#BISHOP OF CHAOS MAKING ME CHAOTIC

[hard-core-super-star]

Ngl, being able to edit things here is cool, other media don't have this option so all you have to do is delete or slowly die every time you remember that mistake🥲

WELL– in that case it would be really fun to see Yelena just being a big softie to reader and end up getting caught by her friends doing so, then everyone would make fun of her or something (it would probably be their last time making fun of something in their lives, poor souls.

I saw that you still have things to write, so no hurry (and good luck with all this-). Also, Your writing is really good so it will be good anyway, but I'm sure you'll get it!

passive-aggressive magic tricks [Y.Belova]

pairing: yelena belova x reader

summary: a fun game night with your friends takes a turn when they realize how much of a soft dork the russian turns into when she's around you.

warnings: none, i think [except peter being verbally attacked every other paragraph lmao]; so much dialogue; a weirdly written game of uno; just...so much chaos; never written for yelena before so feel free to yell at me if she's too ooc in this one

wordcount: 1.2k

a/n: this gif makes me feel things gonna start this off by saying that this is meant to be romantic but you can read it as platonic if you want. i know everyone has an opinion on yelena's sexuality and not everyone will agree with mine and that's okay! [just don't be a jerk about it. i personally think yelena is a demiromantic asexual so do with that what you will] ALSO, this is so chaotic and borderline nonsensical and you can blame 🌟 for making me think about yelena playing uno that one time. ALSO ALSO, thank you for the vote of confidence, lovely anon, this was actually really fun to write and i hope you enjoy <3

* * * * * * *

“This sucks,” Kate declares with a pout.

“Don’t be such a crybaby, Kate Bishop.” Yelena’s words only make the archer’s pout deepen which makes the whole situation feel even more ridiculous.

“Yeah, Kate,” you jump in. “You’re the one who started talking shit in the first place.”

An offended gasp escapes her lips at your accusation. “I wasn’t talking shit! I was being honest about my skills.”

This time, Peter cuts in before the blonde gets a chance to make fun of the archer again. “Guys, I thought we decided against Monopoly so we wouldn’t fight.”

“Fighting is Yelena’s love language,” you reply with a shrug.

You pretend not to notice the way the Russian’s lips quirk up into a small smile and instead focus on Kate and her awful decision-making skills. It takes her a few extra seconds and she still manages to choose the most annoying card in her hand.

“It took you two minutes to throw in a plus-four?” Peter questions, clearly doing his best to not sound judgemental.

“Shut up and take the cards, Pete.”

The boy grumbles something you don’t quite catch but Kate is quick to punch him in the arm, earning herself a kick to the shin. Their dynamic is certainly…interesting and you can’t stop yourself from wondering how much of it comes from being two only children attempting to one-up each other.

Yelena leans in toward you, pretending to whisper. “Why are we hanging out with them again?”

The pair clearly overhears her considering both the glare and the pout that gets thrown your way. You merely shrug in response, attempting to shield your cards from her expert gaze. “It’s…entertaining, I guess.”

“You guys are jerks,” Kate says, speaking the thoughts Peter is far too nice to vocalize. (It’s definitely not because he’s terrified of getting on Yelena’s bad side.)

“And you suck at Uno.”

She rolls her eyes at you but decides not to reply. The small moment of silence allows Peter to take his turn and the game continues…until Yelena decides to betray you.

You’re not fully paying attention to the strategies each one of your companions is forming which means you don’t realize it when they decide to team up against you.

You’re only four cards away from winning and the blonde beside you can’t stop herself from sneaking a look at your deck. Kate somehow manages to catch her in the act and the two stare each other down until the archer raises an eyebrow, silently asking to be a part of the Russian’s plan.

A plan that quickly leads to Kate placing down another plus-four card and Peter being thrown one of Yelena’s under the table. 

“We can stack, right?” He asks, mainly in an attempt to keep you from noticing what they’re doing.

“Yeah, that’s fine,” you reply with a shrug. “Just don’t be surprised when Yelena pulls out a knife from her boot.”

The joke gets a few chuckles, and a slightly concerned look from the young Avenger. 

“Do not worry, Spider-Boy, I promised y/n I wouldn’t threaten you…again.”

“Right…” Peter’s clearly not convinced but he throws in his card anyway.

You turn to face Yelena with a smug smirk. “Sorry, babe, but it looks like I’m on my way to winning this round.”

“You sound like Kate Bishop.” She playfully rolls her eyes at you but the glint in her eyes shows off more amusement than annoyance. “I hope you handle losing better than she does, though.”

“Hey!” You and the archer both voice your protests, albeit for different reasons, as the blonde slams down the last plus-four card needed to ensure you won’t win any time soon.

This time around, she’s the one who looks at you with a smug grin but you’re too busy being dramatic to fully appreciate how good she looks when she’s being competitive. It’s genuinely just a stupid card game and yet you pull out all the tricks you’ve learned over the past few months to get the Russian to melt into the huge softie she is at heart.

“Oh, come on, that was mean.” You pull on your best impression of Kate’s wounded puppy dog look. A look that includes slightly wide eyes and an incredibly deep pout.

A pout Yelena has never been good at resisting. (But only when it comes to you, much to the archer’s dismay)

She, literally and figuratively, keeps her cards close to her chest but you catch the way her free hand twitches slightly, almost as if she’s fighting to keep herself from touching you. It’s strange how affectionate she wants to be with you when she’s always been the first to pull away from a hug, the first one to scoot away when someone sits too close. 

Being guarded had always felt like second nature to her until you came along.

Her hand reaches out before she can stop it, landing on your knee and giving it a soft yet reassuring squeeze. It's a subtle reminder that underneath all her sarcasm and the rough edges, she cares about you. A lot more than she ever thought herself capable of.

“It’s just a game, sweetheart.” The words are a mere whisper but somehow the person with the worst attention span you’ve ever seen manages to overhear them.

“Did you just call y/n ‘sweetheart’?” Kate blurts out, clearly far too shocked to worry about her safety. “You actually have feelings?”

“Wait, did she really say that?” Peter’s slightly more cautious but there’s both awe in curiosity shining in his brown eyes.

“I heard her!”

“I think you hit your head too hard on your last mission, Bishop,” you reply, trying to steer the conversation away the second Yelena starts glaring at your friends.

Despite all her other skills, Kate is still awful at reading the room so instead of accepting the safety you’re offering, she decides to be stubborn like always. “Don’t lie to me, y/n, I know what I heard. Yelena’s just a big-”

“A big what?” The blonde cuts in with the most threatening glare she can manage. Which, considering she’s an ex-assassin, is quite effective at shutting the archer up.

“Um…” You can practically see the wheels spinning in the brunette’s head as she tries to come up with something different to say. She clearly fails based on the words that come out. “A big softie..?”

“Oh, Kate,” you sigh. “You’re never going to learn to stop poking the bear, huh?”

“What do you mean?” 

Her confusion lasts for about a second before Yelena shoots up from the couch and lunges toward her. The archer gets the message pretty quickly after that, expertly ducking out of the way and taking off running in the direction of the bathroom.

All you can do is laugh and shake your head as the Russian chases after her. “Go easy on her, babe!”

“Yeah, Yelena, listen to your girlfriend!”

“Kate!” You and the Russian yell out at the same time, leading to a fit of giggles belonging to the biggest instigator you've ever met.

"So much for a chill game night," Peter mumbles, placing his cards onto the coffee table. "You're gonna go help Kate out, right?"

You shrug. "I'll think about it."

[konjkitkatty]

Is there a deeper reason why leshy doesn't like kitty? My guess with the babygirl drawing, the fact their monster form looks so much like a worm, and just how hard they seem to try to get leshy's love(?), leshy is a bit creeped out by just how obsessive they are about him

Plus leshy is a chaos God. I doubt he wants a sucking up yes man, he probably wants someone that wouldn't be afraid to stick up for themselves even if it leads to arguments. Bring their own chaotic ideas instead of constantly trying to do what he says

Not at all, though I do understand where you’re coming from!!! Allow me to explain in the best way I can without spoiling anything😋

Kitty actually isn’t as kuckoo as I would have you believe- at least in terms of the world around them and time spent actually WITH Leshy. They’re the most devoted out of the Guardians BY FAR and pretty willing to do some crazy shit- but the bishops have THOUSANDS of followers willing to throw themselves head first at the Red Crown’s vessels in their name, HUNDREDS willing to be mutilated in their name, and who knows how many willing to be sacrificed in their name. When you’re a god and a cult leader, allegiance like that just makes things much less messy for yourself. Amdusias is a model follower (and one of Leshy’s favs), after all, and they’re not that much different from Kitty aside from species and ranking.

Leshy doesn’t like cats. The wounds may be 1000 years old, but they’re still very fresh.

I AGREE WITH THE LAST PART THO!! He would though actually really prefer if Kitty (and in turn the rest of their following) had their own ideas from time to time. Disorder isn’t really disorder if it’s caused by people following orders yknow?

[gluedwithgold]

First of all, I just want to say I absolutely ADORE the concept, your writing, and your art for it. Second of all, would you be ok with me drawing fanart of this au? Lastly, I just have to know what's going to happen in this au once the fawn frees Leshy? Are they going to have a climactic fight like in the original, or will it be something more along the lines of Leshy and the Fawn somehow coming to an agreement?

First and second: AAA THANK YOU SO MUCH! I’m so happy people like my silly AU and I WILL CRY if people draw fan art /pos!!

I am currently working on semi official references for all the characters in this au but I don’t know when I’ll get them all done

Thirdly! Lore time!

Yes there is definitely going to be a big final boss fight of Leshy vs Fawn but it will be more like “See if you are actually ready to be the new god of chaos” as well as being “Let’s fight because we can!” type situation instead if that makes sense?

Leshy and Fawn get along really well and Fawn personally sees Leshy as like a father figure of some sort (Making the other bishops Fawn’s unofficial Uncles, Aunt and Ankle (Shamura) lol)

In this au I don’t imagine Leshy wouldn’t make a super big deal over passing on the crown to someone who has the exact same ambitions and beliefs as him, and he can always see through the crown anytime he wants to anyways.

After he’s freed, Leshy and Fawn would “co-lead” the cult together. Fawn is an excellent vessel for the crown’s chaos magic but they are NOT a good cult leader by any means! That’s why the og four followers have been babysitting them. So Leshy will still take a role in leading his new cult, the chaos magic will just be transferred to the crazy deer child.

