#How neither of them really had a real ‘birth’ to begin with

[completeoveranalysis]

[7]

OH NOW?

The dramatics of it all happening right away skipped over me for a moment but oh boy here we go. They’re being reincarnated NOW. 

And oh my goodness Syaoran’s little panic (mirrored in Sakura’s face) over the details - and Yuuko interrupting him to reassure him that it’s genuinely the best case scenario with no tricks or complications. (And honestly how often has she ever gotten to say that?) 

The little touch of the magic circles matching the person who gave up their life to make it happen is also very nice. I enjoy that. 

Also I think I mentioned Wish a little while ago and with that fresh in my mind it really feels like this is the much bigger version of what happened in that manga too. Tsubasa really was CLAMP's way of taking all the ideas they really wanted to properly explore and do them all and it works. 

[onaswife]

https://www.tumblr.com/onaswife/785460957763747840/ive-been-seeing-a-lot-of-videos-in-tiktok-and?source=share

share them thoughts 🙂‍↕️

I made blurbs of both Alexias, I don't know if you'd like to know more. For now, these are the ideas I developed best.

Warning: Mention of miscarriage

The first time Omega! Alexia met Irene's little son, she was struck by the famous "Baby Fever."

You still remember how bright her eyes looked as Lucía showed her how to hold a baby properly without hurting or making him uncomfortable. Never, at least not since you two had started having a serious relationship, had you talked about having children.

That day when you got home, Alexia couldn't stop talking about this new experience, about feeling how the little one seemed to snuggle up against her chest, something that made her feel full. You, on the other hand, couldn't stop thinking about how radiant Alexia looked with a baby in her arms. You'd always thought Alexia was a person who radiated energy, perhaps not so much on the pitch when she should have been a more serious person, or when she was in "media day" mode, but when she was at home with her mom and sister, or when she went to visit the girls from her foundation, even when she scolded the younger members of the team for listening to Mapi and doing something mean, Alexia would look like the most beautiful and radiant person in the room.

That day you didn't talk about expanding the family; ypu only talked about Irene's little one.

The months began to pass. Mateo, Irene's son, was already older, beginning to say his first words, and could already babble something close to "mama" and "mami." Meanwhile, Alexia had one mission in mind: to get Mateo to say "Tia" or at least "Ale."

When it was their turn to babysit (on Alexia's whim, disguised as the older couple needing to have time for themselves), she would try to get him to mumble something as close to "Tía" as possible. Every time he mumbled something with a tone resembling that word, Alexia would begin to congratulate him while holding him tightly to her chest and praising him for being so intelligent.

You always stayed more distant, not because you hated being around the boy or anything like that, but because you'd never been able to figure out how to connect with little kids. You always stood there, not knowing what to do while looking anywhere but at the boy, trying to find help. But while you stood like that, you could look at your girlfriend, who seemed more and more accustomed to being maternal, giving you future ideas of what she would be like with your children, without having to be sad about them having to go with their real parents; they would be hers.

Gradually, every time Mateo accompanied his mother to training, or when they took him to watch the finals, he always looked for Alexia first. Which is why it seemed rather strange to you when Irene approached you with the little boy in her arms, while he screamed your name and tried to get away from his mother's arms. As soon as Irene stood in front of you, the boy stopped moving and stretched his short arms toward you.

It was at that moment, when Mateo looked for you first, that the baby fever hit you the hardest.

Neither of you said anything, neither of you wanted to have the conversation.

It was like that until you saw Alexia start flushing all the birth control pills down the toilet, and you knew the next step in the relationship was closer than you'd thought.

There was a long talk about the future. You tried to get Alexia to remember why she had decided not to be a mother yet—she was in the prime of her career, having just won the Ballon d'Or and being the face of the Spanish national team—but Alexia kept countering her arguments based on her experience with her teammate's child.

From that day on, you had both agreed to no longer use protection, you wouldn't force children, but Alexia really wanted to get pregnant. Whenever you two had sex (which was quite often, it was hard to keep your hands off her body), Alexia made sure that when it was time for you to finish, you wouldn't pull out until she was sure you could. So for the next eight minutes, you were on top of your girlfriend's sweaty body while her legs tightly hugged your body, leaving you with no way to move.

It was in the midst of recovering from her ACL that the pregnancy test finally came back positive. You both were both now proud mothers to little Mar. Mar Putellas.

On the other hand alpha! Alexia would be more scared. She loves children, and she had that instinct, being Alba's older sister. From the moment they met and talked about having children, they had both agreed that they weren't ready for them.

That remained the case until your older brother had his first daughter, and you automatically made her your spoiled niece (the only one).

You lived and breathed for that little girl. She looked a lot like you did when you were a baby, something your mother and brother emphasized when you and Alexia visited them.

Alexia and you had a tacit agreement about using condoms when being intimate. You both got tested for sexually transmitted infections every two months, and obviously neither of you had any other sexual partners, so it hadn't been a problem.

Until it was.

You got pregnant.

None of you expected it. That night there was a big argument. Alexia left, slamming the door as you cried in the bathroom stall, no longer knowing what to feel.

The following week was a cold one. You didn't speak to Alexia, you didn't look at her, you had started sleeping in the guest room and always avoided seeing her in the mornings and at night.

It was like this for about two weeks, until Alexia stopped being a coward and spoke to you seriously. While it was something neither of you had planned, it was something you had both done, and therefore, you would both have to take responsibility. As soon as you heard those words, you couldn't help but feel worse; you felt like Alexia was forcing herself to take charge.

Time began to pass; Alexia seemed to change. And just as Alexia changed, so did your pregnancy. At week 11, you began to feel strange; even Alexia commented on your lack of milky smell. That day, you both suffered and cried knowing your little one would no longer be with you.

The following weeks were hell for both of you, a personal hell.

Time passed, the wound healed as best it could. A year and a half after that fateful day, the test came back positive again.

This time, Alexia didn't get angry, of course not. She cried. She cried next to you as she looked at the pregnancy test on the sink.

Alexia pampered you throughout your pregnancy. She didn't mind canceling interviews so she could get treatment for the back pain you were having. She didn't mind getting up at 2 in the morning and having to get up in 4 more hours to go buy your midnight snack. She didn't mind carrying you every time you went out and your feet started to hurt. She watched videos on social media to help you. When your bump had grown enough to slow you down and cause more back pain, she started standing behind you and bringing her hands to your lower abdomen, where she would put her hands together and take some of the weight, making you feel less heavy and allowing you to rest a little. Or when you were going for a walk on the beach and you couldn't lie face down, she remembered seeing a video where they dug a hole in the sand big enough to fit your bump comfortably so you could rest. Alexia might be able to take her heart out if you asked her to. She wouldn't make the same mistake as in the past again, and she wouldn't let it end the same way either.

The day her son was born, Alexia felt her chest fill with happiness as she saw him in your arms as he lay resting. Even as you watched her be happy with your son, you couldn't help but wonder what would have happened if your first baby had been born. You still had nightmares about that event.

She cried again, seeing how her family had grown, now determined never to be separated from her son or from you again.

Whenever you went out, both Elias and you reeked of Alexia's scent; it was her way of being present.

Over time, little Elias had grown up with the same passion that Alexia's father had passed on to her. Both Barcelona fans, they breathed and died for their colors.

[he3ts]

FOR YOUR LOVE , masterlist

( nam gyu x reader (rockstar au), thanos x reader )

warnings: to be consistent with the plot reader is danish, smut, drugs, alcohol, explicit content, lots of music, for this story i was inspired exclusively by the discography of måneskin. i was inspired by one of their songs for this story.

plot: you and nam gyu don't get along. never. he is arrogant, prickly, always ready to challenge you with sharp jokes and fiery glances. you, you are exactly like him, a devil incarnate in a woman figure. you must be perfect, as the guitarist of saurer sarg, a rock band on the rise.

on stage you are a shadow moving between sharp riffs and fiery solos, but out of there the real show is your relationship with nam gyu, the drummer. you prick each other relentlessly, always on the edge between rivalry and something more, something neither of you has ever had the courage to really face.

then there is thanos, the charismatic frontman. when you start writing songs with him, the complicity between you becomes obvious. every note, every word seems to bring you closer and closer, and suddenly nam gyu is no longer just the guy you argue with over every musical detail-he's the one who looks at you in silence when you think you don't notice.

but success brings with it the weight of choices. the tour lengthens, tensions rise, and the distance between you becomes deeper than the music can bridge. as the band begins to crumble, you are faced with a question that is not just about the music: who are you when the lights go out? and who do you really want by your side when everything seems to fall apart?

SAURER SARG ( MEMBERS )

— the guitarist,, you

— the drummer ,, nam gyu

— the singer ,, choi su bong

— the bass player ,, se mi

DISCOGRAPHY ( SONGS )

20 years ( written by thanos )

" i'm twenty years old

and i don't give a shit, i have zero to prove to you

i'm not like you who give your soul to money

from the eyes of the pure you are only cowards "

hate ( written by thanos )

" let's spend the rest of life together tonight

life is being with you in bed, everything else is waiting

we own ourselves only the time we spend together

and to both of us so it fits "

malak ( written by thanos )

" something is moving (euphoria, i'm crazy about you)

it's us against the light (euphoria, i'm crazy about you)

the birth of another venus is you and me "

the essence of the universe ( written by se mi )

" this morning i was on my way to work

i thought i'm not like them

i am a fountain pen

ink on the skin of others, a means of making sense

to the dirt on the hands of those who dig into mental problems "

the man who loved women ( written by you )

" only you, forgetting you is hard

you were a little more

i liked the way you loved

how much of a man you are

if i'm not around

you consume me in a day

waiting for a farewell "

escort ( written by nam gyu )

" come on you are ashamed

we've been here for more than an hour, you get undressed

you don't want to throw your money away

you don't need the eyes excuse anymore

it's not a vice if i do it once in a while

do you mind if i call you once in a while?

i didn't think i liked you so much

if you keep it up I swear i'll have a heart attack "

goodbye ( written by thanos )

" i never really remember how i started

we never really stop when we start

if freedom is a teenager's mistake

to love without asking, to hate without understanding "

i want you ( written by nam gyu )

" you, i feel like you're terrorised

i have a feeling

i feel like telling you now

hey, i feel like love is good

it's such a big deal

i feel like telling you now "

FOR YOUR LOVE ( CHAPTERS )

i. years to grow

new chapters coming soon

[dumbass-tumbler-cryptid]

Guys I just read through the original Avatar way of water and I can't be normal about it and neither can you so lets get into it...

(Apologies for the bad quality btw. I was taking pictures with my phone of my tv.)

For starters Na'vi age faster than humans in the og script!

It says point blank in the script that Spider is 14

And it says this about Neteyam and Lo'ak

They're the equivalent of a 13 and 14 year old not they are 13 and 14. Coupled with the fact that in this version of the script Spider was five during the original war and he's only 14 himself in this script then if my math is mathing it's only been NINE YEARS since the og movie. In human years Neteyam and Lo'ak are 9 and 8 years old! That is crazy!

Speaking of crazy we get some interesting lessons on Na'vi anatomy

They birth chrysalis! Like mammals can be born still in their amniotic sac but a chrysalis?! Like a bug?!

and then..

Like the chrysalis just unfurls after the mother breaks tsalnu. That is so wild.

And then..

Like we already knew Kiri's "father" was eywa but a genetic clone of Grace? and we learn this in the first act of the movie?! Wild.

Also this conversation...

Like I'm shookith why👏🏽was👏🏽 this👏🏽 not👏🏽 in 👏🏽the👏🏽 movie! This seems pretty important not only for the plot i.e where Toruk is but also developing Jake as a character.

