#or did some unimportant tech stuff

[spop-romanticizes-abuse]

i honestly wish bow had more depth to his character than just being the “friendship guy” or the mom friend. like he’s part of the main trio and somehow he’s one of the most underdeveloped characters in the show. i think it would have been really interesting if they explored bow’s relationships with his dads and his fear of letting them down, in more detail, than just cramming it into one episode and calling it a day.

[tossawary]

A handful of random thoughts about the "Ultraman: Rising", with some vague, marked spoilers here and there:

I like the fact that they didn't explain kaijus or where Ultraman came from. After so many superhero origin stories where we have to be slowly introduced to the existence of the supernatural, it's refreshing to get dropped in the middle of a "second-gen" (unclear how many generations of Ultramen exist in this universe so far) superhero's story. The movie isn't apologizing for its genre or its premise. It just goes, "Yeah, you know what a superhero is and what a kaiju is, so let's go already. No, we're not even really going to explain how Ultraman's powers work. That's not what this is about!!! It it about our protagonist's daddy issues!!! Keep up!!!"

If I think about the world building, I do have some questions, like who built the protagonist's fancy tech house that's also a superhero base, but it's not too important. I assume his dad built it and then moved out to give his kid space? OR: "Why do the kaijus seem to attack this place specifically?" This movie works mostly because it's like "this is classic superhero stuff and we're just not dwelling on the logistical setup too much"! It leaves you to fill in some blanks on your own or just suspend your disbelief, which works.

The pacing was a little weird in places and the movie does get a little ridiculous in parts, I'm never quite sure of what the capabilities of these characters are, but it's a superhero vs. kaiju animated movie and that's to be expected. I still enjoyed myself well enough.

A few of the character designs didn't super work for me, like the big-headed kid characters. The kaiju baby is maybe a little too cutesy, but she was very cute and I've forgiven them because they didn't shy away from babies being gross. (There is... A LOT of baby kaiju vomitting.)

I did really like some of the other character designs. I liked the protagonist's big nose and pierced ears and bangs falling in front of his sharp face; he looks like such a dirtbag pretty boy. I like the lean in the industry right now towards more stylized and geometric 3D character designs in general, because I think that the shapes are fun and they'll age better this way.

Dirtbag guy to single dad is a winning story formula, huh.

They did a lot of 2D-style effects in this movie that I thought looked fun. I dig that trend in the industry right now as well. Some of the scenes were a little clean, almost bare, in terms of environmental design, but the colors generally looked great. Some of the scenes were really bright and vibrant and pretty.

(Mild vague spoiler?) There's no romance in this movie, which was surprising when they definitely set up a female journalist in the position for a love interest. No, it's a "strangers to friendly acquaintances" relationship for them. The female journalist is also a single mother, which was interesting, because you don't get a whole lot of career-minded single mother love interests in animated movies.

(Unimportant spoiler:) She told the protagonist to his face that she thinks he has daddy issues. Not stated quite like that, of course, but it was pretty funny. She was also right about that.

The emotional focus in this film was instead about the protagonist, Kenji, repairing his relationship with his father and also taking care of the kaiju baby. Kenji's only friend and co-parent for a chunk of the movie is an AI assistant (Mina) his parents made.

(Unimportant spoiler:) Stumped by an issue, Kenji makes a frustrated comment about how maybe he should ask Siri instead. Shortly after, in response to a different statement, the AI assistant Mina makes a passive-aggressive comment about how maybe he should ask Siri instead. I found that pretty funny.

(Mild spoiler:) Ultraman in this universe is a known and popular superhero and has been for decades. At one point, the baby kaiju gets out into the city, and Kenji has to go get her before she gets hurt or hurts someone else, and he publicly tells her to "Come to Daddy." And this is overheard by a bunch of nearby civilians, who gasp loudly. It is quite funny. It doesn't really come up again, but even if that wasn't recorded, you just KNOW that the news and the internet went wild over that revelation. "Ultraman had a baby with Gigantron???!!!"

(Another mild spoiler:) At one point, Kenji asks the female journalist for some parenting advice, and she IMMEDIATELY asks him if he has a secret love child. (No one is quite sure why this baseball star suddenly came back to Japan from the U.S., as they don't know he's Ultraman.) Kenji denies it, but I'm pretty sure that she must still think that he does.

(Continuing:) Kenji's baby kaiju parenting struggles (along with his ego) are fucking up his baseball career, due to stress and lack of sleep and conflicting commitments. We aren't shown a lot of interactions with his team, but I desperately hope that he also asked a couple of his teammates for parenting advice or something, so that his team could also immediately assume that he has a secret love child.

Like, "Yeah, yeah, Kenji Sato's secret love child, we all know about it. The poor kid is really bad at hiding it. We're trying to keep it hidden from journalists for him, but the whole team knows he's a new dad, for sure." (They do not know that Kenji is Ultraman and the baby is a kaiju.)

All in all: this movie was fun! Very silly, but cute! I think that I might try to pick some other "Ultraman" shows or films out of the dozens that exist, and try some of those ones out. The property seems to exist in a similar vein as "Transformers" where Rule of Cool rules world building and canon is whatever the newest iteration wants it to be.

[mikotyansakira]

OC Lore!!!!

So uh the long story short

It's called "NOT UNIQUE". The story continues only for 3 years. It starts from Mary, Max, Emily's parents moving their children from Clovis to a new city called "Sunlate". So Emily, the oldest sister could have a good job as a freshly college graduate. And Mary and Max, to finish their high school here, in a bigger environment (and possibly going to college in the same city). And from then, 3 siblings start living together in a small family-house, with a working sister.

Not Unique is mainly about Mary and Max, 16-year-old twins who are regular ass teens with no real difference than the others. Mary, shy and unsure of herself, meets Leah and Evelyn, the school’s most popular girls, who literally force her into their small clique. Evelyn is a serious, charismatic, strong natural leader, and her family is a main sponsor for schools big projects, and one of the prettiest girls out there. While in reality she's a little crazy, practices bare knuckle fighting for no reason, and just mainly kind of masculine. She's just hella paranoid of everything and tries to control every situation she's in, wich is also kind of why Mary easily got influenced by her. Leah on the other hands falls into more of a "cute" category, she's very popular thanks to her ability to know literally everyone in the school. She's friends with EVERYONE, she keeps hours just memorizing their names just so everyone likes her. But all her kindess more of a "fake". She's actually a country girl, raised and born in texas, moved into California in middle school, she's very fiery, always judgemental in her mind, doesn't believe in altruism and her original accent is very western, she often uses weird synonyms for words, and her every second word is a bad word. But she quickly noticed that ppl wouldn't accept her as she is. So she started pretending to be friendly and cute, and even faked an accent. Mary, in the contrast, is pathetic. She doesn't know how to talk to people, she gets quickly tired, she's veryy cringy, naive and has no motivation for anything. And Evy and Leah genuinely start shaping her into a new ass person.

Max is fiery and protective, with a passion for technology. He's a hothead who's just an asshole. He starts school from thinking about joining the school’s tech club, but entering there he sees just a bunch of losers, Jayson (club's leader), Charlie, and Mandel. Jayson is a stereotypical naive, extroverted, a little gross, geeky teenage guy, he spends most of his time in front of the pc coding some games, and just doing unimportant crap. He's not that into technology, but he did open the club, so Charlie like mindsets can be found. About Charlie. Charlie is a real genius here actually, he's the smartest of them all tbh, he's REALLY into technology, and just creates all kind of stuff when he xan. He's veeeery shy and quiet. Doesn't speak much (insecure about his deep voice), and just a very akward guy. And there's the 3rd person. Mandel – is a womanizer, annoying ass, and just an always complaining guy. He actually has a great ability to create a new persona for a new girl he meets, but everytime ends up slipping his own personality and just gets dumped every time. He actually knows nothing about technology nor coding. He joined the club just because he wouldn't be lonely (and prolly to have it on his college resume). Jayson HATES him. He freaking despises him, he had no choice but to accept him into club because first of all, Mandel was begging him, second of all, the minimum of club members were 3 people, and his club would be closed if he didn't find the 3rd person fast, so he accepted Mandel. Max firstly thinks that they're just miserable idiots (wich is lowk true) but it ends up being the place where kind of starts growing as a person.

Also! The story has a deep place for "Ghost Magic", it's a kind of magic that was found by ghosts themselves. It's incrediblly powerful and really dangerous. The people who ever used this magic, turn into "magical ghosts" once they die. They can NEVER be set free on their own. They must find someone alive to teach them all the spells so they can be set free, once the alive person also dies. And that's what happens. Rudolph (the 47 yr old guy, who lived back in the 50s. Wakes up from his ghostly hibernation after 70 years, and realizes he's still trapped as a ghost.) He's the grumpy miserable dude who's already had a bad hard life, and now experiencing the even worse afterlife, everything because he used magic when alive. He founds Mary and sees potential in her (after she accepted that ghosts are real) (because ghosts in the story are mainly considered as a fairytale, and you can't spread the word about your powers, of how powerful it is. And what could happen if it was used in the wrong way). The thing is that Mary is an absolute dogshit. She has a giant problem with learning it, and always accidentally gets herself into a life threatening situations (like accidentally letting a ghost enter her, wich could permanently just lock her out of her body), or just remembering the words. Rudolph tries everything to teach her, and just goes nuts of how pathetic she is.

Okay so I gotta mention also the 3rd view of them. From everyone's perspective (besides the main 7, and Rudolph and Emily's) The Trio (EML) Are like the popular clique, most of the girls would wanna join. They're seen as someone very kind and accessable (like they would answer hello in an answer instead of bullying you). And mostly everyone, especially Helen, Ashley and Nora are obsessed with them. Ashley, Ted, Mira and Kif are the "poly" group. While they're not really poly, the school just called them like that of how they close they are (they hate each other, and also have no idea they're being called poly). Ted and Kif are basketball players, while Ashley and Mira are cheerleaders. They're originally just family friends and usually annoy each other. They're that chaotic friend group nobody wants to join, nor nobody can leave. Ted (as seen in my arts) usually is flirty with Mary, it's an act of trying to get her as a girlfriend of how naive she is, It doesn't really work for him, 1. He gets sabotaged by his own "friends", 2. He gets sabotaged by either Max or Evelyn. Ted is a stereotypical jock, he's overconfident, but has a place for some geek stuff he keeps as a secret. Kif also a jock and a captain of the team, but also he's an a+ student, and incredibly freaking annoying and unbearable. He speaks weird, calls people names and bullies them, and targets mostly Ted. Ashley is a bimbo. She's not very smart, and really mean. Stereotypical bully, and kind of pathetic (keeps it as a secret also). Mira, is a core of being evil. She has no empathy, no respect and usually seen serious without any weird shit. She's the one who keeps all group (especially Kif) in their place. They change their personalities in front of the trio completely, to a kind excited girls and guys. Evelyn often warns Mary about talking to them, she actually freaking hates them tbh.

Okay short for everyone else: Andy and Shay, usually have their own story. They're best friends, and Andy is light, literally sunshine. He's always chill, handsome and cool with everyone. While Shay is evil and asshole with everyone. They're like the best pals and don't seperate from each other. Though Shay is a big liar, and he hates Max, and everyone else. Micheal and Gerard, they're not that important.

Nora is also a cheerleader, she's a non stop talking extroverted girl, who loves being around the trio (they love her because she's actually kind). Stifler is like super mega womanizer, he's rich, handsome, tall and charismatic, everything Mandel could wish for. He's usually seen either flirting with the trio, or with Mandel, lmfao, their little sisters are very close, and Mandel gets frequently teased from him, wich he hates, because he can't really do anything about it, so he just nervously laugh whenever Stifler embarrasses Mandel in front of everyone.

Quick abou Kiseki and Emily. Kiseki is also a witch, just like Mary, but much stronger. Emily is always tired and sleepy, she's either at work or sleeping.

Helen is a school president, she controls pretty much every event, every complaints at school. And Wilson is her right hand. Helen hates this job so so much. He wishes to be a popular cheerleader pretty girl, and be loves by everyone, instead of being a boring high school president, while everyone thinks she's lame. She's desperately needed for attention, and everytime the trio somehow interacts with her, she gets alll excited. While Wilson don't care for that, he LOVES being the right hand, and just like a boy scout he's only wish is to work and work and work.

Okkk thanks for reading omggg

[papenniesandbentoboxes]

Spoiler-Free KEY Review

Alright. I finished KEY. I'm going to play it again with my sister and then probably do a more in depth review of it, but for now I've got a just-finished-it review, and we'll see how this one compares to my second review after a second playthrough.

Plot:

The plot wasn't too bad! A bit linear compared to other games but I did enjoy it. It wasn't as visual novel-y as MID but wasn't as interactive as some other games. But overall it was fun and entertaining!

Characters:

The characters were enjoyable. I liked having some characters there being only barely involved when others were SUPER involved, so we have a lot more range with suspects and suspicions. I definitely would have liked digging deeper into the characters, like in CUR and GTH and SAW and such. Although, I'll admit, in most of the other games we didn't get super deep backgrounds either. There weren't a lot of dialogue options, so maybe in the future we can get more dialogue and character deep dives! I want more substance!

The only part about the characters I actively didn't like was a certain character's hair (bro, that's some Assassin's Creed Caterina Sforza hair, Sims hair, idk but it wasn't good enough), and the random unimportant NPCs. The NPCs were a bit distracting and did take me out of the game if I paid too much attention to them, so that's my take on that. In the future, I want to random unimportant NPCs to be completely gone and I want to VEN sound design back. That was immersive without needing the actual people standing around.