The cult of chaos doesn’t abide by the standard hierarchy and rules the old faith does after all. They are just one big happy, super chaotic family!

Sorry if there are any typos or anything, I’m typing on a phone rn

[rainbowolfe]

I'm going to speculate on the bishop's canon relationships using seemingly unrelated tidbits from the game.

Cauliflower and pumpkin eaten on their own cause illness, but when combined with beetroot it makes a dish that increases loyalty. And yet, beetroot can't be eaten on its own.

Shamura, Heket, and Kallamar are THE unit. I could see this going one of two ways: A) individually, Heket and Kallamar are terrible (personality wise) but as a trio Shamura brings out the best in them. However, Shamura is emotionally dependent on Heket and Kallamar. OR B) On their own, Heket and Kallamar are bad leaders but are at least able to garner a following one way or another. Shamura either can't lead or has trouble inspiring others to follow them (I lean towards the latter), but when they combine their methods they form a unit that inspires a large, loyal following.

The Meager Mixed Meal is the only meal that combines berries with something else. Minnows only drop in Anchordeep (unless you have Neptune's Curse). Morsels are gained fro all regions.

Leshy's closest relationship is likely Kallamar. Or at least, he works best with him. Leshy being a being of chaos, while Narinder, Heket and Shamura are beings of tradition and order, I can't imagine they work very well together at all. But pair Leshy with Kallamar? Then the two of them can work with any sibling successfully, via Kallamar facilitating compromises.

To add on to that, "chaos" and "pestilence" actually go hand in hand. The first horseman of the apocalypse brings about both of those things.

Applying similar logic to the Modest Mixed Meal, Kallamar and Heket can work together well in very specific, rare circumstances.

Fish based meals and cauliflower cause followers to drop resources.

Coward he may be, Kallamar's value as a bishop and as a brother likely comes from what he provides outside of combat. Resources.

The crystals that make up all of Kallamar's decorations are the same ones found in Silk Cradle. You'll also notice Silk Cradle has massive crystal formations growing, while Anchordeep only has small ones.

Kallamar probably loves Shamura the most. How crushing it must be that Shamura does not feel the same. He finds beauty in their temple, likely because of these crystal formations. Yet he also feels inadequate compared to Shamura.

But also, Shamura comes to Kallamar's rescue after he goes crying to his temple to hide. Instead of Kallamar challenging Lamb to a fight on the final run (like Leshy and Heket did), Shamura shows up and tells Lamb to come to Silk Cradle. They love their pathetic little brother 🥺

The eyes on Narinder's statue are closed. The eyes on all the bishops statues are open.

Closed eyes mean a lot of things in a lot of different places, but being that Narinder's statues were always this way (pre betrayal), I think it means that Narinder can see more than the other bishops. In a figurative sense.

In all of the bishops domains, there still exist statues of the red crown. They're built similarly to the trophies you can get for yourself, but they're altars due to the pedestal they're built on. These altars are surrounded by camellias.

Overall I'm very curious about the dynamic between Leshy and Narinder, because there's clearly something there. These flowers that did not grow before Leshy came to power, persisting around these altars no matter the region. These flowers that allow the red crown to heal any ailment.

The angst in me wonders if it was Leshy's chaotic existence that spurred on Narinder's desire for change, which ultimately led to all their downfalls. Another interesting observation: Leshy calls Lamb unworthy of the crown, same as Narinder. Post-recruitment, Leshy refers to Narinder as "dear brother".

But also the fact that these altars still exist at all. Maybe it's more akin to a memorial. Whatever the reason is, the bishops did not seal Narinder away out of malice. And they do not want him forgotten. The bishop's statues become ruined in their absence. The crown altars still stand after a thousand years.

Narinder goes out of his way to call Kallamar his brother. Clarifies that Kallamar was afraid of what he represented, and less so anything he had done.

He may be a pathetic, sniveling, coward, but he is STILL NARINDER'S pathetic, sniveling, cowardly brother.

But seriously, freed from his prison and humbled by Lamb, dude still loves all his siblings in the end. Except maybe Heket-

[caribbean-ace]

Hello folks! Life has been quite hectic and i’m catching up on the latest of our favorite chaotic group of queer people😂 so jumping right into Legends Of Tomorrow 7x09 as usual spoilers ahead:

1. Lmao Nate’s reaction was pretty accurate + i’m guessing we’re missing something important here + oh no Gwyn stop it! + Ava is so brilliant i love her + poor Gideon :( + Gideon and Gary are a very odd pairing + what the hell is going on👀 + oh my god what the hell😂 + WHAT!? + no😩 come on Behrad i love you but, Astra is kinda taken you know?

2. “Thank you but i hate that” that has to be my motto + gilfriends saving poor Gwyn + spooner is like: don’t Esperanza me dude🙄 + robots and hell just what legends needed + oh no + is this like the sex spell that got around in season 4? 😂 that was WILD + NO WAIT I DON’T WANT TO SEE THIS! + what the hell is going on + LMAO this took a wild turn + bruh Astra was ready to pounce same sis + THIS IS SO WILD😂 + i was slightly distracted by Astra’s arms

3. This is oddly funny😂 poor Gwyn is so lost + Spooner you should have gone with your best friend to keep her safe + lmao Sara is pushing for a vacation and Ava is worrying about being murdered + i love Ava so much😂💕 + seriously what the hell not this😩 + if they sleep together i’ll be so angry🙄 + Sara is like: i just want to get this done i want to get laid with my beautiful wife + OH MY GOD + Astra would have dropped dead lol Spooner you sneaky person! + Astra my queen😍 so powerful please slam me to the floor + i really hope Behrad drops the idea of dating Astra🙄 + i’m hating this🙄 + “i thought we were friends” YES THAT’S ALL YOU ARE + i wouldn’t mind Gary and Gideon being a thing if Gary didn’t try to sleep or lust after every single member of the crew

4. Oh i love this Gideon + i love this interaction, Gideon and Zari being besties + Gidget™️ is back + is Spooner still naked around? + oh boy this is so chaotic + to quote the very wise captain Bishop: “this is why women shouldn’t date men” + Spooner is just so comfortable being naked😂😂😂 + lmao Ava😂😂😂 + i love Ava’s hair i’m distracted + Astra: you did exactly what i told you not to + lmao Sara😂😂😂 + Ava is totally gonna lose it + Sara looks so weird with that make up + oh boy😂 + Astra: come here my child we’re fixing this + bruh this took a deep turn but also i’m laughing my ass off😂 + oh boy don’t make this a thing pls + this is like Nate and Zari 1.0 all over again + Astra is like: Gideon my child 🥺 + oh no my babies :( + yay😍 they are back on track + missing Zari 1.0 hours + oh boy noooot thiiiis agaaaain😩 + no you don’t🙄

5. Yikes Gideon😂😂 that was wild + everyone’s reaction was on point lmao

Bonus: hell censoring the cross sign and the word god was pretty funny lol😂

So that was a very very interesting episode, i had so much fun! I love how Legends always get to explore feelings and bring the conversation around certain characters and keep it fun. All jokes aside even tho i’d like for Spooner and Astra to be something (we know that’s unlikely to happen but one can dream) i gotta say i don’t like how they try to make a pairing out of thin air, it’s like repeating what happened with Nate and Zari 1.0 all over again and i’m just not fully into it. Same as Nate, i adore Behrad but i just don’t think he and Astra would make a good pairing (but hey that’s just me). I’m interested in seeing how they will get out of there and how they are going to fix the chaos that Android!Legends are creating…

[ao3feed-lokiangst]

One More Hour

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/OmCL6aY

by kitzkowe

"the colors glowed brightly, like points on a map. r e d , y e l l o w , b l u e , g r e e n , p u r p l e , o r a n g e . lighting a map to lead her home."

〄

Rebekah "call-me-Beks" Kowen is like the sun, warm and inviting and pulling everything and anything into her path and tethering it to her own solar system.

Enter the Infinity Stones, as dangerous apart as they are together, mesmerizing beauty no one can contain. The stones as chaotic as they are sweet, seeking refuge in her very human body, changing her make-up to be the perfect house for the deadliest inanimate objects in the universe.

How, say you, will this end?

In chaos, most definitely.

Words: 162, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Fandoms: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Captain America (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types

Rating: Mature

Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death

Categories: F/M

Characters: James "Bucky" Barnes, Steve Rogers, Tony Stark, Peter Parker, Natasha Romanov (Marvel), Wanda Maximoff, Loki (Marvel), Thor (Marvel), Clint Barton, Kate Bishop, Yelena Belova, Bruce Banner, Pepper Potts, Nick Fury, Scott Lang, Sam Wilson (Marvel)

Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Original Female Character(s)

Additional Tags: Smut, Eventual Smut, Romance, Suicidal Thoughts, Suicide Attempt, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Enemies to Lovers, Bucky Barnes Needs a Hug, Oral Sex, Recovery, Mind Control Aftermath & Recovery, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Past Sexual Abuse, Original Female Character(s) - Freeform, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Short Chapters, Bucky Barnes is a hopeless romantic, Protective Bucky Barnes, wanda is literally amazing

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/OmCL6aY

[drabbles-mc]

QUICK! Eljin James needs a new character. What would you pitch? Love interest, new baddie, mysterious stranger?

Yoooo this question is amazing.

The hopeless romantic in me immediately wants to say Love Interest. But. Upon further consideration, let me pitch this:

-New character gets introduced. She’s just in the wrong place at the wrong time and gets caught in the middle of some club chaos. Nothing lethal, just incredibly chaotic and inconvenient. Probably pretty illegal. But everyone gets through it unscathed.

-When we first meet her, the initial reaction is that she’s going to be a love interest for someone. Maybe Bishop? He’s the one who helps her get out of whatever scrape she got pulled into because of the club and they exchange looks and have a moment

-But let’s be real my man is not going to have time for romance in S3 he’s got whole charters to tear apart! So maybe they exchange a few flirty comments back and forth when they first meet because it is Bishop that we’re talking about here. And they cross paths one of two other times and it’s just enough to make it seem like something is brewing there

-And just as Bishop is about to give the whole, “This wouldn’t be good for you, my life wouldn’t be good for you,” speech, she beats him to the punch. She already knows what he’s about and what MC life is like. We don’t know how she knows, but she makes it very clear that she’s more than willing to be Bishop’s friend, and a friend to the club in general, but she isn’t here for the complications of trying to date someone in an MC.