Anyway here's some little things that had me gobsmacked for better or worse.

First...

If my jaw was on the floor from the not dad i'm your commander line (after which Spider tells Lo'ak it could have been a lot worse and I'm like how?) then my jaw hit earth's core from Jake completely blaming Neteyam's death on Lo'ak. Like I know he's grieving but good god that's your son! who just watched his brother die! And you don't even know what happened! You just found them like that! Like...COME ON!

Second...

Lo'ak is really mean to Tuk. I didn't screenshot it but also there was a line from when Tuk tagged along at the beginning of the movie and Spider joked "well if she gets eaten it's not our fault." and Lo'ak said "that's what I'm saying" and as a youngest child I took that personally.

I have no commentary this was just really funny

Third

Ao'nung's name was orginally Nu'ung and I find that interesting.

Forth

I gasped. I'd get smacked if I talked to my mom like this. Like they don't seem to have a good relationship in this version because earlier Kiri calls Grace her real mom not her bio mom or even just her other mom. And Kiri also really wanted to know who her real dad is. I'm just glad they changed this angle because adoptive parents are real parents and the actual movie does a good job of showing that.

Fifth

This is right after Kiri's seizure. I think this should have been in the movie. A criticism I've heard about Jake is what a dumb move it was to call for help when Ronal was right there. This shows what a quick panicked decision that actual was and while it's still not smart it is understandable.

Sixth

Neytiri having P.T.S.D

and finally

yeah I think the only reason they cut this is because they knew we'd all be SOBBING to hard to actually pay attention to the end of the movie.

Anyway that's my general thoughts on this and I'd love to know what you think. 💙

[billpottsismygf]

73 Yards

I have slightly mixed feelings on this one, but what it did well it did brilliantly. The episode was beautifully shot with a fantastically creepy atmosphere throughout. The Welsh landscape, the close shots, the out of focus semper distans, the mystery of what was being said. Millie Gibson's performance throughout was stellar and this is the most invested I've felt in her character so far. I did miss Ncuti's presence somewhat, but it says a lot that she was able to carry the episode on her own and I do love when the format gets shaken up occasionally and we get a Doctor-lite episode.

I loved Kate's brief appearance and the way it sold the fact that this was a very serious situation. You think UNIT might be able to help here, but Ruby is once again left alone. The themes of abandonment in this one were incredibly potent and really tie into the themes of the series. Unsurprisingly, one of the most effective and upsetting parts of the episode was Ruby's mum also being affected by the mysterious woman. Her anguished screams for her mum were really quite harrowing, as was that awful comment about her birth mother not wanting her.

It also got far darker than I would expect in a Doctor Who episode. The far-right politician and the threat of nuclear war was plenty, but what was done to Marti was absolutely chilling, as was Ruby's apology for not doing anything. It gets away with it because it's all through implication, but that almost makes it more hard hitting. You don't always need to see the monster in action to know what it's doing. It also reminds me of my much younger self not picking up on the Master beating Lucy Saxon until I was a teenager.

The way time began to speed along was actually quite shocking to begin with - I actually gasped when we saw the 25th birthday cards - and it kept bringing to mind various other episodes where companions have been abandoned either in the real world or another timeline/reality, especially things like The Girl Who Waited, Turn Left, Forest of the Dead, The Lie of the Land, World Enough and Time etc. That things get undone at the end was again a little reminiscent of a few of them, but this is also where we come to my criticisms of the episode, because - while I loved the experience of watching it - the ending feels tacked on in a way that is very unsatisfying.

There were a number of things that just never get explained. For a minor example, why did the Doctor disappear? Disturbing the fairy circle released Mad Jack (I'll come onto him) and also made the Doctor disappear? And also made the TARDIS lock in a way that couldn't be opened with Ruby's key? I'm not as bothered by this as the below, but it feels messy and like an attempt to do a Turn Left without an actual reason for the Doctor to be gone.

A bigger gripe is Ruby being the following lady. That on its own would have been fine, but that combined with other elements just frustrates me. Mainly, if the following lady was Ruby, what is it she says to get people to run away? I don't mind things being left to the imagination - for instance, I quite like that we don't get an explanation for why she has to be 73 yards away; I can infer that that's got something to do with the fairy circle - but it appears that whatever she says specifically makes people think there's something horrifying about Ruby.

What could Old Ruby possibly say to that end and why would she? And why would the same thing make a Prime Minister resign? If we had never found out who she was, I would have been perfectly happy to infer that she was a force of some kind that drives people mad, but it's Ruby! Knowing who she is but not what she does or how or why she does it is the worst way round. I want to know neither or both, or possibly the latter but not the former, but this way round just frustrates me.

On that note, the friend I was watching with pointed out that, as she was dying, elderly Ruby had very short hair and suddenly has long hair when she becomes the semper distans lady. A small detail, perhaps, but one that further muddles the conclusion. Why did her hair change? Where did the coat come from? It's a different actress as well and, even at that distance, you can kind of tell. Did Old Ruby just end up embodying an existing spirit to do with the fairy circle? If so, I would have liked that to be a lot clearer. If not, why does she look so different?

Okay, so, Mad Jack. Who or what is Mad Jack? Is he a spirit of some kind that possesses Roger ap Gwilliam? Was he always Roger ap Gwilliam? Does Roger ap Gwilliam exist without him? If Roger ap Gwilliam does not exist without Mad Jack, how come the Doctor still mentions him? If Roger ap Gwilliam does exist without Mad Jack, what is changed by the Doctor stepping on the fairy circle?

In the version of the timeline we end up on (where the Doctor doesn't step in the fairy circle but Roger ap Gwilliam is still mentioned by him as a dangerous Prime Minister), here are a few possibilities and why they don't work for me:

Does he still become Prime Minister and get taken down another way? Perhaps, but it's not like Turn Left where we know the problems would have been stopped by the Doctor (who's not here). Without Ruby's infiltration and semper distans lady, what stops him? And why was that not able to stop him in the timeline we witnessed?

Is he less dangerous? The second time around of the opening conversation we don't get the line about the brink of nuclear war, though only because Ruby interrupts him to point out the woman, but maybe we can infer that this time he's a dangerous Prime Minister but not that dangerous? That seems quite weak and unclear, though, and seems to disregard the horror of the Marti stuff.

Does the timeline only change after the Doctor's comments about him being a dangerous Prime Minister? He does say that before stepping (or not stepping) in the fairy circle both times. I might be happy to assume that Roger ap Gwilliam never comes to power after that diverging moment has passed, except that things have already changed before the Doctor mentions him because Ruby says she's been to Wales three times. Maybe they've changed a bit but not enough until the moment she stops him from stepping on it, but that is not at all clear.

If it's any of these (or none of them), that's really confusing! It's just so messy and unclear. It would have been a simple fix, too! Keep everything the same and just add in a line as they're walking away at the end along the lines of "thank goodness he never got into power; people never found him that convincing". That would have clarified a) things have changed since a few seconds ago b) that Mad Jack is what allowed him to get to power and c) in this timeline, that won't happen and Ruby won't need to stop him.

Despite all my complaints, I did really love watching this episode. It's just so carelessly wrapped up, as if they didn't think about the implications of the otherwise very well told story. I'll be interested to rewatch it and see if my complaints bother me more or less on second viewing. I really want to love this episode because there were so many fantastic elements, but it just makes all the inconsistencies and loose threads and muddled logic particularly frustrating because they were only another draft or two away from being solved.

Misc small things

No theme tune! I feel robbed! Maybe it was meant to be part of the vibe that we're not in the usual timeline, but come on. It could easily have been slotted in when she left the TARDIS the first time or before she got to the pub!

Other episodes I thought of: Extremis with warning other versions of yourself; The Hungry Earth/Cold Blood with waving at future versions of yourself that disappear when things change; Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS with weird timelines and future selves and things being undone; Last Christmas with the companion becoming elderly; Turn Left for the vibes of "there's something on your back"; Under the Lake/Before the Flood with a silent message, since it looked like the woman was trying to sign things to Ruby; and The Sound of Drums/Last of the Timelords with the triple whammy of the companion having to 1) set off on their own to 2) take down a prime minister and 3) have time reverse.

It's also got a good old bootsrap paradox in it, which doesn't bother me in the way of the above complaints, but for the sake of completionism: How was Ruby warned about the future when that future hasn't happened? Would have loved Twelve to briefly pop his head in and explain it for us.

It's interesting that the snow stopped throughout this version of her life. It also seemed to snow while she was on her way to the pub.

Kate's comment about how "this timeline might be suspended along your event" was interesting and I wonder if it connects with the snow stopping.

For the first time I actually recognised Susan Twist when she appeared, but I'm not sure I would have done without Ruby realising she recognised her. I liked that! It felt very Boom Town and recognising Bad Wolf coming up again.

There was a little cameo from Mrs Flood.

[kkpwnall]

if it wasn’t for bad luck i wouldn’t have luck at all

part one | rated t | 1270 words | cw: parental death

all my thanks and love to my beloved @fragilecapric0rnn for beta-reading 💜 you're a rockstar and your feedback was so so helpful

Eddie was born under a bad sign. That’s what his momma always used to say. Friday the 13th, and in October? He never really stood a chance and neither did anyone else he got close to. He was like a black cat walking across their path. 

[ keep reading below, or read on ao3 ]

His momma was first, of course. Cursed by the fate of Eddie’s birth from the very beginning. And if he hadn’t dawdled on the way home from school that day, if he had gone straight home just like he’d promised, if he hadn’t stopped to pick a bouquet of ditch weed wildflowers for her and got distracted by caterpillars and rollie-pollies— Well, maybe he would’ve been able to tell the 911 operator she was still breathing when he found her.

His daddy was next, not much long after. Eddie worshiped him like a hero in one of his fantasy stories, the charming, devil-may-care, down on his luck protagonist who stole from the rich and gave to the needy. But the first time Floyd brought him out on a real job, just the two of them, when all Eddie had to do was hot wire the getaway car after he heard the signal (three hoots like a barn owl), Eddie panicked. Did he say barn owl or barred owl? Was that two hoots or three? Why did the wires all look the same in the dark?

When the police cars painted him in their flashing red and blue lights, he dropped the wire cutters and ran. Floyd went down in a hail of bullets behind the car Eddie had been trying to steal, and Wayne got his own life sentence when the State dropped Eddie on his doorstep.

Uncle Wayne got the worst of it, obviously. Working himself to the bone, nights and weekends, to put Eddie through school. Not to mention senior year for a second and third goddamn time.

It was too late by the time young Eddie figured it out. By the time he decided to keep everyone at arm’s length.

It’s safer that way, for everyone.

Chrissy was just the latest in a long line. And he’d only lowered his guard an inch, a millimeter, when he saw someone just as lonely and desperate for a friend. He’d only barely started to let himself have an inkling of what an actual friendship with her might be like when—

This is exactly why Eddie doesn’t have friends. He has minions. He has little lost sheepies, he has twerps and shrimps. And that’s it. That’s enough. It has to be enough.

But all that changes the day he dies.

Or maybe it’s the day he finally wakes up. His new birthday, welcomed to the world once again in a cold, bright, sterile hospital room.

And really, the way he sees it, it’s all Henderson’s fault.

The little shit wanders in every day at visiting hours and makes himself right at home. He props his cast up on Eddie’s bed, and steals the remote to change the channel on the ancient, minuscule tv over to cartoons, and then he just… camps out! All day!

The kid will not leave him alone, no matter how cold a shoulder Eddie tries to give him. He even broke down and explained everything to him. How he’s bad luck, he’s bad news. And people who get too close to him end up dead.

