#wonder how many more times we'll see this guy in trouble

[linusbenjamin]

Person of Interest | 2.07 'Critical'

[bonny-kookoo]

Jungkook

𝓣𝓪𝓴𝓮 𝓒𝓪𝓻𝓮. [Closed Doors]

Jungkook makes decisions every day- but none has ever felt as hard to make as the decision whether or not to keep or leave you.

Tags/Warnings: Hospital/Medical AU, Doctor!Jungkook, slightly aged up!Jungkook, Hybrid!Reader, Dog Hybrid!Reader, another slightly heavy one but the comfort is strong with this hurt, angst, fluff, romance, strangers to lovers, blood, medical stuff, mentions of domestic (physical and mental) abuse, corruption, mentions of drug abuse, health scare²

Length: 2.3k Words, it's very tiny I'm very sorry

-> Masterlist

There is no taglist for this fic.

A/N: hi sorry I just really like this fic pls eat your vegetables

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"The little guy is recovering good." Namjoon nods. "But we'll have to inform child protective services, no matter if it was an accident or not.." He sighs, as Jungkook nods.

"I'm pretty sure it'll go well if it really was just that." He says. "I can't believe people just leave this stuff around when they know children eat any candy they see the moment they get the chance to." He shakes his head a bit angrily. "If that boy was a hybrid he'd be dead."

"Luckily he's not. I'll send the boy over to pediatrics, and as soon as that happens, he's out of our hands." Namjoon reminds his friend and coworker, as they both silently agree, walking through the hall. "How's your puppy doing?"

"Awake, and she's been transferred out of the ICU this morning, so I'm gonna check on her now and see how she's doing." Jungkook sighs, running a hand through his hair.

"Have you decided if you want to take her in yet?" Namjoon wonders, greeting a fellow doctor who's passing by.

"No." Jungkook shakes his head. "Not.. yet."

It's a touchy subject for now- so Namjoon leaves it alone- letting the doctor enter your new room on his own, to check up on you.

It's quiet inside, no nurse yet present- and Jungkook is actually a little thankful for the short, quiet moment he's got. Standing close to you, he lets his hand run over one of your soft ears- now cleaned and fur soft and vibrant in color. It's something Jimin had informed him about yesterday- how you cried from happiness after he'd helped you properly clean your ears and tail, something that appeared to be very much unfamiliar and new to you.

It angers him, to know that you were nothing but something to show off until now.

So many of your health problems could've been avoided if you just had received any amount of proper care and attention. Yoongi already suspects that you might have developed some behavioral issues from the way you've been living until now- all that, combined with your physical troubles will take weeks if not months to resolve. If they ever resolve fully at all, that is.

Not that Jungkook really cares. He'd take you in even if you were to bite and scratch.

But it's not that easy, and he knows this. "Hello?" He carefully says as his hand shakes your shoulder gently. "Can you wake up for me for a moment?" He requests, and your eyes slowly open, squinting at the bright hospital lights, before you stretch- and hiss at something cramping. "Good morning." He greets you- and suddenly you seem to realize who's there- and your tail begins to wag under the blanket, ears turned towards him as you smile. "How do you feel, hm?" He wonders, but you don't answer.

It's to be expected. All of these traumatic events must've taken a toll on you- not just physically.

"Well you're looking a lot better already, that's for sure." Jungkook tells mostly himself, though he smiles when he spots you taking the praise for yourself as well. It gives him a moment just to quietly look at you; imagine what life could be like if someone like you was to wait for him inside his apartment, every day whenever he'd come home from work.

Surely, you'd turn his apartment into a home in no time. The thought of just a little more chaos inside his living space, a little more of a mess here and there, a bit of disorder in his life, might just be what could color his life a little more vibrantly. Make things more exciting, more emotionally valuable- maybe it could even make his life less about work, and more about..

well, living.

You're yawning, and he laughs, train of thought broken as he pets your head teasingly, before the door opens, and a very chipper Jimin walks in. "Ah, there's my favorite person!" He sings almost, walking in to put the small tray of food down, before he looks at Jungkook. "And you too, Doctor Jeon."

"Well thank you." Jungkook jokes, before he watches as Jimin opens the tray, revealing some light soup and rice for you to eat. It's only a small portion- just to slowly ease you back into eating, and not overwhelm you again. He notices how attached you seem to what he recognizes is an empty pillowcase of all things you seem to cling to, probably for comfort, taken from your first room you occupied. It's another problem- you now have no one to bring you any clothes or comforting items into hospital at all.

You're alone, all by yourself.

And for some reason, the realization of that small fact hits him hard.

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It's been not even a full 24 hours, and you're already causing mischief.

"There you are!" Jungkook sighs, relieved to have finally found you near a vending machine two floors away from where you should be- which is in your room, in your bed. You, meanwhile, are just simply smiling at him, tail wagging at the sight of him crouching down to you to pet your head. "Come on now, you gave the poor nurses a near heart-attack by vanishing like that." He gently scolds, before he stands back up to his full height, reaching for your hand.

But you just let yourself fall to your side, stubborn. Tail still wagging, smacking onto the smooth floor.

"Got yourself a troublemaker, huh doctor Jeon?" An older nurse laughs, watching the interaction between the hybrid specialist and you while she prepares a cart with food trays for the patients. The news of Jungkook's interest in maybe adopting you permanently has made it's round quite quickly by now- mostly thanks to Jimin, who's the unofficial news reporter of every bit of gossip there is.

Jungkook sighs. "Seems like it." He chuckles, unable to really be upset with you, considering how glad he is to see you up and running again instead of pale and fighting in the ER. It's as if you finally realized that in here, no one actually wants to hurt you. No one blames you. No one is mad at you. You're actually being cared for here- you can truly be yourself, and no one's gonna get upset over it.

And slowly, Jungkook starts to see your true personality- which does help in his decision whether or not you'll fit into his life, or not. He's not made one yet- the papers are still at home, on his desk in his office, unsigned.

It's a tough decision to make, after all.

On one hand, sure; he really likes you, you seem absolutely sweet and also independent enough to stay at home by yourself if he goes by all of your documents, which included general assessment of your overall intelligence and social capabilities. You're a bit of an odd case- while your instincts are very strong, your hybrid features very well developed, and your overall behavior shows habits and reactions similar to a hybrid much higher on the scale, you do know how to properly process situations in a more human way.

For example; Loud noises startle you, but they don't make you panic. Food and snacks make you excited, but they're useless as bribery if you don't want to do something. You can read, write, and are educated to a very good degree, and you understand social cues without any issues.

But on the other hand, Jungkook isn't a man with endless patience. He gets frustrated easily, especially with himself- so what if he snaps at you on accident? Will you understand that he doesn't mean it badly, and that it's not even directed at you? And what about when he has to work- will you be lonely in his home, unhappy but too nice to actually tell him? He doesn't want you to just waste away while he's too focused on his career. It's something important for him, after all- he can't just quit and call it a day.

Even if you were to say that you don't need the attention, or the affection, or constant care or anything at all- he'd still feel bad for not providing it anyways. Because you deserve it. You deserve someone who can love you each day properly, someone who doesn't have to push you to the back every time his job has to take priority.

He's not sure what decision to make.

Or if there's even a choice at all.

Suddenly, you're pulling on his shirt to get back his attention- probably because he started to look mad while thinking. He knows he does this- it's why he usually turns away from patients whenever he has to think about something, which makes his face look upset. "I'm not mad." He reassures you, smiling again, petting your ears again while you watch him with suspicion. You're currently in a different headspace, regressing after all the stress and honestly rather traumatic events, which makes communication a little difficult- but everyone manages, since you're quite expressive in other ways, able to tell what you want and think either way.

Jungkook wants to take care of you- he wants to take you home, and make sure you're happy forever, but he can't be selfish, or too fast with his decision.

"Now come on, it's lunch soon. You hungry?" He asks, and you nod, tail wagging as you stand up alongside him, hand holding onto his shirt as you walk next to him-

and this time, he decides to cave in a little, as he instead holds your hand in his while walking back to your room with you.

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Jungkook likes to play music in his apartment, even if it's just quiet.

It fills the space with noise, makes him feel less lonely, takes his mind off of things. It helps relax. But tonight, it doesn't really work, as he sits in his office, sighing as he looks at the unsigned paperwork still on his desk in front of him. He's read through all the documents more than twice now, knows what's written down, what information it all gives out to him- and yet, he's unsure what to do with it.

If he signs it, you'll be given to him for a foster time first- three weeks of 'trying it out' so to speak, to see if you're a good fit for him, and if he's a good fit for you. During that time, a careworker will visit randomly to check up once or twice, and at the end of it, it's you both who have to agree to an actual permanent registration. But Jungkook worries, he always does.

The thing he worries most about, is the fact that he feels like he's already in too deep. There's a small, pink and white plush toy in his lap after all, bought yesterday straight after work from a store specializing in hybrid clothing and other items. It's a comfort plush that holds scents very well, so he keeps it close to his body ever since buying it to offer it to you tomorrow morning when he's back in hospital to check up on you.

And yes, he has been browsing what a dog hybrid of your specific breed might need to live a happy life. He might also have looked up options for sports or other activities you might want to do-

he's really in deep, isn't he?

He sighs yet again, scratching his head in frustration after he puts down the pen, staring at the 'signature here' spot at the bottom. It could all be so easy, but he really doesn't want to fuck this all up.

He knows from Taehyung, an anesthesiologist and good friend, that having a hybrid can actually work out perfectly. He's balancing it just fine, his own hybrid at home happy and healthy, his work never suffering, his happiness thriving. The young medical worker always shows off pictures of him and his hybrid, proudly, and he really has every reason to be, considering where she came from.

But Jungkook also knows how tough it can be.

He's reminded of it every time he checks up on Yoongi and his cat hybrid- now awake, but clearly in distress over her lack of control over her own body, and it's going to be a long road to recovery for her and Yoongi just as much. He knows they'll get through it- but the amount of heartbreak and absolute terror that went down just scared Jungkook, straight up.

And he knows, your future together is absolutely going to be both of those scenarios- good, and bad.

"What's the worst that can happen.." He hums to himself, one hand playing with the fuzz of the comfort plush in his lap, little black eyes staring blankly at him, tiny mouth curved into a forever smile.

You deserve a happy future. You deserve to have opportunities, and care, and affection, and a stable environment you can rely on, and thrive in. And he won't ever really gain the knowledge of that happening if he's not the one providing that for you.

And yet, the doubts are still there, clouding his mind.

What's he going to do?

[shepherds-of-haven]

Happy New Year, everyone! I thought it would be fun to do a little retrospective on the game's progress over the last year... Shepherds of Haven has grown so much from the little demo I posted in January 2018, and it continues to steadily build and flourish in so many different and exciting ways! Here's a look at just some of the things we accomplished in 2023!

I added 143,151 words to the game (2.5 main chapters, 8 new character interludes) in 2023: the equivalent of writing the longest Lord of the Rings book in one year! We also broke our huge 1 million word milestone—without including code—meaning Shepherds of Haven is now officially twice as long as War and Peace, and almost as long as the entire 7-book Harry Potter series... and all in a single game!

A lot goes into game creation behind the scenes, including the coordination and creation of visual assets for the game—like character cards, codex entries, maps, portraits, and backgrounds—fun stuff for the fans (like the MC info template we created), and songs for the official soundtrack. As the game creeps slowly and determinedly towards its initial completion, that also means learning new things as a solo developer to prepare for the future, like learning to build an official website, researching business and tax practices, and beginning to think about how to conduct testing, publishing, and marketing down the road. Much of what I enumerate here hasn't been made public yet and will continue to cook in the background for a while, but I'm very proud of the work I've gotten done this year and will be excited to unveil more in the future!

And of course, for even more Shepherds of Haven content, I've added and completed even more stories for our little library on Patreon (which also has sizable word count at this point): The Bridge of Bones (a Trouble and Riel murder mystery), O Happy Dagger (a dark adventure featuring Briony, Chase, and Red), and The Hunt (a wild tale involving Tallys, Halek, Shery, and new kinds of spirits, fey magic, and Elves) were all serial stories completed in 2023, while Some Kind of Virus is a cyberpunk zombie apocalypse AU that will continue to be updated with new chapters monthly.

A full list of the Shepherd short stories and serial novellas (with links) can be viewed here!

I hope you enjoyed this session of Shepherds of Haven Wrapped! Honestly, this doesn't actually cover everything I've been working on, but some things can't be packaged and listed out neatly, or otherwise won't seem very interesting to anyone else but me! 😂 As we inch through Chapter 9 and get more interludes done (only a few more main chapters to go), I'm hopeful that I'll also be able to find time to work on my next novel, but we'll see if the Shepherds schedule ends up ramping up or settling down as we work steadily towards finishing the main story!

One important thing before wrapping up is to acknowledge your guys' role in this wonderful, wild journey. I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to each and every one of you for your invaluable contributions to the development of Shepherds of Haven. Whether you took the time to share links to the game, supported its growth on Discord or Patreon, left encouraging messages or asked interesting questions, reported bugs, or showcased your remarkable works of fanfiction or fanart, I am sincerely thankful for the unwavering support from this amazing community! Your collective efforts have played a pivotal role in shaping the world of the game into what it is today. Words cannot adequately convey my gratitude for your support, and I am truly blessed to have such a passionate community surrounding this project.

As we step into 2024, I am filled with anticipation for the developments awaiting Shepherds of Haven. Big things are on the horizon, and I am so excited to share these experiences with you! Thank you for being an integral part of this journey, and here's to the continued growth of our shared little world. Cheers to 2024—may it be a year filled with creativity, adventure, and joy! 🎊

[abbofff]

Cat Distribution System is a bitch

masterlist

 I found Annabeth on the Arena along some few other campers. She was following their every move as they sparred. I kinda feel intimidated with how serious she is now, but I need to get this from my chest.

  — Annabeth, can we talk for a second? — I ask.

  She turns around surprised and she frowns at me.

  — Do you need something? — She asked.

  — N-no. I just- Can we talk somewhere more private? — She looked back at the kids, some where still sparring and others were pretending to do so to hear the conversation.

— Keep training, I'll be back. — She comanded, and everyone sighed in annoyance.

She signaled me somewhere far enough so nobody could hear.

— Go on now. — She crossed her arms over her chestplate, still wary.

— I wanted to say sorry for lashing out on you. I was... troubled and I lost it. You don't deserve that and I'm very sorry. —

  I started to pick on my nails from the nervousness. I never was a person of many friends and if she didn't want it to be after everything, I couldn't blame her; but I can't let her think that I hate her.

  — I know how hard it can be. — Annabeth sighed. I always knew that she knew. She had told me that she was an all year long camper but that her father lives in San Francisco. She didn't tell me the exact reason of why she never visited, but I know it's hard for her.

— I forgive you. — Her eyes softened softened.

 

  — I didn't meant what I said. About us not being friends. You have not been anything but wonderful to me and I would love to call you my friend if you would allow me. — I don't dare to move closer. I'm afraid of making this more awkward for her.

  Annabeth's eyes softened even more and she cleared her throat.

  — That would be... nice. — She said.

  I couldn't but help smile and she smirked.

  — Great! Uhm, cool. —

  Ok, so, when I met Percy everything went with the flow and didn't exactly ask each other if we were friends, we just kinda knew. So this situation right here is eating me inside. I have never felt more awkward in my entire life.

  — The sparring lesson ended a while ago but I teach the ones that need some extra help for a while longer. Do you want to join so you don't fall behind? — Annabeth asked.

— Yes, please. Thank you, Annabeth. — I smiled.

  — I'm sure you'll want to use the sword you got there. — She said with her eyes locked in my belt loop.

  — How do you know... It doesn't matter. I wouldn't be surprised if you just have the aegis hidden somewhere. Percy has- PERCY IS DEMIGOD. Luke's showing him around camp right now. Can you believe we fought for absolutely nothing? Sorry for that again. Anyways, he has a pen-sword thingy that when I saw for the first time I thought I was going nuts because he pulverized our algebra teacher but thats alright because she was a Fury in disguise. Not that I approve going around slaying old ladys without knowing that they are monsters but- why are you looking at me with that face? Oh, im yapping. Got it. Sorry. — This is why I had no friends.

  She chuckled.

  — Don't worry. It's seems that you two got quite the story. — Annabeth smiled.

  — Yeah. You should really meet him. He's a sweet guy. I'm sure you guys could be friends. —

  Annabeth thought about it for a second.

  — We'll see. Now, let's go with the others. I'll assign you a partner for practice. — We walked to where she was standing before and she analyzed the campers.

Her sight stopped on a girl with a pink handled sword and a boy who was about to pass out from exhaustion.

— Gabriel, you can go. — Annabeth said.

The boy smiled and ran before she could change her mind.

— Silena, this is Ada Williams. Ada, this is Silena Beuregard, daughter of Aprodithe. —

— Nice to meet you. — Silena raised her hand for me to shake.

— Nice to meet you too. — I shook her hand and smiled.

— I want you two to spar, just to see what Ada needs work with. — Annabeth said.

Visually, she was what you would expect from a typical Aprodithe kid. Her pink manicure was perfect, not chipped and not too long or too short. She had light make up on, just some gloss, foundation and rimmel. She was very pretty.

Silena nodded and put on her stance.

  You would think that I would instinctively know how to perform a fighting stance but when Annabeth came closer, she just Shifu'ed my every move. Silena chuckled at my clumsiness.

Annabeth told us we were free to start and she stepped back to take a good view of everyone.

