#yes absolutely some people look like that but brother you cannot draw every single person as

[macroglossus]

i'm not taking advice from you!

[promptprophet]

Welcome back

I am not dead, although I am ready to throw down. Okay so there is a lot under the cut, but by every star in the sky I have been gone from all of my blogs for a while due to some roccuring issues. If any follow my main at @prophet-rebellion then you may have noticed that.

Some pro-tips:

1. Do not attend a gathering with family that does not believe in Covid. Because if they are anything like mine, someone will tell them they tested positive, your Uncle will encourage them to come anyways and not tell a single other person - and then, surprise surprise, everyone ends up with Covid.

2. Do not let your advisor plan your schedule entirely. Even if they are the Dean of your department. Because if they are still like mine, they will give you six classes. Which would not be an issue of 18 credit hours if it were not for the fact that 5 or the 6 are writing enriched. The only one that it not is math-based which is not my strong suite anyways.

But, in other news - I took a toll for the worst at one point. It has since gotten better. Granted, I had to be the biggest pain-in-the-ass to the campus physiatrist because he wanted to revoke some of my medication. Just because I am somehow making all As for the moment does NOT mean that I do not need my ADHD medication.

Speaking of! Yours truly got formally diagnosed with combination ADHD, depression, and anxiety. And after a lot of trial and error, we have found a medication and dosage that actually helps with the latter two! ADHD is still a work in progress because he is fighting me on it. He also doesn’t want me taking my meds unless I have a face-to-face class that day - as if it is some 9-5 weekdays only issue and I do not have class outside of those times, or online ones. But! A work in progress!

Also, Covid gave me the perfect chance to drop an incredibly toxic group of people in my life. One one hand, my mental health is so much better for it, and so is my own sense of self worth. On the other, it is definitely hard to do and hard to adjust to suddenly losing so many people. But I have reconnected with my 14 year old sister for the first time in 5 years - she wants to have lunch. Which is nice considering I have no spoken to my sisters in 5 years for her, 6 years for the older one (the middle). And I am also trying to reach out to my brothers more. It is interesting, because I did not know them until later. I am the oldest out of 5, 2 half-sisters of my mom’s side, 2 half-brothers on my dads, ironically enough.

I am also seeking out a competent doctor even with Medicaid, because I know need two more surgeries. This will make surgeries 4 and 5. It should have been 2 at most. But 5? And that is minimum, not counting if anything goes wrong again. It is taking longer, because I refuse to see my prior surgeon, and the only opening this past winter break as when I had to have my wisdom teeth removed, so, that did not happen.

Given circumstance I have managed to find a place to stay during breaks. Which is great because as some of you may recall I was kicked out after I turned 18 in 2019, and the room I rented over that summer was terrible (maybe leaving a known alcoholic with no regard for privacy alone with a just then 18 year old girl is a bad idea - if the number of times he barged into my room unannounced to try and get me to drink with him was anything to go by), but it was so my parents could travel full-time. Which, they are doing now and I am happy for them because my mom has 10 years maximum if she is lucky before needing oxygen (Smokers Lung), and my dad is dealing with medical injuries he got while serving - they discharged him because they would never heal right.

I have also picked back up with my job on my college campus! So money! And have secured a much better paying job over break than my McDonalds job, meaning I am not so hard pressed for cash. Which is also great because the last week of summer I had to dish out $2500 for my truck after it broke down in Tennessee and we had to get towed back to North Carolina.

So! Down to business! Now that I know what was wrong with me, and I no longer have issues with suicide, I’m on medication, and last semester I had a therapist that was a major help to me. I am actually in a better spot to be here. It has certainly taken a lot of work, and 2020-21 has thrown just about everything that it seems to have been able and hell, I am still looking for a third job.

Speaking of, god damn, the commissions! Jesus H. Christ, I wanted those done by January! And it’s March! Although I have been making progress on them, that is absolutely true - I am working on them a bit oddly though, switching between which ones I do to try and stop burn out and also because I was not drawing while mentally at my lowest. So to anyone who commissioned me who may not be looking at those messages, but sees this, I am sorry, they are being worked on. And I understand this is a ridiculous amount of time to wait for them and thank you all for being so patient.

I have also been considering if it is a good choice for me to come back to this page, and yes, I think that it is. Having something that I do every day has proven to be very helpful, and the amount of joy and love I have for these pages and the followers on them is immense. I was trying to clear out storage on my phone and I have an album just of prompts or asks that you guys have sent that continue to make my day. It really does mean the world to me.

I cannot be too sure if many have noticed my absence, if Prompt Guy did either. But I am stopping it now. I am finally in a good place. And yeah, I have a lot to do still - if all goes according to plan then I graduate next year. So after this I only have two more semesters before I graduate with my Bachelors in Business, with a focus on Entrepreneurship at the age of 20. And I better because I cannot afford to be in college much longer. I want to be back here, and return to my regular postings and interactions. I am getting those commissions done no matter what - that is a constant guilt over my head. Trust me, I know that it is there. I know. But I joined as an admin because I had followed this page the day it was created. And then I saw it had gone dead with no posts, so I applied as an admin. I got it. And things went very well. Well, I intend to hold back to what I wanted when I was first on this page, bringing it back to consistent postings for everyone.

I am here. I am back. And I am staying.

Also, I apologize if there are any typos, I have been doing a lot or writing for homework and personal work (trying to stop burn out and the threat of school ending my love to write) and my eyes have been strained the last few days, so everything is a bit fuzzy. Speaking of fuzzy! Turns out I needed glasses! So I have glasses now!

Yours truly, Prompt Prophet

[chalkrevelations]

SO, Episode 28 of Word of Honor was a roller-coaster ride.

(Spoilers, as ever, so scroll away and come back later if you want to see it unspoiled.)

They managed two entirely separate scenes in this one that had me going “Did … did that just happen? Is this really happening?” Let’s get this one out of the way first: The scene of Zhao Jing in his serial killer lair with the altar and memorial tablets and his serial killer trophies. Y’all. I swear, scene opens with a shot from behind of drunk Awful Yifu in his Fantasy Ancient China underwear staggering through a set of doors into a room with candles and draperies, and before I was able to register the rest of the set design, my brain gave a terrified squeak and started rabbiting around like, “Oh my god, please do not let this be Xie’er’s bedroom. Oh my god, they wouldn’t actually go there, not even hinted, surely that would be too far!” Then my eyeballs caught up and registered the set, so I thought I was safe, but that didn’t even turn out to be the moment in the scene that had me going “Is this really happening?” (Although I do think the fact my brain immediately jumped to that scenario speaks to the creepy vibe the show has managed to build between Awful Yifu and Xie Wang). So, Zhao Jing is a sloppy drunk and absolutely shitfaced, stumbling around and yelling at his dead brothers, and I’m sitting here watching him, feeling like I need a shower, with my skin a little bit trying to crawl off my body, and then he picks up Rong Xuan’s memorial tablet and pours an entire stream of alcohol out of the pitcher all over it, and I say, out loud, to the screen, “Oh my god, they just had him figuratively piss on that tablet.” Only, no, they didn’t, because there was no need to have him do it figuratively because then, he literally whips it out of his pants and takes a piss on the tablet, complete with sound effects, and I’m open-mouthed, thinking “Is this really happening?” As some background, I grew up in mainstream U.S. culture where ancestor veneration isn’t formally practiced - although it isn’t an entirely absent part of our cultural mythos, it’s just that now when I when I offer cultus to the Patres Patriae, it’s deliberate and intentional – but I’ve been doing ancestor work in my particular flavor of polytheism for long enough, and intensely enough, that I had a visceral reaction of disgust and horror to this. Hand literally clapped over my mouth in shock, even after watching all of his ranting at his dead brothers and spitting at his dead shifu and just generally being a disrespectful asshole with delusions of grandeur building up to it. So, yes, show, you have indeed convinced me that Awful Yifu is the worst, even in an episode that also devoted that much screentime to Prince Jin.

Fortunately, the other “Is this really happening?” moment was at the other end of the spectrum, somewhere in the face of how married Zhou Zishu and Wen Kexing are, which I cannot believe passed censorship. I know I keep saying that, but every time I think I’ve adjusted to how far they’re going to go, the show laughs gay-ly as it pushes the envelope another mile down the road. Truly, this show is the gift that keeps on giving where these two are concerned, and not just because of Zhang Zhehan’s face. I realize I had to spend 50 episodes deciphering Lan Wangji’s smallest microexpression (not that I’m complaining), but I can’t believe how expressive both Zhang Zhehan and Gong Jun are in these roles, with Gong Jun’s little sadness eyebrows when WKX wants ZZS to humor him, and how soft Zhang Zhehan’s face gets when ZZS looks at WKX, and how great they both are at making all this look like a pair of adults who are in an established relationship and confident of each other. I’d be as weak as Wen Kexing if Zhou Zishu pouted at me the way he does when he tells Chengling that he can’t do anything to help decorate the Manor except observe and direct because he’s oh, so injured and frail, poor him. Wen Kexing can laugh at Zhou Zishu when ZZS pokes at him by saying the papercrafter was such a beauty! (Compare this to his reaction back in the day, when ZZS deftly manipulated him out of bringing A-Xiang along on their honeymoon adventures by calling her a beauty and implying she might draw attention away from WKX!) Wen Kexing waves kitchen knives at Zhou Zishu in (somewhat fond) exasperation! Zhou Zishu now accepts Wen Kexing piling his plate with food at the table as perfectly normal! There’s no crying in Spring Festival! They send their kid outside to watch the fireworks so they can have sex some alone time! (Merciless killers. How the fuck so adorable?) Someone must have backed up an entire truckful of money to the house of someone very important to get this aired, because what is the heterosexual explanation for … any of this?

Other thoughts:

We continue to get small things that maintain the parallels between Wen Kexing/Zhou Zishou and Gu Xiang/Cao Weining, including the mirrored theme of finding a home with a welcoming family, shown through family dinner, and expressed through WKX’s description of his former self as a “lonely ghost,” echoing A-Xiang’s self-description (to Shen Shen in an earlier ep) the same way.

HAN YING! Listen, I am stupidly attached to this bit player, and not just because he’s a familiar face (because half of Wen Xu’s screentime in The Untamed was just a disembodied head hanging at the entrance to the Unclean Realm, so it’s not like there was time to get … attached). And I say stupidly attached because ever since we first saw the way he looked at ZZS with big puppy heart-eyes, I knew he was going to be a goner. I just know they’re gonna fridge him for the next step in ZZS’s journey, because something has to pry ZZS out of Four Seasons Manor, as much as I, personally, would like nothing better than to see 8 more episodes of wedded bliss for two gay dads and their son. (OK, one thing I would like better would be if their daughter and son-in-law came to live with them, too.) At least it looks like Han Ying will get to die taking a figurative bullet for ZZS, which will make him happy and might prevent him from finding out the Glazed Armor he’s so proud of bringing is actually pointless, because don’t think that didn’t hurt to know while I watched him being so proud of managing to get his hands on it. But I’d prefer he didn’t die at all, show. Also, why on earth are there only two (completed) stories under the ZZS/Han Ying label on AO3? Because yes, I have looked. I have the search open in another tab right now. Why haven’t more people taken advantage of this guy’s utter devotion for ZZS? How are people looking at the way Han Ying reverently brushes his fingers over the single white blossom on the wall mural in ZZS’s rooms back in Prince Jin’s palace and not falling all over that?

Xie’er, oh, Xie’er. You’re killing me, here. I need someone to rescue you, you desperate affection-starved little sociopath. So, to recap, last time we met, your Awful Yifu finally let it slip that he was never ever going to acknowledge your existence in public. So now, you’re being a very clever boy, setting up a scheme to manipulate him into having to publicly acknowledge you if he’s going to claim credit for your successes (because I’m sure you can’t even contemplate failure) in service to Prince Jin. So clever, but I hate to tell you, you’re clever at everything except learning from your mistakes when it comes to your Awful Yifu. You really learned nothing from Beauty Ghost, did you? Ugh, your sad little face as you watch your hot mess of an Awful Yifu while you wait for the maids to make tea – it hurts me. Please tell me you’re playing some kind of long game, and you’re just a really great actor. Because he’s sloppy drunk, and right now, watching your face journey, I think maybe you think that makes what he’s saying true – that he’s not guarding his words, and he means it when he tells you that of course he loves you and would never leave you. “Are you still angry with me?” Awful Yifu literally asks. “Alright, I’ll apologize. I was just mad. It didn’t mean anything. We’re together in this. I’ll always stand by you.” Xie’er, you have got to stop believing gaslighting abusive men who shovel that BS. This is what they call the honeymoon period in the cycle of abuse. Seriously. This is textbook. Please stop making the same mistakes over and over again. Maybe think about the fact that your Awful Yifu is, single-handedly, the reason the Department of the Unfaithful actually exists in the first place. He is THAT AWFUL. I would like to think actually seeing his serial killer trophy room will make a difference, now that you have some confirmation of what Tragicomic Ghost told you and not the ability to wave it off as part of some he-said, she-said situation where how could we ever possibly know the truth, despite the fact that Zhao Jing has shown he’ll stab anyone in the back in his quest for power? But, then, I also thought maybe learning last ep that he never planned to publicly acknowledge you would make some kind of difference. Are you going to roll the dice again, gambler? Because I’ll tell you right now, the house always wins. (Not that you’d listen to me anymore than you listened to Beauty Ghost.)

(Also, wait wait waitwaitwait. Waitaminit. This is pure speculation and probably way too out there to be true (oh, but, someone’s going to write this AU for me, right?) Hot-mess drunk yifu tells Xie’er that they’ve been depending on each other “ever since I picked you up and brought you back home.” I can’t remember if we know anything about Xie Wang’s background at this point, but it does sound like Zhao Jing might have literally yoinked him off the street to raise him. He … he doesn’t think Xie’er is actually Yan’er, does he? Only he kidnapped the wrong orphaned urchin by mistake? I’m just sayin’, thinking back to Shen Shen’s reaction to finding out Zhen Yan was still alive, it would be exactly the kind of thing Zhao Jing would do, to keep this kid that his brother(s) wanted to find hidden right under their noses.)

Chengling and the chicken. I can’t, y’all. And Zhou Zishu’s face as soon as he realizes what Wen Kexing is telling Chengling to do – he knows this is going to be a show.

Prince Jin, you are almost as bad as Xie’r and his awful Yifu combined:

Prince Jin: Zhou Zishu, you mastermind, your super-secret spy network continues to spread everywhere, including into my very own palace. Oh, the things you must be plotting against me!

Zhou Zishu, chillin’ at Plum Blossom Manor, day-drinking, dressing up in pretty festive robes, taking advantage of his disciple’s unpaid labor so he doesn’t have to raise a finger for himself, and providing his husband with sex so incredible he is never required to actually cook: “OK, my gay husband and our son-with-two-dads, how about we just stay here together forever and be happy?”

Also Prince Jin: *Creeps on Zhou Zishu like a gaslighting m’fker*

Anyway, if Prince Jin always knew what Han Ying was up to all along, is the letter about ZZS’s father a plant, with false info? It was just kind of suspiciously hanging out in the open on Prince Jin’s desk.

[bansheeoftheforest]

Well, my wifi is not back, and wont be anytime soon. The very earliest luckiest would be getting it back by Tuesday (unlikely). The very worst my house burns down so theres that /lh /hj

This sucks so much because I really cannot read asks I dont see in real time, I have the same amount of reading comprehension for them as I do Frankenstein XD

Dm me links to any important syndicate asks I miss while I'm gone 👍

-

Bannnnnn I tried to draw the Jekyll brothers but Kent? Is inconsistent? The database (what I use) showd him as a clean shaven guy with a bit messy hair but google is showing Kent as a completely different model? Neat hair, Brokenshire beard. Like it's the ingame "identify" zoom in and I cant check whats right before I already killed himmmm

Anyway here art <3. I know I said I'd draw the DTIYS first but art inspiration is stored in the Syndicate au <3

-

Also I've been thimking about Henry wearing a mask +plus ponytail to hide his identity like for the past two days. Yknow those theater masks? The weeping and laughing? He wears the sad one while in the Blighters and Templars and the happy one while in the Rooks because hes a dramatic theater nerd. Also! I like to think that if Jekyll has to be a templar he'd still wear the Blighter uniform when he could and pretend hes not high ranking. He gets away with it because Crawford doesn't care about him and Roth lives for chaos

I also drew Henry in a mask and ponytail but it's not done yet 😔

-

Also I did the math the the twins are 3 years older than Jekyll. Like thank goodness first of all because I fully went into ship entirely unaware on if there were canon ages or a scary difference. But also Jacob being 3 years older than Henry is kinda funny to me

-

All of Evie's outfits (besides her default) are bad and I'm gonna fist fight the designers because the secrets of london (where I only searched the locations of 3) is so bad, especially with the effort needed. How did they do Jacob so good, but utterly fail with Evie /lh

NOOOOOOO D: Man, I really hope you will get it back asap, and also that your house don't burn down!!

Man, if I don't know your struggle rn. However I shall do my best to link you to every syndicate ask that I will get from here on out bc I don't tend to get small asks for that au so <3

--

Huh-- oh wow you're right. I wonder if it is a set design or just a bit on random depending on the save file... I killed him a long ass time ago so I have absolutely no idea how he looked like <3

EITHER WAY OH MY GOD IT LOOKS AAMZING. I love??? How you gave all three individual personalities in just a single picture??? Kent looks like he is seconds away from murder and I LOVE Henry in the templar outfit, it fits him so well??? Man I really want to start thinking more of this branch. Would the entire Jekyll family be Templars so the trio got that role inherited? Are Raphael and Kent unidentical twins and Henry is the odd-one-out because he is the youngest? Were the three of them really close in Scotland, but left as soon as possible bc their family was abusive, only for Kent and Raphael to find refuge in the Templar Order while Henry goes to university? Would they still have that brotherly love if they were close as kids even when they are in the Order, or would they have a falling out and start despising each other (or Jekyll @ the older brothers at least)? Would Raphael and Kent secretly be protective of Henry and manage to keep him out of Starrick's line-of-sight so that Henry won't get in trouble for defying orders/ignoring them? Would they force Henry to join the Templars with threats or would Henry mostly feel obligated to join them? Since the Templar Order isn't illegal in London, would other people know that Jekyll is a Templar, or would he keep it hidden from the public? Would his brothers help hide his identity?? SO many questions and I'm so sad I won't be able to discuss them with you :'c

(also can I just say I love the poetic differences between their clothing. Raphael is just wearing a waistcoat/basic clothes and he is a brute and more open, Kent is wearing more clothes/layering up and he is the "brains" out of the two of them, Jekyll is wearing the most layers and is almost trying to hide himself and I just... *chief's kiss*)

--

Henry being a dramatic theater nerd and stealing Roth's costume supplies to hide his identity bc he is so ashamed of it and doesn't want people he knows to know about it my beloved <3 Plus the blighter uniforms doesn't look too far off of what he normally wears so he could probably use that as an excuse whenever some other Templar gets up his ass about not wearing the right clothes, yet it still doesn't make Henry feel any better knowing he has to bear the knowledge that he is actively wearing discreet blighter clothes to keep the Order happy and the public oblivious, knowing what cause he is reluctantly supporting. (him joining the rooks and suddenly coming into the Society all dressed in green lol)

Anyways I have now also decided that Maxwell and Henry are friends bc they both hate the Templars and Crawford and Henry gets to star in many of the plays he sets up. Plus they are both slightly insane so they match each other good.

YKNOW WHAT I WAS DAYDREAMING ABOUT WHILE BRUSHING MY TEETH RIGHT AFTER THIS ASK? Jekyll being forced to be the one to murder his brothers and the twins trying to track the murderer down just to know who tf are killing their targets, conveniently at the same time Maxwell starts meeting Jacob. Henry watching Jacob from afar getting smitten by him but keeping a distance bc he knows Maxwell is possessive, Jacob being the first to befriend Henry after Maxwell explains that both of them are against the Templars and Crawford, Jacob saving Henry during the fire of the theater? Yes pls <3

--

Thank god bc here I was imagining an age gap of like idk 15 years bc of the differences in the timeline but! I'm just going to keep the canonical age difference while also shoot the timeline up a lil so that the events of Syndicate and TGS takes place at the same time but they are the right age and stuff, just bc I do not like Evie's and Jacob's older designs and I do not want to imagine them meeting during the Ripper dlc <3 Also the thought of Jacob being older than Henry is funny. I think Henry has a type /j

-

They are so fucking bad and I'm going to scourage the Nexus to see if I can find any good redesign mods because they are so fucking bad. But to be fair, all female main characters' outfits are bad. Pearl? Lucy Thorne? Mfs looks like vampires. Even more reasons for why I only play Jacob, bc all other outfits on Evie are bad <3

[fallenrepublick]

What do you think about a girl with a totally stupid attitude but that Maul finds adorable because she is always making everyone laugh? Cause that gurl, it's me 🤠🤘🏻

I am so sorry this took so long oh my god I cannot focus lately

But anyhow this request reminded me of The Marshmallow Theory from a couple weeks back, so my dumb ass was all like, “hey that’s a good plot” so I dunno

Warnings: None

Joy isn’t always built in. Not many people saw it that way, but from Maul’s experience, it took a lot to draw out any sort of pleasure from everyday life. Maybe it was the way he was raised. Well, “raised” is a strong word for it. It was more like being conditioned. Tomato tomato.

However, that didn’t mean he was unable to find happiness from certain places. The dullness that he often found himself drowning in became unbearable at times, and it was always with complete certainty that you would find your way into whatever grey room he was occupying and light up both the atmosphere and aura with your dazzling personality. You did this with the greatest accuracy, showing up right when the world began to fade into monotony, and bringing with you colours that painted his reality anew.

Today was no different. The work seemed endless, the pages and messages and requests for orders piling up at the desk that he hadn’t visited all day. Instead he spent time in the throne room, his pacing echoing off the stone floors, the artificial clicking against the natural. Time seemed to slow and every tick of a distant clock felt fewer and further between than he would have liked it to. His mind was blank, empty, distracted by nothing.

The door opened. Initially, his hearts dropped, thinking it was yet another advisor coming to pester him about things he really didn’t care about at the moment. But he heard your voice, and the feelings in his chest lit up, his happiness to see you wiping away his displeasure in a single motion.