-The romantic potential dies out as fast as it appeared. But! Instead of just letting her character drop off and out of the story, she still sticks around. There’s no lingering awkwardness or tension there. At first Bishop is skeptical because very rarely do people crash into each other’s lives like that and things work out well for everyone involved.

-He runs out of time to think too much about it though because the MC is literally going up in flames around him. A lot of late nights with too much drinking and smoking and our man is spiraling. Our new friend is hardly a blip on his radar. She’s around but not intrusive. She knows that things are fragile and crumbling.

-Somewhere along the way he vents to her. Nothing specific, just blowing off steam. He’s broody and angry and yelling and she just takes it in stride. She puts in her two cents on how Bishop needs to get his shit together and get his soldiers in line if he wants Santo Padre to make it out of this thing alive.

-And he, sarcastically, makes some sort of remark like, “And I’m assuming you’ve got a plan to go with all this criticism?” and she’s like, “A plan is a bit of an over-reach, but I do know some things that might be useful for you.”

-Aaaaand that’s when we find out that she knows all about how the MC works because she used to be involved with another charter (not necessarily romantically involved). Bonus points if it’s one of the two who seem to be in the epicenter of the war with SP. But regardless, she becomes somewhat of an information pipeline and helping hand for Bishop and by extension, the whole charter.

-When he asks why she would be so willing to side with him in the midst of all of this considering her connections, there is the comment made that is very reminiscent of This Post by @everyhowlmarksthedead where she says something along the lines of, “How am I supposed to turn my back on some of the only men left who remember why we all came together in the first place?”

-And you know that’s going to cause some nice drama. I live for the chaos. Who knows the specifics of how all of that would play out? Not me lmao. But I would love to see her fold into the MC. I’d love to see some strong women who are “in the know” with the Santo Padre charter. We gotta balance out that testosterone. And I would also love to see Bishop have someone he can lean on and trust to keep things real with him but that’s the hopeless romantic in me again haha

I realize you probably weren’t looking for a fucking essay in response to this question but I got extremely carried away I apologize lmao. This is how quickly and easily my brain takes off with ideas lmao

[dwaynepride]

the unfortunate case of nonchalance

PART IV - ACT OF MAKIN’ NOISE

summary: what goes up must come down.

words: 2,129

warnings: female reader, a gun fight

tags: @fairytale07 @jrenn10 @f4nboi @purplestarsr5 @ladyzombiielove @littlemiss3ma​ @minikate--24-05​ @consultingdoctorwholock​ @dressed-up-just-like-z1ggy​ @ms-allenbrown​ @ikbenplant​ @dylpickles1267​ @diaryofafan17​ @specialagentlokitty​ @pageofultron​ @stanathanxoox​ @kittenlittle24​

author’s note: part 4 of the cowboy!au series. this is a part of meg’s 11k challenge. the prompts are cowboy au and secret relationship trope.

part III | part V

March 2nd, 1889

Woke up to a strangely silent camp. Turns out, Anthony took Tim, Jimmy, and Eleanor out to town for the day.

What the four of them could do in a stifling town like this is beyond me. And I won’t lie, I have my worries about their conduct. Especially with how cross Anthony seems to have been this past week.

But there’s nothing I can do about it now. I have an appointment to keep at the bank, then perhaps another shooting lesson.

If those four are still somehow out of trouble by then, I’ll search for them. Though, I have my doubts.

-

The sun is hotter than normal today. It beats down on him like a pair of heavy fists, even if Jethro has his hat tilted in a way to keep his eyes covered. The town around him resumes their usual bustle - walking right past him without a second glance. Giving no indication that they even knew he was there.

Slowly, Jethro’s head cocks back to the doors of the bank. He keeps expecting you to walk out, smiling brightly, saying his name in that beautiful way that you do.

It doesn’t come, however. And Jethro is forced to stand and wait and think.

Mostly just think about how foolish he feels, right now. His eyes flicker down to his clothing, scowling at himself for trying to dress up a little. A pressed white shirt with pitch black slacks - about as finely-dressed as someone like him could be. It made sense this morning, when he rummaged through his chest. Though now, he thinks he regrets trying so hard.

It’s difficult not to when the memory of the kiss is still so fresh in his mind. Jethro was nearly convinced it was some kind of dream. So real, he almost asked Doctor Mallard if he had the fever.

But when he found his revolver missing from its sheathe, he knew it was no dream.

Even his lips were a fading memory of the kiss. Still seeming to tingle with the impression that your kiss bestowed on him. It’s aggravating, how easy you’re able to twist him up - but also exhilarating.

His thoughts are interrupted when he hears the doors open. Jethro’s head swivels around, and finally, it’s your face that he sees. And judging from the expression you wear, his efforts in looking like a decent man has paid off. He knows the look you wear when you’re flustered. Right now, it’s in abundance.

But the blissful moment of seeing your face is spoiled when you’re followed by an older man. He wears a stiff three-piece suit, a golden watch tucked into the pocket of his coat, and Jethro doesn’t like the way he looks at you.

You turn back to the older man, still smiling wide. “Father, this is Mr. Jethro Gibbs. Jethro Gibbs, this is my father.”

Your father? Great.

The older man approaches, so Jethro tries to straighten himself up. Tries to show that he wasn’t surprised by the sudden meeting, even if he was. Your father had always seemed like this far-off prospect that he didn’t need to worry about. A stuffy, rich businessman whom Jethro might have taken an interest in before all the trouble out west.

Perhaps this is simply a side effect of becoming so close to you.

Jethro deftly sticks out his hand with a single nod. “Sir,” he greets promptly.

He shakes it back; such a strong grip for a banking man. “You’re the man my daughter keeps talking about, huh?” Your father asks. And when Jethro glances over the man’s shoulder, your eyes avert. “Hmmm. Walk with me, Mr. Gibbs.”

Jethro falls into step with him, with you on his other side. He hadn’t noticed until now, but your father had some papers tucked into the crook of his arm. He pulled them out, reading over them for a few moments. Jethro couldn’t hide the perplexed look on his face, and as he glances at you behind the older man, you’re laughing silently.

Good to know you seem to be enjoying this.

“My daughter says you were there at the saloon when some miserable drunkard was bothering her. That you came to her aid.”

Jethro’s eyes instantly comes back down to your father - he still hadn’t looked up from his papers, but he was obviously expecting a response. “Yes, sir.”

He nods solemnly. “Well, then you have my deepest gratitude, sir. My daughter has a habit of,” the older man trails off to look sideways at you, “getting herself into certain situations. My prayers are that her future husband may be able to keep her home, where she belongs.”

Crotchety old bastard, Jethro thinks.

“Yes, sir,” he repeats.

Tucking the papers back into his arm, the older man suddenly stops and turns to Jethro. And when he holds out his hand, Jethro takes it again and shakes. “It was very nice meeting you, Mr. Gibbens. I’m a very busy man, but do help yourself to some items in the general store, on my tab. It’s the least I can do for how you’ve helped my daughter,” he says. And his tone is flat and professional and Jethro can’t even be surprised anymore when he simply nods to you and walks off.

Jethro watches him leave. When he’s out of earshot, Jethro turns to you with a raised eyebrow. “Mr. Gibbens?” He asks.

You burst out with laughter, stepping closer and laying a hand on his arm. A small, simple gesture that nearly makes his shiver. “He’s not so bad, once you get to know him. He’ll remember your name, soon enough.”

“That so?” Jethro questions. He leans in just a little, a half-smirk on his lips, and rejoicing in the fact that your eyes flicker down. “Maybe I don’t intend on speaking to him often enough for him to learn.”

“Well, it would be awful hard to marry me if you never speak to him.”

For the life of him, Jethro can find no snarky response to that. Your words are serious, he can tell. The hand you have settled on his arm tightens, and Jethro moves to cover it with one of his own. And suddenly, right there on the street, Jethro wants to kiss you again. Just as deep and breathtakingly beautiful as the first one was.

And he might have, had the shrill scream of a woman down the street not caught his attention.

Jethro’s head snaps up just in time he see the bright muzzle flash of a gunshot. The sharp, explosive sound snaps through the air, and instinctively, Jethro grips your hand with his. He quickly pulls you out of the street, toward the closest alley and behind the cover of a brick building. It all went so quickly, you scarcely know what’s going on.

And yet, you’re afraid. Jethro can feel you gripping the lapels of his coat.

“It’s alright. Just stay low,” he mumbles out while poking his head out to see.

People are running about in a panic. Some ducking into shops, others just scattering and hoping they aren’t hit by a bullet. But even in all the chaos, Jethro thinks he knows what’s going on.

“Was that a gunshot?” You breathe out.

“Yeah,” he answers. “Looks like it came from the bank.”

“But we were just in there!”

He knows that. Painfully so. Jethro’s about to grab your hand to pull you away. To find someplace safe to bunker down and wait until the law can get this all under control. But before Jethro turns away, he watches a man burst out of the front door of the bank. A mask covers his face, but his stature is shockingly familiar; it makes Jethro go cold. Another man follows him out, shouting words that he can’t make out, but the man’s voice is so painfully recognizable.

It can’t be his young Tim McGee, can it? Tim is not so foolish to rob a big city bank.

There’s a tug on his coat. “Jethro, we need to leave this place!”

He hears your frightened voice. And yet, his feet are rooted to the ground.

Because he sees the fair and blonde-haired Eleanor Bishop stumble out of the bank. Blood stains her nice white dress - the dress she saves for the most special occasions. And Jethro knows instantly that the blood is not hers, because the man leaning against Eleanor can barely walk. His broad stature and mess of dark Italian hair is unmistakable behind the mask - it’s Anthony. He’s been shot.

These were Jethro’s people robbing the bank.

He’s almost numb when he turns to look at you. And it doesn’t help that your eyes are wide in terror, knuckles white in their grip on his coat. But Jethro sighs, takes your hands in his, and gently tries to detach them. “Listen, I need to go. But I want you to run. Run as far as you can away from here, and don’t came back looking for me,” he says, quick and firm.

“Jethro, what-”

“I know those people. I’m with them. But right now, they need me.” Finally, he’s able to pull your hands off his coat, but he keeps holding them tight. Keeps his eyes locked on yours. “I’ll find you in a couple days, when everything dies down. But right now, you need to run away.”