But maybe the painkillers they’ve got him on scrambled his brain as bad as the bats scrambled his guts, because Dustin steamrolls right over him.

“If curses were real, which they aren’t,” he posits in his professor voice, “Your dumb curse can’t try to kill me again. It already took a shot and it missed, and the worst I got was a busted ankle.”

Eddie opens his mouth to tell Dustin that’s not how curses work but—

“And what was its goal anyway? To get you alone and friendless, dead in a ditch? Well then, mission accomplished!”

Which is… weirdly comforting when he puts it like that.

Dustin brings with him a rotating cast of the rest of the fellowship. Eddie finally gets to meet Baby Byers and finds out he’s already been recruited to Hellfire before Eddie can even say hello.

More often than not, Steve tags along too since he’s already ferrying them all between the hospital and home. Usually after he’s spent some time with Red and the other kids in her room, he’ll drop by. To check on Dustin of course.

It’s not because he likes Eddie. Don’t be ridiculous. He doesn’t even know him.

All that… before… it was just some harmless flirting to keep himself from completely losing it while he was on the run from homicidal bible-thumpers. And Steve was just humoring him.

So he hides behind stupid flirtatious remarks, easy to brush off when it’s always undercut with sly winks and salacious expressions. Enough to keep everything surface level. Keep him at arms length.

It doesn’t matter that his eyes still seem to linger on Eddie, even when he hasn’t said anything for a while. Or that he brings Eddie extra pudding cups from the cafeteria. It doesn’t mean anything when he stands in the doorway trying to finish one last story or joke, until the kids almost literally have to drag him out when visiting hours are over.

Because it turns out Steve is an incorrigible gossip. And Eddie’s not about to be the one to corrige him. Not when he brings an extra dr. pepper for Eddie every time he stops by the vending machine for a coke and gleefully tells Eddie which of the doctors, nurses, and shady government agents are sleeping together.

A can of coke he taps on the lid with a peculiar rhythm before he cracks it, every time.

“What’s up with that?” Eddie finally has to ask one day, when it’s just the two of them and the Price is Right.

Steve hums this confused little sound at him, tilting his head with furrowed brows as he takes the first sip.

Eddie repeats the pattern, tapping it out on his own can.

Steve blinks a few times, first at Eddie, then at the can in his hand.

“I didn’t even realize I did that,” he huffs out a laugh. “It’s uh… something my grandpa taught me when I was a kid. Y’know just for luck.”

The blood in Eddie’s veins freezes and he’s stuck like that for a painfully long moment. Propped up against the lumpy hospital pillows with his mouth half open, staring at Steve.

“For luck.” he says flatly.

“Yeah, so the fizz doesn’t explode when you open it.”

“And has that ever happened to you?” Aiming for flirty, aiming for scathing, aiming for anything that’s not desperation.

“Well no,” Steve says with an easy shrug and a conspiratorial smile, “that’s why it’s lucky. It’s like picking up a coin that’s face-down on the sidewalk.”

“Uh, I’m pretty sure it’s face-up, darlin,” Eddie says coyly, like every alarm bell in his head isn’t ringing a deafening cacophony.

“Nah see, you gotta leave those ones for someone who really needs the luck.”

“But then you get the bad luck.”

“Nah, doesn’t work that way,” Steve says, and fucking winks at him.

Eddie wants to shake him. What is wrong with him? He’s got it all backwards and it’s dangerous. How is he walking around like this?

Whatever, it’s not his problem. Steve can do whatever Steve wants. Eddie doesn’t need to protect him from himself. It’s not like they’re friends. And really, that’s the best way to protect him.

[ part two ]

[ also on ao3 ]

[whit-doodle]

OC Tag Game

I was tagged for this days ago by @antivan-sprig , and it took me a while to do it. Thanks for the tag, by the way. I always enjoy talking about my characters.

Name: Gunnar de Riva. His real surname is Hawthorne. He began using “de Riva” as his surname after completing his first contract as an official member of House de Riva.

Alias: Rook. He chooses to go by the moniker Rook not long after leaving Treviso and starting his travels with Varric. In nature, a rook may appear to be a crow at first glance, but it's just different enough that one would stand out amongst a flock if someone looked hard enough. And that's how Gunnar views himself - The Crow that never quite fit in. He uses the name as his own personal penance for his actions and vows to one day make Viago (and the Crows) proud again.

Age: 30

Place of birth: Treviso

Gunnar actually doesn’t know he was born in Treviso. His mother and father left Treviso when he was only 3 months old. He grew up in the small village of Saltwind, located along the southeastern coast of Antiva.

Spoken languages: Common, and some Antivan. (Neither of his parents were born in Antiva, so he learned speech from them and never developed the Antivan accent either.)

Sexual orientation: Bisexual, Demisexual

Occupation: Crow (He didn't begin training with the Crows until he was 15 years old.)

Favorites

Color: Blue

Entertainment: Growing up, he enjoyed listening to the stories told by travelers and traders who would occasionally dock in Saltwind. The village didn’t really have much to offer in terms of entertainment besides that. After he goes to Treviso and joins the Crows, Gunnar enjoys watching street performers and attending an occasional play or opera.

Pastime: Reading. He has a small collection of adventure novels as well as educational books back home in his apartment. He also enjoys fishing. One past time he doesn’t talk much about is writing – he enjoys writing his own stories but has never shared any of them with others. They’re kept locked in a trunk in his apartment.

Drink: He enjoys most anything from tea to coffee, but his favorite overall is hot chocolate because it reminds him of his mother. She made it often for him when he was younger.

Books: Adventure novels. Educational books that discuss the history of locations and especially books about the animals found in the different regions of Thedas.

Have they...

Passed university: No. He received a basic education at the small school in Saltwind, and his parents also did what they could to educate him.

Had sex: A couple times. Once with a female Crow he grew close to during his training, but they never got involved enough to be in a formal relationship with each other. They parted ways amicably, and he still talks to her whenever she visits Treviso. The other time was with a man--also a Crow--he did have relationship with for just over a year.

Had sex in public: No

Gotten tattoos: Only one - a tattoo to signify being a member of House de Riva.

Gotten piercings: No.

Gotten scars: He has burn scars on his right shoulder/arm, torso, back, neck, and the right side of his face. The burn on his face resulted in damage to his right eye which has left him almost entirely blind in that eye.

He received the scars when a contract turned out to be a setup. While fighting his way out of the ambush, he was hit with a fire grenade. He was found two days later, barely alive, by Viago, who’d come searching for him when Gunnar failed to return as expected.

Had a broken heart: Yes. His only serious relationship was with another Crow, Ronan. Gunnar was head over heels for Ronan, and they had been dating for just over year when Gunnar nearly died. He was devastated when he found out Ronan was responsible for the setup that nearly got him killed. 

Been in love: He thought he had been in love with Ronan. The trauma caused by that relationship made it hard for him to ever want to be in a relationship again. When he begins to realize he is falling for Lucanis, Gunnar is initially terrified and questions if he should act on those feelings.

Are they...

Cuddler: Not until he and Lucanis really begin their relationship.

Scared easily: It would depend on the situation. For the most part, he isn’t scared too easily by most things. If someone he cares about is in danger, he’ll get scared. One thing that can scare him a lot is deep water. He never learned how to swim. (Going to the Ossuary to rescue Lucanis had been one of the most terrifying moments of his life up to that point.)

Jealous easily: Not really.

Trustworthy: Yes. Gunnar tries not to tell secrets or share information about someone that they wouldn’t want known.

Family

Siblings: None. Although he does consider Viago as somewhat of an adoptive older brother.

Parents: Arlen and Serina Hawthorne. Both of them passed away just months apart when Gunnar was around 15 years old.

Children: None. He likes children but has never seen himself as the fatherly type. Plus, he knows any child he has would likely have to end up going through training to become a Crow, and that isn’t something he wants.

Pets: Gunnar loves animals in general, but he is especially fond of cats. When he's sent away from Treviso, he has an orange tabby named Bane that lives with him in his apartment. Gunnar raised Bane from a tiny 3 week old kitten. Viago agreed to care for the cat since Gunnar had to leave Bane behind, but only because Teia convinced him to not put the cat out on the streets like he wanted to.

I'd tag others to do this, but I'm afraid I don't quite know anyone to tag. So, if this crosses your dashboard and you feel inspired to do it and share your Rook... Please tag me so I can check it out! I love reading about your characters! 😊

[hannahwatcheshorror]

TERRIFIER 2 (2022)

😿Dead possum💁‍♀️Strong Female Lead

Ready to watch a bunch of seemingly nice folks get tortured and get a song stuck in your head? It’s Terrifier 2 time. Less of a mess than the original but still not a great movie for horror fans who enjoy substance in their villains, I know Art the Clown has a cult following but he just is lacking to me on so many fronts. At least this movie lets us follow a Strong Female Lead but I am honestly just confused on how/why he left her alive when he has no problem disposing of anyone else.

⭐⭐

(Trigger Warning Genital Mutilation)

So, Art is just a major asshole, right? He is like Chucky and Pennywise but also neither and I just don’t get it but here I am watching the second film (so I can watch the third even). There doesn’t seem to be a reason why he does what he does other than just to be a dick about it and even then he isn’t always satisfied. Either way, he is back and killing again, where has he been? Who the fuck knows? We also see his gross fleshy body even though they lean more into the demon thing but if he is a demon I just can’t see him being human under the suit, ya know? I need him to be black void and nightmare under there, not weak pink flesh… ANYWAY.

It is the anniversary of when Art first did all his killings so he is back to kill more. He is just picking randomly again but there is also sort of a theme because of this one girl's family and her dad had drawn pictures of Art so that means now Art is going after them for some reason. It was a really thin excuse and I still don’t understand after having seen the movie and the magic but that’s Terrifier 2 for ya. Art was unbelievably harsh on Allie and she did what he asked! She gave him candy! And then it’s like her skin was paper… Yikes. There has always got to be one character per movie that just gets the worst death for no real reason and Allie was the winner this movie.

You really have to suspend your imagination for the damage tracking which was and will always be very hard for me. The mom got shot in the head from point blank range and it blew her head clean off her shoulders, that just doesn’t happen but in Terrifier 2 they wanted it to happen so it did. Okay. She wasn’t a very good mom but I wasn’t going to rush to that as a solution. This is a movie with a lot of torture in it which doesn’t tickle me very much as the people getting tortured don’t deserve any of it. Sienna and her brother need to get away from Art so magic is somehow the answer? It felt like a video game but mostly just kinda cheap.

The little ending bit where Art is birthed again was a little wacky, the supernatural/magical twist they are giving the movie is strange, truth be told. I am still confused on if the little girl was real or not because in the beginning the first guy couldn’t see her but then she was “real” the rest of the movie… Wack.

----------------------HANNAH WATCHES HORROR---------------------

[ryttu3k]

I guess that's one advantage of it being on an American US streaming service, the torrents are already up~. Will be holding off on reblogging stuff until after it airs in the UK, but for now, here are some thoughts on Doctor Who - Wish World!

Well, they are indeed all in a bit of a pickle! Belinda has been erased, Ruby and Mel are In Peril, the Doctor is plummeting, the Ranis are having too much fun, Poppy exists, Conrad is Expressing Doubts, Desiderium is giggling ominously, Susan and Rogue are there and oh boy don't I have thoughts on the latter, and in the midst of it is, potentially, Omega!

It's a little all over the place so I'm not certain it's good yet - will have to wait for The Reality War to give my thoughts on the story as a whole - but whew, there's a lot there. In order of relative narrative importance, from least to most:

Conrad: Yeah, Conrad is just… not important here. It could be literally anyone making the wish, and wouldn't it be better if someone else was? Indeed, that will… likely be the end result/fix-it, someone wishing for the world to be restored as it was (well, maybe a bit better). I suspect he's going to Outlive His Usefulness and be killed off by the end of it all. Anyway, misogynistic, homophobic, ableist grossness.

