swore she had an endless well of, and made it through. But when she left the courthouse, there were people waiting for her.

"Miss Winston, can you confirm the rumors of Harry Style's death?" A journalist asked her.

"I'm sorry, what? I just spoke with Harry this morning," Ava told the journalist and excused herself.

Once safe in the black town car that would return her to her flat, Ava called Harry's number. There was no answer. She immediately gave the driver Harry's address and told him to drop her there.

She got out of the car and let herself in, calling out for Harry as she went. After searching the entire inside, she went out to the garden and found a bleeding, unconscious Harry just lying there, completely still, like deathly still in the grass.

"HARRY!" She screamed and ran to him, using her scarf to try and stop the bleeding, while also calling an ambulance. Ava rode with Harry in the ambulance, he was still alive, but just barely.

Harry was placed into a medically induced coma, where the doctors were able to stabilize him, he was out for a week, but when he did finally open his eyes, there was Ava, sitting by his bedside, her eyes all red, puffy, and bloodshot from all the tears she had shed. But to him she was still the most beautiful woman.

"Harry?" Ava asked after she thought she saw him blink.

"Run away with me, my love." Harry responded and Ava just nodded before kissing him desperately.

"It's time to get away, my love." Ava whispered as they parted before pressing their foreheads together.

And run away they did. To a small island somewhere in the Caribbean, where they lived peacefully and quietly, enjoying their happily ever after.

×××××××××××××××××××××××××××××

Thank you so much for reading Sign Of The Times the first in my SSIBHSS series of blurbs. And don't forget to use the tag #avaSSIBHSS with your favorite song and what name you would like me to use for your character.

Love Ya's

-Ava