Jethro brings your hands up, kisses them quickly, and then moves away. He knows you’re scared out of your mind - all the shooting lessons in the world hasn’t prepared you for something as real and chaotic as a bank heist. Maybe in a way, that’s his fault.

But as he leaves the alleyway, he sees you running the other direction out the corner of his eye.

Good. At least you’ll be safe.

Finally, Jethro pulls his pistol out of his coat pocket. He’s moving through the ever-thinning crowd of frantic people, trying to make his way over to his struggling gang. Again, he spots Eleanor struggling to drag Anthony to their hitched horses. So he breaks into a sprint - he knows the law will be here any second. And with Anthony hurt, it’ll be like shooting fish in a barrel.

“Eleanor!” He calls out. Her head whips around, and he catches a brief look at the shock on her face. But he ducks around to Anthony’s other side to help support his weight. And from here, Jethro can really see the blood. It’s all over the front of his clothes. Jethro can’t tell where the wound is, but he knows it’s gotta be bad.

Anthony lets out a low groan - no doubt feeling all the jostling around from being half-carried. But his eyes dart over to Jethro under his mask. “Boss? I didn’t think you’d show up to the party,” Anthony murmured, and then winced when Eleanor nearly tripped over his feet.

“Shut up, you dumbass,” Jethro grumbles. He arches his head up to look around - no sign of lawmen yet. “I told you not to hit the bank.”

Anthony’s labored breathing is harsh in his ear. “We needed a big score, boss.”

Jethro’s about to retort, but there’s more gunshots. When he raises his head again, Jethro’s spots nearly a dozen men on horseback coming right for them. Tim fires his rifle at them, and the first man who burst out of the bank turns back to the three of them. “Get Anthony back to camp! We’ll cover you!”

With a sinking pit in his belly, Jethro recognizes Jimmy Palmer’s voice. Anthony even roped him into this shitshow.

He’s scowling as he reaches Anthony’s horse. Him and Eleanor quickly push the Italian up on the back of it. And Anthony seems barely able to keep himself upright as Jethro pulls himself into the saddle. Bullets whizz past his head, but even still, he glances down to Eleanor. “You better be right behind me!” He shouts to her.

She’s firing off at the lawmen, but waves Jethro off quickly. “Go. Get him back to camp!”

He’s reluctant to leave them, but Jethro snaps the reins and rides out of town. Anthony leans against his back, no doubt soaking Jethro’s coat in his blood. But judging how limp he feels against him, Jethro’s figures he’s probably unconscious from blood loss. Or maybe the rough ride of the horse was too much for him. Either way, Doctor Mallard better be at camp.

But as he rides, try as he might to keep his focus on Anthony and his gang, Jethro can’t help but glance back to the retreating buildings of the town.

And he desperately hopes you got to safety.

[sparklyjojos]

CARNIVAL recaps [2/13]

Today’s recap: Men in Black, not very subtle villains, and the overly dramatic Uno samurai detective who’s trying to figure them out.

--

FIVE

07 Sep 1996 — 13 Sep 1996

BERMUDA TRIANGLE

--

So far, the Billion Killer destroyed the JDC headquarters, the Empire State Building in New York, Stonehenge and Cappadocia. Each time a skull made of orichalcum (as the material that hasn’t been ever discovered on Earth is called) was left on the scene. Witnesses claim that a trio of people in black suits and sunglasses is always hanging around just before disaster strikes.

The first two attacks decimated two detective organizations, JDC as well as NYDT that had its headquarters in Empire State Building. The Billion Killer moved to other targets after that, but each 1 PM on Saturday still saw one of the many detective organizations in the world being blown up by some other criminal.

The Billion Killer, the bombing of detective organizations, the rapidly increasing crime rate, Alive on the loose—the chaos of the Crime Olympics rules the world and claims four million lives daily according to the UN statistics.

--

Let us leave our hardworking detective protagonists and move somewhere else for now.

This gloomy closed space in which it’s hard to tell the time of day is called the Sanctuary. Let’s say, for now, that it’s a giant invisible castle swimming tirelessly through the heavens. Maybe we should say “unseeable” instead; it’s not really invisible, but occupies a convenient blind spot.

There’s a giant round room in the middle of the Sanctuary with a table surrounding a fountain—its name is Lebensborn, the fount of life.

[I don’t know about Japanese readers, but it's really not hard to figure out a certain plot twist (?) after seeing this name.]

Three people in suits and sunglasses stand next to the table, all looking androgynous. These are Dots. The name comes from the fact that they’re nothing more than disposable pawns of RISE—little dots in the grand picture. They talk in calm, unemotional voices in a secret language known as R language or Ra language. [The reader may notice that they always start their dialogue with “...”, because, you know. Dot dot dot.]

Dots are just foot soldiers. RISE is led by a group of so-called Rainbow Sophists, each having a pseudonym symbolizing a color and a chess piece:

Violet Queen

Blue King

Green Bishop

Yellow Bishop

Orange Knight

Red Knight

Black Rook (a.k.a. the Master)

White Rook (a.k.a. the Doctor)

[Insert your Doctor Who joke of choice here.]

They’re all commanded by the leader of RISE, Rudolf Strauss (RS for short).

One of the Dots mentions talking with “the Master” about the book Cosmic that has just been released on September 5 [the real world date of its release.] It seems to pose no threat to RISE, and “mein fuhrer RS” decided they could allow it to be sold.

[If the reader didn’t catch on after Lebensborn, they sure caught on hearing mein fuhrer, huh. Subtle.]

Another Dot says that the Sanctuary is headed for the Bermuda Triangle and that they should get ready to leave the orichalcum skull there. Before that, they go to the Cosmic Room to talk with the Fuhrer. On the way one of the Dots is wondering aloud just what the Sanctuary actually is, but gets shushed by others so that he doesn’t bring “Ra’s wrath” on them; mere Dots are not to know secrets. When the problematic Dot continues to get agitated and speak out of line, suddenly there’s a sound like an explosion and his head is blown off from his shoulders.

The other two don’t seem too concerned and decide to go to “Dragon’s Center” first and inform the Master that a new Dot is needed.

--

(Everyone is wearing a mask. The world is a constant masquerade, a never-ending chaotic carnival.

Nobody, even a hypothetical “other people detective”, could possibly solve other people perfectly—but then again, nobody is even able to understand themselves. Our reasoning about others and even about ourselves is often completely misguided.)

--

The world has seen a lot of secret and dark organizations like the Freemasons and Illuminati, the Neo Nazis and sects. They’re not completely secret, but they don’t have to be; popularity just brings in more curious people who can be introduced to the actual secret parts once they've proven themselves.

RISE is the secret behind the secret, the organization that’s always been hiding behind many others for ages. The common “secret society” sign of the eye in a triangle is a symbol meaning Ra, the one whose eye is always observing the Dots and punishing them.

--

The Sanctuary drops off three Dots in a pontoon in the middle of the Bermuda Triangle before moving far away again, unseen by anyone.

It seems the Billion Killer is going to target a new advanced submarine known simply as “Robo-Ship” with about fifty members of UND on board. UND is a recently created organization of the United Nations gathering talented private detectives from the entire world, who have ironically come here to observe the upcoming Billion Killer’s case. RISE had sent a warning to the White House earlier that the fifth case would happen here.

At 1 PM, the Robo-Ship suddenly disappears. The only thing found near the crime scene is a pontoon with an orichalcum skull and three headless bodies in suits.

--

SIX

14 Sep 1996 — 20 Sep 1996

CAPE OF GOOD HOPE

--

Suzukaze Unomaru, the JDC detective looking like a samurai, is investigating a case and is in turn being investigated by his travel companion Marion, secretly one of RISE’s Dots.

Marion started to tail Unomaru a month ago when he came to Cape of Good Hope to investigate a strange incident: a hundred-of-meters-long moving shape was spotted under the ocean’s surface, spawning rumours about a giant sea serpent. Marion told Unomaru that she was a private detective also investigating the rumour and suggested cooperation. (Of course her entire backstory as well as the name Marion are fake. She had another name once, but can’t remember it. Dots aren’t allowed to have individual differences.) The two get on a cruise ship and even witness the giant underwater shadow once, which bonks into the ship from below, briefly rocking it and sending the passengers into a frenzy.

One day, Marion enters Unomaru’s cabin and discovers the floor is covered in piles of anime cards. Unomaru solemnly explains that he’s in the middle of searching for a rare Super Saiyan 3 Vegeta card that he lost, infodumps about how Vegeta never goes SS3 in canon and only in Dragon Ball GT, and dramatically adds that if they don’t find the card, it surely means someone stole it and Marion will have to help him investigate and catch the culprit.

Aside from anime, TCG and other playing cards, Unomaru also collects basically anything you could call a card (credit cards, those shop loyalty thingies…) and can do some neat magic tricks with a normal deck.

They talk about the sea serpent sighting and the chaos that erupted among the passengers. Unomaru is reminded of how in Jaws the shark didn’t even have to be shown fully, as just the triangular fin was enough to make people afraid, or how Duel showed only the arm of the truck driver to similar effect.

Unomaru believes the underwater thing wasn’t a sea monster, but maybe a giant submarine. He thinks that the impact against the ship was intentional so that everyone’s attention would be focused on the sea, creating a convenient blind spot in the sky. He just can’t figure out what would be there in the sky they weren’t meant to see.

Unomaru shows Marion one of his card tricks under the promise that they’ll play some UNO later. He pulls out a deck of fifty-two playing cards, takes a few and spreads them on the ground; they’re all of different colors and values. Unomaru returns the cards to the deck, shuffles it, then gives Marion half of the deck and they shuffle their halves as they like without looking. Finally Unomaru puts the halves together, separates it again into two piles, and has Marion check them. The cards were shuffled so many times, but now they’re neatly separated into one pile of all black cards and one pile of all red. [The illusion isn't named, but it reminds me a bit of Paul Curry's Out Of This World.]

The trick is that Unomaru prepared the deck in the right order long before the illusion was shown, including a few “random” cards that he showed at the start to mislead Marion. The rest just required skillful handling. All those anime cards strewn around helped misdirect Marion’s attention. Since the two halves of the deck had been already sorted by color, it didn’t matter how much Marion would shuffle her single-colored half. The trick to an illusion is always easy in hindsight—just like it is with tricks to mysterious crimes.