— I've heard about you. — Silena said when she charged at me, I blocked her and stepped back.

— What, exactly? — I ask her as she circled around me trying to catch me slacking.

She talked when our swords clashed.

— That you have been on two fights with Clarisse and then you two got locked in a cabin together for hours. — She said slyly, smirking.

I can even feel a blush creeping on my face. Shit. I can't think, I'm too flustered.

Silena took advantage of this, kicking my knee and pushing me on the ground. I fell on my butt and she lifted the tip op her sword to my face.

— Hey, not fair. — Silena rolled her eyes laughing and she offered her hand for me.

— Thought you would have it easy because im a Aphrodite kid? — She asked bitterly mocking.

— I thought you were just bad. How would I have it easy with an Aprodithe kid? Your mom led a war. I think she would have won it if anyone had listened to Cassandra, but that's Apollo's fault. —

Silena frowned and she chuckled bitterly.

— It really shows you are new around here. Gods change when the meaning of what they represent changes. You wouldn't think that the God of War still is a protector of women, do you? —

I thought of Clarisse and what she had said to me.

My mom told me the story of Ares, Hera's favorite son and possible one of the least horrible gods. He had been the defendant in the first murder trial in history because he had killed a son of Poseidon for raping his daughter, something no male God ever did for their daughters.

I thought that Clarisse put pressure on herself because she was his father's pride and joy but if Ares had lost that part of himself and all that was left was war I couldn’t blame Clarisse for her doings.

Silena took an answer out of my silence and went back to her fighting stance.

— Come on now, don't let me distract you just now. —

I gave a deep breath and got to the fighting stance Annabeth taught me. I charged first, the blow between our swords almost sends hers flying away. I was quick to hit her sword again, I wanted to hit the tip of it so it would move out of they way and I could touch her neck but it took me some tries because I kept hitting the middle of her sword. I finally land a precise blow and did as I had planed.

Selina raised her hands in surrender and rolled her eyes.

— I think I know who I'll assign the most difficult pegasus to next class. — Silena smirked and I chuckled.

— Thank you, Silena. Everyone can go prep for lunch now! — Annabeth said when she got closer, and every kid cheered and walked away.

— Bye, Ada. I'll see you around. — Silena said as she walked away.

— Bye, Silena. —

— You won't go just yet, Ada.— The Athena girl said when I sheathed my sword.  

  — I'll spar with you now. — She said.

  — Don't you think that it's embarrassing how many times I ended up in the infirmary these two days? I'm afraid Will is going to see me again and kick me out. — Annabeth rolled her eyes at me.

  — Your attacks are fast but not precise. You need to be ready for any monster attack. Not every monster is as flawed and dumb as a lestrygonian or a dracanae. —

  — How do you know I faced them? — Annabeth's body stiffened for a moment.

  — I know Grover, he told me what happened. — She didn't looked at my eyes.

  The memory of the name that Grover screamed to me last night appeared on my head. He was so worked up last night, like if it was a nightmare he has go trought before; because he did.

  — He was... your satyr protector? — I asked. I focused in sounding chill, I didn't want her to think I didn't trust her.

  — He was. —

  — Yeah, I guessed so. I get why you didn't told me, its ok. I know him, he's a nice person and Im glad that he was there for Percy. — I smirked at her.

  The corner of her lips curled up for a second until she cleared her throat.

  — Are you ready? — Annabeth got on her stance.

  — Not really. — I chuckled and she charged at me.

  I barely managed to dodge and block her attacks. They were almost perfect, she was aiming for my weak spots with precise and fast movements.

  On a risky move, I succeeded to make her drop her sword. I smiled with pride and lifted the tip my sword to point her neck (with a lot distance tho; I dont wanna kill somebody).

  — Never underestimate your opponents. — She said to quickly put on her Yankees cap and dissappear.

  — Annabeth, what the fuck? — I asked turning around trying to cover all of my sides.

  Of course her attacks with her sword were just "almost perfect", it's not her preferred weapon. She had a dagger at her hip all the time and now she was going to stab me with it.

  Annabeth is scary. Her steps were impossible for me to hear, hell, i couldn't even hear her armor moving. I was getting nervous, exactly was she was looking for. I calmed down by taking a few deep breaths.

  I could feel the wind hitting my skin and everything in the Arena that stood in it's way.

  Annabeth approached me from behind silently, mistaken that I was completely helpless. The wind bouncing off her skin gave her away and I looked over my shoulder at her when I decided she was close enough.

  — I can see you. — I felt her movements stop and quickly fully turned my body to her to push her to the ground with my shoulder and knock her cap away.

  She fell to the ground with a thump and I kicked her dagger off her hand. I aimed my sword to her and she looked at me gobsmacked.

  — How? — She asked.

  I smiled and offered my hand.

  — Nivir indiristimiti yir ippinints — I responded at her offended face.

  — You are bluffing. I don't know how you did it but it wont work next time. — She went to get her cap and I went for her dagger.

  — You are contradicting yourself, my friend. — I say when I hand her her weapon.

  — Stop mocking me, lighthead. — She threatened but the smile on her face gave her away.

  — Wha- Wow, nicknames stage friendship. Alright, whoie. —

  — Whoie. Seriously? — Annabeth asked.

  — I saw a bunch of your mom's little flying rats yesterday. You really look alike. — She punched me on my shoulder and rolled her eyes.

  — Come on, lighthead, enough rest. Let's see you on proper battle. — She said "proper" harsher than the rest of the sentence, of course.

  I know that Annabeth is going trought the trouble of teaching me not only because she is a super nice person but because she likes the challenge of putting her skills at test and Im starting to see why myself.

  It was a beautiful day to train. Zeus wasn't pissed off and you could clearly see Apollo doing his daily journey, not the mention the chirping of birds and the owls hooting. The last part is weird because it broad daylight, but knowing that the Arena is one of Athena's spaces I guess that her sacred animal wants to know what's going on here. I prefer encountering an owl than a wild boar tho, so I'm not complaining.

Now with her dagger in hand, Annabeth put her stance back on and I followed suit.

  The sound of the horn got to our ears and we dropped our weapons in annoyance.

  — Come on, whoie. — I say offering my arm for her to interwine and she did.

  — Let's stop by my cabin first. I need to get out of this thing. —

I entered Annabeth's cabin and waited for her as she got her armor off and placed it where the ones of her siblings where.

I took the moment to see the cabin well now that it's daylight. It is the neatest place that I have ever seen, like Pinterest level. I focused on the bed where Annabeth put her cap on and picking under her pillow there was a Polaroid of her as a kid and a Doberman .

  — Not to be nosy but you are a dobie girl? — I asked.

  Annabeth turned to look at me and saw what I was looking. She came over and smirk as she grabbed the picture.

  — I'm a Collie lover because they are fluffy and smart but Zeus was the nicest boy ever. — 

  — That's an accurate name for a dog. — I said and Annabeth restrained a laugh.

  — We made sure to neuter him. - Now I restrained a laugh. Im not eager to be struck by lightning again anytime soon. 

  — We didn't picked his name. When I was 4, I wanted a dog and when my dad took me to the shelter I saw that Zeus was going to be sacrificed for biting and after an hour of crying we took him home. This was on his first month of training school. He was a sweetheart. — She caressed the picture with her tumb and saved it on a book.

  — I'm sorry for you loss. —

  — It's ok. We had the greatest time together. — The tone of her voice dropped.

  I got up from her bed and gave her a hug. Annabeth hugged me back and she let out a single quiet sob. She broke the hug quickly.

  — Let's go, we are going to be late for lunch. — She started to make her way out of the cabin and I followed close behind. 

  — Why is everyone flashing blue cloths at the Ares kids? — I asked Annabeth when we were getting closer to the dining hall.

  — The blue team won Capture the Flag thanks to my plan. That's why Clarisse is specially angry these days. Wouldn't be surprised if next Friday she brakes someone's bones to get the flag. — She smiled with pride.

  — That's a little extreme, don't you think? — Annabeth stopped walking and looked directly into my eyes. 

  — It's a warfare game that prepares us for whats out there and you need to be smart and ruthless if you want to win the real thing. Thats one of the few things we agree on. Besides, we banned maiming and killing, theres nothing that the Apollo cabin cant take care of. — She started to walk again, leading the way. 

— Delightful. —

  ㅤׄ͜✧ׅ͡✧ׅ͡✧ׅ͡✧ׅ͡✧ׅ͡✧ׅ͡✧ׅ͡✧ׅ͡✧ׅ͡

  When I we were finally on the dining hall, I looked at Hermes table and noticed Percy sitting next to Luke. Also, there was no sight of Aaron, I think it was rude of me to not had say goodbye but I didn't even saw him leave.

I said goodbye to Annabeth to go sit next to Percy but I decided to approach him from behind to scare him. 

— Buh! — I taped his shoulders, he flinched and turned around with an angry look that he had never given me before. 

— Oh, it's you. — His eyes softened completely.

— I thought i was going to be trown in the mud again. - He said, taking a bite of his food. 

— Again? What do you mean again? — I just left his side for a bit more than an hour and I had left him with bloody Luke.

— That girl from the Ares cabin, I think. Luke made her walk away before she actually punched me or something. — Percy shrugged, I couldn’t help but frown. 

  I looked at Clarisse's table, she was chuckling about something with the minions she called half-siblings. She met my eyes and she had her cocky eyes and a smirk. Then she noticed at Percy, her face shifted into disgust and scoffed to later allow me to see only the back of her head.  

— I wouldn't worry, Percy. Ada is friends with Clarisse. — Percy looked at me like if I had grown two more heads. 

— I would rather die. — I made both of the boys laugh. 

— Well, then maybe you can join us on trying to find some glory. — Luke said, Percy sighed in defeat. 

— Beg you pardon? — 

— Luke told me that when demigods get glory, nobody messes with them and they get noticed. So I wanted to try to find something that im good at so my dad claims me. —

I looked at Luke and he gave me a "go with the flow" nod. 

— I'm all free, let's do this thing. — I say, moving Percy by the shoulders, cheering him up. 

The first thing I did when we got back to the cabin was fall to my knees on my sleeping bag and lay in it with my face buried on my backpack. My whole body was exhausted, we tried everything until darkness arrived and no shiny sign appeared above our heads.

Percy was remarcable at swordfighting, learning fast and adapting to Lukes moves. I decided to sit that one out, the heart attack I almost got from watching Annabeth turn invisible still haunted me. We even tried archery again but with Lee Fletcher and Michael Yew's guidence now, I shot bullseye and Percy almost shot me. 

  I lifted my head a little bit and saw Percy on my left sitting crossleg on his sleeping bag, staring at his hands while they picked on his shoelaces. He didn't say a word on the walk back and now he was still suffering on silence. I sat up and grabbed one of Percys hands, making him look at me. 

— The most probable thing is that your dad is solving some godly issue and can't reach out right now. The important thing is that you are safe here and we are together. —

— He doesn't get to ignore me after what happened. I killed the Minotaur last night. What will it take for him to claim me? — His voice sounded angry and sad. 

— Percy- —

— Clarisse doesn't believe me and I have the horn and everything. What if my dad is just as stupid? —

— Percy, Clarisse can go fuck off. I saw you stab him and im sure your dad is just as proud as I am. I know how bad it sucks but we need to be patient. — I squeezed his hand to ground him and he sighed again. 

— How are you dealing with all of this? — He asked, grabbing my other hand. 

When I was younger, it used to hurt not having him around. Especially when my classmates talked about how they were their daddy's princesses. I used to think that I was missing something but I got older and learned how shitty a dad can be. Sometimes I felt like I dodged a bullet.

Now, to make things even worse, he was a god. To be honest, I don't know what that makes me. There were many demigods heroes but many more lived unnoticed. Maybe I'll end up living how I have lived to my fathers eyes: Irrelevant. Maybe that was for the best.

— I lived trought twelve Fathers Day and many Father-Daugther dances. I don't need him for me to know who I am. Neither do you. — Percy pulled me for a hug. 

— Thank you for everything that you've done for me, sis. — He said on the crook of my neck and hugged me tight. 

— Thank you too, bro. —

We broke up the hug and Luke walked to us.

— Hey guys, the camp fire is going to start soon. You should get ready if you want to be there. — He said. We thanked him and he left to chat with Chris.

— Do you want to go? — Percy asked.

— Nah, I'm just going to take a shower and get some sleep. You should go with Luke and the others. Just do me the favor of listen to people so we can discuss all the tea over tea tomorrow morning. — Percy rolled his eyes.

— Maybe you are Helios daughter. You know, the gossiper. —

— Helios is a titan. —

— Again with mansplainig. Don't you have to go shower? You smell so bad im gonna puke all over you. —

— Ew, Percy, you are gross. — I push him to the ground as I got up and we laugh.

I got off my long shower and I could still hear the laughter coming from the camp fire. I gather my clothes and my towel in a tote bag and leave the showers.

— HELP! —

My heart dropped at the far scream. The despair in it wasn't what got me dropping everything and running to the woods, it was that that voice belongs to Annabeth.

The screams continued and they got louder and closer as I entered the woods area. I encountered a cave where the screams echoed and I entered without hesitation.

— ANNABETH. — I called as I ran trought the caves long entrance.

— ADARA. — She screamed, it came from way deep.

I only stopped because I got to the end of the cave. It was a round space with no way out or in other than the way I come from.

The openings on the roof let in the dim light of the moon, being the only way to see here.

It was dead silent.

I felt my brooch on the pocket of my shorts and unsheathed the sword.

— ANNABETH. — My scream echoed on the rock and nobody answered.

From within the shadows in front of me, a figure emerged growling. It was a lion, a giant one.

I gripped my sword tighter, bracing for was going to happen.

The lion made a deep, guttural roar and jump at me with his claws aiming for my head. I rolled to the side and slashed his front paw with my sword. It only made it angrier, not a scratch on the beast.

— ANNABETH, RUN AWAY! ��� Her silence was terrifying me. I didn't know if she was invisible or dead.

With every attempt to dig its claws into me, I would either block its paw or roll away.

It's so dark and cold here. I don't know how no one showed up yet. Annabeth's screams were loud and the camp fire was closer to the woods than the showers. I don't even know if Annabeth is injured or went to get help.

I feel so powerless and scared but I can't let my emotions take over. I needed to help my friend.

I decided to take deep breaths before the lion can feel I'm quivering.

I know the myth of the Nemean Lion. I know it can die but I'm not even half as strong as Heracles. I couldn’t choke him and his skin is impenetrable.

His skin is impenetrable. It can be killed.

He shows me all his set of teeth when he tries to bite me. I need to take action or he will tire me down and kill us.

I charge at him taking a claw on my left arm just below my shoulder, it tears my skin but my grip on my sword doesn't falter. I go face to face with the beast, he opens his jaw to bite my head off but I stick my sword deep into his throat.

The lion turns to dust leaving a cape where he stood.

— Annabeth? — I asked in the darkness.

My left arm went limp and I could feel the blood drops staining my leg. I used the light of my sword to see the corners of the cave but it was all empty.

I turn to the exit, desesperate to get out of here but I feel very dizzy, my legs are starting to become jelly and I was deep into the woods, far away from the part of them were the most dangerous threat was a humiliated nymph.

I grab the cape and place it on my shoulders so I wouldn't be a easy dinner for the monster that comes to finish me off.

I get out and the feeling of the sky above me relieved me. The fresh air allowed me to think clearly and I begin to stumble to the cabins.

— ANNABETH. — I kept calling for ger until my voice started to sound hoarse from all the shouting and I still didn't get an answer.

I could smell and see the big smoke come out of the camp fire but I couldn't continue walking, I felt so lightheaded.

Ha.

I dropped to my knees and my sword slipped out of my hand. I saw my left arm, the four claw mark was deeper and larger than I thought, my arm seemed like a slices of ham and from the wound down it was all red.

I cursed myself for not saving my ambrosia bag on my shorts and leave it on the tote bag instead.

I feel so upset, scared and angry. I don't know what happened to Annabeth or what will happen to me. My vision is blurry and my ears are buzzing.

Thunder began to roar in the sky and the wind picked up. I raised my eyes to the sky and felt the need for it. I could feel the charges filling the air and the despairing distance between the cumulonimbus and me.

In a desesperate move, I raised my hand to try to touch the sky followed by a tug on my gut, the voltage raised and lightning strucked me.

It felt like drinking hundreds of energy drinks without having a heart attack and instead feeling like you'd been to a spa. The energy not only healed my pain, it also made me feel better rested than I have ever felt.

I let the energy ran trought my body for a few minutes with my eyes closed, drinking in the feeling until I remembered my duty.

The voltage dropped and my bliss died down.

I opened my eyes and saw Chiron and almost all campers in front of me, ten meters away.

Amongst all the campers I noticed Annabeth, unharmed, and she seemed to be expecting something. Then I saw Luke who had a stone face and a hand on my scared brother. I even noticed Clarisse and her angry face.

I stood up in surprise and the centaur was the first to approach me.

— Ada- — Chiron interrupted his talking and walking.

He looked above my head with worried eyes and cleared his throat, putting himself together, to then look at my eyes.

— You have been claimed by Zeus, Thunderbringer, Lightning wielder, King of Gods. Adara Williams, daughter of Zeus. —

[huffle-dork]

Glitch into the Hufflverse Chapter 16: Swapboys Bad End

Read Swapboys | Read Crystal’s AUs | Read One Villain falls Another One Rises

Read SITCV | Read SATCV | GITHV Masterpost

On the other side of the ring they’re in another destroyed part of town. This time it seems more like apartment buildings and a mix of businesses. Henny moves right along, Sahne following at his side.

