#[One of the strangest characters in my roster.]

[unrealization]

In the shadow of a ruined building, she found herself. As awareness kicked back in, the first thing she heard was a thundering rhythm in her ears. Her own heartbeat. Her whole body trembled as the adrenaline wore off, and the weight of the intense exertion hit her body all at once. She nearly collapsed, her body falling against the hefty iron of her weapon.

It was like this sometimes. She often found herself in unexpected places with long gaps in her memory. Her head was a mess. There were often long stretches where she forgot her own name. Forgetting was scary. She had no idea how long it had been, or what she had been doing. Lucidity offered little comfort from her fear, and judging from the blood all over, she was pretty sure things had gotten violent. It always seemed to when she blacked out. Her gaze settled on her hands, soaked in still-warm gore.

She really was a monster. Her nerves seemed to reach for something. A fear response, but her body was too exhausted. Someone had probably seen her as an easy mark. Threatened her. That was probably what set her off. Flight turns into fight, and her adrenaline goes into overdrive. She tried to remember the events, but just couldn't grasp it. Another gap. A miserable noise escaped her throat. Forgetting. Was it scarier than knowing she was a monster? She wasn't sure.

Her weapon was thrust deeply into the earth, and in her current state she probably wouldn't be able to budge it. She pushed against it, tossing herself back a few steps away from the carnage before her legs gave out and she collapsed to the ground. She would probably be unable to move from that spot for a while. A pang of nervousness sprang up in her heart. What if a vulture mistook her for a corpse?

Oh, well.

It was only then, finally able to rest, that she considered her memory a bit more. Come to think of it, what was her name again? The question was a very scary one to consider. If she forgot her own name, who even was she? Just a monster. If that's all that she was, why even stay lucid? It would be better to just fade into oblivion and accept it. She didn't want to be a monster.

Suddenly, she remembered. As the terror faded, more mundane sensations returned. The ache in her muscles, the burning in her lungs, and the tug on her neck. An old tape recorder hung from a lanyard around her neck. It was the most important item she owned. A memento of someone she couldn't recall. She lifted a lethargic hand and clicked the play button. The tape whirred to life, and she heard a familiar voice on the tinny speaker.

"Hello. You're Etsuko Terosore. If you're listening to this, that means you may have forgotten. I know forgetting is scary, but I promise you will be okay..."

His voice continued with the familiar spiel, and the memories rushed back. As a monster, it was hard to remember back then with true clarity. She remembered the lab, and she remembered being afraid. She remembered feeling other things, but it was hard to recall those feelings. It had just been numbness and terror for so long now. As for him, she couldn't even recall how long ago she lost him. Just that she did, and now all she had was his voice on tape. That the world became a lot more frightening and confusing once he was gone.

Etsuko struggled to sit up. She remembered now, at least in part. She couldn't allow herself to believe he was dead. As she had done so many times before, she resolved to find him. To claw back some semblance of sanity in this broken world. Because she wasn't a monster. There was a time when she wasn't, and maybe there could be a time where she wasn't again.

But it would have to wait. Exhaustion held her like a big, angry fist. She collapsed back onto the bloodstained ground. She just needed to rest awhile. Then she could go out and find him.

"Just for a while..."

And then she drifted off into a dreamless sleep. A twinge of some forgotten emotion bloomed in her heart. She truly hoped that she still remembered when she woke up.

[shorelinessightlines]

- short maxiel ficlet [ UNFINISHED ] -

Daniel is a shit cook.

That is one of the first things Max learns about him, right after the fact that Daniel is eight years older than him and nestled just before the knowledge that Daniel had sex with Sebastian Vettel.

It’s a strange roster of information, but Daniel is perhaps the strangest person Max has ever known.

Max happens across the particular character trait of “Terrible Chef” after his first race with Red Bull. They are in Daniel’s hotel room, because Christian told Daniel he had to watch after Max and “make sure he doesn’t get shit-faced, for fuck’s sake, he’s barely 18.”

Max does not think this is fair. He has already been 18 for months.

Daniel does not seem to this is fair either, because he has been sprawled out face-down on the only bed and grumbling to himself for the entire time they've been alone. Max is standing at the side of the bed, in case Daniel starts to suffocate.

Daniel has not suffocated for half an hour. Max does not know if this is impressive or not.

His stomach grumbles. Max hasn't had anything to eat since before the race. It's been eight hours, and the hotel minifridge doesn't come pre-stocked.

Against his better judgement, he pokes at Daniel’s shoulder. “Daniel,” he prods, feeling self-conscious. “Daniel.”

Daniel makes a sound that probably indicates annoyance. “What do you want,” comes out irritated and muffled by the pillows. Daniel's Australian accent further muddles the words, so it becomes more, "Waddya wah," and Max makes an educated guess from there.

Max shoves against his shoulder lightly. “Can you please—can you get up?”

A brief pause, as if Daniel is considering it. Then, “No.”

“Daniel, if you suffocate, Christian will yell at me.”

That gets him to lift his head, expression twisted into something that looks both incredulous and annoyed. “Christian would not yell at you,” he says, sounding offended. “Christian would yell at me for suffocating in front of you. Christian doesn't have a bone in his body capable of yelling at you.” He sounds very angry about it, which Max does not get.

"I do not think I understand."

Daniel looks impossibly angrier. "Don't play dumb with me," he grits out. "That was my win"

Max tilts his head. You should have driven faster, then, he wants to say.

"I am sorry," he says instead, as sincerely as he can, because Daniel is his best chance at dinner for atleast a few meters. He is not sorry in the slightest. He doesn't understand why Daniel cannot accept that Max is sometimes the favorite, and that if Daniel were as good as Max is, maybe Christian would like him more.

Daniel narrows his eyes. "Bullshit." Then, he drops his head back into the pillow and continues not suffocating.

Max shoves at him again, harder this time. "Daniel, you are being unfair. Get up."

Nothing.

He tries again, practically trying to roll him over. His teammate is decently heavy, though, so Max is really only able to shove him around and wrinkle the sheets. "Daniel," he says. "Daniel, come on. Make me dinner, or something, at least."

“Oh my god, mate,” Daniel groans. “If I do, will you leave me alone?”

Max considers the idea. “Yes,” he concedes. Daniel rolls out of bed so quickly, he's almost offended.

"What do you want?" He says, pulling on his socks. Max shrugs. He has no idea what Daniel can cook. "Okay, instant ramen, then."

Max is about to ask if Daniel is going to the convenience store, when the Australian opens his suitcase to reveal a wrinkled suit, three pairs of underwear, a retainer case, and two packets of instant noodles.

(i ran out of steam and didnt finish :( didn't want to let this rot in my drafts tho)

[popculturebuffet]

House of Claremont: Warhunt! (UXM #94-96)

Hello all you happy mutants and after far too long, welcome back to the House of Claremont, my long look at the Chris Claremont era of x-men! We're finally back peforming to you after the senses shattering debut and just in time too. This year marks the 60TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE UNCANNY X-MEN and i've been chomping at the bit to get back to the strangest heroes of all. And while I have something bigger planned for their anniversary in july, for now you'll be hopefully getting a monthly does of mutant mayhem from here.

So when we last left off, despite the title of this feature, Len Wein kicked us off with Giant Sized X-Men #1 as a new generation of x-men was brought in to save the previous one, crabs were killed, islands walked like men and our story ended with 13 x-men and some questions as to what they were going to do with such a thing. This time we get our answer as most of those x-men leave, one who stays dosen't have long for this world, and a narrator is a real dick to cyclops. To me my x-men!

Warhunt:

So with this issue we begin Chris Claremont's actual tenure on the book… KINDA. See while Warhunt is scripted by Claremont Len Wein still plotted it for Giant Sized X-Men #2, where it was planned to have the All-New All-Diffrent X-Men continue. But the book was such a MASSIVE hit, they couldn't resisit bringing it back from reprints, and with Len Wein busy with editing AND the hulk, he passed it on to Chris, and the rest is history.

Warhunt picks up shortly after Giant Sized with, as so perfectly Claremontily put, the breaking of a man's heart: While Charles Xavier gladly congradulates the x-men, Sunfire decides to tell them all to fuck off, and while true to form Shiro is a dick about it.. he does make a point: he agreed to help for one mission, he did that. He never agreed to join the team and given he stormed off before the mission even began and only came back out of honor, I honestly don't know what Charles expected

The rest of the All New All Diffrent X-Men now have to decide if their staying or not: Storm is the first to agree to stay, deciding that "two days is nothing", fitting Ororo's spirit perfectly and marking a nice shift to the character we know and love, whiel Wolverine figures "Eh beats waiting around for action and shit. " Nightcrawler just sorta stands there and Colossus isn't sure.. which Xavier takes as a yes apparently as he never goes back to it and later considers it setteld after dealing with our last new member:

Xavier is a Jerk: 4

Banshee is said last one and his response is "I"m too old at 40 somethign to be doing this! Begorah or something!" but Xavier goads him with a "Well if you can't hang with these 20 somethings then bawk bawk chicken man bawk bawk" and Cyclops makes the more persuasive argument that he woudln't have to run anymore, he' dbe among friends. Banshee agrees and Xavier has an x-man and assumes it's settled.. onlyf or angel to drop this bombshell

The original x-men, minus Cyclops have all decided to leave as their adutls now and want to live their own lives. The reasoning isn't terrible.. but the execution is abrubt as hell. It's just "Whelp we were doing this yesterday but now we don't have to piss off old man!" I don't mind the original x-men leaving: Scott , as we'll get into in a moment, gives us a represntive for the old guard, and most of them come back in some form with Jean, Warren and Alex all rejoining eventually at diffrent points. It allows the new characters to breathe. But for fans of the original roster it had to be a small slap in the face ot see the originals just decide

I get this was originally supposed to be a large one shot, but for such a big event you'd thinkt hey'd of left more than about a page worth of explination. Even for the more action heavy bronze age, this is abrubt.

We do thankfully get some Pathos as there's one X-Man who isn't so sure he's getting the fuck out of there: Scott Summers. His brother.. is a bit of a dick saying "I don't mean to push you big brother but…" then you do Alex. You do mean to push him. You a'll made this decision without talking to him or asking what he wanted.

God Dammit Alex: 1

Trust me.. i'm going to need this. I"m also going ot need this

Go Fuck Yourself Wolverine: `1

Yeah early on Wolverine's main personality is being a prick and trying to murder anyone within claws range, so expect this to shoot up real quick. Case in point he gets mad that… 3 people who genuinely love and repsect professor xavier find it hard to break it to him their leaving. And alex and lorna too I guess.

So it's up to Cyclops to stay or go and we get this gem of a line

Comedy. Gold. As is the fact that to signify he's not leaving he wears his full costume to say goodbye to his friends. Oh and I almost forgot this key part of this feature

God Hates Scott Summers Count: 2

For his CURSED MUTANT ENERGY BLASTING EYES

What ends up working though is his goodbye.. and his first words outline the character arc Chris has planned for him and really speaks to WHO scott is when written at his best

Scott.. is a man of duty. This can often be poorly translated to adaptations as "boring stick up his ass man with CURSED MUTANT ENERGY BLASTING EYES action", but when written right he's the first belieiver in xavier's dream and his best student. He's a man whose trained himself and his powers to their peak and will fight to the last person, a master tacitcian who is hard to take out even if he's easy to disarm and will not give up. He's batman if batman had CURSED MUTANT ENERGY BLASTING EYES instead of cool gadgets. He's a good man doing his best for the world and his people. But he's also at the end of it.. alone. He found love, but ultimately his duty comes first because it has to. Because someone has to fight for this, someone has to keep going. The question Claremont poses, at least before things go off the rails thanks to editorial but we'll get to that is can Scott give it up? Coudl someone else do the job he's chained to? We'll find out as we go.

For now though we soon see after why he has the job as once the original class is off to form a failing superhero team or show up in just three or four issues, Scott gets the x-men to training and while I can't show it here as it's too big, we see a glorious one page spread of him pushing the x-men to their absolute limits int he danger room over the next few weeks. To quote the page

"And so it begins, the days, the weeks, of training. Six horus a day, five days a week, week in, week out until the halls of this old, venerable mansion echo and re-echo with the suonds of battle, until these neophyte x-men begin to wonder if there was ever a time when they weren't fighting for thier lives. And when they falter, give in a little, give up, a voice snaps them back into line. A harsh voice, an angry voice, biting, merciless. The voice of the man named cyclosp who drives the x-men hard and himself harder, who takes six proud unique indviduals, six loners and outcasts.. and forges them into a team "

It's a whopper of a narration and speaks to Claremont's strength: to many back then narration was just part of how comics were done. But Chris goes all out , making it every bit as descriptive and flowery as he can, every bit as gripping. Is it a tad cheesy sometimes? Oh yes, and we'll get to the shining example of that soon, but when it works, it works. Instead of feeling like he's explaning what your seeing with your eyes, it helps enhance it, adding an extra grandeur to the procedings.

At any rate eventually the training gets tiriing and Thunderbird gets cut by a laser and Cyclops yells at him, he yells back and Charles yells at both of them to "cease this shameful display"..

Professor Xavier is a Jerk Count: 5

This one is a bit .. milder though. While HOW he did it was stupid, he's right that Cyclops can't just blow up at his teammates, though Scott is just as right that Thunderbird NEEDS to be careful.

We then cut to Valhalla Military Base, the headquarters of Norad in this universe and home of several dozen missles. It's likely based on actual miltary bases, as Chris himself served in the RAF and thus likes to inject both aircraft and military stuff in where possible. So here we get one of the DUMBEST supporting characters i've ever seen. He gets an unmarked package and opens it, which itsel fis bad.. but then this happens

Okay it's actually a DIFFRENT bunch of weird animal persons with presumibly smaller dicks, but I need a minute to pick apart how much this guy deserves his darwin award. In a secure miltiary base, in a world where superheroes are a known quanitity to the point the goverment frequently calls the avengers for help and even does so with this very crisis, where supervillians are frequent and shield is likely a call away.. you decide to PRESS some random button you got in the mail. Yes his friends all joke and he assumed it was from them but even pre 9/11 i'm confident most goverment personel knew to actually.. check packages and make sure they were safe in the headquarters of fucking NORAD. I mean I get it a bunch of animal people, the ani-men naturally, teleporting in isn't what you expect but like.. someone could've set it to shut down their tech or to blast him in the face with acid or just explode in a cloud of knockout gas. There's a million ways this could've gone wrong without super furries.

What makes this somehow funnier and more agrviating? This was a PLAN. Count Nefaria's grand master plan for his Ani-Men's attack… was to pick the dumbest man in all of NORAD, to likely spend hours going over personel files he bought off HYDRA or something, just to pick the ONE GUY who would be stupid enough to do this and hope his buddies were equally dumb enough to not stop him. He likely tracked shifts, made sure everything lined up .. just so he could do a plan that as we'll see still ended up stupid because despite his detailed files he still didn't.

Anyways the ani men clear these guys out and we meet said count. Count Nefaria is a long time marvel villian, a chap in a dracula style suit and cape and i'll admite a dope ass monocle. Sadly despite said dope ass monocle… I really have never liked him. He later gained a crapton of superpowers.. but all he's ever been to this point is a generic bwahahaha villian who happens to just be powerful, and ta this point he isn't even that. Hopefully the currently running x-men: lethal legion fixes this, but for now he's just one of the more boring villians the avengers and x-men have fought despite his singifigance to both. It's not a huge shock that despite reinventing plenty of old x-men foes , this guy never showed up again and was brought in by his predecssor's plot. Anyways Nefaria puts the rest of the facility to sleep with some mmmmm drugs and makes his demands, which Charles calls the x-men in to hear. Turns out he was forwarded this by beast. As I mentioned last time Beast was an avenger at the time, so he wasn't there for the big goodbye and is also kinda confused all his friends are gone and Charles.. dosen't bother to explain

Xavier is a Jerk: 6

I get they only have three hours but he could you know say "I will tell you in a little bit but for now these are the x-men" I mean he probably did but there's exactly ONE person Hank knows in that group. He's bound to have questions like "are the others okay" "where did they go" and "why are you such a dick sir and can future me take lessons for you when I go into my mostly supervillian phase?"

Xavier ratchets up another

Xavier is a Jerk: 7

Right after as he forces Scott to take thunderbird with them despite being injured and planning to punch cyclops if he refuses. Because that will surely end well.

At any rate our heroes head in and we get our first instance of anti-mutant racisim in this run as the general was expecting the avengers, though while he's not happy about "You muties" the first apperance of Chris' fantastic slur that would become a staple of x-men from here on, he has no choice… and the x-men have only 45 minutes. So it's like metroid if ridley was a european count clearly doing some hard meth.

Our heroes encounter a big roadblock as Nefaria lobs missles at them while calling them his greatest enemies.. when at this point all they did was fight him once, while the avengers destroyed his castle, go thim deported to italy and thrown out of the maggia. IT's not a huge shock he went back to fighting them after this as it feels more personal and he started getting minons and such.

At any rate our heroes soon face the bases sonic disruptor.. aka SOME SORT OF DEATHRAY THAT COMPLETELY DESTROYS THE BLACKBIRD.

Also

Blackbirds Destroyed: 1

I have a feeling i'm going to need this.

We enter our next issue as the x-men are FREEEE, FREEEE FALLLIN. Cyclops, once he recaps the previous issue in his head, comes up with a plan: have storm and banshee each take two people, and nightcrawler just teleport. This.. is one of Cyclops less proud moments as said plan is tripped up by two things he really should've known after weeks of training or at least asked about before trying to field test them: Kurt CAN teleport… but the law of conservation of energy means his velocity sticks. This nicely not only adds a weakness to kurt's powers, but also explains why he can come out of it into a punch or what have you: his momentum goes with him, while Banshee can only carry one at a time and thus has to come back for scott. It makes Scott come off like a weak leader: I get not knowing EVERYTHING, no one will know about Wolverine's healing factor for some time, but it's weird to emphasis they've trained together for weeks.. and then not have Cyclops test one of the most vital manuvers a team needs to pull off, especially when you reguarly travel by jet and said jet can easily be batted out of the air by enemies. I mean the death ray is diffrent and their will be a good explination when we get to magneto why he wasn't on the roster for training, but getting out quickly and safely in case the jet crashes should be one of the first things he prepares for and feels weird he didn't.

As for colossus we do get a very ncie payoff ot that scene I drew attention to last time where Storm REFUSED to let him drop despite him asking to, and he was understandably annoyed. We find out why as this time with this delightful image.