Unomaru changes the topic to the three mysterious “men in black” seen before the Billion Killer’s cases, and finally launches the attack: “Say, Marion-dono, wouldn’t you happen to be one of these ‘men in black’?”

He recounts the signs he noticed in her: nervous expressions, lifeless eyes, strangely impersonal androgynous atmosphere, always starting a dialogue with a moment of silence as if she was carefully choosing words. In fact, Unomaru noticed it all the first time they met and intentionally let Marion follow him around. It’s now Saturday and nearing 1 PM, so it must mean the Billion Killer case will start soon.

After a brief hesitation (that even she isn’t sure the reason for) Marion jumps at Unomaru with a garrote, but it catches on the wooden sword strapped to his back. In response, Unomaru booms at her in his own twist on the heroic lines from Momotarō-zamurai, acting so confident (and weird at the same time) that Marion freezes in her tracks.

“Ooo-one! People live to solve mysteries! Twoo-ooo! The strange and mysterious must be solved and make clear! Three-eee! Solve mysteries with the sword of logic!” He dramatically points the wooden sword at Marion. “Suzukaze Unomaru challenges the villain!”

He tells Marion about the first thing that clued him in as to her true identity: that she didn’t look Japanese and claimed to be from another country while speaking flawless native-sounding Japanese. Marion answers that oh, you see, she’s not actually speaking Japanese at all, which confuses Unomaru enough that she’s able to run away from the cabin. She throws him a line about how this ship is going to sink soon and kill him, and that the detectives will never be able to square against the transcendent being that is the Billion Killer. Unomaru yells after her that she should stop what she’s doing or she’s going to die, just like those other men in black did in the Bermuda Triangle.

As Marion changes into her black suit and joins two other Dots on the deck, she finds herself strangely thrown out of rhythm and still thinking about what Unomaru said. He had to be wrong. The Sanctuary is supposed to come pick them up after the job. Surely the Dots from the Bermuda Triangle were safely retrieved?...

Marion realizes with terror just what being a disposable tool means. She screams in fear, drops the orichalcum skull and runs back towards Unomaru who is sprinting towards her, just a few meters more and he will save her somehow, surely—

Marion’s head is suddenly blown up right in front of Unomaru. The same thing happens to the other two scared Dots soon afterwards.

At exactly 1 PM, the ship hits something giant underwater and sinks, taking over a thousand people with it.

--

[>>>NEXT PART>>>]

[pastorralffriedrichs]

Depending on who you talk to, construction zones are not the places of peace and contentment.

They are chaotic and dangerous.

Most people will say that they are messed up places, dangerous places, and oftentimes unsightly places to look at. Please be patient

I AM A CHRISTIAN UNDE R CONSTRUCTION

1:1-6 “Paul and Timotheus, the servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy, For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now; Being confident of this, that he who begun a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus”.

Depending on who you talk to, construction zones are not the places of peace and contentment.

They are chaotic and dangerous. Most people will say that they are messed up places, dangerous places, and oftentimes unsightly places to look at. Construction zones have lots of bumps, lane changes, starts and stops, backed up delays, and falling hazards, they are dirty, noisy, disorganized confused untidy hectic and disgusting places. However, if you are talking to the Architect they will say that the construction zone is beautiful despite of all of the chaos that is going on because they envision what the end product is going to be they know that what they are looking at is the process of progress.

I watch a show called Property Brothers and they take a couple and show them a house and how they can transform that house into their dream home. Most of the people will say I can’t see how you are going to take this space and turn it into my dream home, but the Property Brothers envision what the end product will look like and then they work to bring that vision into reality. The process of bringing that vision into reality is construction the house is the construction zone. I am under construction.

Contrary to how it may look to you right now. In-spite of what it may appear like to you. Regardless of the smile I may have on my face and prayerfully the delightful, compassionate, and loving disposition I try to portray. Beyond the suit and tie - I don’t have it all together. You see me standing here and I pray that what you see is good. However, what you don’t see and don’t understand is that what you are looking at standing here behind this sacred desk is a work in progress you are looking at a construction zone. There is some hazardous material that is falling here there is some hammering and drilling going on. There is some stuff that is taking place in the construction zone that actually should cause me to wear a sign around my neck that says Danger Construction Zone Keep Away.

I am a Christian under construction I don’t have it all together but please be patient with me God is not through with me yet.

Paul said it like this “I count not myself to have apprehended…” in other words I’m not there yet, yes I am better than what I was but I am not yet what I shall be and in some people’s eyes I may even seem like a chaotic mess. But 1 John 3:2 says “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is” I am in the process of progress - I am under construction. As I said I am better than what I was but I am not yet what I shall be.

Truthfully we are all in the process of progress. We are at different levels in the process and our progress is different, however, we all are under construction!

The process of putting something together, building something for the purpose of something else. People build houses to live in, stores to shop at, stadiums to have sporting events etc.

A movement toward a goal or to a further or higher stage: growth or development; continuous improvement: the development of an individual or society in a direction considered more beneficial than and superior to the previous level, for example there is good, better, best.

Good is o.k. but it is not as great as better, and better although is greater than good fails in comparison to best. If you have been sick and then one day you feel good, the next day you feel better than yesterday, and the next day you are at your best that is the process of progress.

The problem with progress is that progress can be fatal until the process is completed or finished. Finished always seems to be so far away. In our house in the basement next to the washer and dryer we have a table, this table collects all the clothes as we pull them out of the dryer. Because we don’t often fold the clothes the moment they come out of the dryer this table builds up until the clothes are almost up to the ceiling.

My wife and I hate when we finally decide it’s time to fold the clothes because before we are finished – finished seems to be so far off.

#takeyourlifebacktodayshow

[sergeant-angels-trashcan]

Hypothetical question: in a YA/Umbrella Academy crossover, which team members bond most with each other? Potentially more importantly, what absolute disaster couples could form and what complete chaos would they bring forth?

What an EXCELLENT question my mysterious friend, because I have LOTs of inconclusive feelings about this.

So I’m sure we’re all thinking ohhh Kate and Diego are like a POWER COUPLE what with the aim and stuff but really they’re Besties who are highly competitive. I could see Diego pitching in sometimes with Kate’s PI work–close enough to cop-stuff but still giving him time to be a vigilante. Hell, I could see them actually being really grudging coworkers who show up at crime scenes all the time and irritate the shit out of their favorite cops. They brought coffee!!! What can you tell us about this highly suspicious death? :)

Kate is also friends with Vanya–they might practice playing their stringed instruments together, they might even play in the same orchestra for a while. Kate is one of the few people from Vanya’s childhood that she keeps in contact with. They get together a few times a month for coffee.

Billy and Vanya are close, too, but Billy doesn’t live in the same city so he and Vanya don’t see each other as much. Once Vanya taps into her powers, she and Billy work on controlling and accessing their powers. They are generally Not Freaked Out by the weird shit the other can do. “Vanya, I have a date with Teddy tonight and I swear to God that if you mess up my hair with your powers I’m going to throw you into a tree.”

I honestly don’t know if America winds up with Allison or Vanya. Because Vanya is so tiny, so easily picked up and carried around and America is NOT afraid of Vanya because she’s basically indestructible. So probably Vanya. Like, lbr, every member of the YA family has had a little bit of a crush on Allison at some point. 

Billy and Allison get along really well–it’s so nice for Allison to be around a guy who doesn’t want anything from her. He’s a designer and she wears him on the red carpet. Naturally, this lends itself to Billy and Klaus being friends. Like, Klaus is friends with all of them. 

Cassie and Luther are friends. She doesn’t really get his whole “loyalty to Hargreeves” thing but she doesn’t really need to. She always tried to get Luther to recognize that he can be angry. Cassie is one of the few people who can physically match him, which means she’s not afraid of him or intimidated by him. Like. At all. Cassie is, unfortunately, presumed dead.

Eli and Luther h888888 each other. So Much. Eli doesn’t follow orders well enough for Luther and Eli thinks Luther needs to learn to open his goddamn eyes??? You don’t need to respect Reginald, man! He turned you into a monkey without your permission!!! Kate you talk to him I can’t handle this joker.

Noh, on the other hand, gets along really well with Luther. No one really understands why.

Nate and Five both do time travel shenanigans. Five, Nate, and Cassie all work for the agency–Nate snagged Cassie out of her timeline right as she was about to die, and Cassie and Five come back to the present together when they learn about the apocalypse. Cassie looks older than Five but Five is older than Cassie. They’re both older than the rest of their families. 

Loki and Klaus…sort of like each other. They also really help each other tap into their worst impulses, so it’s really better if they don’t hang out. They probably slept together once. They absolutely raid each other’s closets. 

Speaking of sleeping together once, Diego and Tommy once had a terrible one night stand. They don’t speak of it. 

Noh hangs out with Klaus when he’s struggling with sobriety. 

Kate and Ben absolutely had crushes on one another when they were kids. You’d think being dead would put a damper on things but it actually doesn’t, because Kate’s almost-died so many times that she can actually see other dead people when Klaus is around. It has more to do with Klaus than with Kate. It also means she’s in a triad type thing with Klaus and Ben. 

Kate’s a pretend partygirl tastemaker type. She usually doesn’t actually drink but she goes to clubs and makes them popular for money and sometimes she takes Klaus with her. Stark’s Bishop and a Hargreeves? Cha-ching. Klaus and Kate have a really weird relationship, because half of it is them pretending to be drunk for the Money and the other half of it is breakfast for dinner sprawled on the couch watching Dog Cops and its spinoff, Dogstronaut, which is about dogs exploring space. And several ghost hunting shows, because Klaus and Ben like to make fun of them.  Like. Ben/Kate/Klaus is an absolute nightmare because Ben is the only one with sense and he??? is dead??? And Kate and Klaus have no sense of self-preservation--Klaus because he’s a mess and Kate because she doesn’t care. And perchance this leads to Loki/Klaus/Kate/Ben and it is TERRIBLE and CHAOTIC, KATE CAN NEVER FIND HER CLOTHES (which wasn’t part of the master plan but it is now)

David and Diego actually get along really well. They are pining for each other 5eva. Kate constantly teases David about it, like, is it because he’s like the guy version of me? Why don’t you love me David??? Do I need to wear more leather??? It literally takes Allison, Klaus, Ben, Kate, Eli, and America to get these two losers to go on a date. They go to a planetarium and stumble across a drug ring while going for pie. They move in together pretty quickly because Diego?? Lives in a gym??? and David makes really good money and Diego refuses Reginald’s money so what I’m saying is sugar daddy David and you can bet none of their siblings let it go but secretly they both LOVE it. DIEGO IS A BOTTOM.

