#Ashe is the first hero to break what might have been the actual hero pattern

[segadores-y-soldados]

Hero 30 needs a map

Long rambly thing. So I was feeling frustrated and a little hyper-fixated on OW earlier this afternoon because the game itself feels very dull right now.  My partner @starsherit - who I met through Overwatch - helped me work through my irritation, but they provided a perspective I literally had never thought about before:

There hasn’t been a post-launch hero who did not have a map.

Let me try to explain this a bit:

Plenty of launch heroes didn’t really have a specific map associated with them.  D.Va, Lúcio, Mei, Symmetra, Junkrat/Roadhog, even Reinhardt all come to mind.  That initially seemed fine: the developers were releasing both new heroes and new maps at a consistent pace.  First we had Ana, who was associated with the Temple of Anubis, and then Eichenwalde, which was also part of the first post-launch animation “The Last Bastion.”  

Then we had the Sombra ARG, Sombra’s release, and “Infiltration.”  These all occurred at Blizzcon 2016.

But then something a little odd happened.

The next map was Oasis.

And it was not...connected to any characters.

...Yet.

Like Ilios and Lijiang, Oasis initially was...“free-floating”.  Yes, it was coherent and consistent with the rest of the Overwatch universe, but it had no real ties to the main plot.  Eichenwalde at least had Balderich and the Crusader battle to ground it, but Oasis had nothing.

Except a single interaction:

Sombra: So what are we doing here, boss?

Reaper: I need to pay a visit to a friend.

And that led to a lot of speculation about who Reaper’s “friend” was, if Mercy was somehow associated with Oasis, etc.  But this was quickly lost in the hype over Numbani, Doomfist’s missing gauntlet, and the release of Orisa.  

Orisa was followed by Horizon Lunar Colony.

And that brought Hammond hype.

(You might see where I’m going with this.)

[TL;DR: Hero 30 is probably associated with the next map.  Based on the lore and fan reactions, this map is very likely a Vishkar-based map.  It’s possible the map might be something else, but Vishkar is currently the last “major” plotline (aside from Mercy’s story) to be explored.  A Vishkar map will advance the plot, give more lore to Lúcio and Symmetra, and likely provide teasers for Sanjay Korpal.]

After Horizon, Doomfist arrived.  The next map was Junkertown, which despite initial fandom reactions, actually contained hints about Hammond/Wrecking Ball that very few people picked up on (if that).

And then, with Blizzcon 2017, we got Moira.

Many people (who hadn’t picked up on the Reaper-Sombra interaction or her cameo in Masquerade) were very confused.  Where was Hammond (presumed by most of the fandom to be a chimp)?  Or the Junkertown Queen?  But those of us who had been waiting for Reaper’s “friend” to show up were ecstatic!  One full year later, Moira connected Oasis to the main plot!  There was a bunch of new lore details on the map to dig into!  It was an exciting time.  Sure, yeah, there was also the cute new map Blizzard World, but it felt like an afterthought.

Come around to early 2018.  Brigitte was released and she effectively killed Dive comp at most casual levels, while slowly encouraging the rise of GOATS.  The first new map of the year was Rialto, made specifically for Retribution, and then turned into a payload map (with a whole bunch of balancing problems).  But no one needed a story for Rialto’s existence because, well, it already had one.

July 2018, we got Wrecking Ball, one full year after the launch of HLC and almost a full year after Junkertown.  People were surprised he’s a hamster even though it never technically said he was a monkey, ape, or specifically a chimp.  People were even more surprised that he was actually part of the Junkertown plotline (in a small way).  But at the very least, he had been teased in advance.

In August 2018, we got Busan, which - like Junkertown and Eichenwalde - filled in a previously empty “gap” in the maps, giving D.Va a real location and setting for her character.

And now...Blizzcon 2018.

We got Ashe, who feels like a complete shot in the dark.  Nothing had really implied her existence.  We also got Echo, but then we’re immediately told that Echo “isn’t ready” and will not be Hero 30.

Myself and a few other lore fans were confused: for the last six to eight months, in-game interactions had implied that Sanjay Korpal and the rest of the Vishkar plot was steadily being brought to the forefront of the story.  Lúcio, Symmetra, Doomfist, Moira, and Sombra had a bunch of new interactions that seemed to be slowly hyping Sanjay up the way that the Reaper-Sombra interaction had hinted at Moira’s existence.

But - and this was my partner’s main point - 

There was no new map.

And we knew there wouldn’t be one, Jeff told us as much, but it never really struck me how important maps were for heroes until Gonzo put it that way.  The map wasn’t quite ready for Blizzcon 2018 - understandable because Busan had been so massive to develop - but maybe the new map is very closely associated with Hero 30 or even Hero 31, and the team didn’t want that to be overshadowed by the main reveal, Ashe.

Which is effectively what Jeff implied in his pre-Blizzcon developer update.

Here’s how the actual pattern shakes out:

Ana > associated with a launch map (Anubis)

Sombra > associated with a launch map (Dorado)

Orisa > associated with a launch map (Numbani)

Doomfist > associated with a launch map (Numbani)

Moira > associated with a post-launch map (Oasis)

Brigitte > associated with a post-launch map (Eichenwalde)

Wrecking Ball > associated with two post-launch maps (HLC and Junkertown)

Ashe > associated with a launch map (Route 66)

So where does that put us now?

A new map IS being worked on.  And, from a lore perspective, it is almost guaranteed to be a “missing” map for two current heroes and likely one particular future hero:

A Vishkar map.

Lúcio and Symmetra are noticeable “missing” a map.  Reinhardt (Eichenwalde), Mei (Ecopoint), Junkrat and Roadhog (Junkertown), and D.Va (Busan) all have maps now.  The four remaining launch heroes who are still “missing” a map are Lúcio, Symmetra, Mercy, and Torbjörn (but Torb does have some interesting lines for stuff like Volskaya Industries).

It is entirely possible Sanjay is Hero 30 or 31 but the map which helps establish his character wasn’t ready for Blizzcon 2018 - or rather, the team didn’t want to launch it at Blizzcon because it would’ve been downplayed like Oasis and Blizzard World before it.

While this doesn’t override the slew of problems I have with Ashe, it does make her the “easy” choice: release her in tandem with the “Reunion” short (and then be very honest that Echo isn’t ready).  It also makes sense why she was barely teased before Blizzcon: she’s associated with a launch map that hasn’t been touched up in over two years.  If you look at Ana, Sombra, and Doomfist, all of them had teasers on their own associated maps well before their releases.  Ashe, however, was not developed until they started making the “Reunion” short, so she has no actual teasers on Route 66.

Meanwhile, the post-launch maps either teased specific heroes (Oasis and Moira, HLC and Wrecking Ball), or were inherently associated with them (Eichenwalde being strongly associated with Reinhardt and Brigitte, etc).

So what can we guess for Hero 30?

They need a map.

There are at least three maps in the game currently that hint at future heroes, but two of them likely combine for just one:

Lijiang: Whether we like it or not, Lijiang Tower hints that Harold Winston is still alive.

Ilios/Petra: hints at a new archaeologist or geologist character eventually being revealed.

And the next map?  The one currently being worked on?

Here are my guesses:

Vishkar: Effectively a matter of “when” not “if.”  It might be Utopaea itself, or it could be the Vishkar building in Rio de Janeiro.  Either way, it would immediately further the Vishkar storyline, provide new lore for Lúcio and Symmetra, and establish teasers for Sanjay Korpal.  

An underwater map: either an Ecopoint (Ecopoint: Hawaii) or the Gwishin Omnium.  Could be used to establish an upcoming Hero (or possibly Echo in some way).  A fan-requested map now that Horizon Lunar Colony and Busan have been made.

Interesting, in Jeff’s little disclaimer in the pre-Blizzcon Developer Update, he says this (bold is for emphasis):

“To be honest, we felt like [Oasis and Blizzard World] got a little bit lost in the shuffle both during the timing of announcing at Blizzcon and also the time at which we release them - they didn’t have as big of an impact as we really wanted, and we feel like a new map is something very, very special.  So we are definitely working on new map content - we know that’s something that you all love and all request often, so don’t think that by us not announcing something at Blizzcon, it does not mean that there’s no work going on, we’re definitely working on new map content.  You’re just not going to have any new map content announced at Blizzcon.”

They want us to react to this upcoming map completely “free” from the Blizzcon hype.

This is combined with the fact that, according to Jeff, Hero 30 is already fully playable internally at Blizzard, and that the team always has 2-3 heroes “ready to go” in case something goes wrong with one of them.

Now, this doesn’t guarantee that Sanjay is Hero 30, but it likely narrows down Hero 30′s identity to three major options: Sanjay, so long as a Vishkar map is released in the next two months; Harold Winston, for a “curveball” reveal; or a new archaeologist/geologist associated with Ilios, Petra, and Ayutthaya.  Hero 30 could be something different than these -

But it’s the maps which will provide more clues.

[heavenfordoms]

”Innocent“ Hug (Deku x fem! Reader):

Pairing(s): Deku x reader

Warning(s): 18+ minors DNI, cussing, manga spoilers, riding, death, semi-public sex, eating out

Genera: angst to fluff to smut

A/N: wait this was actually fun and easy to write for me wtf

Fandom: My hero academia (boku no hero academia)

Glossary:

Y/n = your name

Summery: Bakugou looses his life in battle and y/n goes to comfort Deku, soon Deku ends up forgetting about Bakugou as y/n rides him

You sucked in a breath, holding it for a while as you stared at the villain in front of you. You where crouched down low so you knew that he couldn’t see you. But you sure saw him. Your quirk was called memory, you could memorize anything that you wanted. The downside to this quirk is that while your mind was full of knowledge your body was weak so it was no good for battle-training, another bad thing (or more annoying then anything) is that we can’t forget it, ever, even if you wanted to. You remember every single detail of your life and every single thing that has happened to this point in grave detail. Not like you wanted to remember it, but you felt so worthless that it was almost blood to memorize everything. Like how there where five street lamps outside the bar. They where dimly lit and flickered every five second, each one after the other. The one on the very right was the first to flicker then it would go all the way to the left. Sometimes the one in the very middle would shut off at random times as the other lamps brightly shone in the night-sky.

“Could you stop mumbling?!” Katsuki whisper-yelled at you. You slightly cringed at the blonde male’s words before nodding your head in a form of acceptance (for some reason people saw that as acceptance so you did as well).

Katsuki is a young man of average height for somebody his age, with a slim, muscular build, and a fair skin tone. He has short, spiky, ash-blond hair with choppy bangs that hang over his eyebrows. His eyes are sharp and bright red in color. His hero costume is composed of a tight, black, sleeveless tank top, with an orange "X" across the middle, forming a v-neck. There are two dots along the left line of his collar, indicating the support company that designed his costume. His costume also has a metallic neck brace worn with rectangular ends that have three holes on each side. His sleeves reach from within his large grenade-like gauntlets to his biceps. His belt, which also carries grenades, holds up his baggy pants with knee guards, below which he sports black, knee-high combat boots with orange soles and eyelets. His mask is jagged and black, and as it goes around his eyes, a large, orange-rimmed flare shape protrudes from each side.

You focused your eyes off of Kastsuki and onto Dabi, the villain who was standing guard outside the bar. Dabi is a fairly tall, pale young man of a slim, somewhat-lanky build, described to be in his early twenties. He has white hair with a few red streaks at the crown that spikes upward around his head, hanging low over his eyes, which are thin, turquoise in color, and heavily lidded. Before the reveal of his true identity, his hair was dyed black. His most striking features are undoubtedly the patches of gnarled, wrinkled, purple skin that cover much of his lower face and neck, all the way down past his collarbone, below his eyes and on his arms and legs due to him having a quirk at a early age and not knowing how to control it. These appear to be attached to the rest of his skin by multiple, crude surgical staples or hoop piercings. He has several silver cartilage piercings in both ears, and a triple nostril piercing on the right side of his nose. He also seems to be lacking earlobes on both sides of his ears upon close inspection, he wears a dark blue jacket with a high, ripped collar, and matching pants, cut off above his ankles, a pair of dark dress shoes on his feet. He also has a plain pale gray, scoop-neck shirt, below which a gray belt with a circular pattern wraps around his waist, a leather satchel attached at the back.

Nobody knew his real name, until now, Dabi had revealed himself as Touya Todoroki. Everyone now calls him Touya but it never settled right in your gut to call him that. His name was Dabi to you and it will always be Dabi. It didn’t matter if he did a big entry and say that he is part of the Todoroki’s Dabi didn’t seem like them. The Todoroki’s where a strict family with ruled set in place. Endeavor, now the number one hero, had tried to welcome his family with more open arms. You could tell that Dabi’s opening was not out of grief for his family but instead out of spite. Like saying to Endeavor that he needs to take a chill pill with this whole anime redemption arc thing that he has going on for himself (and you didn’t quiet disagree with the oriole scarred man either).

You often thought of life like a anime, it was easier to explain. If somebodies life was broken they just ended up in the wrong anime. It also helped reminded you that every villain has a backstory. You never got to see their perspective in things. You never got to see what happened to the villains after they got defeated. Nope. You never got to see that, maybe if people saw the villain’s side. Everyone would hate the hero‘s and build their own path just as villains do. They make a path that no one has ever gone on, slowly making it a dirt road and them turning it again into an actual road that everyone can go on. Villains never got the roadwork. Hero’s probably always destroy it.

“So what’s the plan?” You leaned in close to Katsuki and whispered in his ear, Kastuki tensed up next to you and sucked in a breath before looking at you through pointy eyes.

”I will distract scar-man while you go and get Deku from the bar.” Kastuki explained, you nodded your head ‘yes’ before you pointing in the direction you where going to go. Kastuki grunted to himself as he crawled slowly in the opposite direction. Sending explosion at Dabi’s face before ducking behind a large wooden tool-box that had the words ”Back Bend Inc” on it in Ariel black font. Although it had been there for so long that the black ink looked to be a dark smoky gray. You quietly padded off into the opposite direction, your head ducked and eyes darting every five seconds to catch every detail around you.

Silently, you slipped into the bar. There was a wooden plank that held up the first stand, it looked to be pretty normal from here. There was dark wine stands that had a light brown color to them. The walls where colored with a sand tan. Over by the bar there was stacks and stacks of different liquor that people could have. Above was the general black chalkboard menu, there was smeared blue chalk that said “SPECIAL: Burbon” the strong smell of liquor and whisky hung in the air. There was a cigarette hanging off the ledge, still lit and everything. It looked pretty normal, but there was a slight piece of the cigarette where it was unwrapped and that told you enough to not say ’fuck it’ and have a smoke break. Turning your head slowly you walked up to Kurogiri. Information began flooding in your head about the villains and the bar. Unluckily for you everyone noticed the smartness you had and quickly found out your quirk. They began to flood your Brian with information. Information that a kid didn’t want to hear. You heard everything when you where just in High School. Now, everyone hated your quirk, everyone fucking hated it. The people who raised you said that you where a monster and that they didn’t know you anymore. But the sad part was you didnt do anything wrong. After hours of racking through your mind you couldn’t find a single moment where you did something bad. “I need to see Tomura.” You stared blankly at the mist villain. Kurogiri's entire body is made out of a dark purple mist, save for his eyes, which are glowing yellow. He normally wears a very elegant suit with a tie and has a metal brace that goes from around his collarbone to just below his eyes. It was pretty simple description of the villain, but there wasn’t much to him.

“Now?“ The male inquired, a hint of annoyance traced his smooth and calming voice. His voice sounded a lot like a gently sea softly rippling in the waves. But in actuality he was more like a thundering storm as the large ocean waves crashed harshly against large dark-gray-almost-black rocks.

“Yes, it is important.” You answered, putting a fake smile across your face. You still heard the faint sound of explosions from Katsuki and knew that you didn’t have a lot of time. Katsuki only could hold off for fifteen minutes before he went full on battle mood. And the villains would definitely think at something is up. Kurogiri hummed thoughtfully before nodding his head in agreement and holding out his purple misted hand.

”Come on dear…” The man whispered soothingly and smiling up and down at you.

“Thanks!” You chirped getting up and going behind the bar, following the villain down the stairs that creaked underneath your feet.

“BOSS!! Somebody wanted you!!” Kurogiri called, you took a deep breath before flinching as you looked into the villains base.

It was the same red bricks that seemed to be different colors every brick that was placed down to make the wall of the bar. There was smooth fake wood counter with clean royal red plush bar stools with the smallest backs on them. There was a few hero posters scattered around the base, one medium sized All Might poster hung to the right of a small screen TV. The dull gray light picketed on and off as the headlights didn’t provide much protection against the dark loom of everything. Different types of bottles hung on narrowed shelves behind the bar. Right next to the bar was a metal door, the window had cages around it and a long shiny knob that went down the left side. To the right of the door was a old faction radio station with LED lights surrounding it. It was currently playing Take Me to Church, apparently just starting to play it seeing how the introduction was still on. You narrowed your eyes before leaning against the red brick wall and giving everyone a swept gaze. All of the villains names that where forced to memorize came to your head all of a sudden.

Himiko Toga was standing in the farthest left, spinning in the red barstools.