“Hey, are ya busy?” you called out, head poking through the crack in the door before getting the signal to open it fully. “If you are, I can come back later?”

He answered almost too urgently. “No no, please. I’ve been doing nothing this whole time.”

With a grin, you pushed the door open wider, the weight making it difficult to manage. You almost got your foot caught on the edge and began mumbling to yourself as you tried to become unstuck. Successfully freeing yourself, you hurried over to where he stood, still beaming, face slightly flushed as if you were trying to contain laughter.

“What’s so funny?” he asked, crossing his arms and feigning a warning tone.

You threw your hands up in defense. “Nothing, nothing! I swear!” Not true.

He stepped closer to you, as if interrogating you. “Is that so? I wouldn’t want my lady keeping secrets from me.”

Countenance wavering, you let out a small laugh by accident, your face becoming redder by the moment. “Okay okay.” You could hardly speak. Digging into one of your pockets, you pulled out a small white cylinder, squishing it lightly between your fingers. Your voice strained to get the words out, suppressed laughs and gasps interspersed between sentences.“So I found some of these in the kitchen… and… and Savage was asleep in the common room… and I wanted to see… how many I could stick on his horns… before he woke up…” Finally, you broke and erupted into full laughter that echoed throughout the empty room, uncontrollable snorts coming out every so often.

Maul tried not to imagine the picture, but to no avail. He bit his lip in an attempt not to laugh, but his smile betrayed him. Slowly, against his will, he began laughing alongside you, his hesitation about letting your ridiculousness affect him eventually fading away until he forgot he ever tried to.

“Wait,” he paused, putting his hands on your shoulders and meeting your eyes. “...How many did you fit?”

You could barely answer. Looking to each side of you, as if about to reveal an important secret, you responded, “...Fifty.”

Eyes widening, Maul almost broke down again when the door swung open. There stood Savage, panting from running, horns absolutely covered in marshmallows, the only area being left unaffected was the one broken horn on the right side of his head. He looked frantic, and frankly, ridiculous.

“Brother, have you seen-!” he practically shouted upon entering, yet paused once he saw you standing there. “You!!”

It was enough to make Maul come completely undone, laughing even harder than you were, resting his head on your shoulder as he tried to force himself to stop. Every time he looked up, though, he was greeted with the sight of Savage, horns sticky from the marshmallow fluff and face scrunched up in annoyance. Realizing he wasn’t going to get any help from either of you, he turned and left, most likely to try and wash his horns. 

“So you’re feeling better?” you asked eventually, still giggling.

He tilted his head, looking up at you from where he leaned. “What do you mean?”

“Well,” you thought for a moment, wondering if he didn’t want to talk about it. But you reasoned it would be best, regardless. “You’ve seemed bored lately. I was hoping to make it better.”

Standing straight once more, he offered a small smile, pulling you to him warmly. You hadn’t noticed before, but resting your head on his chest, you could hear a slight purring.

“Yes,” he responded, tightening his arms around you. “Everything’s perfect.”

[love-bean]

Spectacular - Part 3

hello duckies! here is part 3 for y’all on this fine day/night. i did cut a bit of the story out because it simply didn’t flow the way i wanted it to, but everything should still make sense. i also believe this is the longest part of the story in terms of words (i am long-winded) anywho, let’s get going!

wk: 1985

-o-o-o-o-o-

From then on, Benedict and Anastasia spent nearly every single day together, even after the season ended and winter began to take its hold. If Benedict was not calling on Anastasia, she was spending her afternoon in the Bridgertons’ drawing room under the guise of spending time with Eloise.

The truth was, she rather enjoyed spending time with Benedict instead. Every moment they spent together, she fell deeper and deeper in love with him. It wasn’t until one particular evening she realized just how far she had fallen.

Anastasia pulled her cloak tightly over her shoulders. Her body rattled with nervousness and excitement for her evening’s plans.

At precisely 9:15, a rock hit her bedroom window, signaling the arrival of her friend.

Anastasia took a deep breath and began her journey through the house, attempting to walk lightly so as to not alert her father and brothers of her late departure. She was nearly out the door to the backyard when she was startled by a voice.

“Miss Mackenzie?”

Freezing, Anastasia turned and found her own lady’s maid standing in front of her.

“Caroline,” she breathed in relief. “What are you doing up so late?”

“I was getting a glass of water, miss,” Caroline answered. “But I could ask you the same thing if it were my place.”

Anastasia sighed. She had met Caroline when she was merely thirteen, the same year she met the Bridgertons.

“I was going for a stroll in the garden,” she lied.

“At this hour? Are you well?” Caroline asked worriedly.

“Yes,” Anastasia breathed. “I am in need of some fresh air.”

“If you prefer, I shall accompany you? It is no trouble, really-”

“No, that will not be necessary,” she objected. “Thank you, Caroline. You may resume.”

“Of course, Miss,” Caroline said, bowing slightly.

Anastasia turned on her heel to leave, only to be stopped once more.

“Miss Mackenzie? Send Mr. Bridgerton my regards.”

Whipping around with wide eyes, Anastasia began to stutter out an excuse.

“I will not tell,” Caroline interrupted. “I shall never speak of this night or any other to another soul for as long as I shall live.”

The young lady sighed in relief when she saw her maid’s teasing smile.

“Off with you now, Miss,” Caroline dismissed with a loving wave.

With that, Anastasia pulled her hood over her head and slipped into the garden, where her escort for the night awaited.

“What took you so long? I thought we had been caught,” Benedict said.

“We have,” Anastasia scoffed, sliding her hand around his arm. “Caroline caught me leaving, but she swore to never speak of it.”

“If you trust her, I trust her,” he smiled, gently resting his free hand on hers.

She flushed slightly and looked at the world around them. “Where are we going, anyway?”

“We are going to visit a friend of mine, Henry Granville,” he replied.

“The artist?”

Benedict nodded. “I would like to show you the finer things in life. These are the privileges I enjoy as the second son.”

Soon, they arrived at a large house with candles lit in every window. Once they stepped inside, it was revealed that there were lots of people littering the hallways and rooms.

“Are you ready?” Benedict asked, his lips so close they caused a shiver to run through her.

She held onto his arm tighter and nodded, swallowing her anxiety.

As he led her through a house familiar to him, she witnessed all sorts of people doing all sorts of things. Some were engaging in conversation and drinking wine, others were participating in more lascivious activities. As they rounded a corner, they entered a room with two lovely models in the middle of a ring of artists, each sketching from their own point of view.

“You said you were curious as to where I had all my practice,” Benedict said, pulling her from her trance. “Here we are.”

“Mr. Bridgerton,” a man beamed as he approached the two. “How are you, my friend?”

“I am quite well. Yourself?” Benedict replied.

“I cannot complain,” the man teased. “And who is this?”

Anastasia swallowed as his eyes fell upon her.

“This is Anastasia,” Benedict grinned. “Ana, this is Sir Henry Granville.”

“It is a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Granville,” she said, bowing gracefully.

Henry gently took the hand that was not clinging to Benedict’s sleeve and kissed it. “The pleasure is all mine, Miss Mackenzie.”

Her face paled at the use of her surname.

“Please, enjoy our festivities,” Henry said, gesturing to a few empty stools with sketch pads in front of them.

He disappeared without another word, tending to other guests elsewhere.

“I do quite enjoy his company,” Benedict commented as he led her to the easels.

“He is quite lovely,” she agreed. “Ben, I am glad you have decided to share this part of your life with me, but if anyone were to find out where I am tonight…”

Benedict looked toward her and found a nervous frown taking over her features. He stopped walking and placed a gentle hand on either side of her face, cradling it like the most precious gem in the world.

“Not to worry, tulip,” he comforted. “Henry is very good at keeping this a secret. There is not a person here who would care enough to sully our reputations, nor their own.”

A small smile turned up the corners of her mouth as she leaned into his touch.

“If you trust him, I trust him,” she repeated a version of his words from earlier in their night.

He pressed a gentle kiss on her forehead and immediately recoiled.

“That was improper,” he said. “Please accept my sincerest apologies.”

“Everything we are doing tonight is improper,” she smiled. “I should think an innocent kiss the least of our worries.”

He flashed her a fond, lopsided grin and grabbed her hand, leading her to a pair of easels.

“I am not much of an artist. I prefer music,” she said. “Might I simply watch you work?”

“If you must,” he chuckled, flushing slightly.

For hours, Anastasia watched Benedict sketch with intent focus. She took note of every feature of his face; every line, every mark, every beautiful expression committed to her memory.

“You do have a bit of a problem with staring, tulip.”

Anastasia blushed as Benedict glanced sideways at her, stifling a smirk.

“I do believe I was staring at your artwork,” she lied.

“I do believe you were not,” he mocked.

As she tried to stutter out a response for the second time that evening, he chuckled.

“It is quite alright,” he hummed. “I am almost done and then we may leave.”

“I do not wish to leave so soon,” she objected. “I quite like it here. It is a very relaxing atmosphere. Very different from the ton.”

“I am glad you are enjoying yourself,” he laughed. “Perhaps Mr. Granville will allow us to stay for a while when I finish.”

Fortunately, Henry had absolutely no problem with the duo sitting about.

“Stay all night if you like,” he laughed before turning to Anastasia. “Any friend of Mr. Bridgerton is a friend of mine.”

She bowed her head respectfully with a sweet smile.

As Henry left them, Benedict slid his hand around Anastasia’s and led her to a sofa near a window.

It was dark outside when their conversation began. They talked of their childhoods, their aspirations, their insecurities. There was never an awkward silence like they had felt so many times with other people. Occasionally, a lull occurred in which they would stare at each other in silent revelry.

“Alright,” Benedict said after one of those moments as he leaned forward slightly and placed his hand on one of hers. “I must ask, however improper it may be: when am I allowed to begin courting you?”

“What is the date?” she asked.

“I believe it is the third of April,” he answered.

She hummed. “My late husband passed on the tenth, so you may begin courting me on the eleventh.”

“And when shall I propose marriage?”

“When you feel the time is right,” she replied, heart racing.

“I want to be sure you feel the same as I do,” he said firmly. “I refuse to trap you in another loveless marriage.”

She stared at him. “My marriage to George was not loveless.”

“Surely you cannot convince me you were in love with a man technically old enough to be your father.”

“I was not in love with him, that much is true,” she agreed. “However, that does not mean that I did not love him. He catered to my every want and need. He was gentle, and caring, and more than I could have asked for in an arrangement such as ours. We were not in love, that is for sure. But we did have an incredible fondness for one another, and should I have the option to bring him back and do it all again, I would in a heartbeat.”

Another silence fell over them as he stared at the woman in front of him. He was in awe at how mature she had become since they had met not five years ago. Her elegance and poise was far beyond that of any other girl her age, yet she was still as sharp and witty as she had been in the beginning of her friendship with his dear younger sister.

“I apologize,” he said quietly. “I knew nothing of your marriage, and it was wrong of me to assume anything, let alone vocalize it.”

“It is alright, Ben,” she affirmed, squeezing the hand that still held her own. “I am sure you did not mean any ill will.”

She moved closer to him so that she may lower her voice as if she was telling him her deepest secret.

“There shall be no doubts about my feelings toward you, Benedict,” she said, her expression very serious. “When you feel the time is right, you may propose to me. I will not turn you down.”

“If it were not improper, I would kiss you,” he whispered, mesmerized.

“If it were not improper, I would give you my permission,” she whispered back.

He swallowed. “I suppose no one shall see us if my lips happened upon yours.”

“I agree.”

While Benedict could never have been considered innocent, he was not a rake, and he did not wish to compromise anyone’s reputation, certainly not that of his beloved Anastasia. But under the relaxed atmosphere of the studio and the gentle warmth of firelight, he found himself doing something he would only dream of: he was leaning forward.

And to his surprise, Anastasia was doing the same.

The pair’s lips met in a sweet, tender union of passion and love. They poured their feelings to one another in complete silence, moving in sync. There was no rushing, no pressure, no wanting to move any further than they had already gone.

Yet, they pulled away breathless.

“I shall not tell my brothers if you do not tell yours,” Anastasia whispered, giggling slightly.

“I shall keep that a secret for the rest of my days,” Benedict promised. “I should like to propose to you right now if I knew you would accept.”

“Perhaps my family and yours will think it odd that you would propose without a proper courting,” she quipped.

“Perhaps they will,” he hummed, looking upon her fondly.

She glanced out the window to see the sky beginning to pale in color and, with a short sigh, reluctantly rose from the sofa.

“Come,” she said, offering her hand. “Walk me home before daylight comes and my brothers wake to find me gone.”

“They would never know where to find you,” he replied, rising as well.

“Yes, but you shall be the first place they look, and I do wish to keep you alive.”

-o-o-o-o-o-

there we go! very cute, very roughly edited, as always. there will be one more part and then the little epilogue, which is about 500 or so words. i have written a bit with eloise heavily involved, but that’s only like 600 words. but that will probably end up being a little bonus part. let me know what you think!

[witharsenicsauce]

Chosen Stories From the War #30: Lady of the Oasis

(Content Warning: This chapter contains descriptions of gore, and parental abuse)

Nazira plucked a single dandelion from the sandy field that overlooked their humble lake. The sun was glittering over the water today and beating down on her own skin harshly. She pulled her hood up, keeping her olive skin covered. Bright green, nearly yellow eyes trailed over the oasis, and the old stone buildings that surrounded it. It was a lazy day today, and everyone was moving slowly.

She moved into the shade so she could remove her cloak, the thick garment making her hot. Under the simple fabric was a long, silken dress of burgundy that sat low on her shoulders. Golden jewelry adorned her hands and her neck, and on her arm, hugging her supple skin, was an arm bracelet in the shape of a golden cobra. That one, she kept close.

Her long, black hair pulled out of her face by a silk headband, Nazira’s snake-like eyes scanned the bright streets and took in everything she saw, filtering it through a mind programmed to assess combat, to never stand still. Majority viper, nearly half the population. Sociable. Interacted with the other species. Hard to isolate. Easy to communicate with. Next, human. Surprisingly small population, unsurprisingly unpredictable. Easy to talk to but hard to communicate with. They really liked the snakes. Use that. Less than 10% former ADVENT troopers. Exactly one Muton, named Ginnethoi. Shot in the jaw, had a speech impediment, could communicate via rudimentary sign-

Nazira sighed, squeezing her eyes shut as she leaned against the ancient stone wall. She wished she could be like her brother, but even then, she knew how hard he’d had to work to be able to turn his brain off, to get some semblance of peace.

Speaking of. 

She made her way down the long narrow pathway towards the small, almost indiscriminate temple that sat a ways away from the main village. Despite its unassuming features, as she stepped up to the opening she found the walls covered in graffiti: drawing made in ancient Egypt, runes depicting the Theban triad of Amun and Mut and Khonsu. The inside was swathed in darkness, and she found as she stepped inside, it was cool, a blessed respite from the sun. Smokey incense filled the air, and nearly inaudible breathing echoed from within.

Nazira tapped loudly on the rock wall. “Ding dong!” She sang, and laughed at the grunt she received in return. No other sound followed, so she stepped farther into the darkness. “Are you awake, Zafar?”

“Unfortunately.” Her dearest brother’s voice came to meet her, and with that, her snake-like eyes finally adjusted to the darkness. He sat cross legged on his mat, facing the back wall of the temple where the stone shrine had been crudely rebuilt, and the weathered stone statue of Khonsu would be unrecognizable were it not for the inscription above him. Zafar had lit a candle before the altar, and his wavy black hair was loose from it’s ponytail, and looked wet after the anointing from that morning. 

“I saw a suspicious vehicle above our little village.” Nazira cooed. “You know what that means.”

“That it’s time we come out of hiding.” He agreed, getting to his feet slowly. His chest was bare, and she quickly handed him his shirt and coat. “...You really think they’ll accept us?”

“I’m sure of it.” Nazira put a comforting hand on her brother’s shoulder. “If they embraced the Skirmishers, they are meant to help us.”

“Humans were meant to do many things, Nazira.” Zafar’s golden eyes met hers, pupils wide in the low light. “And each time they failed.”

“Not every time.” She punched him lightly. “You’re so melodramatic.”

“I am pragmatic.” He scolded her as he began to button his shirt. “Something I wish you had inherited, Nazira.”

She surged forward and planted a light kiss on his cheek. “You worry too much, it will wrinkle your pretty face.” She fastened her own cloak again and took her brother’s hand. “I believe it is time we reveal that face to the world.”

.

.

“Well, I guess it is only a skip and a hop away from Carthage.”

Jane sighed at the analogy. “Can you just say yes or no like a normal person, Commander?”

“Oh but Jane, I’m not normal~” Senuna giggled. She began to toy with the stack of papers on her desk, flipping through them absentmindedly. “Hm...and you said…?”

“They’re not registered with the Resistance Council.” Jane said. “Of course, it's not entirely unusual. But they’re also...not human.”

Senuna raised a brow at that. “I didn’t realize there were other Skirmisher colonies.”

“They’re not Skirmishers. Well, not in the way we know them.” Jane crossed her arms. “...It seems like some of the other species imprisoned by ADVENT have followed suit.”

“The others?” Senuna mused. “Well if Verge managed it…who is the leader?”

“They have two leaders.” Jane clarified. “Zafar Ba’al-Peor, and his sister, Nazira. He doesn’t show himself often. She’s a little bit more forward.” She cleared her throat. “I’m told.”

Senuna nodded slowly, her eyes seemingly glazing over as she contemplated this. “...This could be a trap.”

“It could be.” Jane admitted. “Could be ADVENT.”

“Or it could be a group of people who want to help.”

“Whatever your orders are, we’ll follow.” Jane confirmed, nodding as she did. “You haven’t led us the wrong way yet.”

“That’s the spirit.” She stood and patted Jane’s cheek. “My dear girl~”

“I’m not a child, Commander.” Jane looked away.

“Sweetheart, I held you as a baby, cut me some slack~” Senuna giggled and tossed the files back onto her desk. “Okay. Call Bradford in here and let's see what he thinks.”

“You’ve already made up your mind.” Jane protested.

“Yes, I have. But Bradford made me promise to at least consult with him first.” She winked. “And convincing him I’m right isn’t that hard.”

.

.

“I think you’d be really pretty if you curled your hair.” Malinalli said as she collapsed back on the booth. Her hair was still damp from the beach, and Pangu waddled up to her and sat at her feet, sniffing her slippers.

The Shrinemaiden stopped combing her hair briefly, looking back at her human friend. “...Really?”

“Mhm.” Malinalli picked up Pangu, who snorted and settled on her chest. “It’s already got some curl to it. If you used a bit of styling product to enhance it, it would look incredible.”

Kon-Mai stared at her for a moment, her eyes falling away as she considered those words. “...I suppose…” She conceded, finally, going back to running the comb through her tangled white locks. The strands were so fine, it was hard to untangle them without ripping them out of her head.

Her brothers were both dressed in their sleeping clothes: Gur-Rai was lounging across the booth, wearing sweatpants and a t-shirt with an illustration of Courage the Cowardly Dog plastered across the front. Dhar-Mon was sitting much more politely, wearing both his silk pajamas and a very comfy looking robe. Firebrand had made him some hot chocolate as well, and it all looked very cozy.

“If we are all maximizing our comfort…” Verge came over, wearing a very large t-shirt and nothing else to cover him “then I should be able to remove this.”

“Absolutely not.” Kon-Mai said.

“Why?”

“We are in public, you cannot go nude.”

“I do not have genitals!” Verge exclaimed as he crossed his arms.

“If the other soldiers see a naked Sectoid on board, who’s to say they won’t mistake you for an enemy and shoot you?” Gur-Rai cut in. “We’re keepin’ you safe, Verge.”

“...That is one of the better excuses I’ve heard.” He admitted, crossing his arms. “Still an excuse.”

They heard footsteps, and Kon-Mai looked up to see Jane enter the room. The two swordswomen locked eyes and Jane nodded.

“Hope you’re all comfy.” She said. “We’re on the move again. The Commander needs you three up bright and early tomorrow.”

“Why?” Gur-Rai asked as he plucked Pangu from Malinalli’s lap. The possum let out a squeal, then settled around his shoulders.

“Another settlement needs our help.” She chuckled. “A nearby haven has cropped up, and they’re asking to make contact.”

“I thought the Templars were our regional contact.” Malinalli asked.

“The Templars…” Jane blew a strand of hair out of her face. “Well...Molly, you’ve seen them interact with normal soldiers. Would probably be best if we had a contact that didn’t try to fight everyone we were trying to make peace with.”

“Fair.”

“Hm.” Jane nodded in satisfaction. “The Commander wants you three to greet them personally. Thinks it’ll ease negotiations.”

“How will three great, grey monsters make negotiations any easier?” Dhar-Mon spoke up, taking another sip of his hot chocolate.

“These people aren’t... “ She hesitated. “...They’re not...I...hm.” She shrugged. “Commander’s orders. Believe me, it’ll make sense when you get there.”

“In that case, we should turn in for the night.” Kon-Mai got up from her heat and pulled her sweater on, covering all exposed skin. “We must sleep well and early, greet the world with a fresh face.”

“Our faces? Fresh?” Gur-Rai laughed.

He meant it as a joke, but Kon-Mai felt the sting in her chest when he said that.

.

.

The night in the desert was unusually dark. The Avenger drifted lazily through the sky, like a bird floating on water. But despite the peace, sleep did not come easily.

At first Kon-Mai felt that the pricking on her skin might have been a sunburn, but soon she realized that the heat was not coming from her skin, but inside of her. As she laid back on her bed and tried to sleep, her breath kept coming in shorter and shorter bursts, cutting her esophagus with each movement. She sat up and noticed she was shaking, and she needed to do something but was unsure as to what…

She laid back and closed her eyes, deciding that if she wasn’t able to sleep, she could at least rest. It was better than nothing.

The night passed much more quickly after that, and soon Kon-Mai felt the prickle of red light gracing her eyelids. She opened her eyes, the bright orange sun cutting into her window. She wondered if she had managed to fall asleep. Her bones still felt so tired though…

She stood and dressed in her armor, noticing how utterly quiet the ship seemed to be this morning. Around this time, she would usually hear Bryni banging pots and pans together as she cooked breakfast, and alarms going off to wake the first round of morning duty soldiers. But there was none of that today. She didn’t even hear the ship’s engines, and that was a constant.