I feel like Eli/Allison is really obvious but like? He’s solid and stable and she needs that, and she would be really good at helping Eli have fun, lighten up, etc. I think they’d inspire each other to be better siblings to their families. 

Nate and Five never dated (or DID they) and they are like...tweens who argue like an 80-year old married couple

I mean look ok you said “disaster couple” and clearly the biggest disaster couple is Kate/Allison with a side of Kate/Allison/America, because Allison and America would constantly just be like “!!!! NO KATE YOU ARE BREAKABLE AND DON’T HAVE POWERS COME BACK” i mean really there’s a lot of potential there

[probablygoodrpgideas]

I am a big fan of the Global BBEG

The kind of villain you’re not expected to destroy at the end of the campaign and that will still be present for the next campaign. Like St. Ajax from Matt Colville’s game! 

In my setting, there is the Bishop. He used to be an ambitious Gith wizard. Then he became very powerful and very evil because of [REDACTED]. Then he abused a situation of chaos to attempt to take control of the Kingdom. Of course, the King didn’t want that, so they started fighting. They reached a stalemate and now the Bishop rules a part of the Kingdom as a ruthless dictator. He sends his agents to any chaotic or evil person he finds noteworthy. It is unknown if he wants to spy on them or support them. He has some sort of influence on almost every part of the world and his minions appeared in almost every campaign I ran so far. 

Does your setting have any global BBEG? If yes, nice, tell me about them! If no, maybe this post inspired you to make one! 

[tessxomarie]

Saving You - Part Fifteen

*GIF Inspired by the fact Leah is a total BAMF in this scene, thank you Liz Gillies for my Leah inspiration.*

*TRIGGER WARNING: This scene discusses sexual assault, rape and self-harm, also some detailed scenes that relate to the how Mayans & SOA “handles” certain situations are portrayed. If you need to skip this part, please do so. Also, please remember if you need or want to talk, please message me as I am always here to listen!*

Coco soon departs, and Angel and I walk back into the bedroom.

“Leah, talk to me babe. I can’t tell what you’re thinking, and it’s scaring me. I know you want this to end, but I can’t let you go if you’re not in the right headspace.” Angel says to me with a nervous voice.

I take another breath, and I look at Angel in the eyes as he stands right next to me, cupping my face with one hand, running his other hand through my hair.

“It doesn’t feel real, Angel. This is all going to end, tonight. I’m going to be free of the pain, the fear, everything.” I admit as I look up into those warm and inviting eyes.

Angel then presses his forehead to mine, “Yes, you will babe. I promise, this is going to end once and for all.” He tells me and we just share a moment, both of Angel’s hands now cupping my face, our foreheads still pressed together, eyes closed.

I place my hands on top of Angel’s, and slowly breathe.

He is my calm.

He is my peace.

He is my safehaven.

Angel Reyes is a force I didn’t see coming, but I am so fucking grateful it did.

We both slowly withdrawal from our embrace.

I continue to gaze up at Angel, and he quirks a look at me, “Thank you, Angel.” I begin, and he gives me another confused look.

“Thank you for everything the last day and a half, I mean, I know I’ve already thanked you but I feel like I need to thank you for a lifetime – you’ve done so much to help me, I don’t know where to begin to express my gratitude.” I softly say looking up at him.

Angel’s mouth then forms a big cheesy smile, and he uses one hand to cup my face and bring me in one more time.

“Anything for you, My Leah.” He whispers softly as he presses his lips to my forehead.

Angel then pulls out his phone and checks the time, “If this is what you still want, we need to get going now, babe.”

I nod my head in agreement, I scatter to gather my bag and phone.

“I need to call Kendra, I need her there, Angel.” I inform, and I prepare for a battle but to my surprise, Angel simply nods his head in agreement.

“Just give me a few minutes, please?” I ask.

Angel grabs my keys and informs me he’ll pull my car around for me as I’ll be following him on his bike.

I dial up Kendra in hopes of her to answer.

“Lee?” She says breathlessly.

“Kenz, are you okay?” I ask with worry.

“Uh, yeah. It’s just, EZ just told me the news.” She says in shock.

“Yeah, they found Erik.” I confirm.

“Are you still going there?” She asks.

“I need to Kenz, I need this. I also need you, I need you with me.”

“I want to be there for you, Leah. You know I’ll be there.”

I take a deep breath, as I am relieved to hear Kendra will be by my side. But I’m also super nervous, because I need her to bring me something and I know she will freak out.

“Real quick Kenz, I need you to bring something for me.”

“Whatever you need, I gotchu.” She replies.

“I need a razor blade.” I spit.

Silence fills the phone.

“Kenz?” I ask, wondering if the call dropped.

“Aleeah, I will not contribute to self harm. This is not the answer, I –“ She starts going on before I have to cut her off.

“Kendra! I promise you, on Jax and Tara’s graves, I will not use the blade for self - harm. Please, I need you to bring me one. Please trust me.” I plead.

“I trust you, Lee. I do, I’m just nervous.” She admits.

“I’m nervous too, but we can do this, we need to do this.” I hang up with Kendra a few moments afterwards.

We were informed to meet at the clubhouse first, then we would be instructed on where to go.

Angel locks up the house and I follow him in my Jeep to the clubhouse.

The drive feels like it takes six months, the build up of tonight’s events are getting to me.

It feels like I’m in a dream, a dream where I’m unsure if the ending is going to be a happy or scary one.

Before I even realize it, I see Chucky opening up the gates for us to enter.

Everyone is already here, including Marcus and the Sons. As soon as I park my car, Kendra rushes over to me.

“Lee!” She shouts as she quickly walks to me and gives me a huge hug.

“I needed to hug you, I needed to know you’re okay and that you really meant that we can do this.” She says to me as she buries her face in my neck.

I’ve seen Kendra worried and scared a handful of times, two times were when I hurt myself, and another time is right now. She’s worried sick.

“Kenz, are you alright? First and foremost…” I trail off as I cup her face.

“I honestly never thought this would happen, but also, EZ filled me in on other details, you need to go talk to Marcus and Bishop, I’ll be fine. I’m here for you, Aleeah, always.” She assures me with a tight squeeze of my hand.

Angel guides me over to Marcus and Bishop, I see Chibs and Tig join our small crowd.

“Aleeah, we’re glad to see you.” Marcus says to me.

“It’s a once and a lifetime chance, I have to be here.” I say looking at all of the men.

They all nod in agreement, but I can sense tension.

“What’s going on? You all look extremely nervous, and no offense, that’s not helping me.” I interject.

“Leah, sweetheart, we had to involve some other help – in order to take care of Erik.” Bishop starts out, and I give Angel a concerned look.

“What do you mean, Bish?” Angel eagerly asks.

“We had to be smart with the way we dispose of the bastard.” Chibs replies with an eye roll.

“It was a tough decision for Chibs and I to agree on, given the history however, Alvarez and Bishop made a good case and most importantly, it’s a decision we all agree that Jax would have done the same thing.” Tig continues.

I give the men the same confused look, and Angel’s face relaxes a bit as I have a feeling he must know where this is leading however I remain in the dark.

“Miguel Galindo is going to help us out. He offered us his Pew, it’s a safe and private location. We dropped Erik off there first, and let his men babysit him for a few hours. Miguel was mortified when I told him of what had happened Aleeah. He wants to help you in any way he can right now.” Marcus explains, and although I should be terrified of hearing the Galindo name, I’m ultimately relieved.

I met Miguel along with Emily a few months back, just as I was getting settled in Santo Padre, Marcus had reached out and asked if I could help out a friend and their son with my nursing abilities.

Cristobal, Miguel and Emily’s son, he had come down with a slight fever and a cold. Emily was refusing to take him to a doctor, and their pediatrician was out of town and could not make a house call. For whatever reason, Marcus felt I was certified enough to help the Galindo’s out.

Emily and I got off to a great start, I was more nervous to formally meet Miguel.

All my worries were gone once I was checking out Cristobal, a happy baby even with a 101 fever. Turns out, he was simply teething, and some babies like to spike fevers when doing so.

Emily felt stupid, as Cristobal had run a minor fever a few months prior due to teething. But she explained to me a brief summary of what chaos the family has endured, and she did not want to take Cristobal out of the house.

My first meeting with Miguel went extremely well, he was just happy that his son was in good health and that his son felt safe in my care.

“Aleeah.” Miguel said as Marcus lead me to the front door, “Please, Leah will do.” I nervously correct him.

“Leah, thank you from the bottom of mine and Emily’s hearts for coming out here to check on our son. As my wife explained, it’s been chaotic with our family lately and we just don’t feel comfortable taking Cristobal out and about just yet.”

“Of course, Mr. Galindo. It’s been a pleasure and honestly, thank you for trusting me to care for your son. That above all means a lot to me.” I graciously say to Miguel, because I do mean it.

“If you ever need anything, Leah – any sort of help or advice even, please do not hesitate to reach out. Marcus speaks highly of you, and he’s a man I trust with my life. I value that very much, so because of that, you are now important to us.”

The Cartel now considers me important and they therefore trust me, woah.

The Galindo Cartel is something I was made aware of back when I was around Jax and Tara. Anything Cartel related freaked me out, because one does not simply fuck with the Cartel – no links to the Cartel are the best links.

Yet here I am, tossed into the MC world which has collided with the Cartel.

I understand why Chibs and Tig were weary on this deal, but I also understand why it had to be done. Miguel and his men are the best ones to properly clean up a mess of this size.

I snap out of my flashback daze and return my focus to the men standing before me.

“I just want this all to end, I want to have peace.” I announce. Angel then wraps his arm around me and brings me in close.

“Then let’s go take care of this sick bastard, aye?” Chibs chimes in, which causes me to let out a chuckle.

The men gather on their bikes, meanwhile EZ and Gilly drive Kendra and me, in the van. The drive to the warehouse where Galindo’s Pew is at goes by rather quickly. The drive was silent, but again, not an awkward silence. More of, we all know what’s coming and we just have to get shit done, kind of silence.