Desiderium: A god, but like, an eternal baby one. I do actually wonder what life would have been like if he had stayed with his birth parents! ("Drowning in a universe of breast milk", presumably.) Still, he's more or less just like… a power source? Definitely jumped at the chuckle (or shall we say… the giggle?). The scene with his family was kind of spooky. Violets...

Mel and Belinda: Neither had much to do here. We saw Mel still exists (and apparently has a lot of doubts), and Belinda… does as well. Her family appears, so that's nice. Other than that, she honestly doesn't do a lot other than react to 'John' and his doubts, and gets zapped out of existence at the end.

Ruby, Shirley, and co: If anyone, Ruby is the real companion here! She's already experienced this time before, and even beyond, in 73 Yards. That, or longer exposure to the TARDIS, or something like that has given her partial immunity (which could also explain why Mel has so many doubts too, and other companions, if they even exist in this world, which they may not). Shirley and other disabled people going under the radar because they're just not even in Conrad's mind is a really interesting concept; it doesn't seem to be purely UNIT exposure that saved Shirley, because Kate and the others are good little drones too. Kind of wish it did cover non-physical disabilities too, though - Ruby having PTSD would count for an invisible disability. Were they killed at the end? We didn't see them actually die, so… maybe? Maybe not? Maybe they end up just clinging to the flotsam of the universe/underverse, not being erased because they weren't being perceived to begin with?

Also, poor Ruby. Between 73 Yards, the universe where she was never born, and now this one, her Mum has been wretched in every alternate dimension.

Poppy: Speaking of babies! I'd say she's an odd little cameo, except… the Doctor's frantically yelled comment at the end. Poppy is real, and his daughter. What?? "Don't you understand? I have a daughter! Poppy is real. Don't you know what that means?" Not yet, we don't! Poppy is an odd one because she's from tens of thousands of years in the future, right. Belinda, Ruby, Mel, they all belong in London in 2025. Poppy does not, she's from 21506. So how did she get there? Was she always the Doctor's daughter? There's a theory floating around that the Rani, the quintessential Mad Scientist, was behind the baby stations, and that Poppy actually is the Doctor's daughter (and Susan's mother), and she's trying to clone Time Lords. But that doesn't seem to match up with the Doctor's comment. Hmm.

The Rani/s: So the dynamic between the two is fascinating. The Doctor bigenerates: hugs and love and support. The Rani bigenerates: immediate disdain XD;; Definitely think Flood!Rani will turn on her. Watch the ice~. But the main Rani as a whole: kind of batshit tbh! I'm actually a little puzzled over it, because the earlier Rani was… well. Not. She's clearly Seen Some Shit since then with the whole Time War thing, but honestly, she's actually acting more like the Master. Is she out of character, or is something else going on? (Or, you know, just a different regeneration.) Very intrigued by her asking if the Doctor remembers if she and the Doctor were lovers, and wanting life.

Omega: Oh jeez, him XD;; I've gotta rewatch The Three Doctors some time in the next week. We also had the Seal of Rassilon show up, I wonder if the guy himself will be back after getting blasted back into the Time War in The End of Time? Also, this does mean we might start getting some more answers about the Timeless Child thing? If Omega helped develop time travel, what would it mean to face the Doctor, from whom the power to regenerate came from?

Also, why the Omega, anyway? Like it makes sense from a lore point because of how massively important he is to Time Lord history, but for the average TV viewer? His last TV appearance, Arc of Infinity, aired forty-two years ago! (Okay, technically he was seen in The Timeless Children, standing alongside Rassilon and Tecteun, but he wasn't named then!) Just from a TV perspective, it's… certainly a choice. Mind you, the Rani is just as obscure to most fans too - two serials, both in the eighties, and, er, Dimensions in Time. Which does not count XD;;

And finally…

Susan and Rogue: I'm putting these at the end, because they're such wildcards! Where is Susan? How is she reaching the Doctor? How did she survive? And the bigger surprise, Rogue! Reaching out from another dimension to contact the Doctor - okay, being in another dimension could explain how he can reach into this other one, potentially. But man, the comment… Given that one theory (also here, here, here, and here), look, I'm having Thoughts. …That, or Rogue is just a brief mention of someone from the Doctor's past to prompt him into acting via Mysterious Comments and Gay Longing. BE GAY DO CRIME.

Other stuff:

This does not seem like a world where Eurovision exists. The universe that The Interstellar Song Contest exists in clearly had, well, early 21st century Eurovision, given Rylan Clark and Graham Norton. But that world still ends on the 24th of May 2025. If the universe leading up to this episode's 24th of May 2025 is nothing even remotely like it, I guess the ripple effects of the Doctor being a reality bomb carries over into other timelines?

What's with the skeleton dinosaurs? They do not fit with the whole 50s vibe. The Rani having a palace that's a fixed point to protect against the collapse, sure. But the dinosaurs?

The book Conrad reads being styled exactly like the original UK editions of Harry Potter is a nice little fuck you to Rowling and I'm here for it.

So uh, what are Fourteen and Donna up to?

Comment from Reddit by underground_cenote: "ok so I just started the episode and what I'm getting so far is that the Rani was so done with the Master and the Doctors homoerotic shit fucking up her plans during Mark of the Rani that she reengineered reality to make the Dr straight 👍"

Anyway, in conclusion: I hope the season finale is good, and also... you there, Master? 👀

[lazybunny2024]

It's been few weeks or months that i have been obsessed witha idea about a mdzs x svsss crossover where after sj death in svsss he reborn as female wwx twin sister.

Sj kinda remember his past life but slowly means that he remembers that he shouldn't be this small and this isn't his world but couldn't put his finger on it.

Anyway he got reborn as a female and was quite happy cuz of his past life so *she* was more happy here but not as chaotic as wwx.

Her name is wei xing/wei wuyan( i saw it in a video on YouTube so hope i didn't offend you)

Wcz choose her name since his other daughter name already chosen by his lovely evil wife( baby seriously a-se) so he named her xing as in prosper,and wuyan i don't know what it means but thought it would suit her.

She was really happy cuz not only she didn't have that cursed name and actually has a real birth name not a number but a real name with a loving family she was really happy so much that she couldn't believe it

This peace ended with that faithful nighthunt after getting kicked out of inn wwy went to seach for them with wwx and find their corpses wwx Burst in to tears and keep promising to be a good girl and listen to them wwy tried hard not to but was unsuccessful cuz wei couple were the first adult who treat him kindly in his both lives not with pity not with underhand motivation nor were they expecting anything in return,they gave her a life she always wanted a name with them she understood the meaning of love and family so he cried, cried like child he was they cried for a few hours then begin to bury their parents and since wwy could read and write from her past life she manege to write their names so they could visit them.

After that wwy and wwx to always protect each other and stayed side by side in everything. Wwy might be smart but wwx was sturdier than her sister so they have to be in tune with each other to survive.it wasn't that hard wwx might be a child but she learn really quickly and unlikely yqy ,wwx trusted wwy this made wwy to be both proud and emotional since she never had someone like that in her past life so she became even more overprotective of wwx . And since wwx wasn't alone she didn't have that much fear from dogs but they still made her uncomfortable and made her flinch her sister was always there to protect and teach her and she protect here in her own way .

She knew her sister was little too smart for her age but she didn't find anything wrong if anything it made her happy that if anything happens to her her sister is smart enough to protect herself so to not be a burden she listened to her all time except maybe sometime when she scolded her for sharing her food with other beggars but she couldn't help it she was kind like that and always smiled that made wwy soft and so hard to be mad at.

After few years jfm found them wwy distrust him cuz he kept reminding her of yqy but for her sister she would do anything so she didn't put much of a fight.

After reaching lotus pier and meeting madam yu who was so angry and utter thousands of insult about their parents wwy couldn't take it anymore and spit as much venom at her so much that made jfm to lose his balance wwx tried to shut her up cuz she was afraid that the madam would hurt her and yes almost did by brandishing zidan on her if jfm hadn't stop her . After lots of arguing and fighting neither parties apologized .

After jfm finding out aboout wwx condition aboout dogs he sended them away. jc was angry so he lash out and wwy lash out in return but not only that she bring up her parents, about what a failure of couple they are and with everything like money and status they still aren't happy and how his mom jealous of a dead woman who had nothing but was always happy unlike her.

Jc brust to tears after hearing this jyl chose that moment to come and said what was wwy said was out of line and should apologize but wwy said your mother hadn't spare a though about us losing our parents and still speak ill of in front of us she just returning the favor in kind to see how does it feel hear your parents get badmouth and you could do nothing about it .

Well this as much i could think.i would be really happy if someone could make a fic out of this or something close.

[ardenla]

Masked

A short horror story I wrote.

If you enjoy it, I have a wattpad account with more of them:

https://www.wattpad.com/user/Ardenla

TW: Gore, depression & psychological horror

Perhaps it's just my world, but it might also be yours.

Everyone here wears a mask.

A real mask, maybe the one given from the beginning or one changed or even stolen.

Our masks decide everything for us: our emotions, jobs, school, friends, relationships, chances in life and even crimes. Our whole identity really.

Without our masks, we can't live since there isn't really anything underneath it.

We all get our first mask just after birth after all.

My life has always been rather uneventful, boring even. Oh how much I wished to be another. Everything about me has been determined from the start, written in stone, from beginning to end.

So I am done.

I don't want to continue this miserable life.

I stare up to face the sky, silently cursing its ways. Raindrops drip from my mask, falling down, making circles in the puddles beneath me.

The sudden sound of a door creaking behind me, awakens me from my self-pity and dark thoughts.

Quickly I turn to see who just invaded my space.

"Ah, sorry." A man softly mutters when he sees me: "I'm sorry for intruding."

I look at him slightly annoyed. Why can't people just leave me alone?

He looks a bit gloomy, but I must look worse.

From his mask I can see that he is one of the people born more fortunate, a higher class.

How can someone like that-

"Are you also bored?"

I sigh, it must have been written all over my mask.

But I ignore him.

Then he asks me a question, so very strange.

"Do you want to swap?"

Swap? Is his life that bad?

"Isn't that dangerous?" I carefully ask.

"If we do it quickly, no." he answers calmly.

"But it is illegal, right?!"

"Yes, but no one will notice."

It is quiet for a bit, only the sound of the rain surrounds us, soaks us.

I am the one who breaks the silence first: "Before we do, tell me about yourself! I won't make a deal without knowing what I might be up against."

"Then I will." He says with a sad smile and tells me his story.

He was born into a wealthy family, but wanted to leave to understand the rest of the world. To have the freedom to travel and not be stuck to the rules of the rich.

After he told his, I told mine.

I was born in a 'normal' family, but want a life less boring and not bound by the rules of the normal. I want to see things from another side, and a more meaningful one.

It was as if some deity had made us for this moment.

After this conversation we knew what had to happen, we counted to five and then quickly swapped our masks.

I was him, he was me.

His memories flooded mine, my memories flooded his.

He had told the truth, I had told the truth.

Both happier, we shook hands and left the building.

He went to the place I came from, I to the place he came from.

I lived a happy life, one where all wishes could be granted by money. One where I was very important.

No one noticed that I wasn't the original, but the mask held the most power, so I really must have looked like him. No, I really was him.

After a couple of years I suddenly found myself... bored.

Bored of the parties.

Bored of the people.

Bored of this way of living.

After being bored for a while, I took a walk in a park and found a man sleeping on a bench.

I asked him about his life and he told me a wonderful story of his travels, but also the tragic moments that led him to this life.