Kon-Mai power walked to the door, not bothering to pull back her hair or even to tie her yukata properly, and swung it open to reveal a sudden burst of cold, purple light. 

As she darted out into the hall, calling for her brothers, a wave of fear came over her. The door behind her had disappeared, as had her armor, though instead of being left unclothed she looked down to see she was once again clad in her old, torn ADVENT armor, the chestplate half cracked and discarded. Around her the Avenger morphed into the pillars of the inner sanctum.

She tried to turn around and run back to her bed, to hide like a child from a monster, but the door was gone and an infinite drop off the walkway was all that remained.

She looked to either side, analyzing the unfortunately familiar surroundings. At one end, she saw the metal path extend far off into nowhere. She had never been down that way before, and the emptiness of it terrified her.

 At the other, not 50 feet away, was an apparition, glowing red, in the shape of an alien woman she knew all too well.

Abyzou.

Kon-Mai wanted to run, to turn and sprint down that hallway until she faded into shadow and nothing. But her feet brought her forward, out of her control. She stood before her mother, a demon glowing crimson, and dropped to one knee.

“My sweet girl.” Abyzou���s voice dripped with malice. “What is THIS?”

Kon-Mai looked up, only briefly. This conversation felt familiar to her somehow. “I am so sorry.” She whispered.

“What was that?”

“I am so sorry, Vox Abyzou.” Kon-Mai said, louder, her voice shaking. “I could not help it.”

“Look at you…” Abyzou raised one long, gnarled finger, also dipped in red, and yanked Kon-Mai’s head to attention, grabbing her by the chin. “Look at your face.”

Kon-Mai didn’t dare look, but she brought one hand to her right cheek. It stung, and her fingers came away bloody. Her lip felt numb.

“It will not leave a scar.” She tried to assure her. She knew it hadn’t: the cut had healed and the scar had faded and even then, she was later “killed” in an explosion and brought back fresh and clean once again.

“Look at your body.” Abyzou hissed. “Your calloused hands. Your bony hips. Look at you.”

She looked down now, and like a magnifying glass she saw every flaw, every bruise and cut and bone. She was not as thin as her brother, but her hips were wide and protruding, and the skin under them dipped in like a crease before moving to her fleshy thighs. Across her belly, there was that long scar she had given herself, inflamed and red and oozing purple and green. Even in this nightmare, she could smell that nauseating sweetness.

“There is so much wrong with you.” Abyzou ripped her hand away. “How could my precious blood have birthed something so utterly deformed?”

The words stung. “I won, Vox Abyzou.” She rasped out, knowing this conversation by heart. Every word was burned into her memory. “I destroyed the entire convoy. All the soldiers. The train is safe. You are safe.”

“And you expect praise?” Abyzou made a sound that could have been a laugh. “You were simply making up for your many, many shortcomings. A train? As if that will save us from our demise. As if that will help.” She clenched her fist, and Kon-Mai flinched. She could feel her heart racing, the temperature in her body growing hotter.

“Mother…” Kon-Mai collapsed forward on her hands, writhing in agony. She tried to keep silent, but couldn’t help the whimpers as Abyzou’s infernal magic cut into her cells and stripped her of her life. “Please have mercy…”

“Be SILENT.” Her mother’s booming voice echoed on the chamber's high walls, and with it, the pillar of purple light slammed into Kon-Mai. “THAT is what I want from you. To be silent. Be STILL. I wanted a beautiful jewel to look upon, and all I have is broken glass! That’s what you are.” She hissed, wringing her hand so hard, glowing ichor dripped past her fingers. “You are broken.”

Kon-Mai gagged as she felt her heart burst, her ribs break and her lungs pop. Her vision was fading fast as she desperately tried to get her breath back, driven by nothing but a primal, human need to survive. Her body was crumbling around her and as she let out a scream…

She sat up in bed. The sun was barely up, and the distinct shades of yellow and pink met her eyes. She heard the gentle hum of the ship’s engine, the bustle of soldiers in the bar, talking and laughing…

Kon-Mai put one hand to her chest, her heart still racing, but definitely still beating.

.

.

The Avenger touched down on shifting sand. The heat and light in the distance gave the illusion of a sea of water, vapor rising in the air, but anyone who looked out onto the dead landscape would see that it was dunes alone.

The bridge came down, and there they stood: XCOM’s pride and joy. The Commander in front, clothed in sheer white, glowing in the sun. Beside her, Bradford, Zhang and Jane, at attention, like always. And behind them, towering like pillars, the Chosen were clad in their armor.

Kon-Mai felt like she was floating, perhaps because of the lack of sleep or the heat. Her brothers stood on either side of her but she dared not lean on them, for the heat was bad and they both had enough to carry as it was. 

For a while after they landed, the sand remained empty and barren, a deserted landscape with no one in sight. Jane looked over to Bradford. “We didn’t get stood up, did we?”

“Look.” Zhang answered instead, pointing out into the sand. At first, there was nothing, then Gur-Rai craned his neck.

“Someone’s coming.” He said.

Kon-Mai squinted against the bright sun, and slowly but surely, she saw a figure drawing closer and closer, moving gracefully and lithely like a snake. As it approached the ship, the figure of a woman was distinguishable, her head covered by a loose, pink hood, partially obscuring long black hair. She was tall, and her body was thinner than Kon-Mai had ever seen in a human, almost suspiciously so. Her long tunic was a soft burgundy color, and under her hood, Kon-Mai could feel her green eyes scanning over them.

The woman stopped just short of the ramp, eyes landing on Gur-Rai, and a smile of absolute delight came over her face. “My dear!”

Gur-Rai blinked, meeting her eyes in confusion. “Me?”

“You don’t remember?” The woman smiled warmly. “I had heard the rumors...but I never thought I would see you again!”

He blinked, narrowing his eyes for a moment. “...No way.” His face broke into a wide smile. “Nazira?!”

“It is me!” She took down her hood and shook out her long, silken hair. “In flesh and blood!”

Gur-Rai shoved past Jane, almost knocking her over, and ran down the ramp, practically tackling Nazira in a hug. It was then that Kon-Mai realized she was nearly as tall as he was, though still light enough that he was able to pick her up and spin her around like he was dancing with her.

“It’s been so long!” She cried, her voice muffled from her face being buried in his shoulder. “There were rumors you had left the Elders, but I dared not let myself hope!”

“But hope is what brought us here, my dear~” He pulled away, turning to the confused group (and the very annoyed Jane). “Brother, Sister, you never met Nazira, did you?”

“Was she one of your many liaisons?” Kon-Mai descended the ramp and bowed to the strange woman, who was still shorter than her, but not by much. It was a weird feeling. “I cannot say I remember you, Nazira. I am sorry.”

“Well, you wouldn’t even if we’d met before.” Nazira chuckled. “I have changed quite a bit.”

“I’ll say~” Gur-Rai let out a wolf whistle. “I didn’t know you set up shop out here in bumfuck nowhere.”

“Oh, this place is actually quite lovely. You just have to find it.” She turned away from the Chosen and looked up. “Hm. I wonder which of you is the Commander.”

“That would be-” Bradford  began, but Nazira cut him off.

“I was kidding.” She extended her skirt in a curtsy. “Commander Senuna. I have heard so many stories about you.”

“All of which are true, I’m sure.” Senuna said with a giggle. She began to descend onto the sandy plateau, beckoning her present company to follow. “Is it just you?”

“My brother awaits your arrival back home.” Nazira replied. “He’s a little bit paranoid—too paranoid if you ask me. But he insists.” She turned around, staring out into what they thought must have been empty desert. “Come come, follow me.”

.

.

As they drew deeper into the heat, the vapor of mirage began to dissipate, and before their eyes emerged an array of stone houses, rising up out of the sand and dust. Around the houses, like a ring, were fields of green grass and flowers that sat as a barrier between it and the harshness of the world around. Within that ring of green and the maze of stone, a glittering blue lake sat like the pupil of an eye.

Nazira led them in through a stone archway, which opened up to winding stone paths and dry houses made of clay, decorated with colorful cloth and tents.Bradford looked around nervously. “Why are there so many snakes here?”

“Snakes?” Dhar-Mon looked at the ground and staggered, scared he was going to step on one of these mystery snakes.

“He means the vipers, Brother.” Gur-Rai chuckled. As he gestured around, the other two Chosen did notice the multitude of serpentine women, some wearing head coverings and holding back their hoods, some cloaked in modified human clothes, but not a single one holding weapons.

“The snakes are here for the same reason as everyone else.” Nazira deliberately turned and stared Bradford down. “To escape from the tyranny that is ADVENT.”

He said nothing, but Gur-Rai saw his hand move to his gun.

They came to one slightly larger house near the center of the small town, shaded by intricate red rugs that looked similar to ones they had seen in Nuwa’s room at Vorontsovo. Nazira pushed aside the cloth that blocked the door and stood to the side. “Brother, I’m home and I brought friends!”

As they stepped inside, the surprisingly cool air hit their skin first, causing most of the company to shiver. As her eyes adjusted to the low light, Kon-Mai saw that the inside, though made of the same clay, was neat and swept clean, with more colorful rugs covering the bare concrete floor. At a low table on the other side of the room, she saw a man with long, wavy black hair sitting with his back to them. In his hand was a steaming cup of tea: she could smell the peppermint and it gave her some vague comfort.

“Ah.” He said as he rose to his feet, straightening up to reveal his tall, thin, lanky figure. He turned, and greenish-yellow eyes scanned the room, landing on Senuna. “And so the mysterious Commander shows herself. Welcome to Dakhla Oasis.”

“It is an honor.” She smiled, and her teeth flashed pearly in the low light. “I assume you are Zafar Ba’al-Peor?”

“Yes, I was the one who sent word to you.” He confirmed. He scanned the room, and Kon-Mai could see his mind processing everything at a mile a minute. His gaze fell on Gur-Rai and…

“Damn it.” He sighed. “You again.”

“Oh come on now.” Gur-Rai walked right up to him and socked him in the shoulder. “You missed me~”

“I will miss the peace and quiet more.” He growled, but Kon-Mai saw just the hint of a smile on his face. “Please keep your unholy transgressions with my sister to an indoor noise level.”

“Oh, I’ll be quiet as a mouse, Zafar. I’ll make no promises for Nazira~” Gur-Rai snaked one long arm around Nazira’s waist.

“Stop that, you dog~” She giggled.

“Yes, stop it please.” Bradford snapped. “You can play later. It’s time we got down to business.”

“Of course.” Zafar sat at the narrow end of the table, and Senuna plopped down criss-cross-applesauce across from him. She leaned forward, a smirk on her face.

“What do you need from me?” She asked.

.

.

The afternoon seemed to drag on, in that way it does when one is experiencing something unpleasant like a class lecture. Or, in this case, a debate gone very, very awry. While Jane, Bradford and Zhang stood behind their Commander, backing her up in the event that Zafar foolishly tried to attack, the Chosen hung back: Dhar-Mon and Kon-Mai relaxed by the doorway, and Gur-Rai was sprawled across a nearby couch one of the only pieces of furniture in the room. Nazira sat beside him, laying back comfortably on his chest.

Senuna raised her cup of tea to her lips, eyes unmoving as they met Zafar’s golden gaze.

“Well?” He pressed, his tone anxious.

“You’re asking for a lot.” She admitted.

“It is nothing short of what we need.” He assured her. “We have access to supplies; food and water and there’s an Elerium deposit in the mountains of Al-Wahat.” He was trying to maintain a calm demeanor, but from the tapping of his finger on the table, she could see he was anxious.

“I know. But 100 soldiers is too much for us to spare.” She shook her head. “As it is, we only carry about 75 with us on the Avenger. The rest are stationed at other havens, and they’re already spread thin. Most don’t have more than a few.”

Zafar chewed on his lip. “We are being targeted by ADVENT.” He elaborated. “I only ask for what we need, and I would never ask this of you without offering all I could in return.”

“I can spare 50, at most.” Senuna said.

“It is not enough!” He snapped. Before Senuna could react, or Bradford could draw his weapon though, he sighed and sat back. “I’m sorry…”

“It’s okay.” She looked at him sympathetically. “...How have you been sleeping?”

“Poorly.” He admitted. “It is not me I fear for. I may be taken back to ADVENT. I will suffer, but what is the suffering of one man? It is my people I fear for: the Vipers have eggs here, and many are already nesting. At least one human couple has children. Besides them, the denizens of this oasis simply want a place to live in peace, and if ADVENT finds us they will all be dashed under a trooper’s boot.”

Senuna sat back, and Bradford spoke up. “What did you do that makes you such a hot commodity?” He said with resounding snark. “I kind of doubt you’re more important than the Commander.”

Zafar turned his golden eyes on Bradford. “It is not what I did, but who I am. Who…” He gestured to Nazira. “Who we were. Our mere existence could incite rebellion. You’ve seen it with the Skirmishers.”

“Indeed.” Nazira rose from her seat. “Imagine if the Elders old forgotten pets suddenly rose up and usurped them.”

“Old forgotten…?” Bradford narrowed his eyes. 

“You really don’t see it?” For the first time since they arrived, Zhang spoke up. “Look at their eyes, Bradford. They’re snake eyes.”

All of a sudden it clicked. The tall, lanky bodies, the black hair, the eyes, “You two are Thin Men!”

Zafar nodded, almost in relief, but Nazira crossed her arms, her confident smirk just a bit tense. “You’d be right, although ‘Thin Man’ is hardly the appropriate term for me, at least nowadays.”

“I don’t recall any female infiltrator units.” Zhang looked at her sideways. “There was only the Thin Men, was there not?”

“I’m well aware of that.” She fiddled with her tunic as she searched for the words. “The Elders changed us into the image they saw fit, with no regard for who we truly were. They stole us away from our home, molded us to their liking, and assigned us an identity. An identity that I knew was not mine.” She met his eyes with confidence. “I’m a woman now, I always was, and I always will be.”

“That is fair.” Zhang nodded. “That does leave the question of how you two escaped.”

“Each ADVENT unit has a chip.” Jane said. “I assume yours malfunctioned, like the rest?”

“Perhaps. One of the human engineers assumes it’s some kind of hardware rot.” Zafar spoke up. “Nazira’s broke before mine did, but mine followed suit quickly after.”

“Rest assured, Commander, we are chip free.” Nazira settled back into the loveseat, leaning back against Gur-Rai’s chest.

“That’s quite a story.” Senuna laced her fingers together. “You truly think ADVENT is hunting you? Don’t they have better things to do? Like hunt me?”

“I would have hoped so...no offense, Commander.” Zafar cleared his throat. “But before coming to Dakhla, Nazira and I were accosted constantly by ADVENT soldiers and troops. I would very much like to believe we are safe here in hiding, but I can’t be sure. I can’t take that risk.”

Senuna seemed to ruminate on this. “I’ll see what I can do to help you, Zafar. I can’t promise anything, but...maybe I can call in a few favors.”

Zafar’s face seemed to relax immensely. “...Thank you, Senuna.”

She nodded. “In the meantime, would it be possible for my soldiers to deplane and relax for a bit? Your city is lovely and they’d love to explore~”

“After what you’ve agreed to? Please.” He took a sip of his now cold tea. “It’s the least we can do.”

.

.

“So what is it you do for fun in this lonely little town?” Gur-Rai asked as Nazira took his arm in hers and dragged him through the streets. His siblings followed behind at a distance, walking slowly to give the two a wide berth.

“Farming, fishing, guard patrol…” She sighed and flipped her hair. “It is incredibly dull here, but maybe dull is what I need.”

“Really now? Haven’t found someone to replace me yet?”

“Replace the Chosen Hunter?” She cackled. “A few have tried. None can measure up, figuratively and literally.”

“Thank you…” He trailed off. “But I don’t go by ‘Hunter’ anymore. XCOM calls me Darkstrider.”

Nazira was silent for a moment. “Hm. I always figured your name was the one thing the Elders gave you that you liked.”

“It’s not bad…” He shrugged. “But let’s face it, I was never good at hunting.”

“Well, you found me.” She giggled.

“Yes.” He nodded. “And then I let you go.”

“You made the right choice.” She assured him. “I would have suffered a slow demise in the Elders’ grasp. Out here, people know who I am and actually respect it.”

He brushed a lock of long, black hair behind her ear. “I am glad you regret nothing, Nazira.”

“I only regret not knocking you out and taking you with me.” She said. “More for your sake than mine.”

“My sister would have hunted you down.”

“Maybe she would have actually found us.”

“Not likely, she can’t see six feet in front of her own face~”

“I can hear you!” Kon-Mai snapped behind them.

Nazira broke into a laugh and led them farther down the narrow streets, towards the oasis in the center. To one side, one of the houses was topped by a tall, magnificent tower with a makeshift satellite atop it. She stopped for a moment, pointing up at it. “That’s what we used to call your people.”

“They’re my people now?” Gur-Rai chuckled.

“They always were.” She beckoned them toward it. “Come, let's get out of the sun. I am burning out here.”

“I agree.” Dhar-Mon sounded hesitant. “But perhaps one of us should check on the Avenger?”

“Didn’t I just say that’s a radio tower?” Nazira raised a brow. “We can call them in there.”

“I…” He blushed, turning briefly purple. “Yes...you did.”

“His girlfriend is on the ship~” Gur-Rai leaned over, barely bothering to whisper.

“She is nothing of the sort!” Dhar-Mon was blushing so hard, he looked like a grape. “I am worried about all of the personnel! Not just Malinalli!”

“Girlfriend or not, she sounds lovely.” Nazira used her shoulder to heave aside the huge stone door that marked the entrance to the tower. “Come, we can place a call to them inside if you are so desperate to see her~”

The inside may have been narrow, but it was far from empty. The stairs leading up top were but an addition on the side: in the center was a maze of stone shelves that held various books, from fiction to technical know how, including a very worn out “Radio Communication for Dummies”.

“Are you not worried this will start a fire?” Kon-Mai asked.

“Not at the moment. All the electrical gear is at the very top.” She looked over the two. “I assume you know how to operate a radio? Or would you like to browse our collection?”

Dhar-Mon began to open his mouth, most likely to take her up on that offer to read books, but his brother cut in. “They’ll be fine, right guys?” He gave them a look. “Why don’t you go upstairs and put in that call.”

“But I do not-” Dhar-Mon was once again interrupted, this time by Kon-Mai sighing.

“Of course, Brother.” She sneered. “Protect yourself down here.”

“Oh I will.” He winked as Nazira pulled him into the maze of books.

Kon-Mai took her older brother by the arm. “Come. They want some time alone.”

“Well that is fine.” He grumbled. “But I still do not know how to use a radio.”

“I have some experience.” She assured him. “If we put our heads together, we can most likely figure it-”

Dhar-Mon snapped his fingers. “That is it! Psionics! You are a genius, Sister.”

Kon-Mai smiled. “Is that all I am?”

“No.” He put a hand on her back, both as comfort and to protect her from what was becoming a steep drop. “You are kind and beautiful as well.”

.

.

.

.

.

Summary: At the beginning of the chapter, we are introduced to a character named Nazira, who examines her hometown while reflecting on it’s inhabitants. The haven is made up of Vipers and humans at least, with one notable Muton. Suffering from a headache, she abandons her current thoughts and joins her brother, Zafar, in what appears to be meditation at an ancient temple, dedicated to three Ancient Egyptian gods. Nazira tells Zafar she saw the Avenger today, and the two agree that it is time to make contact, though Zafar is nervous in doing so.

On board the Avenger, Jane informs Senuna that Zafar has made contact, and Senuna agrees to meet with them at their home. Jane goes to the Chosen, who are relaxing after their day at the beach, and inform them that Senuna wants them present for negotiations, to which Dhar-Mon and Gur-Rai comment that their faces may only serve to scare them away. That night, Kon-Mai has a nightmare about Elder Abyzou, who made several disparaging comments about the former’s appearance in the past, which Kon-Mai still holds onto.

Landing in the desert, the group meets Nazira, who is revealed to have been one of Gur-Rai’s old flames, and they are excited to see one another. She leads them to Dakhla Oasis, where she introduces them to Zafar and negotiations begin. Zafar wants 100 soldiers to guard the oasis, and Senuna informs him that that is not a possibility. Zafar is adamant, saying that as he and Nazira are escaped Thin Men, the Elders accosted them regularly, and he fears his people will be caught in their wrath. Zhang expresses some confusion towards Nazira, who clarifies that she is a woman, despite the gender the Elders assigned to her while she was in their service. Impressed with the story of their escape, Senuna agrees to call in some favors, but makes no promises as to whether they’ll be able to help. In return, Zafar allows the Avenger’s crew to rest and relax at the oasis.

(Well, I meant to wake up earlier to post this but I hit snooze too many times and now it’s late afternoon! Oh well, at least it’s out, and I’m quite proud and excited for this arc of the story. Thing are about to get very, very exciting.)

Archive: https://chosenstories.tumblr.com/

[nessamaurice]

Simple Ch. 2 (Loki x F!Reader)

Masterlist

Summary: Tony and the Avengers are in desperate need of something like a “babysitter” to have an eye on Loki and teach him “how to human”. He decided to stay on Midgard over the dungeons of Asgard as punishment for his deeds in New York. That’s where you swoop in. A simple receptionist at the Avengers compound. You have to share an apartment in the compound with Loki and damn, he’s a really tough nut. With your open and kind character it seems that you are slowly cracking his shell. But suddenly things are getting twists that will change your life and your relationships there irreversibly.

Story rating: M

Chapter trigger warnings: n/a

Words: 2492

2

Your head just did not keep quiet.

Oh my god, what have I done. I don't want to be kicked. I really like my job. Don't fire me, oh lord have mercy with my poor soul.

Your mind went on and on while you followed the famous Hawkeye through corridors of the compound you never saw before. You stepped into a lift and the doors closed. You noticed that he did not push any button but the elevator started to move anyway. You glanced over to him and caught your own reflection in the mirror of the lift wall. Embarrassed you shut your mouth that was still open. You stared at your shoes (which were pretty dirty as you just noticed) and you wished so much you would not be wearing your favorite Star Wars shirt under your cardigan right now (the combination looked really good and the cardigan hid your nerdiness) as the heat in your cheeks did not stop rising.