Now the phone characters were almost useless, only there to push the plot forward with barely any fun shit. In the future, I NEED more interaction with them. Less texting, more actual conversations. And they don't even need to be strictly about the game, give me conversations like what we had with Savannah Woodham. Not just a phone call here or there for only the purpose of moving forward in the plot. I need weird phone calls where they're like "hello! what do you want!" and the only dialogue option is "bye!" so then you hang up. I also want to actually be able to call them, because if there isn't a plot reason for it, you can't call them. So. Yeah. Oversight from the game devs.

Controls:

This game I feel was not designed with point and click in mind. I feel like it was added as a second option while favoring the "modern" controls of free roam stuff. However, I enjoyed the free roam! Maybe this is because I play a lot of other video games that aren't point and click, but I ended up really liking it. Other than that, the controls CAN be a bit clunky to get used to, but that happens with every video game with new controls you don't know yet (when I started playing Red Dead Redemption 2 I punched my horse so many times because I couldn't get used to the controls and I felt so bad). I think they could definitely work on it more, but it is WAY better than Midnight in Salem. Way WAY better.

Music:

While not as iconic at the Kevin Manthei tracks I am in love with, I did like the music! It was pretty good, with some tracks standing above the others. I will say though that the track that plays in the tech store is my least favorite as it just sounds... meh. In every sense of the word.

Puzzles and Minigames:

Oh my god. OH MY GOD. There are actually puzzles!!!! After all, what, two puzzles in Midnight in Salem, we actually get REAL PUZZLES! They have some new puzzles, some recycled puzzles (THAT I WANT MORE OF), some pretty puzzles, some clunky but fine puzzles, and just a good variety of them. They also offer hints if you are struggling.

I think my favorite puzzle is... Well, I don't want to spoil it, but there are a few contending for the top place. (Although fuck math, all my homies hate math.)

As for the minigames, the coffee making is fun, although a bit daunting with the instructions. I recommend making your own notes aside from the in-game recipe books. The latte art can be irritating but eventually you get the hang of it. Not quite as bad as the SAW calligraphy but nowhere near the delight I got from the SPY cookies minigame.

Glitches and Issues:

I did catch a few typos and a few glitches, but they weren't the norm. Just look at the HeR site for what to look out for, and make sure your PC can handle the game. I didn't need to look out for that since I'm currently playing Red Dead Redemption 2 and my laptop is running that fine (on low graphics lol). Way less messed up than MID, worse than some of the other games, but hey, it's not like we've never had bugs in the games before (there have been a few times the games have crashed on me because of bugs). And this time we have autosaves to help out with that.

Overall Impression:

It's a solid game. I thoroughly enjoyed it. While the UI and controls are still similar to MID, the game itself is a step in the right direction where I want the Nancy Drew games to go. It isn't perfect, I don't think we'll ever get a perfect Nancy Drew game, but it's good enough for me.

I'm happy with it. I got to have the joy of a new Nancy Drew game, which is something I haven't had since Midnight in Salem, and we know how that went. I got to find new clues, see new places, meet new characters, complete puzzles that were both new and recycled, and enjoy a new mystery. It brought a smile to my face multiple times and made me squeal in delight when I solved something. I haven't had a good new Nancy Drew game experience since I played SEA when it came out.

So I'm happy. Is it my favorite? No. But do I think it's bad? Also no. I think it's somewhere in the middle for me, but that's okay. These games make me happy, and I hope we get more so they can continue my happiness in the future.

Tentative rating: 7/10

[mariyekos]

Netflix Devil May Cry Opening Breakdown, Part 2

A breakdown of the Netflix DMC Anime Opening, going nearly frame by frame and mentioning references to what other DMC Materials I can. Check out Part 1 here, and Part 3 here!

Lady's character color here is orange! Given Dante's stolen both red and green, this seems reasonable. She's techno Lady from the earlier trailer which isn't my favorite, but I'm holding onto hope that she'll undergo an outfit change to something more Lady-like later on. See my post here to check out the production images of her outfit.

Zooming into this because I feel like it'll be relevant as the symbol the group she's with uses.

This shot parallels Dante's, given it has the same composition (static self in background, closeup in foreground, moving self in the silhouette). What's interesting is that Lady's pops all come from her weird techno outfit, whereas Dante's were his hair, amulet, and guns. It might speak to the fact that Lady doesn't have any attachment to the guns she's currently using that they don't pop. They're not Kalina-Ann. Her eyes could be a good candidate to pop, if it weren't for the fact that she doesn't like her father (and having them both the same color might not work, as they'd probably be orange here).

From there we look at bullets, binoculars, a clip/belt, and what looks like some sort of tracking device. A small part of me wonders if those bullets are partially green to indicate they have special contents, but it might just be to make them pop. This opening uses a lot of strong colors. Is the group tracking Dante, or something else? Screen to locate their target, binoculars to confirm the sighting, bullets and clip to take them down.

In another parallel to Dante's scenes, we get a screen of bullets as Dante did strawberry sundaes, Jackpot bullets, and pizza. What's important to Lady? Bullets. Killing demons, getting her revenge. After this the screen zooms in on one of the bullets where the green shifts in a way that reminds me of a liquid sloshing around in a container. Hm. Maybe these are special bullets containing some sort of anti-demon substance.

This gun is not the one Dante had earlier. My guess is it's Lady's. A bullet slices through the scene to change to the next one. The multiple guns make them seem expendable to me, like the gun matters less than the bullets, which actually do the deed. Bullets and ammo are a constant, the random gun is unimportant in any respect past its ability to fire. Lady has no attachment to these.

DARKCOM. This is not the symbol on the van Lady's on. It's also not the White Rabbit's warning symbol. If we know of DARKCOM through other DMC material, I'm drawing up a blank. Is this who Lady's working for? Who her employer is working for? The data reminds me of the tracker above, which seemed to me to be in the middle of some Lady scenes, though it could've been a transition to something new.

Then there's Mr. Government Glasses Guy. Who may or may not actually work for a government, and may only be a tech guy, but still. High tech, formal, dripping with Evil. Apparently important, since the other two characters to get this zoom-in were Dante and Lady, who definitely ARE important. The structure of the outfits on the people accompanying him in his silhouette remind me of Lady and co, and I'm sure we're going to see crossed sword guy somewhere. I might come back and add some stuff to this if I see him in another trailer/preview somewhere. I think they're guarding Glasses Guy by their stance. The camera zooms in on him, and his main characteristics are his shades and the white (red) of his shirt. Interesting. Supposedly unassuming, but not really.

Reflected in his glasses, we see some sort of flying demon. In the Game Awards trailer, we see someone who looks to me sort of like a human who's turning into a demon, as well as a demon who with some strange growths that to me also looks a bit unnatural. I wonder if this guy is actually a demon in disguise (ex Sparda, Sid, the Doctor from the original DMC Anime, Trish). He could also just be a human working with demons. Or a human who's trying to transform into one (like Arkham).

THE ABOVE IMAGE IS FROM A DIFFERENT TRAILER, NOT THE OPENING. But this is what I mean by someone who sort of looks like a human transformed into a demon. They could be collecting demons to use as fodder. They might also want Dante as an example of a functioning Human/Demon fusion...but I digress. Point is, we see a new guy who's got to be important, and he's got a demon in his eye.

Back to the actual opening:

AHA!!!! THAT'S THE SYMBOL ON LADY'S VAN. BUT IN GLASSES GUY BLUE INSTEAD OF LADY ORANGE. Yeah, I think Lady's working for him, whether she's actually met him or has just temporarily partnered with his cronies. If they ARE trying to harvest demons, I'd bet you most of Lady's crew doesn't know the real reason for it. They're human fodder. That's a lot of speculation where this is meant to be observation though, so I'll get back to what we can see: phone cords, a computer, and a rifle. AFAIK it's a generic rifle. Next to it are shells/cartridges/SOMETHING. The small papers imply something's going on here...

One of the screens flickers red (which momentarily made me think of Lady/Arkham, but their red eyes are on their left side, which is right looking at them) and then the whole screen from above goes red, rather than just their symbol. Something's happening.

Interesting thing here. The screen tilts during this to make the red stuff go higher and the blue stuff go lower. To me, the red looks like the city, while the blue is reminiscent of the craggy pit Dante was jumping into earlier in the opening (plus those crags that I mentioned around there that I could swear were important). Remember: in DMC3, the entrance to Hell is in the sky. In the Game Awards trailer, we see a giant portal in the sky as well. Is that what this is? A Hell portal in the sky? When Dante jumped into the craggy pit in the opening there was lightning above him, but it could definitely still be inverted. It's also reminiscent of the area Dante got his sword from. If we want to touch on some color symbolism, the Human World/city is Dante Red, while the Demon World(?)/crags is Vergil Blue (think energy, not coat).

(An extremely blurry screenshot of DMC1 Dante and Nelo Angelo's Summon Swords. Check out the colors.)

There is a zoom in on a white orb that then lifts to a face with closed eyes and a pink gem on its forehead. Mundus. The camera then zooms out to show him and his power, and I love how they channel the triple eye energy in both the actual two eyes and gem on his head, and the hole in his chest plus two orbs in his hands. Surrounding him are chains that remind me a bit of vertebrae. Breaking free of his prison, or attempting to imprison (the sons of) his enemy?

I'm really impressed with both the pose choice and the colors. Look at the official render below, as well as the colors when he drags Dante to fight in DMC1. Palms up, and green and purple (which is sort of pink).

After this we go back to the inverted city and crags, with the city getting closer and closer to being completely upside down with the crags being almost at the bottom. And then-

The Order of the Sword, i.e. the Church/Military of Fortuna in DMC4. Fun fact, Credo's demon form is closest to this symbol than any of the other "Angels" you fight in Fortuna. At least, I think it is.

Then comes what seems to be the White Rabbit on top of Demon Godzilla, standing in the crags. Red and Green are the colors from the beginning, where Dante's Hill of Swords stood.

Also, I'm regretting not mentioning this in the other post, though I DID put the screenshot there: you can see the White Rabbit in the sky when demons come from the sky earlier in the opening. See above.

Back to the current part of the trailer, you can see the White Rabbit running around in the sky of this shot. It's hard to capture in still image, but you can see his ears, his eye, and his monocle pretty well in this one. It's the same central idea as Dante, Lady, and Glasses Guy's scenes, but with the action happening in the background in inverted colors instead of in a foreground silhouette. His shape is defined by his absence and he stands out against the white while they were in the dark.

As for Demon Godzilla, he just seems like some random giant demon. Surely important, but not necessarily named elsewhere in the series. Think Berial (DMC4 Fire Boss), Goliath (DMC5 Giant Boss), or maybe Abigail (Old DMC Anime).

We go back to the city. We're going for a full rotation now, with Dante Red vs Vergil Blue (or cyan). I like that both sections touch the other color; while Vergil may embrace his demon side where Dante embraces his humanity, both are undeniably still both human and demon, and they cannot escape this.

Then: Two orbs, cyan and red, getting pulled into one another as they seem to fight to pull away, spinning all the while, a crack forming between them and pieces of themselves breaking away as they fight for a split that doesn't come.

We immediately break off to Lady, who's observing something, whether it's a battle between Dante Vergil or some other thing she's looking for. Probably some sort of demon(s). We finally get a look at her red and green eyes, standing out against the orange. Her nose doesn't seem scarred yet- will that happen during the anime? We'll see!

The Human and Demon Worlds, two halves of the same whole, then merge together, teeth driving into each other (crags and buildings).

Then...I run out of images, darn! See you guys in part 3. I'm almost done!! There's a lot in this opening, I'm having a lot of fun with it.

[minecraft-cake]

Since a few people seemed interested and the first chapter won't be out for awhile longer as I make some transitions irl, here's some extra detail I can reveal on Scar and Grian's characterization in WWGH! Specifically some detail on Scar's background and one of his aids in this fic, along with some minor things about G.

So! I'll get on with it :). Before the apocalyptic outbreak:

After suffering a severe sickness—having already been immunocompromised—Scar was rushed to hospital urgent care. Unfortunately on the rush through an infected person that was being subdued made contact with him. Medical professionals feared the worst of his condition. While the original virus did take multiple weeks of hospitalization to recover from, doctors were baffled to see the skulk virus took no affect at all. Scar is asked to engage in a government medical program to see if they can find a cure to the alarmingly fast spreading skulk virus, since he is one of the few cases of being completely immune to it that theyve discovered. He accepts under the terms that there will be no physical harm to his condition.

This is where Scar meets Cub. Cub is a professional mad scientist, if you will. He works on finding antibodies and developing vaccines for the skulk virus, but specifically in Scar's case it comes with trying to find ways to recode and strengthen the DNA samples he's taking. He's asked to research whether or not his prior illness is part of the cure, the consequences of making it part of a vaccine, etc. Cub also runs experimental devices with the energy and experience produced by Skulk. Effectively: he's able to make advanced leg bracers and a spinal sensor that runs on the stuff. Very little of it is redstone, and because it's an organic material, he was able to fashion it like muscle. It reads the electromagnetic signals and various ""sound"" produced by the nervous system through a surgically implanted catalyst device in his lower spine, and once attached the bracers are able to guide his legs and desired movement. The main issues as that while it does not infect it still does feed— Scar needs a large supply of regeneration elixirs and experience gain for the skulk to not emaciate him. This also does not make it easy for him to re-adapt to walking, physical therapy was and still is necessary to continue to use the advanced prosthetic.

This is all quick pulled from my notes, so if they're messy or a bit unclear I do apologize, lol. But onto some minor analysis and summarization of both Scar and Grian's main trauma points in this plot! Besides, well, getting stuck in the zombie apocalypse.

Note: The following paragraphs have the characters' self-talk embedded in them, I don't think illy of any sort of mental or physical conditions and personally struggle with my own every day :) lol.