It isn’t until EZ puts the van is park when my stomach starts to do flips. Kendra senses my nerves and instantly reaches over and grabs my hand.

“We got this, Lee.” She strongly affirms, and I nod my head and look her in the eyes.

We do got this, this is going to fucking end.

The men help us out of the van, and Angel once again rushes to my side.

No words are spoken, just looks exchanged.

His eyes are still warm, but I can see his concern. I intertwine our hands and give them a squeeze.

I need him to believe that I’m alright, and I can handle this.

I am strong, I am brave and I am going to end this once and for all. I tell myself silently as I stare into Angel’s eyes.

“My Leah, so strong, so brave.” Angel whispers to me as he places another kiss on my forehead.

I chuckle to myself which catches him off guard, “What is it?” He questions.

“I literally just told myself the same thing in my head, a little pep talk if you will.” I tell him which leaves him laughing too.

The brief moment of laughter is cut short when I’m quickly reminded why I’m even at this warehouse.

“Aleeah, Galindo is ready for us.” Marcus announces.

I simply nod in his direction as Angel continues to hold my hand and we begin to walk towards the door.

“Ladies, we want to see the situation first before we bring you in.” Bishop informs Kendra and myself.

“But Bishop, you told me I could be here, that I could have my closure!” I begin to raise my voice.

“Shh, shh, Leah, sweetheart – you will, darlin’. We just want to make sure the asshole is where we left him, and that he’s still breathin’ or else Bloody Sunday is about to happen a little early.” Chibs says to me.

“You’re going to get your moment, Aleeah. I promise, mija. But the guys are right, we should check the situation out first, I don’t need you to witness any other trauma.” Marcus assures me before he, along with Bishop, Tig and Chibs enter the warehouse.

Angel takes a few steps back from me to chat with the other members, and that leaves Kendra there next to me.

“Breathe, Lee. You gotta breathe.” She tells me.

I take a few deep breaths.

“I want to slit his throat, Kenz. I want to hurt him so fucking bad.” I admit, and Kendra simply nods her head.

She then whispers, “Is that what the blade is for?”

I shake my head, “I don’t know yet. I’m just so fucking angry and pissed off and sad and just fifty shades of a hot mess.” I answer.

Kendra remains at my side, holding my non-bandage wrist.

“Remind him of the pain he caused, and do what you feel is right, Lee. I’ll be cheering you on.” She says with a small smile.

Before I can respond, we hear the door open and Chibs motions for us to enter.

The men enter first, Angel looks at me before he goes in, but I nod for him to go as he sees I have Kendra by my side.

Right as we are about to enter the warehouse, Chibs stops me and gives me a half hug and kisses my temple.

“I love you, darlin’.” He says with a tight squeeze.

I look back at him and tell him what I’ve been telling myself all day, “I got this.” I say with a smile.

Chibs smiles, and I can see a quick tear forming in his eyes. He nods his head and gives me a look, a look of comfort. “Yes, you do and I know Jackie Boy going to be here helping you out. Opie too.”

To hold back my emotions from hearing those names, I nod in agreement.

I know I have an entire support system, in the living world and in the after- life. I just pray that my number one hope and wish is granted, and that Erik will leave here dead.

Kendra and I follow the MC as Miguel greets everyone.

I hear groans and slight screams from behind where Miguel is standing, but I cannot make out who it is coming from.

“Leah.” Miguel greets.

He makes his way through the crowd to me, and he has a somber expression.

“Hola Miguel.” I say above a whisper.

“I don’t know what words to say to you, there’s nothing that can I can say to erase what has happened. I am truly sorry that you had to endure such a disgusting act.” He says to me as he meets me face to face through the crowd of bikers.

“Thank you, Miguel.” I say quietly. He nods his head in an understanding way.

“Erik Rodrigo has been looked after by my men and has been in the best care.” Miguel announces as we all slowly turn to see Erik sitting in the Pew.

My stomach starts to do flips, as I finally see Erik sitting on the bench.

He’s moving around, and it looks like he’s already been beaten up a bit.

“Leah, come with us.” Bishop whispers and motions for me to take a few more steps forward.

I’m now standing in front of the crowd, Kendra is still right behind me. I’m by Marcus, Miguel, Bishop, Chibs and Tig.

Angel is right behind me as well, I can’t see him but I can feel him.

This calming feeling, I can literally sense it and before I can confirm he’s right behind me, Angel moves towards me and kisses the top of my head.

“Mr. Rodrigo, for the record, is it true that you assaulted and raped Miss Parker not only last night, but on the night of February 18th, 2017?” Miguel asks Erik, and again my stomach does slips.

“Raped?” Erik scoffs while remaining restrained in the pew.

“I never fucking raped that bitch, she was begging for it all night long.” He states, and my blood begins to boil.

“You lying mother fucker!” Angel shouts, but before I can I hold him back and look at him, Angel has made a b-line to Erik and starts to punch him with great force.

“Oh, Angel are you jealous? That I got a taste of that sweet pussy before you did, she sure is a good fuck.” Erik continues, and that adds to Angels’ rage. EZ is able to grab Angel and restrain him, as I now begin to cry.

“Fuck you, you sick Bastard!” I shout as I take a few steps forward, “I told you, ‘no’” I shout as my voice begins to shake, “I fucking told you ‘no’”. I whimper.

Erik begins to laugh, “It’s a shame I didn’t listen, huh?” He retorts in a snarky fashion, and before I lose all of my emotions, Kendra scoops me up as EZ walks Angel back to me.

“Erik Rodrigo, I have no other words for you. You are a poor excuse of a human being. The only way to get any sort of resolution for your heinous crimes, well, I guess I’ll just your fellow bikers do the talking. But before that, I’m going to leave you with this.” Miguel states before he hauls off and punches Erik in the face.

Erik continues to laugh, it must be his defense mechanism because part of me truly believes he is scared – that this is not how he pictured his life turning out, yet we are here.

I wouldn’t wish this torture on anyone, but right now, it feels like this is the only fair way.

Kendra and Angel continue to hold my hand and rub my shoulder. My support system that I never knew I needed.

Marcus then walks up to Erik, and Erik’s facial expression changes.

“I patched you in, Erik. You had so much promise, I was excited for you. Then, I find out you hurt someone who I look at like a daughter, so basically you hurt my daughter and that will not go unanswered. You’re going to fucking die, ese. I’m here to make sure of it.” Marcus states as he is now face to face with Erik as he crouches down to Erik’s level.

All Erik does is spit in Marcus’ face, which then results in Marcus punching Erik in the face. Marcus begins to take a step away, but he pulls out his weapon and shoots him in the thigh.

“This is just the beginning.” Marcus says as he turns and walks back.

I look at Kendra and motion with my hand for the blade, “Now.” I whisper, and without hesitation she pulls it out of her pocket and I charge over to Erik determined.

“Alee-lee-lee-ah, my my, work up the courage to come talk to me with all of your body guards? So brave of you.” He tells me.

I look him in the eyes, and I laugh for a second because his sarcasm is beyond irritating at this point.

“First off,” I begin as I haul off and smack him across the face with all the force I have. “I don’t need body guards, and secondly, I’m braver than you.” I continue.

I pull out the blade but now, I manage to walk behind the Pew.

“Nestor, could you be a gentleman and come over here and make sure Mr. Rodrigo’s hands remained restrained?” I ask Nestor who is one of Miguel’s trusted security men, he walks over and confirms with me that his hands are still restrained.

“Free one of his hands please, this is where my fun begins. I just need you to hold it in place.” I instruct and Nestor obliges.

“Leah, baby, you want to get risky now? This is how you like it? Damn, mami.” Erik comments, which results in another punch from Nestor.

“Erik, Erik, Erik, you poor, unfortunate soul.” I say as I now lean down to his level as I’m now next to Nestor.

“You see Erik, you thought that you owned me You thought you could do whatever you want to me, that you had a right to violate me, assault me, rape me. YOU WERE WRONG, ERIK! See this, right here…” I explain as I point to the razor blade in my hand, up in sight for everyone to see, ready to use.

“This is what you did to me. You made me resort to this, slicing my own fucking wrists!” I shout as I then dig the blade into Erik’s right wrist that Nestor is holding, and I make sure to drag the first cut as slowly as I can, he needs to feel this.  

“Do you feel anything, Erik? Do you feel the pain? The pain of the sharp edge slicing through your skin to make you bleed? I didn’t. I was numb, ALL BECAUSE OF YOU!”

I’m not done yet, as I finally lift the blade, Erik finally cries out in pain.

I can’t lie, it’s music to my ears.

I go over to his other wrist, and I slice that one too.

“That is all, Nestor. Thank you.” I whisper as I lift up the blade.

I stand back in front of Erik for the final time, “You don’t own me, you sick coward. I fucking own you.” I affirm, and before I part ways for the final time, I spit right in his face before I turn back and walk away.

I take one last moment before I turn my back to him, I look at him in the eyes only this time I have confidence. I got my fucking revenge, Erik will never hurt me again.

Right as I rejoin everyone, Kendra has a smile on her face, and Angel has a smirk on his. Kendra gives me a quick side hug before Angel sneaks me from her, he cups my face and presses his forehead to mine.

“I am so fucking proud of you.” He whispers, and a smile creeps up on my face.

I take another deep breath as I hear footsteps, Chibs and Tig now get their say.

“Erik Rodrigo, you know you fucked up with the Mayans but you should have done some research, brother. You see, Leah is not only protected by the Mayans but by us, SAMCRO.” Chibs announces.

“You see, Leah has been under our protection since she was a teenager. We promised her she would be safe, and that she could rely on us and the Mayans to help her when she needs it. You done fucked that up, but guess what, we’re here to help her now and we’re going to fix this.” Tig tells Erik.

“Chibs, you have that knife on ya?” He asks.

“Knife? Another one?” Erik asks in horror.

Chibs and Tig look at each other, and they both have these wicked smirks plastered on their faces which causes me to smirk.

Kendra gives me a questionable look, I look at her and smile, “They got this.” I tell her, and she continues to hold my hand.

“What is it Erik? Are you scared?” Chibs asks nonchalantly.