"You don't have to be nervous."

You audibly gasped as Clint Barton pulled you out of your thoughts. You looked at him from the corner of your eye and saw him smirking. You wished you could bang your head against the wall.

He leant a little over to you and lowered his voice. "You are not in trouble. We just have an offer for you." He leant back again. "But Tony wants to present it to you himself. Typical." He rolled his eyes really hard. He noticed that you had turned your head to him and you must have looked a bit puzzled `cause he said "Well, if you knew Tony you'd understand what I mean."

"Oh, I know." You said out of a reflex and immediately pressed your lips together in regret.

Now he turned his head to you, asking you with his eyes.

"I, uhm, I know him from the TV in interviews and sometimes he crosses the entrance hall, followed by several persons most of the time and, uhm, well, he has a loud voice so it's not hard to hear what he says and how he says it and... uh" You paused to find the right words to say what you were thinking without giving them a reason to fire you now, "I think he likes to set the tone." You smiled a bit as you compared your thoughts with your words and were proud of yourself. Quickly you added "And of course he has every right to do so, he's a genius and deserves every attention he gets."

After a very, very long second of silence, all Hawkeye did was let out a little snorty laugh.

Shortly after the lift stopped. Just before the doors opened, Clint Barton patted you a bit roughly on your back, which made you stumble a small step forwards, and said "Don't worry, you'll do great."

He stepped outside and you just followed him. Eventually he stopped, opened a door, held it open for you and waited for you to get in first. You took a deep breath and went inside.

In the meeting room was a long table with several chairs around it. The left side of the room was just one giant window. In the other corner of the room stood a man in jeans and a dark t-shirt (which turned out to be a Black Sabbath tour shirt) looking out of the window. As you entered, he turned around.

"Ah, you got to be Miss Y/N" he almost sang as he crossed the room quickly to get to you, stretching out his hand. You stared a moment too long at the hand, now being in front of you, before you grabbed and shook it.

"Uhm, yeah, hello Mr. Stark. What an honor to meet you." You stammered while smiling a bit helplessly.

"Oh, let's keep it casual if you don't mind. Tony." He grinned right into your face which just worsened your blushing. You assumed you just reached level tomato red. A very short moment his facial expression shifted just a little bit. He focused on your face, seemed to search certain features. Just as if he knew you from somewhere. But that lasted just like two seconds before he returned to his childish grin.

"Sure!" You cleared your throat; that came out a bit too enthusiastic, "Sure. A pleasure. Oh and of course, it's just Y/N to you."

"Alright! Sit down please."

He gestured you to one of the chairs. While you sat down he pulled a small plastic bag out of nowhere and offered it to you.

"Cashews?"

You couldn't help but smile and grabbed some, thankful to have something to do with your hands besides fumbling on your clothes.

"Okay. Barton?"

He simply nodded, waved someone to come in and joined you on the chair next to you. You simply smiled at him, chewing on your cashews as you heard the door closing and looked to the entrance again. You literally almost choked on the kernels as you gasped "Whoa fuck!" Right there in front of you stood no one less than Thor himself. You pressed your hand on your mouth to stop you from saying more swearing and spitting the food around.

The broadest of smiles in his face, he just said "Mylady.", leaning slightly forwards into a little bow.

You silently watched him getting closer to you with just a few steps. He took your hand and placed a decent kiss on its back.

Staring at him in all his armour, surrounded by some strange sort of glory, you swallowed hard.

"Hello! Uhm, Thor, I guess?" You smiled nervously. You noticed all the smirking from the other two men.

"You guess right. Your name is Lady Y/N, right?"

"Just Y/N, yes, thank you."

"Okay!" Tony said while clapping in his hands. "Everybody's here. So, Y/N, let me explain what's going on here. Thor, sit down please, otherwise she will just keep staring at your shiny hair." Your brain took a second to process what you were hearing and immediately turned your attention to Tony.

"Fine. Y/N, I am sorry to say that, but over the last month we observed some of our employees without informing them and one of them was you."

"I knew it!" you whispered to yourself, a bit too loud. "I'm sorry. It's okay, I don't mind."

Tony grinned a moment before he continued. "You noticed that, very good. No one else did. I'm honest, you are not our first choice for this job."

"She was mine." Clint interrupted. Tony's answer was just a dark glare before he continued.

"We tried it out with two other employees but none of them could handle the task, they gave up after a few days. I have to admit, this job is not easy. But on the other hand, it is pretty easy. First of all, I have to ask you a serious question and you have to answer it absolutely honestly. Is that clear?"

"Yes, sir. Tony. Sorry."

Ignoring your stuttering he sat down on the table right next to you. His gaze turned a bit darker, steadily focusing on your face.

"Is there anything special about you? ... Not like you are not unique and this stuff", he added as you furrowed your brows on that strange question. "I mean, do you have any gifts? Super specialized knowledge we couldn't find out during observation?"

"Oooh" you let out in understanding, "Like telekinesis and stuff? Or a secret PhD in astrophysics? Noo, no, clearly not. I'm totally normal. I'm just a secretary. The only talent I have is that I can draw, well, not that bad."

"She's a very skilled artist" Clint suddenly corrected you. "But that is not important for the mission. No danger here."

"Great! Do you have any responsibilities that bind you to any person? Or maybe a pet?"

A bit confused you said, "Uhm, no..? I'm single and all I have is a salt water aquarium. I don't have any relatives to maybe look after, neither. If that is what you meant. I don't have any relatives at all. ... My family died early and I since had no other relatives to take care of me, a friend of my mother adopted me. But she died some years ago so... yeah. Just me." You added in explanation and stopped your own rambling.

Tony glanced quickly over to Clint who nodded sharply.

"Fish tank, okay that's no problem. In that case, I hand the word over to our big blonde one." Tony said pointing with his open hand at Thor.

"Thank you. Mylady, you surely know of the attack of the Chitauri lately. And I am sure you know that my brother Loki was in account of that. I took him back to our homeworld, Asgard, to obtain justice for all he did. He was offered two choices; to spend the rest of his days in our dungeon as a prisoner or to leave Asgard forever and stay on Midgard. If he would choose the second option, as soon as he would do any harm to Midgard or its people, he would be sentenced to death. At first, he wanted to stay on Asgard. But that... it did not work very well for him. He became more and more miserable, so I convinced him to take the other option. I was able to win our father over to put up that option again and now he is here. But after all he did, it is hard to trust him, especially now at the beginning. So Stark was so noble to offer my brother to stay here. We all got missions to look after, we cannot watch him all the time. So we decided to introduce him to someone to get him used to a life on Midgard."

"Okay, ehm, wow", you started after some awful long moments of processing, words failing you, "But, when I'm allowed to ask, why no SHIELD agent? I guess he's kinda... dangerous? How can you be sure he won't try to trick or kill me?"

"That's simple", Tony said, "because you are just a normal person. Sorry, no insult", he added lukewarm, "Therefore you are of no use for him.” He paused for a second, tilting his head. “I'm... I'm sorry, do we know us from somewhere? I can't shake off the feeling we already met."

"I don't think so? Oh, I'm working here down at the reception, maybe that's why I seem familiar. You never spoke to me but you often cross the entrance hall and I sit there all day. Well, most of the time I'm hiding behind the desk. Not that I want to hide, it's just because I'm in charge of the emails most of the time so my attention is to the screen. Uhm, yeah." You grew so hot you wished you could take of that cardigan without revealing your geek.

"Ah yeah. That'll be it. Are you okay? You look like you would faint."

"What? Oh, no, sorry, it's just a little hot", you held your ice cold hands to your cheeks, "I've never fainted once in my life. Everything's fine."

Tony kept staring at you for just a moment longer before jumping off the desk and turning to the coffee machine next to the door.

"Alright! Any questions?"

Unwieldy you took off your cardigan finally and try to hide the broad STAR WARS writing on it with your arms without looking totally awkward. You failed.

"Uhm, yeah. What exactly do I have to with him? Entertain him? Show him our world?"

With a steaming mug in his hand he turned around again and stared at your shirt for a second before answering.

"Love that shirt. First of all, try not to kill him. That could be the hardest part."

"How does it all work?"

"You will have to move in here. We have something like a little flat. We all live here. And with 'we all' I mean the avengers. Everyone has their own space, but we have a common room with a kitchen and stuff. We're like a big, crazy patchwork family." He grinned quickly before taking a big sip from his mug.

"Oh. Wow. Okay. That's a big move. What happens to my stuff? How long will all this take? Will you fire me completely when I mess this up or can I return to my reception desk when I can't do this? What if the others of you don't like me? What if I'm totally useless for you? How can I be sure your brother, what was his name? Loki? Right. How can I be sure Loki won't kill me?"

"You can take as much stuff with you as you want, we have space enough. We don't know how long it will take, probably several months the least. No, of course not, if you want to quit this you can get back to your emails. Don't worry about the others, when we can handle each other we are able to get along with a regular person. No matter how this will turn out, we will have advantage from learning so there is no chance for being useless. He got a little receiver injected under his skin and you will get a bracelet with an emergency button. If you feel threatened, press it once, we will get notified and be there within a minute. If you are in complete distress, keep it pressed for at least 3 seconds and Loki will get... a little electronic tickle. In that case, we also get notified but he won't be able to move for a few minutes. I know, that sounds fun, but just use this in case of emergency."

While processing what you heard you realized you relaxed completely. Resting the ankle of one foot on the knee of the other, you sprawled out on the chair, eating the cashews from your hand. You immediately snapped back to attention, not wanting to be taken as disrespectful.

"Relax Y/N. Don't act like I'm the president. I'm just a normal man. With a genius mind and unbelievable abilities, but - just a man."

You caught Clint next to you rolling his eyes, facepalming.

"So, what do you say? Interested? Oh, and of course you will get paid for your service. Catering and all essentials you need are on me. Don't worry about that. And we have room for your fishies."

"Ehm, well, it sounds really exciting. And since nothing ever happens to me, I'm seduced to say yes right away. But,", you held up one finger, "I would like to meet Loki first. Oh, and I want to know why the other two quit."

"We can arrange that. And they quit because he pissed them off too much. No life threat, he can just be a little pain in the ass. Uhm, do you want to meet him now?"

[cowtale-utau]

Sans/Ace INTJ vs ENTP

Welp this is not the full breakdown I’m working on but. This is contributing to that? I was asked about my type choice (which I super don’t mind! I love a good debate) and this will help in breaking down that part of the full work up. It’s super friggin long. I’d apologize, but I wouldn’t really mean it. Anyway, here we go.

First lets look at the functional stacks

INTJ / NiFeTiSe (NiTe) vs ENTP / NeTiFeSi (NeTi)

Ni – Internal intuition vs Ne – Extroverted intuition

Sans is suspiciously intuitive. There was no argument that Intuitive was going to be part of his typing. How the intuition functions and is used is where we have some point of potential debate. This comes down in many ways to how Jung viewed extroversion vs introversion. Extroverts are characterized as expansive and expressive, with short attention spans and rapidly shifting focus. They also tend to have relationships characterized by breath as opposed to depth. That is, many, more “shallow” relationships, rather than fewer, “deeper” connections. Conversely introverts are more focused and narrow, spending more time and energy on fewer things they give more value. Ne tends to have a wider range of hobbies and skills, while never focusing enough to master any, while Ni tends to develop mastery in fewer, selected areas. Ne also tends to want to bounce topics and visit many areas of conversation, while Ni wants to focus in on a singular topic to explore as deeply as possible. Ne wants to have many options while Ni wants to zero in on one singular answer.

Honestly, you can see traces of both Ne and Ni in Sans personality. He has a broad range of skills, and a pretty large number of arguably shallow “friendships”. He also keeps a very small number of deeper, more developed relationships, and there is evidence of him having a few areas he has a much deeper knowledge of.

Getting into the real differences is easier when you pair Ni/Ne with their respective sidekicks. Thus we have NiSe and NeSi. If we go by type theory Ni uses information Se has subconsciously gathered to find patterns and themes in their environment. They cast a wide sensory net to take clues from all possible inputs, visual, auditory, etc. They then use this data to compile a narrow underlying pattern. Conversely NeSi, draws on repeated snapshots of experiences to compile an established pattern to put forth a range of possible “what ifs”.

A simplification of what separates Ni from Ne can be put as such; Ni  is insight, Ne is ingenuity. Both E and I express intuition in their focus on the metaphysical and theoretical. NJ's can be seen as less creative while NP's are less able to come up with convergent ideas. ENPs see several potentials in everything, they struggle to trace back to a single causality. ENPs often take a “spray and pray” method, and are surprised should they hit upon the correct answer. They won't likely trust this as the true answer until they've tested and exhausted all possibilities.

INTJ and ENTP functions are perfect flips of one another and are often mis-typed. 

INTJ: Dominant: Introverted Intuition Auxilliary: Extraverted Thinking Tertiary: Introverted Feeling Inferior: Extraverted Sensing ENTP: Dominant: Extraverted Intuition Auxiliary: Introverted Thinking Tertiary: Extraverted Feeling Inferior: Introverted Sensing

Personally I'm inclined to lean towards Ni for Sans, but both are viable options. In fact both are so viable, that this breakdown wasn't particularly helpful. But it was interesting, and fun so I'm not mad I did it. So lets try this from a different angle. This time I'm going to ignore “stacks” and look at the purely E vs I, T vs P, etc break downs, and include my personal opinions on them, and how I got to the choice I did for Sans.

Introversion vs Extroversion

E – Energy is outward, towards people and things. Gains energy by being with people, batteries drain when alone. Need stimulation and are expressive. Like variety, action, and achievement. Communicate openly without censure. Allow conversation without conclusion. Take words at face value.

I – Energy focused inwards, towards ideas and concepts. Recharge with “me time”, drained by crowds and company. Tend to be reserved, and can seem subtle or “impenetrable”. Think before they act, often taking time to make a decision.

When I first typed Sans I had to ask, is he an introvert, or just depressed. I think it cannot be argued whether or not Sans suffers from depression. The indicators are there. It is a widely accepted view. However, I do not believe this excludes him from being an introvert. I see Sans as a social introvert. He likes people in general, enjoys crowds, from a comfortable distance. He keeps most relationships at arms length, and needs time alone to recoup. Sans is a very guarded and reserved individual, who can play at being an open book. He deflects with jokes and entertainment, but how many can say they are genuinely close to Sans. Even Papyrus is kept at a certain distance despite Sans clear love for his brother. I think Sans is kinda the poster child for the misconception that introverts are isolationists that hate people. They (cough we cough) aren't. They just need time to themselves to reorient, and re-energize. And that doesn't necessarily mean complete isolation either. This can often be achieved in the company of those held especially dear, or by simply withdrawing, even around company. This can be seen in Sans choosing to be at Grillby's but choosing a somewhat “closed” location. Yes he's towards the center of the room, but he's at the corner of the bar. He directly faces only Grillby. Or a common fanon example, Sans shutting down and allowing himself to be lugged around by Papyrus. He stays physically present, and is likely taking in the going ons, but has disengaged on a personal/social level.

Intuiting vs Sensing

S – Focus on immediate thought and sensory input. Trust conscious, limiting to facts and solid data. Pay attention to immediate, material, practical and “real”.  Work on a clear schedule and use logic to work in a direct sequence. Practical, realistic, grounded, direct.

N – Process data on a deep, subconscious level, trusting “gut feelings”. Spot patterns and take broad high level “big picture” views. Enjoy ideas and theories, are willing to work with factual evidence on a “instinct”. Change and adapt plans as information changes.

While I suppose an argument could be made for either I'm inclined to pin Sans as an N. Especially if one dismisses the “Sans remembers resets” theory. One cannot deny he uses facial cues and behaviors to make “gut” predictions about the player character/Frisk. Sans does not strike me as one to stick to any schedule not externally enforced by others (Papyrus). He doesn't need solid proof to make an accurate assessment, and trusts his own instincts. Somewhat unrelated to current discussion but one could argue a case for Sans having some almost... Arrogance in this regard. He is so confident in his assessment that he calls you on it, despite having no solid, in hand, proof of any of his accusations. This is a man who trusts his own mind.

Thinking vs Feeling

T – Thing logically and with reason. Desire fairness and objectivity. Black/White mentality. Seek truth and clear use of the rules. Sometimes forget or dismiss the “person” variable. Prefer truth over tact. Analyze pros and cons, and when a decision is made, consider it done.

F – Make decisions based on the feelings and considerations of others. The 'person' element is the first and primary considered. Value harmony, and try to be tactful even at the cost of some truth. Some times overlook the “hard” facts and can come off idealistic.

Here's another area where both typings agree. Sans is very much to me a T. Despite his apparent “easy to get along with” nature he can clearly lack tact (as seen in his 'you'd be dead where you stand' line). It's clear he is capable of dismissing the “people” component as seen in a neutral run. Even if you are to kill his brother there is little reaction beyond a few (or single, I'm slightly tipsy and my memory sucks) lines about his upset. This could theoretically be blamed on the nihilism/depression we see present, but could also be tied into his objective way of thinking (and if one considers that he's at least distantly aware that the outcome isn't permanent than this way further leans into T type. He knows it isn't the end, and so can accept that even if his brother is dead now, he won't be later, allowing him to remove emotion from the equation). If his magic coloring is tied into the presented soul traits the desire for fairness and objectivity is clearly seen in his secondary (?) Justice trait. I also believe Sans very much has a Black/White view of morality/the world. You can see this in the neutral run. While he may not attack you in anything less than No Mercy/Genocide, he definitely calls you out. Even just reaching LV of 2 is enough for Sans to express disgust in both you and your actions. This suggests he has absolutely no leniency in his views.

Judging vs Perceiving

J – Decisive and controlled. Are rigid and take charge of their environments, making choices early. Specific in what they ask, and expect others to do as told. Seek order and closure. Like to have time for preparation. Enjoy being experts.

P – Feel limited by structure. Feel more in control when options are left open. Thrive with the unexpected and are open to change. Tend to be loose and casual. Work in bursts. Are tolerant of people differences and will adapt to fit a situation.

And here's the other where the two potential types vary. And I can see a case for either. Its when all the parts are taken in together that I lean towards J over P. (although if we went with the percentages system I could see him as being fairly close, and sometimes slipping one way or the other over the line. I've know a couple of people personally who do so every now and then. A close friend of mine regularly tests at 51/49 in their J/P alternating between INFJ and INFP) I think when balancing Sans' N and T it comes together more comfortably in J. His rigid morality suggests a lack of tolerance and adaptability. Once he starts something, he sees it through to completion. His desire for the cycle of resets to be stopped can be seen as a need for closure, but I think we can dismiss it as extenuating circumstances. Anyone would want it to stop after a fashion, even if they are only distantly aware of the occurrence.  I think Sans straddles the J/P line leaning slightly more into J. He needs order and routine, but is stiffed by too rigid of a structure. I think for me this ultimately came down to me viewing Sans (or perhaps Ace in this case) as an ultimately science leaning mind. He needs answers. He needs clear, clean answers, and not getting them is distressing. While he may like to keep his options open in some areas of his life, overall he prefers to know what he's getting into, and how he's going to handle it. He's a free personality, that dislikes an unpredictable world. He wants to know where the end is, and have several methods of getting there. Not knowing the answers is scary, and Sans/Ace hates being scared.

So there's that. I don't know if any of it made any sense, but there you have it. How I typed Sans and why. Bare in mind, that this is also a half fanon typing. This is at least in part, based on occurrences after the events of canon Undertale, and how Sans/Ace behaved then. (you’ll see more of that in his full workup) As well as being based on some headcanons, though I tried to be fairly sparing with them. I also find myself frustrated as to the lack of information on Sans behavior/personality prior to the events of the game. What was Sans like, before the resets, before the depression. I would love to see what Sans had been like when he was younger. Alas, this is unlikely to ever happen. But anywho, this got way long, and if you manage to actually get through the whole thing I would love to hear your opinions. How do you type Sans, and why? Is there some glaring in game clue I missed? I'm totally open to friendly discussion on the topic, if you want. I included a couple links that give a pretty good rundown of the different functions and how they come together.

https://www.typeinmind.com/nite

https://www.typeinmind.com/neti

[thedistantstorm]

Project Compass 13

Read Along on AO3 Here

<< Previous Chapter << >> Next Chapter >>

This time: Ezra experiences a sympathetic vision. Thrawn has had enough.

Next Time: Ivant and Un’hee and data that could change everything.

-/

The glass Ezra was holding slipped from his hand and shattered on the marble tile, water splashing everywhere. Not more than five seconds later, Thrawn came through his door, as if expecting there to be enemies surrounding him on all sides. When there were not, he stopped his advance. Ezra stood completely still, palm and fingers curled as though he were holding the glass broken on the floor.

“Bridger?”

He didn’t move, didn’t seem to hear Thrawn speaking. Thrawn took another step forward, and the sound of his feet against the tile made Ezra jerk, then crumple. Thrawn darted towards the Jedi, grabbing him before he could bash his head on the marbled floor.

“Ezra, answer me,” Thrawn commanded, voice crisp and icy. He shook the young man, watching as his eyelids fluttered. His body seemed to have broken out in a cold sweat, his entire body seeming to draw tight and fearful, as if expecting blows. “Ezra!”

An attendant appeared in the doorway behind them, likely also hearing the commotion. “Sir-”

Blue eyes blinked open, holding Thrawn’s glowing gaze with obvious effort. His eyes were trying to roll back as he spoke. “He’s after you,” Ezra said with a body-wide shudder. “They knew about it. They want...”

“Who?”

“I heard it,” He murmured, losing the fight to remain conscious. “Your brother-” He started to say, before going limp. Thrawn exhaled, considering the similarities between Navigators and Jedi. He’d never seen a Jedi have a vision - apparently it wasn’t exceedingly common amongst Jedi - but if his thoughts were correct, there was only one Ezra’Bridger could be this unconsciously afraid of.

He rose with Ezra in his arms, giving the woman who had responded a cool glance. “Is Thrass in his office at present?”

“Sir, I don’t-”

“Is he?” Thrawn snarled, more of a command to answer than a question. The woman snapped her mouth shut and nodded once. “Clean this mess,” He indicated of the glass.

“And the human?”