Schneep walks along slowly, sweeping wide space with his cane in front of him, trying to sense anyone nearby.

Bro sees Alt and goes to walk beside him. “…you okay?”

Alt stays quiet, gripping his arms. “A…l-little better… I guess.”

“Hey let’s… try to look on the bright side! The doorway… if we can get it to work then… maybe it’ll take us back to JJ’s world so we can get another TRVLR! Or… maybe it’ll take us to Jackie’s world like the first time and we can find Anti… it’s gonna be okay, lil bro….”

JJ overhears Bro and Alt's conversation. He nods in agreement. I'm sure that anything will help. It's definitely going to be okay.

Jackie looks around at the buildings. "Wow... really... did a number on things, huh?" he mutters to himself.

“Yes… every day something new is destroyed…” Henny says quietly to Jackie. “I am glad I was able to get many people out before it got worse. Luckily it seems the Glitch is more interested in trying to find a way out of this universe than in making puppets like Magnificent. That could be the reason for his… insanity. We know Magnificent sustained himself by stealing magic or life from others… I do not think Glitch does the same.”

Alt nods a bit to JJ and listens quietly to Henny. His eyes dart around though- jumping at every glitchy sound and too dark shadow. 

"Really? Then I suppose this could be worse?" Schneep wonders.

"Doesn't mean it's not bad," Jackie mutters, tightening his grip on his staff. "Why is it that all of these powerful black magic guys eventually start looking for the multiverse?"

"Mine did not," Schneep says. "Our Anti was focused on us."

"Yeah, well, maybe if you gave him enough time he'd have turned his sights there."

“…selfishly I like to believe it is because… Alt is still somewhere in there… and he remembers what it was like to be under Magnificent’s power. And he does not want to inflict that on others… but it is… complicated. He still has his victims…“ Henny quietly explains.

Well... there's nothing to prove it's NOT that, JJ says. Even if he hurts others...

"Victims, huh?" Jackie mutters. "Um... I don't think... We might need, uh, information on what to watch out for. What do you think Al—the Glitch would do if he found us? Obviously he'd try to fucking... kidnap Bro or something, but what about the rest of us?"

"... I do not know..." Henny admits, " We managed to get Jackie and Jewel out of harm's way once... once Chase was..." He swallows shakily. "So I... I do not know how he will react to... people who share their faces."

Alt shudders at this, holding his arms. Bro tries to keep a positive vibe though, "M-Maybe that means he'll leave us alone?"

Jackie frowns. "...maybe." But he doesn't believe it. That other Alt already tried to glitch out the ground beneath him and Schneep.

"We should prepare for the worst just in case," Schneep says.

JJ shakes his head. I don't know if I could fight any version of Alt, though...

"Well, we'll see, won't we?" Jackie says. "You might surprise yourself."

JJ looks troubled. That's quite grim.

"S...sorry," Jackie mumbles. "I guess I'm not an optimistic person."

A glitchy laugh echoes around them before a voice giggles in Jackie's ear, "Well~ Isn't that perfect? Cuz optimism is dead here. I could use someone like you, Jackie~!"

Henny freezes and whips around, "No! Jackie!"

Glitch Alt laughs madly and tries to whip out green strings to capture Jackie. Jackie whirls around, swinging his staff, but he's not fast enough. The strings wrap around his torso, forcibly pinning his arms to his sides. "Fuck!"

Meanwhile- several big cat bodies slink out and try to tackle the others. Schneep and JJ start running for Jackie, focused on him—and therefore not noticing the cats. JJ yelps as one pins him to the ground, and Schneep cries out as the same happens to him. "Motherfucker!" He tries to leap out of its grip, and JJ struggles to push the cat who tackled him away with magic. Alt dodges the cat going after him in a quick glitch then hurries over to try to help JJ. Bro almost yells but thinks better of it and tries to stagger back. 

Glitch laughs and glitches up onto a building and lets Jackie dangle off the edge. The copy kicks his feet almost like a child excited by an insect he captured, that same mad gleeful expression on his face. And looking at his boots up this close…  those look very familiar. The same kind Bro wears- just dirty and faded by time. But before Jackie can dwell on that further- Glitch brings up the strings so he can look the trapped vigilante in the face. "Come on Jackie! We're f̷̪̓r̴͍̽i̴̪͆ḛ̶͒n̴̤̈́d̶͔͗s̷̖͌~ aren't we? No need to be scared of me~" He giggles.

Jackie yelps and kicks his legs wildly, trying to find purchase that doesn't exist. "Have you lost your fucking mind?!" he shouts. "You tell me not to be scared of you while you dangle me fucking a hundred feet off the ground?!"

"Well I know you can handle it-" Glitch says matter-of-factly, tilting his head with a grin. "And you know-a bit of danger means you'll probably listen to me more... you can tell me where Chase is, right?" 

"No, I can't actually," Jackie says through gritted teeth. "I haven't seen him in a while. We knew we had to hide him from you."

“Hmm I’m not sure I believe you,” Glitch hums in amusement. He rocks Jackie back and forth with a giggle. “But if that’s what you wanna tell me maybe I’ll just use you to help me look instead!” His eyes start to swirl as he laughs, “Cmon Jackie… don’t you wanna help your old pal, A̸͚̓ļ̴̈́ţ̸͝?” 

JJ quickly grabs onto Alt as he gets close, still trying to struggle against the cat, but the cat just growls and pushes him further into the ground. Schneep yelps as the claws of the cat dig into his shoulder, breaking his concentration. "Where did he go?! Where did he take Jackie?!" He can't sense his soul nearby! Gritting his teeth, he pulls out his scissors and slashes at the cat.

Schneep manages to slash the cat off as it roars in pain and lets him go. Alt yells and tries to shoot lightning magic to get the cat off JJ. Bro looks conflicted up towards where Glitch has Jackie.

"Do not even think about it Chase!" Henny warns.

"But he needs help!" Bro tries to argue.

"Yes- but Glitch wants you!" Henny yells and then whips around and freezes two of the cats in time, holding out his hand.

Schneep leaps out of the way of the cat as soon as he's free. JJ scrambles away and staggers to his feet. "Seriously, where is Jackie?!" Schneep asks.

JJ looks up. On top of a building!

"Which one?! Point me in that direction."

JJ runs over to him and physically turns him towards the building in question, moving his head so he'd be looking at Glitch and Jackie if he could see.

"A bit forceful, but thank you!" Schneep says. "Let's go! Alt, grab Henrik!" Schneep latches onto JJ and leaps out of sight, heading towards the roof.

Alt startles and then nods and grabs Henny. He looks back towards Bro and narrows his eyes, “Stay here! We’ll be back.” Bro tries to open his mouth to protest but then Alt glitches away with Henny.

Schneep and JJ appear on top of the roof, on the opposite side where Glitch is dangling Jackie. JJ shudders, holding back the nausea of Schneep's teleportation, and looks at the two of them. He gasps and starts rushing forward, but Schneep grabs him and whispers, "Be subtle. He might drop Jackie."

Right. JJ nods and the two of them go forward as quickly and quietly as possible. They just need to get within range of JJ's long-range spells!

Alt appears with Henny next to the others. Henny pulls out his watch, watching the two of them cautiously. Alt feels himself wanting to glitch angrily but tries to hold back.

Jackie glances down at the air beneath his feet and tries to hide his fear. Then he looks up at Glitch—only to see his eyes swirling. He quickly tries to look away. "You're not my 'old pal.' Some version of you might be, but we have no history."

Glitch frowns and tilts his head at Jackie. “Damn… don’t have loyalty to anyone huh? No wonder you lost your Schneep.” 

Jackie stiffens, going a bit pale. "Y-you—you don't know anything! I-it's not—I tried to go back for him, they tried to get him out, they have a tight hold on his—on his fucking mind! W-we—we'll need to—you shut the fuck up! H-how do you even know about that?!"

"Cuz I was there," Glitch says matter-of-factly, grinning sinisterly, "I was the same Alt that went on adventures with all of you~! I know a lot more than you think, Jackie Parker..." He tilts his head to try to catch his attention again, eyes glowing and swirling even more, "Which is why you should be able to trust me~!" 

As they walk forward, Schneep hits the end of his cane against a metal vent of some kind, making a small ding! sound. He winces. Alt glitches a bit in surprise and Glitch's gaze flickers for just a second to notice the others. He twitches his head and a glitchy shield appears in front of Glitch and Jackie- cutting the others off. Alt tries to glitch through it and gets blown back, skidding across the roof with a cry of pain.

JJ rushes forward, throwing magic at the shield, trying to break it down. Schneep also leaps the rest of the way forward and slashes his scissors across the shield to cut them. Schneep’s scissors manage to break through, making a rip in the shield.

Jackie's stomach sinks as he stares at Glitch in horror. Then he quickly looks down again as his eyes start to swirl. "No, you're not him," he says quietly. "Maybe you were him once, but it's clear that something happened to change you. I don't even recognize you. You're not my friend anymore."

Glitch’s face falls and then flares with anger. “F̶̣̓i̵̳͛n̸̠̉e̵̥͌,” he snarls and opens up his hand- letting Jackie fall.

“NO!” Alt cries out.

Jackie screams as he falls, wind rushing past him.

"Jackie!" Schneep shouts.

JJ throws his hand out, blue magic shooting out. It forms into the shape of a big hand and grabs Jackie before he can get too far. JJ's arm trembles with the effort of the spell—he put as much power as possible in this to be sure that he got him, maybe too much. But it works, as he manages to pull him back onto the roof. Jackie breathes heavily, visibly shaking.

Bro screams at seeing Jackie fall, ready to get up and fly towards him. He quiets once he sees JJ manage to save him… but if Glitch is throwing his friends off buildings- he can’t just sit here! He flies up, trying to stay away but being close by. Sahne, who was left on the ground, barks after him in distress. 

Schneep hurries over. He feels the strings that Glitch wrapped Jackie up in and starts cutting through them.

Glitch glitches to his feet and growls in anger. “Hey! Let me play with my toys how I please!”

“Fuck that!” Alt snarls, glitching so he’s in between Glitch, Jackie and Schneep.

Glitch stands taller and narrows his eyes, “hmm… okay. I guess I can play with all of you too.” He glances at JJ then glitches to try to grab him. JJ gasps and barely manages to dodge, Glitch's hands an inch from him.

"We are not your fucking toys!" Schneep snarls, and throws his scissors past Alt and towards Glitch as Jackie shakes off the rest of the strings. JJ conjures a shield around Schneep and Jackie, leaving himself, Alt, and Henny exposed.

Glitch yells as he’s struck and then growls and glitches to try to grab Schneep but gets stopped by the shield. He glitches back, giggling unstably. “That’s some pretty strong magic there J…. Let me have a taste-!” he lashes out to grab JJ again.

Henny tries to whip out his hand to stop him but Glitch dodges it easily.

JJ yelps as Glitch grabs him and squirms against his grip. Glitch laughs and digs claws into JJ’s arm, trying to drain some of his magic… just like Magnificent.

"Jamie!" Schneep gasps, and leaps out from the bubble shield, pulling out another pair of scissors and going to stab Glitch.

He easily dodged Schneep’s scissors and laughs wildly. “Gonna have to try harder than that Schneep!”

Alt hesitates and then tries to see if he can glitch over and grab JJ.

JJ gasps in horror. He recognizes the feeling of his magic being pulled away from him and squirms in discomfort. As his magic is drained, the shield around Jackie flickers and dies. Jackie gets to his feet shakily. He dropped his staff earlier but he has to do something! He jumps at the Glitch, planning to tackle him.

Glitch easily skirts his way out of Alt’s path- but ends up being barreled into by Jackie, getting tackled away from JJ. JJ staggers backwards, away from the Glitch, staring in shock. Schneep rushes to his side and helps support him as he sways tiredly. 

Glitch laughs wildly though, grabbing onto Jackie’s face and spiraling his eyes to try to capture his gaze again. “Hehehe! I wanna see you fight, Jackie! I wanna see alll the damage you won’t let yourself do! Show me!”

Jackie is expecting Glitch to fight back, not try more hypnotism. He tries to jerk back from his grip, but he looks into Glitch's eyes at just the wrong time. He stops, slumping, as the spirals draw him in. "You... want... to see that?"

"Jackie, no!" Schneep gasps. "Don't listen to him!" JJ tries to grab Jackie with magic again but his power flickers and fails.

“Yes! Yes!” Glitch giggles, grinning sharply. “Show me how brutal you can beee~! Then all of you can help me find Chase! It’ll be so fun!”

Bro eeps slightly and goes to hide at the edge of the building- trying to stay close in case they need help.

“No!” Alt calls, pushing himself up, “Jackie! Wake up!”

Henny yells out in anger and tries to grab Glitch in his magic but Glitch twitches his head and Henny’s magic gets sent back at him and sends him skidding back, trapped in his own magic.

Glitch lets go and helps Jackie up. “Go on Jackie~ give us a good show!”

Jackie gets to his feet, staring at the others with spirals in his eyes. He bends over and grabs the scissors that Schneep had thrown and missed, then rushes forward, bringing the scissors down towards Schneep. He cries out as his own scissors pierce his shoulder and leaps back. Jackie keeps hold of the weapon and whirls on JJ instead. JJ's eyes widen and he runs, not wanting to face Jackie. But Jackie chases after him.

"You bastard!" Schneep hisses, whirling on Glitch. He leaps forward, grabbing him.

Glitch laughs wildly and lets Schneep grab him. He studies him then frowns. “Aw you’re no fun- I can’t hypnotize you… fine-“ He grabs onto Schneep’s arm and lets sparks crackle across his jacket sleeve but not letting it shock him yet. “Will you tell me where Chase is?”

Schneep feels the electricity crawling across his arm. His eyes widen but he grits his teeth and glares. "You cannot torture me into giving you information! I've lived through enough pain already!" Then he tries to wrest his arms free.

“Wrong answer, Henrik.” Glitch cackles as he shocks Schneep heavily. 

Alt panics slightly at seeing Jackie get caught. He glitches over to try to tackle him away from JJ. Jackie yelps as Alt tackles him. He immediately twists around to stab him in the back with the scissors. Alt grabs Jackie’s hand to stop him and bares his teeth, “Jackie! C’mon! Cut it out!” He tries his best to keep Jackie down.

Jackie snarls, glaring at Alt with those spiral eyes. He does everything he can to fight against Alt, kicking and writhing and trying to headbutt him. Jackie manages to head butt Alt hard enough that he sees stars, crying out as he lets go of Jackie. He doesn't hesitate. As soon as he's free he tries to stab Alt again.

Schneep cries out, collapsing to the ground as pain wracks his body. JJ's head snaps towards him and he throws a ball of icy magic at Glitch.

Glitch manages to dodge JJ’s magic with a giggle then glitches over to try to grab JJ too, eyes spiraling again. “You need an upgrade on your magic, J~! Let me help you!” JJ shuts his eyes immediately. He pulls an arm free and presses a hand to Glitch's chest, trying to freeze him in place. Glitch grabs his hand and snarls, “Nice try-“ He tries to shock him too. 

JJ's eyes widen and he screams hoarsely. The sound snaps Schneep out of the trance he was in after being shocked himself. He leaps over and attacks Glitch from behind with yet another pair of scissors. Glitch senses Schneep coming behind him and throws JJ at Schneep with a wild laugh. “Too slow!” 

Schneep stumbles and he and JJ fall to the ground as JJ gets thrown into him. JJ scrambles up first and aims another magic blast at Glitch. Glitch grins and does the same trick he did with Henny, forcing JJ’s spell to backfire and blast into himself. JJ cries out, skidding back against the roof. He pounds against the bubble that's now formed around him, trying to break free. But while Glitch is distracted, Schneep leaps forward and tries to slash at him.

Glitch glitches away and giggles, “You guys are really bad at this! It’s almost fun to watch! But we don’t have to dooo this, you know! Just let me know where Chase is!” 

"Fuck off!" Schneep snaps. "Nothing about you tells me he will be safe with you!" He attacks again.

Bro notices that Henny is still struggling to get out of his magic and carefully tries to fly over, seeing if he can help. 

Alt tries to dodge Jackie but gets stabbed in the shoulder. He yells out then tries to blast Jackie back with his magic. Jackie gets pushed back but leaps forward immediately, making to stab again. Alt gasps and grabs Jackie’s wrist again, trying to keep him from stabbing him before trying to punch him in the face. Jackie's head snaps back, and for a moment the spirals in his eyes flicker as he gasps in pain. Then they return in full force and he tries to punch Alt right back in turn. Alt’s eyes widen a bit- then narrow in determination. He dodges the punch then tries to grab Jackie’s arm to shock him.

Jackie cries out, his body shuddering as the electricity jolts through his body. The spirals in his eyes disappear. "H-holy shit, Alt!" he gasps out. "I—" He shakes his head. "Th-the magic—h-hypnosis—it's trying to come back—"

Alt looks apologetic but he grabs Jackie’s shoulders and shakes him, “Fight it, Jackie! I know you can!”

"I... I-I..." Jackie's eyelids flutter. The magic in his head is trying to sink in again, telling him to listen to the Glitch, to do as he said--And then, suddenly, there's a SNAP in his mind. He cries out and suddenly, the magic is completely gone. "Wha—what the—?" He presses a hand to his head. "What was that?" He takes a deep breath and gets to his feet. "I-I'm good. I'm good! We—we have to help Schneep!"