It's a nice funny moment, and while everyone worrying h'ed killed himself is a bit.. much givne they haven't known him long and don't know what he can survivie, the payoff is genuinely hilarious. Everyone doubted him, but PItor.. is just fine. We also get a ncie little scene of Banshee rescuing cyclops.

Now their at the base Scott gets his braincell back and has a fairly clever plan, have Nightcrawler teleport inside: while blind telporting is incredibly risky for Kurt, here it's less of an issue as he at least has an idea since it is an access hatch. He soon encounters one of the Ani-Men croaker and we get mroe anti-mutant hysteria in an intresting way: despite bein ga mutate (i.e. a human given powers via a vat of radioactive cream of wheat or what have you instead of the x-gene), Croaker is still a bigot, considering Kurt a freak despite having every reason to sympathize, showing that bigory.. is often just blind stupidity. Kurt beats his racist ass though but he gets away and the X-Men deal with a few issues: murder gas, brainwashed soldiers, etc.

We then get a fight with the ani men, which is sadly short, but still fun. Honestly I like THEM even if I don't like the count as they have intresting desgins, a unique dynamic with the x-men as seen with croaker and the tragedy of badly wanting ot be human again. It's sad they didn't show up again even if it's good count chocula didn't. The fight also has a truly great moment when we see what happens when you try and use hypossi on a man whose control of his CURSED MUTANT ENERGY BLASTING EYES is the only thing keeping you safe.

So with that the team splits, most of them trying to shut down the doomsmith in time while Thunderbird and Banshee go after Nefaria.. and this… is where we get what this story is known for. Nefaria attempts to get away in a plane, but Thunderbird refuses to let him and jumps on it, recklessly attacking him while everyone BEGS him to stop from Banshee to Xavier. Granted Xavier also does the dick move of yelling at cyclops for focusing on the doomsmith.. despite Scott having no way to know Thunderbird is in danger nor the Doomsmith was destroyed in the fight until Xavier TELLS him these things

Xavier is a Jerk: 8

Seriously I didn't expect this to stack up so quick. At any rate the x-men run tos ave thunderbird from himself, but he refuses Xavier's warnings and the others ar etoo later… and all Charles can do.. is stay with him as the inevetible happens

Thunderbird is dead. The first x-man has fallen in the line of duty. And I know Changeling died as Xavier's body double, but this is the first example that was purely in duty. And it'd stick till 2021 which for comics.

As for WHY it happened it's simple: the team didn't need two argumantive tough guys. You only needed one to reguarly tell Cyclops

And since Wolverine was more popular and had more unqiue powers with his claws, Johnny was chosen to bite the bulet.. or plane.

I"m torn on this decision. On the one hand, I see why they choose Wolverine to live: he had a hell of an intro fighting the hulk, and while he wasn't exactly well liked at first, he fit the role of contrarian jackass better as unlike Thunderbird, he clearly HAD seen a lot of field duty so he had just enough cred to understand why he keeps checking cyclops, but just enough psychotic rage for you to pick Scott over him at this point. In contrast Thunderbird was just a punk kid who came out of nowhere and constantly got himself in danger. HIs death made more sense.

The problem is int he implications: they took a frustrated 20 something who hated white people.. and had him die for ignoring a white guy and that be all he's EVER known for for several decades. I get Len really didn't think these implications through, but the fact no one else ever thought to fix this till 2021 (though the Hickman era TILL then gets a pass as they likely had said revivial planned), is messed up. It's not the most messed up racial landmine the x-men have ever dealt with , but it's still pretty bad not helped by John being one of only two POC on the team at the time of his death and another POC character wouldn't join till 14 years later with Forge. He's also literally drawn with red skin. It was this fucked up coloring thign they did back then, Shang Chi's was gold at first. That's not Chris nor Len's fault, but it is profudly fucked that was marvel policy and shoudln't really go without mention. Chris would get slightly better at this as while he didn't add any more poc to the x-men, the new mutants were far more diverse, and Dani Moonstar would go on to be a fully fleshed out three dimensional native american character and not one who feeds into harmful sterotypes and dies in the span of three issues.

Overall Warhunt is.. eh. While Len did a great job plotting the first story this one feels way more rushed and really should've had another issue to breathe or two before they killed off John as while his death is presented well.. we barely knew him. It dosen't help that while the ani men like I said are intresting, Nefaria REALLY dosen't have a strong connection to the x-men or come off as much of a threat. They try , but his plan is so stupid and he does so little besides teleport in after his minons do the hard part and seemingly die in a plane crash, that it's no wonder Claremont had zeor intrest in having him come back despite having taken an x-man with him. The story is impotant historically.. but honestly reads fairly dry. Thankfully dry, rife with implications, or bad aren't things you can really say about our next story

Night of the Demon:

Now we properly begin Chris' run on the book with one of my faviorite single x-men issues. I mean there are a lot, Chris was great at longterm story but just as fantastic at making one off stories, but this one just has a great pacing, bonkers premise that ends up working, and some good character moments.

It also helps it begins with one of the most hilarious moments in x-men history that also somehow still works dramatically. The first page or two is the narration just.. berating cyclops, who naturally is taking his first casualtiy as a leader not at all well and while I get the intent, it's mostly just Scott beating himself up but since internal caption boxes weren't a thing yet , it instead comes off as the narrator yelling at him, cumilating in this glorious pile of panels.

The Narrator is a Jerk: 1

What keeps it from being just hilaroius though is scott following it up by letting loose with his powers for the first time, really letting it all out.. and destroying the surronding forest leaving a devistated husk.. and also destroying some old obelisk. Eh probably nothing to worry about.

And you can really tell Chris has been left to his own devices with scott… because we get ANOTHER graet character defining moment here.. not only does Scott berate himself for doing this.. but he also comes to term with the death quickly, but in a way that makes sense for him: He wanted to be the leader.. choose it over leaving..a nd this is what comes with it. Sometimes you train up a good man .. and sometimes he dies. You can't control it. John choose to stay on the plane… and Cyclops has to choose to go on living, wishing john a nice rest in piece.. while smoke rises behind him which can only mean one thing

While that goes on the x-men train and Logal reacts to a stray blow by cyclops like a sane, well put together indvidual

Yeah this is probably the most infamous of Early Logan's jackassery. He attempts to murder TWO diffrent teammates because one accidently hit him (and apologized and made sure he was okay) and another laughed at him. And his second would be victim is now his best friend.

Rather than deal with the fact one of his X-Men just tried to stab another in front of him Charles instead talks to Banshee about Scott's mental state…

I mean I can't fault him for worrying about Scott or the roving narrator stalking him, he's the closest thing he has to a son as far as he knows. But is he really going to say nothing about Wolverine trying to make Kurt into blue sauerkraut. Raelly? Well okay then

Xavier is a Jerk: 9 There is a layer to this I didn't notice till I started writing the review though: Charles confides in Sean… because he's likely the next one up if Cyclops needs time off to mourn or to set himsef straight. It's a great use of show don't tell, impliclty telling us Banshee is the x-men's second in command at this point. It also makes sense at this point: Storm , Colossus and Nightcrawler are all brand new to this and Wolverine just tried to cut up two diffrent teammates for looking at him funny. Sean by contrast has fuller control of his powers, has been at this a while and while new to x-manning has the stablity and experince needed. It's also intresting to already hint at something years down the line: the idea of an x-man lineup without cyclops. Keep in mind we're only on issue THREE of claremont's run and fourth of this era overall, but intentional or not the seeds for a later arc are there. Wethere this scene helped him decide on where Cyclops went during his run or something else, it's neat to note.

Finally for this scene Charles asks Sean to go meet their house keeper.. and meet her he does…

Moria MacTaggert, scientest, secret mutant , the love of sean's life.. and for this arc ostebnsible housekeeper, though Claremont already clearly has other plans for her.

More on that in a bit for now we cut to Project Armageddon.

Yes Project Armageddon is the brain child of Stephen Lang who weirdly is not , as far as we currently know, related at all to Scott Lang. For now i'm just going to assume he's Scott's deranged cousin he dosen't like to talk about. You can easily see why in this panel as he outlines the project to former friend and air force col micheal rossi, whose here to see if the goverment should scrap this..

Okay 1) if this wasn't the us goverment i'd be honestly shocked he embezzled a billion dollars and their just now caring about it, and 2) Ther'es nothing that quite sells your project like wide eyed ranting about how you need to 'KILL THEM BEFORE THEY KILL US KILL THEM ALL". Granted nowadays you'd have cable news talking about how your an upstanding indvidiual whose just misunderstood, so maybe Lang just pitched it in the wrong decade. At any rate Lang is convinced thanks to previous arcs the mutants are a threat, feeling they killed Bolivar Trask and Larry, his so. Both died due to his own creations the sentinels, who I assume need no introduction but for those who have never heard of the x-men apparently their giant killer robots designed to kill mutants.. who usuallyd ecide the best way to do that is to enslave humanity too, yet keep getting built because humans be smart. So yeah he's talking out of his racism hole and Rossi intends to shut down the project which Lang naturally responds to by saying he'll never get to washington.. ALIVE.

Lang is the first racist the x-men face in this run and feels like the blue print to most anti-human bigot antagonists afterwords: he bleivies "their going to replace us", uses sentinels, and has an elaborate plan for genocide done in secret. It's a blueprint the x-men will see a lot and most human villians from here on out follow in some way up to Orchis in present day, but with enough variety to not get too tiresome.

Back at the mansion Sean flirts with Moira, kicking off one of the most stable and enduring relatoinships in x-men history which surely won't end horribly and have Sean become a spooky ghost as a result, while Storm questions who the eff is this? Xavier says "tha'ts my affair" but assures her her secrets safe with him. Why dosen't he tel lher? Because

Xavier is a Jerk: 11

Anyways this party is interupted like most x-men parties… by Cyclops getting thrown thorugh the window, in a way that feels like a young kevin eastman and peter laird were taking notes… and as for what did it.. .well you'd think given what the x-men usually fought it'd be a supervillian, perhaps the juggernaught or one of 80 aliens they fought in the OG Era or maybe stephen lang got started early.. but no the result.. is gloriously batshit and out of left field.

Yeah for those less familiar with the x-men… Chris started an important trend: ANYTHING can go in an x-men story. The X-Men rival the TMNT in terms of "franchises that are a core part of me that really can do whatever the fuck I want. " Part of the problem with the films as they went on is they tried to tamp down on the inherent weirdness instead of embrace it which made sense for the first trilogy, as they were trying to sell superhero movies to an audience at all, but by the mcu era where the compettition was throwing out talking racoons it made less nad less sense ot not go to space or bring in a giant one eyed demon who happened to be sealed in Charles back yard for some reason. It' sone of the big charms of Claremont's Run: he knows Comic BOoks can be inherently goofy… and thus leans into it, decades before the 2000's made it more standard practice. He has over the top villians and set pieces but grounds them in character. I mean this demon what was sealed in Charles back yard.. came from Cyclops being in deep grief over his first casualty as a commander.

It also shows the gulf between Nefaria last issue and Kireok here. Kireok.. also dosen't really go on to be all tha timportant, with other demons taking his spot once we get into everything with Limbo here and over in new mutants. But where as Nefaria is a standard d-list super villian, Kirreok is an unstoppable, horrifying demon. A being who EAISLY steamrolls through most of the x-men's early attempts, shaking off Cyclops at full power, which we just saw decimate a forest, shurging off coloss and nightcralwer tyring to pummel him and easily downing storm. the only one who can harm him.. is wolverine… and it's only by sinking to the monsters brutal level

Once again Chris well sums up where the characters are at: in this case Wolverine is a murderous beserker, able to go after foes with a savage rage purely on instinct.. but as we've seen it also means he attacks his own allies, has no real friends ad this point.. and unlike how he'll be later he enjoys it. He LIKES being more beast than man and is glad for it.. the questoin is really.. how long will this stick?

At any rate Kirreok proves how deadly he is by regenerating, so Charles does the natural thing and tries to read his mind…. and we get one of dave cockrums best panels. I haven't talked much about his art but it's a thing of beauty..and it's at one of it's heights here

Cosmic Horror Nightmares distlled into one panel, breaking the usually inflappable heart of the x-men. Thankfully Charles recovers because he's been through some shit and sends storm to do it. We get another good character moment and it's incredible just how many claremont packed into one issue. It dosen't slow down the main story either, each one's baked in but we've got moments that clearly set up character arcs for Cyclops, Wolverine and now storm who flies to go face these demons. Oh and MOira who I amost forgot to mention goes after Kirreok with a convient gun from the conveient armory we'll convenetly neve rheard about again.

But Storm's scen eis a classic as she gets swarmed by demons and i'ts a shame Cockrum's two runs on the books didn't have at on of demons, as he's very good at horror artwork and the monsters look truly grotesque and alien. Thankfully he WOULD ge tto design several actual aliens, so it ballances it's just a shame. But what we do get is horrifying as storm is enricled… and then flashes back to a happy childhood.. before seeing herself buried in rubble. This will be crucial next time as her clastrophobia comes more into focus but for now it means sh'es free and can seal the cairn the demons came from with lightning. Our heroes one.. but Storm is convienced Kirreok will return while Col Rossi apparnetly died in a firey explosion. And that's where we leave it.

Next TIme: We find out Stephen Lang's evil master plan as the sentinels return just in time for christmas! Cyclops brother sucks suprising no one! And the Juggernaught returns but can the all new x-men stop this motherfucker? UNtil then, thanks for reading my x-men

[sholangagaga]

Gregory is Michael Afton Theory

Bonus (4/4)

Gregory being Michael allows Mike to have a better dad.

The save stations have Helpy on them, and Michael knows Helpy from Pizza Sim.

If Gregory is C.C, shouldn’t it show the Fredbear plush?

Michael has a chance to beat PeePaw up with a crowbar.

After working to stop his father for so long, Michael deserves this.

Gregory doesn’t have to be an animatronic for this theory!

Michael could have been reincarnated or something similar.

If not an animatronic, Michael gets his organs back. He could eat again.

Link to Google Doc with entire theory in once place & Game Theory's Gregory theories: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1c2jvwePYHwvmc1DoaqY9qPpczOL9njJL9jiH1tN0qtw/edit?usp=sharing

I didn't reply to the first pieces since you linked the doc here BUT full analysis under the cut

So I'm gonna start by saying this is one of the strangest (in a good way) and most interesting SBB theories I've ever been prosed. Honestly if I was someone who wasn't so ingrained in the lore due to my AUs, I would probably believe this as near infallible. It's THAT well thought out (And this is coming from someone who doesn't really Like Game Theory cause they've been known to kinda pull rabbits from hats, if you know what I mean)

Now I will be overly analytical and pick this apart as my neurons fire a mile a minute

Physical Appearance

While I can see the resemblance, half of the FNAF canon roster is either brown haired or hinted to have dark hair (excluding some of the blonde Aftons and also William, depending on who you ask)

Most of the canon characters are also big fans of Foxy (See Phone Guy for example; I'm pretty sure Foxy is/was Scott's favorite back in the original games. He was also terrified of Bonnie funny enough)

Personality

The Gregory being agitated thing is true, but also, can you REALLY blame him? His entire situation is pretty stressful, I think I'd be a real asshole in that premise as well. Michael's sarcasm has been a known point for sure, the dude canonically loves soap operas he's probably the snarkiest dude around (and I love him for it)

All of this tick marks tbh are just sorta occupational. Gregory not trusting anyone makes sense because he's an orphan who apparently was treated poorly in the streets. OF COURSE he doesn't really like adults, least of all adults in uniform. Michael is paranoid at work because he works in a setting where the robots are trying to kill him

The destroying the bots thing is, again, very understandable. Gregory spent the night trying to survive, he could care LESS how the robots feel. He wants them to stop trying to kill him! Same with Michael, they've fucked him over and its not like theyre living things. Getting rid of them wouldnt be much of a moral dilemma

Storyline

Gregory knows that Freddy has a stomach hatch because its common knowledge. His stomach hatch is for birthday cakes, which means it's perfectly logical for him to know it exists. In the same vein, he would know hiding inside it would be dangerous. Its meant for cake, not kids! Gregory was bold to even attempt it imo but he's a very reckless kid

The family one is SO GOOD but also, unfortunately, can easily be debunked as a basic voiceline for lost children. It's a super mall, children probably get lost all the time. The best way to lure a child (according to William) is to mention their family/things they like. It worked for him, it would work for fan favorite robots

I think thee reason why Gregory seems so adult is because, well, it IS a scripted game. But everything Gregory does is basically spoonfed to him by Freddy, so I don't think it's more so that he's overly smart or working on prior knowledge, its just hes good at context clues and following instructions

I have my own gripes about the Parts and Service system, but for game sake Gregory only succeeds cause failing means death. But yeah all my homies hate P&S

In universe, it would make sense that Gregory hates the Franchis cause....Fazbear Ent fucked up ALOT for a VERY LONG TIME. Most people still hate them, as evident from when HandUnit/Dread Unit just sorta always mentions "forget the past us" and shit like that. It's like being in our universe and hating Amazon for Bezos. Same concept, totally understandable.

The van thing is just funny, I love that one. Little baby driving heehee

My biggest problem with the theory is the gaps. While we don't know FOR SURE when everything takes place, the general consensus is FNAF 3 takes place in 2020 (and if you're one of the Michael is the Fnaf 3 protag believers, that's pretty significant) and SUPPOSEDLY, Pizzeria Simulator most likely takes place between 2023-onward, with Security Breach really close on the heels of it since It's built over the Pizza Place where Henry, William, and Michael all initially die. If Gregory is as old as most fans assume/agree (11-9) then there's no way he can be a reincarnation of Michael cause Michael didn't actually die/lost his remnant until Pizzeria Simulator, and then SB takes place less than 5 or so years after that (According to most theories)

I think its way more plausible that Gregory is a reincarnation of Evan/Crying Child and FREDDY is Michael, because not only does that give us a way better theory premise but it also closes out the Afton family storyline, with the two sons teaming up against their father. Gregory being different personality wise to Evan/the Crying child could easily be explained by Evan getting corrupted by Cassidy's negative remnant before she forced him out during the events of UCN/FNAF3. Could also just be the Afton sass if you wanted to be really dig into it. I could probably go on forever about that theory since I've been thinking about it for a while now

BUT in conclusion while I really like this theory, there's too many holes to really convince me to latch to it like I do other theories. Then again, it IS just a theory. A game theory

[thelordofdarkreunion]

Magnificent Scoundrels- Pariah

This was an absolute blast to write.  I find that the interactions between the different cultures and battles scenes are probably the most fun to write, in my opinion.  Here, we have more Vir and Cain.  We are introduced to Conn, so shenanigans will most definitely ensue.  I’m not quite sure if they’re the type of shenanigans you’re thinking of though...