Thrawn’s tone was acerbic. “Certainly there are other guest quarters in this monstrosity of a home, yes?”

-/

“Still, the emperor wants him alive,” Ar’alani said. She stroked her chin. “Based on the information we’ve received Karyn Faro, we know that the Empire is not strictly winning their war with the rebels. The Grysk, however, likely do not.”

“That he’s wanted alive says something,” Thrass agreed.

“He was the best commander in the Imperial Navy,” Captain Ivant murmured. “Everyone knew it, they were just a bunch of Xenophobes. Thrawn had plans to defeat the insurgents without the use of their superweapon. If they don’t have another plan - hell, even if they did,” He mused, “Thrawn would be Palpatine’s best option to stomp out the rebellion.”

“And what of his offer to help the Grysk defeat us, Captain?” Thrass’s gaze lingered on him, waiting for what would be their most informed response.

“It’s a possibility. They’re a lot alike,” Ivant supposed. “Maybe they’d team up as long as it took to defeat and enslave us - killing us would be too kind,” He mused morbidly. “But they’d eventually turn on each other. The question is how much of the galaxy they’d wreck in the process.”

“It is not a possibility we can entertain. Not in any capacity,” Vah’nya said firmly. “I do not wish-”

A firm knock on the door gave them all pause. Thrass frowned. That was not the knock of an attendant. Nor would any attendant bother the head of house in the midst of such a meeting without fearing for their job, but more importantly Thrass’s ire. No, it could only be one person.

“Brother,” Thrawn growled, voice raised. “Open this door.”

“Well, this is about to get interesting,” Thrass said mildly. “Would anyone like a drink before I let him in?”

“We cannot-”

“Do you think he’s going to leave, Admiral?” Thrass made a face as he spoke. “What’s wrong? Did your pet Jedi have a meltdown?”

Vah’nya closed her eyes, seeming to focus. Her breath caught. “Yes, that’s right, he did,” She said softly to Ar’alani. “I should have considered this. He’s spoken of the Emperor to me. Mitth’raw’nuruodo-”

More banging, far more insistent this time came at the door. Thrass continued to pour his glass higher than was socially acceptable, then kept the bottle in hand as he made his way to the door. “You’re making a scene,” The elder brother threw his voice as he stopped in front of Vanto, pouring the human more. “Calm yourself or I will leave you out there to carry on.”

“You will do no such thing,” Thrawn intoned harshly. “I know-”

Thrass threw the door open before he could continue, not willing to risk whatever confidential item his younger brother had no-doubt uncovered. Thrawn’s eyes flashed in visible fury. To his left and right, but several paces back, stood all of the attendants that serviced the wing. He nodded to them politely, ignoring his brother for the moment in lieu of handing the closest one the empty bottle. “Take that for me please,” He said, almost kindly. “You’ll have to forgive my brother. He’s having a time.”

“Mitth’ras’safis.”

“What?” Thrass tipped his head down, as if the centimeter and a half he had on his sibling was a far greater height. “You wished to be allowed in and I am doing so, against my better judgement.” He stepped back and beckoned Thrawn. Once Thrawn had two steps into the office, Thrass closed the door behind him.

Vah’nya stood, turning to face Thrawn. “Is Ezra alright?”

“Go to him, Navigator,” Ar’alani instructed when Thrawn stared her down in response. “We will be fine here.”

Vah’nya looked just to the right of Thrawn’s left shoulder, where Ivant stood. He gave a nearly imperceptible nod. “Listen to the Admiral,” Ivant said. “It’s fine.”

The Navigator could tell there was an icy - and likely cruel - retort on Thrawn’s tongue. She’d never seen him truly angry before. Though, she considered, perhaps that wasn’t the best word to describe him. There were other things that afflicted him. Anger was a good mask for them. Most others might not see through him, but those gathered in this room did not need the gift of Sight to see through Mitth’raw’nuruodo’s facade. She dipped her head to him and left without another word, grateful to slip away from the hostile tension that gripped the syndic’s office.

“Sit,” Thrass bid his brother, indicating the seat the Navigator had left. “You’ve made enough of a scene.”

Thrawn did not. “The Jedi just had a vision in of a plot involving the Emperor-”

“Sit down,” Thrass’s voice was clipped. “Please,” He added tensely.

“-and all of you knew of it.” He turned to face Ivant last. There was no indication of his plans to heed his brother’s request.

The human crossed his arms and stared him down. “We just played the recording,” Ar’alani said, drawing his attention. “If the Emperor is as powerful of a sorcerer as the Jedi proclaims-”

“None of you have any idea of the Emperor’s supposed power,” Thrawn said, voice sharp and full of icy disdain. He looked back to Ivant. “Not in the way I do.”

“So we’re supposed to tell you everything?” Ivant asked.

“It is to do with me, is it not?”

“It’s to do with the entire Ascendancy.” Ivant pressed, stern. “Hard pressed as it may be to hear, Mitth’raw’nuruodo, this is not about you.”

“On the contrary,” Thrawn said, levying the full weight of his gaze at the Captain, sharp and bitter, “I know for certain it is.”

“How so?”

“The Emperor will want me back. He is losing the war, is he not?” He looked briefly at Ar’alani and Thrass, then focused the whole of his attention on Ivant. “I achieved unrivaled results.”

“Would you like to go back?” Ar’alani asked him. “It didn’t seem to be your desire when we finally retrieved you. It might upset your Jedi friend.”

“I do not wish to serve Emperor Palpatine. I wish to serve the Ascendancy,” Thrawn growled. “A task I am hardly doing at present,” He added, fighting for control over each and every word.

“And for good reason,” Thrass interjected. “You’ve practically come unhinged, brother.” He motioned to Thrawn, indicating he should consider his appearance, both physical and mental. “And these are not exactly peacetimes, as I’m sure you’ve realized.”

“Unhinged? I am one of few who understands the dangers we face in their entirety.”

Ar’alani exchanged a meaningful glance with Ivant before rising. “Syndic.”

“What?” Thrass snapped, never breaking the heated glare he exchanged with Thrawn. It had been two decades too long. Thrawn needed to be put in his place, and he had absolutely no problem doing so.

Ivant opened the door to the hallway. “Let me handle this,” He said.

Thrawn straightened more, looming as he faced the human. “Now you wish to speak with me, El’ivan’to?” He drawled the Wild Space native’s name with the Chiss pronunciation. Whether it was meant to bait the Captain went unsaid, but Vanto didn’t so much as flinch under pressure.

“You are making a fool of yourself,” Thrass said, then regarded Ivant, warning him, “I don’t think this is a good idea.”

Ivant didn’t look terribly bothered. In fact, his face remained expressionless, his eyes hard. “It’s fine. This is a long time coming, I think.” He motioned to the door. “Syndic, Admiral, if you would.”

Ar’alani nodded. “We should check on the Jedi as well, seeing that we are to blame for triggering him unnecessarily.”

They cleared out, Thrass giving Ivant a lingering look as if to say it was his funeral if he chose to invoke his brother’s rage alone. But Thrass forgot that Thrawn was not some unknown beast to him. This might be the closest he’d ever seen the Chiss to angry, but he knew better. This volatile mood wasn’t one single emotion. It was a build-up of many emotions and situations. Thrawn had been forced to spend the majority of his time with beings less than half his age for months, trying to reassimilate to a culture and people that had changed drastically since he’d left. This was good, Ivant thought, squaring his shoulders and pushing himself up from his casual lean against the wall. It was about time Thrawn expressed something. Anything, really.

“We aren’t the people we used to be,” Ivant told him, when the door snicked shut and they were truly alone. It was the only indication Ivant had given to show he recalled the conversation they’d had weeks ago, in Thrawn and Ezra’s shared quarters. The Captain gestured to the space between them, looking almost… unimpressed. “Start talking.”

Thrawn smiled. It was predatory. Eli remembered this and braced for the inevitable, conversationally unrelated question he suspected would come. And it did. “What is Project Compass?”

Ivant laughed. Then, he switched to Basic and said, “It’s everything you sent me to the Ascendancy to achieve, Sir,” He drawled, provoking the Chiss with the same tactic he’d tried on Vanto no more than minutes earlier. His eyebrows went up, however, inviting further questioning. Welcoming it, even. “It’s hardly a secret.”

Thrawn didn’t bite. With his usual calm clicking into place he queried, “Is it not? The Navigators seem to think so.”

“I’m sure. We select and study candidates of the highest aptitude, when it comes to their abilities. It’s a bit easier to get them to acquiesce to tests when you explain to them they’re of far higher ability and importance than their colleagues.”

“You lie, Captain.” Thrawn’s voice dipped in something that might be disappointment, if it wasn’t undercut with barely restrained fury. Ivant watched Thrawn attempt to work it out, studying his own motions, his breaths, his face and chest for discrepancies. He knew there were none. If he were the person he had once been, he knew being able to go toe to toe with Thrawn would have been a proud moment, would have left warm satisfaction curling in his gut. Now, he hardly gave it a thought. Still, anyway, Thrawn protested, “Your eyes give you away.”

“They don’t,” Ivant replied, his face blank as if he didn’t care one way or another if Thrawn believed him or not. He was just as capable of redirection as Thrawn was, but he knew better than to draw it out and risk a miscalculation. He didn’t underestimate Thrawn, even in a state like this. So, he opted not to meander around the point, and instead told the truth. “The Grysk tortured that out of me.”

It was a low blow. Lower than any the once-Imperial Eli Vanto ever struck. Thrawn reeled from it, caught spectacularly unaware. There was no witty comeback, no continued assault from the Captain. He stood still, assessing Thrawn silently without so much as an indication of his intent, no emotion crossing his face. It proved his point. Thrawn couldn’t read him.

And it made Thrawn sick to his stomach, revulsion and self hatred flaring through every synapse. It had been because of him, the Navigators had informed Ezra. But it was more than that. His choices had put this man here. And he had to bear the consequences of that. He was responsible for making this man what he’d become and for all his suffering along that path.

“Stop that.” Ivant said after a moment, gesturing to one of the chairs in front of Thrass’s desk. He took the one Vah’nya had left and waited for Thrawn to take the other to his left. “You’re not some god, you know.” He raised the glass of whiskey to his lips and took a pull of the drink, then set it down decidedly to the right of the coaster Thrass had set out for exactly that purpose. “This ain’t all on you.” Thrawn looked at the tumblr for a moment, but then the Captain spoke again, drawing his gaze. “Is Project Compass really what you want to know about?”

Thrawn considered saying yes. He did wish to know what Ar’alani’s plan was, what this project was that a non-Chiss was obviously so instrumental in achieving. But that was information he could get from other sources. Vanto’s words rang in his head. They really weren’t the same people they had been, before.

“Was,” Thrawn paused. Considered. He wondered just how Vanto saw him in this moment, but knew that in this instance, pride could not matter. “Was I to blame for your capture?”

Ivant leaned back in his seat. He picked up his glass, studying it. “Abstractly, you could say so, yes.” He shrugged. “You were among the reasons I took the mission in the first place.”

“You were aware of what I did. My actions-” He frowned. “I do not understand.”

Ivant met his gaze, choosing not to comment about the mixed feelings he saw there. “The way I see it, the Emperor forced your hand. He was just as xenophobic as the rest of the Empire, you were too smart for your own good, and you were loyal to your own people, first. He was paranoid, and you flagged yourself as an enemy. He burns through an awful lot of allies for a man trying to expand his empire.”

“If not the Chiss, the Grysk,” He mused. Like pawns in a game of galactic chess. “They believed you knew where I was,” Thrawn realized, seeing the connection. “You knew they would capture you.”

“I did know,” Ivant confirmed. “But they suspected Vah’nya had the information instead of me. I’m just a hireling, remember? I thought you sent me here because I was good at math.”

“Then why-”

“She didn’t have the information to give them. Only two people knew where you were. The Admiral, and myself. She took the fleet on the course you were on, and I made it known I was attempting to rescue you on a mirror of that path.” He smirked. “It was a good plan. By the time they figured out I was the one with the information, they’d shown me all their cards and the fleet was in the wind.” He shook his head.

“I was not worth that.”

The captain dispelled the thought. “It wasn’t just for you. There were plenty of good men and women we served with aboard the Chimaera. Good people who deserved to live.”

“Good people who will never know who saved them,” Thrawn said. “The Grysk would have slaughtered at least half of them, and enslaved the rest.”

“I don’t need the recognition,” Ivant said. He steered the conversation back on course, revealing, “The Emperor promised the Grysk a reward for capturing you and bringing you back to the Empire. Aid,” He revealed, “To defeat the Chiss.”

“Then, or now?”

“Both.” Ivant tapped the pocket he’d put the datacard in. “We found this transmission on the ship Ar’alani took with help from Bridger. They want to break you. The Emperor’s power is strong, of that there is no doubt. The Navigators dream of him from time to time.” He shook his head. “But he is not invincible or absolute. And you will not be going back, even if you wanted to.”

“I do not.”

“I know that, Mitth’raw’nuruodo.”

“Thrawn,” The Chiss said. “I would prefer it if you called me Thrawn.”

“As you wish.” Ivant’s gaze narrowed, his brown eyes searching Thrawn’s for something. If he found it, Thrawn couldn’t be sure. His voice was cool, but not unkind. “We are on the precipice of civil war,” He said, and Thrawn didn’t have time to think about the way Vanto considered himself a Chiss, the way he so naturally said ‘we.’ “I realize you wish to be in command, and frankly, I don’t blame you. But there is a reason for the Admiral’s decision to keep you assigned to Bridger. She and I expect you to honor that assignment.”

“As you said,” Thrawn interjected. “We are not who we were before.” It wasn’t a true acknowledgement, hardly a guarantee that Thrawn would not revolt against the decisions of his superiors, but it would have to do.

“No. We are not,” Ivant agreed, his voice fierce and earnest. Once again, he held Thrawn’s gaze. “We have to be better.”

Thrawn’s breath caught in his throat, the wardrum that was his heartbeat seeming to thunder in his chest, faster than before. He realized, possibly for the first time, that Eli Vanto was speaking to him as an equal. And he was, unlike any who had come before, Thrawn thought. Vanto had evolved beyond Thrawn’s wildest expectations and hopes. He had come here of his own choosing. Had made difficult choices and persevered on his own merit. Had proven everyone who ever doubted him wrong.

And, Thrawn realized suddenly, sharply and of his own volition: He was in love with this man. It was not some pandering thought of an overly-attached Jedi, nor the convoluted plot pushed upon him by scheming Navigators. Truly, he was in love with Eli Vanto. He wanted to get to know this man better, wanted to understand him down to his most minute elements. Flesh and bone, heart and soul.

[onegirllis]

Have you really gone through episode 2 of LIS2? I really wonder what you think about it. Better, of course, the full answer.

I finished it indeed. The episode is about 3-4h long, depending on how much you want to explore and how much time it would take for you to find a way out. I was battling with the idea of sharing my thoughts because it’s very hard to judge just a slice of the story, instead of the whole season, but why the hell not. Maybe I will read it when episode 5 comes out and see how wrong I was. 

So, without further ado, here’s my review of episode 2, but please be aware it includes a lot of spoilers. It’s also as honest as possible, although it’s my personal opinion only. And yes, it may be harsh, not sugarcoated, but sincere. 

MY REVIEW OF EPISODE 2 OF LIFE IS STRANGE 2

Call me naive, but I really had hopes. I really did. I didn’t like ep1, it was way too slow for my taste, with some dramatic moments that felt off, but overall I assumed that it might be just an exposition, an introduction to the world, the characters and their problems, and that the game would elaborate on everything else later. Sometimes the beginnings feel off and it gets better later, so that’s why I had some hopes (not super high) that ep2 of LIS2 will remind me of why this game even belongs to LIS franchise and why I should play the whole season. 

Well, it didn’t work out. 

Characters

Again, It’s my opinion only but I don’t feel that there are any character developments whatsoever. Daniel and Sean didn’t learn anything freezing their asses off in the mountains. They didn’t change their ways, not learning patience nor being careful. There is no tension between them or any quarrel about the events. The acceptance of their fate is understandable, but not helping with the lack of overall tension. The moments of calm, that usually gave the player the opportunity to know more about the main character’s inner thoughts, instead serve the purpose of a summary of the few previous scenes and nothing more. It almost feels like the writers don’t like the PC and don’t want to tell us more about Sean, because there is absolutely nothing worth telling. Remember the girl Sean was in love with in ep1? Never mentioned again. Remember his friends, his boss, his job, school, or sports he was interested in? He doesn’t mention them either. There is nothing in the journal or in the dialogues that would show us anything we don’t already know or wouldn’t assume by ourselves, and Sean’s insights seem more like repetitive whinings than anything impactful. In episode 1 I could wave off the fact that they decided to walk to Mexico being shocked, traumatized and lost. In episode 2, when they notoriously risk their lives or reject any other solution not learning from experience just to run away, you start questioning their sanity. I know the reason behind it - “oh plot” but “oh plot” is not good enough. 

The boys miss their dad, but don’t feel much upset or don’t present any sign of emotional trauma. There are no breakdowns and the brothers are more or less in good spirits staying optimistic, not asking themselves a single question about the future. Comparing to Chloe who was repeating “I wish Rachel was here” over and over and was living in this trauma the whole time, they don’t seem very much impacted by the events, but on the other hand, they place the dad’s photo on the table, so his death can be conveniently mentioned. The dog died (yes, it’s true, Mushroom is killed off in the first 20 minutes), and even if Daniel is supposedly devastated, it takes him only 5 minutes to shake it off and never mentions this dog again (oh ok, maybe once). If the characters don’t freaking care about this animal, why should I? 

It also seems that the characters keep forgetting what the objective is here. Maybe it’s on purpose, but they recall certain friends only when it’s convenient for the plot. “I’m gonna call Lyla” says Sean towards the end of the episode, even if he hadn’t mentioned her for 2 hours of gameplay. And even when getting devastating news about her, he is not really concerned, shrugs and sighs deeply. Yeah, we sigh with him.

When it comes to Sean himself, I really don’t mind the PC being a guy, really. If I had a problem with it, I wouldn’t be able to play 90% of video games. The thing I do have a problem with though, is Sean being an utter asshole. Yeah, he takes care of his brother and all, but he is freaking mean to his grandparents, showing lack of empathy and acceptance of a different point of view. Calling the grandma, a woman who opened her house to them “an old bat” is just a bit too much, especially after a month spent in an abandoned house without food or heating. There is no reason for him to judge those people so much and if there is a reason, we don’t know the details. How can I emotionally invest in a character that is not opening up to me, the player? Or maybe there is nothing more about Sean, and that’s even worse. 

There is a big mystery regarding why their mother left her sons but if you expect any answer while the boys are visiting their grandparents and can snoop around in Karen’s old room, you’d be mistaken. The devs are building the mystery in the typical David Cage style, that one of the characters is about to tell you something “Oh, I will tell you what your mother did..~” and then something happens and we’re left in the dark again. At this point, I expect some explosive explanation of why their mother left the family, but it’s ether drugs, a religious cult or some relationship stuff.

Tragedy Porn

Dear devs, the fact that a lot of people in the fandom are familiar with this term and use it regularly, doesn’t mean you should take it literally. I know that the LIS franchise is about hard choices or difficult situations, but killing kids and small animals left and right is just cheap and really unnecessary. It quickly gets old, just like “the boy who cried wolf” (pun intended) that as some point I don’t even blink when witnessing another digital death. I can’t be devastated by Mushroom’s death, because the dog had less screen time than Sean’s skateboard. I can’t feel sorry for every character (human or not) that you didn’t even give me a chance to feel connected to. I know that you want me to “feel something” but at this point the “feel” changes into “yawn”. Chris AKA Captain Spirit being dead (or almost dead) AGAIN - so I helped the boy just to see him die 1 hour later (I know it’s optional but still)? Lyla in the hospital, the family from the abandoned house being wiped out of the face of the earth because of cancer (at least not a car accident this time), Chris’s mom dead, the boys’ father dead, grandpa almost dying because of the accident… It’s too much. It feels cheap and not impactful. At this point, I will be surprised if you won’t just kill everybody. Who needs people on the West Coast anyway, huh?

I don’t even know if I want to learn more about the boys’ mother since you probably will kill her too.

Politics and Religion

In this episode, politics have been toned down, still visible though and there are a few moments when I literally rolled my eyes. This time the devs decided to say something more about religion since it’s a significant part of life if you live in a small town in America. Maybe it’s just me, but it seems that the power of prayer is being mocked rather than actually shown as somebody’s way of life. Acceptance and tolerance go both ways though. 

The boys surprisingly identify themselves as Mexicans, even though they are half Irish and have never been to their father’s homeland. There are a few moments when you are wondering whether they had ever really liked to live in the US, questioning everything around them. Sean, who spent a decent amount of time with his dad on “the road trips” as stated in ep1, seems genuinely surprised that in his country people keep the Bible by their beds, as if he had never been in any motel whatsoever where the Bible is always present, placed on the nightstand or in a drawer. If being religious bothers him, boy, oh boy, you will be hella surprised in Mexico. They also don’t know how to pray, which I find extremely hard to believe. It almost feels like a scene from “Anne of Green Gables” but damn, the girl had a valid reason not to know. They don’t, especially if they identify themselves as Mexicans. We could assume that they were also part of Mexican-American communities and I cannot believe that in THIS WORLD the immigrants from this particular part of the world don’t know how to pray. Although if you expect some deep conversation about God or religion in general, forget it. It’s just there to be there and that’s it.

I don’t want to discuss the articles in the newspaper about “the gentle police officer” that was killed by immigrants because it makes my blood boil. 

Against the logic, the brothers are still planning to escape to Mexico and no grown-up is really trying to talk them out of this idea. There are no alternatives provided or discussed except a pat on the back and an offer for a quick stop if even. Even the grandparents are a bit concerned but no one really gives them any real advice, which I find unlikely. The problem is that if anybody would actually give them a piece of real advice, we wouldn’t have a game.

And that’s a problem, isn’t it?

Gameplay

We have a few mini-games and fetch quests like finding bottles in the abandoned house (why always freaking bottles?), the pirate version of dice poker (never brought back again) and drawing. None of those serve any purpose except a filler that you might enjoy but it doesn’t matter if you succeed in them or not, unless the game forces you to succeed. Don’t get me wrong, I’m aware that this particular genre doesn’t usually provide a set of complex challenges in its gameplay, but it seriously looks like LIS2 is throwing us a bone, remembering from time to time that uh, it’s a game, not a movie. Those mini games are not really engaging, not really connected to the plot, but just for… whatever reason, as part of the daily chores. 