Then I asked him the question that was asked to me years prior.

"Do you want to swap?"

Strangely enough he refused, wanting to keep his mistakes and dreams for himself.

Something strange happened, I felt angry with the man's answer and decided to just take his mask, without swapping.

The man died right in front of me, no I was him and I didn't die. Neither did the man born rich, his mask was in my hand.

It didn't take long for me to get bored of this life and I took another mask.

And another.

And another.

And another.

And another.

I lived life as all the masks I could get my hands on and lived old and young lives. I lived as any gender and in any condition.

Sick and healthy.

Good and bad.

I had gotten myself a secret room, where I kept the mask I didn't use often. Surprisingly there aren't that many that freely wanted to swap with me, but the first hadn't stayed the last either.

One day I sat in my secret room and looked at my trophies, my masks.

A loud knock sounded on the door.

I swapped my mask for a quiet person, but that didn't stop the outsiders getting in.

They broke down the door, so I put on another mask of an innocent.

It was the police, they had found my hideout. They didn't seem to understand why I enjoyed what I did. Angry at me and disgusted at the masks they took me with them.

How could they be so disgusted, all those people were wonderful and lived wonderful lives.

All unique, all special.

All beautiful stories.

Arriving at the prison I had gotten the name: 'The masked killer'.

Why? I hadn't killed anyone. All of them were alive as long as I wore their masks. I was them, they were me.

Then one day someone wanted to speak to me.

I sat in a room, chained to make sure I didn't do anything.

It took a few minutes for my guest to come.

When the door opened, I recognized the person immediately.

It was me.

Well the one with my original mask.

So, he kept it.

Me?

I?

He?

He sat on the other side of the interrogation table and looked at me with sorrowfilled eyes.

"What the hell have you become?" He whispered.

"You and many others."

"Why have you killed them?"

"I didn't, they are still alive." I smiled.

He shook his head: "No, you killed them."

I laughed at him.

Doesn't he know better?

Across me sits the one whom I once swapped with, he seemed unhappy with his life, with his mask.

The Masked Killer.

I was the same, so the swap seemed like a good idea, but I see now that I couldn't be any more in the wrong.

He doesn't seem to know that I am here to end him.

With this creepy grin he stares at me, unknowing of the chaos he has created nor that of the lives he ended.

His hands are bound and he seems distracted.

Now is my chance!

Almost at the same speed as that of an attacking snake I swipe the mask of his face.

.

.

.

Underneath is not like it is supposed to be, something horrible is in the place where nothing should be.

Something dangerous.

The man on the other side of the table laughs maniacally.

Cold sweat runs down my back.

"It seems that sometimes these masks protect the world from what's underneath it."

[ciaossu-imagines]

shouhei for k project and yn/oc for devils and angels prompt pls! -shoheiakagi

Oh, this was such a fantastic AU and I really built it up a lot in my head. I'm so, so sorry it took forever to actually write out and get back to you though and I hope you'll enjoy!

Okay, so first off, obviously in this universe, angels and demons are very real things. The idea for this 'verse actually started with a stray thought on the old trope of someone having an angel on one shoulder and a devil on the other advising them on what to do and how cute that idea is.

So I took it and ran with it and it spun off into some cute and not cute territory because ya'll should know, with me, if I can angst something up a little, I'm definitely going to.

So in this universe, the human world exists alongside the Heavenly Realm and the Demonic Realm. Each individual human being born is given both a Guardian Angel and a Demon Influence who watch over this human, going between their own realms and the human world frequently.

Every time the human is faced with a choice, however large or small, the Guardian Angel and the Demon Influence pop up beside them and each the Angel and the Demon try to sway the human into picking a choice that will lead them either onto the righteous path or more sinister demonic path. The more choices the human makes that align with one path or another, the more powerful the Demon or Angel becomes.

Each Demon and Angel is told from the beginning, when they're assigned to a Human, that if they can sway the human into choosing their path and giving them more power, at the end of the human's life, the human will become either Angel or Demon, depending on which one 'won' and the Angel or Demon that won will ascend up the ranks, becoming more powerful and blessed in their realm. Whichever lost though, the Angel or the Demon, would fall from grace in their realm, lose their life, and be reincarnated as a human to try again. So, there are real stakes in this contest of persuasion.

So, this human, we'll call them George because it amuses me, was born and at it's birth, it gained a Guardian Angel in you, the dear reader. It also gained a Demonic Influence in Shouhei Akagi.

At first, I do think you and Shouhei really disliked, if not outright hated each other. After all, this was the first time the two of you met, there are real stakes involved in this for both of you, and the two of you were from opposite and warring realms. Neither of you thought much of the other one and aside from trying to steer George into one or the other direction, the two of you talked little and bickered when you did.

This goes on for quite some time. You don't know when exactly it faded but at some point, definitely by late childhood for George, it had. You hadn't even noticed it really but both you and Shouhei started slowly warming to each other. Shouhei was charming, after all, funny and he never really steered George into plain out evil decisions, but more just wrong choices or lazy choices, things that would lead him down the path of fun according to Shouhei, but wouldn't really make George someone who was going around and purposefully hurting others.

The bickering kind of faded into more playful taunting and teasing, which faded into an odd sort of respectful civility as the years went on. It became almost a game, the two of you trying to one up and poke fun at each other while trying to convince George to see your side, and George was pretty evenly split between the two of you most of the time. You and Shouhei started talking just as much with each other as with George, purposefully drawing out the choice making discussions to banter and talk to each other.

As things progress, you find yourself making excuses to hang around in George's life down in the human world more and more, as does Shouhei. The two of you hang back in the human world, watching him, rarely returning to your own realms as you had in the beginning. Instead, you keep each other company, forming an odd sort of friendship both of you vehemently deny.

This doesn't go unnoticed by others in your respective realms. Shouhei gets taunts and lectures from other Demons about you and you get orders from the other Angels to watch what you're doing.

But it doesn't help as the friendship turns into flirting. You and Shouhei both find yourselves not arguing your cases as hard and in some cases, trying to steer George into picking the others side without anyone knowing…it's not that you don't want to win, it's just that you don't want Shouhei to lose and it is obvious he feels much the same.

The flirting becomes more intense. There's stolen touches, near kisses and the tension and attraction become harder to resist. Towards the end of George's life, the truth becomes clear. You and Shouhei? The two of you are very, very much in love with each other and neither of you can imagine hurting the other.

So, on George's deathbed, he's remained split evenly between the two of you. It's the last battle to see who wins.

Shouhei looks at you, stares you deep in the eyes. He reaches out, sets his hand against your cheek and just smiles at you. You nod…by now you know him well enough that he barely needs to say his next words, which come out quiet but sure.

"If one of us has to fall, both of us might as well fall."

Your reply comes just as quick, tears in your eyes as you lean over George and finally kiss Shouhei for the first time.

"Fall with me, Shouhei Akagi."

"I'll always fall with you, y/n."

The both of you look at George, say his name…through old, tired eyes, he looks at the both of you, and though his words come out so incredibly grumpy, the smile on his face betrays him as he shrugs.

"You both fucking suck. I choose neither of you, go fall for all I care."

And so you do. That last moment with George, that final perfect kiss is the last thing you and Shouhei remember as George dies and the two of you fade from existence. Your minds get wiped, your souls put back into the reincarnation cycle.

Again.

See, this isn't the first time this has happened for you and Shouhei.

Hell, it's not even the tenth, the hundredth time. The two of you have been repeating this same cycle since the worlds began. It began in the first world, the first lives you lived as humans, where the two of you fell in love but your warring tribes cut your young love, and lives, short. Then came your ascensions to become Angel and Demon…and since then, it's been the same cycle, over and over. Sometimes Shouhei's an Angel, sometimes he's a Demon. Always, as humans, the two of you have the potential to meet and fall in love. Always, there's something that blocks that potential from becoming the deep, forever kind of love.

It honestly could have been stopped a long time ago by simply assigning the two of you to different people but it amuses both the God and Devil of this universe to no end to watch the two of you go through the cycle and both God and Devil have bets on just how long it will take before one or the other of you manage to change, or even break, that cycle.

[wickedsrest-rp-archive]

Name: Shan Lin Species: Selkie Occupation: Owner of Mist Tea Boba Shop Age: 30 Years Old Played By: Elle Face Claim: Jessica Henwick

"We're all living on borrowed time, sweetie." 

Aika Chan does not exist. Shan Lin has made so much effort and spent so much time making sure that when someone Googles her name, that name, and checks her background, they would find nothing outside of what she wants them to find. Why? It’s a combination of a lot of things, really: The so-called physical frailty she inherited from her unknown family, the fact that she had to grow up in an orphanage after her birth parents mysteriously perished on their plane bound for Japan, and most importantly, the implication that this selkie’s current pelt may not even be hers.

It was perhaps that very same combination that spurred the secretive selkie to pursue some marksmanship training, finding out only later that she had an eye for such a skill, and maybe even led to her adopting a problem involving chance and dice. Everything about her was left to chance, anyway, so why can’t she use that to her advantage? At least she later found out the truth of her parentage, that her father was a Singaporean fishing mogul while her mother had been a sickly selkie, the latter’s sickness brought on by her lost pelt. How tragic was it then when young Shan never had her own pelt to begin with? 

Fortunately for her, when she resurfaced in Wicked’s Rest a few years back, she already had a pelt to call her own. Unfortunately for her, an old “friend” found her out and implored her to help with some family business. Shan only helped to keep her secrets, and after the deed was done, the price revealed itself to be quite high. Sara Fukuhara was her friend’s name, and the family business in question was taking out Sara’s cousin who had taken over the Fukuhara crime family in Japan before Sara was exiled in this part of the world.

Once Sara had made her triumphant return, an assassin loyal to her cousin tried to send her a message by taking out Shan. However, the secretive selkie immediately nipped that in the bud…by taking a lethal chomp off of the unlucky assassin’s neck. Shan didn’t come out of the encounter unscathed: Her pelt was severely damaged in the process. Neither Sara nor anyone else associated with her, especially a certain slayer that returned to Japan with her landlady, knew the true cost of Shan’s loss. Not that she’d tell them anyway. Shan would rather suffer than share her secret.

And suffer she did. Her pelt had always been a burden to her, despite the benefits it doled out, but this time, the suffering weighed heavier than ever. It was like having a phone with a battery that kept dying every five hours. Not cool. It wasn’t like Shan was one to ask for help, anyway, so she just started taking the help she needed. It wasn’t like the sorcerers or the fairies did anything useful with their magic anyway.

It wouldn’t be sustainable, though. Shan at least knew that. Sooner or later, her victims will find out about her, and she won’t be greeted with a warm embrace. Far from it. 

Left with no real choice, Shan reunited with an old relative, the selkie owner of The Codfather, and got a little help starting a boba shop, which she now uses as a cover for her true job as a self-proclaimed “information specialist,” through which she makes more money by selling the information she’s gathered, with one of her usual clients being Nathaniel Garcia of Something Wicked News. Not only that but this line of work has been actually helping her get closer to spellcasters and even the fae, more sources of magic from which her pelt can feed. Two birds with one stone, and Shan would need all the stones she can get for the many birds she’ll be making enemies of.

Character Facts:

Personality: Adaptable, calm, gentle, open, enigmatic, calculating, deceitful, erratic, elusive, secretive 

Shan's current pelt may not be hers. Through it, she transforms into a spotted seal.

Shan is drawn to the Storm's Eye Trench and even the Drowned Ship Gardens, swimming in and around the area in her seal form whenever she can.