Himiko is a relatively petite, fair-skinned girl who is very prone to blushing and is frequently described as to having a rather pretty face. She has slightly inward-tilting bright yellow eyes with thin slits, making them somewhat resemble those of a cat, and her wide mouth is also rather feline, as both her upper and lower canines are more pointed and longer than the rest of her teeth, giving her a vampire-like appearance. Her hair is a pale, dirty ash-blonde and is styled into two messy buns, with numerous wild strands sticking out at all angles from their centers and where they’re fastened, a straight fringe and two chin-length side bangs to frame her face. Himiko’s outfit consist of a plain seifuku with a Kansai collar, both the skirt and the shirt dark blue with a double white trim, which is paired with a red scarf that she ties loosely below. Over this, she wears an oversized beige cardigan with a rather long hem and cuffs, and pockets on either side, the right one shown to hold a number of trinkets on either a keychain or a cellphone strap. She sports knee-length black socks and dark brown dress shoes with thick heels, the same as the outdoor uniform shoes students traditionally wear in Japanese schools.

Tomura was standing next to Himiko, a bored expression clouding his features.

Tomura is a slim man with deathly pale skin, tinged yellow, and wrinkled a great deal around his eyes. His lips are chapped and uneven, a small mole on the right underneath, with visible scars on his right eye and under his lip. He has messy grayish-blue hair of varying lengths, the longest clumps reaching to about his shoulders, left hanging over his face in uneven waves. His eyes are normally obscured, but when visible, they are usually stretched wide in a rather maniacal manner, their bright red irises are very small.

Interestingly, when Tenko was at the age of five, he bore a striking resemblance to Izuku Midoriya, with his blue hair originally being dark black in color, while also having dried patches of skin around his eyes, though his lips were shown to be healthy in appearance. After his Quirk manifested, his appearance changed giving him a wrinkled face and changing his hair color.

Nobody else was in the base, the rest of the villains where busy surviving customers or dealing with Bakugou.

Then you saw him

Deku…

Deku has been a classmate of yours for a while, although you guy’s rarely talked to each other you always admired his strength and wisdom. Soon he became the number one hero and you became the second, Bakugou and Todoroki following closely behind. The only real reason you where able to make it to number two was due to the popularity votes for citizens. Everyone liked you, they loo up to you. So rationally you often teamed up with Deku. He was not good with the citizens since he never got a chance to talk to them due to the fact that he broke his bones in battle often but his quirk was amazing. And you didn’t have a lot of strength so that gave you time to connect with the citizens. The two of you working together helped everyone live a better place. Now seeing him tied up and helpless, it made you pretty angry.

“I would love to sit here and chat, but I got a hero to save!” You smirked as you raced on ahead and grabbed Deku, pulling him out of the chains before the villains had any time to react. Standing next to the hero you where slightly taller (mind you he hasn’t grown since high school so that wasn’t really anything to brag about being taller then him).

”HELLPPP!!!” A scream shouted from Kastuki, your eyes widened as you sprinted off to get the number three hero. Deku closely followed you as he got his quirk ready. But by the time that you rushed out you knew it was too late. Katsuki had been crushed by the blue flames that wrapped around his body.

“KACCHAN!!!” Deku screamed, DabI whipped his head around and started at the number one hero.

”You idiot!“ You hissed as you grabbed Deku’s arm and made a run for it. Dragging him out into the open where a bunch of other hero’s where’s standing just in case something happened. You noticed that they where busy on their phones and probably didn’t even hear Katsuki screaming for help. You rushed Deku to the side of the red brick building and waited for a ambulance to come pick Deku up. Once they carried him away you narrowed your eyes at the pro-hero’s.

”I SWEAR TO FUCKING GOD I AM GOING TO KILL YOU AND YOUR FAMILY IF YOU ACT LIKE THAT AGAUN!!! DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH STRESS YOU PUT US THROUGH??? DYNAMIGHT COULD HAVE STILL BEEN ALIVE IF YOU HAVEN’T SAT ON YOUR ASS ALL DAY AND ACT LIKE A BUNCH OF FUCKING SLUTS!! I SWEAR TO GOD I AM GOING TO RIP ALL OF YOUR HEADS OFF, FEED THEM TO MY DOG, MAKE MY DOG SHIT OFF A BRIDGE AND SEE THE SHIT SMEERED ON THE TIRE, GET A LIGHTER AND BURN THE CAR DOWN, TAKE THE ASHES AND PUT THEM IN A GROUND, I WILL TAKE THE GROUND WHERE THE ASH IS AND MAKE IT A STRIPER CLUB, AND THEN GET A EXORCIST TO PUT YOU TO HELL!!!” You started cussing them off, the pro-hero’s shuffled uncomfortably and looked at each other with weird stares. They knew that they where in shit when they pissed you off. You weren’t very easy to piss off so when somebody pissed you off they knew they were in deep horse shit.

*** You rushed into the hospital bed where Deku was at. Your breath coming out in short puffs as you stood on the edge of the male’s bed and watched as thick tears streamed down his face. You grew soft and laid a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

“Calm down baby…I am here…” You reassured, slowly climbing on the bed and getting on him. Deku gulped thickly at the closed distance between the two of you and began sweating nervously.

“Y/n!“ You yelped, trying to scoot back. You looked up at him and gave the male a cocky smile.

“What? Are you suggesting something?” You leaned in and whispered in Deku‘s ears. Deku whined before nodding his head ‘yes‘ you rolled your eyes and began to unbutton your shirt. Popping out a few buttons in the process. Gently, you pulled down your panties and threw them to the side, lifting up your skirt and showing your ass to Deku. Deku trembled slightly and started licking at the entrance, slowly, he began eating you out. You moaned quietly before bucking Your hips backwards. Deku gasped before moaning also and continuing to do his work. Once Deku are you out for a few minutes you pulled away and Deku looked at you with large puppy dogs eyes. His Greek emerald eyes blown wide in lust.

You leaned down and took off his pants with your teeth, dragging your nails up his clothed hero uniform shirt. Deku bucked his hips up and whimpered. You smirked into the material. Once you actually got the pants down you slipped off his boxers and starting to get settled on Deku.

You and Deku had this off and on thing. You guy’s weren’t dating each other and fucked other people but it was always a delight when you got to fuck him. A smile always formed on his lips when you topped him. He always thought that everyone was going to leave him to be the top, so it was reassuring when he saw that somebody cared about him enough to dom him and show him who is in control.

You where snapped back into reality when Deku gasped in shock as you took him all in, groaning slightly at the fact that you took him with such ease because he has been in you so much. Slowly you waited for yourself to adjust (which didn’t take that long) before you started bouncing up and down. Deku threw his head back and moaned loudly as felt your walls clench around him. You kept bouncing on him up and down in a rhyme pattern.

“Come on baby, thought you liked it…” You pouted, looking down on the green haired hero and smiling cockily.

[nightlilly0110]

First Line Meme

List the first lines of your last 20 stories (if you have fewer than 20, just list them all).

See if there are any patterns, and choose your favourite opening line.

Then tag up to 10 of your favourite authors!

Oh boy. This’ll be a trip. Tagged by @victorious1956. I’m assuming this is completed stuff but I’ll put a few WIPs at the end. These are what’s been recently posted/updated according to AO3 from most recent.

I’m not gonna tag anyone specific because I feel like I’m being annoying if I do that but if you see this and you’re a writer I love you and this is up for grabs!

1. “Anyone can be a hero!" Those were the words that had been attached to his hero persona for as long as he could remember. All Might was someone that stood for equality, for justice, for peace. Anyone could join that fight if they wanted to. Anyone could be a hero like him. What made a hero was their heart, their spirit, their determination. Anyone with the desire to do good could become a hero. (Hero Syndrome - BNHA/TMA)

2. Say what you wanted about Jayce, but he tried not to do anything in halves when it came to his work. When it came to hextech, to his ambitions of building a better tomorrow, he was passionate, determined, and he most desperately wanted to get everything right. Well, actually, a large part of his work was the trial and error that came before, but the point of it was to get it right eventually, and Jayce would continue to work until that came to be. (Mother Tongue - Arcane, Jayvik)

3. Jayce was a Big Kid. That meant he was responsible. That meant he was in charge of things that a lot of the other kids weren't in charge of. That meant being Mr. Vander's helper in class and making sure everything was ready before the day would start. (Scales and Tall Tales - Arcane, Jayvik)

4. Zaun was...unwelcoming. Jayce immediately felt guilty at the thought. Zaun, the undercity, was impoverished, poor, and suffering from decades of abuse from Piltover. Piltover thrived, and while Zaun also thrived, it was thriving while mold and disease festered. Piltover removed its stains, but Zaun welcomed them with opened arms. A person could make their place in Zaun, yes, but it paled compared to the unblemished, privileged lives of the people that lived above. (Swallowed Pride - Arcane, Jayvik, Divorce Era)

5. Jayce should have expected to have been assaulted. Viktor very rarely went back on his word, so he should have at least prepared for the 50/50 chance of being put right out on his ass the second he walked down Emberflit Alley. But Jayce had hoped that the Machine Herald would have at least considered the offer he'd given Jayce the last time they'd crossed paths. But no, the hexclaw was around his throat, quite capable of crushing his windpipe with the barest of efforts, Jayce's legs dangling as he was raised off the floor. "Did you forget what I told you or are you just stupid?" (Blue Satin Sashes - Arcane, Jayvik (explicit), Divorce Era)

6. Ash did not get paid enough to run the store in the middle of the night. She didn't get paid enough at all, but it was a job and it paid her rent and she couldn't find anything else, so the graveyard shifts at the apothecary were the best she could do. No one really understood the pains of her job. Yeah, her friends understood the hours sucked, but they always tried to encourage her about everything else. "At least you don't have to do any work," they said. "No one comes in at night anyway." Which was wrong on so many levels. It was rare for there to be a lot of customers in the early hours of the morning when it was still dark - she didn't know why they were open that early anyway - but it was always the weird ones. Every. Single. Time. (Time Stops at a Convenience Store at 3am - Arcane, Jayvik, Divorce Era)

7. Jumping was the easy part. If you landed anywhere that wasn't on your feet, you'd probably break it if the surface you're jumping to isn't soft enough. Then again, if you didn't land on a specific part of your feet, or tuck yourself into a proper roll, you'd break your legs too. Any old bozo could jump a great distance. The feat of itself was to not fucking destroy your bones in the process. So jumping was the easy part. Landing was the hard part. (No Heroes - BNHA, Shigadabi)

8. Usually, Jayce was the one with weird questions, because Jayce was used to figuring out what was considered the impossible. As a scientist, it was a part of his job description. Caitlyn on the other hand occasionally came up with some weird things that Jayce really didn't know how to answer because it wasn't really scientific, just something weird that only her bored brain could come up with. "If someone you hate does something you think is kinky, does it cancel out the horny since you hate them?" Jayce looked up from his notes, bleary-eyed from working for so long, blinking away the spots coming to his vision. "What the fuck Cait?" (Tied Up With Strings - Arcane, Jayvik (explicit), Divorce Era)

9. A Heart was a simple thing to fix. Physically, at least. The structure of one's Heart was easy enough to memorize, and a skilled craftsman could mend it with enough practice and experience. Each Heart was unique and required the utmost attention to detail in order to piece back together. Different materials were handled in different ways. It took patience to realize that it required a multitude of different skills for someone to mend a broken Heart. (Heart Render - RWBY, Fair Game)

10. Qrow couldn't remember exactly how old he was the first time he made a wish, but he was young. Young enough to still hold his mother's hand as he walked through town, but old enough to understand that he was not wanted. And it was with this understanding that he rarely chose to go outside their home. But Mother had smiled at him and had reassured him that nothing bad would happen if he held onto her tightly. It would have been a fun outing, she'd said, just the two of them, and perhaps if he'd behaved, she would buy him some sweets. (Paper Stars - RWBY, Fair Game)

11. "It's nothing more than a weed. Perfect for a little parasite like you." Qrow had been upset when the mark had first appeared, when his father had scowled down at him and told him about the dots of white and purple sitting on the skin above his heart. Marks were different for everyone, and for Qrow, they took the shape of elegant flowers. So to be told that his soulmate was nothing more than a common weed, the boy found it disappointing, but at the same time, he was not surprised. Misfortune seemed to affect every aspect of his life, so why should the affair of soulmates be any different? (Bloom into You - RWBY, Fair Game)

12. Qrow had a lot of issues with authority. The tribe was very good at drumming it into his head that Huntsmen and Huntresses were not to be trusted, that these men and women (who Qrow now knew were just doing their jobs to clear the areas of Grimm) were evil incarnate and would end up destroying everything they worked for, everything they earned. (All My Days - RWBY, Fair Game)

13. The funeral had been drab if Clover were being honest, and it wasn't simply because it had been, well, a funeral. Clover had been the one to make preparations. He'd never done it before, so it had taken a bit of time, but he was thankful that no one rushed these sorts of things. His family hadn't been particularly religious, but even those that did not believe requested their rites in some religious way or another. Just in case. (Dear Fellow Traveller - RWBY, Fair Game)

14. "UNCLE QROOOOOOOWWWWW!!!!!" He was used to watching his niece barrelling towards him using her Semblance. The unfortunate military ops blocking her route, however, were not, Ruby yelling out the least sincere apologies he'd ever heard as she burst through, skittering to a stop in front of him, her hood bundled in her arms and petals scattering around her. (Come Fly With Me - RWBY, Fair Game)

15. Qrow knew spirits well. Having been blessed by one at a young age, he was connected to them in a way others weren't. His blessings hadn't been the easiest to manage around a lot of people, so he'd packed up and left when he could, settling down in a smaller, water-side town. Well, he used small when describing it because the capitol city of the fire nation, where he'd lived for most of his life was vast, had been sprawling. This town, nestled by the river, was quite large in comparison to the other places he'd seen while travelling, picking somewhere to rest undisturbed. It was still small by his own standards, but it was bustling with people that didn't crowd around him unless they needed his services, unlike back home. The place was mostly farmers and tradesmen, and tourists weren't exactly common save for a few occasionally passing through to go about other business. (By The Water - RWBY, Fair Game, ATLA AU)

16. Inko Midoriya was a kind soul, and everyone who knew her agreed with that statement wholeheartedly. If you were ever down on your luck, the place to go was Inko's because there would always have a warm meal, a shoulder to cry on, and some helpful advise waiting for you. (Inko Midoriya’s Home For Lost Children - BNHA, DabiHawks/Hotwings)

17. Qrow couldn't stop worrying. It was making him tense, his body locking in place so tightly that it hurt to move. He hadn't been in the Kingdom of Vale in so long. He should have been excited to come home, excited that he would once again see his family, but it was hollow. After everything, he'd just wanted peace and quiet. He wanted to live a quiet life with Clover in the forests surrounding Argus, or perhaps on the island of Patch, with his family. He would have thought that his vacation time after Atlas' war would've been a nice trip home after years of being away, of his family surely worrying what had happened to him in that time. Never could he have imagined this, the words repeating themselves over and over and over again. (Bound to You - RWBY, Fair Game)

18. "We've got to stop meeting like this."Qrow let out a snort. "Mind giving me a hand?"Clover laughed as he undid the other man's bindings, and Qrow felt his heart flutter. It was like a weight had been lifted off of his shoulders. "So do we blame this on your luck or mine?" "I think a bit of both." He accepted the soldier's hand as he helped him up, pulling him into a hug, easing himself into the other's touch without hesitation. "It's good to see you. A familiar face is something I could do with right now. We've....got a lot to talk about." (A Meeting, Redux - RWBY, Fair Game)

19. “How the fuck do you keep winning?!” Dabi twirled the token between his fingers, smirking at his opponent. Tomura, sitting across from him, was rubbing at his bandaged face, trying to dispel his anger—the doctor had said it wasn’t good for him after all. The board between them was in the process of being reset, the blue-haired man’s ire growing as the day droned on. Neither of them could remember a day like this, where there wasn’t any immediate danger to speak of. The troops could handle themselves for now, just for one day.They needed the rest after their last battle, worn out from fighting Machia for so long and then immediately being thrown at even more opponents (now allies). (A Game of Kings - BNHA, Shigadabi)

20. Summer had been sitting in the meadow for an incredibly long time. She knew the place was meant to look like the meadow close to her home in Patch, that this was meant to be her paradise, but it wouldn't be so until her family joined her. But she knew that she would have preferred that if they took their time, so she spent her days alone.There were the occasional visitors, friends and old classmates that had unfortunately met their ends too soon, like her, but they would eventually move on, leaving her alone again.She knew something had changed when she saw people she couldn't recognize come into her world, her home. To be fair, they seemed just about as confused as her. (In the Name of Fate - RWBY, Fair Game)

+1. Jayce had never really been good at lying. His mother could always tell when he was up to something. When he was younger, he'd convinced himself that he was actually very good at lying, thank you, and his mother simply had a superpower and could tell when naughty little boys were sneaking treats when they were supposed to or staying up past their bedtime. (Close Enough - Arcane, Jayvik, WIP)

+2. "Jayce, give me back my keys." Jayce's eyes rolled upwards and he pursed his lips as if he were actually considering it. "Nope." "Jayce, this isn't a game." Viktor inhaled sharply. "Give me. My keys." "Hmmmmm. No!" (Wash Away My Sins - Arcane, Jayvik, WIP)

+3. There was still a box of stuff from the old lab. Viktor hadn't touched it, not out of any sentimentality or anything like that - he just hadn't bothered because the stuff in the box wasn't anything he'd had use for. He'd emptied out all his other stuff from the other boxes when he'd first moved back into Emberflit Alley years ago because he'd needed that stuff. But now this sole box was cluttering his desk, which was already cluttered with other things, but he needed those things. He didn't need the box of things. (Ghost of You - Arcane, Jayvik, WIP)

[jadelotusflower]

March 2021 Roundup

Reading

Benevolence by Julie Janson - One of those books that caught my eye at the library (I’m a sucker for the “top picks” shelf) and I’m glad I picked up. The story of Muraging, given over in 1813 to the Parramatta Native School, but always trying to find a way back to her family and culture in the brutal early days of colonisation - resilient in the face of so much hardship. Janson is a Burruberongal woman of the Durag Aboriginal Nation, and Muraging is based on her great-great grandmother and Durag oral histories. An engrossing but often difficult read, about a period of history not often told from this perspective.