But it’s a game about choices, you say! Yes, it is, but only some of them really matter and I’m not sure for how long. If you give me a choice to do something or NOT to do it, please consider that I might pick the latter and don’t force me into your favorite path. It happens from time to time and it’s utterly annoying. If you want me to do something, just don’t give me the illusion that I can refuse. 

It almost seems that LIS2 turned into a dark alley where you are rewarded for picking the “good, canonical path” and punished for playing it differently than the devs indented. I loved LIS1 for ambiguous choices that I might pick, depending on my personal preferences, not to mention that those choices are made during an emotional moment. I don’t feel I have that opportunity here, just as if somebody who constructed it forgot why LIS was so great and is so loved.

When it comes to dialogue, it is way better than LIS1, regarding how people actually speak. On the other hand, the lines are just there to be there and I can’t recall a single line that would be worth quoting. 

And one more thing. Cutscenes. So many cutscenes. The moment when I actually could do something with my controller was a celebration. I don’t mind cutscenes in general, but it almost feels like a movie.  A long, boring, super slow movie.

Superpower


The superpower is mentioned, mostly in rules that Sean is lecturing Daniel about, but it’s non-existent in the gameplay almost at all. It’s drastically different comparing to LIS1, when Max was using her power almost all the time or was a challenge not to use it. Here we know that Daniel can do things but most of the time he conveniently forgets about it or uses it in the wrong moment. I know the game is about education but the superpower itself seems like a plot device, an additional reason to run to Mexico than anything else. They talk more about it than use it. It sounds like a good idea in general and it probably looked great on paper, but at some point I didn’t care about the superpower at all, forgetting that this secret even exists.

Season 1

When it comes to references to season 1, Arcadia Bay, or any character that we know from LIS1, there is almost nothing. Yes, you can find a drawing of ”door to another world” instead of hole to another universe, or graffiti on the wall that Sean and Daniel were here, similar to the famous junkyard thing, but it won’t give you any insight about what had happened to the favorite characters or any glimpse of their fate. There was more about Arcadia Bay in Captain Spirit than the whole LIS2 so far. The devs were damn serious, showing us Arcadia Bay in episode 1, destroyed or not, saying that this is the past. It seems that they don’t want to even refer to this past much and it’s fine, but if you’re hoping for anything, just anything related to LIS1, forget it.

Technical problems

Oh, boy. I’m aware that creating games is not an easy job and a team sport. I know that it’s almost a miracle that some of the titles even got shipped, but episode 2 of LIS2 is probably the MOST BUGGED EPISODE in the history of this franchise. Glitches, problems with sound, teleportation of objects, animations that didn’t work or songs being cut off… I’m not talking about a few mistakes here and there, but it happens all the time. It’s so common it’s an epidemic and you face some technical challenge almost in every scene as if Bethesda was putting this episode together. This episode looks like advanced beta, not a finished product that had been delayed for months. It seems ironic when recalling the posts from the Life is Strange blog about QA teams, one in France and one in Canada, carefully checking every detail and describing how quality was important. Especially in that context, this is really a disaster, however, I didn’t face any technical problem that would make this episode impossible to finish.

What worked

So what’s great about this episode? Does everything suck? Well, of course not. On the upside, the locations are absolutely stunning. You want to explore the town, the houses, play in the snow, dive into the world, even if you don’t expect anything groundbreaking to happen. The level design, in my opinion, is better than in LIS1, more consistent and intriguing. I know a lot of people might disagree with me but somebody put their heart and soul building this environment, creating something really beautiful. Except for the locations, I liked some songs and the music, way more than in ep1, but it’s not as good as in LIS1 or BTS. Better, but not great.

Cassidy

Oh, somebody was reading “Preacher”, weren’t ya? Or is ia reference to “On the road”? A lot of people seem excited about her finally showing up. I have mixed feelings about this character since I’m not sure if I want to discover the world from her perspective. A stoned, hippie-rasta girl, who takes pride in being free and “not owned by any corporation” (except Square Enix hehehe), is maybe a realistic character and I’m not saying that people like her don’t exist here, but I’m on the fence, to be honest. It seems that the devs are trying to establish the next canon ship or something with her being interested in Sean and him actually “liking her” after exchanging 3 sentences, but that really feels off. She seems more like Chloe 2.0 than anything else, but we shall see (in the next 6 months or whenever they will fucking publish the next ep). Plus for fuck’s sake, Sean was into Jenn (I don’t remember her name exactly), and there was Lyla, and then this girl. Dude!

Summary

It was boring. It was extremely freaking boring to the point that I lost my patience to check every single detail or examine every object. I don’t feel any need to replay it, even if the consequences of my choices weren’t great. I’m not curious about different outcomes nor do I want to check if I missed anything. There is not a single scene I want to see or experience again. In my game, Chris died and I don’t really feel the need to replay it and change the outcome since I will never meet him again or even deal with the consequences of his death. The whole road trip setting is intriguing but drastically different to what I loved about Life is Strange - learning more about each character, dwelling deeper into the situation, uncovering a hidden mystery. We won’t learn more about most of those characters (or it doesn’t seem possible) since we just pass them and move on, exchanging a dialogue or two like with a pedestrian on the street. There is a charm to the road trip idea, but then I would have to be extremely interested in the main characters, including the PC, to actually follow their journey closely. In LIS1 I didn’t have to like Max to play the whole thing, curious about Chloe or Rachels’ disappearance. In a road trip setting the two brothers are the core of the story and if you’re not fond of them, it won’t work.

So far it’s not working for me.

[surveys-at-your-service]

Survey #205

forget picking song lyrics, i’m going the hell to bed now.

Do you live by yourself? I live with my mom. Do you like cleaning? Does anyone???? Who is your favorite character from Harry Potter? I've never watched the series; not even a single movie, actually. So I don't have an opinion. Do you watch PewDiePie? Extremely rarely. He's funny, but I'm not interested in his channel's content anymore. Do you like "Despacito?" My sister showed it to me once when she learned I'd never heard it, and I found zero appeal in it whatsoever. Do you play Pokemon Go? It's a brilliant idea, and I really do wish I could play it, but here where I live, there are like ZERO PokeStops (where you get Pokeballs), even in cities, so it's pretty much impossible. Did you ever color your hair pink? No. Do you like Dr. Phil? I don't watch the show and don't know him as a person. Do you prefer to be inside or outside? Inside. Do you eat meat? Sadly. I'm HOPEFULLY quitting when I get to the weight I want; I wasn't getting the nutrients I needed when I was vegetarian to where my body was desperately clinging to what it had or something like that (basically, my weight wouldn't budge in a couple of months), but even still, I don't know if I could do it without depriving myself again. I'm just such a picky eater. Do you need to do the dishes? Yeah. Not desperately, but. Are you scared of clowns? No. Do you have any subscribers on YouTube? *checks* A very impressive 66. Do you believe in ghosts? Yes. Do you salt your popcorn? Yes. Do you like McDonald's? Don't even lie to me, you'll eat there. I don't mind it at all. Do you have a Steam account? Yes. Do you like gaming? Not as much as I used to, but yes. Have you ever played Five Nights at Freddy’s? No. I don't consider jumpscares to be genuinely "scary," but rather a natural reaction to surprise, but FNAF's are intense, and I know they'd have me jumping like crazy. That aside, the games aren't of my personal appeal to actually play (though it's a fun game to watch). Do you like horror movies? Yes. Do you like chicken nuggets? I love me my chicken nuggies hunty. Have you ever tried Akinator? Yes. Can you twerk? I don't know and don't care to. Do you like dabbing? It looks stupid to me. The meme of it makes me laugh, though. What was the last country you visited? I've never left the country. Do you know your phone number? No, actually. It is incredibly difficult for me to memorize sequences, and besides, it's not like I give out my number almost ever. Do you swear in front of children? No. What’s your opinion on Brexit? Shit, I don't even remember what it's about. So obviously I can't have an opinion. It doesn't affect me, anyway. If you want children, what are some of your reasons for wanting them? N/A When you cook a dish that has beans in it, do you prefer to use canned or dry beans? I don't cook, and you'll never see me willingly eat a bean. What were some fun experiments you did in science class as a kid? The two that sharply stand out to me are dissecting an owl pellet in elementary and a frog in middle school. Both were SO cool. What was the last strong emotion you felt? Excitement. After finishing a bowl of cereal, do you drink the leftover milk? Only ever if it's Cinnamon Toast Crunch that I ate. And even then, only sometimes. Do you use dry shampoo between washes? No. What’s the scariest thing you’ve ever done? Overdosing. What’s the most severe allergic reaction you’ve ever had to something? Nothing severe, besides pollen allergies flaring up. What’s your favorite sub-genre of rock? Hard. Who was the last person to get frustrated with you, and why? Mom, but she was more than frustrated. We were having a serious fight about her attitude towards Dad and his wife. What’s something that makes absolutely zero sense to you? Anti-vax shitlords. What’s your phone background? Lock screen is Darkiplier, home screen is Sara kissing my forehead. :'> Have you ever lived with someone you didn’t get along with? No. Do you have a fitness tracker? No. What types of animals have you had as pets? A billion cats, dogs, snakes, lizards, rats, gerbils, guinea pigs, rabbits, fish, box turtles, hermit crabs... and probably more. How well do you understand economics? Have you ever taken an econ class? Not well at ALL. I had one my senior year. What was the last fruit you ate? I had two bites out of a watermelon 'cuz I was really hungry, but we didn't really have anything as a snack. (I fast daily, so I have to watch when my meals are.) I'm not a big watermelon fan, but I hadn't tried these cubes before, and at least it was something. Can you remember your first day of school? I believe I can very faintly... very faintly. I think I had a complete breakdown because of my insane separation anxiety regarding my mom, or it was the complete opposite... alskdfjaweiajr it's like I can kinda see it in the back of my head, but it's super blurry. What’s your favorite movie? The Lion King. It was my favorite as a kid and became so again as an adult just truly acknowledging how damn good and meaningful it is. Plus the soundtrack was a banger. Would you rather jump out of an airplane or go scuba diving? Scuba diving. Do you get bored looking at other peoples’ holiday pictures? Eh. If it's a whole lot, yes, but as a photographer, I enjoy noting which ones I like and why I favor them. Do you give money to charity? Not currently, no. I have no money to give. When I do have a paying job, I plan on definitely donating any time Mark does a charity stream. Are you more into music or movies? Music, easily. When was the last time you went to a swimming pool? WOW. It's been years. Either when I still lived in the apartment or once at Colleen's in-laws', I can't remember which was last. Would you rather have a pet snake or a pet turtle? I have a snake, and I'll take another for sure. Have you ever seen a band live? Who was the last you saw? Just Alice Cooper. Ma and I are seeing Ozzy next year (if the poor man ain't dead), tho!!!! And he's gonna be with Judas Priest and Megadeth. We are NOT going to survive. Do people who use massive amounts of emoticons annoy you? Yes. Emojis, more specifically. If you're writing a sentence and you use an emoji after each and every goddamn word, it drives me up a wall. What was the last clothing item you bought? Underwear, I believe? Or a bra? What does your washing powder smell like? Idk. Normal? Do you have a dishwasher or do you do dishes by hand? By hand, which I cannot explain how much I loathe. It feels disgusting. Are there any cobwebs in your room? I don't believe so, no. Have you ever used a pick-up line and had it work? Ew, I'd never use one to begin with. Have you ever entered a modelling competition? Would you? No to both. The current modelling industry is so, so harmful. Did you keep any drawings/stories from when you were younger? Like around two years ago, I remember going on a mass destruction episode of those super old things, as they embarrassed me horribly, even though I know it had no real reason. Just everything I create embarrasses me. My mom has old school stuff, though. Who did you last have an argument with? Mom today. When was the last time you cooked for yourself? If you include putting things in the microwave with few steps... not that long ago. Maybe two days back. Do you have a safe? Mom does. When was the last time you saw a relative? Mooonths ago when Grammy and her husband were driving through. My brother and his son are visiting real soon, though!! Do you shout out the answers at quiz shows? Yes, lol. Have you ever been in a TV audience? I've been to like three-four hockey games, so yeah. Have you ever entered the lottery? Won anything? No. Well, Mom or Dad would rarely get those scratch-off tickets at random, but the most we've ever got was just like five bucks or so. Do you prefer crosswords or word searches? Word searches. Have you ever drawn on a wall in your house? No. Do you like making collages? No. Have you ever kept a scrapbook? Yeah. What’s your favorite video-game? Silent Hill 2 and Shadow of the Colossus. Sigh, I want a PS4 SO bad to get the SotC remaster. I actually teared up when I saw the opening cutscene for the first time, and I just marveled through the EEEEEEENNNNtire playthrough I watched. It's unbelievable. Do you remember any inside jokes from childhood? Not off the top of my head. I'm tired, don't make me think. Have you ever made up a word? Well, as a writer, I've made up names and places. A word itself, I don't think so. Do you get nervous speaking to people you don’t know on the phone? VERY!!!!!!!! Are you scared of anything irrational? You mean like, half my fears? Do you have a passport? What’s the picture like? No. Have you ever had a full fringe? (bangs) As a kid I did. Is there anything you would never admit to liking? Don't think so. What’s the weirdest craze you can remember? Fidget spinners. Do you use bug spray or fly swatters? Fly swatters. Then we also have this hanging cylindrical sticky... thing that flies and gnats are apparently attracted to with the smell, I guess. Works like magic, though I agree it's pretty cruel. Just stuck there until you die. Are you a clumsy person? Boy, am I. Do you have tiled floors in your house? In three rooms. Do you listen to any movie soundtracks regularly? No. Do you bruise easily? Way too easily. Like normally something simple won't leave behind an obvious one, but even a normal poke in the arm hurts a lot and leaves the spot sore for a good while. I was tested for anemia, but apparently, I don't have it. What would you love to learn to do? Play the electric guitar. Do you prefer monkeys or lemurs? Ehhh... lemurs as far as cute goes, monkeys overall. Do you watch movies based on the actors or the movie plot? The plot. Do you have any phone charms on your mobile? No. What is your opinion on sex without emotional commitment? That's a big 'ole honkin' nope. Last time you puked from drinking? Never. Have you ever gotten drunk and danced on a bar? No. What is your favorite simple ice-cream flavor? Vanilla. Though sometimes I prefer chocolate. Do you pay attention to calories on the back of packages? Only for dinner. I forgot the science behind it, but one of my meds for bipolarity only works to its full effect after ingesting at least 350 calories; I only get about a 20% effectiveness of the medicine when eating less. I know it sounds weird, but my psychiatrist is a goddamn genius, and I trust every word that comes out of his mouth. When was the last time you slept on the floor? Two years ago when I was living with Colleen and I didn't have a blow-up mattress yet. Are you currently wanting any piercings or tattoos? When???????????????? do I?????????????? not???????????????????????????????????? Do you wear flip-flops? That's pretty much all I wear just about year-round... I remember in 7th grade, one of my teachers asked me about it a lot and I just told her I didn't mind the cold, which was true. Pretty sure she thought I was lying and was too poor to buy new clothes or something, as she gifted me socks one day, which I thought was incredibly sweet. I miss my 7th grade teachers. Best school year. Who was the last person to kiss you on the cheek? Pretty sure my niece Aubree when saying bye. What is your favorite sauce to eat with spaghetti? Normal Prego sauce, I think. Have you ever seen a magic show? A little one as a kid. When was the last time you vomited and why? Months and months ago when I was testing a medication. Quit that shit real fast, as it made me sick so many times. Where do you usually sit when you eat dinner? Uhhh I eat in my bed usually, lmao. We almost never sit at the table. I normally do if Mom's there, though. How often do you get headaches? Ugh, often. Why did you call the last person you called? I was calling back about my job application that I was supposed to hear about yesterday. How many windows are in the room you’re in? Two. Do you have Facebook friends that you’ve never actually met? Yes. When was the last time you had your photo taken professionally? Not since senior pictures, pretty sure. I hated how it came out. I have a lazy eye when I smile, gah. How long does it take you to get to school or work? Currently N/A. Let’s say you had a baby with the last person you kissed? We're both female, so. And neither of us want kids anyway. When was the last time you completely broke down? A couple weeks ago in a totally random and severe panic attack. Do you have someone you can spill your heart out to? Yeah. Is there a person that you would do absolutely anything and everything for? No. I'm not gonna, say, murder someone just because they want me to. What’s something you really want right now? To go and get my tattoo cleaned up by a more professional artist alsdkjfalwei. I got the approximate cost, I just have to wait until I can afford it. This tattoo is so so so important to me and it needs to be perfect. What is your relationship status? Taken. What was the longest time you’ve wasted on a certain person? Not even two weeks lmao. I said yes to dating mostly out of fear of hurting his feelings, and he QUICKLY proved he was NOT for me. Are you listening to music right now? Yeah, my iTunes is on shuffle. Anyone you would like to get things straight with? I wouldn't want to be friends I don't think, but I REALLY want to see Jason one final time to tell him how sorry I am. I recently acknowledged just how fucked up I treated him after the breakup; he wasn't the only one who made mistakes. I sure as hell did. He deserves to hear it badly. I do believe our last talk was a good ending, but I feel me finally admitting that I fucked up would be the perfect one. What was the best thing that happened to you today? Seeing Dad for his birthday. When was the last time you did something for the first time? I talk-talked to some WoW friends a couple days ago, though very very briefly. I couldn't figure Discord push-to-talk out and I ended up panicking lmao. What color are the last new pair of pants that you bought? Black. Is your room clean? I should dust and vacuum, but the latter doesn't currently work. List all the countries you’ve visited.  I've never left America. At what age would you allow your kids to dye their hair? Shit, whenever they wanted tbh. So long they sounded serious about it and it wasn't just a brief episode of "oh this would be cool." Which fast food place do you eat at the most? Hm. Wendy's or Sonic. When was the last time you weren’t lonely? Jesus fucking Christ, who knows. What kind of movies do you like? Horror, fantasy, Disney/kids' films, comedies, rom coms, and emotionally moving ones. Bats are not spooky or are they? They're adorable, omg. Do you think blue is a gay color? Fuck off. What's your opinion on gays? Fuck off harder. Do you like the song "Womanizer"? Don't even talk to me if you don't. Where is your favorite place to get fries? You can't live your fullest life without having Bojangle's fries at least once. Do you know anyone who was raised by their grandparents? Idk. Have you ever made your own pie from scratch? No. Who was the last person you had an in-depth conversation with? Sara. What was the last fast food item you ate? A hot dog. What is your favorite gaming console? You know PS2 was the best, you know it. What was the last major city you visited? Raleigh, if that even counts. Do you always have a stock of alcohol in your house? No. Have you ever had a pumpkin latte and if so, did you like it? I hate everything pumpkin-flavored. Is there an antique store in your town or city? I think so... Have you ever been to a baby shower? My sister's. Maybe others', but idr. Do you know anyone who has been to rehab? Pretty sure yes. How many romantic relationships have you been in so far? Genuinely "romantic" ones, two. Would you consider yourself to be a picky eater? I am 99% sure I am the pickiest human being to ever live. Have you ever lived in a house with a pool in the yard? Not a built-in one. What color is your toothbrush? Blue. Do you have gluten intolerance or know anyone who does? I know a few people. Have you ever slept in a car overnight? No. Have you ever fainted? Yes. Do you avoid conflict as much as possible? YUP. Do you like ice cream cake? I'm not a big fan. Have you ever made out with someone of the same sex? Yes. Where is your second home!? The place I'm second-most comfortable is probably Sara's. What song always makes you sad? I avoid listening to "The Mortician's Daughter" by Black Veil Brides unless I just really, really want to hear it. I always tear up due to memories. Have you ever played a game that required removing your clothes? No. Where is your favorite place to be kissed? Breasts and neck. Were you mean as a little kid? No. Who was the last person you hung out with? Dad. What is your mother’s name? Donna. What is your favorite song at the moment? I've been in true love with a heavy metal cover of "Invincible" from the WoW soundtrack for like a full month. What day will you never forget? The breakup night. Suicide attempt. My niece and nephew being born. Meeting Sara. Getting Teddy. First time hanging out at Jason's. 16th birthday. Alice Cooper concert. Putting Dale and Cali down. There's a lot. What was the last thing you took a picture of? Some crazy shit on FB to show Sara. Something you're looking forward to? Getting a goddamn job. What is God teaching you right now? Lul. What does Notre Dame Cathedral mean to you, and how has its fire affected you? I was devastated to hear about it; it was the one event that actually got me paying attention to the news. It is a monument of incredible art and history, and for Catholics, a house of their god. I am so thankful the damage wasn't too tremendous. What’s the last dumb decision you made that you beat yourself up over? I dunno. Surprisingly. What’s your favorite version of the Bible to read? N/A If applicable, do you underline verses in your Bible? N/A When was the last time you went to church? Not since Colleen had her extreme Christian phase two years ago. What’s the last song you listened to on repeat? "Radio" by Rammstein. That new album's gonna be bangin'. Does your town’s hospital have a good reputation? NOPE. It sure does not. I have no issue with the psychiatric care unit there, though. Every time I went to the ER for suicidal thoughts or the attempt, they were sweethearts to me. But as far as physical health, they do NOT have a good rep. I know someone's grandfather that nearly fucking died thanks to them, and I can't recall what it was exactly, but Mom had some complaints during her kidney cancer treatment. What is your hometown known for? Crime. Are you longing for and missing a toxic person? I honestly miss Colleen sometimes, but I can't go back to her. I can't. I'm done giving her more chances than she deserves. It was nice to actually have someone to hang out with, but she is just overall not a pleasant person. What’s your greatest longing? Financial stability, probably. Have you ever read a Bible verse and thought, “this isn’t true”? BOY HOWDY- What are you behind on? Being an adult. I am 23 and a SOOOOOORRYYYYYY excuse for one. Is there someone who’s stolen from you and never got caught? Yes. Someone stole our basketball hoop from my childhood home. Have you been lonely for most of your life? Most of my life, no. What color is your sleeping bag? I don’t have one. When was the last time you used a sleeping bag, and what for? When I lived with Colleen and slept on the floor for a bit. Do you live near the woods? Yeah, there's woods across the road. What do you want to be for Halloween this year? List 1-3 ideas. I wanna be the dumb blonde witch from Hocus Pocus, lmao. A pastel vampire would be pretty cool. And Rhett from the "Sleep Tight" video has instilled in me the great desire to be a steampunk toothfairy at least once. List five things people have been jealous of you for. Idk. List five things you have felt jealous of other people for. More than anyone, a friend of many friends' photography success when I can genuinely and modestly say I really think I'm better than her. That is easily the worst envy situation I've dealt with (and still do), as this is the one that is actually almost spiteful, wrong as that is. Then I have another friend who is a FANTASTIC photographer as well and is now a professional one in the fashion industry, I believe. Then there was a girl I went to school with called Cailin whose drawing skills were naturally INCREDIBLE since elementary school, and I remember back then, me and her would always get the most attention for our work, but she did moreso, but I wanted to be the "best" artist. Once I hit high school I just had great respect for her talent. Next, one of my former best friends Hannia was a natural GENIUS that got perfect scores on LITERALLY almost anything; she had the highest GPA in the entire school, while I was right behind her. And uhhhh five... I have been and still am jealous of my sisters for being proper, successful adults. What is your favorite shade of brown? Like a caramel tone, I guess? What color is your toilet seat? White. Would you rather live in an apartment or a house? Definitely a house. What’s one thing you had growing up that you miss now? Energy. Do you prefer kale, lettuce, or spinach? Lettuce. Do you listen to instrumental bands such as Hammock, Trentemoller, etc.? No. Have you ever gotten a manicure or pedicure? Just because my sisters went and Mom wanted me to hang out with them. I may have with my old friend, too. Have you ever self-harmed? Yeah. Never the answer. Do you have any eating disorders? No. I'm afraid of developing one once I (hopefully) get to the weight I want, though. Have you ever met a celebrity? No. Do you like Monster Energy or do you prefer other energy drinks? I hate energy drinks. They taste like poison. Do you plan on getting married? Yeah. Do you want kids? That's a big fat nope. What’s your sexual orientation? I don’t judge. Bisexual. At what time of day do you normally feel the best? The morning. Name one reason why someone should not commit suicide. YOU. CAN. GET. BETTER. Seek professional help if you feel suicidal, and after what I understand is a serious struggle, you truly can go into the light at the end of the tunnel. You've got, to our understanding, one shot at this. Don't end it when there is a possibility for a beautiful future. If you’re unhappy, what would it take to make you fulfilled? Have a job and be in school. Name someone you know who is a cancer survivor. My mom. Are you friends with any cancer survivors? I don't think so. Do you wish the sunrise and sunset lasted longer? Hm. Sunset, maybe. Idk. Name a country whose history you know nothing about. Lmao most. What is your favorite store at the mall? Hot Topic. Do you have a bed or do you sleep on a mattress on the floor? I have a bed. When was the last time you went for a run? Shit, not since high school gym. Do you keep Christmas lights up year-round? No. What did you win a scholarship for? Nowhere. What type of bug do you see the most often in your home? Flies. Do you put off things until the last minute? I tend to. Is your mom the same size as you? No, I'm smaller. Do you know any Christians who aren’t judgmental? No shit. Do you still think of that Gwen Stefani song when you spell bananas? Ha ha yup. Do you like the way your hair naturally is, or do you change it? It's fine. But I want it dyed badly. Do you know anyone who died accidentally by doing something stupid? Yes. How many different languages have you taken in school? Latin and German. How tall is your father? (Estimate?) Idk. Over six feet. Would you meet Miley Cyrus if you had the chance? No. What is your favorite slow song? Oh yeesh. Idk. Maybe "See You On The Other Side" by Ozzy. Do you believe in karma? No. Do you constantly check your cell phone? No. Only Sara or Mom ever text me, and I pick it up just if the green light is blinking (means I have a message). If there were aliens on earth, would you be afraid? Well yeah. If you could spend 1 hour 20 years in the future, would you? Yes. I want to see where I am, so long as I can change my behavior to improve that future if needed. Otherwise, I don't wanna know. Are your pets asleep? Teddy probably is, Bentley might be, idk where Roman is, but he likely is, I can't see Mitsu from where I am currently, Venus may be (no eyelids, so you never know) as she's in her rock, and Kaiju is awake. Have you ever wished you were an only child? Never. Have you ever hurt someone on purpose? Yes. Have you ever gotten hurt while sledding? No. Do you enjoy going through old pictures? It depends on the subject of them and my mental state. Kid pictures I'm always up for, high school ones are okay, though they can make me really upset with how healthy and skinny I was, and I deleted all photos I had on Facebook of Jason and me last year so I couldn't even risk looking at them ever again, as there's a good chance some would trigger my PTSD. Of all your exes, who do you think you had the deepest feelings for? Jason, obviously. Do you tend to have a lot of drama in your life? I have the most uneventful, bland life. No. When’s the last time someone was disappointed in you? Idk. What song are you listening to right now? Is this one of your favorite songs? "Alone I Break" by Korn. No, but I love it. What is something you have to explain a lot? My sweating issue. Gross to talk about, but I sweat seriously excessively, like you would not believe. It can be 70 degrees and I'll be sweating in seconds. People worry about it, and in VR, I've had to explain it so many times due to it affecting suitable jobs (I think we can all agree being drenched in sweat at work looks extremely bad). Hopefully I won't have to anymore when my doctor decides what to do about it. It's most likely a thyroid issue, which I have no clue about how to subdue symptoms of. There's really a shitload I have to explain lately between doctors and VR... Which compliment do you receive the most? From those that know me/see me, that I'm losing weight. From people in general, "I love your hair" or something like that. Who were you last on the phone with? My sister. What is one thing you have always wondered? Uh. Idk. I'm sure there's a lot, just nothing's coming to me atm... What do your friends think about the music you listen to? Your family? My friends and I like similar stuff, as do my parents, especially Mom. My sisters are the total opposite of me and don't enjoy metal and the like at all. Has anyone ever told you to grow up? Essentially. Do you believe people when they say they don’t judge people? Hell no. How many true friends do you have? Excluding family and my girlfriend as they're more than that, like... one or two, it feels like most of the time. Can you honestly say you’re happy right now? No. What is something you are exceptionally bad at? Doing math in my head or spelling up there. AND READING LIPS. Do you have a house phone? No. Who do you love more than anyone right now? Don't make me choose between Mom and Sara. How much money do you have saved up? I literally have $11. Do you like bright/neon colors? Yes, but I prefer pastel. What is your favorite wild animal? Meerkats. Do you ever eat breakfast? I almost always do. Do you remember who your first grade teacher was? Yes. Have you ever won any trophies? What for? Yeah, for A honor roll all through elementary school (save for 5th grade; I got one B and was so upset, lmao), then in all kid sports I played, everyone got lil ones, some from dance I believe, and I think there's one or two others I'm not thinking of...