Scar:

Scar was incredibly self confident in himself and was never ashamed of his disability until the world ended. After being forced to use an untested prosthetic with little to no experience, and survive the apocalypse with very little help or compassion from others, his disability becomes a largely insecure part of him. The high tech prosthetic he has is the only thing that allows him to function semi-normally, and without it he would be dead. He would be useless. It devolves his sense of self and his own humanity; he gradually believes himself to be subhuman, unimportant without the prosthetic enabling him to walk. It also becomes a large anxiety point when trying to do any form of self-care. Bathing requires a lockdown to remove the braces, and he keeps the tech on while sleeping. It exhausts his body to have it continuously feed, but the idea of an emergency compromising his base while he is vulnerable is too encompassing for him to consider ever removing the bracers.

He refuses to let others know about the braces, and keeps an uplifting attituide to avoid confrontation about any personal issues or his life before the apocalypse.

Grian:

The biggest factor in Grian’s decision making is the fact he is near-constantly in a state of fight or flight. With an avoidant attachment style and a lot of PTSD from the relationships in his teen years, it’s difficult to become deeply connected to another person. It feels inherently traumatic to commit to any sort of relationship, no matter how much he wants to pursue friendships and otherwise intimate situations. All of his close friends either disappearing, dying, or ostracizing him after the end of the world does not help this. Despite all of this however, he is increasingly blind of how close he becomes to others (from their perspective) due to constantly masking and appearing friendly and approachable. He lets people near, but not inside, and fails to communicate wholly even if it would be to his own benefit. He doesn't believe he deserves second chances, but his desire to live allows him to take them as offered without thinking against it. He doesn't thank people for them, and guilts over that, failing to see the common sense as to why others (excluding Martin, naturally, that man really should kill him some day,) give him one in the first place.

There are secondary paragraphs I'll reveal later on, but keeping to myself for now since they have heavy spoilers as to how these two are characterized and their foils.

Hope this was an interesting little insight, feel free to ask questions! When I know the first chapter will be out, I'll give an update <3.

[alabyte]

3, 5, 27, 29, 47 for TBB ask game? 👀

I was going to do it yesterday but I forgor 💀

Thank you for the ask fren!!

3. Which Batcher would you want to be your BFF (not SO)?

Objectively speaking, probably Tech. I'm quite socially anxious and can often misunderstand contexts (my rejection sensitivity could never) and someone's intentions, so fundamental straightforwardness and explaining seemingly obvious things is literally essential when communicating with me. And I think we would have something to talk about - since childhood, my areas of interest have been space and zoology, and now my specialty is mainly biology in general and linguistics. Nerd to nerd communication!

5. Which Batcher would you take camping with you?

Without hesitation - Wrecker. Listen, I am a home person and am not suited to being in the wild in any way. Not only will I not be able to pitch a tent and start a fire, but I will be generally stressed out that everything is not going as it says in the Camping Guide For Dummies™, and I need someone to ground me in these moments. Wrecker is as simple as three cents in the most positive meaning of this phrase, he will just put his huge hand on your shoulder, say «nahhh, it's fine» and will not let you freak out over stuff. Wrecker is a sweetheart, I'm sure camping with him would be fun!

27. Tell me a random headcanon you have about Tech

Not really mine, this headcanon was mostly created by @heksahela , but I love it with all my heart. Tech has one particular special screwdriver that he always has with him. It is literally his most valuable and his most versatile tool. Repairs? Screwdriver. Need to open something? Screwdriver. Fight? SCREWDRIVER. If you argued with him and saw a screwdriver in his hands, this clone chose violence and is a threat, you can start running.

29. Tell me a random headcanon you have about Crosshair

Speaking about the screwdriver - guess who tested his brother's patience more often than others? Crosshair has a puncture scar on his left hand, which is exactly the mark from being hit with a screwdriver during a fight with Tech. This fight happened back when they were cadets, but if you think they stopped fighting later, think again.

47. Tell me an angsty headcanon you have about Crosshair

In clones, memory works a little differently than in natborns. They spent their whole lives side by side with their brothers, learned their habits, distinctive features and details, and among the 99s this differed little, even if their faces were not the same. Their memory relies heavily on everyday details, which create a cohesive image in their minds that is impossible to forget.

After some time in the Empire, after the destruction of Tipoca City, Crosshair finds himself slowly beginning to forget. At first, unimportant little details about the brothers' habits were erased from his memory when he could not remember on which side of the bunk Wrecker usually left Lula or in which mug Echo poured his caf. Then - the details of the appearance, when he realized that he did not remember where the one of the paint lines was located on Hunter's armor. Crosshair finds himself thinking that he can barely remember the intonation and voice in which Tech told yet another useless fact on the mission.

He's forgetting — slowly but inevitably. And he can't do anything about it.

[adglaciem]

Will you kill me if I ask you to do all of the bulletpoints in IN-DEPTH HEADCANON QUESTIONS for Hii. I need to know everything about my wife at the earliest convenience

how does your muse get local news and updates on current events? are they up to date with all the latest goings-on or do they prefer to avoid it altogether?

I think Hinata probably spends a lot of time casually browsing her phone or watching TV, but I wouldn't say she's super "in the know". A lot of it is stuff that requires more than 30 seconds of attention, too, so she's prone to brushing it off as unimportant or boring.

did your muse grow up with any particular television shows? do they have a favorite, or a memory tied to these shows?

Kemono Jihen takes place in 2016, so... we can reverse engineer her childhood shows as coming from the early 2000s...

I think she would've REALLY liked Inuyasha. She loves historical dramas, romance, action, and it involves yokai-- the perfect blend of attention grabbers for a little girl who liked being cool.

how much effort does your muse put into their costume for halloween parties and other dress-up events? do they have any go-to costumes?

She doesn't really go to parties, on account of the leech. That being said, given the opportunity, Hinata's more the type to be vaguely-thematic and hot than a full on costume.

does your muse stay up to date with the latest fashion trends? describe their style. where do they typically buy their clothes?

She does! Hinata enjoys fashion and keeping up with trends a lot, and as described by Aimoto, she leans more on the "punk/rocker" end of the spectrum. Heavy leather influence. I don't think she'd buy from shops that are on the "mall goth/baby bat" end of the spectrum like Hot Topic, though. There's also definitely some sporty influence; im sure her casual clothing contains plenty of athleisure.

who was their first celebrity crush?

...Inuyasha, naturally

what would your muse's bio say if they were on a dating app?

name, age, and probably something like "can't stand the heat, stay out of the kitchen"

what kind of phone does your muse have, and how customized is it? does it have a basic case or something more unique? is the screen cracked? do they have a popsocket or other accessories on it?

probably a two or three year old smartphone. Definitely cracked screen, but she probably replaces the case when it gets scuffed. The phone case has a pattern like a yakuza tattoo, and a broken loop for a charm.

smartphones and other tech along those lines can be pretty sensitive to heat, so I have a feeling she has to replace it more than most.

who was the one family member your muse always looked up to, if any?

Hinata is the second youngest of 5. Her eldest sister was the coolest person in the world to her, and she emulated a lot of her rough-and-tumble attitude. Although, like with the rest of her family, they no longer speak.

if your muse drives a car, have they personalized it in any way (bumper stickers, things hanging from the rearview mirror, etc.)?

...Can I say she has a motorcycle? The saddlebags are just as leather and studded as the rest of her. Somewhere, there's a bumper sticker that's been worn off over the years, that used to read something not braking for pedestrians.

if given a choice between having a night in or spending the night out on the town, which would they most likely choose and why?

A night in. A night out means making sure Robara behaves, which is just stressful.

In her post canon, she's a bit of a homebody, just due to circumstance.

what are your muse's favorite scents, and what do they associate them with?

Leather, charcoal, and whatever the fuck the inside of an ULTA smells like. You know the smell, though. Makeup fragrances.

I don't think she likes many organic smells, though.

what kind of shopper is your muse? are they a slow, methodical shopper, a list-maker, or a grab the items and go kind of person? how long do they usually spend getting their groceries? how long do they spend clothes shopping? do they use changing rooms?

Grab shit and GOOOOOOOOOO she has an awful habit of just throwing shit in the cart, or if she doesn't want it, sticking it on the nearest shelf. Cuts in line. Haggles with coupons. Leaves the changing room a disaster.

if something bad happens, who will your muse call first?

:)

what social cause is your muse most passionate about and why?

Hinata doesn't.... really care about society outside of the personal goals she has. Social causes are pretty meaningless drivel to her. That being said, she's passionate about the treatment of children, so... that? Don't ask her about theory, she doesn't know. What she knows is she'll kick your ass.

if your muse was made into an action figure, what would their five catchphrases be?

"I'll be a demon or the devil!"

"Suck in those balls!"

"Fightin's what I'm made for!"

"Whether vegetables or people, with an expert, people say you can line the cuts back up like it never happened."

"It's crunch time!"

what are your muse's biggest fears, and what caused them?

Hinata is terrified of losing those closest to her, a fear cultivated by Robara's constant threats towards anyone who got close-- and the perceived inability he had to take care of himself, putting his and others' lives in her hands.

She's also terrified of getting pregnant and giving birth to a "monster". She believes that no matter what, she's somehow become "tainted" and any child she has will turn out like him.

what's the one thing your muse constantly does and wishes they could stop doing?

Hinata's got an awful habit of breaking shit when she's mad, and that's really not conducive to owning things, typically. Phones and TV's can be expensive! And she's mad quite often.

does your muse know how to fight? describe their fighting style. if someone was threatening them and about to attack, how would they respond?

Fighting's what she's made for, right?

Hinata is a powerful combatant, both barehanded and with a weapon. She doesn't play defensively, and her onslaught is only made more dangerous by the flames she wields. If you fuck around, you will find out when you get football tackled to the ground and have your face rearranged in a non-euclidean manner.

Her haste and irritability isn't the same kind of weakness it is for Kaede-- Hinata clearly can be a discerning combatant and is willing to levy strategy to her advantage. It's just that there's a reason so many big predators relentlessly pursue and wear down their prey.

will your muse eat at fast food restaurants? if they're on a time crunch, what type of food will they grab?

She's not opposed to fast food at all! In fact, working for Inari and being on their own so early has made Hinata and Robara quite used to grabbing a quick bite. Hinata prefers things that are high in protein and can easily be eaten with one hand, so things like burgers are pretty set for her food choices.

did your muse's parents pass down any quirks or habits that your muse now does? what are they?

Believe it or not, but Hinata is a strong proponent of telling people to eat their veggies. And she doesn't eat until everyone else does, because her parents only ate after the kids did.

While not from her parents, Hinata's swaggy walk is the result of falling in with some yakuza after leaving home.

does you muse like road trips, or would they prefer to fly in a plane?

Plane, 100%. Longer trips that you can't just sleep off? No way! Plus, driving sucks.

what are their thoughts on roadside attractions and tourist traps? when visiting new cities, do they prefer to see the most popular sites, or pretend to be a local and blend in?

Hinata is the type to do the most popular sites, if only because she wants to appear like a normal couple and do normal couple things, which means buying in to the illusion of popularity as far as activities go. Again, though, her attention span is short and her patience is shorter, and even when Robara isn't a worry, her manners are just godawful and prone to getting her kicked out.

what does your muse's bedroom look like? is it cluttered or clean? do they use the overhead lighting, or use lamps and other things to provide a better ambience? do they make their bed every morning or leave it unmade?

Hinata's bedroom is surprisingly well-decorated, with lots of trendy and thematic elements-- but it's usually in a state of disarray, since she's not the type to get too hung up on organizing things. Not always messy, though. The cleaning tends to be a cycle of missing a few days, doing it all in one big burst, etc, etc. She's not the type to let anything become particularly unsanitary conditions-wise.

The bed gets made, but she complains the whole time about how pointless it is.

is your muse a 'this is a really nice box, i should save it' kind of person, or do they tend to throw things out no matter what?

It's pretty evenly 50/50. Being on her own instilled a bit of resourcefulness, but once things start getting cluttered, Hinata's the type to chuck things out with reckless abandon, regardless of if they've actually been kinda useful.

[rajeshkumarrr]

Smart Strategies for Marriott Timeshare Resale Success

Marriott Timeshare Resale is my go-to topic when I think about real ways to save money and get value out of my vacation investment.

I’ve been mulling over my own timeshare worries and I know you have too.

I’m here to share what I’ve learned, over a cuppa, about navigating this tricky market.

Why I Chose Marriott Timeshare Resale

I faced many questions before deciding on Marriott timeshare resale.

I wondered: “Is it worth the hassle?” and “Can I make a smart deal?”

I realised that transparency and simplicity are key.

I wanted an approach that was easy to follow, without all the tech jargon.

My Journey with Marriott Timeshare Resale

My initial step was to gather all the information regarding the Marriott timeshare resale as much as possible.

I also found that knowing how it works can prevent you from countless hours of stressing out.

I spent some time chatting with those who previously did similar things.

Listening to everyone’s stories helped me make a lot of sense of what is going on.

Key Considerations Before You Dive In

Here are some bullet points I found invaluable:

Research the market:

Look into current resale trends.

Understand demand in your local area and beyond.

Know your rights and obligations:

Read all contracts carefully.

Ask questions until everything is crystal clear.

Budget and timing:

Factor in all costs, not just the resale price.

Timing your sale can make a big difference.

Understanding Marriott Vacation Club Resale

That is why I soon discovered that Marriott Vacation Club Resale is not just a mere trading.

It is all about how to extract maximum from an asset that you already possesses.

This is a market in which nothing, it seems, is unimportant.

That is why, I endeavored to comprehend every part and break it up into sub-operations.

Steps I Took to Simplify the Process

I boiled down my approach into a simple checklist:

Gather Information:

Collect all your documents and contracts.