One Day by David Nicholls - A book that has been sitting on my bookshelf for so long I don’t even remember buying it. I vaguely recall seeing the movie adaptation on a plane once so must have enjoyed it, but can’t say I would recommend this book. Depicting St Swithin’s Day every year in the lives of two absolute character cliches, from one night stand, to friendship, romance and marriage. The concept is neat and the writing has wit, but I just couldn’t bring myself to care about Dex (insufferable twat) and Emma (not like other girls) or their love story. Okay, it’s not that bad. It kind of grew on me by the end.

Watching

Superman and Lois (episodes 1-5) - I’ve had reservations about this show because of this but am giving it a shot. I have not followed the Arrowverse/Crisis but a friend did her best to explain it to me, although honestly I found it this show works just as well as a standalone. The premise is simple - Lois and Clark return to Smallville with their twin sons for teen superhero angst part two. To be honest, it feels so much like a Smallville revival that...I kind of wish it was?  

Tyler Hoechlin makes a good Clark, but that padded Superman suit is an embarrassment - get rid of those fake muscles and show us some super collarbones! Elizabeth Tulloch is growing on me as Lois - she’s very...subdued, but imo lacking that spark Kidder, Hatcher, and Durance had. Honestly, subdued it how I would describe the show overall. Also the colour palette is sooo drab because gritty realism I guess.

I enjoy the family drama aspect of it, although I wish one of the kids was a girl. I mean, I understand why they’re twin boys - the son becomes the father and the father the son and all that - complete with both sons being named after both of Clark’s fathers (is there a name for the trope of the hero’s kids being named after his dead family/mentors as if the mother had no input??). The Captain Luthor/Morgan Edge plots are still in the setup stage so hard to comment on them. 

I sound harsh, I don’t dislike the show overall (and there’s some really good elements there). We’ll see, I guess.

Man of Steel/Batman v Superman/Zack Snyder’s Justice League - I’ve never really been a huge fan of the Snyderverse, and have been trying my best to avoid the Discourse about the Snyder cut over the past few years (from both sides). I have however been following what Ray Fisher has had to say, and can’t deny my interest was piqued by the idea that there was an entirely different film out there that did right by its characters. So I went back and revisited MoS/BvS before embarking on JL to give the franchise another shot.

While I still don’t really vibe with Snyder’s aesthetic (it’s just a bit bleak and muddy for me) I think these films are actually better when viewed together as one long story. I can appreciate that he made an effort to step away from the Donner nostalgia, and tell this epic modern myth of gods among men, and can enjoy it for what it is. The Snyder cut was entertaining enough, and I quite enjoyed aspects of it - Cyborg is indeed the heart of the film (but I honestly wish it had been explored in his own movie), and Wonder Woman, Aquaman, and the Flash break up the dreary tone.

It was nice to see the Amazons again (and I loved “Amazon’s, show your fear”/“we have no fear”). I like this take on Clark and Lois, even if most of the relationship happens offscreen, and there’s certainly more in the Snyder cut - even if I wish there was greater depth to Clark’s arc in particular, less of the god and more of the man.

I did however notice a pattern in these films in that I was interested/compelled by the first world building/character half, and having my eyes glaze over in the endless action cgi-fest of the second half (I have this issue with Marvel too). And the Snyder cut is indeed endless - it rivals Return of the King for number of endings but is much less cohesive, like Snyder was throwing everything at the wall since this might be his last chance. There’s a nice montage at the end with a bit of hope, and I was thinking well this is a nice uplifting note to end on, thank you! But nope, twenty more minutes of grimdark prophecising (in isolation, an interesting scene, but felt so out of place to show the team torn apart again immediately after we’ve just seen them come back together).

I also lol’d at David Thewlis getting a front credit for what amounted to his cgi face behind a massive helmet. Collect that paycheck, my man!

Coming 2 America - I watched the original as a teenager more times than I can count, truly iconic. Look, I dislike the sequel/reboot/remake merry go round when it dominates the scene, but to be honest I am a sucker for a sequel that’s lovingly made and really just an excuse to get the band back together and have fun. Worth it for the costumes and dance sequences alone (especially the En Vogue/Salt n Pepper/Gladys Knight mashup), but I really enjoyed this overall. There’s nothing groundbreaking and it doesn’t try to be. Was it necessary? No. But did I enjoy it? Absolutely.

Actually, scratch that. The costumes and hair are absolutely necessary.

The Prom (dir. Ryan Murphy) - Now I love a movie musical and this was...fine. It’s sweet and I enjoyed Meryl Streep doing her best Patti Lupone, and Nicole Kidman clearly having fun (even if she can’t Fosse to save her life) although I can’t say I found any of the songs memorable. James Corden, however, is pure cringe for reasons outlined here. But overall it’s light and fluffy, and not a terrible way to spend two hours of your life.

Superstore (seasons 1-6) - I’ve been binging on this for a while, and it’s a fun little show about the employees of a big box store - it’s nice to see America Ferrera back on screen (with producer credit). A great, diverse cast, but MVPs for me are Lauren Ash as Dina (you may recognise her voice as Scorpia from She-Ra), and Kaliko Kauahi as Sandra. While it did touch on some real-world issues - corporation malfeasance, unionisation, etc - ultimately it’s lighthearted and pleasant, especially the series finale that just goes full happy ending with a nice break from grim reality.

Allen v Farrow (dir. Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering) - I’ve never watched a Woody Allen film, and the clips I’ve seen of Woody Allen films haven’t changed my mind on this point. But what struck me seeing the clips of Manhattan in this documentary is just how young Muriel Hemingway was - this is not the Hollywood standard 22 year old playing 17 (which is problematic in other ways) but an actual teenager with a baby face and childlike voice, in bed with a 40+ year old man and I am baffled that this film is so highly regarded - if nothing else it’s right up there on the screen.

But of course there is so much else, which makes this documentary hard to watch at times. To those who have followed these events there’s not much new here, but it does an excellent job of compiling the sources together and giving a timeline of events, as well as refuting many of the pro-Allen arguments, and giving Dylan a chance to speak for herself. There’s also a companion podcast which is worth a listen for added perspective.

Writing

I actually finished something, finally! Posted Debrief, a Smallville one-shot (3920 words). 1670 words done on my other Smallville wip.

Posted chapter 41 of Turn Your Face to the Sun (1865 words). Now that the Obi-Wan show is actually happening, I need to get this finished before it all becomes moot.

Total: 7455 words this month, making 23,962 for the year.

[morgana-ren]

A Little Respect (Shigaraki x Reader)

Summary:  Life is hard for a outlaw down on their luck. Especially hard when you're cold, starving, and desperate. As fate would have it, the League of Villains just might take you in. If you can survive their temperamental leader, that is.

Rating: This particular chapter is E for everyone but Shig is rated R for Real Fuckin’ Rude. Mild cursing and sexual innuendo from Dabi. Will advance in rating as the chapters come out.

A03 mirror if you prefer to read it there

Sorry guys, it’s not the Filthy Smut™ I promised earlier but I got an idea at like 3am and wanted to get it out. 

Tomura Shigaraki does not like you.

Wait, that’s an understatement.

Tomura Shigaraki does not like you at all. It might even be fair to say he hates you.

From the moment he first saw you, he was decidedly unimpressed. Beady, vermillion eyes narrowing in irritation, lip twitching almost indiscernibly behind the shadow of his hand-mask. He’d only looked you over for a brief moment before casting down his judgement, deeming you unworthy of his attention.

It didn’t matter to him that you had taken time out of your day to be here. Seems a bit ungrateful, if you were honest. After all, he was the one looking for new recruits, not you. That was why you were standing awkwardly in the middle of this dingy bar that smelled like cheap liquor and ashes, prostrating yourself before this man-child in hopes of a job. Yeah, you’d seen him on TV and heard of his exploits, but nothing could quite capture the sheer arrogance of the real thing.

He had turned his nose up at you so easily, ripping his focus from you without a second thought. When he spoke, he didn’t even bother addressing you. You were a waste of his time. He instead turned to Giran who stood nearby, sucking down his cigarette as if the acrid smoke filling the bar didn’t add unnecessary drama to the already tense atmosphere.

“Where do you find this trash?” Shigaraki waved you off, mind already made up that you were nothing but a nuisance. “This NPC is really bottom of the barrel.”

His uneven, scratchy voice only served to spike your agitation. Admittedly, you were a proud one on occasion, but this was outright ridiculous. This low budget comic-book-villain-reject looking fuck was calling you trash? Now that was funny.

Giran had moved to speak up on your behalf, but you just couldn’t help yourself. You’d always had a hot temper and an even bigger mouth. It had gotten you into trouble quite a bit, and it was probably responsible for the current financial predicament and various bruises you found yourself saddled with now. Despite that, you had a really hard time controlling the venomous thoughts that came out of you. Sometimes, it just tumbled out before you could consider stopping it.

“What’s with all the hands? Compensating for something? Or is it just a fetish?”

Giran flinched as the words left your lips, mouth closed in a grimace as he exhaled the smoke from the most recent inhale through his nose. You knew you were making his job difficult, but this second-rate walking lotion commercial had already made up his mind, right? You didn’t feel you had much to lose.

Shigaraki visibly stiffened, fist clenching into itself as he held his thumb out to the side. You’d made him mad. What a bitch.

“Rude and bratty with no manners. I’m starting to think you just dumpster dive and bring whatever you find at the bottom to me.”

Even though his tone was sharp and held an edge that hadn’t been there previously, he still refused to look at you, even as he flared at your disrespect. Your antics hadn’t been entirely unappreciated, however. There had been a slight chuckle from the figure standing beside him. A man with charred skin and striking blue eyes with wild black hair was looking you over, eyes glimmering with amusement.

“I like her.”

“You would. You’re just as annoying as she is. But at least you can be useful on occasion.” Tomura scoffed, visibly irritated now as he tapped a long, pale finger on the wooden surface of the bar.

“I really think you ought to give her a chance, Shigaraki. I honestly believe she could be beneficial to your organization.” Giran gestured to you, maintaining a nonchalant smile. You knew he got paid either way, but he did consider himself a professional. He’d work his magic until this breathing temperamental tantrum decided he’d had enough, and then it would be back out on the streets for you.

“We don’t need another loser in our party.” Shigaraki crossed his arms over each other, pointer fingers carefully hovering above the fabric of his black shirt. You knew what he could do, what those fingers were capable of. One grip on your bare flesh and calling you fish food would be generous.

You found it unfair that kind of power had been given to such an impudent dick.

Giran motioned for you to step forward. “Go on, show him.”

You rolled your eyes but obliged, moving into the forefront of the room. You felt like a dancing monkey, but if it would put money in your pocket and food in your mouth, you’d play along. Even if it meant kneeling for one of the biggest jerkoffs the underworld had to offer.

You closed your eyes, focusing for a moment before releasing a breath and bringing your hands together. Light began to shimmer in front of you, swirls of color blending, stitching and intertwining. Bright flashes of blues, reds, and yellows formed a pattern and came together, slowly taking form. Seconds later, a perfect recreation of All Might was standing directly in front of the bar, mimicking his stereotypical pose. The mirage turned its head to the toward the villainous duo seated nearby, legendary smile gleaming in the dim bar lights. It raised an arm, giving a thumbs up.

“I am here!”

The voice was so loud and lifelike that Shigaraki recoiled, looking absolutely feral. His eyes shot open, widened in a mixture of confusion and rage. He had lurched himself half-way out of his chair, posed to lunge at the imposter before him, hands at the ready and poised to attack. “What is this shit?”

A small smile cracked on your face. You focused again, summoning another illusion from the air, this one comprised of mainly blacks, whites, and reds. It wasn’t long before a flawless imitation of Shigaraki himself appeared behind the illusory hero, creeping up behind it, hand outstretched and reaching. It made eye contact with the authentic Shigaraki, grin spreading past the boundaries of the decomposing hand placed over his face.

“Not anymore you’re not.”

The duplicate’s hand made contact with the All Might mimicry, all five fingers pressed against the blade of its shoulder. As the spindly fingers dug in, All Might’s uniform and skin began to decay, spreading and unweaving the flesh and muscle until bare bone was visible beneath as the body began to decompose rapidly. Tendons snapped and plasma leaked to the floor, sending the usually impervious hero to the floor in a whimpering, grimy mess.  Soon enough, All Might’s likeness was nothing but a whimpering pile of dying, ashy viscera beneath fabricated Shigaraki’s red sneakers.

Eventually the illusion faded, and not one person spoke. It took effort for you to hold back a triumphant sneer. Your little production had been no Hamlet, but it garnered the desired result no less. The real Shigaraki was paralyzed in place, eyes still glued to the spot on the floor where the fake All Might had perished, as if he couldn’t believe his eyes.

And he was right, he couldn’t.

Real All Might was still out there, traipsing around and being a massive pain in someone’s ass, but Giran had hinted to you that something like this might get Shigaraki’s dick hard. His hatred of All Might was all encompassing and exploiting it might give you a fighting chance. Apparently, he had been right. You had a feeling that if you let him, Shigaraki would just keep staring in disbelief until someone actively shook him from his stupor.

“I couldn’t get your voice quite right but it’s the best I could do on short notice. I’ve never met you before today.”

You were the first to break the silence, since everyone else with the exception of Giran was dumbfounded. Might as well get the ball rolling. Either you were in or you weren’t, and if you weren’t, you had a corner store to rob before it got too late.

Achingly slow, Shigaraki turned his head back to you. You couldn’t quite get a read on him, not with that giant hand on his face, but judging by the fact that his hands were shaking, and he looked murderous, the prognosis didn’t look too good.

“What is it?” He hissed, copper eyes narrowing on you. “Your quirk. What the hell is it?”

“Illusion. Tricks of light and sound. Basically, I can mess with light and sound waves temporarily to create whatever vision I desire.” It sounded way cooler than you explained it like that. “I can’t do it on a large scale, and I have to understand the exact representation and mannerisms of whatever it is I’m creating if I want it to be accurate, hence your voice. Also, they’re incorporeal. I can’t create a physical form.”

Shigaraki was staring at you blankly. You’re losing them. Play it up.

“Other than that, I can create whatever I want. As long as it’s not too exhausting, I can hold it for a while too. As you can see, there’s not a whole lot else I can really do with it since the visions can’t actually touch or be touched, but it’s great as a distraction.” You shrugged, letting your shoulders slump as you realized just how ridiculous this entire situation really was. “I figured maybe you could use it for subterfuge or something.”

“Doll, you have got no imagination at all.” The blistered one spoke up again, simpering mischievously. “I can think of plenty- “

“Shut up!” Shigaraki growled, flexing his hands by his sides and clearly not in the mood for either one of you. His invasive stare was studying you again, eyes resting a little too long on your face to make you comfortable. You wanted to make another smart-ass remark, but Giran smelled that a mile away like a dumb-shit detecting bloodhound and opted to speak first to keep you from ruining your chances.

“So? What do you say?” He leaned over, smashing the butt of his cigarette into a nearby ash tray, waving away the excess smoke that rose. “You think that’ll be helpful?”

You could see deep frown lines and the shadow of a scowl on Shigaraki’s face. He didn’t answer immediately, choosing to glare you down instead. You weren’t sure you wanted to be a part of the League anymore, anyway. Not if it meant working under this broody, angsty little-

“She can stay.” He turned, storming out the doors without sparing you a second glance. “But if she gets on my nerves, I’ll dust her.”

Well, a job is a job, even if your new boss is the world’s biggest blowhole. If it meant a warm place to sleep and clothes on your back, you’d take it.

“Guess we’ll be working together. See you around, doll face.” The scarred guy gave a slight indifferent wave in your direction before heading out through the exit. You weren’t quite sure how to feel at the moment. It wasn’t exactly the definition of a warm welcome, but then again, you were working with a criminal organization that was currently at the top of Japan’s most wanted list. You couldn’t really expect a hug and a welcome tour.

Giran, on the other hand, seemed ecstatic. He slapped you on the back, grinning wide and no doubt pleased at the bonus commission he’d be ringing in. “See? I think that went great!”

“That was great to you?” Your brows furrowed in confusion. That had to have been one of the single most awkward experiences of your life. The infamous Shigaraki had the charismatic presence of a flaming pile of dog shit.

“Definitely. He didn’t even try to kill you.”

Your mouth dropped. “That’s a thing that happened? That’s a fuckin’ thing that happened and you didn’t tell me?”

“Oh yeah. The last two I brought his way didn’t sit well with him either. About 2 minutes into the meeting and he tried to kill them both. Would have been a real mess if it hadn’t been for Kurogiri stepping in.”

You rolled your eyes, huffing out an exaggerated breath. “Thanks, man. A warning would have been nice. I know he’s temperamental and all, but it would have been good to get a little bit of notice if I had to get my affairs in order.”