[hekate1308]

Blood Deal

I will be saving Crowley forever. Enjoy!!!

It’s pretty hard to wrap his head around everything that has happened, but Dean knows one thing.

There’s something missing.

No one else seems to notice amidst the cheering going on here at the camp in the Apocalypse world – and that’s something else he’ll eventually have to face, the fact that nothing makes sense anymore and that Sam just accepts that Mom wants to stay even though he was determined to get for back from the start, or that Cas ignores the signs that point to Jack becoming more like Lucifer.

But all of that will have to wait. He has to deal with something else before that.

And so he sets off late in the night. It’s easy enough; for all that “You’re our new brothers” talk (and he thinks, resignedly, that the word family really doesn’t mean as much to him as it should, these days) they mostly ignore him in favour of Sam, but then, isn’t he used to it?

He’s quickly done with his preparations. And then he summons him.

The one who’s missing.

He thinks he’s gotten it wrong when instead of the meat suit he knows so well, a woman appears in front of him. She’s gorgeous, he’ll admit that; but there’s something wrong about looking at her and knowing it’s –

“Crowley?”

“Yes. And who are you – aside from the dumbass who summoned me without using a devil’s trap?”

He laughs; he can’t help it. It feels too good to hear his – her – whatever British accent again. “Damn it’s good to see you.”

That takes her aback. “What –“

“My name is Dean Winchester. I came from a different dimension, if you will. And there, we were... friends.”

“Nice try.”

“Would I summon you in order to bring him back if we hadn’t been?” he argues. He’s long known that the only person who’d know how to bring back Crowley would be Crowley himself, or in this case herself. And now he has the chance to ask.

She’s studying him, and he’s suddenly reminded of the first time they met Crowley; it’s the same cold, calculating look, long before soft smiles and the question “You miss me?” when he called for help. “So you summon a demon in order to resurrect – I assume he’s dead, otherwise you wouldn’t have to “bring him back” – another demon while this world is crashing down around you? Wow. You’re even more of an idiot than I thought.”

Dean scoffs. He’s tired, he’s been running through a world that isn’t his own, nothing makes sense anymore, but he’s a man on a mission. “Alright, I’ll cut this short. This may be new to you, but every single insult you could throw my way, he already did. Multiple times. So, why don’t you just tell me how do get him back?”

“What makes you think I know?”

“It’s Crowley. He always has a back-up plan.”

She narrows her eyes and Dean realizes with surprise that looking at the demon who isn’t the one he knew but acts like him actually hurts, just a little bit.

Seems like Cain was even more right than he thought.

“Let’s say there is some truth in what you say – why would I tell you?”

Dean knows better than to argue that she should do herself a favour. It took him some time to realize, but part of the reason he and Crowley got on so well was that they both are quite familiar with the habit of loathing oneself. “To be honest? You have absolutely no reason. But what have you got to lose? In fact, I owe you one, in case you ever need a favour from someone who saved his world.”

He doesn’t mention that it would need an archangel’s Grace to get through to them, but it’s Crowley; what can’t they do when they choose to?

She stares at him. “You are... offering me a deal. To save me.”

2Well, our version of you, but yes...” he trails off when he sees her eyes soften, and he remembers Rowena, and Gavin, and Crowley’s face when he punched him on the last day of his life. “He died for us, we kind of... you know... owe him that. To try, at least.”

“And after you do this, you owe me. Do we have a deal?”

Dean knows this is dangerous, of course. But if it works – if it works – then they’ll have Crowley back, and he’s certainly a match for this version.

“Alright” he agrees. She draws him into a kiss, and Dean tries very hard not to compare the two (just as he generally tries not to think about everything he and Crowley got up to when they were demons together.”

“Alright” she says, “here”. She hands him a phial of blood.

“What is that?”

“It’s mine. I always figured no matter how I met my demise, blood would be spilt. And blood calls to blood. I assume he had a well-hidden stash of it in your world, too. Where did he die?”

“Here.”

“Ah. Well, then, that’s rather unfortunate. But not for you, since you are here. You just gave to find the exact spot where he died.”

Thank God for his navigation skills. He’s pretty sure he can find the place. He nods.

“And then there’s the spell.” The instructions she gives him are almost disgustingly simple, but he gets it. Crowley, always doing the unexpected. Nothing elaborate, just the spell to call blood to blood, as she put it.

“Thank you.”

“Oh, thank me when I call in that favour, sugar” she drawls, her hand running down his shirt. “I cannot wait.”

“Sorry, got a demon to save.”

She’s obviously surprised at that. “Well, then. Bye.” She vanishes.

Exactly like Crowley. Can’t handle any other feelings than utter hatred too well.

Dean steals back to the camp to get his backpack, and then he’s gone. He’s not entirely sure where the others are; maybe they’re busy celebrating this new family unit that will never feel quite right to him. It’s not even Mom not living up to his expectations – he could handle that – it’s about her not wanting to be their mother, or rather, anyone’s mother but theirs.

But all of this can wait. Once he’s dealt with this.

The place where Crowley gutted himself, where they met Bobby again, where Mom got stranded and where they lost Cas (albeit on the other side of the door) is seared into his mind, and soon he’s on his way.

It gives him ample time to consider what he is doing, but he never falters. Rowena was right; Crowley was an evil bastard, but in many ways, he didn’t deserve the lot he was dealt, and he did help them a lot.

And didn’t he pray to God to save him as well? So really, Dean’s not the one to talk.

He reaches the place just as the sun – or what passes for the sun here – begins to rise. He wonders when the others are going to start to miss him, then he dismisses the thought.

Right now, other matters need his attention.

Pin-pointing the exact spot is not as easy as he hoped. In the end, he has to settle for an educated guess and wish that somehow a bit of Crowley’s blood found its way there.

He has to admit the spell is a clever idea – it’s really so utterly simple that anyone could perform irt, meaning no one would try because why would they ever believe this was real?

At first, nothing happens; he’s waiting, for a sign, a flicker, something; and then –

A gush of air knocks him down as Crowley quite literally propels out of the skies and crashes near him.

The Empty, Dean remembers. That’s where Cas says he went, and where Crowley must have ended up too – and just like it ejected Cas, he ended up being quite literally thrown out.

Alright then.

He seems to be unconscious, and Dean rolls him on his back, once more cursing the fact that angels and demons don’t need to breathe.

When Crowley’s eyes finally open, they take a moment to focus. Then he stars up at him. “Dean?”

“Welcome back.”

Crowley closes his eyes and groans. “I’m dead.”

“No you’re not. Well, you were, so now you’re undead. Or rather, un-un-dead. After all, you already croaked once as a human...”

“Squirrel, I would really like you to be silent for five seconds, just while I get my bearings” he hisses as he reopens his eyes and sits up.

“Maybe you should –“ But Crowley is already standing up, looking as unflappable as ever.

“Alright, tell me what happened, and please leave out everything unimportant.”

So Dean does. About how he brought him back, anyway.

When he’s finished, Crowley is staring at him like a deer caught in headlights. “You agreed to a deal? With this world’s version of me!?”

“I didn’t have much of a choice, did I –“

“Of course you had, you denim-clad –“

“I couldn’t just leave you dead when I knew there was a chance!”

Suddenly, Crowley looks as lost as he did when Gwen hugged him. Eventually, he clears his throat. “Ahm, yes – I see. Obviously. None of you can ever leave well enough alone when there’s just teh tiniest hope things could turn your way.”

“Exactly” Dean grins, only then realizing how glad he actually is to see Crowley. “So, now that we’ve cleared the air.”

“Excuse you, Squirrel, we have done nothing of the kind. What sort of favour did you offer? What does she want? What is –“

“Oh my, this is better than anything I could possibly have imagined. A lover’s quarrel.”

Dean turns around to find this world’s Crowley looking at them. “I was just explaining to him that –“

“Unless you two want to make me a certain offer, I am not interested.”

Her eyes travel up and down Crowley’s meat suit and just like when Billie did the same, Dean feels a surge of utterly unwarranted jealousy. “At least we both have good taste.”

“I have to agree” Crowley drawls.

“If you two need a moment alone” Dean snaps, “I can –“

“Aw, lover boy’s jealous” she says, turning towards... well, herself. Himself. And this isn’t even the most confusing thing Dean has seen this week. “I have to say, picking a human lover and letting him resurrect you... not a bad idea. But what I absolutely cannot understand are your own feelings for him. Are we growing soft?”

Dean’s pretty sure his head just exploded, because there is no way she insinuated that Crowley of all people has feelings for him. True, when he was a demon, there was – well, there was no reason notz to have fund, and that thing with the triplets...

But feelings?

Granted, he’s probably not the one to ask. He did after all just drag himself through the Apocalypse World to get him back.

He expects Crowley – their edition – to make some sarcastic comment, but instead he’s silent.

She scoffs. “So it’s true. You’re pathetic.”

“Hey” Dean says, “Careful. You’re talking to a former King of Hell there.”

“Former? Of course. Why would someone so weak to fall for one of you meatballs keep the –“

Everything happens very fast. One moment, Crowley’s taunting Crowley, then they are locked in combat, and before Dean can react, his (his? Alright, deal with that later) one has her arms locked behind her back, angel blade (the one he killed himself with, Dean thinks, shuddering) at her throat. “Here’s the thing, my dear. You may have some devilish good looks and a somewhat functioning brain, and you survived until now, but I have been dealing with the Winchesters, and there’s no better training than that. So –“

He’s about to cut her throat when she calls out, “My favour! I want him to let me go! Make him!”

Just like him, then; she knows when she’d better beat retreat.

“Crowley –“

“Could be fun, and the deal would be broken either –“

“Crowley, please.”

He pouts – pouts – but lest her go.

“We’re square” Dean says an she gives a tight nod, then smiles. “You can’t win them all. Well then, I better leave the love birds to their reunion. Laterz!”

“Not if I can help it” Crowley mutters after she’s gone.

“And whether you believe it or not, this was the most normal thing to happen to me Today. Wait until you hear –“

Crowley distracts him by kissing him roughly. Dean takes a moment to catch on, then gives as good as he gets; after all, everything’s already going insane, so what does this matter?

“What was that for?”

“I had to ensure you are reminded who is the superior kisser” Crowley says simply. “And now you tell me what new world-ending problem you boys ran right into so we can deal with it.”

Yes, Dean thinks, maybe this was the answer after all.

He’s got the feeling there’s nothing they cannot deal with, together.

[dfroza]

people want to see change on garden earth for the better

since we are its caretakers.

but ultimately our Creator will restore purity to earth in all things, even to remove death at some point.

Love is absolutely pure and it doesn’t change its True nature. we can only choose to be humbled and changed by it.

(rebirth)

Today’s reading of the Scriptures from the New Testament is the 3rd chapter of the Letter of 2nd Timothy:

But you need to be aware that in the final days the culture of society will become extremely fierce. People will be self-centered lovers of themselves and obsessed with money. They will boast of great things as they strut around in their arrogant pride and mock all that is right. They will ignore their own families. They will be ungrateful and ungodly.

They will become addicted to hateful and malicious slander. Slaves to their desires, they will be ferocious, belligerent haters of what is good and right. With brutal treachery, they will act without restraint, bigoted and wrapped in clouds of their conceit. They will find their delight in the pleasures of this world more than the pleasures of the loving God.

They may pretend to have a respect for God, but in reality they want nothing to do with God’s power. Stay away from people like these! For they are the ones who worm their way into the hearts of vulnerable women, spending the night with those who are captured by their lusts and steeped in sin. They are always learning but never discover the revelation-knowledge of truth.

History has given us an example of this with the Egyptian sorcerers Jannes and Jambres, who stood against Moses in their arrogance. So it will be in the last days with those who reject the faith with their corrupt minds and arrogant hearts, standing against the truth of God.

But they will not advance, for everyone will see their madness, just as they did with Jannes and Jambres!

But you, Timothy, have closely followed my example and the truth that I’ve imparted to you. You have modeled your life after the love and endurance I’ve demonstrated in my ministry by not giving up. The faith I have, you now have. What I have hungered for in life has now become your longing as well. The patience I have with others, you now demonstrate. And the same persecutions and difficulties I have endured, you have also endured. Yes, you know all about what I had to suffer while in Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra. You’re aware of all the persecution I endured there; yet the Lord delivered me from every single one of them! For all who choose to live godly as worshipers of Jesus, the Anointed One, will also experience persecution.

But the evil men and sorcerers will progress from bad to worse, deceived and deceiving, as they lead people further from the truth. Yet you must continue to advance in strength with the truth wrapped around your heart, being assured by God that he’s the One who has truly taught you all these things.

Remember what you were taught from your childhood from the Holy Scrolls which can impart to you wisdom to experience everlasting life through the faith of Jesus, the Anointed One! God has transmitted his very substance into every Scripture, for it is God-breathed. It will empower you by its instruction and correction, giving you the strength to take the right direction and lead you deeper into the path of godliness. Then you will be God’s servant, fully mature and perfectly prepared to fulfill any assignment God gives you.

The Letter of 2nd Timothy, Chapter 3 (The Passion Translation)

Today’s paired chapter of the Testaments is the 35th chapter of the book of Jeremiah:

This word from the Eternal came to Jeremiah when Jehoiakim (son of Josiah) was king of Judah.

Eternal One: Go to where the Rechabites are now staying and invite them to My temple. Take them to one of the side rooms there and offer them wine to drink.

So I took the leader of this clan, Jaazaniah (son of Jeremiah and grandson of Habazziniah) along with his brothers and sons who represented all of the Rechabites to the temple of the Eternal. I led them into a side room that was used by the sons of Hanan (son of Igdaliah), a man of God. This room was right next to the room used by temple officials and right over the room of Maaseiah (son of Shallum), the doorkeeper. Once we were in the room, I set before these Rechabite men pitchers full of wine with some cups.

Jeremiah (to the Rechabites): Have some wine.

Rechabites: We do not drink wine because our ancestor, Jonadab (son of Rechab), gave us very clear commands: “You and your children must never drink wine. You must not build houses or plant crops or have vineyards. You are not to do anything that resembles settling down in this land. Instead, live in tents and roam the land as nomads. Do this, and you will live for a long time in this land.” So we have done just that—we have obeyed our ancestor Jonadab (son of Rechab) throughout these many years. We have never drunk wine, nor have our wives or children. We have never built houses to live in or owned a vineyard or a field or even planted seed. We have faithfully lived as nomads in tents and have obeyed what our ancestor, Jonadab, commanded all those years ago. But when King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon invaded this land, we knew we could no longer wander the countryside. So we said, “Come on, let’s go to Jerusalem so we don’t fall victim to the Babylonian and Aramean armies.” That is why we are here in Jerusalem.

After this encounter with the Rechabites, the word of the Eternal came to instruct Jeremiah.

Eternal One: I, the Eternal One, the God of Israel, Commander of heavenly armies, want you to go and deliver this message to the people of Judah and the citizens of Jerusalem: “Why won’t you hear My words and learn from Me? Jonadab (son of Rechab) told his children, among other things, not to drink wine, and they obeyed him! To this day they still obey their ancestor for this is his command. But I speak to you again and again, and you have never obeyed Me. I have sent My servants, the prophets, to you again and again. They warned you with My words: ‘Turn back from your wicked ways and change what you are doing. Stop worshiping other gods so that you may continue to live in this land that I gave to you and your ancestors.’ But you did not bother to listen to Me. The descendants of Jonadab (son of Rechab) have obeyed the orders of their ancestor and leader, but these people have not obeyed Me.