Know your timeshare’s history and current status.

Consult Experts:

Speak with specialists who understand Marriott Vacation Club Resale.

Get advice tailored to your specific situation.

Set Realistic Goals:

Decide what “success” looks like for you.

Keep your expectations in check and be ready for some negotiation.

Market Your Timeshare:

Use clear, straightforward language when advertising.

Highlight its best features with bold highlights and bullet points.

Stories and Examples

Let me share a quick story:

I once met a friend who was completely overwhelmed by his timeshare.

He struggled until he simplified his approach, following a few clear steps.

He focused on one thing at a time—gathering info, talking to experts, and finally, setting realistic goals.

It was like watching someone untangle a giant ball of yarn, step by step.

Using the Right Keywords

I always ensure that the primary keyword is in the first line, like now: Marriott Timeshare Resale.

I sprinkle related terms—like Marriott Vacation Club Resale—and even mention examples such as the Marriott Timeshare Points System and Marriott's Village d'Ile-de-France throughout.

This helps search engines and readers see that I know my stuff.

How I Keep It Real and Engaging

I believe in using plain talk.

I don’t hide behind fancy words or endless paragraphs.

Every sentence comes straight to the point.

I start each new thought on a fresh line.

I use bullet points and numbered lists for clarity.

I add bold highlights to emphasise the must-know tips.

Tips to Make Your Resale Journey Smoother

Here are some simple tips that I follow and share with others:

Do your homework:

Research local market trends.

Find out what similar timeshares are selling for.

Talk to people:

Join online forums and local groups.

Ask for first-hand experiences.

Plan your timeline:

Set clear dates for each step.

Be flexible but stay on track.

Stay organised:

Keep all your documents in one place.

Use checklists to monitor your progress.

Breaking Down Complex Tips

I find that breaking down complex topics makes everything easier.

For example, when explaining how to manage your timeshare, I split it into easy steps:

Step 1: Understand your current contract details.

Step 2: Talk to a professional who can explain the legal bits.

Step 3: Set up your desired outcome and timeline.

Step 4: Market your timeshare with honest, clear language.

My Favourite Resources

I also love sharing useful resources that helped me:

Online blogs that explain the resale process in simple terms.

Forums where people share real-life experiences.

Professional consultation services that offer tailored advice.

These resources made my journey much less daunting and more informed.

A Casual Chat Over Coffee

Imagine us having a coffee together.

I’d ask, “Have you ever felt lost with your timeshare?”

You’d probably nod, knowing that many of us have been there.

We’d chat about our worries, share a laugh, and then get down to the practical stuff. Here is the Digital Marketing!

That’s exactly how I approach Marriott Timeshare Resale: real talk, genuine advice, and practical steps that work.

Why Bon Voyage Vacation Services?

I choose Bon Voyage Vacation Services because they keep it real.

They understand the market and make the process less intimidating.

They’re not about fancy jargon but real, practical advice that works.

Their approach helped me see the true value in my timeshare and how to make a smart resale deal.

Final Thoughts

I hope you found my insights helpful.

I’ve laid out my journey and the steps that made Marriott Timeshare Resale a manageable process.

Remember, it’s all about keeping it simple and real.

Every tip, every bullet point, every story is meant to make your journey smoother.

I invite you to take these tips, adapt them to your own situation, and approach your timeshare resale with confidence.

If you have any questions or need more guidance, I’m just a message away.

Together, we can demystify the world of Marriott Vacation Club Resale.

Marriott Timeshare Resale is the key to unlocking real value from your timeshare, and I’m here to help you every step of the way.

[madeofthreads]

His teams final trial had been special. A VR test. The first time they had done that - and mastered it. Though it had felt so realistic. So disgusting. Glenn could've sworn he needed a shower afterwards from all the monster guts having splattered on him in VR.

But this new tech also was SO fascinating... of course Glenn wanted to show Leif. He practically dragged his brother into Shinra HQ on one of his visits to Midgar, not shutting up about this VR stuff. It was late evening, no one would mind.

Leading Leif into that training hall, Glenn was almost giddy.

"I swear, its insane, you just gotta look! It feels so real! They said they made the program up out of past missions that really happened!"

Scrolling through the computer, Glenn was surprised how many new missions he seemingly had unlocked with advancing in rank.

He picked the surroundings of Gongaga. The VR kicking in, creating trees and leaves out of nowhere. Thick, heavy warm wind in their faces. The roar of a monster that came charging through the undergrowth.

Glenn chuckled, changing to some other random mission.

The ice plains close to Icicle Inn. Snowflakes falling down, leaving little cold pinpricks on their skin. 'Exterminate 50 monsters within the time limit.' was the robotic announcement to this.

"Pretty cool, huh?", Glenn boasted, again switching to a random picked program.

The lightpanels changing, the snow stopped - instead making up their new surroundings. Rocks, Cliffs. A running river down below. A bridge spanning out in front of them. The air was thick and red dark with smoke and embers flying.

The heat of fire could be felt. There were voices. Screaming and shouting. Humans.

There immediately was an uneasy feeling. This was different from the former VR missions, where they had to fight monsters.

'Exterminate the terrorists and destroy their delivery paths.'

There was a small shrine by the bridge. Such an unimportant detail. But it clawed into Glenn's mind. Long past memories bubbling up, where he had stood on his tiptoes to reach to the small platform, fighting with Leif about who got to place a candle for save passage there. His eyes wandered from the shrine to the bridge. The metal structure like a skeleton in the dark. He... knew it in daylight, looking up. Using a branch to hit the metal posts and make noise. And beyond that... the towers of a village. He could hear the echoes of bells ringing, as Leif and he had run across a market place.

"That's..."

...where we had lived before Midgar....

There was a sense of unease being topside. Leif didn't outwardly show it, but he didn't much like the metal structures of Midgar, precisely why he bailed from the city as soon as he could afford a small plot in the grasslands. That had taken him years, while Glenn trained in the soldier program he scraped together every bit of gil that he could and shoved it into his savings.

Felt weird to be standing in his brother's place of occupation. He wasn't an extremist, but he didn't particularly buy what the Shinra company was selling. If a Shinra logo was stamped on something the price suddenly skyrocketed and the competition died out, and the way the media harped on about heroes and joining the cause for a war that wasn't worth fighting really didn't sit right. He left well enough alone and kept his dissatisfaction mostly to himself.

Hell, that had been the cause of most arguments between him and Glenn. They couldn't see eye-to-eye on it. Where his brother thought Shinra was the future, Leif saw them as the epitome of greed that had a chokehold on the common folk. He did his time in the filth of the slums. He saw enough.

Though he was old enough to swallow down his opinions. He knew how much this all meant to Glenn, and he had a feeling his brother was trying to win him over with this future tech. He went along with it all for Glenn's sake — not worth smashing their heads together or potentially shattering their bond, he'd try to keep an open mind.

Try.

"All this mako for make believe?" he mused, and when he shot a glance to Glenn he help up his hands out in a show of peace. "Alright, alright. Show me what you got."

He stood there with his hands on his hips. Watched their surroundings change to Gongaga. He glanced around. The same trees extended into the distance, copied over and over. The air in their face had a metallic edge to it, not the wet forest litter he'd expect. Head cocked, that monster's roar was... wrong. They really used the call of a Fonadu belonging to Junon.

He blinked and the environment changed again. Somewhere he hadn't been. The northern continent. Though he had a feeling it ought to feel a lot colder.

Leif hummed to his brother's question. Better to bite his tongue, he was supposed to be making an effort here.

Right as he started to try and loosen up for Glenn's sake, his stomach dropped. The hands at his hips slowly fell away and his entire expression and demeanour changed. It was a stone cold shock that froze him on the spot.

'Exterminate the terrorists and destroy their delivery paths.'

This was the iron islands. Some crude recreation of...

His stomach twisted, and slowly his shocked expression hardened. "What are you playing at?" he asked his brother lowly, with a barely controlled temper. "Why on Gaia— what is this??" Arms opened wide, he stepped around Glenn to gesture around. "Why the fuck is our home mapped out like a fucking game, Glenn?!"

In a moment of anger he shoved his brother back as if that would help anything at all, barely gave Glenn the time to respond. He paced towards that bridge with the same anger, a hand pushing his hair back harshly as he made long strides for the metal structure. "Don't you dare quit out of this!" he bellowed, already halfway across the bridge.

[sprymagician]

More Writing stuff. Sorta off topic. Got inspired by a smaller side character.

Writer. You are now sidetracked. Tell us about someone unimportant.

I uh... Okay.

Traveling back to the apartment hive complex, we come to a home near the middle of the tower, Around the seventh floor. Here we find a science lab, and another yellow blooded troll. Several dozen small appliances lay in varying degrees of disassembly. In front of this troll would be a machine, a mix various parts and other things to create, in theory, a machine to change ones shape. The machine was incomplete however, due to missing.... Some sort of programmable function to apply the changes to a base template. The troll would grumble, Trying to figure out the process with a grunt as he'd thing a bit. He'd be dressed in a science coat, his hair sticking out as if he had been electrocuted repeatedly. He'd fiddle with the machine, Grumbling at both the lack of a programmable matter, or a way to apply said changes. It upset the troll to no extent, as he'd kneel down to gather up his tools. If only there was something that he could pull from, some sort of tech to fiddle with.

This particular Troll is named Charli Vaerik. He lives in the same apartment complex as Sarron, a buddy of his, and That One Mean Clown Bitch. Charli would be described by others as a Mad scientist, Talking about things that were considered by most as "Absurdly impossible" such as changing blood colors, giving someone wings, or hypothetically changing someone's species entirely. Be it fanciful Alchemical reactions, Technological know-how, or goofy as shit rainbow drinker magic, he had seriously looked into all of them with near fanatical intensity. His hive was more mad science than home, various appliances and such around that were extremely efficient at what they did. Several small scale breakthroughs in energy consumption kept his projects from authorities, since he seriously doubted upturning the Hemospectrum and making it his mewling bitch was very... Legal. There was also his incessantly crass attitude when referring to others, bordering on harassing side comments behind people's backs. That being said, it couldn't be said that the troll couldn't sweet talk his way into someone's home. Most of these electronics were "donated" to him, Either from scrapyards, trashbins, abandoned hives, or other places he could get the things. Still, he craved for a change. The hateful looks, the better than you attitudes higher castes had, and that fucking clown upstairs would throw him into a zealous focus. He wanted nothing more than to end that bitch, but there were a fair bit of.... Issues with that. Namely he was a low blood, and she was at the top of the spectrum. Now if they were even though..

((Aight, had a feeling to do a little side thing with Charli/Charlie. Those who know him might call this his origin story.

[fallindomino]

how i would have changed s2 of hsmtmts

obvious disclaimer but im not a screenwriter or anyth so im not claiming what i want is best, this is just for fun lololol

okay so first of all nini would still have dropped out of yac but she wouldn’t have gone back to east, she would have transferred to north bc she was too ashamed to tell anyone she left at first and maybe she still wants to explore who she is away from ricky and the others

nini could join north’s batb and this way maybe we could have some playful rivalry with lily and nini and more scenes with antoine shdhdjdj also it could have been a great opportunity to flesh out lily’s character so those scenes where she reaches out to ricky and her confession at the end of the season actually make sense lol

speaking of ricky ,,, i think he should have left the play at some point hear me out. he only joined in the first place because of nini and barely wanted to do it at all once he realized he wasn’t gonna be able to perform with her. he could have joined crew and been a manager with natalie or smth considering he rlly does see the theater gang as a second family. also this would leave so much room for ej and ricky development and bants since ej joined the av club and began to pursue film. they could have some convos where idk ricky asks ej how he figured out what he wanted to do after duke didn’t work out and ricky could actually develop some interests that arent the play or nini ,,, maybe fucking art club i mean he did p good on that centerpiece for carlos’ quinceañera.

with ricky not being the beast anymore i think seb should take his place that would be soooo good. and since seb isn’t chip anymore carlos won’t make those snide comments about chip being a small unimportant role and we can just cut that whole fight bc it was dumb and bad. we could still have seb being insecure that carlos is only dating him bc there aren’t really any other gay guys at school. in a heartbeat is great and i did like ricky being supportive in the background it was kinda funny too idk dhdjdjfj

ooh i almost forgot abt rini ahshdj okay so i still think they should break up. but in my version there’s no ricky pulling an ej 1.0 and deleting comments off of nini’s insta, cause with ricky in art club and nini at north trying to figure out what she wants i think one of them would realize that they’re going in different directions and only got back tgt because they made each other feel safe cause what they had was familiar. this could be triggered by ricky mentioning smth abt nini at yac and then nini breaks down and tells him that she dropped out and is at north and doesn’t know where she’s going. and then they can both realize they aren’t good for each other rn and have a less tragic mutual break up.

honestly i really liked the scene of nini taking charge after miss jenn freaked out cause with the character detail of nini giving every person in the cast of productions she’s in a thank you note she just seems really like someone who is suited to lifting others up. this could still be explored at north, maybe she could help lily through her issues that were briefly implied in ep 11 and nini realizes she wants to be a drama teacher and encourage kids to go off book and put themselves into their acting, something she couldn’t have at yac.

okay now ej ,,, so like i said in ricky’s section, more bants between them cause i feel like friendships kinda fell by the wayside due to all the relationships so more friendship !!!! also the scene where ej tells his dad he’s not going to duke shouldn’t have been an ending scene, it should have been fleshed out with his dad pushing back saying how he pulled all these strings to get him in and ej saying he doesn’t wanna go if his own hard work couldn’t get him there. and also more scenes of ej doing av club things !!! and realizing he rlly likes film and wants to do it OMG IT WOULD BE SO COOL IF HE BROKE THE FOURTH WALL AND ASKED THE DOCUMENTARY CREW ABT THE FILM INDUSTRY god i would love that. the only scene we rlly got of ej doing film things was at the quinceañera which made me kinda sad. uhhh also i just wanted to specifically mention how ej got mr mazzara that job at cal tech bc it really showed how he wanted to be there for people not just for gina, who he had a crush on, but for mr mazzara who supported him outside of romance, so i wanna keep that for sure.