As always, none of these characters belong to me.  Enjoy the story!

Aboard the Omen

Things had gotten better.  Tensions were much lower, thanks to Simone’s suggestion that Cain watch the Omen’s ground forces and Vir take up the Commissarial duties of the Valhallans.  Both groups seemed to be more comfortable with each other.  There were still competitions, of course, and they were still exceptionally competitive, of course, but they had lost their malevolent edge.  Much was still to be learnt, however.  Each side still retained quirks and habits that, to the other, seemed exceptionally odd.

The common Imperials were still xenophobic.  A lifetime of teachings and practice couldn’t be changed in a matter of days or weeks.  While both Vir and Cain preaching tolerance certainly helped, it did not eliminate the problem all together.  It had gone from ‘I’m going to possibly shoot you on sight’ to ‘stay out of our way and we’ll stay out of yours.’  A definite improvement, all things considered.  

There were still other oddities, as mentioned before.  Not counting the posting of armed guards, any crew member of the Omen could instantly tell where the Valhallan quarters aboard the ship were.  As benefitted ice worlders, their comfortable ambient temperature was slightly higher than freezing, and they set the air conditioning in their section of the ship to match.  Vir found himself wearing heavy winter gear when he stayed with them for extended periods.  He was also fairly certain there were a couple of them camped out in the cooling ducts, but there were no reports of damage or any mechanical problems, so he decided to let that slide.  

However, Admiral Vir and his crew were a lot better off than the Imperials, seeing as they were used to strange and occasionally egomaniacal aliens aboard their ship.  They had open minds.  

To the Imperials, everything was just so… bizzare.  It was like being in a completely other dimension.  Here, aliens and humans got along.  Talked together, fought together, laughed together.  The Admiral was not a distant figure of authority, but instead more like a wise and older friend, ready to help you along any path you chose.  Hell, the ship’s officers talked with the crew.  You could actually see them walking through the halls.  On Imperial vessels that transported soldiers, the Naval crew stayed in their area, and the infantry in theirs, with only the high ranking officers speaking to each other.  

Then there was the ship itself.  Like any proud naval personnel, the crew of the Omen liked to brag about their vessel.  Apparently, it was brand new.  Brand.  New.  Only in service for a year or more.  What kind of ship was that?  Usually, the troop ships of the Imperium were in service for centuries, if not millennia, and the Naval fighting platforms even longer.  The oldest vessel Cain had ever been aboard was the massive battleship Throne Eternal, built during the days of the Great Crusade, some ten thousand years before.  

Perhaps it was the fact that the ship was brand new, but it was so incredibly clean.  The hallways were neat and sterilized.  There was no accumulated grime.  No comforting iconography.  From the outside, the ship looked like a brick.  It was all steely grey metal.  It was so strange.  So foreign.  So distinctly… un-Imperial.

But, in the end, despite the oddities, it could be said that things were a lot more calm aboard.  And so, it was with no small amount of alarm that Admiral Adam Vir remembered that Conn was aboard the ship.

Conn was an alien, which would have already put him on the Imperial’s bad side.  But that, in and of itself, was not the problem.  You see, Conn was a starborn, quite possibly the most unusual alien species in the galaxy.  Ghostlike, they were small, white, and lived in the cold void of space.  Accustomed to the blackness, they could not survive in any areas with gravity’s pressure without external help.  But, much like an annoying infomercial, there was more.  Starborns were natural telepaths.  They could read the minds of almost any living being.  Conn in particular was quite annoying about it.  He reveled in the sensation of knowing everyone’s deepest secrets, and made no qualms about being nice about it.  Most of the crew, Adam in particular, found him, to put it mildly, extremely annoying.  He was kept around because he wasn’t truly malicious, despite indications otherwise, and his usefulness outweighed his flaws.  

Vir had a sort of… connection with Conn.  Due to an unfortunate accident that resulted in the loss of his eye, part of his brain had been skewered, making it easier for him  to communicate telepathically.  The strangest part of all of this was the fact Vir hadn’t heard from Conn the entire voyage.  That was definitely not a good thing.  Who knew what sort of mischief that could be wrought.  He was fairly certain that Conn was not missing because he was wise enough to stay hidden from the Imperials.  No.  Something else was afoot.  

So, with trepidation, he began his search.  

Conn was not in any of his usual haunts.  He wasn’t floating around annoying people, wasn’t where he usually lurked in the medical bay.  No one had seen him.  Not the engineers, the doctors, the marines, or any of the bridge crew.  How very odd.  It seemed as if no one had heard from him from the moment they had set off.  So Vir had to do it the old fashioned way: wander around the ship, thinking as loud as he could to attract Conn’s attention.

It was only when he started to go in the passageways closest to the exterior of the hull that he started to get a response.  

Conn?  Conn?  Can you hear me?  Where are you?

I can’t hear…  Emptiness.  Void.  Nothing.  Nothing.  He’s nothing.  Nothing!

Conn?  Where are you?

The darkness.  Alone.  Pain.  Can't hear voices.  Can’t hear thoughts.  

Conn!  Where are you?  What’s wrong?  I can’t help if you don’t tell me.  

Slowly, through the telepathic link, he started to see where Conn was.  Outside the vessel.  Starborn were more comfortable and could survive in space.  Conn was known to go in and out of the airlock of his own free will… but that didn’t explain why he had been there for so long.  It also didn’t explain the strange mutterings and thoughts.  

Adam?  You’re here.  You can hear me.  Good.  Not alone anymore.  Something was very wrong.  Conn was a jackass, through and through.  Vir had never heard thankfulness and relief from him before.  

Yes.  I’m here.  He tried to make the thought as reassuring as possible.  Conn, what’s wrong?  What is the problem?  

It’s him.  The closest thing to a mental hiss came with that word.  He’s nothing!  Pain.  Misery.  Alone with my thoughts!

Conn-

The void!  Blackness.  I can’t hear anything!  I can’t hear!  

Conn.  Calm down.  

Yes!  Yes.  The second yes was much more calm.  

You can’t hear others’ thoughts?  Is that it?

Yes.  A vigorous telepathic nod.  

Why?  I’ve never heard of anything like that happening before.

It’s because of him!  The thoughts were becoming hysterical again.  He snuffs it out.  He’s a void, a-

Conn!  Stay focused.  Who is he?

He- ARGHH!  The mental connection was abruptly cut as a searing pain shot through Vir’s body.  He collapsed to his hands and knees.  He felt as if he did a long time ago, wounded and feverish during the Drev War with no painkillers.  His mind was white hot, his body wracked with agony.  The edges of his vision started to turn black.  No!  Don’t pass out! rebelled some far away part of his mind.  

“Admiral!” said a voice, seemingly far away.  He focused on the voice.  Deep breaths.  Come on.  Stay conscious.  The blackness receded.  The voice got stronger.  

“Admiral, sir!  Are you all right?” asked someone hesitantly.  Vir shifted his weight to his side and clutched his head.  What the hell happened?  

“Yeah, I think I’ll be alright,” he murmured.  He shook his head to clear it of any last vestiges of pain.  “What was… doesn’t matter.”  He turned, and found himself face to face with a most unexpected individual.  Jurgen, the Commissar’s aide.  

“Good to know that you’re alright, sir.”  A grimy hand reached out and handed Vir a data pad.  “The Commissar wanted me to give you this.”  

“Ah, yes.  Personnel rosters.  Thank you, Jurgen.  I won’t take up any more of your time.”  Jurgen saluted and walked away, leaving Vir staring, perplexed, at the pad in his hands.  

Vir lay on his bed, gazing at the ceiling.  He couldn’t sleep.  The mystery of Conn’s telepathic severance was dancing through his mind.  What was he talking about?  Some sort of void…  Some strange monster, lurking in space, perhaps?  No.  Think logically.  Go through this step by step.  What do you know?  First, Conn was isolated.  There was something severing his telepathic communication.  Second, that something was a someone.  It was a he.  Third, this hadn’t happened before the Imperials had arrived on board.  Therefore, logically, this person was one of the Imperials, causing the cutting of telepathic communications and pain to anyone using them.  Okay.  Good.  We’ve established that.  Now what?  Who was doing it?  Were they even aware they were doing it?  How was it even possible to do something like that?  Some strange technology?  Possible.  That made sense.  Perhaps they had fought some telepathic aliens in their galaxy, and developed something to stop it.  

But, still.  He squirmed slightly.  How… who… what… why?  None of this made sense.  How to get to the bottom of this mystery?  He couldn’t figure it out, so perhaps someone else could.  Cain?  Cain would probably know.  But did he trust Cain?  That was an entirely different matter.  It could be on Cain’s orders.  Hell, it could be Cain himself.  Cain’s aide?  Out of everyone aboard, Vir had a nagging feeling that something was wrong with that man.  Plus, the pain had only started when Jurgen had come close to him… 

So… Jurgen, then.  Most likely suspect.  But how?  How could he find out?  Hmm…

A search of the Imperial quarters and armory yielded no results.  He wasn’t sure what he expected to find, but there was nothing out of the ordinary.  While their equipment was strange, everything he found had been earlier explained to him.  Nothing.  So either it was a device small enough to hide on a person, or it wasn’t a device at all.  Conn had said he.  Perhaps it had nothing to do with technology.  

Vir decided, therefore, to have Katie and Kril, the ship’s doctors, to test every single one of the Imperials for anything strange.  HIdden behind the facade of making sure they were disease free, they all had a physical examination done, and blood and tissue samples drawn.  It was… less than helpful.

Kril did the equivalent of a human sigh as he put down the blood readouts.  Katie was still studying them with perplexity.  

“So, did you find anything out of the ordinary?” asked Vir.  

“That’s the problem.  Everything is out of the ordinary,” replied Kril.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean that- well, let me explain.  So, you know how evolution works, right?  Over time, all organic species naturally evolve.” “Yes.  And?” asked Vir.  He didn’t see where this was going.

“So, Drake gave you timelines for all of our galaxies, didn’t he?  He says, and from what I can tell, he’s right, that our timelines split somewhere around the year 2000.  Now, every single one of our galaxies is in a different time since then.  Most of the other galaxies are around the early second century C.E., in human measurements.  Ours and Drake’s are in the early fourth centuries C.E.  Cain and the Imperials are from 40,000 C.E.  Plus, none of them are from Earth, whereas most everyone else we’ve met is from Earth or from a planet close enough to Earth for the evolution tendencies not to be affected in any major way.  So, to sum up, most of them are from an ice planet 38,000 years in the future.  We have no idea what we’re seeing here.  All of these genes are very different from the human’s I’ve studied before.  I can’t tell what’s abnormal or not.  I could figure it all out, but it might take a month or more.”  Wonderful.  Vir sighed.  

“Thanks for trying Kril.  I guess I’ll have to figure this out some other way.”

Now he was back in his bed, mulling things over.  This had to stop.  He couldn’t allow Conn, annoying as he was, to suffer like this.  Conn was, after all, part of his crew.  There was no other solution.  He had to see Cain.  But, what if Cain was doing this, or it was being done on his orders?  Vir looked over to the suit of Iron Eye armor resting gently in its place.  He walked over, and started to buckle on the plates.  This had a liability to get messy.  

Cain looked up at the sharp knock on the door.  Jurgen hadn’t stopped whomever it was, so it must be Vir.  

“Come in,” he replied politely.  Sure enough, Vir walked through the door into his borrowed quarters.  “Admiral Vir.  A pleasure to see you.  What brings you here today?”  Vir shifted, slightly uncomfortable.  This was going to be awkward, at the very least.  “Would you like a drink?”

“No, thank you, though.”  He gave a slight cough.  “I wondered if I might talk to you, however.”

“Of course,” replied Cain.  “What about?”  Vir scratched the back of his neck.

“Uh, well, there’s no easy way to put this.”  He took a deep breath to compose himself.  “You see, there are some crew members that you haven’t seen before.”

“I rather had the feeling.  More… aliens, no doubt.”

“Heh.  Yes.  However, there is one in particular.  He is of a, uh, most peculiar species… well, he can read minds,” finished Vir lamely.  Cain looked up sharply from where he was sitting, fingers moving instinctively for his weapons.  

“What?”  

“Yes.  You heard me right.  However, that is not the problem,” concluded Vir.

“And what would the problem be?” asked Cain warily, his hand inching closer to his sidearm.  

“The problem is, he can’t.  There is something or someone aboard this ship that blocks his mental communications and causes him untold agony.  Now, while I personally find it annoying and distasteful to have my mind read, especially by him, he is in quite a lot of pain.  This only started when you boarded.  I’m not sure what is causing this, and I am not insinuating anything, but it has something to do with someone in your regiment, and I would like it to stop.”  Cain stared at him with a calm and considered look.  

“I’m afraid I don’t know what you’re talking about, Admiral Vir.  I know nothing about aliens, so it could be something wrong with him,” he replied.

“I don’t think so,” said Vir.  “You sure you don’t know anything about this?”

“No,” replied Cain.  Vir sat up from his chair.  One more card to play.  

“Absolutely sure?  Not even anything that has to do with, say, your aide?”  Cain looked up at him, this time with a completely neutral expression on his face.  

“I’m afraid I have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about, Admiral.  Good day.”  Damn.  Fine.  Got to go out on a limb here.  Vir leaned over the table, his earlier expression of calm gone, replaced with the attitude he assumed around unruly subordinates.

“Don’t bullshit me, Cain.  You know what’s going on.  And I will find out eventually, with or without your help.  So if you want me to trust you, you’re going to tell me now.”  Cain sighed, stood up, walked past Vir, and locked the door.  Vir tensed, hidden Iron Eye servos whining, ready for any sudden movements.  There were none.  Cain stood face to face with Vir.  He’s tall, idly mused some unnecessary part of Vir’s brain.  Cain drew his pistol and held calmly out at his side.

“You are not going to tell anyone what is said here.  If you do, if any sort of word of this gets out in any way, I will kill you,” he said in a deadly serious tone.  He looked around, then sighed.  “My aide, Jurgen, is a blank.”  Vir gave him a look that plainly said ‘elaborate.’  Cain suddenly got a strange look in his eyes, then raised his gun a fraction.  “If his powers work on your xeno telepath… then that means it has some sort of connection to the Warp.”  The pistol came up, pointing directly between Vir’s eyes.  “So now, you are going to tell me everything.”  Vir struggled to remain calm.  Cain wasn’t going to kill him, yet.  He was fairly sure this was just another misunderstanding.  

“I don’t know anything about any Warp.  Conn is a straborn.  They are born in space, and they can read minds naturally.  That’s it.”  Cain still looked as if he were going to put down the gun, then looked up sharply again.

“Innocentia nihil probat,” he murmured.  “Jurgen!  Get in here!”  The door opened, and Jurgen stepped through.  Apparently he had the key.

“Yes, Commissar?”  Cain turned to Vir.  

“We are going to search your ship.  If you have nothing to hide, then you have nothing to fear.”  Vir opened his mouth to make an objection, which Cain forestalled with a raised hand.  “I learned a long time ago that it is better to explain too much caution than bleed for not enough.”  He put a small communications node in his ear, then keyed it.  “Colonel Kasteen, ready the regiment.  Search the entire ship for any signs of Chaotic taint.  This is a precaution, but you know what to do.”  Cain turned once more to a bewildered Vir.  “Tell your men to stand down.  If they resist, they die.”  He stepped back, then gestured towards the door.  “After you.  And, remember, our conversation was still confidential.  If you tell anyone, you die.”  

A cliffhanger.  I know.  Originally, I didn’t intend for it to end like this, but this is the way the story went and this is how this scenario would play out of the conversation actually took place.  Above all, I strive to remain as accurate as possible to how these characters would actually interact, so that is why this went the way it did.  I will have the ending to this up as soon as possible, so don’t worry!  Wherever you are, have a great day.

[greenmaskedmarauder]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Shades of Magic - V. E. Schwab Rating: Explicit Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Delilah Bard/Kell Maresh Characters: Delilah Bard, Kell Maresh Word count: 1288

It's hot and Kell is stripped down to the waist, working on stuff. Lila is aroused. So she's gotta do something about it.

Lila watched him from behind the wheel on The Night Spire. One year at sea had transformed Kell in more ways than one. He had always been lean, with muscle that was there, just not screaming its presence. She liked that about him. But a full year of lifting ropes and cargo and tying off sails without relying too much on his magic had changed him, he had more strength in his arms and shoulders now. And the summer months had caused freckles to bloom across his fair skin. She liked those too.

It was unusually warm for the time of year. And as a result, Kell was stripped down to the waist, helping another crew member move some of the cargo they just picked up. Lila knew she should be giving orders, or even helping out as well, but she was too content to just watch him. 

How long had it been since she’d last been tangled up in him? They didn’t spend every night together, as sometimes they had to split watches. And she had her own duties as captain that kept her away from him more than she would like to be.

Too long, she thought. She watched for a few minutes more before she went down to where more of the crew was. She was just going to have to change up the roster for who was on watch that night. This is madness, she thought. But then, most of her thoughts and feelings surrounding Kell could be considered madness. 

She smiled as she moved things around, and talked to the crew member she’d placed on watch instead of Kell. Then she retired to her cabin. 

~*~

She was sitting at her desk, writing a report of the cargo they’d picked up to send back to Rhy in London, when Kell came inside. She didn’t look up, but she felt her heartbeat quicken at his proximity.

“You know, the strangest thing has occurred this evening, but I could have sworn that I was slated to be on watch tonight,” he said from the doorway. She looked up at him. He’d put his shirt back on, but was leaning casually against the door frame.

“Were you? Well, maybe your captain decided to give you the night off.” She leaned back in her chair, fixing her two-toned gaze on him. 

He raised a brow at that, his forehead crinkling over his own two-toned gaze. A small smile pulled at his lips. “Oh? And why,” he began, taking a step forward, “would my captain do that?”

Lila felt her face grow hot as she let her gaze roam over his frame. “Maybe your captain decided that it’s been too long since you spent quality time with her.” She spoke in a husky whisper. “After all,” she continued, rising to her feet, “there have been a lot of busy nights apart. Maybe your captain wanted one busy night together.”