Alt seems to relax at getting Jackie back and he nods. “JJ too… then maybe we can get out of here-!”

Glitch gets slashed and he bares his teeth at him but tries to laugh, “c’mon Schneep~! He’s my brother! You’re not gonna keep me from my own family are you~?” He tries to slash claws at Schneep.

Bro shudders at this and then gets up on the roof to try to see if he can untie Henny. …how do you untie magic??

Henny stiffens and looks back with a sinking stomach. “C-Chase? What are you doing??” He whispers. “You were not supposed to come up here!”

“You need help! I can’t just sit around!” Bro hisses.

“I am fine! You will not be!!”

JJ notices the strange distortion in the air by Henny. His eyes widen. Get out of here! he signs.

Bro hesitates- then scrambles to try to pull Henny free.

“Chase!” Henny hisses quietly, “You must go now!”

Schneep leaps out of the way. "He is not your brother!" He snarls. "He is our Alt's brother! Just because you are similar does not mean that you are entitled to his life!"

"Schneep!" Jackie shouts. "My staff!"

Hearing this, Schneep reaches out and grabs Jackie's staff, tossing it back in Jackie's direction. Jackie grabs it, extending it to its full length, and lunges forward. Schneep does too, both of them attacking Glitch at the same time.

Glitch growls and starts to spark dangerously with purple lightning. Alt notices this and tries to warn the others- but then Glitch sends out a shockwave of electricity, sending all 3 of them off their feet and skidding back. 

JJ's eyes widen at the lightning and Chase's refusal to leave. He takes a deep breath. What did that Marvin in the last world say? Remember who you're fighting for? He's fighting for not just the ability to get home and see all his friends, but also to protect the friends he's made here—-his friends who are now in danger. His eyes start to glow, the blue entirely consuming it. He slams his hands against the bubble—

And it shatters like glass.

JJ lunges for Glitch, closing the distance remarkably quickly, and grabs him. Magic swirls around him, trailing, a blizzard, extending from his back—in a way that almost resembles wings. The magic around him swirls around Glitch as well, the temperature noticeably lowering as he tries, again, to freeze him.

Alt gapes at seeing JJ break from his magic and then form- wings?? Just like his own lightning bird form! He laughs breathlessly then calls out, “Yeahh JJ!! Kick his ass!!”

Glitch jolts back- not expecting this and is completely caught off guard. His whole body gets encased in ice except for his head and Glitch tries his best to struggle and pull himself out, “W-what the fuck?! Since when could you do something like that?!” He snarls.

JJ backs away, looking down at himself, surprised. This feels familiar... but he can't remember ever doing anything like this before. He looks around at the others. We're getting out of here! he says. He dashes over to Jackie, Schneep, and Alt, making contact with all of them. There's a puff of blue smoke and all of them reappear near Henny—and the invisible Bro. Another puff of smoke surrounds them all, and they are gone—

Reappearing back on the street, right by Sahne who was left behind.

Sahne barks in surprise and Henny finally manages to break out of his own magic. He looks at JJ with awe, “Jamie… that was incredible!”

“Yeah!! Way to go man!!” Bro exclaims happily. Henny takes a second to find where Bro is then hits him. “Ow!! Hen!?”

“That was incredibly stupid Chase! You are so lucky you were not caught!” Henny scolds.

Alt nervously watches the building they left Glitch on. “We should hurry- who knows how long that will hold… how much farther, Hen?”

“Yes… not too much farther. Come-“ Henny says and starts to hurry back down the street.

I'm not sure how I did that... JJ says slowly, and the magic around his splutters out. He falls to his knees, and Jackie and Schneep rush to his side. He waves them off and stands up again. Not sure I can do that again, though. At least not easily.

"That's fine," Jackie says. "Do you need any help?"

JJ shakes his head. He starts to stumble, and Schneep reaches out to help him. JJ insists.

"Yes, but you may not be able to run," Schneep says. "So let us help you."

JJ hesitates, then nods. He leans on Jackie and the three of them rush after Henny.

Alt slows down to look at JJ with worry,  “You okay dude? …it’s crazy huh? Suddenly using power like that-“ 

Henny notices JJ’s struggle and slows down too, but keeps an eye out for anything coming their way.

JJ nods. I'm fine. It's strange, but that felt... familiar somehow. But I know I've never done anything like that.

"Maybe you have, but you forgot?" Schneep asks. "Is that possible?"

For a moment, JJ just frowns thoughtfully. Maybe... I'm not sure, though. I'll have to do some research once I get home.

Alt nods, “Yeah… I get that. I hardly remember the first time I did something like that. Chase said it was kinda freaky though.”

“Yeah! You damn near gave all of us a heart attack!” Bro grumbles.

JJ chuckles, but then pauses thoughtfully. After... after me and my friends escaped IRIS, I was very exhausted. Most of the escape is a blur to me. Perhaps... then...?

"You think you did something like that back then?" Jackie asks.

Maybe...

“Damn right.. you mentioned that… that makes sense though. I think that kinda power can be brought up through… desperation more often than not? I’m still learning how mine works too..” Alt says.

I was thinking a lot about saving the rest of you, JJ says.

"Daww," Jackie grins.

JJ laughs slightly. And getting home to see my friends again, of course.

"Hmm... you know, in my world, my Jamie was able to gain magic," Schneep says. "What did you say he might be, Jamie?"

A warlock, JJ says. That is indeed someone who gains magic through desperation. Though they also need to be exposed to a lot of magic beforehand.

"So perhaps desperation plays a part in many types of magic."

Alt smiles warmly. “Yeah… I think my J would say… it deals with just how much power the mind and body have that we don’t even know about… even if he doesn’t get magic I think that principle is there.”

“Very true! We often don’t know what we’re really capable of until we’re pushed to a certain point.” Bro adds.

Jackie nods slowly. "Though... I'm not sure how much I like the idea that desperation is a sort of power."

It's not the desperation itself, I think, JJ says. It is the desperation FOR something, wanting to do something so much that you break through your limits.

“Kinda Like… determination! In Undertale!” Bro grins.

Alt laughs, “It does kinda feel like that, huh?”

Schneep hums the game over theme, Determination, a bit.

Jackie laughs. "You a fan of that game? In my world, it came out on your birthday."

"Oh yes, it did in my world, too." Schneep grins. "Jack insisted that I play it for that reason, even though I am not a game player usually."

“It’s such a good game!! Shame it got meme’d to death- me and the lads all love it!” Bro laughs.

"Ah, lots of good games get meme'd to death," Jackie says. "Doesn't make them less good."

Alt chuckles, “It has a good message… I guess its mechanics can be applied to magic! Who knew?”

"Who knew?" Schneep repeats. "I suppose it shows how great stories hit at the heart of life."

How deep of you, JJ says, smiling.

Alt and Bro laugh. “So true!” Bro grins.

Henny slows completely in front of them. Sahne’s fur bristles as they stand in front of a large building with the name of Hope Water hospital barely visible through the destroyed concrete and rubble. “We’re here.”

Jackie stops walking. "Wow... this place really has gone to shit, hasn't it?" he mutters. "Destroyed hospital. Real apocalyptic."

Hope Water Hospital... JJ repeats. There's a SCLERA thing here?

“Yes… SCLERA had a habit of using hospitals as fronts for their underground operations. Real sneaky shady way of getting subjects for their experiments…” Henny says darkly.

Alt shudders, looking at the familiar logo.

“Come,” Henny says as he starts to make his way through the rubble, searching for a way down.

"That would explain everything that happened in the first world," Schneep mutters.

"They disgust me," Jackie says darkly. "If the IRIS in my world is anything like this, no wonder my Anti hates them so much." He sighs. "Anyway. We're gonna have to sift through this rubble, Schneep."

"Oh joy," Schneep says drily.

Can you just glitch down there? JJ asks.

"I can try—but I don't want to risk it if there is this much rubble."

"Old-fashioned way, then," Jackie says, and the three of them start looking through the destroyed area.

Alt looks around, “…this is the same SCLERA we’ve been to… I… I think I can glitch us down to the right room.” He suppresses another shudder. “I remember it very clearly.”

Bro laughs, his invisible form a bit higher than the others as he hovers. “Good idea then Alt- I was starting to feel bad for everyone!”

Alt rolls his eyes.

Henny looks back and then smiles, “Ah yes I almost forgot Alt… I am so used to uh… dealing without your glitching. We link up, yes?”

Alt nods.

"Right, yeah." Jackie backs away and grabs onto Schneep and JJ. Then JJ walks over and holds out a hand for Alt to take.

Alt grabs JJ’s hand and Bro floats down and grabs Henny and Sahne. Henny laughs, “it is very strange to be grabbed by something you cannot see.”

“Oh right- sorry!” Bro chuckles.

Alt glitches them all down.

[fandomtherapy44]

castiel x reader

Summary: This story is from the perspective of Y/n Winchester. The sister Of Dean and Sam. We will be starting from season four since sadly we did not get Misha Collins as Castiel throughout the whole series. It will start off as a friendship, but it will grow more as the series goes on. I will be skipping some episodes even though they are great episodes they do not push the story forward. I am so excited to get to write this since they are not many Castiel X reader stories out there. Okay without further due Love War & Grace enjoy the Story.

Paring: Castiel X Reader

Word count: 5,854

Warnings: Some language, Typical Supernatural violence, Spoilers for season four of Supernatural, the boys being mean to y/n, love spells

Chapter seven: Sex and violence

Y/n's POV

I was on my way back from getting some coffee and doughnuts for my brothers and I because there was no way that we wouldn't stop for these anyway. So, I thought I might as well get it out of the way and save some time and let my brothers sleep as much as they could considering the last few weeks. I was also wondering how Cas was doing. I haven't seen him these last few weeks. I kind of wished I had, just being around him somehow makes me be calmer and that's important with the stressful job I have. I hope he didn't get in trouble for when he hesitated to knock me out or that he's not hurt when Alastair almost pulled a uno reverse on him. I wish he could have a damn phone so I'm not worrying half of the time. 

As I open the motel room door, I make sure to be extra quiet to not wake Sam and Dean. I look to the beds and see Dean in one but not Sam. Then I hear his voice from the bathroom. “Yeah, that's what I'm telling you. No storms, no bad crops, nothing.” Demon signs? Who was he talking to this early in the morning? I was sure it was not Bobby because I knew he just got done with a pretty nasty werewolf case and was properly sleeping off the beer and coffee along with exhaustion. I try to stand still to not warn Sam then I hear sheets moving and look to see Dean awake listening to the same interesting conversation. “Yeah, okay. We'll keep looking. You keep looking too, OK? All right. Talk soon.” 

Sam finished and was coming out of the bathroom. I ran back to the door to make it look like I had just got back and slammed the door loud. “Hey guys I got coffee and doughnuts for us.” I said placing the drinks and food down on the table trying to sound normal. They both kind of looked at it like I had just gotten a five-star steak meal. They both come over grabbing some joe and a pastry. “Thanks Y/n/n” Dean said, stuffing his face with sprinkles falling out as a result. “Yes, thank you Y/n” Sam replied, grabbing a cup of joe and got a half of a doughnut with him being a health nut and all. “So, were you both sleeping?” I asked, trying not to seem obvious. “Dean was, I was in the can.” “Really” Dean and I both replied. 

“Yeah guys, you want me to draw you a picture?” “Nah We’ll pass I think.” I said sitting on the bed trying not to think about the secret convo in the bathroom. “Found a job. Bedford, Iowa. Guy beat his wife's brains out with a meat tenderizer.” Sam said, handing us a newspaper about the story. “Oh my gosh.” “And get this. Third local inside two months to gank his wife. No priors on any of 'em, all happily married.” “Once is sad and disturbing but three is a pattern.” I said looking at the man in the picture looking very happy with his now very dead wife. “Ahh. Sounds like Ozzie and Harriet.” Dean said, grabbing the newspaper from me. “More like The Shining.” Sam replied with a smirk. “All right, well I guess we'd better have a look.” Dean said moving to the bathroom to get ready for the day and me failing to not think about who the Hell was Sam talking to.

Currently we were sitting in the integration room with the man of the hour. He kept on ignoring eye contact like he was ashamed to look at us. “Why does the PD keep sending you guys? I already said I don't want a lawyer.” “They're lining up the firing squad.” Dean replied, staring the man in the eyes. “I'm pleading guilty.” He said back to us. “All right, look, you don't want us to represent you, that's fine. In fact it's probably not a bad idea, between you and me. We just wanna understand what happened, that's all.” “Mr. Benson. Please.” I said trying a softer approach with him. “What happened was, I killed my wife. You wanna know why? Because she made plans without asking me.” Well, there is another reason to not to date. “Now when it happened, how did you feel? Disoriented, out of control?” Sam asked. “Like something was telling you or possessed you to do it?” I said. “I knew exactly what I was doing. I was crystal clear.” He replied with no stuttering, it was chilling. “Then why'd you, do it?” Dean asked. “I don't know. I loved her. We were happy.” I brought some papers out on the table of his bank statements and tapped on them. “For a man who loved his wife you were sure spending a lot of secret money on 'M & C Entertainment'.” “I don't know what you're talking about.” Come on dude you murdered your wife the least you can do is tell the truth. 

“It means you were dropping fifties on some nude entertainment.” “We just wanna know the truth, Mr. Benson.” Sam added in. “Her name was Jasmine.” Like the Disney princess? “She was a stripper?” Sam questioned. “Dude, her name was Jasmine.” Dean said matter of factly. “I didn't mean for it to happen, I don't like to go to strip bars. My buddy was having a bachelor party, and there she was. She came right up to me. And...I dunno, she was just...perfect. Everything that I wanted.” “Well, you pay enough, and anybody will be anything.” Dean said and he was not wrong. “It wasn't about the money. It wasn't even about the sex. It was...I dunno. I....I don't know what it was. It's hard to explain.” It sounds like this man was down bad for this princess. “And your wife found out?” I asked curious. “No, she never had a clue.” “Then why'd you kill her?” “For Jasmine. She said we would be together forever. If...if only Vicki was…” Dead, damn whatever this is it really wants to be the only woman. “Afterwards, me and Jasmine were supposed to meet, and she never showed. I don't know where she lives, I don't know her last name, I don't even know her real first name! I'm an idiot.” He is but this was not all his fault I have inkling that something else was at play than good sex. “And you didn't think to tell this to the cops?” Sam questioned. “What for? The stripper didn't do it, I did it. And I know what I deserve. The judge doesn't give me the death sentence, I'll just do it myself.”

Sam and I are going to go talk to the head doctor to hopefully get some answers while Dean was finding if the other men had matched with Bensen’s spending. As we walked in the office the doctor was taking some Advil. “Rough night?” Sam questioned. “Fun night. Rough morning.” She said while rubbing her forehead. “Can I help you?” She asked us and I replied. “Ahhh...yes. Um, I'm Special Agent Ross, Agent Stiles, FBI. You Doctor Cara Roberts?” “Far as I know.” “You do some work with the Sheriff's department?” Sam asked. “Yeah, when I'm not slogging it through the ER. It's a small town. We multi-task.” “We have some questions about a case. About several cases actually. Do you mind if we sit?” Sam asked for us. “Great. Adam Benson, Jim Wylie, and Steve Snyder.” I said, referring to the men. “Oh yeah, the men who killed their wives?” “You handled their work-ups, right?” She nodded her head. “Autopsies for the wives and tox screens for the perps. Two-for-one special.” “Fun right” I said, trying to add to the conversation because I sensed that the doctor and Sam were giving each other the look.

“He he I’m sorry. Did you find anything?” I asked moving away from my awkward moment. “Not really. I mean, c.o.d. on the women was pretty clear. There was nothing unusual in their systems.” That would make sense. “What about the husbands?” “Can I....see your badges again?” she asked, and we both pull them out again. She gives Sam’s a real good hard look while she barely glances at mine. “There was one thing, um, an anomaly in the blood work. And I remember thinking how strange it was that it showed up in all three of the men.” She said as she pulled out their files. “What showed?” I asked while looking at the file. “Oxytocin. And their levels were crazy high.” “Ahh. Oxytocin?” “Mm-hmm, it's a hormone that's produced during childbirth, lactation and sex.” 

“People call it the love hormone. Um, you know how it feels when you first fall in love. The whole weak in the knees, tattoo you on my chest thing? That's oxytocin. Of course, it eventually fades and then you're stuck with every relationship ever. That and the painful regime of tattoo removal.” I wouldn't know but Sam would. As I looked up from the file Sam and Cara were smiling at each other with that look while they kind of forgot that I was right next to them. Then Dean entered which is good because it was getting awkward for me. “What'd I miss?” “Um Doctor this is our other partner, Agent Murdoch.” I said introducing them. Then Dean went into his Dean flirt mode. “Please, "Agent" sounds so formal. You can call me Dean.” He said holding out his hand and she took his hand and held it for like two seconds and let go. Wow I don't think I have ever seen this before. Usually, women are all over him and even sometimes get mad at me for being next to him. 

“I'm Doctor Roberts.” Then she turned back to Sam. “So, um, can I help you with anything else?” “Uhh, sure, just one more thing. This chemical, this…” “Oxytocin.” “Oxytocin. What would cause those high levels that you found?” “Nothing that I've ever seen.” “OK. That's it. Thanks Doc.” As he finishes, we go to leave the office and Sam stops to tell her. “By the way...try a greasy breakfast. Best thing for a hangover.” Sammy going for it, good for him. “Watch it buddy, I'm the only M.D. here.” She replied back smiling. “Dude, you totally C-blocked me.” Dean told Sam. yeah sure Dean let's go with that.