“Oh, come on, it’s not so bad. He’s an alright guy. A little rough around the edges but he’ll grow on you. Just try to keep that mouth of yours in check?” He smiled nervously, reaching in his pocket for another cigarette.

“Yeah, ‘cause that’s worked out so well for me in the past.”

“You’re a smart girl. You’ve can do it. Just do your job and stay out of his way if you can.” He flicked his lighter, inhaling the smoke deeply before turning to you again. “The last people I introduced to the League worked out well for him, and while he talks a lot, they seem to get on just fine. I know Shigaraki can be difficult, but maybe you’ll find some comfort in the others.”

“They’re villains, Giran. How amicable can they really be?”

He laughed, giving a small shrug. “I don’t know. You’re technically a villain, and you seem fine to me.”

You opened your mouth to speak but stopped short when you realized you didn’t exactly have a retaliation to that. “Fair.”

“Come on, let’s get your stuff and get you settled in here. No sense in keeping anyone waiting.”

“Your paycheck, you mean.” You side-eyed him, following him out through the bar doors.

“Yes.”

[arandompostarchive]

SALEM - Ch. 16

SAVED WORK

Summary: In all the centuries of your existence, you had never been dragged out of hiding by another god, put in a superhero team and forced to save the universe. But it seems your luck has run out.

_____________

Salem was nothing like he remembered it.

The town was quiet. No soft shouting in the background, or small children running around, bumping into him. You hadn’t sensed his arrival and run out to meet him with your usual wide smile.

There was nothing.

In fact, he smelled fire, ash, and some sort of cooked meat.

His nose wrinkled at the scent. He had never liked the smells fire left behind for whatever reason. He walked into the town and immediately sensed the use of magic. The grass was wet with red, but there were no bodies in sight. He was sure he sensed recent magic, maybe someone had decided to clean the place up.

But from what he could tell, there weren’t any humans around to do that. He looked around more, trying to figure out exactly where you were. Looking closer, he saw there were a few bodies, though they had been burnt to char. His eyes widened. He became a bit more nauseous now that he was able to identify one of the smells.

The bodies, whoever they were, seemed to have been haphazardly thrown by someone else. The saw the town’s square, a stacked of burnt wood in front of its usual decorations. There was another body tied to it, also burnt. It seemed less charred than the others but was still most certainly dead.

He rushed over to it. There was a nauseating squish sound beneath his shoes, a small amount of blood splashed onto his pant leg, staining the fabric. He recognized the woman there, he was sure of it. He couldn’t place it though.

The skin was charcoal black.

He ran his hand over the face. The red-black of the skin flaked under his head and he struggled to identify what he felt.

It was most certainly your magic.

It floated around the burnt wood, hovering in the air. It was stronger than he had ever felt it before. Strangely strong. It almost reminded him of his mother’s power. A strange, intense type of magic.

This had to be you. There’s no way you, even if you were a demi-god, could release this much power unless it was revenge for your own death. They had killed you.

He felt an extreme type of rage. A boiling kind of rage. The kind that bubbles in the pits of your stomach and makes you see red. He could feel water run does his face. He hadn’t even realized he’d started crying until he felt the tears drip from his chin.

He untied the body. He managed to teleport over to a nearby bench, something he had never perfect it. He’d never use it for long distances, but small ones were do-able.

He laid you down next to the lake he had met you at and slowly started at the sun. It was a sunrise instead of a sunset, and somehow that made this all worse. The universe had given you a sunset at the beginning and a sunrise at the end. Everything seemed to be backward. He would’ve laughed at the circumstances, but all that came to his ears was silence. His silence.

Your hands were frozen in place, creating a terrifying statue. An actual person etched in time. He used magic to drift your body out before allowing it to sink.

Loki woke up sweating, his shirt sticking to his back. He was breathing heavily as he whipped his head around, looking at his surroundings. His room. Rather the one Stark had assigned him. It didn’t quite feel like ‘his’ yet, but it was where he was supposed to sleep. Thor had somehow convinced the man of iron to let him stay on the same floor as you and share a small common area with you. Leave it to Stark to make over the top living areas. Usually, he wouldn’t mind silence. Especially since he spent his childhood with Thor, who wasn’t exactly known for being quiet. But with the knowledge that you were supposed to be there too, it felt unsettling. Odd.

He ran his hands over his face, feeling the sweat on his forehead. He had been dreaming about you. He didn’t want to get Stark’s hopes up. He may not like the man, but Loki wasn’t cruel. That and he’d seen rock fall from above him as he left. He was too far sense where you were, not that he was even sure where he should be looking. He wasn’t certain how to get to Kalan from Earth, Kalan to Earth, he’d much rather find a ship and fly. If you were dead, there was no point in going now. If you weren’t, you were probably already on your way. Either way, waiting seemed to be his only option.

He hadn’t spent any time outside of his room, aside from the day or two he was in the Avenger’s medical wing. Some of the team had come up to his door, asking questions.

Peter was the first one. He tried asking what happened, but Loki simply ignored until the boy eventually left, telling Loki that whatever happened wasn’t his fault.

It didn’t help.

Tony came several times.

At first, it was yelling. Mostly questioning why he was there and you weren’t.

And of course, there was Thor. Thor was concerned about Loki’s health, encouraging him to eat or get out of his room. It never worked.

Then, late that night he heard the soft, recognizable footsteps of the spider boy.

“Hi, Mr. Loki.” Peter started. There was a chair next to Loki’s door. Peter wasn’t certain who had put it there, but he pulled it closer to him and sat down.

“She left that note behind when you first left.” Peter held the letter in his hand. “Seemed like she wasn’t sure if it was a good idea in the first place.”

Peter’s hand was shaking. He could hear shuffling behind the door. He took a deep breath.

“I’m just going to read the note.”

Hello, all.

Well, this letter certainly won’t be the nicest thing you’ve ever read.

Sorry.

If this actually opens, I’d say chances are high that I’m dead. Don’t give up hope on me completely though. But, still.

Moros is still dangerous. If I’m not back, we probably didn’t manage to kill the asshole. I’m sorry. I’m sure I tried, but fighting isn’t an exact science, you know? I hope you’ll eventually forgive me for leaving without you.

Cap, you never really liked me. I was hoping that maybe by breaking the rules successfully, you might have more respect for me. I guess I failed that one. I’m sorry I never really proved myself a worthy teammate.

Tony, you are the best brother I never wanted. Thanks for showing me more about technology and humanity. It’s been a while since I’ve spent this much time with mortals. I know you’re upset, and I’m sorry. All my life I’ve wanted to be the hero. The person people think of when they need help, someone they feel they can rely on. You showed me I could do that. And for a moment, I really was a hero. I doubt you understand how much that meant to me.

Peter, I hope that project went well. Sorry I couldn’t help. I’ll miss you, kid. You’re smarter than you give yourself credit for. For once, just let yourself be in the spotlight, huh? You may not be an official Avenger now, but you will be. I promise.

Loki. Hopefully, I’ll find a way to save you even if I can’t save myself. I loved you years ago. And well I wouldn’t use the word “love”, I definitely feel strongly for you now. Maybe we could’ve been something again. I hope to see you in Elysium.

Everyone else. I didn’t know you well. I hoped that we would be close. That I would be a real part of this team, but it never seemed to happen. Still, thank you.

Your name was signed messily on the bottom. You had clearly been rushing. Peter was sure he heard something on the other side of the door. Your letter may speak about you like you were dead, but you asked him not to give up hope.

So he wasn’t going to.

Tony didn’t speak too much. I spent most of his time in his lab, which wasn’t too different from his norm. But he didn’t seem to make the same jokes. He hadn’t called anyone a nickname in a good few days. But even Nat missed Tony’s sarcastic comments.

Peter tried his best to get through to Tony, and Tony was clearly trying his best to make Peter feel better, but it didn’t seem to be helping either of them.

Loki stayed away from everyone. Everyone took turns bringing him up food. Most of the time he ate it, though sometimes he just didn’t want to get up. Losing you once was hard, losing you twice was taking a toll.

He went over every detail of the past two weeks in his head. Moros and Ker, Kalan, then hell itself. The small, chaste kiss you had planted on his lips before sending him back to Kalan. He wished he held it just a second longer. Maybe argued against you more. Tried to stay in Tartarus as long as he could. But no. He didn’t do any of that.

Centuries ago, you were the greatest person he had ever met. Nothing had changed.

***

On your travel, you dozed off more than once. Piloting a ship alone was boring. Insanely boring. And it’s like finally being alone let your body catch up with the events of the past two weeks.

Two weeks.

It seemed like longer.

Much longer.

You weren’t certain how long it took you to get home. Space was pitch black, and it was harder to navigate than you’d like to admit.

Over your life, you’d spent time in space. Gods were used to that sort of thing. But that doesn’t mean it was somewhere you liked spending your time.

You were sure it was at least a few days before you began to recognize the star patterns. By then, the ship was running low on whatever fueled it. You were thankful you didn’t have to teleport yourself again, you weren’t sure if you could handle that again. Physically or mentally.

The small patch over your eye made it difficult to see, much less find your way to Earth. You had never really gotten to see the stars around Earth up close, and although they were beautiful, you had much more important things to do.

You paced around the back of your ship, waiting to get the alert that you were entering Earth’s atmosphere. You let out a small groan. Not like there was anyone around to hear you.

It was silent. Eerily silent. Not a single sound around and it was beginning to drive you insane. You had started humming songs you’d learn over the past few hundred years. Some melodies you had overheard a century ago, other modern songs you had heard Stark playing in his lab.

You paced and hummed, trying to create some sort of sound besides the drowning quiet of space. Eventually, you heard a small siren sound, and the front windshield of the ship flashed red. A symbol came up in a language you hadn’t seen before. Thank the gods for Allspeak.

It seemed to be the Kalan equivalent of an exclamation mark, which was never good when accompanied by sirens and flashing lights.

You rushed to the front looking over some of the systems. The ones you understood at least. It seemed you were approaching Earth’s atmosphere far too fast.

You sat down in the pilot’s seat and steered the ship. Hopefully, it would stay intact enough to land.

***

Loki had spent the two weeks sitting in his room or in Tony’s garage. It had the body of the ship you had stolen. Tony didn’t want to rebuild it, so it made for a nice quiet place that nobody would look for him in.

He had brought a few books down, mostly Midgardian ones you had shown him centuries ago. Everyone was preparing to fight Moros, and he had sat in on more than a few strategy meetings. They mostly consisted of him repeating the same information over and over.

But the garage was quiet.

He paced around, picking his palm. It was a bad habit he had picked up from his mother over the years, but it helped calm his nerves. As he walked back and forth, the metal beneath him creaked. It was less than stable, which wasn’t reassuring, but at the moment he wasn’t particularly worried.

As he walked toward the back of the ship, he heard a soft crunch beneath his feet.

He lifted his boot and some broken petals fell from his shoe. It was the flower he had discarded into the ship after it had scratched you. He picked it up. The petals were only beginning to dry, and some were still the same soft purple they had been before. It really was a pretty color.

One thorn of the rose-like flower still had a small bit of blood on it. He frowned at the now dried liquid. He carefully set the flower aside and sat down on the floor, his head in his hands.

He took a deep breath before the ship shook. There was some sort of loud sound in the background and a few seconds went by before he heard a voice address him.

“Loki, Captain Rogers has asked you to meet the team outside immediately. He has also said you may need your armor.”

Loki sighed and stood. It felt more like clawing his way out of a whole than simply walking out of the garage. His armor appeared on him as he walked outside. He heard some yelling and other voices in the distance. And maybe someone crying?

When he stepped outside he saw a ship that had landed. Well, it was closer to ‘crashed’ but it was certainly better than his landing.

The man of iron and the Captain were yelling at each other, and he saw a body lying on the ground. He walked a bit quicker toward the group. The closer he got, the better he could hear the argument.

A doctor rushed past him toward the body, sitting next to the spider boy. She seemed to be checking vitals, and she gestured to someone behind him before a few other doctors walked past Loki with a stretcher. They picked the body up (which he could now tell was a woman with a large scar and a patch on her face).

“Tony you need to calm down. For all we know, Moros is coming here now. We need to wake her up as soon as possible.”

“I don’t care Steve. I thought she was dead. Everyone thought she was dead. She wrote a note saying she was dead! Let her relax for five seconds, will you?”

Peter was trying his best to get you up. At the very least, he wanted to make sure you were alright.What the hell had happened? The was a slight, still raw-looking scar on about half your face, though it was partially covered by a white and red patch. He assumed the red was blood, but did his best to ignore that.

Steve and Tony were yelling in the background, everyone else was talking amongst themselves and interjecting every so often. Thor and Clint had gone in to get Cho not too long ago and help her with any supplies she’d need and soon they had all returned and you were taken away. Loki had arrived, and Peter saw his face shift into one of horror as you passed.

“What is going on?” Loki said, rapidly looking between Tony and Steve.

Steve sighed before answering. “It seemed Y/n is alright. Broadly speaking that is. We need to wake her up immediately and get her back with the team. It’s not ideal, but we need information and we need it now.”

Tony rolled his eyes. “She needs rest. Whatever happened to her obviously took a toll. She’s missing a fucking eye! At least let her heal a little bit, god man.”

“She’s a god, you’ve heard her. She heals fast. She’ll be alright. She needs to push a little longer, I know it’s not—”

“You’ve never liked her. I get it, really I do. A random girl shows up and her ex is the guy who tried to take over the world. But she needs longer than a few minutes of rest. If we woke her up, she’d say she’s fine and just push through it. I know better than anyone that she’ll just crash and burn. Now, I’m going to go stay in her room with Cho. If you get a few more brain cells, come visit.” Tony walked off.

“Tony, that’s not it at all.” Tony didn’t turn back, he simply continued the walk toward the tower.

“With all respect that is due, Captain.” Loki started, facing Steve. “She’ll need recovery before she is capable of helping in any way. Stark is correct, she’ll only pretend to be alright until she eventually tires herself out. Then she’ll be of no help at all. It may be best to ignore Tony’s offer of visiting. I’d rather not have to hear another one of those fights in the near future.” He too turned away, and Peter followed after them quickly.

Loki was still slightly numb from the shock of actually seeing you.

Were you okay?

Where have you been?

Why didn’t you go with him?

What happened to your face?

***

You sat up quickly, your hair sticking to your forehead. For a second, you panicked that you couldn’t see out of one eye until you remembered the past… however long it had been. You could feel your shirt sticking to your back. You tried your best to take deep breaths and figure out where the hell you were.

There were a few people sitting around the room.

“Hey, you’re alright, it’s us.” You heard from right next to you. It startled you for a second before you saw Tony’s face next to you. You let out a sigh of relief and slowly lay back down.

Peter and Loki were both asleep in chairs on the other side of the room. Peter had a blanket draped over him and a piece of paper crumpled in his hand.

“Hey, kid.” You laughed a bit.

“Tony I’ve been alive longer than you were a thought in the back of your parent’s head.”

“Okay, okay kid.” You smiled at him. You missed him.

“How long have you been waiting?”

He sighed and sat back in his chair. “I think you’ve been out for around 24 hours? Cap isn’t happy about waiting this long to talk to you about what happened.” You nodded, sensing there was more he wanted to say. “Listen, I understand wanting to be the hero, I really do, by why on Earth would you try to make us think you were dead?”

You sighed. “Because I’ve fought with my siblings before. Fights usually last a little while before my mother steps in and breaks it up. I thought that would happen. If it took more than two weeks… I was fully expecting not to be here. I’m sorry.”

He nodded a bit but stayed silent.

Loki’s eyes slowly opened in his chair before he stood up and walked over to you.

“Are you alright? Do you feel okay?” He was showing more emotion in front of Tony than he usually would, and you suspected he was just too tired to keep on his usual straight face.

“Loki, I’m fine.” You smiled at him. Tony stood up and let Loki pull his seat closer to your bedside. Tony went to wake up Peter before he dragged him out of the room. Peter seemed more than a little upset, but eventually nodded at Tony and followed him out of the room, offering you a cheerful smile as he walked away.

Loki wrapped his arms around you, pulling you close to his chest. He had about a million and thoughts rushing through his head at once, and he wanted to ask you all of them.

Wherewereyou?Whydidyouleavehim?Whathappenedtoyourface?Howareyoualive?Howdidyougetback?Wheredidyougetthatship?Whatsortofuniformwereyouwearing?Haveyoueatenrecently?Didyouevenhavewater?Howlongwereyouinspace?Wereyoutravelingthewholetimehewasgone?

But that didn’t matter right now. Whatever happened, you were at least alive. He’d take what he could get.

[gideonloser]

Chapter five: The night's just begun

Once the stress of the cow monster trying to fight was over, the three found themselves in a pickle. Ash hopped down from the car and Farrah was able to get to her feet without help and seemed more or less steady, but then they were three kids, on the side of a road through a forest, next to a stolen and wrecked BMW, and a cow patterned pelt. The pelt was easy enough to deal with- Ash explained to Teddy that some monsters left behind trophies for the heroes that slayed them. She thought he should take it, as it was his quest, but he and Farrah both agreed it was hers, as she shot the Hail Mary that saved the day. Perhaps under different circumstances she would have argued more, but instead she just shoved it into her backpack and turned her attention back to the problems that weren’t so easily solved.