They closed the distance to each other. Kell brought his hands to cup her face as he kissed her deeply. Desire flowed through Lila as she reached for the buttons on his shirt. He groaned into her mouth as he moved his hands down to her shoulders, and then down her arms.

They stumbled through the cabin as they fumbled with clothing and made their way to the bed. Lila had all of the buttons undone and was pushing his shirt off his shoulders. She was the first to break the kiss, leaning in to kiss the scars of the soul seal over his heart instead. As she did, Kell undid the buttons of her own shirt, rubbing his calloused hands over her bare shoulders and down her sides.

Too long, she thought again, as she pulled him down with her to the bed. She could feel the heat of him against her. He cupped her face with one hand again as they kissed. Deeply, desperately. She tangled her fingers through his auburn curls, relishing in the fact that she could spend the night with him in this way.

Kell moved his lips from hers down to her jaw. He trailed his kisses down her neck and over her throat, and downward still. He reached up to palm one breast while he mouthed over another. Lila felt her breathing hitch as he continued a path down.

She felt him unlace the ties on her slacks and sat up to help him remove them. She barely had a chance to lie down again before his mouth was there between her legs, kissing her there. Her vision momentarily went black as she arched her back and moaned. Kell’s hands glided over her sides, then up to palm her breasts.

Lila felt the pleasure build into a tight pressure, waiting to be released. She tangled her fingers in Kell’s hair as his tongue swirled around her clit. She cried out his name in release, and he brought his lips back up to hers to kiss her. It drove her mad, tasting herself on his lips, on his tongue. It roused something more in her, and she pushed him back until they were both sitting on the bed.

“I think it’s your turn, mas vares,” Lila murmured huskily. She reached down, and helped him undo his trousers. They joined the rest of their clothes, scattered about on the floor. She pushed him back onto the bed, and straddled his waist.

Kell’s breathing hitched and his eyes widened as she lowered herself onto him. “Oh, Lila,” he groaned, before Lila leaned down to capture his mouth in an intense kiss. His hands came up to cup her face as she moved her hips, drawing moans of pleasure from both of them. He moved one of his hands down to palm her breast, thumb stroking across her nipple. His other hand came to rest between their joined bodies, stroking at her clit while he matched her own movements with his hips.

Lila moaned against his mouth, gliding her hands over his sides until she rested one over the soul seal on his heart. She pulled away, leaning her forehead against his. She opened her eyes, fixing her black and brown eyes on his blue and black.

She could feel her release building, and she cupped his face and kissed him again. Kell moved his arms up her back, gliding his fingertips over her spine. He sat up, pulling her close as she came again. He swallowed her moan in a kiss as he pushed her back down on the bed, covering her completely.

He thrust into her, as deeply as she would allow. For a long moment, the two of them were just lost to the pleasure of being together. Kell stroked at her side with his hand, feeling the tiny scars that came with her hardships in Grey London. He mouthed her breast, capturing her hardened nipple with his tongue.

Lila dug her nails into his shoulder blades, whispering his name on ragged breaths. Then she tensed beneath him, and cried out her release. Kell groaned as his own followed behind her, relishing in the feeling.

The scent of their lovemaking filled the air. Kell kissed Lila once more, cupping her face as he slipped out of her. They lay pressed together as they waited for the buzz to fade and their breathing to become less erratic.

“Too long,” Lila murmured after a time.

“Hm?” Kell asked sleepily.

She smiled, and looked up at his face. “I said, it’s been too long since we had this.”

Kell kissed her forehead. “I agree. Maybe my captain can arrange a few more nights like this one.”

Lila grinned. “Oh, I definitely think the captain can arrange that.”

[randombtsprincessa]

Bach Bencher

All Rights Reserved.

Author: Randombtsprincessa

Characters: Kim Taehyung x Reader (2nd POV)

Words: 7k

Genre: Fluff, Angst if you squint??, wholesome Tae!

Summary: The boy at the back of your class is an enigma. 

Warning: Nothing! Just imagine Jungkook and Hobi dancing the mean girls christmad special!

A/N: Happy Birthday, Taetaebear! I hope you all enjoy this!

Jungkook’s loud question was the first thing to interrupt the peace your caffeine ravaged veins craved, early in the morning.

“Guys, guys, what are we doing for New Years?” He asked, fumbling between the benches to get to his seat – on the left of you. On your right, Jung Hoseok raised his head only to glare at your best friend.

“Dude, some people suffer from sleep deprivation, you know. Do us a favor and pipe down.” He said, before dropping his head down on his arm again.

Jungkook, unbeknownst to Hoseok, poked his tongue out at the older boy. “Spoilsport, but Y/N seriously, what are we doing?”

“Nothing, as of yet…it’s barely even New Year week?” You murmured, trying to take a sip without Jungkook interrupting the coffee ritual again.

He did, in fact manage to interrupt again. His hand shot out to grip at your wrist, halting the action of raising the travel mug to your lips to swig at the life saving elixir.

“But we have to do something big this time, I mean, we’re senior for god’s sake. We have to leave with a bang!” he said.

“Nobody cares how we go Jungkook,” Hoseok deigned to speak from beside you.

“Hyung,” Jungkook said, irritated now. “If you’re not going to join in, please keep the comments to yourself, yeah?”

“Oh I’m in alright,” Hoseok grumbled, propping up on his arm.

“How about we throw a party? The biggest new year’s party on campus; everyone in the class helps,” He said, looking around the small class of seniors who were – like you and Hoseok – practically dead in the head.

“Great idea, Mr. Jeon, how about we get off of the desk now, so class can commence?”

Jungkook turned around, cheeks reddening immediately as everyone woke up for Mrs. Shua, our teacher.

Mrs. Shua looked amused as Jungkook settled beside you. “Well, then how about it? Do we actually do as Mr. Jeon suggested?” she asked the class.

Jungkook slumped further in his seat.

“Um, you want us to do what?” A girl in the back asked.

“Organize one of the biggest parties on the campus. If it is anything good, I will give you some extra credit. Dare I say; most of you might need it in your semester?” Shua smiled again, flipping through her notes.

“Ma’am, you mean, actually organize this party?” I asked, stunned.

“Sure Miss Y/L/N; provided you all make sure to give your all for the exams shortly after. I will even sponsor the event if it gets you all above 60 percent.” She winked.

“Now then, I want to see your notes for the topic on your desks.” She turned to the board, chalk moving in hand.

Mrs. Shua’s announcement meant that by the time the class ended, each student was vibrating in their seats. Not only did the teacher sponsored event mean a night of careless partying, it also meant extra credit. No one was going to pass up that opportunity.

Since Mrs. Shua had clearly taken Jungkook’s name for the party lead, each student lined up near your bench, a pen in hand with all the names written down with all they were willing to do for the party.

“We’ll take the party spot.” Kim Seokjin, head of the frat house spoke up as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“Yeah sure, we’ll both take a look into it. The party spot needs to be finalized by us as well.”

Jungkook, Hoseok and you stared at Soojin and Seokjin, as if it was a tennis match. Finally when Seokjin agreed to let Soojin join him in the location finding, they both moved away.

“Ok, Jungkook and I will take the dancing, if you want.” Hoseok pointed to another check list and Jungkook nodded thoughtfully, marking a tick next to dance. His tongue poked in his tongue.

“So, we have food and decorations, dance and location taken care of. Y/N, will you take the music?” He asked you.

You shrugged, your eyes focusing on something else.

“Why is the number of your list less that the class roster?” I asked, pointing and running my finger down the list of student names.

“Someone didn’t take part?” Hoseok asked frowning when your eyes caught the name absent from the participants.

“Kim Taehyung,” you murmured.

Jungkook and Hoseok and you turned simultaneously, looking to the very back where the ever present but rarely present Kim Taehyung still sat, engrossed in his phone.

Kim Taehyung was the quintessential necessity to a class such as yours.

He was the boy who did the barest minimum in class to survive, pay attention only when direly needed, participating only when pointedly told to and in general be the wall flower that people basically forgot existed.

You sort of remembered seeing the boy during the early beginnings of the class, quietly huddled into himself as he looked at the teacher and jotted down notes like a regular students.

Now, of course even though he had grown in the last three years, his personality that only squinted at first, hid completely.

His head was always down, most likely in his phone and never spoke up – ever.

Mrs. Shua had given up on him somewhere around the second year.

The strangest thing was, he almost always was the one who scraped by those surprise points that made your eyebrows rise every time you saw his name on a surprising rung while you checked for yours.

The quiet reassurance that he would always pass had maybe just made him complacent, you’d decided one day. Naturally, since he never spoke to you, you returned the favor.

The boy had brains, you could tell. You just doubted if it was one you wanted to pick at a crucial point of your own education.

Nevertheless, when Hoseok refused to go speak to him, you courageously picked up the gauntlet.

Weaving your way past the benches with Hoseok and Jungkook’s curious eyes fixed to your back, you found yourself at the very back.

‘The very back’ was definitely a corner that nobody really visited. There were cobwebs, and dust bunnies collecting in the corners that the janitors ignored, some of the paint was peeling; the desks were more jumbled in this region.

You stood carefully, positioning yourself in a way that Taehyung couldn’t miss the hovering presence that you were clearly exuding. However, Taehyung managed to avoid looking up completely.

Head still bent down, he continued to scroll down scribbles that you couldn’t see from the dark display of his phone screen.

You bit your lip, finally deciding to clear your throat to attract his attention.

The small noise made him finally look up.

Maybe it was the enigma of his strange presence that had evaded every attempt of garnering interaction but your breath caught when his eyes found yours, quizzical.

“What do you want?” he asked, not unkindly.

“Um, hi Taehyung, I’m Y/N Y/L/N.” You introduced, using a bright voice to show open friendliness. You decided not to shake his hand, in case he thought of you too formal.

He only nodded in reply.

“Ok, well, so, you see, we’re planning a party for New Year’s. The biggest one of the campus so everyone can attend,” you told him.

He nodded again. “I heard,” he said.

Oh, so he does pay attention to what is happening in class…you thought idly before shaking yourself out of it.

“That’s great, so do you like want to work with me in the music department? We have Hoseok and Jungkook taking care of the dance, food and decorations and location was given away but if you want to work in those we can figure something out.” You proffered the signature page to him.

Taehyung looked taken fully aback for a split second before his face dropped into composure again.

“That’s all great, but no thanks. I’ll pass,” he looked down at his phone again as if the conversation was over.

What in the…?

“Excuse me,” you tapped a fingernail against the wood of his desk. “But you have to contribute if you want to attend,” you said.

Taehyung glanced at the offending finger before looking at you. Again, the same thrill ran through you when he met your gaze. “Sorry, Y/N, but I won’t be attending at all so,” he pointedly glanced at your finger.

You clutched the page in your hand. “But that’s silly,” You whispered. “Why wouldn’t you want to attend? It’s a full class party. You belong to our class, right? It will be stupid to miss New Year’s biggest bash. We’ll work hard too so it’ll be great. Come on Taehyung, come along, you always sit things out. Try attending once.” You pushed the paper across the surface towards him.

Taehyung looked positively annoyed now. His gaze had sharpened and he sighed sternly. “Fine,” he said grudgingly, lifting the pen you had put down and writing down his name last before getting to his feet.

You watched him stalk past Jungkook and Hoseok; who stared at him open mouthed.

“We can meet at the cafeteria in lunch for brainstorming.” You called loudly after him but he vanished out the door without giving any response.

Your best friends turned to gape at you.

“That’s right, boys. That’s how it’s done.” You smiled convincingly, not letting doubt bloom in you just yet.

Two hours later, doubt was running rampant through you.

You had told Jungkook and Hoseok to go ahead and use the dance room to come up with some numbers they could start with to get the party started while you waited for Taehyung to show up.

You never knew if Kim Taehyung actually showed up for lunch or not but you were now learning that perhaps that wasn’t the case. You sat in the farthest of tables, determined not to let the man slip out of your gaze but he remained a no show.

You looked down at your binder, trying not to feel angry. Maybe he just wasn’t cut out for this sort of thing. He was probably a frightful introvert…and you had kind of forced him into this.

No, you stopped yourself from more berating. You had asked yes, you had been forward; you had tried to be nice. You wanted him to feel involved. Why was it so bad? Why was it so hard to just feel belonging once?

You shook your head, scribbling down some ideas for a Christmas – New Year mix and then looked at your phone.

You could call him, badger him some more…but you hadn’t remembered to get his number.

Maybe your incessant calling would put him off staring into the device so much. You chuckled at the thought before wrapping up, going to your next class.

The next day you showed up with a brighter and more forgiving disposition. Maybe Taehyung hadn’t heard you that day but today you made it a point to let him know that you would be expecting him at lunch. You spared no seconds, telling him the moment he walked in.

He looked at you, his glasses glinting as he passed you by to get to his seat before shrugging.

You took that as a dubious yes.

So imagine your anger when you had to sit alone – again – in lunch, your handle on your pen getting tighter and harsher until you threw it down completely and puffed out your cheeks.

This was ridiculous, you could probably do this playlist thing on your own but you had committed – hell, Taehyung had committed. How less of a self respect did you need to have to not honor that?

A saner person would’ve simply scratched Kim Taehyung from the bottom of the list, but you, well, maybe it was the caffeine, but you packed up your things, setting out to find the man of woes.

If he was set on being a hermit, you were determined to make him work.

Since Taehyung didn’t seem to be the type to eat out on the open grounds, you headed further inwards, visiting the empty lecture rooms and poking your head into the labs to see if he was cooped up in there.

Nope, zero signs of Mr. Evasive.

You wracked your brains. Where could a man who wanted to be alone in a bustling college possibly go where he would be disturbed by absolutely no one?

The light bulb that went on in your head made you bolt, rushing downstairs to head straight for the park.

Making your way through some of the overgrown shrubbery, you finally found him; sitting with his head bent over…a notebook…? – Near the small fountain that once attracted birds but now had run dry.

You slowed in your steps, watching him closely. Was it the natural lighting or did he always look like that?

Kim Taehyung was freaking beautiful.

You observed the angles of his face, soft around the jaw in muted fascination. His fingers stroked gently, the pen in his hold gliding over the page when you remembered your anger.

That beauty could wait for now.

“Hey, Kim Taehyung!” You shouted, stomping across to him.

Funnily enough, Taehyung jumped in his seat, looking around at you with his eyes wide and mouth open.

“How…how did you find me?” He asked when you reached him and you paused at the new softness in his voice, compared to the bored, sharp one he had used in class.

His glasses, the round black Harry Potter kind rested low on the bridge of his nose, making his face seem longer.

“I looked for you; that’s how. But my question is what the fuck, man?” I said my volume still loud.

Taehyung frowned, thick eyebrows furrowing before smoothening out. “You were waiting in the cafeteria.” He surmised.

“Yeah no shit Sherlock,” you snapped, crossing your arms. “Listen dude, I get that you want to stay the loner, ok? But I invited you, you got invited and you said yes to joining, to participating. If you really don’t want to just say the word and I will cut your name out but there has to be a better way of communicating than just not showing up, ok? It’s rude and I don’t appreciate you stringing me up like that.”

You finished in a huff, cheeks puffing while your chest heaved. You could feel the heat in your neck.

“Impatiens,” Taehyung said suddenly.

“Excuse me?” You asked.

The boy on the bench looked at you with small indications of a smile, tugging at his lips. “Impatiens, it is a good cure for feeling impatience with people’s slowness. It makes you patient,” He said, matter-of-factly.

The confusion created from that one sentence was so great that you dropped down beside him, shifting your bag on your knees.

“What is that even supposed to mean?” you intoned.

“It’s from Bach. He had flower remedies for various personal symptoms.” Taehyung said, looking straight ahead.

You looked at Taehyung curiously.

Bach…? Did he actually read up Bach and then give you advice? You wouldn’t have thought Kim Taehyung paid much attention to anything in life other than what was needed to keep him alive.

Well, seems like you were wrong…

You looked down to where his fingers still gripped the notebook. Surreptitiously, you slid it out of his hands. Taehyung started, turning to you and making as if he was going to snatch it back but you were already reading through it, holding it tightly.

Notes upon notes…nothing related to your subjects, instead focusing on ancient horticulture, about architecture, simple remedies and cures, music, fashion…

“Taehyung,” you said quietly, watching his hands drop back resigned into his lap out of the corner of your eye, “these are fantastic.” You said.

“Right, sure,” he snorted.

“No…you have so much knowledge…you know so many things. Why don’t you apply them?” I asked.

Taehyung sighed, finally looking up at you in that way, which has your heart irrationally skip a beat. His eyes, you now noticed were a warm mahogany reflected a bitterness not usually seen in the rest of your classmates.

“I can’t apply my knowledge, Y/N. I can’t do it because in the real world…it is absolutely useless.” He said or rather spat out.

You shouldn’t have, but you snorted anyway. “Surely you can’t believe that. You wouldn’t be writing these things down otherwise.”

Taehyung finally snatched the book back. “I write them down because it’s my passion to know things, to understand, to see them in a new way. Of course, nobody cares about how someone views anything differently. The world wants money makers, Y/N. That’s the truth and I am living it the best I can. This keeps me sane, so I do it while I study for a degree I could care less about.”

“What do you want to do then?” you asked softly.

Taehyung didn’t answer.

Instead, he shoves the book in his satchel and stands up. “It’s late, come on I’ll walk you home.” He said in a monotone.

You scrambled after him, his pace slowing so you could lead him to your small apartment complex right at the edge of the campus. The trip was silent, with both of you mulling over what you had said and in your case what you had learned about him.

“Y/N,” Taehyung called as you absent mindedly fetched your keys to the building door.

“Yeah?”

“I’ll help you with the party.”

You spun on your feet, mouth opening to ejaculate incoherent joy but he was long gone.

Taehyung kept his word.

The next day, he showed up with almost no ceremony, much to your surprise. It took him a few moments to get to you, keeping his head down before he was sliding into the chair across from you.

“Hi,” You said carefully, hoping to convey your genuine appreciation of him showing up.

Taehyung nodded. “Hi, shall we get started?” he asked.

You shoved the binder you’d been keeping notes in. You had named almost a hundred songs, enough to keep up for most of the night. People might request some songs to be repeated so it took care of that.

Taehyung sat with his arms in his lap, leaning forward as he let his eyes run down the listings.