The three of us are now going to the car. “So Whylie and Snyder totally fessed up, huh?” Sam asked Dean about the others. “One emptied his IRA, the other, his kids' college fund, all on the same day.” Now that's what I call commitment. “Nude girls?” I questioned. “A club called 'The Honey Wagon'.” Very on the nose I see. “These guys have affairs too, with a stripper also known as Jasmine?” “Yes and no. This is where it gets interesting. Each guy hooked up with a different chick.” “So, is there a secret princess stripper operation going on?” “Well, they all described their stripper in the same way, the exact same way. Perfect, and everything that they wanted.” Like build your own sex doll factory. “Yeah, at least until dream Barbie convinced them to murder their wives.” Sam said being right and a little bit funny. “You know, it's almost like they were under some kind of love spell.” “Exactly what I was thinking I mean usually girls will just take the money and be happy with that but whatever this is it wants devotion that comes from love and for them that means murdering that woman containing the man's life.” I agreed with Sam. “Sure seems that way.” Dean replied back. “Which caused them to become totally psychotic.” “Absolutely.” 

As we entered the strip club, I felt I had at least a dozen pair of eyes landing on me, half of them wanting to see me up on the stage and the other half seeing if I was here to bust them for cheating. “We’re looking for three girls. Jasmine, Aurora and Ariel.” Dean said to the manager as his eyes wandered to the stage. “You seriously think those names mean anything to me?” He said almost annoyed also he was eyeing me up and down. “One's a redhead about 5'9". The other one's Asian, about…” I said getting his memory going hopefully. “You have any idea how many girls I deal with? Fake names, fake hair, fake…” He said, referring to the chest area. “You gotta have some sort of paperwork. Cheque stubs. Some way to keep track of the strippers.” Dean said to him. “Please, exotic dancers. Independent contractors working for cash. I stay out of their hair, they stay out of what little I have left.” “Sir, three of your customers murdered their wives. You don't think that that's weird? Or at least to raise a little concern.” I said to him. 

“Sweetheart, I think that's super-friggin' weird. But you know what it ain't? My problem. And if it turns out one of my employees is a murderer coordinator, I’ll have a spot open. You could have it, you know, if the FBI doesn't work out. I know it's a lot of work for women.” I almost pulled out my gun right there, but I held myself back and Dean looked the same. “Agent, could you go get us some drinks? I got this.” I said turning to Dean and he gave me a look of are you sure and I looked back, yes. “Sir I am just fine in my job, and I will take on more weight in my life then you will ever do in your long single life. Your workers work hard for themselves, and their families and they deserve respect as does anyone and they aren't just objects that you can talk about so carelessly. Next time you want to make a comment like that in front of me I just want you to remember I have a Glock on my side.” I finished walking away leaving him shocked and a little afraid. I walk over to the boys getting to the table and downing my drink I needed to after dealing with that little gremlin.

“Y/n I think he peed himself a little … good job!” Dean said high fiving me. “Just another day another mean person taken down any luck with Bobby?” I asked Sam. “A little. We officially have a theory.” “What’s that?” Dean and I both ask. “Siren.” Ohh that makes sense. “Like Greek myth siren, the Odessy?” Dean said surprising Sam but not me. I knew Dean was smarter than he let people know. “Hey, I read!” He said offended at Sam's look. “Yeah, actually. But the siren's not actually a myth, it's more of a beautiful creature that preys on men, enticing them with their siren song.” “Let me guess, 'Welcome to the Jungle?' No, no. Warrant's 'Cherry Pie.'” Dean responded. “Ha good one but I think Sam means more of allure like a promise of perfection.” “

So, they shake their thing and the guy's zombie out.” “Basically, yeah. Sirens lived on islands, sailors would chase 'em, completely ignoring the rocky shores...and dash themselves to pieces.” Sam added back in. “Sounds like Adam and his buddies.” Dean said back. “exactly” “Yeah. If you were a siren in '09 looking to ruin a bunch of morons, where would you set up shop?” “So whatever floats the guy's boat, that's what they look like?” Dean said confirming it. “Like Disney princesses” I said back. “Yeah. You see, sirens can read minds. They see what you want most and then they can kinda, like, cloak themselves. You know, like an illusion.” “So, it could all be the same chick? Morphing into, uh, to different dream girls?” “Yeah, actually. Probably. Sirens are usually pretty solitary.” “So, uh how do we kill it?” I ask. “Bobby's working on it. Even if we figure that out…” “How the hell are we gunna find it? It could be anybody.” 

Dean and I were waiting in the motel room for Sam getting info on the new guy and looks like he left his phone. Dean picks it up. “Dean, come on, maybe we should ask him.” “Y/n with everything that has been going on this past year do you think he would tell the truth.” He doesn’t let me answer and dials the number anyway and puts the phone on speaker. “Hey, Sam.....Sam?... You there...?” Guess who was on the other line my best friend Ruby. We both look at each other in disbelief and he quickly hangs up the phone as Sam comes back in. “Lenny Bristol was definitely another siren vic.” He said walking in the room. “You get in to see him?” Dean asked him, sounding like he was trying not to punch him. “Yep. He brought home a stripper named Belle. Couple hours later he offed his mother. Belle, of course, went MIA.” “Wait, he killed his mom?” “The woman he was closest too.” Then Sams phone rang. “Yeah, you, uh, forgot your cell phone.” I said handing it to him. He gave me weird look. “Hey Bobby.” “Ahhh, no. And, uh, it doesn't seem like she's slowing down any. You got anything?” 

“Hold on a sec, I'll put you on speaker.” He puts the phone on the table for all of us to hear. "It says you need "a bronze dagger, covered in the blood of a sailor, under the spell of the song". “What the hell does that mean?” I ask. “You got me. We're dealing with 3000 years of the telephone game here.” “Best guess?” “Well, the siren's spell ain't got nothing to do with any song. It's most likely some kind of toxin or venom. Something she gets in the vic's blood.” “And makes them go all Manchurian Candidate. Uh, what do you think, she infects the men during sex?” I asked. “Maybe.” “Supernatural STD.” “Well, however it happens, once it's done the siren's gotta watch her back. She gets a dose of her own medicine…” “It will kill her.” I said finishing Bobby’s sentence. “Like a snake getting iced by its own venom.” “So, we just gotta find a way to juice one of the OJs in jail?” Dean said thinking it was going to be that easy. “Not that easy. None of those guys are under the spell anymore. Haven't got a clue where you're going to get the blood you need.” Sam looked like he was thinking. “I think I might have an idea.” He said talking about the blood if we could see it and maybe he could see the doctor again. “Be careful. These things are tricky bitches. Wrap you up in knots before you know what hit ya.” We left ready to go to the hospital and me wanting to talk to Sam about Ruby before Dean would blow up about it. 

“Dr. Roberts.” Sam said to Cara. “Agent Stiles. Can't stay away, huh?” Yup they are definitely feeling each other out. “Actually, uh, we're here on business. About the blood samples. The ones with the high...you know...oxytocin?” “Do you still have them?” I ask. “Mm-hmm.” “Good, we need them.” Dean replied a little rude there. “What for?” She asked. I was about to answer when this handsome man walked up to us in a suit and tie. “Excuse me, Dr. Roberts?” “Yeah?” “Excuse me, uh, we're a little busy here, buddy.” Dean said, pulling out his FBI badge and then so did the man. “Yeah, so am I, pal.” Oh, shit it was a real agent and a cute one at that. “Doc, can you give us a sec, please?” Sam said to Cara. “Sure.” She said backing away. “What's your name?” Dean asked very rudely you know if you're going to fake being an FBI agent you should probably not be a dick to a real one.

“Nick Munroe. What's yours?” I answered before they started to pull out to measure. “I am special agent Y/n Ross, and these are my partners Sam Stiles, Dean Murdoch.” “Y/n that's a pretty name.” Damn it am I blushing I think I’m blushing. “Thanks, I like yours too” What is going on with me? “What office are you from?” Sam stepped in. “Omaha, Violent Crimes Unit. My SAC sent me down here to see about the murders.” “You?” He asked and felt like he was looking at me when he said it. I felt like I was in middle school again.”D.C. Our Assistant Director assigned us.” Dean answered. “Oh, which AD?” “Mike Kaiser.” “What are your badge numbers?” He asked. “You're kidding, right?” “Dean he's just doing his job here you can call our AD and we can sort this out maybe we can even work together.” I said the words before I could even register them. No, I don't want Nick to be around us to find out that we’re not real FBI agents, but I can't stop talking. 

I handed him the card and he took it out of my hand, but he also grabbed it slowly and I got pulled a little with it. He went over to the corner to call our “AD” aka Bobby cooking. While they both turned to me. “Y/n are you serious right now?”  Sam said to me. I get upset at that. “What you Dean are the only ones allowed to date. Is it because he's a real agent and that he's threatening your power.” I said to them, and they were both shocked I was a little too. “No of course not-” “Good then he can help us and don't worry I won't let him really know what's really going on I'm not Dean of how he bangs a girl for a couple months and then tells the family secret to.” I finished referring to Cassie from a couple years ago who Dean really did love. I knew that was a bitch thing to say but for some reason I didn't really care at that moment. “Y/n -” “I'm sorry, guys.” Nick said, walking back to us. “That's okay Nick you were just doing your job.” I said, smiling softly. As my brothers stood there both were wondering what was going with their sister. “Where are you at with this?” He asked us. 

“Where are you at with this?” Dean asked trying to suss out how much Nick really knew. “Well, I was just about to run the, uh, perps' bloodwork.” I jumped again at the opportunity to talk to him. “We we’re too great minds think alike huh? But it turns out to be a dead end sadly.” “Oh yeah? But get this. I feel like I found something that, uh, connects all the murderers.” “Oh my gosh, that is so smart Nick.” “Thank you Y/n. Get this they were all banging strippers.... from the same club.” “You don't say!” Dean said with a sarcastic undertone. “What do you say we, uh, go down there and check it out?” “YES, I mean yes we definitely should investigate.” I said getting closer to him. “Well, here's the thing, Nick. See, we're kinda lone wolves…” Dean starts to say but Sam stops him. “You know what, that sounds like an excellent idea. Just... just give me a second with my partner and we'll, uh...one sec. Come here.” Sam brings Dean over to the corner. While Nick and I talk.

“Dude, you gotta stay with him.” Dean did not want to do that. “What?” “Keep him outta the way. Also, to keep an eye on Y/n there is something wrong with her.” They both look to Nick and I giggling up a storm and as I kept on touching Nick on the shoulder which if I do like guy, I don't do that. “Yeah, okay what are you going to do?” “I'm gonna do the blood samples.” “What the hell am I supposed to do with him?” “Just take him to the strip club...keep an eye out for the siren. Come on, Dean, just... just focus on the naked girls. You'll forget he's even there! And try to keep Y/n away from him.” Dean thought if I can as he looked over to me just staring at Nick like he was the messiah. 

Dean, Nick and I were back at the strip club and the two men currently are going off on each other of music knowledge. “Nobody's Fault But Mine.” Dean questioned. “Zeppelin recorded it in '75. It was a cover of a Blind Willie Johnson tune.” “Good job Nick” I winked at him and grabbed his hand a bit. “You Shook Me.” Nick questioned back and I answered this one. “'69, debut album, written by Willie Dixon and J.B. Lenoir.” “Nice Y/n, pretty and brains your boyfriend is a lucky man.” He said, staring at me. “Well maybe lucky for you I don't have one.” I said getting closer. Dean saw us getting closer and realized he was dropping the ball on watching me. “You know dude, for a fed you're not a totally dick.” Dean said stopping Nick and I. Nick was confused. "Aren't all of us feds?” He asked. 

The three of us were walking to the car and Nick saw the car. “All right, we're taking my ride, no complaining about the tunes.” Dean said. “No way. You drive an Impala?” I knew Nick was a cool guy and it looks like Dean is about to find out too. “It's a '67, right? It's a 327 four barrel.” wow spot on. “Yeah, actually.” Dean said confirming it surprised that Nick knew about it. “It's a thing of beauty.” When he said that he also looked at me and winked. “How the hell did you talk the Bureau into letting you drive your own wheels? “Maybe because we're fake. But Nick doesn't need to know that.

“Yeah, I know, I just...you know, not a lot of feds are as cool as us, huh?” Smooth Dean smooth. “So, what the hell with this case, man? How does a girl talk four different johns into murder?” Nick asked Dean and not really me. “It's a crazy world.” “I guess. Hey, can I level with you?” He asked. “I found something kinda weird.” “Well. You have bought your weird to the right spot. Lay it on me.” “I went to the crime scene this morning. Saw them bagging this up.” He showed us this evidence bag with flower petals in it. “So, I went back, uh, through all the files. It turns out a flower just like that was found at every crime scene.” It looked familiar. “Like it was left on purpose?” Dean questioned. “You know, sometimes a serial killer will leave an object behind, like a calling card. But with this case? Tell you the truth, I got no idea what's going on.” “I think I might. I've seen a flower like this before.” He said getting up to go into Cara, but I didn't care all I cared about was Nick at that moment. 

“Why don't we get out of here.” Nick said, standing up holding out his hand for me to take. We ended up in this little cafe and we talked fully for those two hours, and he seemed really into the same things I like. He started to lean closer and closer and was looking at my lips, but my nerves got in the way. “Uh sorry Nick I will be right back.” As I walked to the restroom, I did not see his expression change from a smile to an annoyed one. I walked to the restroom and locked it and went to the mirror. “You got this y/n you are amazing.” 

“Y/n? Let's go” “You got this it's just research and plus Nick might need help right Nick?” “Most definitely I could use the help.” I giggled at him again. Dean didn't have time to deal with this.”Alright you know what Y/n meet us at the room in two hours okay.” “Okay” I answered not even looking at him. 

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As I finished my sentence, I saw something I was not expecting. “Cas?’” I turned around to say something instead he came up close and suddenly I was in a random field. “CAS WHAT THE HELL?” I yelled at him. He didn't say anything as he came close and touched my forehead and it was like a fog had lifted. “Oh my gosh what happened to me?” He replied. “You were under a pre love spell.” He said so casually. “A pre-love spell, what does that even mean?” “It means the siren that you were so close to almost had you completely under his control.” “Nick?” I asked and he nodded his head. “That scaly Motherfucker.” “Wait, how did you know?” I asked him. “Were you following me?”  “I was” “Why?” “I sensed you were in trouble.” I couldn't even figure that out because I was covered in that love fog. “Thanks, you really are a guardian angel.” “I was just doing my job.” 

“Yeah, Cas for a job that's pretty amazing. I guess I'm pretty lucky to have an angel as a friend.” I said finishing and smiling. “Friend?” “Well to me you are, you keep saving me and listening to me that's what friends do Cas.” “Right friends” He said and looked happy? “The siren! I have to worn Sam and Dean.” “Send me back.” He hesitated not wanting to send me back to danger, but he knew I would get there one way or another. He came up to me and before holding up his fingers and said, “Just be careful” That made me happy that he cared to tell me that. “Don't worry I always am.” He then put his fingers back on my forehead and I was back at the motel.  

I went straight to our room calling Dean and then Sam because they were not answering. “Dean, pick up your damn phone, the siren is Nick! Be careful.” I walked in the room and as soon as the door closed, I had a pair of arms run into me. “Daaa!” I was struggling to see you had me pinned then I saw Nick walk in front of me. “Y/n where did you go? We were about to get to the fun part of our date.” I looked to the side and just saw Sam standing there. “Sam! Help!” Nick laughs at me. “Ohh Y/n your brothers won't lift a finger unless I tell them to” I then looked behind me and it was Dean who was holding me back. “So, you just come in and home wreck everyone into murdering their loved ones.” “I give those guys what they want. I just lift the blind and give them permission to do what they always wanted to do. And I got what I wanted, your brothers.” “Sam why don't you give your sister a nice punch not on the face though I don't want it too damaged.” Sam walked in front of me and punched me in the stomach as Dean held me.

“Uhhh” I wanted to fall from the impact, but I couldn't. “Your brothers are mine Y/n” “You poisoned them.” “No Y/n I gave them what they wanted as it looks different for each person. What you want no crave is love. I mean I have never seen a person fall harder for me. You must not never have been in love don't worry you will be in a minute. Dean hold her up right and Sam hold her mouth open.” They did without being told twice. I try to fight it but it's impossible because of how strong my brothers were put together. Nick opens his mouth wide and squirts his toxin in mine. I am let go and drop to the ground. “Now why don't we get back to that kiss sweetheart.” Nick said getting closer as I punched him right in his kisser. “You can take that kiss and shove it up your ass sweetheart.” He goes to touch his face and finds blood.

“Okay bitch how did you do that you not human or something?” “As far as I'm concerned One hundred percent.” “Ha okay that was some good entertainment thanks. Boys, why don't you kill her and then you two will fight to the death and whoever wins gets to be with me forever.” Wait what? Oh shit. They start to circle me. “Little Y/n/n the bane of our existence. I mean Sam and I have always had to hold your hand through everything. It's pathetic right Sammy.” “Yeah, Dean I mean we would have such a better life if she wasn't here.” “Then let's take care of her.” Dean said running at me. I dodge it good thing they taught me to fight men two times their size. Somehow, I got knocked out by one of them. “Y/n Y/n!!!” I was being shaken awake. It was Bobby. I was confused. “Bobby what happened?” I said and standing behind Bobby were my two brothers looking Sad.