It was a quiet road, but someone was still bound to come by eventually and the three agreed it was best that they not be there when they do. A compass Farrah produced from her bag told them which way was West, and they started walking. That part seemed a little stupid to Teddy, as they weren’t exactly going to walk all the way to Salt Lake, but he didn’t object as he didn’t have a better plan. Eventually they found a place that was deemed far enough away from the crash to be non-suspicious- even if investigators did find them, Farrah would undoubtedly be able to come up with some kind of bluff that would explain why three teenagers were out in the middle of nowhere, and deny hearing or seeing anything about the crash, and at the distance they were, it would (hopefully) be believable.

After all the excitement, Teddy would have been perfectly happy to just flop down on his sleeping bag and sleep for days, but Ash insisted they all needed food first, and he couldn’t deny that a warm fire did sound nice. While Farrah sorted out what they could prepare with the skills they had, Ash insisted Teddy make the fire. She said since Apollo was the god of light and fire created light, he could have a special bonus there. Still, try as he might and with Ash right over his shoulder walking him through it, he couldn’t do it. When Farrah declared they could do hot dogs and had everything all ready but he still didn’t even have so much as a spark, he threw it all down in frustration and yielded to Ash.

As he watched her make the fire (which she got quickly, because of course she did), it occurred to him that he really didn’t know very much about her. As her face lit up dimly in the sparks, he thought about how he didn’t even know where she called home when she wasn’t at camp. This girl called herself his sister, and was willing to put her life on the line for his quest without even being asked. Once she sat back, satisfied with the blaze, and Farrah had distributed the hot dogs, he asked.

"Ash, what is your real life like?"

She turned to him and quirked an eyebrow.

"My what?"

He made a face at himself when he realized he had worded it a bit weirdly, and took the time in his head to make sure his internal translation wasn't lagging, as he sought a better way to word it.

"Like, where do you go when you're not at camp? What's your human family like?"

"I go to my mother's in Los Angeles. She, her husband, and my stepsister Zoe all live there. I do not have any half siblings on that side, though I do have one full sister, Q."

There was a lot to unpack there. First was that she had a full sibling, did Apollo like her mom so much that he came back? Second was that any full sibling of hers was also a half sibling of his, but he had never even heard of this Q, or seen her around camp. Third was the name Q. Was that supposed to be, like, Queue, or was it a nickname? And if it was a nickname, what was it short for? Quin, maybe?

He wasn't sure where to start with all his thoughts, but luckily Farrah seemed to sense his confusion and jumped in.

"Tell him more about Q."

"Q is my twin sister. It's short for Queenie. She joined the Hunters of Artemis a few years ago."

Farrah nodded along as she spoke, evidentially already knowing the story, but meanwhile Teddy was a little lost.

"The what?"

"They're an asexual immortal girl gang." Farrah answered in a helpful tone, but Ash shot her a glance warning her that it was not helpful, and Ash knew damn well that Farrah was aware of it when she said it.

"You know who Artemis is, right?"

"Apollo's twin sister. Goddess of..." That gave him a moment of pause. What exactly was she the goddess of, after all? He was still so new to all of this, and trying to keep everyone straight was hard. "...The moon?"

"Yes, among other things. Including the hunt and chastity." Ash started her answers quickly, almost as soon as Teddy finished speaking- probably just to cut off Farrah before she could contribute any more technically true but confusing nonsense. "So she has all these attendants- girls who pledge to serve her and to forsake the company of men, and in return Artemis makes them immortal. The only way they can die is being struck down in battle. Those are the Hunters."

"And Queenie is one?"

"Queenie is one." Ash confirmed. She suddenly busied herself with her hot dog, and what part of his face he could see while she did seemed sad.

"Do you ever get to see her?" He wasn't sure why he kept asking, especially since he could tell it was a sore spot, but she kept answering.

"Yes. Occasionally the Hunters visit camp, and we do try to Iris message once a month or so." She said, somewhat sadly. "It's just... weird. I mean, I keep aging but she doesn't. And for so long, she was always right by my side, and now she's just... gone."

Teddy went quiet. He understood that, probably more than anyone thought he did. His thoughts turned to his own private grief, which Farrah picked up on. In response, she did something very impulsively, that was also strangely selfless: she threw out her own pain that she had been carefully hiding for all to see, to distract him from his own.

"Ashley," She announced, shifting her body to fully face Ash, but still keeping an eye on Teddy out of the corner of her eye. "I think it's time we talk about Luke."

Teddy didn't need to know who Luke was to know whatever this was was bad news. The temperature seemed to drop and Ash sat up straight, raising her chin and looking at Farrah evenly. She crossed her arms, a gesture that Farrah mirrored, but when Farrah did it, it looked petulant and childish. When Ash did it, she held herself with an air of nobility and carried herself confidently.

"My name isn't Ashley, but okay. Let's talk about Luke."

"Who's Luke?" Teddy asked, hoping it would break the thick tension that had settled, but the girls didn't even break their eye contact.

"Why don't you answer that?" Farrah asked, feigning politeness. "He's your boyfriend."

"He was my boyfriend." She replied, stressing the past tense. "He is your brother."

"I don't care who answers it, can someone just do it?!" Teddy snapped, a little harsher than intended, but whatever had just come over the two girls freaked him out. Finally Farrah forfeited the staring contest, looking over at him.

"Remember the counselor I told you about when you first got to camp? The one who snapped last year and attacked another camper?" He gave a small nod- he didn't remember the details, but he did remember the gist. "That's Luke."

"Why do we need to talk about Luke?"

"What did you know about what he was planning?" Farrah asked, turning her attention back to Ash and ignoring the question.

"Like I already told Chiron," Ash replied, a hint of restrained anger in her voice. "Nothing. I wasn't a co-conspirator. He didn't even say goodbye before he attacked Percy and left."

"Which you didn't know about?" The question was somewhere between an accusation and a confirmation, but Ash nodded.

"Which I didn't know about."

"Wait, Percy Jackson?" Teddy interjected, and both girls nodded. "You hate Percy. You told me yourself that you hate Percy."

This time Ash looked over at him, irritation on her face.

"I think he's annoying, but that does not mean I asked or wanted my boyfriend to try to murder him." She replied, which did seem like solid logic. He nodded, and she looked back at Farrah. "What did you know about what he was planning?"

"No more than anyone else!" She said, immediately defensive. "He complained about our father all the time, but I didn't think he would actually do anything about it!"

"Why does anyone have to know anything about Luke?" Teddy interrupted before Farrah started full on screaming, which got both of them to look at him.

"What?" One, or possibly, both asked.

"Why does anyone have to know anything? Why couldn't Luke have just acted alone and nobody knew anything?"

That idea seemed to calm both of them down considerably and when they looked back at each other, there was sympathy.

"I'm sorry that you lost your brother." Ash offered, her voice still a little guarded, but overall kind.

"Thanks." Farrah said, a bit measured but overall offering an olive branch. "...Do you still love him?"

Ash went quiet, and both the younger teens couldn't help but wonder if Farrah had overstepped as she stared into the flames. The shifting light cast sharp shadows that accentuated all the emotions, of which she seemed to have many, across her face. It seemed odd that she could all but accuse her of conspiring to murder a twelve year old and that was fine, but when she asked about an ex, that was off limits.

"I don't know if I ever loved him." She finally answered, still staring into the fire. "He was my first... Well, my first everything. I can't make that ever go away. And I would always rather be behind his shield than in front of his sword."

Suddenly she looked up. It seemed a second fire had been lit behind her eyes, which glowed with intensity as she looked at them.

"But if I'm called on to defend my home or my family, I won't hesitate. I'll fight to his death, or mine."

[sockablock]

Prompt: "You tried so hard, and I am so, so proud of you." Feel free to edit to fit whatever character and/or scenario you might come up with.

Beau wakes up.

First, she notices the sound.

Where before had been screeching blades, roaring flames, the burning of radiance and the groan of a crossbow and the low, rising hums of a thousand angry beetles, all buzzing, all thrumming, all achingly hungry—here, in this moment, in this minute, there is nothing.

There is…almost nothing.

Beau opens her eyes.

She is greeted by the light of a gently-crackling fire. It illuminates a clearing, soft under moonlit sky. The grass has been pushed down where the ashes burn, and a circle of stones surround the glowing logs.

A figure sits in front of the flames. Outlined in embers, lounging against a stump.

It is staring at Beau.

Its eyes glimmer red.

There is a moment, as neither of them speak.

And then a string of curses spills out into the night. Very, very quickly, Beau scrambles to her feet.

“—fuck!” she shouts, throwing her hands into the air. “Fucking hell, seriously? Gods, I can’t believe this. I never thought…I didn’t think…”

Molly drapes an arm across his knees. “Nice to see you too, dear,” he grins. “I’d ask how you’re doing, but…no point, eh?”

Beau mutters another awful swear. She matches his smirk with a withering glare.

“Don’t tell me I’m stuck here with you. My life wasn’t all bad, I can’t deserve hell.”

One of Molly’s eyebrows arcs up. His head tilts just faintly to the side.

“Is that where you think this is? Hell? You think hell’s a tranquil midnight forest?”

“I think hell is wherever you are.”

There’s a pause. Then:

“Touché, Beauregard. You really haven’t got any love for your old friend?”

Beau rolls her eyes, then shuffles forward in the grass. She sits down inches from Molly’s side.

“You motherfucker,” she whispers softly. The tears on her cheeks are orange in the light. “You dumbass. Why’d you have to go and die?”

Molly pulls her in for a hug. She can hear the slow jingle his charms. It has been almost a year since she’d last heard that song.

After a while, they break away. Molly gives her a complicated smile.

“I could ask the same of you. Nice gash across your stomach. Very dramatic. What an exit!”

Beau scowls, mostly out of habit. She presses a heavy palm to the wound but feels no blood, no wetness, no pain.

Her hand is clean when she draws it back up. She sees now, already, her flesh begin to heal.

“Is that…is that normal?” she murmurs. “Did yours do that? Does it mean…am I really dead?”

Molly leans back against the stump. He lets his horns tap onto the wood.

“Ha! How would I know, dear? I’m just as lost as you. Maybe more so.”

Beau crosses her arms. She also lies back. Up, high above, is a mosaic of twinkling stars. The dark expanse of the universe lies beyond.

She doesn’t recognize a single pattern. Strangely, somehow, that’s…alright.

“What do you mean ‘more so’?” she asks. “You’ve been here ages. Shouldn’t you be…I dunno, shouldn’t you be an expert, by now?”

Molly snorts. His jewelry chimes. “Beauregard, you wound me. Who do you think I am?”

“I thought you were adventurous,” she counters. “I thought you always seized life by the balls. I thought you were all about living in the moment and exploring anything and everything you came by.”

Molly watches the stars in silence. He shuffles a little, and the grass below them rustles.

“I suppose we never did know each other as well as we should have, eh?”

Beau considers this. She sees a comet.

“I think…we were friends. I guess that was always good enough for me.”

Molly cracks a very small smile. She doesn’t see it, but really. She didn’t need to.

“Thanks, Beau. I thought so too.”

They lie there in the quiet a moment more, listening to the rhythm of the fire.

Then Beau rises. She glances all around.

“Is this…is this it, then?” she asks. “Is this all there is? I mean…just some woods and a burning pit? Where’s the excitement? Where’s the reward? We were…we were heroes, dammit, shouldn’t we get a little more than this?”

Molly peeks one crimson eye open. He’d never had pupils, but she could tell that he was staring.

“What are you talking about?” he asks.

Beau waves a hand, encompassing the forest. “This!” she repeats, significantly louder. “I’m talking about all this. Or—gods, or lack thereof. I mean…come on! This is the afterlife? This is barely better than the…the life-life! If I wanted to sit around all day, staring into an open flame and listening to nothing but crickets and other shitty bugs, I could’ve just stayed alive! I mean, gods above, I’d really prefer that.”

Then she hesitates, and her gaze darts to Molly. He hasn’t moved a muscle, just continues to stare.

“Er,” she adds hastily. “Er…sorry, I guess. I’m being pretty insensitive, huh?”

There’s a beat as the campfire crackles on behind them. Then Molly sighs.

He shakes his head.

“Well, it’s nice to know that some things don’t change.” He sits a little straighter, and nods beyond the trees. “Want to know a little secret? Just between us old friends?”

Beau raises an eyebrow. “Will I regret it?”

The answer is a chuckle. He points into the distance.  

“There’s actually a town only a few hours’ walk from here. It looks rather lovely. And it’s pretty rambunctious, especially when you get much closer. Sometimes they have fireworks. Usually, they have music. It’s…it actually seems like quite the party.”

Beau raises an eyebrow. She quickly looks him over.

“What the—then…why the hell are you still here? The Molly I knew would’ve jumped at that place. I mean, gods, remember Hupperdook?”

“I do,” Molly answers, and she realizes too late. Still he continues to plow on ahead. “The Molly you knew was alive, dear. Alive and…well, he had friends.”

The flash of weak smile cuts through the quiet night.

“I, ah…I don’t really want to head over, yet. Especially not if I’m going to be alone.”

Beau crosses her arms. “But you’re alone here. Sitting all by yourself in the forest.”

His smile turns softer. His shoulders fall a little.

“You can still be lonely in a crowd, dear. Besides, I mean…you’re here, aren’t you?”

Beau considers this. She lets out a sigh.

“Yeah, well, I suppose that’s true. Fat lot of good that’ll do the others. We were in a fight, you know. A really bad one. With this crazy golem. It threw out a spear, and I ran to protect Caleb, and…I guess I got unlucky.”

He gives her a gentle pat on the arm. “It happens to the best of us,” he says. “Believe me dear, I would know.”

“Oh, fuck off.”

He barks out a laugh. The glimmer in his eyes seems to warm as Beau grins.

“Come on,” he says, gesturing at the fire. “Why don’t you humor me a bit? Stay a little while. It’s been so long. We should catch up! And maybe we could get to know each other a bit better. We didn’t have many chances, before.”

Beau watches the soft, hopeful turn of his mouth. The threads of his coat shine gently in the light.

She’d always thought that thing was too gaudy. Looking at it now, well.

It was Molly’s.

She sits down. She returns to his side.

“Tell me a story,” he murmurs in the moonlight. “Any kind of story. Anything at all.”

Beau makes a quiet humming sound in her throat. She thinks back on her life. She chooses a story.

Then she remembers how long he’d been alone.

She chooses every story.

She tells Molly about her life growing up in Kamordah, growing up on the massive, sprawling Lionett estate. She tells him about the childhood she’d never had, about being forced into lessons and being forced into dresses, about being told she was the heir of a prestigious winery, and how she was supposed to grow up and be a Lady. She told him about getting into fights with other kids, she told him about how she hated being controlled, she told him about the smuggling and the stealing, the being caught, the being discarded, the running away—

She told him how free she’d felt with the Nein. How much she loved them. How much she loved them all.

She told him that they’d been her real family. She told him why she’d left her old one.

She told him about Tori. She told him about the letter.

She told him about her brother.

“I mean…can you believe that?” At this point, the fire before them has grown low. “Seriously…gods, I had a brother? And I…man. I never got to meet him. I never…I guess I never will, huh?”

She stares reflectively into the embers.

“…should I…at the time, should I have tried?” she murmurs. “Should I have tried to go and see him? To talk to him, and…I dunno, to try and speak to my parents again? Should I have tried to…to change? Molly, I hated them, I thought they hated me. But I think…I should have tried—”

And then she’s in his shoulder. His hands gently pat her on the back. Her lungs are shaking and her fingers tremble and she’s crying again, for the second time. In front of Molly. Molly, of all people.

Absently, she thinks that this is probably the wrong tiefling.

But then she remembers everything else. Everything they’d been through, everything they’d lost.

She settles down. Her chest falls still.

“It’s okay,” Molly whispers. “Beau, it’s okay. Whatever happened before, whatever happens now, I…I know there’s a lot that I missed. There’s a lot I don’t know. There’s a lot I’ll never know.”

He leans back, and wipes away a tear.

“But there is one thing that I’m sure of. And it’s that you tried. I know that you tried. You never stopped trying, and as annoying as you were, as bloody irritating as you got, my dear, my friend, you tried so hard. And I am so, so proud of you.”

Beau sniffles a bit. She hadn’t done so in many years.

She’s dead now. Maybe some rules don’t matter.

She uses her sleeve to clear up the rest. She nods at Molly, and tries to match his smile.

“Thanks, uh…yeah. Thanks.”

His grin widens. There’s a little bit of fang.

“Oh, I’m gonna remember this one. I can’t wait to tell the others.”

She rolls her eyes, and hits him on the arm.

“You dick. I hate you, you know that?”

His laughter is everything in the quiet.

“I do. And for the record, I hate you too.”

Beau manages to snort at that. She can feel the dampness drying on her face. She opens her mouth to give a retort, but then, all of a sudden, there’s…there’s a feeling—

It’s like someone had wrapped a string around her heart. And then they’d pulled on it.

They’d pulled hard.

Beau glances down. There’s a sharp intake of breath.

“Molly, I’m—”

“Gods, what in the—”

Beauregard’s body has turned into light. She’s still there, still present, but her form has shifted, it’s becoming translucent and blurry and soft, she’s glowing, she’s vibrating, she can feel something warm—

And then there’s a voice. It’s distant, it’s far. It’s impossibly quiet, but it’s still there, she can hear:

—friend. The…the first real friend that I ever had. I miss her, and…and…and…please. She’s my family. She’s all of our family. Beau, if…you can hear me, I just…I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry, I wasn’t there in time—

Molly reaches out.