“You already did the work?” he said, almost questioningly when his eyes spotted the bottom number. He looked confused for some reason.

“Well, yeah, you know you weren’t showing up so I just…did something around the first 50 songs. I did the rest last night.” You admitted.

He settled back into the seat. “I don’t understand; if you were going to just do the work yourself, why are you still waiting here?” he asked.

You blinked. “You said you’d come.” You said.

“Yes but,” he tapped the page, “You’re already done. Why wait for me?”

You shrugged, slurping at the straw of your chocolate milk. “It would’ve been rude to stand you up.”

Taehyung’s lips twitched. “Yeah, I can understand why you yelled at me last night.” He crossed his arms, still fighting a smile.

You couldn’t help but grin, placated that he was actually interacting with you. “Well, why did you show up then? I mean, you probably were just going to let me figure out the playlist while you sat there. Or did you actually have suggestions? We should add them.”

Taehyung grinned back now, a full rectangular smile stretching out his face adorably. “Well, it would’ve been rude to stand you up. Also, no, I think you pretty much got down all the popular hits. The most you could add are carols or classical covers and I doubt twenty something year olds care for that.”

“Uh, no…? Everyone loves carols, and I love piano covers.”

Your partner’s face was unreadable as he continued to stare at you silently. He looked away finally, “Then you’re probably one of the rare ones.” He said quietly.

Before you could argue he was standing. “Um, so if you don’t need me anymore, is it ok if I go?” he asked politely.

You nodded at him and he smiled quickly before walking away again, leaving you behind just as confused as you were when you first noticed him.

You didn’t see Taehyung again, not even on the last day before the party. You didn’t mind it this time. You had your songs; you submitted them to Hoseok and Jungkook promptly and glanced back at Taehyung’s empty seat.

Strange, you never knew Taehyung to ever miss a class.

Ok, so maybe you were much too curious about the boy. He was enigmatic, appeared mysterious yes, but he had done nothing to lead you on and you supposed you should cut your weird zeal to connect to him while it was in the bud.

Happily, the location was decided so everything was ready to go. Seokjin and Soojin’s war ended with the victory going to the sorority. The lavish party was going to be set in their mansion and you sighed in relief.

That takes care of at least the problem of having clean bathrooms. You decided not to think about what would contaminate those bathrooms surely.

“Taehyung didn’t come today?” Jungkook asked next to you.

You hummed, non-committal, focusing on the notes you were taking for Shua.

Jungkook shrugged, chewing his pen as he looked into you notebook to see a word. “Maybe he’s out celebrating his birthday. God knows he needs to get out.” He muttered – more to himself than you but your attention was quickly snatched.

“It’s his birthday?” You asked, your head whipping towards the boy.

“Uh huh, it’s on the student roster, remember?” Jungkook said.

You returned slowly to your notes but gave up your concentration.

It was Taehyung’s birthday, the 30th of December. He was only absent because he was probably doing that loner thing he always did on his birthday. Maybe he is out with what friends he did have?

You wanted to groan. Why did you care so much? What did it matter how Kim Taehyung was doing…on his birthday.

Although you shook yourself back to the course of the class, you knew you were going to pick up a gift and find him…no matter how much your rationale bemoaned the decision.

Keeping with your decision, you picked up the gift you’d already decided on in your mind and began the trek to his house. You hoped he wouldn’t think of you as unhealthily attached or just plain insane.

Of course, that didn’t stop you from knowing that there was something wrong with you.

Taehyung apparently lived with his family. It was easy to find his house in the small suburb sections. Your expectations of the house being simple were veered off course though.

It was a beautiful house. The outside was painted a sunny yellow, the door a simple white. Fencing lined the garden and innumerable flowers and plants lined the entire perimeter. The lawn was perfect and you knew would feel soft under your bare feet.

Carefully, you walked up the cobblestone path and raised your fist to knock before you could lose your nerve. It would be stupid to leave before giving him the purchase but you wondered if it would be less embarrassing if he laughed at you in the privacy of his home rather than in front of everyone at the university.

Before you could knock however, you were stopped by another sound. It was one you knew and loved dearly.

The tinkle of piano keys…

You listened as the soft tune played out before fading out again, the eruption of a child’s laughter interrupting the lull of the music.

“You brat; I’m not going to play for you ever again!” A louder, deeper voice yelled followed by more giggling, now from both males.

That was…Taehyung? The Taehyung who hunched and cooped himself into a shell…?

You couldn’t help it. You knocked.

The laughter slowed before stopping, the soft padding of feet on wood audible behind the door before it opened, revealing a very tall, very casual looking Taehyung, sporting an easy smile. The pretty smile faded immediately at the sight of, his eyes widening behind his Harry Potter glasses, mouth dropping open.

“Y/N, what are you doing here?” he asked.

You looked down to where a small boy poked his head through the gap of Taehyung’s arm.

“Uh…hi,” you said.

Taehyung didn’t reply, waiting for an explanation.

“I just…learned that it was your birthday.” You offered before fumbling in your bag, pulling out the wrapped gift. “I thought you’d like this.” You said.

Taehyung was slow to reach out, his fingers hesitant in taking the gift.

“Why?” he asked, still suspiciously staring at you.

“Uh, everyone should get presents on their birthday.” You said. The sentence sounded more a question to you than an answer.

“Hyung, is she your girlfriend?” the boy piped up, looking between his brother likely and you.

“No, kiddo, I’m just a friend.” You answered for him, smiling widely and fluffing his hair. He was cute, and had the same smile as his brother.

The boy giggled before rushing to hide inside.

“Well, thanks, I guess. Do you want to come inside?” Taehyung asked.

It was obvious he was being awkward. You hadn’t taken his family into consideration before showing up and wondered if he was worried about his brother saying something.

“No, I think I’m going to go actually. I heard you play though, it was beautiful.” You said, already backing away from his door.

Taehyung didn’t look surprised at that, smiling and looking down at his feet.

“Yeah, I love playing. Makes you look differently at things, you know?” he said softly, not looking at you.

Your feet stopped as you stared at him, framed in the white door with the shy blushing smile.

“Yes, it does.” You said finally.

The party started at 8, the four hours before New Year celebrated with drinking, eating, having sex with whomever you could find and in general being young before real life crushed you again.

You grinned when you saw the decorations, red, white and silver tastefully decorating the outside space while the inside was an explosion of confetti, glitter and balloons. The frat and sorority went all out, it seemed.

Hoseok and Jungkook accompanied you; suits on which you knew would disappear as soon as they could manage it. You had deigned to put on simpler attire, the long asymmetrical dress, being practical and fun at the same time.

Of course, as soon as you crossed the threshold, the three of you were separated quickly. Jungkook and Hoseok took off to prepare for their dance performance while your girl friends grabbed you to get at least one drinks in you – complimentary before they were all on your head.

And even though…even though you knew…absolutely knew that there were slim chances of Taehyung showing up at the party, you looked.

However, when you found not even a sign that Taehyung was there, you returned to the party. You’d worked hard and so had everyone in the room to put this together. It would be unfair to everyone, especially your friends to mourn over the absence of the man who’d already told you not to expect anything from him from the very beginning.

It was enough to say the party rocked. You were sure Shua would be proud and that she would be giving everyone extra credit for the work they put in.

Hoseok and Jungkook began the dance routine with Michael Jackson numbers before ending it with the Mean Girls sequence. By the time it ended, everyone was clutching their stitches, laughing hard enough that two girls had to leave to avoid vomiting.

They exited the stage, back in their suits, minus the jackets – red and flushed.

“Well, then, ladies, I suppose you need these.” You handed them two large solo cups.

Jungkook grabbed his, downing it one. “I didn’t think that’d be so embarrassing.”

“It was gold.” You argued.

Hoseok rolled his eyes, much better at handling humiliation as he glanced over your head. “I can’t believe this. Kim Taehyung actually came.”

Your head whipped around so fast, you almost gave yourself whiplash.

Sure enough, it was Taehyung.

Sleek in a brownish suit, he seemed to be having some difficulty maneuvering through the throngs of the people. His glasses perched nearly at the tip of his nose as he peered about for a way to escape.

“Excuse me,” You mumbled, leaving your friends to help the poor boy.

Was it you or did he actually look taller in the suit? Maybe he was just not hunching.

“Tae,” you called; the nickname slipping off your tongue with staggering ease.

Taehyung looked up at the sound of your voice, slipping into a bashful smile at the way you reached for him. Your hand clasped around his – large and warm – tugging him over to a clearer space.

“Hello,” he said softly, looking about as if someone was going to catch him and scream.

“Hi,” you replied, much amused.

Both of you stopped to gaze around each other. However, there was nothing reluctant about the vibe he had around you anymore. If anything, he seemed…shy.

“I thought you’d said you wouldn’t be coming.” You said, striking the conversation first.

Taehyung nodded quickly. “I did but…well; I had to change my mind. It was boring back home.” He explained.

“Understandable, but didn’t you have family over?”

“Yes, but my aunt has a bad habit of drinking and getting…annoying.” He lowered a full register to his voice and you had to stop yourself from fanning your face.

“That’s great Taehyung; I’m glad you’re here.” You said.

“Are you here with someone?” He asked suddenly.

Your smile faltered. “What, no; why do you ask?” You asked.

Now it was obvious he was flushing. “Just curious, I didn’t recall anyone saying anything about bringing dates.” He said.

You stared at him in contemplation. Was it possible he was hinting that he wanted to ask you? Why were you nervous about that?

“Ok, um…enjoy the party,” you murmured, waiting to see if he’d ask you to stay with him.

With the same unreadable face that you’d learned of Taehyung the first day, he watched you back away without another word.

When would he come to you of his own accord?

As it happened, it wasn’t you who approached him again. As you skulked around the back where Jungkook was having a beer pong competition, you felt a familiar presence appear at your elbow.

You turned to smile up at him. “Bored, already? Want to go home?” you asked.

Taehyung didn’t answer immediately, watching Jungkook closely as he shot the ball and it flew right into a cup. Jungkook raised his hand up in victory.

“Not yet; I was looking for you. I don’t talk…to anyone actually.” He said.

“Well, you should’ve said something when I was leaving you back there.” You muttered audibly and Taehyung turned, giving you a close look.

“Y/N,”

“Why don’t you play for us?” You interrupted.

“…what…?”

“Play, Taehyung, play for us, anything, the folks would love some Christmas carols if you want to play those.” You said.

But Taehyung had gone stiff. “No,” he said, harsh and final.

“Oh come on, you’re a brilliant musician. People would love it.” You cajoled.

“I have never played for anyone but my family. You just heard me on accident.”

“Or maybe it was meant to be, it wouldn’t hurt to try Tae,” You attempted to put a hand on his arm but he pulled away – gently but the repulsion was clear in his stance.

“No, thank you. I had a good time; I think I should go now.” He said his stoic face melting back into that unbreakable mask.

“Taehyung,”

He didn’t turn around, leaving you to stare behind him. This time you didn’t go after him.

The next few moments were tumultuous. You felt hurt, rejected by the way Taehyung repeatedly shunned your attempts to get him to follow his passions. Irritation and anger raced through you at the thought of being embarrassed time and again and having your friendship left behind…along with your feelings.

Of course, that soon faded as horror at what you’d done followed soon after. You had been so blind in trying to make Taehyung accept himself so that he might accept you that you had continually tried to force the very same notion on him. That he needed to be something he didn’t want to be to feel belonging.

If you could, you would kick yourself as you began the slow search of trying to find him.

“Seokjin,” you gasped, clutching the taller man’s shoulders; that he probably jumped a mile, at your rough appearance in front of him. “Have you seen Taehyung?” you asked.

“Taehyung…? Yeah, Kim Taehyung; he actually showed up, I was shocked man. He just went through the backstage.” He threw a thumb direction behind him and you let him go, cautiously making your way to the back.

Didn’t he want to leave? Did he just want to be away from you? Would he let you apologize?

You had just stretched out a hand for the handle to the back room when a familiar tinkle of piano keys erupted again. You froze, mid step.

The Bach tune continued to flow, uninterrupted when you realized. Soojin had probably left the microphone set near the small upright in the backroom where the stage was set.

Taehyung was playing right into the mike.

Everyone could hear him play.

And sure enough, people began to slow then stop in their conversation, focusing on the complicated jangle of beautiful piano playing.

Even Jungkook stopped his game, looking into the direction of the backroom, eyes wide.

“Dude, who is that…? That was genius.” Seokjin broke out.

You couldn’t stop it. He reached around, grabbing the door handle and turned it, throwing the doors open for everyone to see the maestro who had played.

The music abruptly stopped as the pianist started, fingers falling jarring on the ivory.

Taehyung looked like a deer in headlights. His glasses were back on the bridge of his nose, emphasizing his big, wide eyes. His mouth worded unknown into space as he stared haplessly at Seokjin who looked equally freaked at startling the other boy.

Then…his eyes fell on you.

You couldn’t explain the feeling, the emotion that churned behind those warm brown eyes but then it was gone as he got to his feet, almost stumbling on his shoes as he pushed past you and Seokjin into the main room.

The crowd erupted, cheering for him.

Taehyung didn’t stand around to receive any compliments, ignoring the claps on his back and praise as he dived headlong for the stairs and vanished – with you hot on his heels.

You followed Taehyung into the first empty bedroom he could find.

He ignored your presence completely, flopping onto the bed with his head in his hands.

You paused at the doorstep, taking in his slouching figure, feeling worse than when you’d run him off. You shut the door gently behind him, lingering far away, trying not to spook him.

“Taehyung,” you sighed finally.

“Did you plan that?” He asked, quietly, without removing his head from his hands.

Before, you might have been affronted, but you said nothing, choosing to sign a soft ‘no.’

Taehyung looked up, his face haggard as he examined you. “I believe you.” He said.

“You do?” You asked, surprised.

“Yes, you might be overly persistent but I don’t think you’re cruel.” He said volume still low.

You blinked. “But I wanted you to play; I pressed you – against your wishes.”

“Yeah, I did say you’re persistent.” He leaned back, the mask of disdain back on his face that you now realized he donned to run away.

“Why don’t you just spit out what you really feel?” You asked, feeling snappish.

Taehyung didn’t answer for a full minute, “I don’t like to play because it’s putting a part of me on display to a world that doesn’t care. It will mock a major like me doing something like that and I’m insecure enough to know that I would rather eat chalk than listen to people who don’t appreciate truly beautiful things berate me.”

You walked over, sitting down beside him; mulling his answer.

“I don’t know if you were too panicked to notice but the people downstairs were not laughing at you. If anything they loved what you did. I was there, right out the door and you know I wouldn’t lie to you about this. You mesmerized everyone in that room. I mean, even Jungkook looked away from his beer game and he looked shell shocked. You were fantastic and people were cheering you for it.”

You smiled wryly.

“Try getting people to leave you alone after today.”

“I don’t care about the rest. There’s only one person I don’t want leaving me alone.”

You looked at him to find him diligently staring at the floor, chewing on the inside of his cheek. He looked like he was about to faint.

“Bet that took a lot for you to say,” You smiled, attempting to lighten his temperament. There was no telling; he might try jumping out the window.

“You have no idea. I think I might throw up. Run if I gag.” He muttered, glancing at you quickly when you snickered.

You waited till he was back to looking down before saying, “You know I meant it. They really loved it and were cheering you on. Nobody thinks you’re a freak or less than anything than who you are. I don’t either and I hope you know I really am telling the truth.”

“I know you are. I’m not that cut off from emotions, Y/N. They all sounded like my brother; I could tell they were screaming for me, not at me.”

You looked to the door.

“Oh god, we should go down! We’ll miss the ball drop.” You said, starting to stand when you felt something land on the edge of your mouth.

It took you a second to realize it was Taehyung – or rather Taehyung’s lips.

Your brain shifted to overdrive, hedging into faulty territory.

Turning to him, you allowed him to properly access your lips. You kept your eyes open, watching his being screwed tightly shut and brow furrowing. He pulled back after a few seconds of pressure.

He fluttered his eyes open, wide and slightly hazy as he focused on you. You stared back.

“Um, did I cross a line?” He asked, lowering his head like a reprimanded child. You had to smile at him.

“No, I’d be lying if I said I hated it.” You told him.

“But you didn’t like it, either,”

“I didn’t say that.”

Taehyung frowned at you in confusion.

“Would you believe me if I said that I might have been the one who actually wanted to do that?” You enquired quietly. Taehyung’s frown deepened.

“I wouldn’t, actually. What could’ve made you look at me like that? I’m not much special. I’m just struggling in existence.”

“You’re perfect to me, though. You have a beautiful mind and you drown me in it.” You stopped him.

His breath rushed out. “You really mean that,” He said in awe.

Deep brown orbs blew open behind his glasses as he stared at you as if you were the special one, not him. For many moments, you were trapped in that moment, in his gaze, he in yours as you both contemplated what this stretch of time could mean for the future. He dropped his eyes yet again, mask back on as he looked at the wall across. You yearned to reach out, to take his face in your palms, feel the texture of his skin against yours but you refrained.

He was fragile glass in this moment, one wrong move; one wrong touch could shatter what he was trying to build up.

“I…” Taehyung started, fading soon. You waited patiently.

“I really want to try…being with you…like a boyfriend but,” He gave you an agonized look. “I don’t know anything about it. I’m being honest; I have nothing much to offer to you. I can’t just change overnight – you know that. So I guess the choice lies with you. If you want to be with me, if you don’t…it’s up to you. I’m just saying, if you do choose me over everything then…just please, be patient with me. It’ll take me a while but eventually I think I can take you to a party and stuff.” He tried a smile that looked like he was in pain but to you he was still beautiful.

You nodded, both of you looking around when a large ticking and countdowns from ten started downstairs.

“So, what do you choose?” Taehyung asked, drawing your attention back to him.

You waited right until the crowd below screamed one before you let him know.

You kissed him.

The house exploded with cheers while the space between you and Taehyung slowed till nothing moved; the moment stretching on as your lips landed full on his mouth, coaxing him to move. He was frozen against you, a statue that had oddly burning lips which you relished in, tugging at the petals till he was groaning something unintelligible.

You pushed away from him, keeping your hands to yourself and a smile on your face, watching his own open after two seconds. He was fully red, flushed to his hair line.

“Happy New Year, boyfriend,” you teased, watching his eyes glimmer before looking down at your lips again.

“That felt nice. Better than I imagined,” He teased right back.