“Listen! This is why I, the Eternal One, the God of Israel, Commander of heavenly armies, will send all the disaster I promised against Judah and all the citizens of Jerusalem. For I spoke to them, but they never listened. I called out to them, but they never answered back.”

Jeremiah (to the Rechabites): The Eternal, Commander of heavenly armies and God of Israel, has this message for you and your families: “Because you obeyed your ancestor Jonadab and faithfully followed his instructions for all these years, I promise that Jonadab (son of Rechab) will always have descendants who serve Me.”

The Book of Jeremiah, Chapter 35 (The Voice)

A note from The Voice:

The next two chapters are a flashback to earlier times and circumstances. Jehoiakim is in the last years of his reign as king of Judah. Babylon, along with Aram, is raiding Judean villages. These raids cause many to seek refuge in Jerusalem, which is not yet under attack. Among those who run to the capital city is a nomadic clan known as the Rechabites. Their customs are simple and austere; their lifestyles are not suited to city living. However, they now find themselves in Jerusalem. Their faithfulness to those strict customs is held up as an example for the rest of Judah.

A link to my personal reading of the Scriptures for friday, September 17 of 2021 with a paired chapter from each Testament of the Bible along with Today’s Proverbs and Psalms

A post by John Parsons that looks at our time here on garden earth:

We are all on the "road of life," and each passing day draws us closer to our destination... Therefore we should treasure our time, the remains of our day. “Any time you are with anyone or think of anyone you must say to yourself: I am dying and this person too is dying, attempting the while to experience the truth of the words you are saying. If every one of you agrees to practice this, bitterness will die out, harmony will arise” (de Mello). Amen. The sages say, “Repent one day before you die.” But who knows the day of one’s death in advance? Perhaps your name will be called today, ending your lease on life in this world. Are you ready? Are you prepared to appear before your Creator to account for your life (Rev. 22:12)?

The Scriptures admonish: “Find God or die...” (Deut. 30:19). We cannot choose not to choose; we cannot “opt out” of our sacred responsibility to live before God. Every human being faces the holy dilemma, and there is no way to avoid the “either/or” by attempting to somehow unite heaven and hell. Spiritually this means that we must learn to “choose to choose,” since denying the power of our choice (e.g., by rationalizing, blaming others, playing the victim) means forsaking our identity as a soul made in the image of God, and this results in being inwardly “disfigured” and fragmented...

Henri Nouwen wrote, “I am beginning to see that much of praying is grieving,” that is, realizing the fracture between the “is” and “ought” of our lives. Kierkegaard said that the purpose of prayer is not to influence God but rather to change the nature of the one who prays. When we get past our words -- our chatter, the insecurities that rise from our hearts, the cares of the day, even our hopes and dreams -- then we are sufficiently quieted to encounter God. It is then that we can truly listen and grieve over our lives in naked dependence upon God.

Psalm 139 has the tone of “hitbodedut” (הִתְבּוֹדְּ��וּת) – a spontaneous prayer of intimacy and earnestness that flows from personal experience. For David, God is contemporaneous and infinitely concerned with his personal life. The great psalm begins with “O Lord, you have searched me and known me” (v.1) and paradoxically ends with “Search me, O God, and know my heart” (v.23-24). But why would David pray this way when he already understood that God knew his every thought?

There is a saying that we are “only as sick as the secrets we keep.” God is sovereign and knows everything about us. We have nowhere to hide. David’s desire is to live transparently before the LORD without self-deception. We must abandon, therefore, the “fig leaf” attempts to cover the truth about our lives and to welcome His examination of our hearts (Psalm 7:9; 11:5; 26:2, Prov. 17:3). When we do so, we can trust that He will lead us “in the way everlasting” (בְּדֶרֶךְ עוֹלָם).

The central issue of genuine spiritual life is the willingness to do God's will, or the willingness to believe, since these amount to the same thing.... Believe what? That God is real, that He has (personally) called you by name, that he has particularly redeemed you by Yeshua's own blood poured out for your sins, and that therefore that your identity and life are bound up with his mercy and truth... The spiritual danger is always being “pulled apart” in opposite directions, dissipating the soul so that it will not be unified, focused and directed.

The stakes are nothing less than everything, friends. May the Lord give us the willingness to do His will and the courage to believe in His love. And may God deliver us from doubt and from every other fear. May we all be strong in faith, not staggering over the promises, but giving glory to God for the miracle of Yeshua our LORD. May we all be rooted and grounded in love so that we are empowered to apprehend the very “breadth and length and height and depth” of the love of God given to us in Messiah, so that we shall all be filled with all the fullness of God (Eph. 3:14-19). Amen. [Hebrew for Christians]

9.16.21 • Facebook

Today’s message (Days of Praise) from the Institute for Creation Research

September 17, 2021

The Foot of Pride

“Let not the foot of pride come against me, and let not the hand of the wicked remove me.” (Psalm 36:11)

The contrast in this psalm is not only between good and evil, but more specifically between the prideful man who lives without fear of God and the God in whom godly men trust.

The description of the evil man (vv. 1-4) is an apt description of a modern-day humanist. He is convinced that God, if He exists, does not intervene in the affairs of men. He therefore sets himself up as an authority, deciding right and wrong on his own arbitrary scale. He has “no fear of God” (v. 1), and arrogantly he “flattereth himself in his own eyes” (v. 2), speaking “iniquity and deceit” (v. 3). He is foolish, and even his humanitarian deeds are not good, in the ultimate sense. Furthermore, the modern-day humanist “abhorreth not evil” (v. 4), insisting that such sins as promiscuity, homosexuality, witchcraft, abortion, brainwashing of children in pantheistic evolution, etc., are, in reality, to be desired.

The contrast with God consists of a list of some of His majestic attributes in His dealing with men. “Thy mercy, O LORD, is in the heavens; and thy faithfulness reacheth unto the clouds. Thy righteousness is like the great mountains; thy judgments are a great deep: O LORD, thou preservest man and beast. How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings. They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house; and thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures. For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light” (vv. 5-9).

The wicked with his “foot of pride” will ultimately fall (vv. 11-12). But we can pray as David prayed, “O continue thy lovingkindness unto them that know thee; and thy righteousness to the upright in heart” (v. 10). JDM

[kylehyde]

Tagged by @tortillas-and-cheese

Rules: once you’ve been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 92 truths about you. at the end choose 25 people to be tagged, hmm this is really LONG

MORE

🌙 LAST

drink: monster

phone call: mom

song you listened to: Acceptance from SH Shattered Memories ost

time you cried: Can't remember, last holiday season I think

🌙 HAVE YOU EVER

dated someone twice: No

kissed someone and regretted it: Yea, almost every time

been depressed: I guess

been drunk and thrown up: no, not the puking part at least

🌙 IN THE PAST YEAR HAVE YOU

made a new friend: yea, a few

fallen out of love: uh, it was more a rational decision than like emotional

met someone who changed you: yea, sure

found out who your true friends are: sort of

found out someone was talking about you: yes

🌙 GENERAL

how many people on tumblr do you know in real life?: 3, one is my brother

do you have any pets?: Just my mixed cocker spaniel dog and a husky who's supposed to be my bro's but 'my city now'

do you want to change your name?: YES, I already go by a shortened nickname of my real name and I badly want to change my surname

what time did you wake up this morning: 9:42am

what were you doing last night: spending time with a friend for her b-day

something you cannot wait for: summer mostly, I want to go swimming this year

have you ever talked to a person named tom?: I think my grandma's boyfriend/husband was named Tom, we met once, I think?? God idk

what’s getting on your nerves right now: my free time and motivation are failing to line up, and when they finally do I have other plans already

blood type: just O

nickname: Kia, or Pardo

relationship status: Single and not really looking atm

zodiac sign: Gemini

pronouns: She/Her, They/Them (optional)

favourite show: a show I'm watching rn is RWBY but idk I wouldn't put it in absolute favs

college: Not interested atm, I already dropped what I wanted to do and have no desire to go back for awhile

hair colour: Black

do you have a crush on someone: no not really

what do you like about yourself: my attentiveness when I'm hands-on with something, my eyebrows

🌙 FIRSTS

first surgery: never

first piercing: The ears when I was like 1? 2? That's it

first sport you joined: none, I was briefly in school band tho

first vacation: Disney world I think?

first pair of sneakers: geez idk, I'm sure it was some disney themed shoes

🌙 RIGHT NOW

eating: kitkat

i’m about to: draw

listening to: this weird ocean sound from this FE stage and my fan

want kids: Not in THIS economy

get married: I don’t know, that kinda needs an A point

career: I'd rather keep doing what I am rn and just have art as a side hobby/income

🌙 WHICH IS BETTER

lips or eyes: Lips

hugs or kisses: Hhh neither, just hold my hand once and we're good

shorter or taller: Taller, same height is also acceptable

troublemaker or hesitant: Both

older or younger: Older

romantic or spontaneous: Both

sensitive or loud: Sensitive

hookup or relationship: I don't know

🌙 HAVE YOU EVER

kissed a stranger: No

drank hard liquor: YAH

lost contacts/glasses: YEP

sex on first date: NO, it's not a no from me I just NEVER have

broken someone’s heart: God, probably

been arrested: nope

turned someone down: Yes

🌙 DO YOU BELIEVE

in yourself: Sure, it's better than I used to be

miracles: Hm, kinda but it's more on a karma system

love at first sight: No

[briteboy]

yelling @ santi, i’m evil again (what else is new), SOME REALLY REALLY OLD ASKS, one GoT spoiler at the very bottom (beware)

*angrily slaps santi* GET YOUR SELF TOGETHER YAH POOP HEAD

Lou and Fiona deserve happiness pls let it happen ty

they do ;-; it will happen, don’t worry, no one suffers forever <3 i’ve actually been planning out lou’s story and i’m excited to actualize it hehe

I just read all of Santis story. Dear god, it is amazing. I cannot begin to describe how much I love it. I have been really sick lately and have such a hard time concentrating on anything for more than one second but I have not been able to look away from this story, not even when I re-read it for the third time. You are an amazing writer and I have fallen in love with every charachter you have introduced. I teared up so many times and my heart began beating fast, it was really an experience.

OH MY GOD ;___________; YOU READ IT THREE TIMES WHAATDOSOIGODFSKL holy shit thank you so much, i don’t even know what to say right now lmao ;-; i’m just kinda in awe that i was able to grab your attention like that and that you enjoyed it so much and just askjdjfsd THANK YOU i can’t say anything else but just thank you, people like you make this all worth it <3 

A case of the novembers is the kinda story you read and you just know its going to stick with you for awhile. Like ones day, you'll be long gone in the future, doing something totally different, older wiser, all that bullshit, and you'll just randomly remember what a bittersweet story it was.

OMFG ;___; holy heck asjdjnfkdkjs this really got me right in the heart lmao. that’s the kind of story it’s always been for me and seeing other people interpret it that way as well is just mind boggling, thank you <3 

You are evil. My poor heart hurts. ;______________;

you've ruined my life

Life hack: listen to the entire Hamilton soundtrack whilst working out at the gym. By the end of it, you'll have lost half your body weight due to sweating and crying at the same time (pls help this was such a bad decision)

OMG that’s me with grimes’ art angels lmao i go hord to kill v maim and venus fly

hamilton fans also go hord i respect it. learn more about history get swole killing two birds with one stone

Okay this is so fucking random but a while ago you did a post where you talked about perfect bby gianni saying that he spent a lot of time in introspection and like Thank you 'cause now I have a word to put on this thing I do when I try to figure why I feel certain things or what my relationship with people/random shit is and why and yeah I kind of understand myself a little better now so thx a lot!!! 😘😘😘 Also, you're great.

i think i was actually talking about santi (’cause that’s where we’re at right now, in that period of introspection for him heheh) but YES omg that makes me so happy ;-; it’s a good word lmao and i do the same thing, in fact i’m always trying to figure out my relationships with everything in order to understand myself more. that’s kinda why i’m so into astrology haha. i’m glad you finally got to pin down that feeling for yourself, it’s the best when that happens <3 YOU’RE GREAT TOO 💫

NOOOOOOOO MY FAVS THIS CAN'T... LOU.... SANTI PLS... THIS IS A RIOT 😭😭

let’s start protesting santi in the streets

Hi!! Umm I'm guessing you do but just in case, did you know there was a tear accessory? I think it's an eyeliner (cause you mentioned having to draw them yourself)

yeah i do! i mentioned the ones by s-club, i’ve used those a couple times. but i like drawing them myself because i feel like it’s weird to have the same single teardrop every time one of my characters cries (and we all know they’ve been crying a lot lately lmfao) if they didn’t cry often i probably wouldn’t feel compelled to draw the tears. but i don’t mind drawing them honestly, it’s kinda fun lmao. thanks for your consideration <3 

so im sitting here thinkin....... what if santi goes on this trip and coms back and lou is in a relationship!?!?!

👏santi👏get👏it👏together👏

HE’S TRYIN

i want to die

AAAH SOLE DEVELOPMENT BETWEEN CUTE DEVIL CHILD AND I ALMOST DIED TWICE TATOO MAN YES

I HAD TO READ THIS LIKE THREE TIMES TO UNDERSTAND IT LMFAOSDOJDKF BUT YES their relationship kills me the most ;__;

wait santi tried to kys :'(

WHERE U BEEN he did  :{

what font do u use in your histories?

arial!

hi u have a really pretty blog and I hope you have a good day

THIS IS SO SWEET I DON’T DESERVE IT ;-; I HOPE YOU HAVE A GOOD DAY TOO HONEYBEE 🌻

nyooooooom

I WENT M.I.A FOR A LITTLE AND I COME BACK TO READ UP ON THE STORY AND HOW DARE YOU ASHDDJFKL

@teishajenaie on instagram looks like Rooney to me, idk if you'd agree but ??

i see it!! definitely in the eyes and nose. also sorry i answered this literally like 3 months later lmao

gooey by glass animals gives me santi vibes :) ive been listening to it on repeat (bc im tht bitch) and it was making me think of you and his story! c: i hope you dont mind me over here lmao anyway, im excited to see where it goes and real excited for a back story for lou!! <3 lots of love

omg haha that’s actually funny because i used it in that one scene of him tripping, although it’s like completely a gianni song to me (at least personality-wise, it’s even on his playlist on my character page) and noooo i don’t mind, i love that song and i love when people recommend me songs!! i have a whole bunch of recommendations in my inbox that i need to acknowledge omg. anyway I’M EXCITED THAT YOU’RE EXCITED, especially for lou’s story, it’s coming up reeeeeal soon <333

i feel so late to the party but i Just started reading your story like five minutes ago and im absolutely entranced by it already and i cant wait to catch up and finally understand what to heck is going on

this was sent literally forever ago when santi and molly were out there being wild in the desert lmao so i hope you caught up and everything. “entranced” omg that’s such a wonderful word i’m honored

i didnt think i could love you more but the fact that you watch arrested development makes me so happy. i cry. my boyfriend has a mr manager, bluths frozen bananas shirt thats literally my favorite thing ever.

OMGGG YES i watched it once forever ago and i need to re-watch it asap lmao. I’M PRETTY SURE I BOUGHT THAT SAME EXACT SHIRT FOR MY BROTHER FOR CHRISTMAS ONE YEAR

Just a biiig prank. Huge

this one is from so long ago i don’t remember the context but i laughed at loud when i read it. huge

i was playing with uncharted for the first time today and they said Navarro in it and i was like THATS MY BOI SANTIII

santi infiltrating everyone’s lives my bf played uncharted tho!! it looked cool. like indiana jones. i liked the marketplace part. a monkey stole his apple

Hi sunny! I really am in love with your story (even if it's tearing me apart at the moment) and just wanted to say you're cool Stay strong ma dude

HI THANK YOU <333 you’re also cool my dude and i’m sorry for tearing you apart (if it makes you feel any better this story tears me apart on a daily basis)

what packs and expansions do u have for ur game?

ummmmmm all of them except vintage glamour and fitness stuff. i wish i didn’t buy some of the stuff packs lmao but what can ya do i actually didn’t even get vampires or bowling or parenthood until like a month ago lmao i’m late to the party

Oh shit she's been dead hasn't she. Like this is all a drug or alcohol infused bender of mollys memory, she's probably never left. They're probably still at the hospital. I hope I fucking wrong but shit I also hope not. Poor santi

we’re so far past this but i just wanted to publish this anyway lmao it was a good theory! and this person was so sure of it it kinda made me wish it was true lol. sorry if that disappointed you but i’ll always remember this one in my sad sad heart 💔

how long did it take for you to make friends here? I started a simblr because I really like storytelling with my sims & I thought it'd be fun to meet people who enjoy that, too, especially since I don't have many friends irl...but I've been here for quite a few months now and it seems like no one even cares that I'm here....everyone I try to interact with pretty much ignores me after a message or two....I'm just feeling really discouraged about my presence here :/

I’M REALLY SORRY I DIDN’T ANSWER THIS SOONER ASKJDKJFSDKA (i’m sure it didn’t help the fact that you feel ignored, i really really hope you see this) but okay uhhhhhhh i only had acquaintances from 2015 up until like this year? then i started really becoming close with people. so it took a while lol, but i think everyone starts off slow because it’s mostly about the actual game we’re playing at first and then making friends just happens through that. don’t get discouraged, like i said it took a while for me. you really just need to reach out to the people you’d like to become friends with, reply to their posts, give your genuine thoughts, say something that’ll make their day...people notice that no matter what they have going on, i promise. i hope you’re still here and hanging in there. don’t get caught up in who’s talking to you or not talking to you, just do your thing, enjoy what you do, and people will notice you. <3

3. Hi so I just wanted to say that I love your story, I'm here for every update. I'm an s3 player I play s4 every once in awhile but s3 has my soul. I love Santi and I know he will be happy in the end, whether it's with Lou or not(hopefully it is tho) I only want him to be happy. I go through so many emotions in one post, like this is a tv drama and I can’t wait for the next episode. This is the end of my cut and paste. Have a nice day.❤️

HI HELLO <3 this is so sweet and i can’t believe you actually care about my story lmao thank you i’m glad you have faith in his happy ending, i don’t want anyone to think i genuinely like making my characters suffer lmao. i only do it to make the happy ending more satisfying. asjdfjksd comparing my stuff to film or tv always makes me so giddy so THANK YOU ily <333

"Suicide before you see this tear fall down my eyes" (Beyonce) reminds me of Molly's situation soooo muchhhh aaaahhhhh

OMG YES what a good connection. good song good connection yaeeahhh better call molly with the good hair

Ummmm... hello! I just read through your whole story with Santi and I'm like... holy fuck. Not only is your story wonderful, your editing is so good. I'm surprised I didn't shove my eyes up against my computer screen. Please continue making wonderful things and being great. Signing off 12:31 in the morning, I hope you have as much fun as you want to

“as much fun as you want to” omfgasdkngjd why did that make me laugh so much. don’t have too much fun, have the responsible amount of fun anyway HELLO thank you soooooO much ;-; pls don’t shove ur eyes up against the screen i’m almost positive that’s not good for them. but i appreciate this so much thank YOU for being great <3 signing off at 2:18 in the morning after ignoring this message for months now (i’m sorryyyyyyy) but um ily

HELLO??? I JUST READ A SERIOUS CASE OF NOVEMBER FOR THE FIRST TIME AND I'M LIKE CRYING???? y u do dis to me I hate you and love you at the same time

(I need to rant I'm sorry) My uncle is really positive towards the army and war and stuff like that and all day he's been going on about how it should be mandatory to serve in the military, especially for "little brat girls" like me? And it's stressing me out so much I want to cry :( The army and war is something that genuinely scares me and I don't want anything to do with it, but he's just going on and on! What should I do?

this is literally sooooooooo late and i feel so bad i’m sorry, i hope this still helps you out and i hope you see it tho okay. i’m pretty sure this was even before the trans military ban like whew idek what your uncle must think about that. tbh just ignore him, like i know it’s hurtful but like...what is his point in telling you this? i would’ve literally been like (sarcastically) “ok then sign me up” but i’m also a lil shit so that’s probably not the best thing to say. but really like the only thing he’s trying to do is feel powerful by means of expressing his militaristic (no pun intended) opinions to someone far younger than him. it’s so that he feels bigger and better than you (especially by calling you a brat). he’s a sad man and anyone who relies on the military, of all things, to shape a person probably doesn’t have a strong sense of self anyway. i love you okay, just ignore him, don’t let him stress you out <3

I'm a little high and it's late but I have a lot of courage now so I've been following you for a while and I just want to tell you how much I love your story! I have come across other places on tumblr who do this but none have captured me as this one did! You are amazing and I am in love with this story! Thanks fo being you! :)

ONMG YOU HAD TO BE HIGH TO SEND THIS LMAO that was me this weekend anyway thank you so much, it floors me every time anyone says these kinds of things to me and it never gets old ;-; you are so amazing ok <333

you can't possibly be offended by a homophobic joke in game of thrones, it's set in medieval times. they had several lgbt characters in it, it's not the show that's homophobic, it's the characters, which is accurate for that time period.

o i can and i will lmao i mean i get where you’re coming from but with that logic you could say it’s only accurate to put homophobic jokes in today’s media just because people are still homophobic in the time live in. i know it’s the characters, but you do understand that someone writes those characters, right? it’s bad writing. it’s lazy and pandering and because of that it’s offensive. idk if you know the exact dialogue i was referring to but it was so completely unnecessary lmfao. they could’ve made a million other jokes. regardless of how it offended me it was just BAD lmao

SPOILER BELOW OK DON’T SAY I DIDN’T WARN YA

@ I wanna watch GoT anon: don't. It's just so fucking bad. The definition of overhyped tbh (and btw, sunny, PLS HELP HE SCREWED HIS FUCKING AUNT WTH)

LMAO SOMEONE ACTUALLY AGREES WITH ME? wow bless u. it is definitely overhyped, like it was good at first but it’s been riding that hype through these past couple of seasons to disguise the bad writing. i understand being entertained by it, but i’m always surprised when people think it’s actually well written at this point...it’s so cringey and now thanks to the season finale this fanbase will be justifying incest. great!

OK MOVE ALONG NOW