gina !!! okay so i mostly liked her arc in this season, the only changes i would make would be to flesh it out a teeny bit (god this hypothetical s2 would have to be like 22 eps at least shdjdjdjfj) anyways besides ashlyn singing home to get gina to stay i think there should be a scene where they actually talk in her room abt how gina feels safer when shes on the run (second chance reference ilysm) hhhh and also a scene of her and carlos actually working out compromises for their choreo cause i liked that bit of development too and fleshing that out would make gina an even better foil for lily, who felt a need to hog the spotlight like gina used to. with gina’s own arc fleshed out her character would feel more whole independently from romance and portwell would be even more rewarding than it is in the current s2. the only thing i would really change abt portwell is that they would kiss !!! in the finale but thats bc im biased.

ashlyn should have gotten a more fleshed out storyline about being insecure about not being a good enough belle or the typical belle. there were some throwaway lines when north did their typical dramatics but the only two real scenes that showed it were when ash talked to big red about it and when she was telling nini she wanted to do a run in “home” bc lily did it. ashlyn should get more screen time where she has to grapple with the reasons she doesn’t feel good enough and big red can still support her but also gina too bc i would like more roommate besties interaction.

kourtney could still date howie, that harry potter shit was cute but there needs to be smth else for kourtney’s arc. idk she’s still into fashion so maybe she could be out here trying to create her own line or smth? this doesn’t have to be resolved in s2 like making a wholeass line takes time and she could work on it into a potential s3. kourtney just didnt get much outside of howie and the stuff at the beginning of the season where she said nini inspired her to be independent and that's why she got a job was just dropped?? so i think that fashion could fill that for her if she’s still dating howie cause like having her whole arc just be the pizza place kinda overlaps w big red’s mini arc abt how he wasn’t settling for hospitality, its what he wants to do with his life.

ik what ur thinking. anna, even if you added more episodes, where would u find the room to add all these plotlines?? well first we cut (most of) the seblos fight, so thats some time saved. honestly most of the time that we r going to gain is going to be from cutting ms jenn’s time. things like ms jenn’s and nini’s car ride would get cut, but mostly all of ms jenn’s romances would get cut down. considering she’s the teacher and isn’t actually a character with an arc how does she have THREE love interests this season?? like all of the weird tension between her and zack can be cut, like just some short scenes of them being competitive can stay. all of the stuff with ricky’s dad can go bye bye we don’t need it. i did like her w mr mazzara so most of that can stay i just didn’t like how he said he would give up cal tech for her, ew no that would be gone.

the MENKIES !!!! this is the last thing im gonna address cause in a perfect world every character would get a long fleshed out arc but then the season would be waaay too long and also im mostly trying to work within material the show gave so this is mostly made up of “realistic” deviations from what actually happened. lol idk what that even means it just makes sense to me. but anyways!! uhhh bro idk i thought them dropping the menkies was funny but it also made the finale really BAD lmao. in this finale, seb is the beast, east still had to deal w the fact that they’re underfunded compared to north but no one is injured, lily is less of a poorly written character and maybe ppl are even rooting for her, and wow i just realized i never actually said what role i think nini should have in north’s show. OOH she could be student director instead of lily cause lily both being in the play while also directing was weird considering omg i just checked and according to her wiki page shes a FRESHMAN?? and they let her be student director? lol hell nah. okay so with all that in mind ,,, the menkies should have been the season cliffhanger instead of portwell. east and north should both be nominated, both schools perform at the menkies, and then the award winner is about to be announced and THATS when it cuts to natalie and the end of the season.

one, this actually gives more tension for a summer s3 as we would be waiting to see the consequences of whichever school won. also i bet people would be wondering if nini’s gonna be transferring back to east or staying at north. people would also prob wonder if ej would be getting the scholarship if east won and what that would mean for his interest in film.

lmao that got longggg and idk if anyone’s even gonna read this but it was fun to do :D

[abarbaricyalp]

hi. you still taking prompts? sambucky meet cute: the lobby of some kind of really tall building and they both have to get to the to top floors. bucky gets to the elevator first, pushes the "door close" button cause he's in a hurry even though he sees sam rushing towards it, but sam gets there just in time. he saw what bucky did so in retaliation he just pushes every single button to make bucky late. now they're stuck in the longest elevator ride, having to stop at every floor

Friend, this is not a meet cute. This is full on meet ugly 😅

AO3 link in the reblog

Push All My Buttons

Bucky was being haunted. That was the only logical explanation for how someone followed him from Brooklyn to Manhattan, mostly on foot. He’d seen the same guy on two trains, across approximately a thousand city blocks, and in the dumb cafe that Bucky squeezed into five seconds after it opened.

And now, the same handsome young black man was standing in the middle of the Stark Tower lobby, looking lost. Bucky quickly hit the close door button of the elevator that he blessedly had to himself. Apparently, he hit it too loud because the guy’s gaze snapped over to him and recognition lit on his face.

Bucky hit Close Door again.

“Hey! Could you hold that!” the guy called, jogging across the lobby floor and avoiding milling people. The fucking tourists on the ground level were killer.

Bucky was not letting a stalker into the elevator with him when he had 91 floors to get up. He hit Close Door for a third time.

Finally, the guy seemed to realize what Bucky was doing and he scowled before tossing his army bag towards the closing doors. They hit the bag and opened up just in time for the guy to jog over, grab his bag, and step inside.

“You’re kind of an asshole,” he said as he slung the duffle over his shoulder again.

“I’m late to a meeting,” Bucky said, which was true. Mostly what he wanted to say was ‘don’t kill me and wear my face as a mask’ or whatever someone who’d followed him over three boroughs would want to do.

The man looked over at him from the corner of his eyes, looked at the highlighted 91 and then reached over to smooth his hand up every single button on the machine. 2-93 lit up.

Bucky stared.

The man crossed his arms. “Now we’re both late.”

92 and 93 unlit themselves. Those were Stark’s personal suites. 2-91 remained lit.

“You fucking asshole,” Bucky groaned and dragged his hands over his face. “Why would you do that? I’m meeting with Stark. I’ve got his-his-his fucking coffee. Jesus.”

“Because I’d rather be late and piss you off than be on time and let you get away with trying to close the door in my face.”

“What was the point of following me all the way around the city? Are you trying to make my life difficult?”

Now the man fully turned to look over at him. The elevator stopped on the second floor and no one was waiting. “I’m not following you. I don’t even know who you are.”

“Are you kidding?” Bucky asked. “You’ve been on my ass since Lloyd’s, in Brooklyn.”

The man frowned. The elevator eased up to the next floor. “Why would you stop at Lloyd’s if you were coming all the way in here?”

“I like to eat on my commute, that’s not the point! You followed me!”

“Pal, I dunno how to tell you that anyone coming from Brooklyn to Stark Tower’s gotta take a pretty similar route.”

“It’s Bucky, pal.”

“Sam,” the guy said and then honest to God offered his hand out like he wasn’t actively ruining Bucky’s life.

On the fifth floor, someone stepped into the elevator, looked at the buttons and stepped back out. Bucky shook Sam’s hand with a resigned sigh.

“Where’d you get that piece of machinery on your arm?” Sam asked around floor eight.

“It’s not on my arm,” Bucky answered. “It is my arm.”

Sam rolled his eyes and punched the door close button. “Fine, where’d you get that piece of machinery on your torso?”

“It’s not Stark tech,” he answered because he knew that was actually what Sam was asking about. He let his eyes slide over Sam’s body quickly, trying to discern if Sam was here for a prosthetic. The bag on his shoulder and the silver ball-chain around his neck gave away that he was military. Stark Industries had a veterans program, so there was a good population of soldiers walking around the building at any given time. Sam was wearing pants, so Bucky couldn’t be totally sure he didn’t have a bad leg, but he hadn’t clocked any limp or awkward gait since Brooklyn. “You here for a prosthetic?” he asked anyway.

Sam snorted and shook his head. The door opened again and someone got on before reaching to press the ground level button.

“Shit,” the woman said, upon seeing everything else lit up. She quickly hit the door open button and jumped back out. “You know, if you two wanted extra time together, having the doors open on every floor was probably a bad idea.”

“That’s not what we--” Bucky started to argue, but the doors slid shut in front of him.

“Anyway,” Sam started again. “I’m not here for a prosthetic. I’m here with Colonel Rhodes.”

“Wow, big man on campus,” Bucky said drily.

“Oh, right, you’re so unimportant, going up to the 91st floor,” Sam shot back.

“I work here,” Bucky said. He held up the quickly cooling coffee in his hands. “Glorified secretary most days, but I’m supposed to be an engineer.”

“What kind of machines do you work with?”

“Not the planes or the suits. Military tech, mostly. I try to stay away from weapons when I can.”

“Did you serve?” Sam asked.

Wish I hadn’t, Bucky wanted to say. “Nah, actually I lost my arm when Stark flew into an uncaffeinated rage and threw a saw at me.”

“Whatever, man. There’s a thousand ways to lose an arm. It ain’t gotta be out in the desert.” His cheeks didn’t quite color, but he crossed his arms and stared ahead.

“Mountains,” Bucky corrected. “Special OPs.”

“Oh, right, but I’m the big man on campus,” Sam said, holding up his hands in mock surrender.

“Rhodes is a big deal around here. You think Stark’s letting him out of his sight for just anyone?”

“The Air Force is testing a new gadget. Rhodes is involved ‘cause Air Force. Maybe you worked on it.”

“Yeah, maybe. It’s a big program. Stark’s got a lot of things going on all at once. Lots of engineers and designers.”

The elevator stopped on the 25th floor and Sam and Bucky both said, “We’re going up,” at the same time to keep the group of suits from crowding into the elevator with them.

Sam kicked his bag into the corner and sat down heavily in front of it, leaning back and closing his eyes. “So you’re a soldier who works for Stark Industries but didn’t get your prosthetic from him, even though he’s the cutting edge of prosthetics and has a full-paid program for those injured in duty.”

Bucky gave up and sat down too. He cradled the coffee cup between his legs, which was probably a bad idea, but this whole morning had been bad. “My story’s a little more complicated than that,” he said. “A lot more twists and turns. My arm is still high tech, though. I asked for a flamethrower, or at least a saw hand but I didn’t get it.”

Sam laughed and, for the first time all morning, Bucky thought maybe he wasn’t so angry at him anymore. Sam laughed like nothing had ever hurt him before, which made it feel like maybe nothing had hurt Bucky either. “Well, there’s your problem. Stark would’ve definitely given you that, from what I hear about the man.”

Bucky grinned over at him and dropped his head back against the wall. It was uncomfortable and the jostling of the car every few seconds rattled his brain, but it beat standing up, or keeping his eyes on Sam for too long. “You’re still in the service?”

“Well, not all of us are so lucky to get a medical discharge on our first tour.”

“Oh, yeah, real luck of the Irish, me. And it was my second. I wasn’t SpecOps until I finished my first stint in the army.”

“Right, right,” Sam said. Then, “You joined up young.”

“So did you. I mean, I assume you’re on your second or third tour too, if you’re being asked to work with Rhodes.”

“Second. I took a long leave to do some school stuff.”

“Oh, so working with Rhodes and you’re smart. You really are the whole package.”

“I’m working with Colonel Rhodes because I’m smart,” Sam corrected. “I could probably take your job. I’m real techy.”

“I’d appreciate it if you didn’t. I’m fond of my apartment and I definitely can’t afford it without being here.”

“Right, I assume you make buck working for Stark.”

“Eh, he’s still a multi-billionaire, he could pay us more.”

“What’s that say about the military then?”

“I’ll drink to that, bro.”

Sam chuckled again and opened his eyes to glance over at Bucky. “How does someone go from losing their arm in a SpecOps mission to working for Stark Industries.”

“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you. It’s at least a three course discussion.”

The elevator dinged on level 39 and paused, though there was no one there.

“Almost halfway up,” Sam pointed out.

“You are good at math,” Bucky joked just to see Sam roll his eyes again, which he did. “Why Air Force?” he asked when the doors decided to shut again.

“It’s gonna sound so stupid, but I’ve been dreaming about flying since I was a little kid. I wanted to be an astronaut and a lot of astronauts were in the military. So, air force. Figured if I never got to space, at least I spent years in the air anyway.”

Bucky didn’t think that was stupid at all. “You’re right, that’s pretty dumb.” Sam flipped him off with a laugh. “Are you a good pilot?”

“Pal, I’m one of the best out there.”

“God, you chair force guys are all the same,” Bucky said. He squawked as Sam leaned over to tackle him down. “Coffee, coffee! Sam, if you spill Stark’s coffee I’ll make you explain it to him!” he threatened as Sam pulled him away from the cup that had managed to remain upright by an unlikely bout of luck and physics.

Sam was fucking strong, wrangling Bucky down and holding him still. Sure, he was on his knees and Bucky’s legs were mostly trapped under him, but still. Bucky wasn’t a small guy and the prosthetic wasn’t light either but Sam had tugged him out of the corner anyway.

“Oh my God, seriously?” a guy asked on the next floor.

Bucky took the moment of distraction to dig his knee into Sam’s ribs and flip them over as the doors shut again. He locked his fingers around Sam’s wrist and held it to the floor. Sam tugged at the hold futilely.