You grinned at him, heady. “With that attitude, you’ll be the life of the party you take me to.”

Taehyung shook his head at you, smiling as he leaned in again, gently placing his forehead against you, still unsure of his actions. “Happy New Year, girlfriend,” He pulled you back in for a kiss and this time, it felt like everyone was cheering for you two.

[ericdeggans]

The Last DEGGY Awards of 2020: Special Honors for TV Highlights During the Strangest Year in Recent Memory

Here’s what I will say about TV in the year 2020: there may not have been a lot of truly great shows, but there were a whole lot of very good ones.

Which is what made it so hard to pick a top 10 list of best shows, and likely why every roster of best ofs this year was so individualistic. I’m not a huge consumer of comedy or coming-of-age stories and not a fan of soapy drama, so those kinds of shows weren’t high on my list.

Check out the best of 2020 list I cooked up with fellow NPR critics Linda Holmes, Aisha Harris and Glen Weldon to see how few shows we picked in common.

As a final look back, here’s a special edition of my DEGGY awards, pegged to the great swath of content we waded into as virus lockdowns forced us to spend months in front of our screens.

Best Reimagining of a Franchise: The Mandalorian (Disney+) – From its start, this series has achieved everything I’d hoped, bringing fresh storytelling to underutilized corners of the Star Wars universe and pointing the way toward a new future for a hallowed film franchise. But how will they top that second season ending?

Best Fight Scenes on TV: Gangs of London (AMC+) – If you don’t have the new streaming service AMC+, you probably haven’t seen this series, which is an explicitly violent look at a crime family rocked by the murder of its patriarch. But the fight scenes, especially those featuring star Sope Dirisu, are the most kinetic and unexpectedly thrilling that I’ve on any TV show.

Best argument against Trumpism: Little America (Apple TV+) – This criminally underseen series features eight vignettes about immigrants, ranging from a  poignant story about a young boy attempting to win the National Spelling Bee to help bring his parents back from India to a Nigerian graduate student who plug himself into cowboy culture to find his place in America. 

Best Blow Against White Centering: Lovecraft Country (HBO) – As a Black person of a certain age who has always loved science fiction and monster movies, it was a real treat to experience every episode of this series, which placed a Black family at the center of a supernatural fight in ways typically reserved for white characters. Yeah, it was at times way too dense and overstuffed with commentary on race, class, sexual orientation, Afrofuturism, horror tropes and more. But that only lent the sense that they held nothing back, making sure every idea got used, in case HBO didn’t let them do it again.

Best Cleaning up of Damaging TV Tropes: Cancellation of Cops and Live PD – The great reckoning over civil rights kicked off by George Floyd’s killing helped wake up people to the corrosive effects of these so-called reality shows, which follow police officers around and cobble together episodes featuring their exploits. Too often they feature the poor and people of color, with no way to correct the record if those who are arrested on camera are eventually found innocent or charges are dropped. Here’s a story I wrote back in 2005 (!!) about how producers convinced a cop in Tampa to dress like a clown while conducting prostitution stings.   

Best Network TV Examination of Race and Society: This Is Us (NBC) – I didn’t watch much network TV this year, but the way This Is Us has continued to mine compelling drama from Randall Pearson’s search for identity as a Black man raised by white parents trying find his way in the world, remains powerful and enthralling. Earlier this year, at the end of the previous season, Sterling K. Brown’s Randall and a therapist played by Pamela Adlon had Emmy-worthy exchanges searching for the source of his anxiety issues. 

Honorable mentions: I May Destroy You (HBO), Small Axe (Amazon Prime video), The Last Dance (ESPN), Driving While Black (PBS), The Queen’s Gambit (Netflix), Better Call Saul (AMC), Harley Quinn (DC Universe/HBO Max), Unorthodox (Netflix), Woke (Hulu), David Byrne’s American Utopia (HBO), Crip Camp (Netflix), The Salisbury Poisonings (AMC+), The Boys (Amazon).

[valor-selfships]

jjba next gen sitcom au

so remember how i said i had this? yeah. here’s the basic premise:

Summary: The year is 2024, and the location is Brevard County, Florida. In a little town called Secrets -- yes, that's the name of the town, blame the founders! -- the real estate seems to attract the strangest of people: Stand users, mainly, many of whom seem to be in the Italian-American Mafia, for some reason. There's also some Vampires, a group of weirdos called Pillarmen, a handful of Witches, and one kid who claims they're a god but probably isn't (either way, they seem to have a strange ability to not die or age much). Although these kids' parents had their own incredible and bizarre adventures, the kids themselves are far more interested in actually forming social lives rather than saving the world. It's too bad, then, that it looks like saving the world is exactly what they're going to have to do when a group of rogue Stand users decide that their parents' Florida vacation is coming to an early end. So now, essentially forced to fight for theirs and their parents' lives, the kids have to use their own Stands to fight these rogue players, whether they like it or not. Welcome to JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Part 8 1/2: Straight Outta Brevard!

This story is told in alternating viewpoints and is written in a script format, parodying a sitcom of sorts. Fair warning, this cast is pretty huge, so each episode will have a little "roster" of characters who play a notable role in it. This is essentially a parody-ish AU of my already-existing fankids AU. I'll be linking to/talking about the full details of the AU in the chapter summary inside. I'll try to update as often as I can; if not daily, then weekly at least.

i’m considering making a tag for this n talking about it more. thoughts?

[mhall070]

MY SUPER SMASH BROS STORY

I first played super smash bros in 08, when brawl was new. It belonged to my mom's ex's nephew's friend, me my brother my mom's ex's nephew and his brother all played for countless hrs (funny with the 4 of us it really was super smash BROTHERS). Now I first played smash before I new what smash was so it was really just a fighting game with a bunch of familiar faces to it. My mane was Mr game & watch I only played him because he was visually the most impressive character (being flat and all), my brother played snake because he was a solder the nephew would play sonic and his brother would play rob cuz he looked like wall e.

Unfortenently this fun would not last for I had forgotten all about it in the 3 yrs it was absent from my life. 3 yrs later in the last month of of middle school I did not rediscover smash but it was first introduced to me. It was super smash bros 64 I fell in love instantly with its bizzar game play and mechanics, but most importantly with the characters and settings. The first character I played was jigglypuff because no one else played her and she was the only unlocked character. The connection with jigglypuff and I was strong and would be indefinite because she was so quirky and fun, I enjoyed being a nuance to my friends while having my ass handed to me. Note ssb64 is when I first met my partner so you could say smash is a love story. After a while I new I had to own this game so I asked my mom for super smash bros, yep those were my words, I never specified I wanted ssb64. On my next birth bay I received a videogame as my gift it was super smash bros brawl (in my opinion the most ambitious game in the series). As I played through with my brother we shuffled through an onslaut of options like music choices and modes like saving photos and replays it was amazing, and don't get me started with subspace emissary. The story mode was almost to much fun being so dramatic and hilarious, it really was something to behold. In super smash bros brawl there were a few more characters I found I had a great fondness for. They were Zelda & sheik, falco, marth, and the ice climbers whom I would not learn were from the previous instalment for some time and the newcomers were zero suit samus, Lucas, pit, toon link, and rob. It was also brawl that introduced me to my favorite video game franchises, like metroid, star fox, zelda, and f zero. When we first returned to the fighter select screen a memory from the past suddenly changed the way I looked at this game series. My life was suddenly just like the entangled crossover mess that was the game, it was like meeting an old friernd who had always been there, and it was then I decided super smash bros was the greatest video gaming experience of my life. Not long after completing brawl I discovered super smash bros melee instantly I new I had to own it, so I bought a copy and a GameCube cuz I didnt own one. It took me a stupid long time to unlock every character and stage (melee stages explained). I was surprised to learn that some characters in melee didn't make it to brawl, only one of wich I really fall in love with. Roy was one of many characters that were sadly cut from the next instalment. And I mean clones they were everywhere in melee and all but absent from from brawl. As for other characters I grew especially fond of the ice climbers and their gimmicky play style. Unfortunately super smash bros melee modes were a bit lackluster compared to brawl. Say for adventure mode wich was surprisingly deep, it really made you feel as if you were traversing through the games the characters belong to, unlike subspace emissary. But where I believe super smash bros melee really shines is in its game play and mechanics. It feels like a movie hopping around with explosions and lightning fast movements and it's technical input options that make the competitive scene so alluring (I'm a casual player BTW), unlike brawl wich is slow and sloppy and ssb64 wich in my opinion is worse. All things considered it is perhaps the most well put together game in the series.

Some time later super smash bros for Wii u and 3ds was announced, I was shocked, I believed ssbb was to be the last game in the series. I couldn't believe it, smash for handheld and home it was unreal. The first installment in the series I could truly enjoy the hype for, it was fun aside from being a skeptic of all the leaks that would later turn out to be true. First I shall say I accurately predicted paluteana would be a playable character, second the biggest surprise was definently pac-man (didn't think he'd  be possible), and third I was crushed to learn ice climbers would not make the cut because of the 3ds and I'd resent it for that reason. Not only that but I new the 3ds version would be inferior so I waited for the Wii u version. I stood out side the game store late at midnight to get my copy early. And I played for hrs, my favorite addition to the game had to be 8 player smash I allways wanted more action. I must say the roster of this game is one of if not the strangest with the cutting of semi clones like wolf and Lucas and the return of clones, specifically Dr Mario, of all the melee characters you'd choose to bring back why him over mewtwo, and the inclusion of dlc later. Nonetheless I did receive a few new characters to enjoy in paluteana, villager, the mii fighters, and corrin. Speaking of dlc I was not surprised by the announcement of mewtwo as dlc and I am glad both Roy and Lucas returned and Ryu I new you couldn't represent capcom with just megaman. The other game modes in Wii u and 3ds were interesting to say the least, target blast was fun but I still prefer target smash, master and crazy orders were amazing but hard, smash run was certainly the best thing about the 3ds version oh yah I did get a copy and a 3ds because I didn't have one. Oh and people, smash board isn't comparable to subspace emissary or world of light so, stop comparing them. The inclusion of amiibos really can make the game interesting but ultimately (pun intended) aren't very fun, however that won't stop me from buying all the amiibos I want. Now taking all this into account super smash bros for Wii u and 3ds allthough is flawed is also endlessly entertaining.

Then one day my partner came up to me and said, MERDY (thats my name) there's a new super smash bros game coming out. We watch the teaser and the thoughts just start rolling in, what characters will there be, what stages, what items, what modes, I was ready for all the answers but I would have to wait. I can say before the big "everyone is here" reveal I knew the ice climbers would return I also new there was no way they'd pass up another chance to add a story mode. World of light and spirits for that matter are probably the best thing to happen to smash, it's so complex and in depth it's creative and bewildering, it may not be as enveloped in worlds as adventure mode and we may not be able to enjoy the creative level design Masahiro Sakurai brought to subspace, however world of light has one thing the other two don't, customisation and the choice to play how you want, it's not as linear as adventure mode or subspace, and your fights aren't chosen for you. As for other game modes, I should first say 2 great new additions are video editing and vr mode, anyway you might as well go back and play some of the earlier installments in the franchise because ultimate leaves a little to be desired. Say for smash mode wich has lots of fun and well we can't talk about smash mode or super smash bros ultimate as a hole without mentioning it's shining star. The characters in super smash bros ultimate really make the game, I always dreamt that all the character from past installments would be in one game together. Of course I still had my predictions and surprises, first I accurately foresaw chrom, Simon, king k rool, technically hero (I really predicted erdrick only), and banjo & kazooie. Second I did not suspect, daisy, dark samus, and incineroar, although it was not a surprise ridley's presents in the game is highly appreciated for I am a huge metroid fan, BTW inkling was a no brainer. And I should mention the only new character I really enjoy playing is king k rool. Before the last section I wanna reminisce the things I'll miss about super smash bros. I'll really miss board the platforms, race to the finnish, 3d models of the characters and stages on select screens, event matches, coin launcher, boss battles, master and crazy orders, trophy rush, trophies, smash run, and good online gameplay... oh wait that was never a thing. I must state I'm sorry this story kind of turned into a critique, but super smash is first and foremost an experience and looking back now my life has be influenced by it, learning to grow strong and live big, and I can tell you super smash bros still is both a brotherly and love story for I still play with my brother and partner frequently. As for the future I can't say, ssbu is still growing and I personally believe it'll be Sakurai's last game in the franchise and video games are starting dwidle out of my life. Nonetheless it will be an unforgettable experience and I plan to continue to share it with all the world as it should be, being the largest crossover event in the history of entertainment, how can you even avoid it.

Waluigi for smash!!

 -------------------END-------------------

[power-of-ages-writeblr]

11/11/11 Tag (22/11/11? Tag?)

Another one of these! This time, I was tagged TWICE by the wonderful @sassypandacandy (go read her books,, i love them). I’ve gotta answer the questions, come up with my OWN questions, and then tag 11 people to answer, only I’m not going to tag eleven people because I still don’t think I quite KNOW eleven people yet. Also, because I got tagged twice with two different sets of questions, I’m going to answer both sets in one post, and then just come up with eleven questions of my own, because it takes me yonks to come up with questions and I’m lazy. Eso si que es, y’know?

What’s the first thing you remember writing?

A four-page story about a Diplodocus when I was… definitely before I was ten years old. Maybe like five or six. I was very proud of it.

What’s the last thing you wrote purely for yourself?

Actually, I pretty much always write for myself, so the last thing that I wrote/started to write… ooh-er. That’d be the Warrior Cats fanfiction I’ve been working on. :P

Are you a WIP playlist person or a WIP aesthetics person?

Playlist, probably. I tend not to make playlists specifically for WIPs – instead, I’ll assign songs and soundtracks to specific characters and scenes – but I’m still better at throwing together playlists then making aesthetics LMAO

What’s a book you wish you’d written?

Uuuuh… maybe it’s just because I’m young (barely an adult), but I don’t have anything where it’s like “ah I wish I’d used that idea” or “wish I’d written this book”. I still have a lot of writing ahead of me, hopefully, so all my ideas I hope to actually get out some day. (Assuming that’s,,, what the question is asking me)

What’s your favourite book adaptation?

Ironic because it doesn’t follow the books that closely, but I love the How To Train Your Dragon films very much.

Which of your characters would you like to have a conversation with? What would you like to talk about?

The downside to Pandemonium’s Bane being filled with eccentric personalities and cooky characters means that there’s actually few of them I’d LIKE to have a conversation with, because most would be too dickish or too annoying for my tastes xDD That being said, I think me and Plue are on very similar wavelengths, and we have a lot in common (such as both of us wanting to write), so I wouldn’t mind chatting with her for a bit if I had to.

Which of your WIP worlds would you most like to live in?

The Power of Ages stories are mostly set in one universe (the Nimbus System) so I guess I’d have to go with that one by default. There’s Neil’s dimension, I guess, but it’s destroyed, so…

Have you ever written anything inspired purely by a song? If so, what song was it?

I haven’t written anything inspired just by a single song, but I HAVE got certain scenes or character backstories based off of songs, or even the concepts they’re based around. I have a whole battle between brothers planned out to the soundtrack that plays when Shifu fights Tai Lung in Kung Fu Panda, and listening to the Iron Man soundtracks helped me with both the conception of a new character and her placement in my roster (and yes, she does invent things and fly around, although there are also some major differences)

Have you ever written poetry? Do you still? Why or why not?

I… haven’t written poetry. And the reason for that is… I mean, I guess it doesn’t really jibe with me? Granted I haven’t considered it heavily, but it was always my least favourite aspect of learning English at school, and I just never fell in love with it the same way I fell in love with writing conventional narratives.

Who would direct an adaptation of your writing?

I ain’t big on directors, so IDEK. I guess in terms of the rewrite of Maelstrom (my current main WIP) I’d pick Sam Raimi, who proved with his Spider-Man films that he can blend fun superhero narratives with slightly darker elements pretty well.

How do you motivate yourself when you don’t feel like writing?

Mainly by having multiple projects to work on! That way, if I ain’t feeling what I’m working on, I can switch over to another one, and bingo bango, I can keep writing. (Hypothetically. Sometimes it ain’t that simple, obviously.) I also use music, and I also take advantage of being in situations where it’s like, I’d rather write then do the alternative. Do you know how much writing I got done in lessons? So much. :P

What scenes are the worst to write?

The ones that I haven’t planned out – sometimes I have very specific ideas for how I want scenes to happen, and I’m excited to get to them, but other times they’re just obligatory because there’s certain information I have to convey. That makes it a challenge to write it in a compelling way, because why should the reader care if I don’t?

What can you say is a thing you love most about your writing?

I’d say I like the dialogue/character interplay/narrative description-y sort of stuff. I think I’m good at giving everything levity, and keeping it breezy and entertaining even if I myself find the writing process to be a bit of a slog. Plus, it’s funny to read back over, and it’s also funny to watch my discord quote a line and then keysmash at it. :P

What is writing advice that you take to heart?

It’s from Aaron Sorkin’s writing masterclass – the idea that a story is defined by the main character’s INTENTION, the OBSTACLE facing them, and the TACTICS they use to overcome it.

How do you keep yourself from quitting writing together?

Honestly, it’s not like I have to try that hard! By this point I’m desperate to tell these stories that I have in mind, so I have a sort of innate compulsion to write because I wanna get it all out there. I’ll get back to you if that compulsion runs out, but for now, I see myself writing long into the future.

What is the strangest thing you’ve searched up on the internet for writing purposes?

Probably the capabilities of medieval-era people to recognise nuclear technology. (And for the record, the answer is “pretty low”.)

Not a question, but shoutout a writeblr (or multiple) that you think needs to hear that they are awesome and doing a great job (by the way everyone, you all are awesome and doing a great job. Keep it up.)

Well obviously I’m gonna shout out the person who tagged me in the first place – Kels. I await the final(?) book in the DOOT series with great anticipation.

Your OCs are trapped on a deserted island, what would they be doing?

I WANNA say they’d try and work as a team, but, uh. It may not go so well. Dante and Plue would probably be the most practical. Gaia would be good at grunt work but not focus on the task at hand, Rose would be functionally useless but good at moral support, Jacen would try to organise things but Gaia would just push him in the sea for jokes… I reckon they’d escape eventually, I suppose, but it wouldn’t exactly be a clean-cut affair, you know? xD

What is your biggest inspiration for your WIPs?