He takes her by the hand.

He tries to, anyway. She isn’t fully there.

Somehow, this is wonderful.

Somehow, it is terrible.

“Go on,” he whispers, nodding his head. That smile is back, though just a bit sad. “Go back, Beau. Tell them I said ‘hi.’”

She stares into his gaze, pleading, gripping tight, she tries to wrap her fingers around his wrist, like she can drag him, like she can bring him too—

“We never came for you,” she realizes. “Molly, we never—we didn’t—we didn’t think—”

He shakes his head. There was never any malice.

“Those were borrowed years, dear. It’s okay. I’ll wait. I’ve got all the time in the world.”

“But you’re alone—”

A different voice now, low and twangy, pleading all the same—

—my first mate, Beau. I couldn’t have done any of it without you—

“I’m not alone. Not really. I’ve, ah, I’ve been sort of watching—

She shakes her head. “That’s not enough. We’ll bring you back—”

Molly’s grin is gentle. It’s soft.

“Ah, but perhaps this has all been a dream?”

Even at a time like this, Beau can glare. It’s honestly quite impressive.

“You’re a dick, you know that?”

“Takes one to know one. It’s been a pleasure.”

—regard, er…I know we did not get off on the right foot, but over this last year, you have become—

She is nothing but a fading ghost in the light now, almost returned, almost brought home.

She narrows her eyes. She shakes a fist.

“I’m coming back. I promise, I’m coming back. One way or another, I’ll see you again. You fuck. Save a drink for me.”

Molly laughs. “I’ll meet you in that town. Fair enough?”

She nods. Maybe it’s reluctant, but she nods.

“Go out there and enjoy yourself, you bastard. If anyone’s earned it, I think you have.”

She’s almost gone. Her voice is a whisper.

Molly leans back against the stump.

“See you later, Beauregard. But not too soon. Like I said. I’ve got time.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Fine.”

And then there is a slow and fading breeze. A quiet shiver in the trees all around.

And then he’s alone again.

Just like that.

A few moments later, he opens his eyes.

The fire has almost completely died. The last tiny embers are growing cold and dim.

The smoke has stopped winding up through the trees.

He glances off in the direction of the town.

Just at the edge of his hearing:

Music.

Very, very slowly, Molly breathes a laugh.

He stands up. He brushes off his trousers.

If he gets going now, he can make it before dawn.

—

if you have a request, my inbox is open! My ko-fi link is in my bio, if you’re feeling charitable

[erintoknow]

Jamais Vu: fire, never consuming

fallen hero: rebirth fanfic, chargestep / puppet/ortega ~1.3k words feat.: kissing

another adaptation of an in-canon scene to finish this series out. so, apologies to malin again. i just love the original sequence of events too much to not resist mangling it apparently... .-.

previously: follow that thread

––––––

     It’s not quiet.

     It’s the low rumble of a hospital in the middle of fielding a crisis. The wooden door can only muffle so much. It’s quite feel real, knowing that you caused this. No suit to insulate you now, no puppet to keep the world at remove. Just you wearing some random garbage clothes, and the woman you put in a hospital bed staring up at you. How many other people did you put in beds like this?

     Why is this bed the only one you care about?

     “I haven’t even said thank you yet.”

     “For what?”

     “For coming here. There’s no reason for you to.”

     “What?” You look at her, wide-eyed. Guilty. But she can’t know that. You jab Ortega in the arm. “I do care about you– you idiot.”

     “Ow! Remember that I’m hospitalized?”

     “Just– just look at you…” You push up from the seat, nervous energy making your hands shake. You grab the handle of the cart holding the machine Ortega’s hooked up to, suddenly not confident in your ability to walk.

     You need to let go of this, let go of her. This isn’t going to stop happening. You’re burning your past tonight, and that past includes Julia.

     “Hey,” Ortega whispers, you don’t look at her. “Are you all right? I’m not dead– are you…?”

     “I am not crying!” You raise your voice, willing it to be a factual statement. Rub your eyes with one hand, blinking furiously. You slump back down in your chair. Don’t look at her. Don’t look at what you did. “You’re an idiot.” You choke out. “You’re an idiot with no sense, and I don’t even have any idea why I should ever care what happens to you, and yet here I am and– and–“ You pound your first into your lap, dig your nails into the fabric of your pants.

     “And I’m grateful you are. I just didn’t…” Ortega’s voice is quiet, bordering on awe.

     You don’t look. Can’t look. You want to die. You want her to reach out from that bed and pump you full of lightning until you’re a pile of ash on the floor, grab you by the neck and throw you through the window.

     Something.

     Anything.

    Just touch you, please.

     Your hand digging into your leg has shifted into tracing patterns, you focus on that instead. Something familiar. Damn, why are you so warm? You wish they’d pump the A/C up, aren’t hospitals supposed to be freezing?

     “I don’t– I don’t know what I’m– what I’m feeling–“ You blurt out. Try. Try to stop shaking. Get a grip, chickadee. “This isn’t the right time, and–“

     “Okay, okay. I get it. I think.”

     You force yourself to look up at her. What is that expression on her face? Is she dazed from the fight? Your heart breaks again seeing the stitches holding her lip together. You let out a long, shaking breath, rub your eyes again. Try to smile, it feels hollow. “I’m glad one us does. I don’t get anything anymore.”

     “We’ll… talk about this later?” She looks at you, searching. Lost? You can only guess. Can only ever guess. “When things are less messed up?”

Later, but not by nearly enough…

     Ortega reaches out to the elevator pad and pushes the STOP button. The two of you jostle as it comes to a sudden halt.

     You swallow a lump in your throat, “What are you doing…?”

     “Getting us some time to talk. There’s something I need to find out.”

     You look away from her, shrink back against the wall opposite from Ortega. “Then… talk.”

     “I just… wanted to say thank you, I suppose.” From the corner of your eye you can see Ortega is also avoiding looking directly at you. “I didn’t expect this.”

     You relax a little. “Nobody ever expects to be beaten up,” you whisper. Ortega’s just… being thankful.

     You can handle that.

     “No, I meant you being here.” You manage to look up just in time to see her staring at you, full-focused.

     Oh.

     You can’t handle that.

     “We– We’ve been over this.” You protest.

     Don’t think about what’s happening. Don’t think about how she’s looking at you. Don’t think about how you just put her in a hospital bed. Don’t think about how you kissed her while wearing a woman’s skin.

     “This was a one-time thing,” you voice is low, barely even a whisper. “This… this isn’t my life anymore.” Why is is always so warm in these buildings?

     It’s not fair, frankly. You’re a villain now. You shouldn’t have to keep hiding what you want from everyone, including yourself. You absolutely shouldn’t be thinking about that moment in the Gala where Ortega wrapped her arms around Jane.

     Why are you jealous of her? She’s you.

     Isn’t she?

     Before you realize what you’re doing, you step forward, like Jane wanted to. It doesn’t feel real. Like you’re back in the middle of a life-or-death fight, where the seconds stretch out around you in slow motion. You can see yourself in the elevator mirror, grabbing Ortega by the shoulders. She’s staring at you, a look of dawning surprise.

     She’s taller than you, but not by much, you just have to tilt your head up, you’re not in heels this time so you have to lift up ever-so-slightly, and you can press your lips against hers. Her soft skin is intercut with raw stitching and scabbing blood. Kissing her is strange.

     You’ve never done this before–

     –except that yes you have literally just done this.

     Sort of.

     As a– as a different woman.

     That kiss had been intense, Ortega took the lead, with her arms wrapping around Jane, pulling her close. Jane reaching back, tossing her purse to the ground so she could run her hands through Ortega’s hair, draw circles on her back.

     Kissing Ortega now, as Ariadne Becker, it’s the same face Jane touched alright. But marred now, by your own handiwork. You aren’t Jane. That’s inescapable. The two of you might seem alike at a passing glance, similar hair, similar eye color. But it can’t hold up under close inspection like this. You have thinner, extremely chapped lips, for one, you haven’t bothered to comb your hair in weeks – a stray strand gets stuck between you two as you kiss – for another. Your nose sticks out more so you have to tilt your head to maneuver around Ortega’s. Jane is real in ways you never can be. Everything’s just off enough to emphasize the alien inside the familiarity.

     Ortega doesn’t quite kiss you back this time around; passively accepting your touch with a stunned, breathy awe.

      Too soon you have to pull back. There’s a taste of copper lingering on your tongue. Your heart is pounding, your adrenaline crash being flushed away with a fresh shot.

     “I thought I was…” Ortega licks her lips, expression unreadable, “…imagining things.”

     You let go of her shoulders, feeling a strange mix of glowing calm contrasting against your heart trying to escape your ribcage. You can feel a smile threatening to escape. “Should... Should I worry about you having a concussion too?”

     “Very funny.”

     “It’s…” You lick your lips, mouth suddenly dry. “Ah– call it trying– trying out a missed opportunity.”

     You actually…

     You did, not Jane.

     You touched someone.

     Willingly. Without prompting.

     Moreover, you touched her.

     And you don’t want to throw up.

     “It’s not that I’m complaining but…” Ortega looks completely lost at sea. “I mean, I…”

     You can feel your brief calm dissolving already. You’re trapped in a box with no outlet other than Ortega. You grab your arms, hugging yourself to try and keep from shaking again. You feel warm, hot like a fire, and Ortega looks an awful lot like tinder right now.

     “Ari… what does this mean?”

     “We’ll…” You take a breath. “We’ll talk about it later.” You reach out and slam a button on the panel, get the elevator moving again.

     Ortega touches her lips, “Later? What are you talking about? Why not now?”

     You don’t respond. You don’t have an answer that even to you doesn't sound queen supreme of fucked up. You don’t meet Ortega’s gaze as the increasingly awkward seconds drag by until the elevator chimes and the door slides open. “Because this is my stop.” 

[mvnikin-blog]

alden ehrenreich + cis male + he/him.┊ ❛ ━ hey, is it just me or do you hear all i want by walk the moon playing in the distance ? oh, thats just manikin, a neutral good member of the LEAGUE OF HEROES. i suspect they might be brayden “ray” gray, a twenty-five year old bouncer at no angels nightclub with the ability of self-manipulative puppetry. according to my sources, he can be stoic, but also facetious which is probably why they remind everyone of the slightest falter of a practiced grin and freshly fallen cigarette ashes so much. anyway, a superhero or not, crystalline city is keeping a close eye on them! (logan, 18, est, she/her )

hey, howdy, hey  ! i’m logan, and this is my dude brayden gray. basically, he’s a former syndicate member who found the errors of his ways but doesn’t really know where to go now that he’s apparently a hero and working a somewhat normal job again. if you want to find out more, take a gander down below here. and, if you’re so inclined, send me a lil IM to plot ! i’ve been actually trying to find an excuse to play alden and this power so i’m kind of super excited right now.

POWER

SELF-MANIPULATIVE PUPPETRY the power to control the user's own motor functions regardless of what state their body is in. user can control their own body like a marionette, allowing them to move freely even if they possess injuries or ailments that would normally impede normal movement such as paralysis, broken limbs or dislocated joints. - superpower wiki

how i’m interpreting this is he can pick up anything just like that. ballet, football, martial arts... you name it and he can do it after a few hours of watching or listening to people do it. the problem is that around the age of 21/22, he had gotten an injury that cost him the use and feeling of his body below the neck until his power kicked in yet again. his once fluid and somewhat perfect movements began to look forced and jerky. he still can’t get to those natural movements down, but he has total control over his body so he can’t fight against his power anymore. he also can’t feel anything below his neck, so things like breaking his thumbs to get out of handcuffs and fighting got a whole lot easier after.

PERSONALITY

ray is a good kid. generally speaking, he tries his best to be a good person for his family and friends but sometimes he doesn’t know the best way to do it so he slides into situations most good people avoid because it’s all he can figure out.

he’s also a very, very, very closed off individual. that jelly jar you can’t open ? it’s him. not to say he’s not friendly with people (because that’s entirely the opposite of true), but he hates talking about himself and his issues. he’d rather die of a splinter than ask someone to take it out for him. instead of talking about real problems he makes jokes and changes the subject if it’s about him. if someone else needs help and they’re apart of his friend/family group, you better bet he’s there in minutes to help or to at least make them laugh. very heavy dad friend vibes because he basically was a dad for so long at so young.

honestly ? he hates fighting, but he attracts it like a light to moths... but, he’s also really good at it ? ever since he was 16 he had been working at bars and clubs as a bouncer because fighting just came easily to him and every time he got into one he hated it but it was what it was. and when he became a villain it kind of just was what it was. it was part of the trade off to him but don’t think for a second he didn’t have long nights trying to forget all the things he did.

he’s way more mature than a 25 year old should be. granted, he’s made mistakes and he seems like that one annoying kid singing offkey in a starbucks to make someone laugh, but he’s really not. he has wrinkles in places he shouldn’t and hands rougher than they should be, he’s seen the side of people that are typically very well hidden, and he’s skipped over the whole being a kid phase to grow up quick. so when he says “i understand,” he almost always genuinely means it.

BACKGROUND ( death, paralysis tw )

from the second ray was born, he laughed and it took a whole lot to make him finally cry. he had a mother who loved him, a father who couldn’t care any less, and a whole world waiting to take him in. when he got home, he was safely secured in his mother’s arms until the next year when he started walking and running around the house causing a little bit of chaos for his stay-at-home mother and his father who, after coming home from long days working, just went to bed and left his wife to deal with the energy he had.

just as he was starting out kindergarten, his family changed very rapidly. his baby brother, noah, was born and their father left the family for another woman the same month. his mother had to get a job and ray had no choice but to help take care of his brother while doing school and trying to continue being a kid at the same time.

his life started to become a pattern. he had school, some sort of free after school thing, walking home to his brother, cook dinner, start the coffee for his mother when she came back for her two hour nap, sleep, repeat. after he turned 16 however, when his brother was about 11, he made the decision to drop out of school and begin working in at a nightclub that gave him some slack for his age if they could pay him in cash. he agreed immediately and the extra income and time during the day helped out with the family a lot more than going to school would have helped him and it gave his brother a chance to not have to do the same.

a year into this brand new job, ray found out that the reason he was getting paid in cash wasn’t just so that he could work the long hours at his age and not have someone on payroll... it was instead because they weren’t just a club. they had an illegal business in the back that they wanted to protect as well. there they sold objects you wouldn’t want people to know you have like guns, drugs, high tech, and more... when he found this out they called him into the office and offered him a lot more money if he took care of security for the club and started going out with them on deals for safety. there was hesitation, but it came down to how much good he could do for his family when he told them yes. they were in too much debt and their house was on the verge of foreclosure for him to say no.

from there he continued to stay home to help his family and their debt, but he also spiraled into a lot more criminal acts. he started getting more involved in this organization and as he got older, he got more useful to them and more stuck in the cycle. he never stopped raising his brother, in fact he worked harder to make sure he was better than himself, but his time home became less and less. he didn’t know anything else to do so he kept with it for the next five years when he thought his brother had ran away.

the moment his mother called him freaking out, he quit working with these people and drove home as fast as he could. part of him worried it was the line of work he was in, but the reality was that it was a hard environment to live in and he figured he tried to run away. there was a few nights calling around and praying someone would know something before he decided to pack up his things, leave most of his savings to their mother, and look in the city in case he could find his brother or someone who could find him.

a few weeks into the investigation, his mother had come down to visit him in a ragtag little apartment and while the two were talking the building came down. nobody really knows what happened, but within seconds the building started to crumble and lives were lost... including his mother’s. on top of that, ray was severely injured and at the hospital he was told that his spine had been damaged and he wouldn’t be able to move below his neck. it was so much devastating news, but what made it worse was that something was off with what the doc said. when she left, he tried to scratch his nose and instead of realizing what she actually said and going “oh,” he actually did it. that’s when he knew that he had some sort of ability and he sort of freaked out. during that night, he left the hospital so he didn’t have to explain anything and then he sat down and tried to come up with some sort of plan to avoid thinking about his mother.

somehow his plans led to him meeting someone from this syndicate who promised him that they'd find his brother if he helped them out. he's done some bad things in his time to help out his family, so what would have made this different? he agreed with only a thimble of hesitation and put in the same work effort he had had oh so long ago.

after being with this organization of supervillains for so long, he lost hope that he'd fine his brother. he figured that if he hadn't found him in these three years that he'd never do so. his conscience began to weigh on him and when the first of the year came around, he took a chance to leave the organization and use his gift for good instead of being selfish and these past few months have been a trial period for him because who would trust a guy with his background ?

CONNECTIONS

the person who vouched for him to the league. maybe they knew him for a while and then found out who/what he was ? maybe they were the one he got into contact with when he wanted to change sides ? maybe they were fighting and suddenly he goes “i want to be good again” ? we can talk about this and figure it out because this is a biggie.

a genuine friend at the syndicate. someone who he still keeps in contact with despite now being on opposite sides. they get coffee together in secret, and just are good friends. maybe they’re both set in their paths and while he would like them to come with him, he’d rather them both to be friends... or maybe they want to change too ?

an ex because honestly ? an old s/o would really be sweet and there’s so many connections you could do with it.

i don’t know, more to come !

[anothershadeofpurple]

Henry: The curse is keeping them apart with the coma. Now they’re stuck without each other. We know who they are. Now they have to know. Emma: And how do you intend to make that happen? Henry: By reminding him. We have to get her to read their story to John Doe. Then, maybe, he’ll remember who he is.