Shan suffers from physical frailty that she inherited from her birth parents. This perceived "weakness" inspired her to become a competent marksman with precise aim, efficient with guns and even in archery. She had professional and personal training years ago to compensate for that frailty and to this day continues to hone her skills.

Shan's birth name is Lin Ye Shan (林夜山). Her known aliases include Aika Chan, Zhenchen Chan, Shun Chen, and Aika Shiina. Another alias Shan has is "Dancing Lady" based on the Oncidium that she attaches to the blank envelopes filled with information she sells to her clients, which one of her clients, Something Wicked News' Nathaniel Garcia, came up with. It fits perfectly, as she has a soft spot for orchids and jazz.

Shan loves spicy food. Her favorite food, however, is stir-fried shrimp, usually accompanied by a plate of chili peppers. That said, Shan has a strong dislike for sweets because they make her feel sleepy, which is ironic considering she owns a boba shop.

Shan frequents roadside eateries when she can, mostly because she loves eating in these places and of course it's a pretty great place for eavesdropping on useful information. She also frequents The Codfather, where she likes to tell people she's an investor whenever asked but she's more than likely to be related to one of the owners.

Shan may have a gambling problem as evidenced by her frequent presence at the Elysium.

[cartoonfanaticmonsterrobotalien]

Solar Opposites: Unleashed Episode #24: “A Monstrous Birth”

Bat King Stephen snarls as he looks down at the city in fury.

Bat King Stephen: This town will pay for what it's done.

Bat King Stephen then looks at the photo of the Solar Opposites

Bat King Stephen: And I won’t let that monster alien family stand in my way!

The scene cuts to Korvo and Terry at a lamaze class.

Terry: *groans* This is so boring.

Korvo: It’s a Lamaze class Terry…

Terry: Yeah and it’s a real snooze fest!

Korvo: Ter-

Terry: Also Susan brought whole wheat doughnuts and they’re super gross… like who does that?

Korvo: Well, you’re right about that, it is an odd choice.

Terry then gets an idea and tries to seduce Korvo.

Terry: Commooon babe… Lets just ditch class and go to that new cajun restaurant down the street, they already have a five star rating. Also heard their bathrooms are nice so y’know we could always put the invisibility ray to use again-

Korvo snaps as he pushes Terry’s head away from him.

Korvo: ugh is that all you can think about?? NO! We aren’t leaving right now…

Terry: No head?

Korvo: *sighs* Terry we are in the dark here. There are no records of this ever happening on shlorp, who knows how this works… I hate it too but I'm at my wits end. *begins to cry* M-maybe the humans know more than I give them credit for… Its just … *chokes a sob* Fuck, what if we mess this all up? Hurt them… or worse..

Terry: Korv…

Korvo *breaks down in tears* I- Im terrified! Just please don't go okay!

Terry gasp and pulls his husband close to him from behind his back.

Terry: Hey ya goof I wasn’t going to leave you here all alone. I’m sorry didn't know this meant that much to you I really thought you felt the same. way you never told me any of this before.

Korvo: *sniffles* Because I’m trying to stay rational but this is all still so hard to grasp. Aren't you even just a bit jaded at how little we actually know about our bodies? Just left to the unknown? Its driving me crazy Terry…

Terry looks at his husband sadly.

Korvo: *tearfully* I’m sorry I’ve been so on edge, I’m really trying to be less mean but this situation hasn’t been making that easy Its not your fault anyway, you’ve been rather helpful… you doing your own thing makes sense.

Terry: *smiling* Don’t know how to tell you this babe but it takes two wheels to make a bicycle this is on me too. And yeah it’s pretty bonk that we had to find out this way. But its of not to big deal me I usually just take stuff as they go.

Korvo smiles at Terry tearfully as Terry laughs.

Terry: Heh okay okay thats a lie… I almost goobler’d my brains out when Aisha told us. But then thought how tight it would be to have a tiny us around And to do it together… That made it okay for me.

Terry then cries in happiness as he hold Korvo close.

Terry: Neither of us knows what this is going to look like But I do know there’s no one else I’d rather experience it with. We’ll get through this together.

Korvo: *smiling in tears* Okay.

Terry: It’ll be alright.

Korvo: I love you.

Terry: I love you too…

Terry and Korvo kiss as they moan lovingly. After the two pull away, Terry clears his throat.

Terry: Well, uh…that escalated quickly…

Korvo: chuckles Yeah. I guess so.

Terry: So, now that the drama is out of the way, we can continue this Lamaze class if that’s what you wanna do. I’ll stay right here to keep you company. wipes away Korvo’s tears as Korvo laughs

Korvo: Oh yeah. The class. thinks of something else You know what? stands up We’ll just reschedule it!

Terry: Huh? What made you change your mind all of a sudden?

Korvo then tries to seduce Terry.

Korvo: Let’s just say this fine green daddy of my four and soon to be five kids just got my mind cleared.

Terry laughs

Terry: Anytime, mi querdo.

Korvo: sighs lovingly I love it when you speak Spanish, mi amore.

Terry: And I love you when you too.

Terry and Korvo kiss.

Korvo: Shall we had to head that Mexican restaurant?

Terry: Of course, you beautiful blue shimmering study

Korvo and Terry kiss as they moan lovingly then got up as they leave the class. Korvo then smiles as he rubs his pregnant belly and then looks at Terry as he smiles. Later at Taco Bell…

Terry: *eating tacos* So what should the baby’s name be?

Korvo: I...don't have any ideas yet. You?

Terry: Oh! What about Megatron?

Korvo laughs in amusement

Terry: What? What's so funny?

Korvo: Oh I just your enthusiasm and optimism. It makes me feel necessary like a hunk it sexy Shlorpian!

Terry smirks

Terry: *laughs* You got me! But still, it’s okay if you don’t you want our baby’s name to be that.

Korvo: *smiles* Thank you, Terry.

Terry: Anytime boo.

Meanwhile, Janiz is training Yumyulack and Jesse

Janiz: Nice going guys! You’re doing great!

Mundane Jesse jumps on some of the rockets before kicking a cardboard cutout of Godzilla Sisto

Mundane Jesse: Sweet!

Korvo and Terry come home with takeout from Taco Bell and gasp

Korvo: *calling out to the kids* Yumyulack! Jesse! Sonya! Pupa! We’re home and we got takeouts from Taco Bell!

Super Shlorpian Yumyulack: TACO BELL?!

Sonya: YAY!

Mundane Jesse: Alright!

Pupa: Taco!

The kids come up to Korvo and Terry.

Yumyulack: *turn back into his Shlorpian form* Aw sweet! Thanks dads!

Jesse: *turns back to normal* Yeah!

Sonya: Thanks guys!

Later, Korvo and Terry are in bed. Korvo is rubbing his pregnant belly.

Korvo: *to his pregnant belly* Hey there little sweetie. Can’t wait to see you soon.

Terry kisses Korvo's pregnant belly.

Terry: I know. Me too.

Korvo giggles.

Korvo: Oh Terry, this new baby is gonna be amazing.

Terry: I know. The best part is we'll be the best dads ever.

Korvo: *laughs* We already are, thanks to us raising 4 wonderful little rascals.

Terry smirks

Terry: Yeah. Yumyulack and Jesse were very cute when they were babies too.

Korvo: Yeah… Yumyulack was an adorable little sprout when I raised him that day. He was very adorable. He even loves the lullaby Janiz sang to me when I was a sproutling too. He even loves it when he snuggles next to me.

Terry laughs

Terry: Jesse was adorable too when she was a sproutling. She laughs when I play with her with that little Shlorp sproutling shaker. And whenever she gets fussy, she would it when I squeeze her teddy bear.

Korvo: Yeah, raising my son was a bit tough ever since Janiz transferred to another part on Shlorp. But it was worth it because Yumyulack has grown up into a brave replicant.

Terry: *laughs* Same with mine.

Terry kisses Korvo on the lips

Terry: *sighs* Then Pupa. I remember he was pupad. He was very adorable and couldn’t stop smiling. And finally we adopted Sonya, which became the greatest impact on our lives. And I bet #5 is gonna be amazing too.

Korvo: *giggles* It's hard to believe we've come so far, huh?

Terry: Yeah it was worth. *kisses Korvo on the lips goodnight* Goodnight Korvy…

Korvo: Goodnight.

The two alien husbands then fall asleep as Korvo rubs his pregnant belly. The next morning, Korvo is throwing up in the toilet

Korvo: Damn, I had no idea pregnancy can still make you throw up. *throws up*

Terry rubs Korvo's back

Terry: Sorry Korvy.

Korvo: *barfs* It’s okay Terry. *barfs*

Later

Korvo: *feeling better and sighs* Well, now that this thing is out of the way, *rubs his pregnant belly* I think I have to time to finally come up with the perfect name.

Terry: But we don't know if it'll be a boy or a girl...

Korvo: Don’t worry Terry. We’ll come up with the perfect name. Eventually. *then looks at a lovely lily flower*

Terry: What is it?

Korvo: It’s that lovely lily. It looks beautiful, like it’s sprouted with hope for the future

Terry: Wow...

Korvo smiles at he looks at the flower.

Korvo: I guess we have our baby name.

Terry: You do? What is it?

Korvo smiles tearfully

Korvo: Lili.

Terry: Wow. That name is beautiful.

Korvo: I know...

Korvo smiles as he runs his pregnant belly.

Korvo: I think that is a wonderful name

Terry: Oh Korvy...

The two alien husbands kiss as they moan lovingly. That night, Korvo was asleep until he sensed something with his Super Shlorpian senses

Korvo: What the hell?

Korvo looks outside and gasps

Korvo: Stephen!

Korvo puts a hand on his pregnant belly

Korvo: *whispering* I hope he’s not after the baby… I have to make sure he isn’t… or worse!

Korvo's eyes turn aquamarine

Korvo: *skin turns black as he grows bigger and muscular and rips apart his night gown* Ooooooooh fffuuuuuuuuck yyyyyeeeeeeeess! Soooooo gooooood!

Korvo then develops horns on his head and wings pop out behind his back as he roars. Super Shlorpian Korvo chuckles.

Super Shlorpian Korvo: Even when I’m pregnant, *rubs his pregnant* I’m still feeling sexy and hornier as ever.

Super Shlorpian Korvo hears screeching and gasps.

Super Shlorpian Korvo: *whispering* Oh shit! Bat People! Better move fast. *looks at Terry* Be back soon my darling! *kisses Terry on the forehead*

Super Shlorpian Korvo roars as he flies through the chimney while holding his pregnant belly:

Super Shlorpian Korvo: *snarling* Let’s hope I can stop Stephen on time!

The scene then cuts to Mutant Bat King Stephen laughs evilly while plotting.

Mutant Bat King Stephen: That’s right. As soon as those Solar Beasts get here, I’ll give them a piece of my mind-

Suddenly, Super Shlorpian Korvo flies in here while roaring.

Super Shlorpian Korvo: Not so fast!

Bat Mutant King Stephen: Grr! You again?!

Bat Mutant King Stephen then notices Super Shlorpian Korvo's pregnant belly and exclaims in horror

Bat Mutant King Stephen: Oh God! Is the Super Shlorpian pregnant?! WHAT THE FUCK?!

Super Shlorpian Korvo growls

Bat Mutant King Stephen: Well, you won’t be able to defeat me! Bat People, attack!

The bat people attack as Super Shlorpian Korvo flies into action

Super Shlorpian Korvo: Time to for you all to chill out! *breathes ice from his breath*

The Bat People are frozen as Bat Mutant King Stephen growls

Bat Mutant King Stephen: Stupid savage bitch! Why must you ruin everything?!

Super Shlorpian Korvo: Because I- *groans in pain as his water breaks* Please tell me my water didn't just break! Fuck! FUCK!