I actually have various inspirations – I think collectively my biggest inspiration is the MCU, in that it’s a bunch of interconnected stories set in the same universe about different characters and also there are superpowers. xDD

A habit you have when it comes to writing?

Not doing it (thank you writer’s block)

A fact about your world and/or characters?

I have debated killing of MANY of my characters, but have only actually come to concrete decisions one way or the other with a few.

If your WIP/s got turned into a movie or series, what would be the quote on the promotional poster or trailer?

Oh, I’m gonna do this for ALL the WIPs, this seems fun!

Of Encounters and Trysts – Two Hearts, One Soul (or something equally cheesy)

Hit and Run – Even the indomitable aren’t invincible

Maelstrom – Destiny Begins

The Destroyer of Worlds – One Case, One Team, One Superpower

Survivor – It’s every man for themselves

Savants – Not so different

Omnia Vincit Amor – Good things come to those who get traumatised

Cometh the Hour – Six thousand years from home

  Alright, now it’s (finally!) time for my eleven questiones:

1 – Does music help you write, or does it just distract you?

2 – What’s your favourite writing tool? A laptop? Notepad and pens? Quills and inkpot?

3 – Do you have to physically go to places to get a feel for them and feel as though you can set writing in them?

4 – What got you into writeblr?

5 – How well can your OCs dance, do you think?

6 – Do you have a favourite writing snack? If so, what is it?

7 – Bionicle. Thoughts?

8 – Is there a specific piece of media (movie, show, book, w/e) that you could say has been more of an inspiration to you than anything else?

9 – What’s the best soundtrack you know for getting pumped and hyped up?

10 – If you could only write one genre for the rest of your writing career, what would you go with?

11 – What’s your favourite music-based meme? (Examples include “LET’S GO”, “CREEPER/AWW MAN” and “We Are Number One But ___”)

 Tagging… @thelimeonade, and @dawnuchiha!

[scope-dogg]

Brave Express Might Gaine: Final Thoughts

Might Gaine has become something of an unlikely Super Robot Wars mainstay, having been in the last two games and also in the upcoming SRW T. It’s a series I’ve been holding off on for a while while I waited for its ongoing fansub projects to finish, but with SRW T just around the corner, I was determined to see everything in the roster before the game came out, which led to a change of plans for me. While it’s true that the situation with English subs for this series is really rough and honestly makes it something of a tough recommendation, what we have was good enough for me to make it through and enjoy yet another solid entry in a series that’s yet to let me down.

The story setup is that in the future, the sudden depletion of fossil fuels leads to a revolution in technology, most notably in the form of a global electric train network, as well as the onset of super-powerful artificial intelligence and robotics. At the forefront of this is the Senpuuji Concern, a mega-corporation led by its brilliant teenage CEO Maito Senpuuji, who also moonlights as the leader of the Brave Express, a corps of railway-based transforming robots created to fight evil. Piloting the combined fighting mecha Might Gaine, Maito fights off a wave of robot-based crime that has arisen, although the Brave Express’ true purpose is to fight off an unseen great evil that still lurks in the shadows.

In terms of the other Braves shows I’ve seen, this one is probably most similar to J-Decker, which was the show that came immediately after this, at least in terms of the plot setup. The show’s main plot is a really slow burn up until the last few episodes, with most of the rest of the show being pretty standard episodic monster (or in this case, robot) of the week fare. That’s not to say that it isn’t entertaining though. Like J-Decker, Might Gaine has a pretty wild rogue’s gallery of robot super-villains. However, unlike J-Decker, it has a primary cast of four extravagant opponents - the mad scientist Wolfgang, bent on creating the ultimate battle robot, the Asian mafia kingpin Hoi Kow Low, Shogun Mifune, a man obsessed with recreating feudal era Japan, and Catherine Vuitton, a vain and conceited professional thief who has no issues with bringing misery to people in order to fulfil her strangest whims. Each of these four come up with some bizarre and unusual plots with each new episode, with weird and wonderful robot designs to match. It results in some episodes that I’ll never forget, such as Catherine’s plan to rid Japan of natto or Shogun Mifune’s plan to abduct world leaders to force them to ratify his appointment as supreme leader of Japan. This light-hearted tone is backed up by the cast of protagonists as well - at first, Maito seemed to be a pretty boring guy, being unrealistically skilled and successful at everything at a young age with no real character flaws, as well an a ridiculously rich billionaire to boot. However, it didn’t take me long to realise that it’s all clearly meant to be tongue-in-cheek, with Maito clearly meant as something of a parody of unrealistic main characters in anime. That was further driven home by his love interest Sally - the running joke with her is that she works wildly different jobs every week, and each time just so happens to be close enough to overlook Maito’s escapades and gaze on longingly as he fights.

That said, this early light-hearted, humorous tone actually belies how serious things get later on - firstly in the form of a series of increasingly high-stakes showdowns with Maito’s edgy rival Joe the Ace. It then gradually slowly works its way into the real plot and its surprisingly intense conclusion - this probably had the most serious and unexpectedly violent final arc out of any other Braves series I’ve seen - only Gaogaigar Final felt like it had higher stakes.

I thought the presentation here was something of a mixed bag, although the fact that this isn’t really available to watch anywhere in good quality probably had a lot to do with that. Even disregarding that, this has the same problem that every other Braves series has, that being an over-reliance on stock footage, with the animation work outside of that not being particularly good. That’s offset by a great soundtrack however, plus the mechanical design is overall really good - even most of the jobber bad guy robots are memorable in one way or another, and Might Gaine itself and its eventual upgrade are probably contenders with Gaogaigar for my favourite lead Braves robot design. The supporting cast of Braves are pretty decent looks-wise as well, although it was kind of disappointing not to see each one developed as characters, with them all basically being background to the show’s human characters. I know a lot of Braves series fans loved how the Braves were really-well rounded characters in J-Decker, and even in Gaogaigar. Anybody looking for that kind of thing in here is probably going to be disappointed.

Now for the real sticky topic, those being the status of the subs in this show. The only subs that cover the whole series are a suspect set of Hong Kong subs that range from okay to awful, with the added annoyance of them changing the names of pretty much every major character for no real reason, despite the fact that the subs and the audio no longer match. However, there have been efforts to make a better fansub, which have been assembled into a youtube playlist - it currently covers the first 35 episodes, with more perhaps forthcoming in the future - however, right now the only way to watch those final 12 episodes is the Hong Kong subs. They’re not so bad that you can’t watch and understand, so long as you’re prepared to mentally filter the character names to the correct ones, but they’re still far from ideal.

Overall however, if you’ve got the commitment then it’s probably worth your while, because this was an enjoyable series once all’s said and done, and I enjoyed my time with it. Gaogaigar and J-Decker are probably easier points of entry if you’ve never seen anything in this series before, and personally I think both delivered on the Braves formula better, but even with that in mind and the weird subs there’s plenty to enjoy here. It hasn’t made it into three SRW games in a row for no reason.

As far as that goes, SRW V and X have already set a pretty clear formula for how this show might be implemented in T, although there’s still plenty of source material that they’ve yet to turn into scenarios. Most of all, I’m excited to see how Might Gaine and Gaogaigar play off one another - this is the first time two Braves series have been in the same SRW game.

With that out of the way, I’m getting really close to my aim of seeing everything in the SRW T roster - only Expelled From Paradise and Aura Battler Dunbine and its OVA remain. Expelled From Paradise is next - expect to hear my thoughts on that soon.

[quibliography]

The Decagon House Murders by Yukito Ayatsuji

Synopsis: This novel is about a Mystery Club's week long trip to an isolated island, where one of the strangest murders had occurred only six months earlier. Kawaminami receives a letter blaming him and the others of their university's club members for the death of a student. Confused and alarmed, he contacts the rest of the group but finds that they have all left for Tsunojima Island already. Everyone except for him and Morisu. Together, with the help of a fellow mystery lover, they try to uncover the meaning of the letters while back on the island, the Mystery Club struggles to discover a killer amongst themselves.

My Quibs: I was initially skeptical because when I’m a fan and the author is a fan and the book is paying tribute, I am reflexively critical. It’s heavily inspired by Christie’s And Then There Were None, yet the writing wasn’t too mimicking nor the plot too derived. It helped that there were two tangent storylines, one on the island and another one off the island, so that the reader can be distracted away from one hand by the other hand. Much like the magic card tricks that Ellery performs. There was enough information coming at me that I didn’t spend too much time overthinking scenes or picking apart the text. Though, the translation was a little warped for me. It’s unfortunate especially since I understand that the Japanese dialogue had a lot of subtle subtext to provide a lot more depth and nuance to the story that’s sadly lost in translation. Still, the core of the novel worked wonderfully. The joint locked-room-mystery and PI-goose-chase story had good pacing and enough detail to string me along to the ending. Perhaps my sole quibble, which is really my own personal problem, is that I have a hard time keeping a long roster of characters straight in my head. And when half of them use Japanese names... <insert Always Sunny Charlie conspiracy meme here>

Should you read it? If you like Honkaku mystery genre. Or if you had no idea what the Honkaku mystery genre was, like me, but are part of the Ellery/Carr/Leroux/Poe/Christie/Orczy/Van Dine fandom.

Similar reads? Supposedly, this is a good example of Honkaku mystery genre. And perhaps I should try to read more of them or just more Ayatsuji. Also, I read way too much Poe and Christie and clearly need to add Ellery, Carr, Leroux, Orczy, and Van Dine to my reading list.

(Spoiler Alert!)  I liked the ending, I think. Motive-wise I thought it was meh. Secret love-revenge killing is pretty basic for a killer and (maybe it was the translation) but it seemed to come out of nowhere. In fact, I wasn’t even clear that he even attended the party or how he engaged with the club. But regardless, the twist was great. It was so twisted I didn’t even see it when it was revealed to me. My first thought was: “There are TWO Vans? But how did the island group not recognize the imposter?”. My second thought was: “Wait. How can he be in two places at the same time? Is he a twin? Is he a clone? Does he have a time turned?” I’m embarrassed to say it took a meme-worthy amount of flashbacking to understand what Ayatsuji was trying to tell me. <insert confused math lady meme here> I think the use of two languages to hide the name because a reader can’t see a face was clever. But they turned it into a manga! How does that work? 🤔 Anyways, I also like that given a whole range of solutions, my suspicion was both correct and incorrect. I was so sure that someone off the island was the murderer. And I was right! And wrong! Although if I’d listed which off-the-island character it was, Morisu was third. Which is good because I don’t try very hard and if I can figure it out, it could not have been well written.

What did you think of The Decagon House Murders?

[thehuskerrumble]

A Walk in the Park

Holden 8     Higginsville 9

Walk this way

As Harry Caray used to say, “You can’t beat fun at the old ballpark.” Monday’s matchup versus the Holden Eagles was easily the most exciting game of the season. And believe me, this one had a little bit of everything. The Huskers battled back from a two run deficit, then a four run deficit, and finally a one run deficit in the seventh, before clinching the victory on a bases loaded walk-off. Not the over-the-fence variety, but a true four pitch, free pass, take your base walk-off. Whatever it takes man, a win is a win. There is no shame in the Husker game. Coach Figg has had his hands full as the team’s lack of depth, and mounting injuries, have forced him to constantly juggle his lineup and defensive positioning. I’ve never seen a team that has to move so many bodies depending on who is on the mound. But they are finding a way, and there is no lack of enthusiasm, and certainly no quit in this team. 

Rumsey eating some innings

Mason Rumsey was on the bump, and probably gave the best performance of his high school career. He threw 107 pitches, and struck out 6 batters while giving Higginsville a much-needed 6 1/3 innings. Rumsey was charged with all 8 Eagle runs, but only one would go down as earned, due to some costly defensive miscues (see juggled defensive positioning above). The Eagles were gifted a two run lead in the first, thanks to another collision, and a blustery wind that was giving the Husker outfielders fits. Mason then only needed 7 pitches to retire the side in order in the second, thanks to some first pitch Holden swinging, and solid Higginsville defense. The Eagles were held scoreless again in the third, and then threatened to do more damage in the fourth, with bases loaded and only one out. But Rumsey buckled down and picked up back-to-back strikeouts against Holden’s number 8 and 9 hitters, keeping the score at 2-0 headed into the bottom of the fourth. 

Nick Herrera legs out a two-bagger to start the party

The Huskers started a little slow offensively, scattering a couple of singles from Jace Kerley and Rumsey through the first few innings. But you could sort of get the sense that they were about to break out. There were several foul balls, and a ton of deep counts. Despite not scoring in the second inning, Kelan Ernst, Jackson Kouril, and Garrett Pemberton pieced together 3 straight 8 pitch at bats. Quality plate appearances almost always lead to late inning runs, as high school pitching rosters are usually not that deep. Higginsville finally broke through in the bottom half of the fourth, when Nick Herrera led off with a frozen rope to right center, for a leadoff double. One pitch later, Cade Limback swapped places with Herrera, lacing a double of his own into roughly the same part of the outfield, driving home the Husker’s first run. Two batters later, Jackson Kouril hit a sharp ground ball through the shortstop and into center field, knotting the game up at two apiece. (Wade says it was an E6, so no hit or RBI, but I’ve got Jackson’s back on this one). Holden ended the inning by turning a nice 1-6-3 double play.

Don’t call it a comeback

The Husker lead was short lived, as Holden used a single, a walk, and two errors to score two more in the top of the fifth. Then Higginsville was blanked in their half, due to two deep drives by Kerley and Rumsey being run down by great outfield defense. But it was deja vu all over again in the top of the sixth, as the Eagles plated two more off of defensive gaffs.  It was Holden 6, Higginsville 2, and time was running out on the Huskers. But the blue and gold were not ready to throw in the towel just yet, and they proceeded to put together one of the strangest rallies I have seen in a high school game. Camden Russell led off the inning, and for the 3 billionth time this season, he hit a hard ground ball to short, and took advantage of his speed by racing to first base. Herrera then came up to bat and floated a first pitch, bloop single just onto the grass into right field (a first pitch that he was supposed to be taking). Limback then hit a hard chopper to third that was mishandled by the Eagle defender, loading the bases with no outs. Coach Figg turned to the dugout, bringing in Blake Mauzey to run for Cade, despite the objections from the big guy who had swiped his first bag of the season back in the second. Kelan Ernst then smoked a first pitch single into center field, advancing everyone one base, as Figg elected not to gamble with nobody out. 6-3 Holden. Next up was Kouril, as he did his job by lofting a sac fly to the outfield, driving in Herrera. 6-4 Holden. Following a Husker strikeout, the Eagles made a pitching change, leading by two, with two outs in the inning. Micah Graham was the first to face the new pitcher, taking four pitches for what would be his second biggest free pass of the game. The bases were once again juiced for the third time in the inning. Jace Kerley was up next, and his patience at the plate paid off, walking on 5 pitches, and forcing Mauzey home from third. 6-5 Holden. Then it was Rumsey’s turn as he was first pitch swinging, hitting a ball hard enough into left field that the Husker runners were only able to move up one base. 6-6 Tied ballgame. Russell was up next, but he would never get a chance to see a pitch, as Mason Rumsey was caught napping on a great pickoff move to first. In fact, he was fooled so badly, that he just froze, and never made an attempt to get back to first. And this was great news for the Huskers, as he probably would have been thrown out by at least a step. Instead, the whole world stopped spinning for a brief second, and Rumsey made a move towards second. Graham was also put into motion, sidestepping down the third baseline towards home, waiting on the Eagle defender to make a decision on where to make his throw. Holden’s hesitation was taking just a little too long for Graham, so he forced the action by racing towards the plate. The throw was accurate, and on time, but a good slide by Micah knocked the ball out of the catcher’s grasp, and sent it rolling several feet away. Then, the always opportunistic Jace Kerley, attempted to capitalize on the confusion and cloud of dust, by breaking for home, right behind Graham. The Eagle defender located the errant ball, and quickly tossed to the catcher who was covering home for the second play at the plate in just a few short seconds. Jace was called out on the play, ending the inning, but not before Higginsville took the lead for a wild 5 run inning. 7-6 Good Guys. There were roughly ten to twenty umpires who “respectfully” disagreed with the final call at home plate. In fact, they were so respectfully disagreeing, that the actual home plate umpire suggested that he may remove Coach Figg from the game if the fanbase got anymore respectful. *wink* But wait, there’s more!

Kelan keeping it close

It would be too easy if Higginsville held the lead in the top of the seventh, so they decided to add another paragraph to the recap. Rumsey came back out for the start of the final frame, sandwiching a strikeout between a hit-by-pitch and a walk. Limback then made a brief appearance, walking his only batter on four pitches, with the Eagles tying the game on a wild pitch. 7-7 Tied up again. There were now runners at second and third with only one out. Coach Figg then turned to Kelan Ernst to try and stop the bleeding. Kelan came out dealing, striking out his first batter on 6 pitches. But the final strike got away from the catcher, and the runner on third raced home on the throw down to first. Ernst then induced a comebacker to the mound to end the inning. 8-7 Holden. The air was once again taken out of the Husker sails, as they headed towards the bottom of the seventh, trailing the Eagles. 

That’s a wrap

Remember all those quality at bats in the early innings? Well, this is where they finally start to pay off. Camden Russell led off, and lifted a fastball to left field for the first out of the inning. Herrera then stepped in and worked an 8 pitch at bat for his first free pass of the game. Limback followed with a 5 pitch walk, and Holden was forced to bring in their third pitcher of the game. Depth is an issue at the high school level, and pitcher number three struggled to find the zone. He proceeded to walk Kelan Ernst, and then Jackson Kouril, forcing in the tying run. 8-8 Tied Again! The Holden pitcher then pulled himself together, and picked up a strikeout swinging, for the second out of the inning. Then Micah Graham stepped to the plate for a chance to be a hero. The suspense was palpable, and it was so quiet at Fairground Park that you could hear a mouse peeing on cotton. (Not really, that is my favorite quote that the Marine Corps drill instructor’s ever gave me, and I’ve just been itching for an opportunity to share it with you.) Anyway, Graham saw four straight pitches outside the zone, and the Huskers were able to walk away with their second victory of the season. Thank you coaches and players, that was a fun one.

Camden says he hates the pictures of him running to first, so here’s another

Keys to Victory: 

After suffering some tough early season losses, it would have been very easy for this team to roll over and play dead when they were once again facing an early deficit. But instead, they came from behind, not once, not twice, but three times to take home the victory. This says a ton about the character of the dugout. 