================================================

It was the next day, and no one was really talking. Bobby came from his car handing us sodas as in telling us he was happy that we were okay well physically. “Thanks, Bobby. You know, if you hadn't shown up when you did…” Sam said not wanting to finish his sentence. “Done the same for me, more than once. Course, you coulda picked up the phone. Only took one call to figure out that Agent Nick Munroe wasn't real.” Yeah, not real neither was he liking me. “You guys gunna be, OK?” I didn't say anything. I was hurt not just from the fight. “Y/n?”

“Mmhh of course always am.” I was lying to myself, and everyone knew it. “See ya.  You know, those sirens are nasty things. That it got to you, that's no reason to feel bad.” He got in his car and drove away wishing I was with him. “You gunna say goodbye to Cara?” Dean asked Sam apparently, they had got into a different type of research. “What's the point?” “Well, look at you. Love 'em and leave 'em.” “Y/n, look, you know we didn't mean the things we said back there, right? That it was just the siren's spell talking?” “Yeah, me too.” It was more silence like we knew we were all lying. “'Kay. So... so we're all good?” Sam said, looking at both of us because he and Dean had their own nasty fight. “Yeah, we're good.” Another lie. 

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That was it, I hoped you liked it! Wow this chapter was a lot more intense than my others and we didn't get much Cas because I thought it should be a more sibling relationship chapter, but I still got a scene of him caring and maybe a little jealous because CAS. The name I used for the fake agent's name was ode to Diana Ross like how Sam and Dean do classic singers all the time. I'm trying to progress Y/n’s and Cas’s relationship not too fast and not too slow so hopefully I'm dealing with that okay. I'm so excited we are just getting closer and closer to the season finale which is crazy. As always thank you for reading and the likes. If anyone wants to be added to the tag list, just ask nicely in the commits.

@vfandom hope you liked it!

[joculine]

DIE Issue #5 Reread (Gillen & Hans)

We are so back. Lets get into Premise Rejection.

This is my second favorite issue of the first arc, after Issue #2. I think it holds my favorite panel, which we'll get to later. This is a really bombastic finale to the trek to Glass Town and it sets up what will become a wild couple arcs. I'm sure you aren't expecting a standard ending to this "hero's" journey from DIE and that's certainly not where we're going. Let's get into it.

Art

I really like the design of this harvest god above. He's massive and lanky, and seems like kind of a mess.

I absolutely adore the design of this robot brain guy from the Eternal Prussian forces. Look at him.

What a weird little thing!

This issue is also full of stand out appearances for Ash and Sol. And gosh... are they stand out...

Good lord these two are volatile together. This is a great example of a relationship between a GM and their most "In It" player. The issue is really just long fight for control over the plot. I love that they are made for each other in the worst ways possible.

So About The Fallen

Part of why this is my second favorite issue of the arc is that it has the second Oh Shit moment of this comic. The reveal that the Fallen are dead players is such a great plot point. It clicks with the whole fantasy becomes reality becomes fantasy again deal, it keeps Sol around to stir up trouble after his death, totally re-contextualizes this type of enemy and how they've treated them, and, best of all, raises far more questions than it answers.

Big contender for my favorite Sol panel.

So everyone who has ever played this game and died ("the word is die") is revived as The Fallen. What does that actually mean? Aren't our crew here the only kids who have played the game? How are there so many Fallen here already? What about the elf queen, who was an NPC Sol made?

For those first questions, perhaps this is the Homestuck in me or perhaps this is me back-reading some later plot into this, but it seems pretty obvious some sort of time shenanigans needs to be in play. And it eventually sort of will be. (It will be quite similar to how Skaia functions actually.) We'll save that for the issue it shows up in, wayyy down the line.

As for the NPC Fallen, I believe there's some clarification in the RPG book here—there are Fallen, the monster and enemy a GM can throw out and there is the Fallen class, which all players receive upon dying in DIE. Diegetically though, I think there is not much difference between an NPC who has been abandoned or skipped over and a player character (or player as the case is here) who has died. They are both expended beyond their purposes and given a new role as detritus. They also have a drive to claw relevance back from the blood of the Paragons, something that would bring them back to life (and back into importance.) DIE has a zombie curse but only for those who would make the most emotionally painful zombies to deal with. Very on theme.

In this way, it's also very Dark Souls, isn't it? I wondered about this too for those games. Why can Ornstein and Smough not just come back hollowed and kick my ass again? They lack the curse of Undead, that tormenting anchor of relevance that only affects those hungry enough for dominance to keep going past the point of death.

Those who are Fallen (like the Paragons or the Chosen Undead) are meant to exist as long as needed to see their stories to the bitter end. Is that curse something imposed on them? Yes. Is it something they feed into themselves? I think so. There's nothing stopping Sol from just giving up at this point. But that's not what he's going to do. He's going to keep going because he can't let go of the game. Dying is no reprieve. And hey, now the Fallen aren't so morally simple to kill after all! Remember what Izzy was saying about the House Rule? Looks like they may have been cutting into actually Real People from the Real World for some time now. Ruh roh. We'll see this play out more soon. For now, we can think about how poor Sol has found out he is more at the whims of Die than he may have thought.

Speaking Of, Sol Has Kind Of Always Been Like This

Which I'm sure comes as a very painful shock to him. He's someone that views himself high above the players, a plotter pulling the strings. A real mastermind GM type.

That's what this boy is telling me. His work, be it Legos, Glass Town, the ruleset, or his grand second game, it all exists in a complete, crystaline state. You admire it. You follow the path he has set out for it. It is "finished" before any of the players set foot back on Die.

This is, of course, not how things will go. The title of this issue is Premise Rejection after all. Ash figured out quite quickly that Sol has put them in a railroading Saw trap to force them to play along. In response, she is guiding the party to pull it apart by the screws. Rather than look for these keys or whatever the Chamberlain was talking about, everyone has used their skills to pick away at Glass Town's defenses and put the big robot army against Sol's cool magic castle. With a fairly light application of their magical power, they manage to pull of city wide carnage at little risk to themselves.

This is classic player behavior and a great example of how a little thinking can tear down even the grandest GM constructions. Remember how we talked about how Glass Town was a pretty poorly thought out city? Sol is finding out just how problematic his plot holes are proving to be.

I love watching him come down with his big stupid cape. Look how unprepared for this he was. Do you think he was hiding at the top of Glass Town the whole time? I bet he even had a palantir or something. What a dork.

Very quickly we watch him start to edit the rules on the fly like a flailing GM. The damage is already done, so at this point he's flexing out of spite. Look, he's even restricting class abilities:

I do find it interesting how Sol's Master abilities are written to reflect Ash's Dictator ones. They're both italicized and both have squiggly lines around the speech bubbles. They're also both highlighted in colors, Ash with red (a major one in her color palette) and Sol with blue (also in his palette).

Let's connect their magic briefly with color (we'll talk more about color very soon) and say the red Dictator compulsions in this issue are destructive and "game breaking" while the blue/purple Master laws are defensive and "game enforcing."

Importantly, they both deal with the narrative but in different ways, Ash more with emotion and motivation, Sol with what people and things can literally do. We know from go that a Dictator is a story-teller and a plan-maker... that's not too dissimilar from a GM!

But Sol, huh? What a sore loser.

A Dictator's Best Weapon

I never really got why Ash has this crazy death touch thing. It struck me as an odd choice to give the social manipulation class. Chloe shared her thoughts with me when we were talking about DIE a few months back and it's illuminated things for me.

The Dictator commands emotion, yes, but they command narrative as well. What is this death touch if not the ultimate command—a powerful punctuation to the Dictator's arsenal. If making you love her doesn't work, making you dead will get the job done too... and there's certainly no way to argue with Ash on that. It's as though she's walking around with a big pen she can use to strike out bits of Sol's story she doesn't like. She went big here and scratched out the author section. Yikes. Hope you got a plan to follow up on that, Ash!

Look at her go, already editorializing just seconds away from killing Sol. Do we think Ash believes the narrative she's telling herself? Do we think she believes she can make us buy into it? The great part is, I don't really know! It's moments like these that pull us out of the story and remind us we're being given most everything through Ash's words that get to the core of what DIE is after. It's about these people trapped in stories of their own making and how it turns them into quite awful characters.

This is probably the darkest we've gotten so far. A great reminder to Ash's friends and first example to the reader at just how much she can commit to playing the anti-hero. Anyway, let's get back to the death touch.

This is the other half of that power—the power of its implication. See how Hans has set up this panel: first, your eyes hit the glowing hand, the brightest object in the panel and the thing that has just killed Sol. Then you move back to traditional left to right and see Ash. She's crying, but resolute. Then her words. They're harsh. Maybe understandable though? Then back at that hand. It's not just the weapon that killed Sol now, but the thing that may touch someone else. She's reaching out for their hands to start the ritual. She's letting them know what "anything" means... they'd better be unanimous. Now that's a master manipulator at work.

This is that favorite panel BTW.

How Far Is Too Far?

Here's another stand out panel from this issue. Ash's expression is exquisite: pain, anger, thrill, resolve. It's all there. This comes moments after using the voice to completely dominate the Chamberlain of Glass Town and it's not what I'd expect to see from her.

She's filling her role both as Dictator and schemer and yet I feel like she's about to throw up or cry. Or both. The metaphor here paired with the destruction she saw the from the Steel Dragon in Issue 3 is delectable. She's recognizing the horrible power she's choosing to wield in order to bring ruin to Glass Town... but she's also not rejecting it.

This is a question DIE is going to keep asking of its characters: how far are you willing to go with your role? Will you play your part even if it is horrible? What if harnessing the power of a Paragon is your only option? What if it's not?

Here's Angela, the badass cyberpunk, failing to both be grizzled or distant from her humanity. I think it's interesting Case, such an innocent pet, is mechanical, especially given that our other examples of robotic entities are all warmongering automatons. She treats him as so real, while she views the Prussian leaderbot as a tool to be hacked and who's autonomy is to be overridden. That's not to say I think that leaderbot is isn't merely an automaton though... I actually think this is more damning to how Angela anthropomorphizes Case.

I said last issue Case is a pricey distraction. I think that's still correct. Even here she feeds him one last piece of Fair Gold, understanding he will probably die again tomorrow. It's a bit of a waste before what's going to be a dangerous battle.

Matt, meanwhile, seems perfectly able to indulge in his pain enough to... save his friends? Or start an attack on a city full of people? Both I suppose. Not a great look but one he appears to have little issue with for now.

This interaction stood out to me this read. I've always had trouble understanding why the Emotion Knights have talking weapons. It's cool, obviously, but I had trouble seeing something deeper than that. I realized tonight though, these weapons are their emotions, not separate entities.

That sword is Matt's own worst impulses, weaponized both literally against his enemies and psychologically against himself. After all, what is a knight but their weapon? "Don't listen to it," Ash says. She might as well say "That's just the depression talking." Yeah, no shit.

Another quick observation... is she even listening? Getting "back to [his] family" is exactly what the sword (Matt's own grief) is worried about. Very empty words, but perhaps very intentional to keep Matt on track and focused.

Chuck has no problems living as a swashbuckler in a fantasy world because he is Chuck. No other comment needed.

Imagine for a moment that I stopped there and moved onto Isabelle. I feel it's important to at least entertain the hypothetical joke if we're going to talk about the Fool. Chuck (and his class) exist as a joke, but he's a joke you have to take seriously eventually, right? And be respectful and shit.

We see his carefree and self-focused attitude come to a head when he draws a gun on Ash. Yes, Chuck has no problems living as Die wants him to and he's willing to go frighteningly far to keep it that way.

Joining him is Izzy, who has begun to take her role as a "cleric" very seriously. What's going on here is complicated. Let's lay out the facts:

Isabelle is the one who brings up the House Rule. "We treat Die as if it's real." She's also expressed fear at being relied on as a teacher (both holy and high school), while still assuming responsibility of it.

This moment is a union of those two traits. She wants to stay in Die because these are real people who's lives they've ruined and she feels like someone needs to step up and guide them. While she hates the idea of doing that, she (very rightly) does not trust anyone else to a good job of helping the residents of Glass Town (or perhaps any job.)

This is especially odd with the role of the Godbinder, who deals in debts and balances with the gods. As she describes in 1991, she's an atheist with pets—really more demonologist than cleric.

Excepting Angela (who I think is underused in this issue TBH,) the party is in full roleplay here. What comes of that commitment? The burning of Glass Town. Not a good sign.

The Emotion Wheel

This is already so damn long and emotion wheel talk is going to drag it even more... but I need to do it at some point. Let's start with the first proper introduction of the wheel.

Oh look, it's Plutchik's wheel of emotions. This is not an original insight, it comes directly from one of Gillen's essays in the back of each issue. I think we might respond to those directly soon.

The wheel posits that all emotional states are variations of mixtures of 8 core feelings. This is how the Dictator and Emotion Knights function (the former mechanically, the knights more textually. Sol may be a fan of Plutchik's work.) Dictators treat this as a palette to work with, Emotion Knights as a sworn order to follow.

I think there is a strong connection between the coloring used in many of these panels and the colors on the wheel. Memory scenes, for instance, play with purple and blue: disgust, sadness, remorse, disapproval. Ash's story of the Joy Knight is pink and red, quite far from the yellow of joy and closer to contempt, loathing, and anger after many years walking as a corpse.

But Cassie, you may say, Ash's dictator powers are always red... and so is Matt's sword! Hold onto that thought with Matt, but it's also not an exact key. Which is good! I think that would be pretty boring!

As I noted in the Dictator/Master section, I've thought of reds and blues and destructive and constructive magic. This follows with the red skeleton, the blue magic core mantaining Glass Town's shield, the red sword that destroys it, and Isabelle's portals to escape.

I also think that Fantasy Heartbreaker is just a really really red arc. If I remember correctly, future arcs have a more varied palette. Perhaps there will be more color for us to explore there.

Now that I've dropped this big unwieldy graph, I also want to share a bit about how much I love Emotion Knights. I've run a game with a Fear Knight before, which was a lot of fun. And could you imagine a Trust Knight, sapping and destroying bonds between people to use as critical hits? I can imagine a very potent relationship between her and her Dictator wife. Really just a fantastic and juicy concept. I think they should be in every game.

Other Thoughts

I don't have anything to say about this other than it's great.

I think it's fun how badly Ash reads Sol's eye theming. I don't think he's afraid at all.

It's almost impossible to see Dominic and Ash as the same person. Ash is just so... confident in everything. She schemes. She kills. She's beautiful. She's a dominatrix... but outside Die she just... isn't that at all. She's so scared and so hollow on Earth.

I say almost impossible, but that's not really true. I think it's a familiar feeling to many trans women. It's scary to see how hard she's fighting to go back to that in this issue. Is it good for her to do that? I don't think so. Not entirely. Is it easier for her to be on Earth than Die? I honestly don't know. But I think it appears easier to her. Die is the world in her closet, but it can be so painful to stay there when there's so much waiting for you outside it. And yet... I don't think she's ready to go. There's still deeper for her to go.

Kieron writes her well.

Next time we'll be talking about either the end of issue essays or just jump into issue #6, I haven't decided. It'll be much shorter than this, but we had a lot of character stuff to cover. I'll leave you on my favorite line.

[omentranslates]

Owari no Seraph chapter 135 english fan translation

AND I'M FINALLY CAUGHT UP official at here thanks as always bye

Having devoured his brother in arms, Ferid is preparing for the final decisive battle...

*horrible chewing sfx*

Owari no Seraph chapter 135: Beginning Battle of the End

Vampire Wives: ....Crowley-sama

Vampires Wives: Crowley-sama

Crowley: Ng...

Horn Skuld: We're finally able to see each other again

Horn Skuld: It's been quite a while, Crowley-sama. Although, ideally our reunion would have been under different circumstances

Chess: But seriously, Crowley-sama, how could you!? Did you even look for us once after we went missing, did you even spend a second of your time on searching for us!??

Crowley: Ah well, I figured you'd just gotten tired of me and run away

Chess: Like we'd ever!!!

Horn Skuld: No...I believe Crowley-sama knew what had become of us.

Crowley: Well, you two are my first disciples* afterall. In a way. But to think we'd all have been eaten by Ferid-kun. So what exactly is this place, what goes on here?

Horn Skuld: We're being slowly consumed during our demon transformation.

Crowley: So I guess that makes this Ferid's insides?

Chess: Just take a look over there!

Crowley: Well I'll be damned, so I guess I'll become a demon then. Something like the weapons the humans made, I wonder? Ferid-kun really is a man of many talents.

Crowley: Oh, shit-

Chess: This is how the digestion works-!

Chess: *screaming*

Horn Skuld: It seems that you'll lose consciousness as more of you gets digested.

Chess: iserysfdjsdfkljsd stopppppp

Crowley: Huh

Horn Skuld: It also, I should mention, doesn't seem that our voices are able to reach Ferid-sama from here. Since we were absorbed here, we've seen many vampires try to curse, question and scream at him, but...

Crowley: No answer?

Horn Skuld: None. At least, not to us.

Crowley: Hmmm, that so, Ferid-kun?

Crowley: Well, that's all well and good then. I guess we'll just watch from within, then. Maybe from in here, we just might catch a sight of that heart and those plans you've never opened up to us.

Ferid: You'd better watch closely, Crowley-kun. I want you to see the finale I've been working towards for so long.