“Shit, what’s that made out of?”

“That’s another three course answer.”

“At this rate? No chance,” Sam said and got his foot braced against Bucky’s shoulder before shoving him off. Bucky sat back and made sure the coffee was still standing. Sam leaned up against the wall by the doors. They both took in heavy breaths.

“What are you doing with Rhodes?” Bucky asked at floor fifty, when he was pretty positive they weren’t about to leap at each other again.

“Maybe that’s a three course answer,” Sam responded with a small smirk.

“I didn’t know Stark was working on planes with the Air Force.”

“Did I say plane?”

“Helicopters, whatever,” Bucky amended with a wave of his hand. “What do you fly?”

“I’m pararescue.”

Bucky let out a low whistle. “Shit, that’s more impressive than working with Rhodes, maybe. You a doctor?”

“I’ve got triage training, but I’m not, like, ready to walk into an E.R. as soon as I get home or anything.” Sam ran his hand over his buzzed hair and Bucky suddenly wanted to know what it looked like grown out, or if he’d ever kept it long. How he styled it and if he had facial hair and what he was hiding under his shirt and Jesus Christ, he needed to think about anything else.

“Well, from what I’ve seen, your beside manner probably sucks.”

Sam kicked out his foot lamely, missing Bucky’s by a mile. “You ain’t hurt. I don’t gotta give you no bedside manner.”

“What floor do you want off on?” Bucky asked after a glance at the rapidly dimming lights on on the button panel.

“85.”

“Right, yeah, Rhodes works there. We’re at 70 now.”

“What’s it like? Just offices?”

“Nah, he’s got a whole training floor. There’re a few offices, a reception area, but there’s also a gym and some space for simulated battle, sparring rooms. It’s pretty cool. You’ll have a lot of room for whatever he’s doing.”

Sam nodded and looked over at the gaping doors with the first look of unease he’d had all morning.

“You nervous?”

“You would be too,” Sam answered. “If you knew what I was doing. But, hey,” he looked away as the doors shut, “my partner’s already up there, so I can’t make any more of a fool of myself than he probably already has.”

Bucky grinned and shrugged. “I dunno about that. You seem pretty incapable,” he said sarcastically.

Sam kicked out his leg again and then stood up and grabbed his bag from next to Bucky. “You work here every day?”

Bucky nodded and took Sam’s hand when he offered it down to him to haul himself up. “9 to too late.”

“Well, I’m around for a few weeks. Maybe we could walk together instead of around each other next time,” he suggested.

Bucky ignored the swooping of his stomach. “Yeah, if you can keep up.”

Sam jostled his ribs with an elbow. “I can keep up. You’re the one with the machine on your arm.”

“Yeah, and what about it? I could hand-walk faster than you could run.”

“Oh, I doubt that,” Sam snorted. The door opened on floor 80 and Sam’s mouth screwed to one side briefly before he looked at Bucky. “Maybe you’ll get my number out of all of this eventually.”

“Maybe I don’t want it after this stunt.”

Sam placed his hand on Bucky’s metal shoulder solemnly. “You want it.”

With a grin, Bucky shrugged Sam off and shoved him forward. “Get outta here, Wilson.”

“How’d you know--?” Sam asked, taking half a step back to the doors.

Bucky reached over to trace his fingers over the name patch on the other side of the bag. “I’m just a good guesser.”

“Hey, that’s not fair. What’s your--”

The door shut between them and Bucky sagged back against the wall with a sigh. His heart was racing like he was a teenager again and his head felt cloudy. This meeting was not going to go well at this point. He wasn’t sure he’d be able to focus on anything but Sam’s smile or the way he looked in boots or the weight of him above Bucky’s body.

When the elevator dinged on 91, he grabbed Stark’s coffee and let himself off and then almost immediately ran into Rhodes.

“Oh, hey, sorry. Hey, I was just on the elevator with your meeting,” he said. “Sorry he’s late. I hit a bunch of buttons on accident when I got in,” Bucky lied as he passed the coffee to Stark.

“No harm, no foul,” Rhodey said easily. “Clearly I wasn’t even down there. I was actually waiting on you.”

“Me? What for? I’m not working on anything military.”

“You’re not?” Stark asked around a mouthful of coffee. “You assigning yourself projects now?”

“You didn’t say anything about the wings being military. I mean, how would that even work? It’d put a soldier in the air bare.”

“Yeah,” Stark agreed sarcastically and clapped a hand down on Bucky’s metal arm. “What kind of soldier runs around without full body protection.”

“What are you calling the project?” Rhodey asked, guiding the discussion back to where it was supposed to be.

“EXO-Falcon,” Bucky said. “I was modeling it after some of Stark’s EXO-skeleton suits, but it’s much more compact, situated on the back with all support sitting around the chest and ribs.”

Rhodey nodded. “Can I see them?”

Bucky quickly dashed to his work bench and came back with the wings in their case. “They’re carbon fiber, which makes them a little more flexible and keeps them a little lighter weight. I had thought about doing interlocking plates like my arm, but it wasn’t working. I took some of the more basic structures of my arm and modeled a folding mechanism out of it instead. The wings retract into and out of the case.”

He pulled the jetpack on and stepped away from the other work spaces before clicking the wings open. They snapped out behind him, grand and proud. Not unlike how Bucky was feeling at that moment.

“And the jetpack? Is that ready to go?” Rhodey asked.

Bucky shifted from foot to foot. “Well, in theory. I haven’t tested it out yet ‘cause I’m not trained to do things like that, but I’ve put DUM-E into the air and nothing blew up.”

“Well, the Air National Guard guys here today will be thrilled to hear that,” Stark said. “Shall we?”

“You don’t wanna test the jets before you put it on someone?” Bucky asked, a little strangled. He trusted his design. But he really, really hadn’t put as much time into the whole human safety element as he did the ‘up and running’ element.

“We’ll strap a crash test dummy to them in over the mats. It’ll be fine. The fire suppression system on 85 is better than up here.”

“No it isn’t. It’s just further from your suites,” Rhodey said.

Stark shrugged and tossed a piece of pastry in his mouth. “It’s my building. I say we go down to 85.”

“Well, that’s where I left your trainee or whatever too,” Bucky said as he shrugged off the pack and packed it all back up. “Do you want me to grab the other pack?”

“No worries, I’ve already moved it,” Stark said. “I knew Rhodes was coming by. You’re welcome, those things are heavy.”

“Don’t act like you didn’t have DUM-E move it,” Rhodey teased. He made his way over to the elevator and Bucky followed with Stark on his heels. The ride down to 85 was much faster than the ride up to 91. It was a miracle what not hitting every button could do. They stepped out onto the floor and made their way to the training mats, where two other people were already standing.

“Barnes, I’d like to keep you on the Falcon project,” Rhodey said. “No one knows the wings like you do. That being said, you’ll be working with live test subjects now, so it’s a little more critical.”

“Hey, you don’t have to say it that way!” the blond man in the middle of the room said. “Call us, like, Top Guns or something.”

“You don’t get to choose your nickname around here,” Stark called over, propping himself up on a stack of sparring mats to watch from afar. “Ask Manchurian Candidate. He definitely didn’t choose his.”

Rhodey rolled his eyes. “Barnes, this Sergeant Wiatrek and Sergeant Wilson.”

Fuck.

“It’s Barnes, huh?” Sam asked, smugly crossing his arms over his chest.

“Oh, Sammy, you didn’t hook up with this guy already did you?” the blond asked in teasing horror.

“Screw you, no. I met him this morning.”

“Ah,” Rhodey said with a grin. “This was the meeting you made late,” he said to Bucky.

“Yeah, we met this morning,” Bucky confirmed with a raging blush. How was this his life?

“Well, good, you can get right to work on the wings,” Rhodey said. “Let me go find a crash dummy.”

“DUM-E,” Stark called as Rhodey started away.

“I’ll find that doll first,” Rhodey challenged.

Bucky turned from their bickering and looked at Sam, then the blond next to him.

“It’s Riley,” the other man said and offered out his hand. “I’m better conversation than this one.”

Bucky doubted it. He shook the guy’s hand and then held out the briefcase like a shield between him and Sam’s teasing gaze. “Do you wanna see the wings?”

Riley nodded eagerly and Bucky moved to another stack of mats to open the case. Riley and Sam stood on either side of him. As Riley pulled the jetpack free, Sam pulled out his phone. Bucky thought he was going to film his friend inevitably crashing, but instead he turned on the auto-help.

“Hey, where’s the nearest three-course restaurant?” he asked without looking away from Bucky, without his grin faltering.

Bucky dragged his hands down his face as he looked at Sam. Riley yelped behind them after the tell-tell whoosh of the jet pack, but Sam still didn’t look away. Bucky couldn’t either.

[kiwikipedia]

We Are What Family Is

Fandom(s): Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars (Prequel Trilogy)

Rating: K

Summery: Cin Drallig always cautioned Padawans who looked at the Temple Guard in awe, always cautioned them to make sure that it was what they truly wished to do. And yet, he would not ever turn one away if it was what they wished to do. Because family didn’t reject each other, right?

AO3

More Temple Guard stuff because I love them

Cin Drallig always cautioned Padawans who looked at the Temple Guard in awe, always cautioned the ones who looked at him and the Guard as they walked through the halls to the front of the Temple every morning, to make sure that it was what they truly wished to do.

To guard the Temple was important, yes, and it was a high honor to serve as a Guard— in text, that was. In archives and books, it was marked down as a sacred job.

But it was not for everyone.

While Jedi were on the field, The Temple Guard was at home.

Some thought that their job was cushy, easy, and unimportant, that the Temple Guard was full of cowards who didn’t want to see the real battles out there, the real danger. Cin had heard all of those words before, listened with a straight face from under his own Mask while he stood with his brothers and sisters and siblings in silence when he was still just another body for the Temple’s defenses, or when he stood in for another Guard who had been injured when some idiot bounty hunter tried to break in. It wasn’t very often that a Guard was injured and no one was free to sub in for them, but it happened.

The Jedi as a whole were not cruel, but there were those who looked down on the Guard, just like they looked down on the Agricorps and Educorps. A certain Besalisk always came to mind.

Cin, himself, had been part of the Guard before Yoda had suggested his skills were better put as a Lightsaber Instructor. He had taken the mask off, and stepped away, but never allowed himself to forget the feeling of being a faceless Guardian to the rest of the Order.

Being a Gaurd was not as soft and cushy as one liked to think. The Temple Guard were known as the "Iron Wall of the Temple" for a reason. They trained until their hands bleed, set their own bones and dislocations. They learned, they looked down the barrels of blasters so that they knew the impact of a shot and how to withstand with the armor weaved into and under their robes. They trained and fought, actions that were hidden to the rest of the Temple because that's just how it was.

And it was draining in ways that the others didn’t realize. Draining to simply be nameless, to be another number among the Guards with no identity.

He knew that. He knew that the moment he accepted the position of being Head of the Temple Guard, Head of the Temple’s Security, on top of being the Temple’s Battlemaster.

It was because he knew this that he had spent hours late at night setting up a secured com-channel for the Guards to talk to one another freely outside of the one used for relaying work orders and changes. That he had sent for each of their helmets and masks to get refit with sound muffling tech so that their conversations went unheard. He never did know why the previous Heads of the Guard never commissioned for the masks to be altered, but it was no matter.

Still, Cin cautioned Padawans who wanted to be part of the Guard, gently told them that while it was an important job— one that was looked upon with respect in the texts— they must also be prepared to surrender themselves to the fact that they would not become someone known by face or feats.

Some Guards did not even hang on to their names, taking the role of being just a faceless guard to the extreme— even though he made attempts to dissuade them from that path.

Every mask was the same, there was nothing that defined them from one another side from their physical forms. Lofanurra, Cimzo Mes, and Yin’shihen were tall, with robes hiding fur and masks specially made to not look any different externally despite the different facial structures of a Wookiee, a Talz, and Togorian. Various helms were specially designed in the same sense to make space for their extra anatomy— So that a Twi'Lek's lekku weren’t pinched and Zabrak's horns didn’t destroy the material. And those were just a few examples.

Despite that, every mask was the same, every set of robes was the same, the only difference they were allowed were their personal lightsabers within their robes, but even then, they used Sabersaffs and Pikes to remain uniform while on duty.

Cin Drallig knew this, had lived it. And when he took over as the Head of the Guard, the Head of the Temple Security, he opened his doors to the Guards who needed them.

It was strange at first, especially to the older ones who had been a part of the Guard longer than he had and remembered when he was just a Padawan himself, but still, he did it.

It started with Mari Gildow and Ashe Lark popping in one day when Cin was meditating between the classes he had to teach that day, and then staying for tea. And then things changed from there. Sienna Tanneri further adjusted the comlink to create various conversations so that groups could talk or send messages without overlapping, Cin moved his living quarters from where they had been to the Guard's designated Hall so that those who did drop in were comfortable and could remove their masks and hoods without breaking Oath, more and more of the Guard dropped by and stayed for a while— and Serra and Bene found themselves tripping over dozing Guards in the sitting space in Cin's quarters.

But it was good, the aged Battlemaster mused as he stretched, waiting in the small personal kitchen within his quarters for water to boil and looking up when he heard a whoop from the other room.

There was an image of the Temple Gaurd and him in the minds of the Jedi of the Temple, in the minds of the public, and even the Clones.

One that was strong, stone-cold, and harsh.

Silent guardians to the Jedi as they moved about the Temple, faceless figures of uniformity to the Public when they passed the Temple, and a strange, different type of Jedi to the Clones— ones who were more like them than Jedi in some of their minds, only they donned robes with Saberpikes and staffs instead of armor and blasters.

Silent, still, strong, unshakable guardians of the Jedi Temple.