Is it too early to give Jace a Platinum Glove

Web Gems: 

Jace Kerley continues to put a stranglehold on this category. Only this time he was doing it from the shortstop position. In the top of the fifth, Kerley ranged all the way from short to behind the second base bag, and picked off a grounder that seemed destined for centerfield. He then made a difficult throw look easy, firing to Cade Limback for the 6-3 putout.

Micah takes the mound in the JV game

Rumblin’ Stumblin’ Crash Report: 

After taking a game off, Micah Graham was involved in another collision. This time it was a pop fly on the infield, as he got up close and personal with Mason Rumsey between the pitcher’s mound and home plate.

Good Sport:

After taking a beating by fans on both sides of Fairground, the home plate umpire was still in good enough spirits to pause for a photo op. You can’t beat fun at the old ballpark. 

Box Score:

JV Game

Holden: a bunch     Higginsville: far less

Frank the Tank

Up Next:

Tuesday, April 6th, 4:30 p.m., the Huskers host the Knob Noster Panthers at Fairground Park

[anxiety-trademark]

The week in review:

Raw 12/07 NXT 12/09 NXT UK 12/10 Smackdown 12/11

Raw:

Nia hyping up Shayna. That’s nice.

Shayna vs Asuka should’ve been a ppv match during Asuka’s reign. They don’t seem to care that much about protecting Shayna in tag matches, as she always eats the pin, so I’m not sure why they protect her so much in singles. She submitted Asuka (along with everyone else) in the elimination chamber, Asuka should want to prove herself better than Shayna. This is why I liked Becky’s reign, I loved the aspect of her collecting her debts against people who had wronged her, and the sideplates of the former champions she beat. That jacket was dope. The story was dope.

Man Shayna is so strong, that girl is built like a bull. I swear her bmi must be as low as Bayley’s.

How did Shayna of all people make taking a release German suplex look better than like a dozen other women in the past year? Good for her. Knows how to actually jump.

Lol so Lana willingly jumps onto Nia’s shoulders in the position of a powerbomb, and as Nia is walking her over to the announce desk, Lana sends Nia into it with a headscissors takedown. That’s great.

Lana’s just running away lmao.

Shayna just ate an L via rollup. See? Protection.

I was gonna force myself to sit through Dana’s backstage segment with Ricochet, but then Riddle popped up, and honestly? Can’t be bothered.

Welp I don’t do mixed tag matches unless they’re compelling... which this is not.

Hate: Asuka being a cheerleader for fucking Lana. She is the Raw women’s champion, does anyone remember this??? Terrible stuff.

Love: Asuka leaving Lana with some stupid mantra to repeat to herself before Lana turns to find herself face to face with Nia. Great stuff.

Nia just shaking her head as Lana slowly, oh so slowly, backs away. Fantastic. See this would all be a compelling midcard feud if the Raw women’s title wasn’t involved, is that a fair complaint? I feel like that’s a fair complaint.

Points to Nia for not breaking.

Highlight: Nia intimidating Lana backstage by merely looking at her

---

NXT:

Toni claims Ember stole her thunder, and honestly? I can see it. They both moved (back, in Ember’s case) to nxt the same night, and which one was given the promo time in the middle of the ring to start off the following week’s show? Not Toni. Who was propelled into a feud almost immediately against Dakota, a top player? Not Toni. Who got the opportunity to share the ring with former nxt champion Rhea in the main event? Not Toni.

Well apparently Io doesn’t like Toni lmao.

Io sets Toni up for the moonsault, and Toni rolls out of the ring. I criticize wwe for being predictable, but I’m gonna be honest when I say that I did NOT predict Ember running down from out of nowhere just to topple Toni. That was great. Shame this is absolutely leading to a tag match.

So Ember rolls Toni back into the ring and Io hits the moonsault... and then proceeds to pin her before she realizes what she’s doing and rolls off lol. Should’ve just committed, crowd would’ve counted to 3 for her and it would’ve been great.

That’s right Raquel, go destroy Ember in the name of Dakota. Can’t believe my second favorite performer on that roster isn’t there tonight. BLASPHEMY.

Xia out here striking wooden pegs and I can actually see the purpose. Boa getting the shit beat out of him? Not understanding the point there. They call it penance, but Wade is right, looks like torture. Guess it’s more of a mental thing though, right? Break the nerves and sensitivity?

*The Way celebrates their TakeOver victories* No.

Wow Ember gets the main event match again? Man, yikes for Toni. Cool for Raquel though, this is the furthest she’s gone in her singles career without Dakota.

That Eclipse onto those 2 chairs was brutal, Dakota is a trooper.

I really dislike Ember’s persona, and I would love to see her be humbled. She did jack shit on the MR and has the audacity to run back to nxt beaming with arrogance?

Nice, Raquel hits Ember with a boot to the midsection as Ember’s in midair, and she flies back a few feet. Impactful.

Why is Ember selling her lower back? Is that genuine? An ongoing injury, or something from WarGames?

Kind of a slow moving headscissors into a tornado ddt, but it’s such a beautiful move that I don’t even care.

Does Ember typically do her suicide dive through the bottom and second rope? If so, I’m beginning to understand why hers looks so friggin brutal. Peeps going through the second and top rope always kind of gracefully land on their opponents. Ember looks like a missile.

That’s cool; Ember’s crazy ass was climbing up some metal thing, Raquel goes over and pulls her off, Ember lands perfectly on Raquel’s shoulder in a one armed fireman’s carry, then Raquel tosses her face first into the ring post. Ember landed perfectly on the apron, too. Good spot.

Raquel is dangling through the ropes with her head near the ring post and Ember charges at her on the apron. Raquel eats a knee to the side of the head but puts her hand up between her and the ring post so she doesn’t accidentally smack her head against it. She’s very safe and aware of her surroundings, I’m noticing. That’s gonna take her really far.

That was a good match. I can see why Raquel is getting set up for a push. She’s safe, strong, sells well, has an intimidating look, and is serviceable on the mic. I can see the appeal.

Toni’s come to deliver a receipt to the receipt she received herself.

LMFAO Toni goes to pull up Ember and jumps when she hears Rhea’s music. That history runs DEEP. That was hilarious, she genuinely looks shook.

Oh that focus in Rhea’s eyes is great. Man she’s come so far this past year.

Rhea is such a solid babyface. She does all the right things as a leader of the division would without going overboard and coming off as a doormat. Asuka is the complete opposite; does nothing to help her division from unfair shenanigans, and when she does, she come off as an idiot.

Man that tension between Rhea and Toni is thick. They’re like the same age too, right? Their futures will be heavily entwined.

...Alright well honestly I was more enchanted by the concept of a Rhea/Toni feud, even though we’ve seen that like 3 times, than a rehash of Rhea/Raquel. I knew this was coming, but you’re kind of killing my vibe, here.

I actually really liked the Raquel/Rhea fight but I feel like they have subzero heat outside of an actual match. They suck at hyping a future fight between each other. Basically they’re the exact opposite as Rhea/Toni, since Rhea and Toni have like... never had a good match, yet always know how to sell one to me anyway lmao.

Highlight: Ember vs Raquel

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NXT UK:

Jinny out here calling Piper a wild animal lol. Her in-match dialogue sucks, but I’m here for her as a promo.

“[Isla] has yet to really kick out of first gear [...] what does Isla Dawn need to do to keep her momentum moving forward?” She needs to literally move out of first gear and work on her stamina, holy shit. She’s one of the weakest in the cardio department imo.

Since I’m already being critical, Xia is super overhyped and I need everyone to calm down. She has a lot to work on before she should even be considered midcard.

Yes sure, Xia has technical fundamentals and literally nothing else. Oh she’s only 22? That makes more sense. Man the UK stars are young lol.

We’ve finally moved past wrist locks, miracles have occurred.

Imagine being a kickboxer and not utilizing that in your arsenal. Look at that, suddenly I’m actually being entertained by Isla for the first time. More miracles have occurred.

Xia “look at my fundamentals” Brookside, can you please explain who you’re yelling ‘come on’ to? There is literally nobody there. Are you hyping me up? Hm?? Hyping me up for another hurricanrana???

Xia very obviously helped roll Isla out of the ring there.

I really need announcers to stop assuming every wrestler is about to do a suicide dive/is gonna fly/do a high risk move. It’s seldom they toss out this assumption and are wrong, but every time I’ve seen it the performer went to do a mere baseball slide beneath the bottom rope, having typically never performed a suicide dive before.

That was awkward. Isla did no offense as Xia went to grab her off the ground, but Xia backed off and just looked at her. Then Xia no sells a punch to the midsection. ???

Oddly enough, suitcase luggage being delivered ring side isn’t the strangest thing I’ve seen in this match.

So they’re props for a mid-match promo from Nina meant to distract Xia. Distracted Xia turns around and eats an awkwardly slow kick to the neck, which she awkwardly sells, before Isla wins with a... back body drop?? What a finish :/

Highlight: That fleeting moment where Isla entertained me

---

Smackdown:

Sasha gets to kick off the show? That’s a first.

Saw someone today say that Sasha only works as a babyface if she’s an underdog or if she’s generally more of a “fun” character. Said there was no positive energy around her as a babyface right now. Honestly her character sucks.

Also saw someone claim Carmella was a better version of Sasha and I’m not disagreeing with that sentiment. They should probably be on different brands in their current characters.

“How fast can I make Carmella cry” Sasha sweetie, you are the last person that should be mentioning making someone cry.

God she even has that stamp. Why is this girl not a heel? What the hell are wwe doing pushing Charlotte and Sasha as babyfaces? They gonna try to turn Becky heel again if she comes back before crowds return? Imagine a world where Charlotte and Sasha are babyfaces while Bayley and Becky are running around as heels. oof. 75% of the way there.

Carmella is great, truly. One of the best promos in the women’s division, probably in my top 3 tbh. Glad to see her relevant in the spotlight once again.

They really are 2 sides of the same damn coin.

Sasha shouldn’t need Bayley to prop her up anymore. Enough of that well. It’s bone dry.

To be honest, it does still feel like Bayley’s show; it does still feel like she runs things, and that’s a testament to not only her booking and her massive success over the past year, but also to how she carries herself and how far her character has come. She’s absolutely on par with Becky and Charlotte now imo (which is why I wanted her to win the Royal Rumble and potentially main event night one of WrestleMania, but I digress) she’s beyond the need of having a title to be the main attraction. I never thought the 3 of them would all surpass Sasha in accolades, star power, and promo skills... but here we are.

Bayley back there talking shit about Bianca rofl.

Omg that captain thing was great. Bayley is creative and fun, and knows how to keep herself from becoming stagnant or dull. Points to Bayley.

Oh Bianca kept those insults from last week’s online exclusive. I love when wwe tests shit in online exclusives, sees the reaction, and then has the talent run that same promo/interview on tv the next week. This happens constantly. Love it.

Friggin love Bianca’s shirt. wwe should’ve printed out a ton of them. I would’ve copped the coin for it.

Girl has legit receipts rofl alright.

Called Nattie the boat. Subtly hyping up her coworkers. Solid.

Lmao Bianca ran Bayley off with her receipts. This is fun. This is a fun feud.

“I’m gonna beat the disrespect out of Sasha,” that’s a good line.

See Carmella has been doing that cackle long before Sasha started it up, and she’s better at it too. Sasha just needs to change things.

Why is Carmella calling Reggie ‘Tommy’? Is this like a dig at his name not mattering or was that a screw up? Couldn’t have been a screw up, she would’ve improvised. Do I have his name wrong? Am I the dumb one???

I need to start watching Raw Talk and Talking Smack. They won’t be a part of these “reviews” (ramblings) but still. I feel like I’m missing out on a lot of fun.

So I know this partnership between Nattie and Billie Kay is super temporary, but I still find it curious.

Okay so Liv tags in Ruby, runs to her, and Ruby sweeps up Liv into a wheelbarrow before Liv rolls through and trips Ruby, driving her into Billie Kay’s midsection. I’m gonna be honest guys, stuff like that is cool to see, but you could’ve literally just speared Billie Kay and saved everyone a ton of time and effort. Work smarter not cooler. Maybe situationally that potentially wouldn’t be terrible, but that was terrible tonight.

“Natalya probably the most powerful in this matchup” lol SIR. Natalya is probably the most powerful in the entire main roster, and only Bianca could be a contradiction. Curious to know which one is stronger, pound for pound and in general.

...Is Ruby okay? I’m concerned. She goes to give Billie Kay a Riott kick before Liv even gets her part of their combo finisher in, and then after she delivers her Riott kick, she crawls over to Natalya’s corner. Was Natalya not in place for a spot or something? Is Ruby on 4 shots of espresso too many??

This match was serviceable. Obviously it’s meant to merely advance Billie Kay’s storyline, so.

*Mario Lopez weighs in on Sasha vs Carmella* I’m good thnx.

Was... was that sheet real? Does Carmella actually dance behind a real sheet that drops down for her to walk down the ramp??

Man I gotta hear Sasha’s awful remix twice tonight, shame.

Lol how is Carmella being a WrestleMania battle royal winner more impressive/important than her being a champion for like 100 fucking days??? She has wins over Asuka, Becky, and Charlotte. THAT is more impressive than winning that stupid battle royal. 

I guess I can see why Sasha being Snoop Dogg’s cousin is more important than some of her previous accolades, but jfc Carmella resume to casual viewers is dumb.

Someone in the audience had their camera pointed up to a ceiling fan and you know what? Points to that person.

I like the countering of each others’ submissions. Both scouted their opponent well.

Carmella will always be such a natural trash talker with a snappy attitude in the ring. I’m not saying her current gimmick is bad, but the trash talking princess of Staten Island will always live inside of her.

Minor petpeeve: I dislike when wwe cuts to commercial during a 10 count.

Sasha was not manipulated into tonight’s match, nor was her hand forced. Her ego spoke for itself.

Sasha has really graceful footing. She reminds me of a cat.

“Banks might have a dislocated shoulder after that,” “and if that’s the case, there’s no way Sasha can lock in the bank statement,” fun fact: Sasha went into her elimination chamber match in 2019 with a fucked up shoulder. She also ended that match the victor by locking in a modified bank statement using one arm and a bent leg. It was creative, it was cool, and it worked.

History tells me that when Carmella starts letting her frustration in a match show, she will lose rather soon after. That’s where we’re at.

“vintage Sasha” SHE’S 28 YEARS OLD WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU ON ABOUT

Peep that Sasha slid herself back so Carmella could grab her as she climbed up the turnbuckles. Knows her spot.

Don’t do a jackknife cover on Carmella, you’re setting yourself up for the code of silence so damn easily.

Good transition into the bank statement though.

Good progression into a dq by Sasha as well.

OH SHIT Carmella just broke a fucking bottle of champagne over Sasha’s back. Is that gimmicked? Holy hell. It has to be right? That’s why it was a different color??

What a sound effect, oof. Oh Sasha’s selling that real well.

Lmao Carmella goes over and pours herself a glass, says “that’s good, really good,” before shaking the bottle all over commentary and Sasha. Carmella’s great at every character she plays, lesbireal.

Carmella needs to hop on down to nxt and teach those women how to trash talk in a match without fucking up. She’s fantastic.

Wow here’s Greg to FINALLY announce the winner. Yikes announcer, yikes.

This was fun.

Highlight: Carmella in general was fantastic tonight

---

*Smackdown easily shined the brightest. Everything was vastly entertaining and women dominated throughout the entire show. Loving the progression of everyone’s characters sans Sasha, but her match with Carmella was fun nonetheless.

[cat-the-dragon]

About bilingualism

Since I have a fair few authors following me, I thought I’d take a moment to share what bilingualism looks like for me, so you can have an authentic take on the little things that actually happen to us sometimes.

So yes, I can think my words directly in English, as well as I do my native language. Yes my internal monologue voice can just randomly change depending on what I’m doing. I sometimes forget which language I heard or read stuff in, because of how accurate my internal translation is.

Sometimes, I feel like English robbed me of chunks of my native tongue, but I know it’s just my brain being stubborn. Basically what happens is that I’m talking in French, then I want to use the word for a slightly complicated concept... And then whichever language gave me a word first won. I won’t be able to find it again in the other one, despite knowing the word in both. So I end up gaping in the middle of a conversation and go “huh... I lost the word. In English it’s ***?”

Since I still live in France and use my native language orally every day (bit less in writing, French is a pain to write), but I also use English every day, on the internet, but almost never have to actually speak it, I still have the most atrocious accent you’ll ever hear, even when movies and song suffice to let me know how most words are pronounced.

I use both language daily, but rarely for the same tasks. Here is how I’m used to it:

Cooking is in French. I buy French groceries with their name in French on them, I was raised with my (much more logical) metric system, I need to google pound to know how many kg it is. And I’ll guess a nutmeg is a nut, but if I am to actually use it, I’ll say “noix de Cajou”. (Also, ‘berry’ is a nice beginner help, but unless it’s cranberry, I still have to check my mental roster to know if that particular thingberry is a ‘framboise’, ‘fraise’, ‘myrtille’, or ‘groseille’)

My laundry is in French too. I’m still not that sure what a boyshort is exactly. not that it really matters, because everything fabric, sewing, and clothes related is going to be in French to me.

My health is mostly in French too,

Heights, speeds, temperatures and weights, are in French, (and in the freaking international metric system, what’s wrong with u USA?) as are numbers most of the time, unless they are written in full letters in English. (No it never bothered me to have sentence like “he then found himself needing to feed quarante-quatre people”, why would it?)

Driving is in French, I’ll never slip and insult a bad driver in English, nah, my car is in France, I’m outside my house in a space where I’ll be expected to French anytime I get out, my brain is in French mode.

Stories are in English. I have developed the strangest aversion to reading or hearing my native language in stories, my brain always go “nope, that part’s meant to be English, stop that, they all sound stupid! Toggle the English back, you heathen!”

Fandom is in English. I have trouble talking of my fandoms with my little brother because he uses French character names and it just irks me so MUCH! “No, stop! His name is Jason, Jay-zohn, stop the French prononciation! Also, yes, I can and will refuse to discuss ‘la ligue des justiciers’ it’s not that hard to say justice league!”

I first heard about Superman when I was a child, and I will probably never pronounce his name the proper way in my head, he gets the French version or ‘u’ and ‘er’ I don’t care! (Batman, though, is pronounced correctly, so I’m okay with him)

I think it’s enough for now. Oh, yeah, and these letters acronym things are hell, just fyi, ADHD is TDAH in French, how cool is that?