Chess: WH-

Horn Skuld: How-

Horn Skuld: Crowley-sama!!?

Ferid: Let's get busy

Ferid: Now that I've eaten Crowley, who's lived within our plan for so long already, that probably just puts me past a third progenitor, but I wonder.

Ferid: Only one way to find out.

Yuu: Devour my desire! Mikaela, GO WILD!!

Saitou: These guys never want to just listen when someone's talking! Capture him unharmed!!

Ky: Are you sure about that??

Lest: Walk in the park, he's outnumbered.

Shikama: O Darkness, protect Y-.....

Shikama: Shit....Shinoa's attack is even affecting my physical body....she's a beast.

Shikama: O, Darkness. Turn the vampires to dust.

Yuu: *screaming*

Saitou: DUCK!!!!

Ky: Wh-

Lest: Huh?

Random Vampire Whose Name I Learned and then Forgot Again: Ah-

Ky: HOLY FUCK

Lest: What the hell are we in it with the First too!??

Ky: O, SWORD!!

Urd: Rigr!!

Saitou: Urd, watch my six.

Urd: O sword, drink as much blood as it takes.

Urd: Shit. Rigr, we're going to be in trouble fast if we don't cut them off at the source!!

Saitou: I expect nothing less of our Father, still having this much power.

Saitou: PROTECT!!

Yuu: HERE IT IS, MIKA!!

Saitou: DON'T LET HIM THROUGH, URD.

Urd: No way this is gonna end with 'unharmed.' Actually, if restraining him isn't an option I really don't care if he dies.

Shikama: Yuu...Yuu...**

Yuu: Ahh...he's got that same tired expression that was so characteristic of him in my memories...

Yuu: I still don't know if there's a way, but I've come to save you, Father.

Shikama: Hurry, I doubt I have much time left for what I need to pass on to you.....

Shinoa: Ha...hahaha!!!

Shinoa: All of it, all of it all of it all of it!!! I'm going to swallow you!!

Krul: .....what now? Your vibes are totally off, who are you?

Ferid: I'm a fan of yours, my queen.

The Third Progenitor Showdown begins....!!!

*this word can mean either family or like serfs, so I settled on something in between the two, so it feels like he has responsibility to them without assuming maybe more closeness than the text is willing to state

**Shikama here is calling Yuu like he called the eyeball in the ancient flashbacks. Earlier in this chapter or the last he was using the kanji for Yuu's name, like our Yuu, but here he's calling ユウ like the homonculous.

[captzexx]

2024: The Back 9

In the immortal words of Obi-Wan Kenobi.

I did this earlier in the year around…February? Yeah I believe it was then giving a general update to how the whole mental/spiritual fall apart was going (I refuse to call it a breakdown).

In two words, not good.

But there's always time to change and it's definitely not me putting an expiration date of myself just identifying that I may in a lot of trouble like I was a few years ago. I believed that losing weight, moving, dream job, and things going 'Milhouse' were going to fix so many things about me. It did not. And it will not.

Gotta keep going though. To many people are counting on me to be here and if I'm gonna be here I need to focus to get myself doing something. Anything.

So here we go with some basics and major updates to me:

Hi, I'm Zach or Capt Zexx or Mogwai Kraken depending on where we might talk. I'm an old man (40) with the aspirations of being something of a pulp adventure writer a 100 years too late. Being a standard millennial man swords, sorcery, metal, and nostalgia are all things I crave and love to follow but need to remember to temper as I'm not young as I was and definitely have a lot more responsibilities than I did when I first started this hobby of roleplaying. Sometimes I feel like the '84 years' meme when I think about how much of my online life has been pretending to be what I always wanted to be.

I'm deep into 'the Game' again. I'm actually playing. I'm itching to try and get with a group for writing/roleplaying. I'm terrified I'm gonna drop the ball and ruin another group of collaborators as I constantly seem to do. I don't mean to, it's just my brain and heart can't seem to hold hands long enough for us to make anything happen despite the lofty goals my brain sets.

We're gonna try though. I say this every time, but I gotta get up and do it again.

I have too.

So I've tried to rebuild/consolidate as I drag out the oldies with some newbies to try my hand in a bunch of different pots and see what sticks. No more closing blogs though, that really messed my brain up with losing stories and such when I got mad a few years ago. They belong in a museum for me to visit and library to be checked out once in awhile.

THE BLOGS The majority of these are all based out of the World of Warcraft. It's been my home for over 25 years, I can't get away as much as I might try. We're too entwined and I'm tired of fighting it, so I'm gonna embrace it and be comfortable in it.

Embers of the Order ( @embersoftheorder ) This is my main focus for protagonists for my writing and roleplaying. Can you guess who it involves? I can never get away from that wonderful Witcher inspired group of monster hunters from Kul Tiras, the Order of Embers. I love Drustvar so much and the head canon group I built up are always in the back of my mind when I listen to music or try to come up with something to write. But with the old faces like Eld or Cheryl, gonna try to bring some side characters to the front like Rachel or Beld or non-Ember members who can help like Ganus or Ramses. We'll see what happens but it's kind of nice having a heroic blog that I can store and play with them all.

An Unending Gaze ( @anunendinggaze ) As there is a light side of my roleplaying/writing there has to be a dark side. I've wanted for years to stretch my legs and limits to play more sinister types with a dark agenda or plans, but I guess I'm always more inherit-ably the good guy than a villain. But it doesn't mean I don't dream of firing the death star, forging the ring, or body hopping realities with an obsession for the Old Ones within the vastness of the Void. And I am leaning hard into that last one with Oplisca, my old cultist antagonist to my oldest character who I'm trying to mold into some kind of overarching monster. But I can't just have her as other characters have had their run-ins with so many villains. Alfred Klaudin the murderous zealot, the Fredman a roaming Drust serial killer, Kinowin the misplaced power hungry cultist, or Daesyd the money hungry architect. I'm working on them all and very willing to build more even those that aren't cultists or maniacs, the idea of a Light blinded soldier or a corrupted figure all come to mind. I need to work on it and would love if someone could help me or guide me with this menagerie.

A Third Blog? I'm tinkering with the idea of starting up a third blog for some more Horde oriented heroes as I find they don't really mesh with the Order of Embers group I have as my protagonist group. I want to roleplay more with the Horde, but I just don't have the experience with it which kind of makes it's exciting. I have Fenrag a wounded former blademaster, Cahall the disgraced Desolace chieftan, Wincott the fresh risen twin, Bronkull a Mag'har pilgrim, and who knows what else will start my fancy. Do you have ideas? Concepts? Guidance? I will take it all as I'm trying to navigate the 'Red side' of Azeroth.

QUIET PLACES A Crow Among Sparrows ( @acrowamongsparrows ) My Witcher OC work, which would be fun to go back into if someone were to poke or want to play around in. Take a peak and let me know what you think.

Conduit Dreams ( @conduitdreams ) Cyberpunk is always been a passion of mine and this was a place to put those neon lit inspirations away until that itch takes me again. Mecha, synths, rain, and dystopia make my heart beat faster.

With An Emerald Eye ( @withanemeraldeye ) Adventures in the pulp fantasy of swords, sorcery, and adventure. I love old Conan stories or Fafhrd and Gray Mouser tales of swords against devilry, I try to put it into my more higher fantasy stuff in Azeroth when I can but I would love to do more with low/weird fantasy stuff. Give me underground cults, jewel thefts, and brave people facing impossible odds. Plus kick ass art.

Sails on a Sea of Fate ( @sailsonaseaoffate ) My quiet retirement home for Zexx Candell and his brood in the astral sea lanes of Spelljammer. I love that setting and it seemed fitting after Shadowlands and the anger I felt when I left Blizzard before to go here with Treasure Planet inspired galleons coasting through the starry cosmos. D&D with Star Wars scope of conflicts, a simple description but I love the idea of it all and would love to touch it again.

Eldridge Candell ( @eldridgecandell ) The original blog for my main Eld Candell, Witch Hunter and Inquisitor of the Order of Embers. He's been transferred mainly over to the Ember of Orders blog, but I'll keep this live as an archive of his old adventures before these days in the War Within. It's a reminder of where I was those years ago and what I want to strive to be again.

THE FUTURE That sums it all up for the back half of 2024, it's not exactly brighter but I'm trying to avoid going darker personally. I want to make this work and get back in the habit of being creative. I need too.

If you wanna play, send me a message here and then we can switch to an alternate platform to collaborate. I'm available on the Discord, In-game, and the shiny new Blue Sky, just let me know where you're comfortable and interested in working.

Anyways, here's Wonderwall.

[chuckeroo777]

Frieren Liveblog- Chapters 33-36

Welcome back! Last time, Fern and Stark started to realize that they do, in fact, like each other. Lets see what happens as they make their way further north.

Huh, I didn't realize Frieren had any living friends outside the hero's party. This dwarf must be pretty cool to have Frieren nostalgic like this.

Also, confirmation that dwarves live for 300 years. I'm curious how old elves can get. We know Frieren is over 1000, but she shows no signs of slowing down.

I wonder how old Voll was the last time Frieren saw him. She isn't shocked at his age the way she was with Himmel.

You're one to talk. I suppose honor isn't too important when you're mostly fighting demons.

"Oh come on Fern, we've been having a misadventure, like, every chapter. A little time off would be nice."

"I wouldn't call 32 notable events over 4 years particularly strenuous. Spy X Family has over 100 chapters, and barely a single semester has passed."

Seems Frieren isn't the only long-lived person to have trouble making friends.

I can't tell if vanity is a core trait of Himmel, or if he's just really bad at flirting.

So, is he actually senile, or is he just a jokester? It's hard to tell when so many fictional badass old dudes like to pretend.

So, what are the odds Sein actually ends up falling for Frieren? I'd hope not, but you never know.

Eh, I've heard worse names.

So, what are the odds we find him this chapter? Law of foreshadowing suggests that bringing it up means it's relevant.

Frieren asking the real questions.

Frieren isn't present, so it's probably safe.

Huh. I genuinely didn't think he'd be relevant again.

Ah, is Sein gonna split from the party? Then again, it couldn't be that hard to get from Auberst to Tur, could it? Gorilla has been gone for ten years, and Frieren isn't in a hurry, so surely we can visit both, right?

An important image.

Ah yes, that's where the best stuff tends to be. And never underestimate the value of a good cleaning spell. Never know when you'll have to deal with oil traps or poisonous moss.

It keeps happening.

Also, did their cabin rental not include furniture?

God, these two are adorable. Makes me wonder if their relationship is actually romantic, or if it's more of a sibling bond.

Then again, I'm the one who took forever to realize "The Monster who Wants to Eat Me" was, in fact, yuri, so take my romantic assessments with a grain of salt.

Yeah, this was the guy who one-shot a dragon.

Ah, I see Sein sees it as on the romantic side of things, while Frieren remains blissfully ignorant.

Hmm... I had the feeling Sein would leave the party, but this feels a bit abrupt. We'll probably see him again, but I wonder if it's imminent, or much further down the line. Maybe next chapter? Guess I'll find out in a minute.

What's stopping Frieren from getting a copy of the scriptures? Do they require special enchantments? Can you simply not use them if you don't have the "talent" they talked about a while back?

I've made plenty of mom-Fern jokes, but seriously. Frieren really did become Fern's step-mom, didn't she.

Amen to that.

How much medicine do you need? And where did you even get that thing?

Sein is gone, but not forgotten. Even if I've been reading it a lot slower than I normally do, this manga has been very nice. Very chill, very somber, very funny. I think that's why I stopped reading MHA. Stakes were just getting too heavy with no downtime.

Next time, we finally reach AuBerst. I wonder what makes it so magical?

[imjustforthefandoms]

TWSTOBER DAY 6 PART 2

Walking into the board game club was a completely different vibes. First,second and third years were scattered about. Some at tables, some on the floor, some with cards, others seemingly playing on their phones.

“Welcome to the Board Game club” Riddle turned to the voice, being met with the face of Azul. “How fortunate we are to have you join us here Riddle”.

“Oh, hello Azul” Riddle said. “I decided to come out and partake in the festivities. I was told you were holding an event today.”

“Ah Yes, today is Bring your own Game. We encourage our members and outsiders to bring their own games to share. Did you happen to bring one?” Azul replied, a smile plastered on his face.

“I did not have many games myself, but I did bring a deck of cards” Riddle replied, pulling out a deck of playing cards. Azul took the cards from him with a soft hum.

“Wonderful. You can set These on the game table. After that, you can join one of the games already started. I'm certain you could find one that suits you well. I hope you enjoy your time today.” he hands Riddle back his cards before Azul stepped away to talk with some other people within. Riddle let our a soft hum in thought, looking around the room with curious eyes. A few people were playing cards, another set were gathered around a projection, seemingly playing a game on the screen with their phones as controllers. Riddle felt like a fish out of water, everyone seemed to flow so naturally into these games. He would have stayed there frozen if a familiar face hadn't spoken first.

“Riddle. It is nice to see you here.” Riddle turned to face the voice,meeting the sleepy eyes of Silver. “I did not know you like board games.”

“Oh, hello Silver. No, I can't say I have a fondness for these games. But, I made a promise to take a break, and Cater suggested I come here.” Riddle replied, a bit of a pout on his face.

“I am in a similar situation” Silver added. “Lilia insisted that I should set training aside. I believe his words were ��Young ones like you should enjoy the carefree nature for a bit.’ so I wandered for a bit until I heard voices in here. “ Riddle let out a sigh, at least he wasn't the only one lost here.

“Well, I don't plan to stay long, so let's pick one and we'll play it together.” Silver gave a nod, the two of them walking around, looking at games of Poker, Uno, Candyland and the like. Until the two of them stumbled on the Game of Life. Riddle picked up the board game, humming softly as he read over the back of the box“This one seems beginner friendly. Let's play this one”

It didn't take long for others to join the game. Or for the game to grow more intense. What was meant to be one game with Silver turned into multiple rounds involving other students. The current round consisted of Silver, Riddle, Ruggie and Azul, Riddle gritting his teeth as Azul hit the jackpot once again.“There is no chance that you have not rigged the spinner in your favor!”Riddle exclaimed, glaring daggers at the mer as he sat there with a smug expression.

“How would I rig a spinner when you have been playing with it before I arrived? Surely you would have noticed.” Azul replied as Ruggie took his turn.

“There is a technique to your spin. The way you move your hand is rather precise.” Silver placed his hand on the spinner as his turn came around. “Something like…this” He flicked his wrist as he spun the spinner, landing perfectly on a 10. For a moment, Azul’s smirk shifted. “You've practiced spinning this. So you could always land on a certain number”

“Shyeheheh. You guys are way to serious for this game.” Ruggie chuckles, moving his piece further on The board.

“If I will play this game. I will play to win” He spins the spinner again, grumbling under his breath as he landed on a bankrupt space. “And I do not plan on leaving until I win!"

Cater sat in the lounge next to Trey, twiddling on his phone.

“Is Riddle still at that boardgame meeting”

“Yeah, I think he's been there all day” Trey replied, drumming his fingers on the couch. Cater let out a chuckle.

“Well. At least he's having fun”

AND WITH THAT HEARTSTABYUL IS DONE!

Onwards to the Savanaclaw

[astarab1aze]

❝ i wouldn't find the need to tell you 'i told you so' if you weren't so allergic to admitting i'm right. ❞ ig/loux

"Huh? Sorry, cain't 'ear ya over 'ow right I am, big guy!" so said the fox, having forgotten what they were even bickering about. He didn't talk to cops! They were always wrong! And perhaps he was being a little childish, slipping his hands free of the cuffs around his wrists and sticking his pinkies in his ears as if he'd never been caught in the first place - totally nonchalant. Ultimately grinning like a fiend, some massive part of him just itching get under Officer Iggy's skin. Of course, easier said than done, ignoring the man, especially when it came to wandering eyes, mmm-muscles--

He wrinkled his nose, the difference in expression slight and so, so hard to notice, leaning back on his elbows atop the pavement.

Well, maybe he could give him a chance... Hear him out, perhaps let him think he was right. About...whatever. It didn't matter, Loux was a little too distracted by all the individual little facets to Ignis' appearance, tracing the grooves of his scars and the swept up nature of his hair with an unreadable storm - taking in more, saving every bit he could and committing it all to memory, again. He wondered how many times that would happen, how many times he'd stare, and what reasons he really had to do so. It couldn't just be so that he could avoid the devil later when he was stirring up all the worst kinds of trouble again, could it? Or should he just swoon now and save them both a few more hours of pointless back and forth? He snickered.

Well, flirting would be a little more fun than bickering! Maybe Ignis should've muzzled him, too.

"Iffin I knew ya were gonna cuff me, I woulda jus bent over and saved ya th' trouble." What else could he say? How many more innuendos did he have in his repertoire? Was this working at all? Another snicker, a careful, telling bite of his lip. "Now ya went an' wasted th' opportunity, big guy... Tsk. Issokay, 'ere's always a nex' time! Maybe I'll e'en le'cha man'andle me int' th' back o' a patrol car - not gonna lie, tha'd be pret-ty hot." I'mnotintocops I'mnotintocops I'mnotintocops--

Okay, maybe I'm a little into cops.

"I mean, iffin ya e'en can. 'm a slippery guy, see if ya can catch me again an' we'll talk."

[sacred-stanning]

Chapter 11 Part 7: They don't want you to know...L'Arachel's true identity revealed...not clickbait

Last post, Tana was the only one left in enemy range, and, as predicted, the boss comes in and attacks her, but can't double her. She does pretty well since she manages to dodge again, and still gets her hit in.