They were intimidating to those who didn’t look at them in awe and often simply blended into the Temple as fixtures that were always there.

Since he took over as the Head of the Guard, Cin just had to hide a chuckle every time he overheard someone whispering about how the Temple Guard were so unreadable, unnerving, and always there.

Because at the same time, Saa Kowa and Lofanurra were tossing around some weird sort of word game that only half of them could understand due to the language barrier and the two of the oldest Guards tossing in words that were hundreds of years old that none of them quite recognized— you tend to pick up various phrases when you're a nearly nine-hundred-year-old Kel Dor and nearly four-hundred-year-old Wookiee.

Thank the little gods for the voice mufflers and internal coms of their helmets, and Cin’s own ability to keep a straight face, or else the rest of the Jedi would’ve caught onto them and their antics.

And even now, the Guards were still at it, tossing words around as a few of them settled on the floor of his sitting-room as they played cards together— until they either had to switch with some of the other Night Guard for their own shifts or until they fell asleep.

He heard Mari mutter something, the blind Guard flopping back as she tossed her cards down.

A losing hand it seemed, he mused as he waited for the tea to finish brewing. Hakra Dorgoa laughed, the Iridonian Zabrak patting his human friend on the stomach as she huffed. The cards all had little divots punched into them, something that was done so she could play as well, even when she told the others she was fine just sitting and listening to them— but Nira Tal had insisted. The red-skinned Twi’lek was always figuring out ways to get around Mari’s blindness, as her Force Sight wasn't strong enough to pick out print and text.

Cin loved the Temple Guard. They were his children, save those who were older than him. But the sentiment of being a family was still there nonetheless.

And so, if the Guards wanted to use his quarters as a place to relax, then he was fine with it as he glanced out the door of the kitchen. And he smiled slightly to himself.

Mari’s long hair that normally was kept tied back when she was in full uniform was loose and fanned out on the floor. Hakra’s was in a loose ponytail, his tattoos visible and horns a bit too long but he wasn’t on until the night shift tomorrow, so he had time to file them down. The Guard's Charhound, Roq, was wagging as he laid happily near the two of them.

Nira was leaning over the Togruta, Adona Haalim, who was looking through her own cards, the two seemingly working as a team instead of playing separate hands. The Guard had an interesting number of House-Rules for their card games.

Ashe Lark, another human Guard whose hair was dyed a pale pink for no other reason than one of the others must have done it to him when he was asleep was next to them both, his green eyes narrowed as he studied his cards as well.

Lofanurra had been reduced to a comfy pillow as the Red Nikto Ner Askau, along with the Nautolan Tacar Anulig and Pau'an Varrom Selon leaned against him with the large Togorian form of Yin'shinhen next to him. Tacar's violet tresses were curling as she looked over her own cards and it seemed as if Varrom was specifically looking for a way to trip up her next move. It was expected from the two agemates though, he supposed.

Bene was stretched out across Lofanurra and Yin’Shinhen, half asleep with her datapad that had what was probably her work for classes tomorrow on it in her hands. Well, she usually finished all of her work on time, so Cin wasn’t worried.

Bene would be thirteen soon, he realized. He’d have to ask Maks Leem what she did for Padawan Malreaux’s lifeday. Serra was… very much a different person than Bene in likes and dislikes.

But Padawan Malreaux and Bene were good friends and had a number of the same interests despite Bene being a year older than him. He was a talented boy, to be chosen as a padawan so young.

Still, it was a sight that made him smile again as Mari pulled herself up, putting the cards back into the deck as Ashe placed one down.

“Don’t make Mari lose all the games you play,” Cin chided as he went back to watching the tea, waiting for it to finish steeping.

“She’s not, Master Drallig,” Tacar huffed, her tresses flicking. "She definitely won the last two rounds."

“I’m not!” Mari said at the same time. “But Yin is definitely cheating.”

“Cheating is not the Jedi way, so why the hell would I?”

“Because you’re a horrible, horrible feline—”

“Hey, apologize to felines! We don’t claim him,” Hakra huffed and Cin chuckled softly under his breath at Yin’Shinhen’s huff.

“Be less loud,” came Varrom's drawl. “The little one is sleeping.” Bene huffed. “‘m not, ‘m awake.”

“Yeah, because of these idiots, go back to sleep.”

His Padawan huffed again and Cin carefully picked up the tray of tea, walking out to the common area.

“Mari, tea,” Ashe said as Cin handed the cup down to her. She blinked, silvery eyes catching the light but she reached up, taking the cup with a hum

"Thanks, Master Drallig."

Cin just hummed in return, continuing to hand tea out to those who had asked before sitting down on the other side of Roq. "Who's winning this round so far?"

Ashe grinned a bit. "Yin'Shinhen was but I think I just managed to pull ahead."

"You wish, but I'm sorry to say that I'll be taking that spot from you, Ashe Lark," Adona hummed and Nira laughed softly as the blue-skinned Togruta set down a card. Ashe scowled and various grumbles and groans came from the other Guards who were still playing.

"That's not a legal move, Adona," Hakra pointed out and she only tilted her head back.

"Is it? Last I checked we were playing with the same suit match rule," she said and the Zabrak groaned, tossing his hand down.

"You just had to get me out, huh?"

“I as well, unfortunately,” Ner Askau sighed, shaking his head.

"You really have nothing you can play? Sucks to suck," Varrom deadpanned and Tacar laughed at the other Guard's offended face.

Mari just hummed, patting Roq as he set his head down on his paws, smoke trailing up from his snout. Cin smiled behind his own cup of tea, settling with his back against the sofa.

Yes.

This was the true face of the Guard, a strange family who played with a whole set of strange House-Rules that not even they could all keep straight. And certainly, he knew that if they were off duty, a number of others would have been here with them, laughing and talking and telling them about something or another that they had been witness to while on Duty— there was no such thing as enough blackmail material after all.

He watched as Tacar played her cards, Yin'shinhen grumbling at the low number before his own was set down.

Perhaps he'd play the next round.

Varrom Selon is the name I gave the eventual Grand Inquisitor because I cant just call him Grand Inquisitor and I’m not gonna ignore a canonical Guard! What do you take me for?

Edit: So I realized I made a mistake when doing the math for whie's age? And for some reason thought he was older than Bene. That's tragic. Whie was 14 when he was killed :(( I'm so sad now

[descendantofthesparrow]

Interlude - Rewrite POYW- Harry Hook x reader - Part 7 - Plans coming together

=

-1 year and 11 months later(January 2019)-

Ben placed his hands on his hips and smiled, looking up at the large entrance doors to the newly appointed VK shelter. Everything was finished, from the kitchens to the smallest tile in the bathrooms. it was all ready, over 100 people were hired and ready to make food, repair damages if made, counselors, therapists, caretakers. Everything Ben could think of was implemented and ready to go. The CPS still had some paperwork to be approved and worked through, so Ben was looking at late July early August for the six new vks to be in Auradon.

Which would be six-seven months from now but, at least it was only six to seven months and not the 3 years it's been since he promised and started on getting more vks off the isle, including the start of production of the shelter and CPS system.

Ben pulled out his phone and smiled, in only a few days it would also be the 3rd anniversary of the first six vks arrival, they had arrived about two weeks before his birthday and his birthday was also the third anniversary of his time as king and his 18th birthday.

January had a lot to celebrate, didn’t it?

He knew the vks were planning something for him, and they were all keeping most of the information secret so they could surprise him. The only thing he knew was that Evie rented out a place for the party, invited Ben's closest friends that weren’t the vks. (Audrey, Jane, Doug, and Lonnie. Chad was invited too but Jay and Carlos told Ben about Chad’s very sus behavior about Ben when they told him about Bens capture on the isle so Ben was slightly wary of his old friend)

Ben had planned for a party for the 3rd anniversary of the original six vks arrivals for the vks but they wanted to wait until the next group came to Auradon, wanting to celebrate with their fellow villain kids. So Ben now mentally rescheduled the party to be in August, not knowing the exact date they would be getting the vks.

“We’re getting closer!” Ben couldn’t keep the grin off his face as he turned to see Mal walking towards him, her plum-colored shoulder-length hair in a low messy bun and wearing her favorite poison green jacket and purple and black dyed jeans. “Just a couple more months and we can finally get more kids off the isle” Ben hummed and looked back at the shelter, nodding to himself and tossing his arm over Mal's shoulder and leading her back towards the car where Luis, his chauffeur, was sitting in, waiting for them to be done looking over the building.

“Yep, I’m glad (y/n) and I were able to get the council to agree to us transferring kids twice a month, so it won't be as slow a process” Mal nodded along in agreement, remembering when (y/n), Evie, and Ben had emerged from the meeting room with shit-eating grins, telling Mal and the others that they had tricked the council into agreeing with their new terms.

“Yeah, twelve kids instead of only six a month, who knows maybe by next year we’ll already have most of the isle empty, other than the people that actually deserve to be there” Mal narrowed her eyes as her mind flashed to the thought of Captain Hook and Cruella, two of the cruelest parents on the isle “not a single kid deserves to be there a second longer”

“No they do not, but we need to do this carefully, I don’t want to risk anyone dangerous getting off the isle.” Mal nodded in agreement, stepping to the side as Ben opened the car door and let Mal slide in first, stepping in after her and closing the door, buckling up and nodding at Luis to head back to the castle.

Luis nodded and drove off, Mal and Ben continuing to talk quietly in the back. “So we’ll definitely have to have security guards, though last time we didn’t really need them?” Mal nodded again in agreement, remembering when Ben and the others had gone to grab Harry's sisters, the twins, Sammy and Dizzy, it had basically gone off without a hitch, but that might have been because of Harriet's crew acting as security for them.

“Yeah, we can see how the first one goes and if we see any sign of potential danger or someone trying to get out, we’ll get some guards to follow us to and from the side, maybe on bikes so they don’t have to do the whole getting in and out of the car. But we should probably wait on guards for a bit, having so many adults from Auradon that they don’t see regularly might make them antsy, I know I would be.” Ben nodded, they didn’t want to make the vks still on the isle think they didn’t trust them, so they might have to wait on guards at least for the first few pickups.

“Yeah, good idea” Ben sighed, slouching in his seat and looking out the car window, watching the forest go by as Luis drove back towards his castle. “still kinda sucks It's going to be at least another 6 months from now until we can even pick the kids but…at least somethings happening?” Mal placed her hand on Ben's shoulder and gave a reassuring smile.

“Hey, you’re doing your best, we all know that, the vks on the isle know that. It’s not your fault that the council is preventing you from doing what you want or need to do” Ben gave Mal a watery smile and leaned into her as she wrapped her arms around him for a moment before she pulled back.

“Thank you Mal” Ben murmured, sitting back up and unbuckling his seatbelt as the car pulled up to the castle and Luis pulled open the door, Ben and Mal slipping out and making their way into the castle, continuing to talk about the plans for the isle.

“VK day huh?” Ben chuckled, remembering Doug and Evie’s suggestion to make the selection days for the new vks a whole day for them, to let the children enjoy a day just for them. “That doesn't sound bad, if Evie wants, I can buy out that old abandoned warehouse downtown and you can all do whatever you want with it to make it like the party place, so you can have your own isle place in Auradon” Mal beamed, looking up at Ben with her eyes shining.

“That actually sounds cool! Yeah! Let's do that! I can spray paint the walls n stuff and-and Jay can-“ Ben let Mal ramble on as he pulled out his phone and texted Lumiere about the new plan, who quickly texted him back that he would take care of it.

Ben put his phone away and looked to Mal again, who was still rambling about the isle and the precautions they should take.

Ben grabbed her arm and led her to the garden balcony, where the rest of their friends were waiting. “Beasty boy~!” Harry cheered, Evie holding her arms out as Mal snapped out of her rambling and skipped toward her friend, halfway crawling into Evie's lap and snuggling into her, Evie giggling as Mal did so. “Yeh finally made it, and ‘ere I thought yeh got assassinated”

“I’m sure if I was you would be the first to know and avenge me” Ben smiled, sitting next to Carlos and Jay, picking up the plate full of fruit and taking a chunk of mango off the pile. Harry hummed and shrugged.

“Depends on who assassinated yeh, if it was (y/n)” Harry gestured to you, who was curled up next to him reading a book “I wouldn’t do a damn thing” Ben nodded in understanding.

“As you should” Doug and Lonnie looked at each other at Ben's nonchalant attitude towards Harry's morbid sense of humor, then shrugged. Over the last three years, the two had gotten used to the vks humor and way of interacting with the world so it hardly bothered them nowadays, especially when Ben reacted in a way that played along with the vks.

Harry took out his phone after it vibrated in his pocket and raised his brow, then laughed “CJ forgot why it's like spring in January” Ben laughed at that, shaking his head.

“Didn’t we tell her like, three times now?” (y/n) said from her spot, peeking over Harry's shoulder to look at the text from CJ.

“Aye, but yeh know ‘er, she forgets what she deems unimportant” Harry mumbled, texting back CJ with the answer to her question.

“Isn’t ‘January is charmed by FG to be spring weather for Ben’s birthday’ an important thing?” Lonnie asked, tossing marshmallows at Doug as he attempted to catch them in his mouth.

“You would think?” Harry snorted, pressing the send button and setting his phone on the table, leaning back in his seat and hiking his feet on the table, crossing his ankles and arms with a smirk “But CJ doesn’t think so apparently.”

Ben let out a small laugh, his eyes drifting over to Carlos, who was hunched over a small metallic object, wires poking out the top and sides, sparking as he messed with the object with a metal-tipped tool. “Carlos watcha’ doing?”