Considering all the wild spoilers going around, I figured I’d do a little post on it and this seemed like a good place to start. Once again Emma & Regina’s story follows that of Snow and Charming. In season one, their names were changed to David and Mary Margaret, they were stuck in a world that wasn’t theirs, separated because they didn’t remember who they were. Henry suggests to have Mary Margaret tell David his own story to have him wake up and remember who he is. 

Fast forward to now. We see Regina and Emma in a world where they don’t belong. Here they are the Evil Queen and the Princess. Just like David and Mary Margaret need to become Snow White and Prince Charming again, the Princess and the Queen need to become Emma and Regina again. Regina has split from the Queen, Emma is struggling with being the Savior. Just like Mary Margaret, Regina ends up telling Emma her story. Except, just like Charming, Emma doesn’t respond to her story. She responds to their story, the love story, the story of their family.

So what can we make of that?

“The pitch was it’s gonna take 6 years to break the curse.” Jennifer Morrison

Well, for one thing, that they didn’t actually lie to their actors. Emma completely losing herself suggests that we have been experiencing the curse from within this whole time. Emma is in the same position as the entire town of Storybrooke was in Season 1.

So she is in a haze - she’s hasn’t been herself and is dating... Captain Hook of all people - not aging - permanent infant baby Neal is not a mistake - with screwed up memories - there was so much more to Emma and Lily’s story - stuck in a cursed town that’s keeping her oblivious - check! Emma has slowly come under the same curse without us - or her - realizing it.

Since Emma now remembers who she is thanks to Regina, we are getting closer to the moment when the curse will be broken, just like for Snow & Charming. Everyone will finally return to their rightful state and their rightful world.

“The basic story line of Once will be completed this season.” Eduardo Castro

The basic story line has always been about breaking the curse, that is the big conflict set up in the Pilot. That doesn’t mean it is the last season, quite the contrary, because we need to see Emma, Regina and Henry return to Storybrooke. It won’t be as easy as just being back. Magic and wishes come with a price and narratively it would have to be a season with challenges to prove Emma has benefited from the lessons she has learned in her cursed state. She has to learn how to navigate in a world where the magic that remains are the lessons about hope, belief, fate and love she learned. It would also have to reframe the rest of the show we have just seen and clarify things.

She will end the series [current storyline] in a newer version of the classic red jacket. Eduardo Castro

Emma’s jacket was always a symbol of what was happening to her. It suddenly changed along with her when she took on a new role, which is something that isn’t possible in the real world. In the Firebird episode - even though Hook seemed to be the Phoenix rises from the ashes - it was really Emma’s rebirth when she put on her jacket from the Pilot.

Note that the shot is composed to show us what’s going to happen this season. The flower patterns are just a cover and they will be removed to reveal the real Emma Swan again. This moment shows her intent to fight back and find her way out of her cursed state. She seems to have little moment of awareness where she takes control again.

“There will be a little bit of closure in this particular narrative regardless of what happens with Season 7.”  Channing Dungey

The curse being broken would be a really big shift in the story, so this makes perfect sense. It will feel like a different show if the Evil Queen’s first curse is broken completely and magic leaves again. That doesn’t mean they can’t continue telling the story of the people who were always their only real dynamic - and since the split all original - characters Emma, Regina and Henry. And it doesn’t mean they can’t choose to follow some of the fairy tale characters when they’re back in the Enchanted Forest... but it would definitely be a little bit of closure and it could easily be described as a reset.

“Executive producers Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis would be looking for the seventh season to be a springboard in a new direction from a narrative standpoint, which doesn’t necessarily mean that we’re not bringing cast back, it’s just how do you kind of hit the reset button in a way that gives you opportunity to expand the stories that we’re telling?” Channing Dungey

Adam Horowitz said on Twitter they weren’t going to do a reset. It makes sense he wouldn’t call it that or see it as such. This would simply be them telling the story they set out to tell from the beginning, except we were fooled into thinking the curse was broken in season one. It’s logical that they may want to make the audience aware a big change is coming. Especially casual viewers may have long forgotten about the initial curse. Many people are watching for the Disney live action, so it makes sense to give a bit of an advance warning that change is afoot without giving anything away.

If they break the curse, it would clarify things, it would potentially bring viewers back and it might bring in a new audience if there is enough of a buzz. Especially since as mentioned in the beginning, Regina and Emma are like Snow and Charming. Regina is the one making Emma remember who she is, so it’s not exactly out of the realm of possibility there’s a little True Love kissing involved in order to break that pesky curse. Media would be talking... and in these days of queer people’s rights being in jeopardy in places where we hoped we’d be fine, they might get more support for it than ever. The timing would be perfect given the current state of the world.

This explains why they don’t want to set the show up for cancellation, but they do need a new concept. The Pilot was built with all the elements of the story that is coming to a close. As this cycle ends, a new one begins. They need a new premise. A new challenge. A new conflict. Season 7 would have to give closure, but set up an entirely new story that could go on for season. That’s simply what all this talk is about. They just need to pitch a new show, because season 7 would be a pilot and closure at the same time. It’s unusual because tv shows don’t usually have set endings, but Once Upon a Time was created with 7 seasons in mind, it seems. Hence the odd communications and decision making process. It’s an ending and a beginning tied in one.

“My contract ends in April on Once Upon a Time. I don’t know what that means. They haven’t picked up the show officially yet — they might, they might not. We are just waiting now to see if the network decides to continue with the show — and if they do continue with the show, if they’re going to rework it to be something else, or if they’re going to invite people to stay. We’re just in a holding pattern right now.” Jennifer Morrison

We have been seeing everything from Emma’s perspective and as the curse is broken, we will still be in her life. She is the hero here. So the new concept they are working on will have to either still revolve around her or be transitioned away from her to another character. They could be doing anything, but a new contract would probably be about season 7, but also about guest spots for any future seasons. So it makes sense that everything is up in the air until they know what to do with season 7 creatively. If they’re unsatisfied with what the writers come up with, they could still announce season 7 as the last one.

I am collaborating with my costume maker about a corset and skirt for [the] Evil Queen, plus three sets of Fairies, plus a Wedding I have to deal with as well. Eduardo Castro

They are not being very secretive about their wedding at all, which tells you that... the wedding itself isn’t at the heart of the season finale. They’re not hiding the spoilers, they’re not afraid to talk about it. It’s not a secret. Something that gives narrative closure after 6 seasons? It will be more explosive than that. So while it is an important plot point... it just won’t be where the story ends. It always comes back to Emma, Regina and Henry. The wedding seems to be linked to the musical episode, which is not the finale... The musical episode is the 20th of the season, just like Firebird, it was a game changer, but the finale was all about the family again.

It does seem like they aren’t bringing everyone back, so who is going to leave? Anything is possible, but since the entire show really was about Emma coming to town and meeting Mayor Regina, I would say the resolution to this story heavily involves them. It’s not because people aren’t regulars anymore next season, they won’t be coming back for guest spots in a few episodes. Lana Parrilla or Jennifer Morrison leaving seems unlikely to me, simply based on the narrative and the fact that fairy tales do have happy endings, because they are a guideline for life. Something to give us hope. Leaving the fairy tale world behind is enough of a sad message to have a modern audience accept something sweet and romantic where Emma finally finds her home with Henry and Regina, where Regina dares to believe in love again and Henry has both of his mothers. You know, just to give a completely random example.

Hook dying still makes most sense to me, simply because he was found under a pile of dead bodies and has now died twice. As Emma is his happy ending, I don’t think it’s beyond the writers to show how very twisted they can be and put more emphasis on ending than on happy in his case.

I also don’t think the Charmings are safe, simply because of some of what they’ve shown us.

They have been shown as the villains in the AU. While they’re not actually villains, they’re subtly shown as the reason why Emma is afraid to be herself.

This scene heavily suggested they’re going to end up in the Underworld. It could also mean for Emma simply that she will have to be separated from them.

This line by Snow suggests that if they get to keep Emma, she loses. Meaning she cannot have both her new family and her parents. She has to choose. As well all do, I would take this as symbolically being forced to let go of your parents to start your own life, but since this is a fairy tale, Emma would have to choose between her own world and the world of her parents. It’s like Hercules who chooses a life on earth with Megara instead of a life with the Gods. Eventually her parents have to go back to the fairy tale world and she has to go home.

This scene was very telling. Snow and Charming were actually killed, Emma has to accept they are not real - they belong in the story world. The very fact she didn’t choose to save them, but she did choose Regina, tells us on some level Emma already knows. She has already made her choice. She has to say goodbye to her parents in order to live her own life.

As for Gold and Belle go, I expect Belle to be very prominent, because she has been a symbol of life throughout the show. Gold was a symbol of death, but death isn’t necessarily bad, it’s a natural part of life... So I am expecting balance between these two characters, but Gold would at the very least take a backseat because we’ll be focusing on life.

Let’s wait and see...

[entergamingxp]

DualShockers’ Favorite Games of 2019 — Laddie’s Top 10

January 1, 2020 5:00 PM EST

2019 was truly a wealth of gaming experiences that I loved, from Control, to Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, and more. Here are my top 10.

As 2019 comes to a close, DualShockers and our staff are reflecting on this year’s batch of games and what were their personal highlights within the last year. Unlike the official Game of the Year 2019 awards for DualShockers, there are little-to-no-rules on our individual Top 10 posts. For instance, any game — not just 2019 releases — can be considered.

As we entered 2019, my ever growing backlog of neglected or unfinished games had grown to epic proportions. I vowed to be better in 2019, so I made a New Year’s resolution that I would play and finish every game I acquired in 2019 before moving on to another. Well, it was a nice thought, but resolutions are meant to be broken and with only a few days left in the year, I have yet to play the very first game I purchased in 2019, Resident Evil 2.

Unfortunately this pattern continued as I found myself in a bit of a gaming funk, and for most of the beginning half of the year, gaming felt different, like I was doing it more out of habit rather than passion.  Had I truly lost interest in the one hobby that has been my comfort zone for as long as I can remember?

Don’t get me wrong, there were a few bright spots throughout my despondency, but it wasn’t until August that I finally got my gaming groove back. On a whim, I bought Remnant: From the Ashes, and that old familiar feeling was back, baby! Now, that game wasn’t previously on my radar and it’s not perfect, but sometimes you just need a little unforeseen inspiration to get you going again.

After Remnant, it seemed the hits just kept coming, and it was looking unlikely I’d get to finish the previous months’ games that I skipped. With that being said, I feel my top ten would look a lot different than its current state considering I have yet to finish Devil May Cry 5, The Outer Worlds, A Plague Tale: Innocence, as well as a few other titles that went unplayed. Never the less, top 10 lists must go on, and here are my favorite games of 2019.

10. Anthem

Anthem: it’s not only one of my favorites of 2019, it’s also one of the games that broke my heart with bitter disappointment. Early impressions of Anthem gave me the hope that BioWare was on track to release a game that would not only counter Destiny, but show Bungie how a looter shooter, live service game was to be done straight out of the release gate. Well, as you know, Anthem did not deliver any of this and released a glitchy game in a skeletal state that felt like an unfinished symphony. EA had perpetrated a betrayal that was of Aliens: Colonial Marines level and within weeks after Anthem released, the game was a ghost town as gamers went running back to Destiny.

Despite all of this, the game with the longest loading screens known to man still managed to give me a few moments of fun. First off, the game is graphically stunning, and is easily one of the best looking games from this generation. While the execution of the story was a bit bland and the characters were mostly forgettable, there was an underlying lore that could still be the impetus of a great game or even sequel. Anthem’s greatest strength was making you feel like Iron Man once you entered your Javelin, the powered exosuit that comes in three flavors to appeal to different gameplay styles. Donning the Javelin suit gives you a super fluid movement both in flight and underwater that was almost as enjoyable as Titanfall’s parkour and jet packs. This also made for super-fun gameplay that unfortunately was lost due to lack of content.

EA and BioWare have made some improvements and promise to continue making Anthem a better game, and I really hope they can turn it around, but with new games always on the horizon, even the biggest Anthem supporters like myself might be reluctant to come back.

Check out DualShockers‘ review for Anthem.

9. Remnant: From the Ashes

The term “Soulslike” tends to inspire rage in me, and I refuse to accept it as a genre. Now, my experience with Souls games is very limited and consists mostly of Bloodborne. It’s not the punishing gameplay that sent me running from Yharnam, but rather the lack of checkpoints in the beginning. I grew up in a time where games were often difficult and had bad checkpoints that didn’t save automatically, I appreciated the challenge back then as I didn’t have my own money to purchase every game that caught my fancy, so anything that prolonged my interest in a game was welcome. However, as an adult who wants to play all of the games but has limited time, I prefer games with overactive checkpoints and generally steer clear of anything described as Soulslike. On a whim, I purchased Remnant: From the Ashes and fell in love.

I think the thing that appealed to me most with Remnant was the combat, which like all good Souls-inspired games has a rhythm that depends on dodging as much as it does attacking. While most Souls games are hack and slashes, Remnant: From the Ashes is a third person shooter. As you get to know me, you will learn, I like to shoot things in video games. Early on I died a lot but instead of becoming frustrated, I actually enjoyed the challenge of getting better. The game also features procedurally-generated levels where the enemies differ each time you play. Combine that with the unique look and feel of the four main areas of Remnant: From the Ashes, the game never gets boring.

Check out DualShockers‘ review for Remnant: From the Ashes.

8. Borderlands 3

Borderlands 3 for the most part sticks to the creed, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” While there’s a few slight improvements in gameplay and graphics, the game is still the irreverent, looter shooter packed with a “bazillion” guns that we have come to expect from the series.

Featuring an all new cast of Vault Hunters, along with a few familiar friends, the most notable improvement in Borderlands 3 is the ability to leave Pandora and visit other planets. Not only does this make the game more expansive, each planet has its own look and personality which is a nice break from the somewhat drab Pandora. Borderlands 3 isn’t rocket science; it’s hours of mindless fun, and at the end of the day, that’s all I really want from a Borderlands game.

Check out DualShockers‘ review for Borderlands 3.

7. Destiny 2: Shadowkeep

I’ve had a love/hate relationship with Destiny since the first game’s alpha. I always go back to Destiny but I have to admit that the constant changing of rules and its grindy disposition makes me a little crazy. I love Bungie’s dedication to the game and with Shadowkeep I feel that they finally nailed Destiny’s potential, even if it took them five years to do it.

While parts of Destiny 2 went free to play, Shadowkeep seemed to be a love letter to their dedicated community and proved Bungie can sustain this massive game even without Activision’s backing. Destiny 2 is one of the most frustrating and riveting gaming experiences I’ve had this generation, and while I’ll stray from it for weeks, even months, coming back to it always feels right.

6. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare

There’s not a Call of Duty game that I haven’t played, but the epitome of the series for me were the first two Modern Warfare games. Since Modern Warfare 2, I’ll admit that the series has had its shares of hits and misses, but each year I wait unapologetically for the newest iteration and hope it will be great again. Since Infinity Ward welcomed back several key members who had left for Respawn after Modern Warfare 2 and created a new engine for the aging beauty, there was hope this was the year that the series would return to its former glory.

I have to say, I wasn’t disappointed. Finally gone was the Treyarch imprint of the Pick 10 system in multiplayer that I hated; in its place was a more streamlined and highly customizable system which gave average players like myself a chance to actually compete. Some of the larger maps took some getting used to, but for the first time in Call of Duty there is no paid DLC, and the new maps have been correcting some of the shortcomings of the launch maps.

After last year’s Black Ops 4 decided to focus on Battle Royale instead of a campaign, Modern Warfare was back with one of the best and most poignant campaigns to date. While it never reaches the level of   guilt that Spec Ops: The Line left me with, Modern Warfare does a good job of showing  the horrors of war by making you question the morally grey area of who is good and who is evil. This hits you the most when you play as Farah Karim. Her backstory is heartbreaking, but necessary to show how she became the kick-ass rebel commander of the Urzikstan Liberation Force.

Modern Warfare is one of the most engaging games of the year and has offered Call of Duty a new lease on life. I’m still regularly playing (and enjoying) Modern Warfare and looking forward to what it has in store for the future.

Check out DualShockers‘ review for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare.

5. MediEvil

MediEvil was a real turning point for me in gaming. Not only did it thwart my gaming habit to obsession, it also paved the way to my PlayStation fangirl-ism. For the record, my heart might belong to Sony, but I’ll play on anything you set in front of me. Up until last year’s God of War, I always credited MediEvil as being my all-time favorite game. In fact, my love of the game runs so deep, I’ve always said that if I ever won the lottery, I’d singlehandedly fund a Kickstarter for MediEvil 3.

The game looked like a scene out of Tim Burton’s A Nightmare Before Christmas and featured elements of action-adventure, hack and slash, puzzle, and platforming games. The end result ended up being an irreverent story of an unlikely hero that attracted a cult following who were very vocal in getting Sir Dan Fortesque resurrected from the dead and obscurity in a newly remastered version of the beloved game. I always felt MediEvil was ahead of its time, so it’s no surprise that it still feels like a fresh concept in 2019 that I still have a ton of fun playing.

4. Concrete Genie

Sometimes a game can still be fun and entertaining while raising awareness. Concrete Genie from Pixelopus tackles the subject of bullying as experienced through the game’s protagonist, Ash. Through Ash’s eyes and paintbrush, you will escape the wrath of the bullies through a visionary narrative where your art and imagination come to life.