Bat Mutant King Stephen: *laughs evilly* I think you must be going into labor now!

Super Shlorpian Korvo flies and goes to somewhere to hide

Bat King Mutant Stephen: *laughs evilly* Better follow this weak bitch!

Super Shlorpian Korvo finds somewhere to hide and groans in pain

Super Shlorpian Korvo: No! Not now!

Super Shlropian Korvo cries out as blood spews out from under his Shlorpian vagina. Bat King Mutant Stephen is still looking for Super Shlorpian Korvo as he chuckles evilly.

Bat King Mutant Stephen: You can’t hide from me, Opposites!

Super Shlorpian Korvo breathes heavily

Super Shlorpian Korvo: *crying as he kept pushing* FUCK! OH GOD! *cries out in pain*

Bat King Mutant Stephen hears Super Shlorpian Korvo and smirks

Bat King Mutant Stephen: I got you now!

Super Shlorpian Korvo: Shit! I gotta-

But Super Shlorpian Korvo keeps crying out as he is the close to giving birth.

Super Shlorpian Korvo: *pushes really hard* AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!

Then, suddenly, a cute baby Shlorpian girl with the same skin color as Terry is born as she starts crying. Super Shlorpian Korvo gasps and sheds tears of joy.

Super Shlorpian Korvo: *tearfully in happiness* Oooh my sweet little sprout…

Bat King Mutant Stephen suddenly appears

Bat King Mutant Stephen: Ah-ha! Got you now!

Super Shlorpian Korvo gasps.

Super Shlorpian Korvo: *grabs Lili and hold her safe carefully close to him* Stay away from her you bitch!

Bat King Mutant Stephen: *laughs* I don't plan on hurting you...yet.

Lili: *cries*

Super Shlorpian Korvo: What are you talking about?

Bat King Mutant Stephen: You and your family will meet me and my people here for a battle tomorrow at dawn!

Mundane Terry: *offscreen* My Korvy!

Super Shlorpian Korvo turns around and gasps. He then sees Mundane Terry, Super Shlorpain Yumyulack, Mundane Jesse and Were-Kraken Sonya and are relived he is okay. But then, Mundane Terry bites Bat King Mutant Stephen on the arm to get him away from husband as he snarls.

Bat King Mutant Stephen: How dare you?! I am a king! You will respect my authority!

Mundane Terry punches Bat King Mutant Stephen, who snarls and flies away from the family. The monster Replicants and Werekraken Sonya run up to Super Shlorpian Korvo and are overjoyed to see their new baby sister.

Mundane Jesse: Is that our sister?! Korvo, how did this-

Super Shlorpian Korvo: *shedding tears of joy* It was some kind of miracle. Your new sister is born. Kids, meet Lili.

Lili: *coos*

Werekraken Sonya: *smiling and softly doing a nose kiss on Llili* Hello baby sister…

Lili: *coos*

Super Shlorpian Yumyulack: *shedding tears of joy* Aw she looks so cute.

Super Shlorpian Korvo: Yeah..she is... *starts weeping*

Mundane Terry: Oh honey… *holds Super Shlorpian Korvo close* Shh… *smiling at Lili* Hey there sweetie… I’m your daddy…

Lili babbles and touches Mundane Terry's face as Super Shlorpian Korvo laughs.

Super Shlorpian Korvo: She really likes you.

Mundane Terry chuckles

Mundane Terry: Hell yeah she does. *tickles Lili’s chin softly as it makes her giggle*

Super Shlorpian Korvo: You know, she almost looks just like you.

Mundane Terry: I know. Look at her beautiful green skin. Welcome to the world Lili…

Super Shlorpian Korvo kisses his Mundane husband on the lips.

Lili: *babbling*

Mundane Jesse: Hey, Lili...

Lili touches her father’s face as Mundane Terry chuckles. Lili then yawns and falls asleep as the two monster alien husbands smile at their new baby.

Super Shlorpian Korvo then weeps as he holds Lili close carefully.

Super Shlorpian Korvo: I'll do everything I can to protect her...

Mundane Terry: *puts his hand on Super Shlorpian Korvo’s right shoulder* Us too. Because remember what I said. We’ll get through it… together.

Super Shlorpian Korvo: We have to face Stephen tomorrow at dawn.

Mundane Jesse: What?!

Super Shlorpian Yumyulack: Why?!

Werekraken Sonya: Why does Stephen want us to face him?

Super Shlorpian Korvo sighs

Super Shlorpian Korvo: ‘Cause if we don’t, I’m afraid he’ll come after Lili and worse of all kill us.

Mundane Terry gasps.

Mundane Terry: *grows determined* Don’t worry! We won’t let this happened!

Super Shlorpian Korvo: You're right. *looks at Lili and tickles her chin*

Super Shlorpian Yumyulack: Good. Because, we won’t let Stephen get in the way of the best thing that ever happen in our lives. Right, sisters?!

Mundane Jesse and Werekraken Sonya: Right!

Lili: *babbles*

Later at home, Janiz is watching TV

Janiz: *sees the news about Stephen* Stephen? Oh my God!

Korvo comes downstairs holding Lili

Korvo: *sing-songy* Oh Janiz!

Janiz: Korvo? What's...*looks at Lili and gasps* Did you...

Korvo: Yes. She’s here. Janiz, meet your niece Lili.

Janiz squeals with happiness

Janiz: *tickles Lili on the chin as Lili giggles* Hello sweetie. It’s me your aunt Janiz. Your daddy’s big sister.

Lili babbles and touches Korvo's face

Janiz: Oh she really love you Korvo.

Korvo: Yeah. I know. *looks at the news and gasps* Shit!

Janiz: You ready for this lil bro? *eyes glow icy pink*

Korvo: Oh-ho-ho! *eyes glow aquamarine* Hell yeah I am!

Later, Mutant Bat King Stephen and his army are wreaking havoc

Bat King Mutant Stephen: *laughs evilly* Yes! Yes! Soon enough all of Earth-4 will bow to me!

Super Shlorpian Korvo: *offscreen* STOP RIGHT THERE!

Bat King Mitant then turns and growls as he sees Super Shlorpian Korvo, Mundane Terry, Super Shlorpian Yumyulack, Mundane Jesse, Werekraken Sonya, Super Shlorpian Janiz and Aqrabuamelu Phoebe standing in a heroic stance. Lili is also seen in a baby hangar held on Super Shlorpian Korvo.

Bat King Mutant Stephen: Seriously! How many more of you freaks do I have to fight?!

Mundane Terry: Well I believe you met our daughters, huh?

Bat King Mutant Stephen then recognizes Mundane Jesse as Jesse as he snarls.

Mundane Jesse: Remember me, bi-atch?!

Bat King Mutant Stephen: You too? *growls* Bat People, attack the Monsters!

The bat people attack.

Mundane Terry: LET'S GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Super Shlorpian Korvo nods and the Monster Solars starts fighting the bat people. Super Shlorpian Korvo uses his ice breath while Lili babbles in joy. Mundane Terry then uses his lava powers that burnt the bat people. Super Shlorpian Yumyulack then combines his fire ice breath with Super Shlorpian Janiz’s ice breath that restrains the bat people. Mundane Jesse uses her pink magic powers that causes her fizzy rocks to hit the bat people. Werekraken Sonya uses her laser eyes to blast the bat people. Then, Aqrabuamelu Phoebe uses her stinger that stings some of the bat people.

Bat King Mutant Stephen: GOD DAMN IT!

The Monster Solars cheer while Lili babbles in joy.

Bat King Mutant Stephen: You haven't heard the last of me! When I-

Mundane Jesse and Super Shlorpian Yumyulack combine their powers with Werekraken Sonya as they blast Bat King Mutant Stephen away as he screams. Super Shlorpian Korvo and Mundane Terry smiles with tears of joy in their eyes because they are so proud of their kids blasting their enemy away. So are Aqrabuamelu Phoebe and Super Shlorpian Janiz.

Lili: *babbling n joy because she proud of her big brother and big sisters*

Super Shlorpian Janiz: You two were very brave. I see the training's paid off.

Mundane Jesse: So was Sonya! I had no idea we had it in you!

Werekraken Sonya: Well, I guess I learned from watching you guys.

Super Shlorpian Yumyulack: That and you were always brave ever since you became half-kraken. We’re so proud of you sis.

Werekraken Sonya: Thanks!

The three monster siblings then get into a group hug. Lili babbles in joy as she reaches to her siblings.

Super Shlorpian Yumyulack: Hey, Lili.

Mundane Jesse: So happy to see you!

Werekraken: You proud of your big brother and sisters?

Lili touched both of her siblings’ faces as she coos in joy. Super Shlorpian Yumyulack, Mundane Jesse and Werekraken Sonya smiles at their baby sister. Super Shlorpian Korvo laughs.

Super Shlorpian Korvo: *hugs the kids* Come here, we are so proud of you.

Mundane Terry: Nice job Yumyulack, Jesse and Sonya! We’ve never been so proud in our lives that our three wonderful kids combine an awesome attack. We’re so happy for you three.

The kids smile tearfully

Super Shlorpian Yumyulack: Thanks dads…

Mundane Jesse and Werekraken Sonya: Thanks daddies…

Mundane Terry picks Super Shlorpian Korvo up and spins him around

Mundane Terry: Woo-hoo Korvy.

The two monster alien husbands embrace in a kiss as they moan lovingly while Lili giggles as the kids hugs their dads. The scene cuts back to the Solar Opposites’ house where they wonder where Pupa is.

Super Shlorpian Korvo: Pupa?

Mundane Terry: Pupa? *suddenly hears a gunshot* Oh shit! Was that the Pupa with a gun?!

The family gasp in horror.

Super Shlorpian Janiz: That's not good.

Super Shlorpian Korvo: Oh crap! No no no! *heads upstairs* Something’s wrong!

The Monsters Solars open the door to Korvo and Terry’s bedroom where Pupa is in and gasp.

Mundane Terry: Holy shit. The Pupa has killed a bat mutant!

Super Shlorpian Korvo smiles tearfully

Super Shlorpian Korvo: Bravo Pupa! *hugs Pupa* I am so proud of you!

The family hugs Pupa as he smiles. Then, Pupa notices his new baby sister Lili.

Pupa: Who's that?

Mundane Jesse: Pupa, this your new baby sister Lili.

Pupa gasps

Pupa: Sister?

Lili babbles as she touches Pupa’s face, as he smiles and falls in love with his new baby sister and hugs her carefully and gently.

Super Shlorpian Korvo: Yep. She's your sister. Isn't she adorable?

Pupa smiles as he tickles Lili’s chin softly as Lili giggles and coos.

Mundane Jesse: Aw, she likes you.

Pupa: I wuv you Lili.

Lili coos. Pupa smiles as he watches his baby sister fall asleep as she sleeps. The family then turns back to normal as they sit on Korvo and Terry’s bed with Pupa and smiles at Lili.

Phoebe MacCarthy: So, now you guys have Lili, now what?

Korvo: I think our news lives have just gotten better. Welcome home Lili.

Cue “Today” from Brad Paisley in the background:

Terry: Welcome to the Solar Opposistes sweetie. *kisses Lili on the forehead*

Lili giggles. Cue good times montage after Korvo and Terry kiss while moaning lovingly. The scene then cuts to next day where the Solar Opposites in their human forms, now with Lili in her own human form as she babbles head out the door to spend time with each other. The scene then cuts to the family at a picnic where Human Pupa is playing with human Lili. Then, it cuts to a skiing lodge where the family are having skiing then it shows them having hot cocoa. Then, it cuts to the park where the kids are playing while Human Lili babbles as she and Human Terry head down the slide and Human Terry lands safely while holding Human Lili safely as she babbles in joy once Human Terry lift her up. The episode then ends with the rest of the family having dinner at Lawry’s Prime Rib and Human Korvo and Human Terry kiss as they moan lovingly.