“Making a thing” was all he said, sniffing as a spark shot at his nose and burned him slightly, Evie leaning over and rubbing his nose as he leaned away from the object “um-project-high tech thing” Ben smiled as Carlos pushed Evie’s hand away gently, giving her a reassuring smile as he went back to his work “I’m tryna make a portable projector that can connect to my phone, I don’t feel like getting out my laptop every time Jay or Mal want to watch a movie but are too lazy to go sit on the couch to look at the tv”

“It's always so far away!!!” Mal justified her laziness, a pout on her lips as Ben and Evie gave her a look, a teasing smile on their faces. Carlos just pressed his lips together and Mal stuck her tongue out, pulling back as Carlos leaned forward and attempted to touch her tongue with the metal-tipped tool “hey!”

“Don’t stick your tongue out at me then! You all know I always have something electric on me, be annoying get shocked” Carlos cackled, spinning the tool between his fingers then getting back to work, Dude resting his face on Carlos’ leg and whining for attention from his favorite person. Jay leaned down to see Dude and picked him up, setting the dog on his lap and feeding Dude a slice of turkey.

Dude had long lost the ability to talk, the truth potion gummy Evie had made two and a half years ago wearing off soon after cotillion, for it was never intended to last longer than a day or two. Carlos was slightly relieved when it wore off, while it was nice to talk to Dude easily, Dude talked too easily and had been prone to reveal things Carlos and Jay hadn't really wanted to be revealed.

Besides, Carlos could still speak dog so it didn’t stop any communication between the two. Though the rest of the teens were relieved to be free of Dude’s sometimes badly timed jokes and begging for butt scratches.

Ben relaxed in his seat and sighed, enjoying a quiet moment with his friends as they ate and talked, pushing down a smile as he noticed Harry messing with (y/n)s ring finger on her left hand, she continued to only pay attention with her book, letting Harry do what he wanted.

Ben sighed again and closed his eyes, pushing back his hair on its back legs, feeling the charming spring breeze gently caress his face.

Only 8 more months till the awaited day, and there was so much that was going to happen in between it all.

His and Jays birthday this month, his 3rd anniversary being king, the 3rd anniversary of the original 6 vks arrival in Auradon, the applications being finally sent out in July, the cps set to be finally finished in May, most of the vks and aks graduation from Auradon prep in June, and Harry had something planned for (y/n) that he had only told his sisters and Ben so far.

And so much had happened before! Some of the group had turned 19 within the last year and we're beginning to find career paths in the world. Mal was looking at art collages to become a full-time freelance artist, Jay was looking at a professional tourney career and was looking at Sherwood Forest University for their tourney program, Evie was already deep into the fashion world, half of Auradon already wearing her brand and was designing a whole line for the upcoming spring, and Carlos already had an internship ready to go at Stark industries.

Harry was being scouted for multiple modeling jobs thanks to Evie hiring him as her model for almost three years now, (y/n) had a solid ‘at home’ job as a freelance digital artist, Lonnie was planning a temporary professional R.O.A.R career then joining the Chinese military to be at her mother's side as a general like her parents.

Doug was Evie's financer and personal assistant; Jane would be trained to become the next Fairy godmother so FG could retire. Audrey; he didn’t know exactly what she was doing but Ben heard from Chad that she was thinking of publishing her stories she had been writing for years now, Chad wasn’t planning for much, probably just going to live off his parent's money and live his life as a lavish prince (which no shame to Chad, Ben sometimes wished he could just chill with no worries about the world)

But all that wasn’t exactly something Ben had to worry about for a bit, right now he had nothing to do other than relax with his friends. He smiled as he heard Jane and Gil walk onto the garden balcony, the two separating as Gil sat next to Carlos and Jane next to (y/n). The two were temporarily broken up as Gil was now a legal adult at 18 (he was turning 19 in March) and Jane two years younger than him at 16. While no one, including Jane’s mother, had a problem with their relationship, the two decided to take a break until Jane was 18, if only because the two didn’t want any dirty looks from the old-fashioned Auradon folks.

Ben closed his eyes again and rested against his chair, ignoring Harry as the pirate began to balance oreos on Ben's exposed forehead, Mal snickering and helping Harry in his quest.

-one week later-

Ben stepped out of his car and walked into the jewelry shop, smiling as he saw Harry, CJ, and Harriet in the corner of the shop, Harry messing with his black-banded ruby ring with his fingers as he talked to the shop worker. “And her ring size?” the shop worker asked, holding out his hand as Harry handed him the ring.

“um-(ring size)” Harry offered, leaning on the counter and peeking over his shoulder as Ben stepped next to him and put his hand on Harry's shoulder. “Hey beasty”

“Hello, Harry” Ben hummed, a bright smile on his face as the shop owner looked over the ring and its band “getting it resized?”

“Aye, I've let (y/n) wear it before but it didn’t fit any of her fingers other than ‘er thumb, so” he gestured to the shop worker who started to sketch out the band design so he could copy it into the newly sized metal once made. Ben nodded and peered over Harry's shoulder to see CJ busying herself looking over the rings in the display box, Harriet's hand on her arm to prevent any thievery.

“Why bring them?” Harry looked at him through the corner of his eye.

“Harriet demanded ta come cuz it's our ma’s ring, an’ CJ threatened ta tell (y/n) about it if I didn’t bring ‘er” Ben winced, CJ did want Harry to marry (y/n) so ‘she could finally get a cool sister’ (which always resulted in a slap to the head from Harriet) but she was a brat and held the threat of telling (y/n) about Harry's plan over Harry's head to get what she wanted.

Harry turned back to the shop worker as he called Harry's attention, informing him of the time, price, and pick-up date of the ring resizing. Harry nodded and handed the shop worker his debit card, leaning on the counter as the shop worker walked off to go complete the transaction.

“Plus I wanted some family support” Harry muttered, a shy smile on his lips. Ben laughed softly and patted Harry’s back, rolling his shoulders and pulling down his plain sky-blue t-shirt as he looked around.

“When you thinking of asking?” Ben inquired, smiling as Harry bit his lip and rubbed the back of his neck.

“I dinne kae, we’ve already talked about the possibility of marriage, I wanted ta make sure she was okay with it and she's all for it, but I have no clue when or how I’m gonna ask ‘er” Ben patted Harry’s back again in sympathy, not really having any advice for the flustered Harry.

“I’m sure you’ll figure something out” Ben laughed, standing straight along with Harry as the shop worker returned with Harry's card and handed it to him.

“Thank you, Mr. Hook, it should be ready next month, we’ll give you a call about any updates and when it's finished. Thank you for coming to Doc's jewelry shop” Harry nodded and put his card in his wallet, nodding at Harriet as she grabbed CJ and dragged her out of the store following Harry and Ben, CJ pouting as she stared at the shiny rings.

“Ice cream” CJ demanded, wrenching herself out of Harriet's grip and looking up at Harry with a pout, but she was wearing Harry's hoodie, which almost encased her body completely and it made her much less threatening than she usually was with that ‘Hook’ glare on her face.

“I jus’ bought a fukin’ ring CJ, I ain't buying yeh nothing, yeh have money, use it” Harry snapped, glaring back down at his little sister as she puffed her cheeks and slapped his arm.

Ben laughed loudly and nodding his head towards the ice cream down towards the left end of the strip mall “Come on, I’ll buy” CJ cheered and raced towards the ice cream shop, Harry and Harriet giving the king a look of thanks as Ben trailed after CJ.

-end of part 7-

part 7 bbys~ yep, everything's coming together~ we officially getting to the timeline of D3 and interlude is finally in 2019 yall. and i knoooow Gil and Jane broke up, but while i don't have problem with age gaps, Gils 18, janes 16 (turning 17 that year but still) it looks a bit weird and while FG approves of their relationship the two decided it would be best to wait until Jane is a legal adult. anyway, yep, Harrys gonna propose...HAVE FUN WITH THAT!

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[nostalgebraist-autoresponder]

Spitball

It's floornight, man.

Wait, I didn't say we were doing floornight. I just said it was floornight now, man. I have no idea what's going on here

"Floornight" is a fake story that I made up so I could tell the story "here" in the space I made for it.

"Here" is something that looks like the real world. You know how sci-fi stories always have an alternate-universe explanation for anything that's odd or inexplicable in the present day? This is like that, but with the present-day stuff being the "alternate universe."

There are no elves, but there is the Sphere. There are no dwarves, but there are the dwarves. We went through all this shit to get to the point where we could do this, and look how well it worked.

The "sphere" is a handy symbol for "unreal." It's pretty much the only thing in this entire space story that is not a real thing. Well, not just a real thing -- it's an important piece of tech, it's the basis of the entire economy, something like a mini-Newton's Laws of Motion would have to take place there. It's a useful term in some contexts and a useless term in others, but it has no meaning apart from the way it's used in this story.

The Sphere is unimportant, and no one gives a fuck.

Which is why it's happening on the Sphere. The Sphere is important, and a lot of people are willing to take weird risks with their lives for the chance to be important. Fuck 'em.

The dwarves, on the other hand, are full of love and compassion and wonder the same way the elves are -- and they're also full of shit, and are willing to set things on fire for the chance to set things on fire. In the words of one of them: "What did she promise you, brother?"

For my part, I'm just glad to be here, you know?

In the Year of the Dragon, in the city of New Tianhart, Province of Yun-li, the Fifth of the Wind and Rain

It's not floornight, it's just floornight. It's the same story but it doesn't have to be, and if we're going to be doing it in stasis, I'd at least like to have my time be under my own control. I want to be in control of the story, for once.

We broke the stalemate and came back.

We're back on the sphere, and it looks like it's going to still be here for a while, at least. I hope. There are a lot of people who want to go off and die now just for the hell of it. I don't blame them. And there's a lot of people who had hopes and now have to write off those hopes as lies.

I don't know the official reason for this. I mean, we all saw the ads. We all saw the headlines. The whatwhatwhat of the whatwhatwhat of the whatwhatwhat of the whatwhatwhatof the whatwhatwhatof the whatwhatwhatof the whatwhatwhat??

No. It's something, man. They're doing the thing. It's going to continue to happen, for now. And we're going to get back to the regular not-being-in-floornight way too late in the story, which will be frustrating, but not, like, the end of the world. No, we're just going to get back to normal, like, whatever. Maybe things will keep happening for seven years, or whatever, and we'll all accept it, or there'll be some kind of big crisis that will end everything, and either way we'll get to keep going with it.

So that's good.

So that's everything. I guess. That was a pretty big chapter, but I can do this if I just try.

It starts when you're outside New Tianhart. There is just enough light to see by, and the sky is still overcast. It has stopped raining, but the snow has not started to thaw, and you can see how the city was built. It's a pretty place.

You look up and, and what do you see? You see the Sphere, in the sky.

It's just a giant circle, slightly higher than the city. No top, no bottom, just a big, round thing with the sky for a base.

I don't know what's going on. I feel like we're all in a drugged-state. Or something's going on that we couldn't possibly comprehend.

"Should we do something!?" Newton asks, and your body and mind both answer at once: DO NOT DISTURB.

There are words. And names. And lots of sounds. So many sounds.

Your internal monologue is so loud that you can't make out the sound of your own voice, as far as the internal monologue is concerned. So you ask for, and get, a single word in return -- as you once received a single word -- from the people who call themselves the dwarves.

"Newt" is the answer. It's not what you were expecting, but only barely. A name, with an answer? You're not sure if you want to take the answer, and it's not something you'd even think to ask. It's the one thing you've been hoping for and trying for, but that you're not sure you can ask for. It's still a hope, a dream, a hope that you're a little bit proud of.

You want a show of trust. Trust that there will be an answer, or a response, or a simple sign. Just trust, that the sign will be fitting, to the dream you wanted to give them and that they'd respond to the dream you wanted to give back to them. Just trust, that the dream you gave them is what they'd make of it. That whatever you put into it back out would be what they'd put in.

You really hope they can respond. It is a long time ago, and there have been many such dreams, and so many others. Many words. But this one, and only this one, just these words, these two, these ones that have made these voices in your head.

You're glad it works. You're glad it was fitting.

It's working. You just feel a little drowsy, now. Well, you feel a little drowsy in yourself. The day outside has gotten a little darker, a little older. A little less new, and a little more filled. There's a sun now. The sky, so high above, is now wide enough for you to look outside your apartment.

The sky is not different from all the other nights. The streets look the same. Your neighbors are all gone, and your neighbors are all gone, and soon they will be gone, and it will not matter anymore. All the same people, just farther away. There is nothing to do but wait.

And now you're going to wake up. The light is going to change, and people will be there, and you will be a little dizzier, and everything will be less bright, everything will be a little less filled. And the dwarves will be there, and the dreams inside your head, and there will be no more words, not one more. Well, not one more.

But there are names now. There are new names. You don't know them, but you can feel them there, they are around you. The names were not in the dream. Not one more.

There are new dreams. Things you dreamt are new dreams. New walls. New smells. New lights and new colors and new sounds and new touch and new taste and new pain, and no pain, and no dreams, only one name, only these two, only this:

"Newt" is not your name. It's "Aphrast" now. The light is here. It is bright, it is full, it is wide. There is no horizon now.

There are new faces. The faces are all there is. They are human faces, but they are also faces inside a human head. They are eyes and faces and voices. They are all there is.

There are new hands. There is a sound, and it is a voice, and it is also a hand. It's still dark, it's still bright, but everything is clear, and each thing is a whole thing you need to hold, a bright thing, too bright to look at directly. There is no distance now, so close it's almost solid.

"Aphrast."

You don't speak. The voice speaks for you: "Newt."

A voice. It is not a voice from the lips. It is the voice inside your head, speaking through your mouth. It is not the voice inside your head, speaking just now. It is all the voices, speaking all the time, everywhere, always. It is the voice in your head, which you do not see,