At first it appears as if Concrete Genie is just a glorified graffiti simulator, but as the story unfolds and Ash gains different powers and abilities, the game soon turns into something that feels like inFamous Lite. It’s a unique and charming game that I won’t soon forget. It also contains an optional VR mode that really exemplifies the concept of art coming to life. I absolutely adore Concrete Genie.

3. Darksiders Genesis

The last new game of the year I played quickly earned a spot high on my top ten of 2019. I’m a big fan of the Darksiders games, and when I heard that a prequel dungeon crawler would release so soon after Darksiders 3, I was giddy with excitement.

Darksiders Genesis lets you play as Strife for the first time, but you can also play as War, who was the star of the first game. Despite its isometric view, Genesis still looks and plays like a Darksiders game. The ability to switch between Strife and War is like getting to play your two favorite Diablo classes at once. It makes for great combat situations as well, as opens up the challenge of figuring out when to use Strife and when to use War in various situations. Surprisingly, it might be my favorite Darksiders game yet.

2. Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order

From the moment I heard Respawn Entertainment hired Stig Asmussen and that he was going to be lead on a Star Wars game, I was over the moon. However, once I remembered EA was involved and that there hasn’t been a good Star Wars game in so many years, I started to worry that I was just setting myself up for disappointment.

You should always go with your first instinct, because Jedi: Fallen Order is so good. Everything about it just speaks to me. It feels like it’s an amalgamation of every game I have ever loved from Uncharted to God of War set in one of my favorite cinematic universes. Wielding a light saber in this game is the closest I’ll get to being a Jedi; well, I prefer the Dark Side, so we’ll go with Sith. For someone who has loved Star Wars for their entire life, I’ll be forever thankful for this game and Respawn Entertainment.

Check out DualShockers‘ review for Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order.

1. Control

I fell in love with Control back in March when I played an early build of it at GDC; I knew then this game was something special. Remedy rarely disappoints and their games are all unique experiences, but Control is definitely Remedy at their best. I love the look of the game: it’s dark and eerie, which immediately sets the perfect mood and tone for what is to come.

What really attracted me was the gameplay. Sure, you have a service weapon that takes on various forms which is cool in itself, but once I started unlocking Jesse Faden’s psychic powers and learned how to use them all together, it was next level gaming. On consoles the game suffers from a few performance issues, but it didn’t diminish my love of Control.

The best way I can describe Control and the reason it is my favorite game of 2019 is that it made me feel like I was starring in an episode of The X-Files that was directed by David Lynch. Trust me: that’s the ultimate compliment in my world.

Check out DualShockers‘ review for Control.

Check out the rest of the DualShockers staff Top 10 lists and our official Game of the Year Awards:

December 23: DualShockers Game of the Year Awards 2019 December 25: Lou Contaldi, Editor-in-Chief // Logan Moore, Managing Editor December 26: Tomas Franzese, News Editor // Ryan Meitzler, Features Editor  December 27: Mike Long, Community Manager // Scott White, Staff Writer December 28: Chris Compendio, Contributor // Mario Rivera, Video Manager // Kris Cornelisse, Staff Writer December 29: Scott Meaney, Community Director // Allisa James, Senior Staff Writer // Ben Bayliss, Senior Staff Writer December 30: Cameron Hawkins, Staff Writer // David Gill, Senior Staff Writer // Portia Lightfoot, Contributor December 31: Iyane Agossah, Senior Staff Writer // Michael Ruiz, Senior Staff Writer // Rachael Fiddis, Contributor January 1: Ricky Frech, Senior Staff Writer // Tanner Pierce, Staff Writer // Laddie Simco, Staff Writer

January 1, 2020 5:00 PM EST

from EnterGamingXP https://entergamingxp.com/2020/01/dualshockers-favorite-games-of-2019-laddies-top-10/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=dualshockers-favorite-games-of-2019-laddies-top-10

[inversesquare]

Weekly Check-in 4/3

Another week in the books. Literally. My Bullet Journal is now entering into its sixth month of use! I started bullet journaling back in November, and I log every single day. Between the daily reviews there and the “sprint planning” weekly check-ins here, I feel like I’m keeping my “work” life pretty much together. It’s also nice to be able to look back on the previous week and see exactly what I accomplished. 

I split my time a little more between all of my projects last week (rather than just go hard into 30 Days 30 Sites again), and was able to accomplish quite a bit. I’m also loving how my GitHub is shaping up -

So, it’s not a perfect indicator of my progress (obviously; I’ve been working diligently on coding since August). I’m at a point where I have things to share though, so I’m excited to see what began in March continue. 

Status on Current Goals:

Modern React with Redux: I got through all of the React material while finishing the Ajax Requests with React section. I began the Redux portion with Modeling Application State, and I’m now in “Managing App State with Redux.” The first project in this course, a YouTube clone, turned out to be pretty darn awesome and impressive looking. We’re working on a book viewer now to learn Redux, and I’m really excited to be piecing this together. 

30d30s: Alright, I slowed my roll a little here a bit. I love that I feel 100% more confident in quickly throwing together an html/css mock-up, but I widened my focus this week and fell a few days behind. However, the challenge creators also announced 2 day breaks every 5 days, so I guess everybody is having a tough time keeping up.  

Day 11: Mobile Services

Played with a fixed hero image and embeddable maps. Not too much new, but I could see this being a real website for a food truck. 

Day 12: Club

Here’s an example of how hilarious I am :P 

I tried to use a previous day as a template here, and just ended up making more work for myself as the code was all over the place and not entirely straightforward to follow. I hope to go back, clean all of these up, and have several really nice templates ready to fire something off at a moment’s notice. 

Also implemented a Bootstrap form. Nothing too fancy. 

Day 13: Beverage

Okay, I had the most fun with this project. It’s totally insane looking, but boy was it fun playing with that CSS animated title!! Pattern Ninja made another return here, and any time I can make silly custom border-radius divs, I’ll take it (I’m looking at you, www.greyhound.com/ buttons). 

Sass: From Beginner to Advanced: React ruled my life and my brain-alive hours last week. This course is only 2 hours though, and the content would complement everything else I’m learning, so I’m moving this to a higher priority position this week. 

Mystery Startup (Openly): So, I’m now officially the developer for a full web app! After meeting with the founder again last week, I’m officially ready to go all in here. I have a few commitments at my other clinic job in the next coming weeks, but other than those, this is my full time job now. This is a full stack React, ES6, Sass app with some challenges I’ve never encountered before. I’m excited! I’m also quickly trying to level up my knowledge in all of those areas. The deadline for MVP is the end of June though, so I have some time. I know from helping out with Oh-hi though that these things take a lot of time. 

The founder gave me the book Running Lean: Iterate from Plan A to a Plan That Works  by Ash Maurya, and I enjoyed it. She’s going through an accelerator program, so I expect my knowledge of marketing/business/lifecycle to grow exponentially in the coming weeks too. Looking forward to revisiting the later chapters in this book as our product develops. 

Treehouse: Didn’t make it here this week, and honestly I’m moving this goal down on the list a bit (not that I was rank ordering these goals before). I’ll still finish the lessons on here, but I’ve had more pressing things going on recently. 

Upcoming Week Goals:

Openly: I really believe that life gives you what you need when you’re ready for it, there is actually an opportunity to do some academic lit review-type work here. I’m not going to reveal too much about what this product is about, but I’m excited to flex that part of my brain (I love it). I also hope to have the frontend/backend boilerplates up with the ability to create a user this week. 

Modern React with Redux: It would be great if I could finish this course this week. I think it’s possible, but it’s going to take some focus. 

Sass: From Beginner to Advanced: Yas please. 

30d30s: I’m still with you #30Days30Sites! I’m using you more as a brain-break from everything else going on though. Hopefully I can work through that Sass course and start implementing some of those skills in the next week. 

Treehouse: Okay, I’m still with you too, Treehouse. I’m letting you hangout a little farther back in the brain-break category too though. 

Other Things Keeping Me Busy:

Catching up on Walking Dead! The season finale was last night, and I still have 2 episodes to watch. Pray for me so that I might not run into spoilers today. It’s hard to stay off the internet when your job is the internet. 

[readbookywooks]

‘They’re building another tower!’ said Nijel.

‘Out of my palace, too,’ said Creosote.

‘The hat’s won,’ said Rincewind. ‘That’s why it’s building its own tower. It’s a sort of reaction. Wizards always used to build a tower around themselves, like those … what do you call those things you find at the bottom of rivers?’

‘Frogs.’

‘Stones.’

‘Unsuccessful gangsters.’

‘Caddis flies is what I meant,’ said Rincewind. ‘When a wizard set out to fight, the first thing he always did was build a tower.’

‘It’s very big,’ said Nijel.

Rincewind nodded glumly.

‘Where are we going?’ said Conina.

Rincewind shrugged.

‘Away,’ he said.

The outer palace wall drifted just below them. As they passed over it began to shake, and small bricks began to loop towards the storm of flying rock that buzzed around the new tower.

Eventually Conina said, ‘All right. How did you get the carpet to fly? Does it really do the opposite of what you command?’

‘No. I just paid attention to certain fundamental details of laminar and spatial arrangements.’

‘You’ve lost me there,’ she admitted.

‘You want it in non-wizard talk?’

‘Yes.’

‘You put it on the floor upside down,’ said Rincewind.

Conina sat very still for a while. Then she said, ‘I must say this is very comfortable. It’s the first time I’ve ever flown on a carpet.’

‘It’s the first time I’ve ever flown one,’ said Rincewind vaguely.

‘You do it very well,’ she said.

‘Thank you.’

‘You said you were frightened of heights.’

‘Terrified.’

‘You don’t show it.’

‘I’m not thinking about it.’

Rincewind turned and looked at the tower behind them. It had grown quite a lot in the last minute, blossoming at the top into a complexity of turrets and battlements. A swarm of tiles was hovering over it, individual tiles swooping down and clinking into place like ceramic bees on a bombing run. It was impossibly high - the stones at the bottom would have been crushed if it wasn’t for the magic that crackled through them.

Well, that was just about it as far as organised wizardry was concerned. Two thousand years of peaceful magic had gone down the drain, the towers were going up again, and with all this new raw magic floating around something was going to get very seriously hurt. Probably the universe. Too much magic could wrap time and space around itself, and that wasn’t good news for the kind of person who had grown used to things like effects following things like causes.

And, of course, it would be impossible to explain things to his companions. They didn’t seem to grasp ideas properly; more particularly, they didn’t seem able to get the hang of doom. They suffered from the terrible delusion that something could be done. They seemed prepared to make the world the way they wanted it or die in the attempt, and the trouble with dying in the attempt was that you died in the attempt.

The whole point about the old University organisation was that it kept a sort of peace between wizards who got along with one another about as easily as cats in a sack, and now the gloves were off anyone who tried to interfere was going to end up severely scratched. This wasn’t the old, gentle, rather silly magic that the Disc was used to; this was magic war, white-hot and searing.

Rincewind wasn’t very good at precognition; in fact he could barely see into the present. But he knew with weary certainty that at some point in the very near future, like thirty seconds or so, someone would say: ‘Surely there’s something we could do?’

The desert passed below them, lit by the low rays of the setting sun.

‘There don’t seem to be many stars,’ said Nijel. ‘Perhaps they’re scared to come out.’

Rincewind looked up. There was a silver haze high in the air.

‘It’s raw magic settling out of the atmosphere,’ he said. ‘It’s saturated.’

Twenty-seven, twenty-eight, twen-

‘Surely there’s-’ Conina began.

‘There isn’t,’ said Rincewind flatly, but with just the faintest twinge of satisfaction. ‘The wizards will fight each other until there’s one victor. There isn’t anything anyone else can do.’

‘I could do with a drink,’ said Creosote. ‘I suppose we couldn’t stop somewhere where I could buy an inn?’

‘What with?’ said Nijel. ‘You’re poor, remember?’

‘Poor I don’t mind,’ said the Seriph. ‘It’s sobriety that is giving me difficulties.’

Conina prodded Rincewind gently in the ribs.

‘Are you steering this thing?’ she said.

No.’

‘Then where is it going?’

Nijel peered downwards.

‘By the look of it,’ he said, ‘it’s going hubwards. Towards the Circle Sea.’

‘Someone must be guiding it.’

Hallo, said a friendly voice in Rincewind’s head.

You’re not my conscience again, are you? thought Rincewind.

I’m feeling really bad.

Well, I’m sorry, Rincewind thought, but none of this is my fault. I’m just a victim of circuses. I don’t see why I should take the blame.

Yes, but you could do something about it.

Like what?

You could destroy the sourcerer. All this would collapse then.

I wouldn’t stand a chance.

Then at least you could die in the attempt. That might be preferable to letting magical war break out.

‘Look, just shut up, will you?’ said Rincewind.

‘What?’ said Conina.

‘Um?’ said Rincewind, vaguely. He looked down blankly at the blue and gold pattern underneath him, and added, ‘You’re flying this, aren’t you?’ Through me! That’s sneaky!’

‘What are you talking about?’

‘Oh. Sorry. Talking to myself.’

‘I think,’ said Conina, ‘that we’d better land.’

They glided down towards a crescent of beach where the desert reached the sea. In a normal light it would have been blinding white with a sand made up of billions of tiny shell fragments, but at this time of day it was blood-red and primordial. Ranks of driftwood, carved by the waves and bleached by the sun, were piled up on the tideline like the bones of ancient fish or the biggest floral art accessory counter in the universe. Nothing stirred, apart from the waves. There were a few rocks around, but they were firebrick hot and home to no mollusc or seaweed.

Even the sea looked arid. If any proto-amphibian emerged on to a beach like this, it would have given up there and then, gone back into the water and told all its relatives to forget the legs, it wasn’t worth it. The air felt as though it had been cooked in a sock.

Even so, Nijel insisted that they light a fire.

‘It’s more friendly,’ he said. ‘Besides, there could be monsters.’

Conina looked at the oily wavelets, rolling up the beach in what appeared to be a half-hearted attempt to get out of the sea.

‘In that?’ she said.

‘You never can tell.’

Rincewind mooched along the waterline, distractedly picking up stones and throwing them in the sea. One or two were thrown back.

After a while Conina got a fire going, and the bone-dry, salt-saturated wood sent blue and green flames roaring up under a fountain of sparks. The wizard went and sat in the dancing shadows, his back against a pile of whitened wood, wrapped in a cloud of such impenetrable gloom that even Creosote stopped complaining of thirst and shut up.

Conina woke up after midnight. There was a crescent moon on the horizon and a thin, chilly mist covered the sand. Creosote was snoring on his back. Nijel, who was theoretically on guard, was sound asleep.

Conina lay perfectly still, every sense seeking out the thing that had awoken her.

Finally she heard it again. It was a tiny, diffident clinking noise, barely audible above the muted slurp of the sea.

She got up, or rather, she slid into the vertical as bonelessly as a jellyfish, and flicked Nijel’s sword out of his unresisting hand. Then she sidled through the mist without causing so much as an extra swirl.

The fire sank down further into its bed of ash. After a while Conina came back, and shook the other two awake.

‘Warrizit?’

‘I think you ought to see this,’ she hissed. ‘I think it could be important.’

‘I just shut my eyes for a second-’ Nijel protested.

‘Never mind about that. Come on.’

Creosote squinted around the impromptu campsite.

‘Where’s the wizard fellow?’

‘You’ll see. And don’t make a noisy. It could be dangerous.’

They stumbled after her knee-deep in vapour, towards the sea.

Eventually Nijel said, ‘Why dangerous-’

‘Shh! Did you hear it?’

Nijel listened.

‘Like a sort of ringing noise?’

‘Watch…

Rincewind walked jerkily up the beach, carrying a large round rock in both hands. He walked past them without a word, his eyes staring straight ahead.

They followed him along the cold beach until he reached a bare area between the dunes, where he stopped and, still moving with all the grace of a clothes horse, dropped the rock. It made a clinking noise.

There was a wide circle of other stones. Very few of them had actually stayed on top of another one.

The three of them crouched down and watched him.

‘Is he asleep?’ said Creosote.

Conina nodded.

‘What’s he trying to do?’

‘I think he’s trying to build a tower.’

Rincewind lurched back into the ring of stones and, with great care, placed another rock on empty air. It fell down.

‘He’s not very good at it, is he,’ said Nijel.

‘It is very sad,’ said Creosote.

‘Maybe we ought to wake him up,’ said Conina. ‘Only I heard that if you wake up sleepwalkers their legs fall off, or something. What do you think?’

‘Could be risky, with wizards,’ said Nijel.

They tried to make themselves comfortable on the chilly sand.

‘It’s rather pathetic, isn’t it?’ said Creosote. ‘It’s not as if he’s really a proper wizard.’

Conina and Nijel tried to avoid one another’s gaze. Finally the boy coughed, and said, ‘I’m not exactly a barbarian hero, you know. You may have noticed.’

They watched the toiling figure of Rincewind for a while, and then Conina said, ‘If it comes to that, I think I lack a certain something when it comes to hairdressing.’

They both stared fixedly at the sleepwalker, busy with their own thoughts and red with mutual embarrassment.

Creosote cleared his throat.

‘If it makes anyone feel better,’ he said, ‘I sometimes perceive that my poetry leaves a lot to be desired.’

Rincewind carefully tried to balance a large rock on a small pebble. It fell off, but he appeared to be happy with the result.