THE END

[thiswaycomessomethingwicked]

A Real, True, Extra-Verified Account of Ficino Preaching on the Magi and the Star that Guided Them

Marsilio Ficino, priest-mode, at the pulpit: A star shall come out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel. With these words Balaam, in the book of Numbers, foretells the coming of the Messiah.

Lorenzo de' Medici: at least he's talking about the bible this time.

Ficino: Balaam lived in the Eastern area, where the Magi lived too, and among them there were some priests very skilled in astronomy who ruled the people. Thus, they were attentive students of sky signs and had noticed the event that, according Balaam, would be showed by the prodigy of the star.

Angelo Polizianno: oh, oh, astronomy was mentioned within five minutes of the start of the sermon. You owe me five lire, Lorenzo.

Giovanni Cavalcanti: you all owe me, actually. I guessed it to the exact second.

Angelo: you live with him and read his sermons, you're not allowed in our betting pool.

Ficino: Eventually, when Jesus was born, an extraordinary comet shone in the highest part of the sky. What scholars thought about such a comet is stated by Origen in Contra Celsum, when he refers to what he read in the book of the Stoic Cheremon, that in some cases comets can indicate happy and prosperous events. The one shining at the time of Augustus and Jesus' birth has this nature.

Lorenzo: oh thank god a church father was mentioned. First time in a month he's not treated Plato as a church father.

Giovanni: but it makes him so happy!

Ficino: Calcidius, the Platonist, attests the same, referring us to several stories about stars. There are also tales, more sacred and venerable, which state that neither illness or death were heralded with the birth this certain specific star. It was clear to all, rather, that the holy coming of God was heralded and it would bring the grace of redemption to mankind.

Lorenzo: and THERE'S the Platonism.

Ficino: I must pause here to request the peanut gallery to stop talking. Really, Giovanni, I thought you said you had this under control.

Giovanni: sorry. continue.

Ficino: In judging the comet to be prosperous and healthy, in fact, the witnesses recognized that it comes from the nature of the Sun, Jupiter, and Venus. It is taught that when a comet's colour is dark, it is Saturnian, and heralds plague and famine. When it is of the same colour of fire, it is a Martian and foretells battles and fires. Indeed, the greatest part of comets are of these two varieties. In fact! the fire and impetuous strength of Mars draws terrestrial fumes higher, in the upper part of the air, near the Fire sphere where they burn.

Giovanni: this isn't a Ficino Astrology lecture, honey, you're in church

Ficino:

Ficino: anyway. So. When Eastern astronomers, in December, saw a comet rising in the beginning of Sagittarius, they judged it a benevolent apparition, because it shed golden rays, being of Sun nature, silver rays because of Jupiterian nature, and mixed rays because of Venusian nature. Maybe Jupiter, too, was in that moment in the beginning of Sagittarius. The Sun, if others are right in their calculations, was in the middle of the sign. Maybe Venus, always near to the Sun, was in the last degree of the sign.

Lorenzo: am I in church or am I at the Florentine Studio?

Angelo: neither, we're at Ficino and Cavalcanti's after we've all had two bottles of wine each.

Giovanni: .... not inaccurate

Ficino: This celestial configuration caused great admiration and great quarrels. Which is what you are going to get if you don't shut up.

Giovanni: please continue.

Ficino: Thank You. Because of  the position of Jupiter, Sun, and Venus, the Magi judged the one whose birth was heralded would be a rightful king of greatest fame and very merciful. But, because of the Sun, he could not be very rich. How will he be both a great king and poor? Considering Jupiter rising in the angle of the geniture, they judged the nativity very favorable; but sterile because of the Moon in the first facie of Virgo, being the stress on a virgin rather than a pregnant woman.

Angelo: this is very precise. were you there?

Ficino: So I believe that the comet, not natural but divine, was moved, and lighted by the Archangel Gabriel. It was Gabriel in fact that announced John, Christ’s forerunner, to Zachariah and Christ to Mary; it was him to show to the Gentiles the birth of Christ and the place where it occured; and through the Gentiles he persuaded Jews too. And under the form of a star informed the students of stars, and through the light of the star, derived from the Sun he guided them towards the Sun.

Lorenzo: church, Ficino! You're in church!

Giovanni: oh he likes to play with fire. don't worry about it.

Ficino: The astronomers brought gold to the just born king, because they judged him having a Sun nature, with perfumed incense they indicated the grace of Venus, with myrrh they indicated a life under the influence of Jupiter, unaware of putrefaction.

Angelo: magi or astronomers?

Ficino: they're both.

Lorenzo: are you self identifying with them? pagans who find Christ?

Ficino: I'm not answering that. As I was saying, they gave him the gold because he was a king, the incense because he was a priest, the myrrh because he was God. ... It is likely the comet was an Angel; how an Angel in human guise guided Tobias travel, in the same way the Angel under the guise of a comet guided the journey of the astrologers towards Christ.

Giovanni: you didn't take my edits in this part did you? is the comet guided by an angel or an angel?

Ficino: and you aren't listening. It is an angel disguised as a comet. It's Gabriel. Look, don't worry about it.

Angelo: so which of you started saying "Don't worry about it" and passed it on to the other?

Ficino & Giovanni pointing at each other: He did.

Angelo: don't worry about it?

Giovanni: right. Don't even worry about it.

Ficino: As I was saying. The Angel, turned toward the East, promptly directed the comet towards Persia (as in, he as a comet directed his light towards Persia), in order to guide from there the Magi to Christ. From here Isaiah said: Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of  the Lord is risen upon thee.  And people walk  in your light. 

Lorenzo: we are back to the Bible! praise be!

Ficino: We have been discussing the Bible the entire time, Lorenzo!

Lorenzo: I've been hearing a lot of stars and magic men. So...

Ficino: Now, what has been said about the sign of Christ being that of Sagittarius was based on the calculation of someone else. In my opinion, Christ's sign is more rightly that of Virgo. While Christ was born, necessarily one of the twelve signs was rising, and I don’t know which sign is more appropriate to give the One who is born from a Virgin than Virgo. 

Giovanni: I love when he does vague drive-bys on other people's astrological readings of Christ's birth.

Angelo: is this a usual occurance at home?

Giovanni: it's pillow talk.

Lorenzo: church! we are in church! oh my god!

Ficino: you're normally not so prudish.

Lorenzo: we're in a church!

Lorenzo:

Lorenzo: wait, you're saying Jesus is a Virgo? But he was born in December.

Angelo: He doesn't seem like a Virgo. Pices is more my read.

Giovanni: Leo. Trust me. He's a Leo.

Ficino: VIRGO. I'VE ASSIGNED HIM VIRGO. It makes sense! Trust me!

Giovanni: If we're just randomly assigning him things not based on his being born in December I still maintain Leo.

Ficino: Was he born in December? Were you there? Do people in ancient Judea have a winter lambing season? Thank you. So. To wrap up. The light which comes from the Good is spread through all the spirits and is beneficial and beatific. It directs us towards the Good and teaches us Stillness (which is God). And it makes it possible that we love the Good and rejoice in it.

Lorenzo: platonic again, we've gone full platonic-letters-from-Marsilio again.

Ficino: Whatever particular Good a man has within him is the image of Good itself. Men without charity, the ones tormented by envy, are starting to fall into darkness and away from the benefits (Goodness) of Light. Since they hate Good, they therefore suffer within Good which is a heartbreak for what is hell but an absence of the Good which is God? Grant this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Lorenzo:

Lorenzo: was that last bit a drive by at anyone in particular?

Giovanni: don't worry about it.

Lorenzo: If it's about me, I swear to god -

Angelo: annnnnd it's time for the Credo and for everyone's running commentary to stop.

Ficino: THANK YOU.

--------

note: Ficino's sermon language is taken from an actual sermon he gave on the star that led the Magi to Christ.

[sweet-vanilla-sims]

Year 1656

TW/CW: Infant Death

The relationship between Giovanni and Giulia was growing closer as they spoke more though with their girls growing up they spoke at length about their daughter's futures. That said, Giulia didn't want to rush her daughters and often changed the subject but as their crops hadn't had much of a yield as of late there was the underlying worry that their savings would drop too low to make a decent match for their daughters but neither one wanted to voice that particular fear.

Aside from the more serious matters their family faced, Giovanni was making more of an effort to court his wife properly, something that they never really did before and Giulia couldn't help but be appreciative of the efforts he was trying to make.

Felicita's labor was attended by her mother and Giulia who were more than happy to support her during her time of need. On June 22, Felicita delivered twin girls, Beverly and Veniera. While there weren't any complications from the birth, it was clear from the moment the children were born that Beverly was much smaller than her sister.

Giulia's girls were glad for their new cousins but they tried to keep out of the adults' hair when not even a month after the birth of Felicita's twins, Beverly died. The girls hadn't gotten the chance yet to meet their cousins due to the confinement after birth so in a lot of ways the new babies in the family hadn't quite felt real to them but all the girls felt sad for the loss of their cousin despite it all though it was hard to tell if they felt bad for the loss or the fact that their beloved relatives were feeling bad.

Giulia knew all too well the pain that her sister was feeling and she was more than happy to support her sister in whatever way she needed even if it was bringing her fresh flowers to try and brighten her day.

But the reminder of the brevity of life pushed Giulia and Giovanni together once more as they officially stopped sleeping in separate rooms in the wake of the loss.

Little Veniera continued to grow into a healthy infant.

With Felicita's daughter being bigger, the first order of business was to introduce her to the family. Giulia's loud family was delighted to fuss over the little one but her calm demeanor left her a bit tired with all of them. Luckily, Tala was willing to be a refuge of tranquility for the little one. While of course, Giulia's children were her grandchildren, baby Veniera was the child of the only surviving child she delivered. There had been times where Tala feared that none of her children would live but holding her granddaughter in her arms she was happy that her fears had not come to pass.

With the children being older and more independent, Giovanni and Giulia took the occasional night out with each other or they simply just laid in the grass and looked at the stars. Giovanni hadn't realized just how much Giulia knew about astronomy as she showed him constellations and their names. Before Vincente openly despised his daughter they would look at the stars together with her late sister, Osana, and she remembered that vividly.

By the time October rolled around they were beginning to share some intimacy once again.

The older girls were the first to notice the change in the household as they realized their parents were starting back being lovey-dovey again. It was different this time around though but since both girls were too young to understand what their parents' relationship had been like before their youngest brother was born, it was hard for them to pinpoint exactly what was different just that it was different in a positive way. For Orsolina, the change was a breath of relief that her parents, who had been arranged together were not miserable with each other forever especially as she understood that her parents were looking into a match for her and her sisters though obviously with her being the eldest, she'd be first. Maybe an imperfect match wouldn't be a condemnation to a miserable married life after all if her parents could find a more true understanding and care with each other. While Osana had always been a dreamer when it came to romance, her and Orsa really, and she took their parents' reconciliation as proof of the power of love to shine through even over time though she hadn't necessarily seen the work it had taken them to get to that point. While each girl took a different lesson from their parents' relationship they all agreed that the lack of tension was for the better for the entire home.

Giulia celebrated her thirty-fifth birthday with little fanfare but she felt like she had overcome a milestone in her life. Her children were happy and healthy and she was content in her marriage for the first time without the feeling of resignation being attached to it.

With children growing up, Giulia was able to finally lighten some of the load for Giovanni in the garden now that there was less to do. Despite the losses the year had brought, things were brighter than they had been in a long time for Giulia.