I mentioned last post that the boss had only 1 res and only 7 attack speed. Well,

it's Luting time!

(She did well attacking, so we'll overlook the level up.)

Aside from the other gargoyle, we also have a couple of random eyeballs to take out.

I check out the range on the far one, and I see that Neimi can kill the close one and still be safe even if she gets hit on the counter. (My assumption is that I'll definitely take care of the gargoyle, but possibly not the far eyeball.)

*Sigh* Then Neimi misses one of her shots.

At any rate, Duessel takes care of the gargoyle, Cormag cleans up Neimi's mess, and Franz actually can easily reach the other eyeball, so things are looking good!

I move L'Arachel up to heal Moulder, who's been about half dead for a couple turns now.

Then I end turn and, before I know it, some random enemy suicides into one of my guys and the map ends!

Because it's a fog map with the rout enemy win condition, they don't actually show you how many enemies are left in the counter on screen, so it's not uncommon for this map to end like this.

Seth reports to Ephraim that the ship is cleared of enemies and that the ship itself appears to be undamaged.

L'Arachel is happy that we protected righteousness. :)

At this point, Ephraim finally finds out who this random woman is.

"I am called L'Arachel. I fight monsters for the sake of righteousness and order!"

She also reveals that she is actually the crown princess of Rausten, which is one of the other countries with a sacred stone.

And she mentions to Ephraim that she met a young woman who looked a lot like him. Ephraim realizes that she must have met his sister.

L'Arachel announces to Dozla that they are joining Ephraim's efforts to fight Grado. Dozla responds that, for Lady L'Arachel's sake, he will jump into a group of monsters, or into the sea...etc.

To which L'Arachel responds that "But of course my retainer would have such wonderful energy!"

I'm actually having a little trouble thinking of how to translate that sentence so that it sounds more like natural English.

She starts with the word "sasuga", which, like "yahari / yappari" which I mentioned before, is another cool word that does a lot of work all on its own.

It's often used when praising someone when you think the person has lived up to the expectations of them, and you want to express your appreciation of that. (Though it's not an inherently positive word, and it could be used to express that a negative result was as expected too.)

"Sasuga, Lute used her incredible magic proficiency to blast that gargoyle out of the sky in one shot!"

So it's a little like "Leave it to [name] to..." maybe. Or "Figures [name] would..."

It's generally written in hiragana, but it can be written 流石, "flowing rock" too.

Interestingly enough, the source of the "flowing rock" kanji probably has no direct relation to the meaning of this word.

The other word that feels awkward to translate is "kiai", which I made into "energy" above. But I feel like the word conveys a mix of energy and also attitude, especially when you are talking about someone who is working really hard, or putting a big effort into something.

Situations like this are where you really get to see the skills of translators, because translating very directly, and trying to capture every little nuance in the original might result in a very awkward-sounding sentence in the target language.

Sometimes the best way is to just totally reword things, but in a way that still captures the feel of the original.

But that's it for chapter 11!

Next up: Chapter 12, and more new friends!

[sumbier0]

I wanna rant about dsaf phones guys atthe same time head empty

We'll see what will come out of this

Steven the silly. Oingly. This man absolutely was going on a survival at all costs mode all the time after phoneyfication <4

Maybe the only thing that carried on when he lost his memories/life was the fact that trying to do the right thing got him killed. Like that feeling [although he wouldnt remember the roots of it] just adds onto his sense that he needs to do anything to survive. So heho bye trying to do the right stuff we need to be in line so we wont fucking die!

Tbh I wonder how much the "model scott" personality is at play here. I mean he still is quite different from other phonies we were able to encounter, but he wasnt stuck as phoney for so long like harry - and that time allowed his personality to sorta get onto the surface more. Anyway damm Steven is angry/mix of angry and scared . Honestly if henry didnt kill him off this guy probably would've been fine. Well as fine as tou can be while working at Freddy's. Anywya my point is he would just be chilling, maybe sometimes wanting everything to explode.

Yeah he wasnt the best person , mostly driven by overhwelming need to survive. Like for one framing jack for killing kids [tho depending on the route its less shitty I guess since sometimes jack did kill them]

Second, sending people to factory tho that was sorta programmed in. And again, probably would get him into huge trouble for stepping out of line. This is all just a big cycle of trying to survive and increasing the number of problems weighing you down, which in turn makes you even more desperate to survive

Hell even after his second death that still continues - running away from problems/mistakes, in this case consisting of people he wronged trying to talk to him. Well in his mind double murder him or smth similar.

But after that he actually tries tohet better :] hopefully whenever the whole main gang went in the end, it all got sorted out

I imagine before phoneyfication he probably was pretty awkward around most people, always not exactly knowing what to say

Just in general he didn't have many close friends. Oh also imo he was a realist but after becoming a phone guy probably a pessimist.

Okay I think I got everyhting out of my brain atm. Also actually Im gonna get into other phone guys elsewhen

Explodes

[purplerose244]

Watched the eighth episode of LEGO DreamZzz: Loved it!

EVERY NEW EPISODE IS MY FAVOURITE EPISODE! I feel very attached for all five of them, I want Mateo to keep working on his confidence, I wanted Cooper to keep walking his own way, I want Izzie to save her friends, I want Logan to better himself, I was Zoey to have more friends I... I... 😭😭😭

Also side note, the how to draw videos are super cute, Mateo is super good and also...

Mateo: I'll make a tutorial on how to draw all of these wonderous creatures, quite fascinating right? Anyway TODAY I'M GONNA DRAW MY VERY COOL FRIEND ZOEY

Yeah I'm pretty sure this guy has a crush 😂 And he thinks her eyelashes are pretty 💕💕

I'm super curious! ONTO THE EPISODE

(Yes I watched the whole first season already, and I was wondering if anyone knew where the second season is? I know someone on Youtube post it, but how? Where did it come out?)

THE BIGGER PICTURE

THE THUMBNAIL IS SHOWING MATEO AND ZOEY! ARE THEY FINALLY INTERACTING?!? I feel like we got lots of time to define Zoey's character, so I wonder if we'll see Teo showing more of his crush

DUDE THESE COMICS ARE SO COOL LOOK AT MY BABY GO 😍😍😍

Lol Mat dedicated two whole pages to Zoey and Zian, sweetie you're no subtle, it saves you only your shyness 🥰🥰

AWW HE WANTS TO TALK TO HER 💕

I know that he got a crush and obviously that's a major reason, but I really like how it's so simple. Mateo thinks she is really cool, she wants to talk to her. He really reminds me of me a lot 😅

Ah, the whole important milestone for every artist in school: having the courage to show his art to someone else

So not even Coop saw these comics? Only Izzie did? Interesting...

Logan is up to stuff apparently?

LOL we're finally seeing other professors aside from prof Oz and that one jerk coach! Interesting change from sensei Wu from Ninjago and sir Brickland from Nexo Knights, she seems nice

LOGAN IS BACK IN OUR TEAM?!?! 😍

Awww, he did have a bit of a change of heart! Did he realize Mateo is actually kinda great at leading and wants in? Or just really likes the team? Whatever the reason, welcome back mah dude! 💪💪

Gotta say that Izzie got great instinct, whenever something is wrong she feels it right away, so I'd trust her about this Insomniac Club

... or maybe it's a bunch of people playing Spyro or Ratchet and Clank, who knows 😂

Noooo stealing is a bad idea

NOOOO STEALING IS A BAD IDEA

Vincent's characters are quite different from each other, but they do have a common pattern: they make some pretty amazingly bad decisions 😂😂

TEO NO DON'T AGREE 😱

My baby got confidence only in the Dream World while not in the real world COME ON SWEETIE YOU CAN DO IT

Oh so we are using that locator thingie! It seemed very useful when they found it in the Night Bureau, even though the discarded it so easily

Is that thing not enough to find the Sandman? I guess not?

LOOK AT THE SCHOOL 😂

ZOEY IS THERE 👏👏👏👏👏

"Hey broseph, que pasa?" I just love these little spanish snippets, love to see some rep, especially in a LEGO show!

DUDE WHAT IS THIS COACH DREAMING

Interesting this aspect of this world, I thought that dreams were just the people landing on these realms and exploring, but I wonder if these worlds change according to the influence of the person dreaming

Julia seems like a very sweet lady... unfortunately she teaches math, therefore making her the evil incarnate 😡

I hate math sorry miss school memories

LOOK AT Z BLOB PUSHING MATEO I LOVE HIM SO MUUUUUUCH 💚💚💚💚

Zoey playing the guitar 😍 Well she has always showed she was a musical person, between the song and recognizing music notes in the seashell message, I didn't realize to which extent! It fits her

Is the Rad Radioactive some sort of narrative about drinking junk stuff before going to sleep? 😂😂

I... did not expect the Nightmare King to straight up say "dude-bro" 🤣

Awww, is Logan becoming self-conscious over causing so many troubles? I realize I've been very against him in the past but in retrospect, that must have been tough

Hey Nightmare Kin- I mean, Lance

Dude you're seriously using his insecurities against him? HE IS A KID DANG IT

I LOVE MATEO SO MUCH I CAN'T EVEN I SWEAR 😭😭😭😭😭 We got so many wonderful protagonists in the past but all with ego, with confidence, with inner strength, which is great. Then there's this kid who struggles so much into the real world, he's self-conscious about his art, he can't even talk to the girl he's into and he feels so little about himself

THIS KID WILL LEARN THAT ONE STEP AT THE TIME YOU CAN GET EXACTLY WHERE YOU WANT TO BE AND I'M ALL HERE FOR IT 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

Also can I just say, love me a guy who thinks his girl is the coolest person ever 👌👌

Fun fact, in the English dub Mateo says "T-That was amazing! Your song, I mean...", while in the Italian dub he says "Beautiful, amazing... your song!". It makes his feelings even clearer 💕

WELL HELLO MORE ANGST FOR ZOEY? Gotta be honest I did think that the song debacle was a big weak, but I didn't think there was a whole thing about losing everything, included a best friend! My poor super cool girl 😢😢😢

... is... is Zian the best friend? Did the Night Hunter hit the best friend, making it a night terror, but managed to break free and now he looks like this?

HEADCANON MOMENT DON'T MIND ME JUST HAVING A BLAST 😍

Now I get why Zoey was adamant over Izzie not calling her her friend... but I think this group is making her change her mind 💕

Logan, sweetie, why did you think rapping was a good idea? 😅

Okay, new theory... what if Ms. Castillo is Lunia? Maybe when defeated, Lunia retreated into the Waking World and stayed there. She seems to be always there to help, I kinda think it could be true

PLAN TIME WITH MATEO- Logan no stop what are you doing- DROP THE MATTIE NICKNAME DANG IT HE DOESN'T LIKE IT

I know you're trying but come on

I KNOW YOU'RE TRYING BUT STOP

YEEEEEE ZOEYYYYYYYY 😍😍

"That's what friends are for, right?" I'm super happy for her but also I love that Mateo is not smiling, he looks genuinely shocked like "DID I MANAGE NOT TO MESS IT UP?!" 😂😂

THERE'S A FROG TAXIE 😵‍💫

Julia seems like another stressed character, she just wants to play her music and relax for once in her life... yeah, she teaches math, that's understandable

Okay, see, Castillo is the first one to clap! I feel like she knows more than what she lets on and after my experience throught Ninjago and master "there's something I should've told you" Wu, I don't trust old LEGO people not to know stuff

They got the answers... still bad idea 😅

LOOK AT THAT EXCHANGE OF LOOKS THEY DIDN'T HAVE TO TALK ZOEY KNOWS NOW THAT HE WANTS TO BE HER FRIEND AND STRUGGLES WITH TALKING AND OMG LOOK AT HOW SHE LOOKS AT HIM WHILE HE WALKS TO HIS DESK SHE LOOKS HAPPY AND I BELIEVE GRATEFUL AAAAAAA- 🥰😍🥰🥰😍🥰🥰

Yes I might be shipping them, we'll see what happens but so far I like what I see 🥰🥰

Ah, so the answers were useless I see

And Teo knows they screwed up, alright that's nice that he didn't loose his integrity over something like this 👌👌

Okay but did all the other people hyped up the Destroyers the entire episode to troll them or because they actually fear them? Just how mean are these middle school students, seriously 😅

Yeah Teo needs to train, my son sucks at sports just like moi 😅😅

Nice to see Cooper is not letting Logan off the hook on this one! And still Teo is kind enough to apologize for being hard on him... even though he had rights for it 😅😅

Noooo Logan don't do something stupid

Logan??

LOGAN????

ONLY TWO EPISODES LEFT AND OMG I'M LIKING THEM MORE AND MORE 😍😍😍

[cirnosenki]

Cirno Senki Chapter 5 (part 3)

Several turns later

Seiga : My my. I came to experience the sacred and holy atmosphere, but...

Hehehe. I came across a scene that looks interesting.

Yoshika : Master Seiga, there’s something interesting ?

Seiga : Yes... Very interesting.

Iku : Eldest daughter, it seems someone showed up...

Tenshi : I can see that.

Seiga : You, the lady other here, can you give me a minute ?

Tenshi : Who are you ? You seem to be an hermit, what do you want ?

I'm busy killing time and diverting myself.

Seiga : I'm not sure whether you're busy or have spare time, but...

Anyway, I was wondering if you would let me help you.

Tenshi : Help ? I don't need it.

Seiga : How cold. You didn't have to be so cruel.

Besides, I'm sure my techniques will make your boredom disappear.

Iku : ………

Tenshi : Hmm.... Fine, go ahead. If you’re saying something like that, you must be confident, huh ?

Then, try and entertain me.

Iku : Eldest daughter, are you sure about this ?

Tenshi : It's fine. Having lots of ways to pass the time makes things even more enjoyable.

Let's see how interesting this hermit's power can be.

Seiga : Hehe, your approval is much appreciated. Well then, I'm looking forward to work with you, miss Celestial.

Iku : ………

Seiga : Yoshika.

Yoshika : Oooh ? You called, Master Seiga ?

Seiga : Yes, now is your turn. Go to those fairies and have a little rampage.

If you do your best, we'll eat delicious food afterwards, okay ?

Yoshika : Yaaay ! I'll do my best, Master Seiga ! Alright, I'm going !

Cirno : Hm ~ ? What's that ?

Letty : Something is coming...

Cirno : Hehe. No matter how many come, they're no match against me !

Let's leave that alone and beat that freak !

Daiyousei : Cirno-chan, is this okay ? Aren't we going to get caught between two fires ?

Cirno : It’s fine, it’s fine ! 'Cause I'll beat her before that happens ! Let's go, Dai-chan !

Daiyousei : O-Okay...

When Cirno's group progresses further

Tenshi : Geez, how pathetic. They can’t even hold them back ?

Sigh, looks like I have to do it in the end.

Iku : You look very happy.

Tenshi : It’s not like that. This is just unavoidable.

Iku : I see. Someone really is beyond help, hmm ?

Tenshi : Who are you referring to ? Yaaah !

*Tenshi summons rocks

Cirno : Wawah ! What's that !?

Aya : I see... Celestials have great powers, as expected.

Letty : This is troublesome. We can't proceed further with this.

Yuuka : Ah, in that case, we should destroy those rocks.

Cirno : Yeah ! I’ll pay her back for destroying my ice !

After several turns pass

Iku : Nethertheless... The eldest daughter is very enthusiastic.

She seems to be having fun and it’s wonderful... However...

Momiji : Um... Do you have a minute ?

Iku : Oh ? You are... a white wolf tengu, right ?

Are you perhaps having complaints ?

Momiji : I wouldn't go that far but... What are you guys up to ?

Iku : Aah, my apologies. The eldest daughter is currently preoccupied in playing around…

I apologize for the disturbance, but I’m carefully monitoring the situation to ensure she doesn't trigger an earthquake at the mountain, so please...

Momiji : Phew, I see...

I’m begging you, please don’t create trouble in the mountains, okay ?

Otherwise, we'll have no choice but to take action...

Iku : Yes, I understand. I'm truly sorry.

Momiji : It's fine... Well then... [she leaves]

Iku : ... Good grief, the eldest daughter is difficult to handle, huh...

One turn after Tenshi summoned the rocks

Seiga : As expected of a celestial being. It's quite impressive of her to accomplish such a thing effortlessly...

Yoshika : Master Seiga. That was amazing ! The rocks came out like "kaboom" !

Seiga : Yes, indeed. I also need to do my best.

I went through the trouble of making this talisman. Even though I'm reluctant to use it, it would be a waste of opportunity... don't you agree ?

Yoshika : A cure-all mediciiine !

Seiga : You're well-informed, Yoshika.

Yaaaah !

*Seiga resurrected the ennemies

Tenshi : ... Ah. I thought they were done for, but looks like they can still keep going.

They all have become more robust than I thought, huh ?

Iku : Is that so...? It looks more like they have been defeated, but then they were brought back to life...

Tenshi : You can't restore something if it's broken, so that means they were still doing fine.

It's impossible for someone who has fallen to come back to life, I don't believe this at all.

Iku : I-Indeed...

What you're saying might be correct.

Rumia : H-Hey, Misty. This is...

Mystia : No way... We have definitely defeated those people...

Wriggle, what's the meaning of this ?

Wriggle : Even I don't know.

Aya : Is this also that celestial's power... ? No, could it be that other person's... ?

Cirno : No matter how many times they come back, nothing will change ! We'll beat them !