Tig takes the knife from Chibs, “You see Erik, you thought you were a tough guy or whatever, when you hurt Leah. Well, newsflash dude, men don’t touch women, and they definitely don’t rape them. Therefore, you don’t deserve a dick.” Tig tells Erik as Chibs helps Erik stand up, and at this moment Erik is screaming in terror.

My stomach starts to flip again, and this is too much for me to handle.

I turn to face Angel and he engulfs me in a hug.

“It’s almost over, babe.” He whispers to me as I shut my eyes and just hug Angel as tight as I can as Erik’s screams grow louder and louder.

Tig’s job is finished when I hear other members gasp and groan, “He really cut his dick off?!” I hear Creeper ask from behind Angel.

I let out a really small and low chuckle, because I know Tig isn’t shy from doing things in a disgusting yet theatric manner.

“Oh Erik, don’t be so dramatic. It’s not like you were going to need that anyway.” I hear Chibs say.

“Is that it?” I hear Bishop ask, and I hear muffled voices in the distance.

I think to myself, I surely hope this is it, I mean Erik is bound to bleed out.

I then hear Chibs clear his throat, “One more thing, from beyond the grave, a message from Jax Teller – be thankful he’s not here to do this instead.” Chibs announces and before I can process everything, I hear a gun shot and then a body drop.

“Gun shot in the forehead. It’s over.” Angel whispers to me.

I slowly lift my head up, and turn around slowly to see the scene that played out behind me.

Sure enough, Erik’s lifeless body is now on the floor.

Chibs slowly walks back, but then looks up and says , “Jackie Boy, I hope you’re proud.”

Marcus walks over to him and shakes his hand, “No doubt in my mind, Jax is very proud. Especially of our Aleeah.” He announces as he now turns to me, and everyone makes way for the guys to gather around me.

“Leah, how are you sweetheart?” Bishop asks.

I take a deep breath, and soak in the moment.

This is all real, Erik is gone…he’s dead.

“It’s weird, like I see that he’s dead but like, it doesn’t feel real.” I admit, and it slowly feels like shock is taking over my body.

“Let’s take you outside for some fresh air, Lee.” EZ speaks up.

I nod my head and EZ, Kendra and Angel take me outside.

“Babe, tell me what you’re thinking.” Angel softly says to me as we reach outside and nightfall is upon us.

I run my hands through my hair, “I don’t know. I honestly don’t know.” I say with a shaky voice again.

Angel hushes me and brings me in for a big hug. “It’s over babe, you’re safe again.” He tells me.

Before I break away from his hug, and I kiss him on the cheek. Angel is taken aback by this move, but he smiles.

I then take a step back and look at Kendra. “Kenz, can I stay with you tonight?” I ask because when I’m feeling like this, the need for best friend time is dire.

I know I’d feel safe with Angel tonight, but right now, my gut is telling me I need my best friend.

“Of course, Lee. You can stay whenever you want.” Kendra says to me.

I turn back to Angel, and I feel bad for not staying with him tonight but I had to remind myself that this isn’t a permanent thing, me staying with him although I want to. “Please don’t be upset that I’m staying with Kendra.” I plead in a whisper, Angel starts shaking his head profusely.

“Leah, stop that. I’m not upset at all, babe. You just did some crazy bad-ass shit tonight, you need rest and you need your best friend. I completely understand. One thing, actually two things…” Angel starts before looking over at EZ, “EZ stays or looks out for the both of you, just to ease my mind and I’m sure Alvarez would want the same thing and secondly, I’ll be over at 9am with coffee and bagels.” He states with another kiss on my forehead.

“That sounds perfect.” I tell him as soon as he moves his lips from me.

Angel and I part ways as EZ takes Kendra and myself back to Kendra’s apartment.

I still feel torn, that I should have just stayed with Angel, but I know I need Kendra tonight.

I need to be smart, if that’s even possible right now.

I can handle my feelings for Angel in the morning, when he brings me a bagel and coffee. For now, I plan on crying to my best friend about the fuckery that just occurred, and I honestly cannot wait to do so.

[eddycurrents]

Uncanny X-Men #1 “Disassembled - Part 1”

Writers: Ed Brisson, Matthew Rosenberg & Kelly Thompson | Artist: Mahmud Asrar | Colourist: Rachelle Rosenberg | Letters: Joe Caramagna

Published by Marvel | 14.11.2018 | $7.99

It’s only been since early 2017 since there’s been an Uncanny X-Men series on the stands, but this almost two years has felt like an eternity as the team has been split into Blue, Gold, and Red instances. This new Uncanny X-Men #1 works to bring them back under the same umbrella as a new threat looms over the heads of Marvel’s merry mutants.

This issue kicks off with an ominous vision and warning to Jean from Multiple Man that sets the tone of confusion and questioning some impending catastrophe on its way.

Ed Brisson, Matthew Rosenberg, and Kelly Thompson start out the series with a number of events that would otherwise seem to be routine: Kitty taking a group of students on a field run against c-list second stringer villains like the Mutant Liberation Front and Jean and a group of veteran X-Men to a rally full of anti-mutant hate speech. It’s old hat in both cases, but it gets turned on its ear pretty quick. Something massive goes wrong when Kitty disappears and it just snowballs when Madrox freaks out at the news.

There’s some very nice use of humour throughout, and an interesting bit of character development from the Young X-Men/Academy X group as they begin questioning their place within the X-Men. It’s also really nice to see Cannonball with the X-Men again, it’s been awhile.

Of the puzzles raised, the flash evolution in the Kalahari makes me wonder if there’s a bit of Apocalypse’s technology involved, as we saw in the recent back-ups in X-Men Black. If someone else is using it to help feed and nourish people in Botswana. The random teleportations are also kind of weird, especially when it occurs to both Madrox and Senator Allen.

Mahmud Asrar handles the art chores for this opening salvo, and for the most part the artwork is gorgeous. Asrar and Rachelle Rosenberg produce some incredibly beautiful pieces throughout the story, in particular the Beast and Storm scene in Africa. Great composition and colour use.

The action throughout is also wonderful. The battle between the X-Men and the Mutant Liberation Front is impressive and the latter fight with the multiplicity of Madroxes is incredible. Many moving parts with so many people--albeit the same person--that just adds to the chaos of this story.

I am, however, a little disappointed in the sequence in front of City Hall. The backgrounds and mob of Madroxes are incredible, packing a large amount of detail into the pages. My problem comes in the X-Men themselves. In their civilian clothes, they’re kind of bland. Indistinguishable from one another in a couple of cases. Other than Jean and Betsy due to their hair colour, and Bishop and Jubilee due they’re distinctive looks, without naming them through the dialogue, I wouldn’t have been able to tell you with certainty who they were. Angel and Cannonball might have well been the same person. If the intent, though, was to make them blend into the crowd as nothing special, it worked.

Ultimately, this feels like an end more than a beginning. Kind of like how Avengers: No Surrender was a big last hurrah for the various Avengers titles before the Jason Aaron and Ed McGuinness relaunch. We know that Uncanny X-Men is carrying on past this arc, though, so it makes it a bit more interesting. Making me wonder if this is more of a winnowing process to refocus and repurpose the X-Men from the current status quo to whatever it is that comes next.

It’s very chaotic, and there are a ton of questions raised as to what’s going on, but it’s not messy. The chaos and confusion are definitely deliberate meant to make everyone, including both characters and the audience, wonder what’s happening. I think Brisson, Rosenberg, and Thompson have done a great job of capturing the feel of the X-Men and successfully crafted an intriguing starting point for this series.

“What Tomorrow Brings”

Part One: A Bishop Story - Writer: Matthew Rosenberg | Artist: Mirko Colak

Part Two: A Jean Grey Story - Writer: Kelly Thompson | Artist: Ibraim Roberson

Part Three: An Armor & Anole Story - Writer: Ed Brisson | Penciller: Mark Bagley | Inker: Andrew Hennessy

Epilogue - Writer: Kelly Thompson | Penciller: Mark Bagley | Inker: Andrew Hennessy

Colourist: Guru e-FX | Letters: Joe Caramagna

There’s also a back-up story, broken down into parts for each of the main writers individually, that deals with some moments before the events of the main story.

The first is a Bishop vignette from Rosenberg and Mirko Colak. It focuses on a little device that warns Bishop of forthcoming temporal problems and an investigation that leads him to Dark Beast and the Sugar Man. The inclusion of Age of Apocalypse holdovers and what’s happening to them is definitely an interesting point. Kind of makes you wonder if someone’s cleaning up other anomalies in a similar fashion to what’s been going on in Extermination.

The second is a bizarre coffee shop conversation about hope and the sad state of the world between Jean Grey and a strange old woman, by Thompson and Ibraim Roberson. Roberson’s art is great and his Jean Grey is gorgeous, looking somewhere between Jessica Chastain and Bryce Dallas Howard. Really weird end bit as the coffee shop is invaded by some sort of person who seems able to psychically take over multiple people’s minds to do as they wish.

The third part and the epilogue are both handled by Mark Bagley and Andrew Hennessy for art. Brisson tackles the third sequence, getting somewhat meta with Armor and Anole as they complain about being sidelined. With another appearance from Dark Beast, raising more questions about what’s going on.

Thompson handles the epilogue, bringing together all three parts, and giving a bit of insight into a broader battle between two unknown groups. The first is the psychic who seems to able to achieve a hive mind and the other is “him” who is likely the old woman that Jean was speaking to earlier. It makes you wonder if these are the agents who’ve been causing the havoc in the main story, if maybe this psychic is controlling Madrox (or is a Madrox) which is why Jean and Betsy have a difficult time reading him.

The digital edition of Uncanny X-Men #1 on Comixology comes as the “Director’s Edition” and also comes with an additional bit of back material. There’s the script, art transitions from line art to coloured pages, sketches and designs, covers, and such. It’s interesting to see this look behind the curtain and it increases the page count to nearly a whopping 300. All for the same price as the regular print edition.

Uncanny X-Men #2 “Disassembled - Part 2”

Writers: Ed Brisson, Matthew Rosenberg & Kelly Thompson | Penciller: RB Silva| Inker: Adriano Di Benedetto | Colourist: Rachelle Rosenberg | Letters: Joe Caramagna

Published by Marvel | 21.11.2018 | $3.99

Uncanny X-Men #2 continues the chaos of the first issue, with even more strange occurrences breaking out across the globe as extinct animals resurface and a multiplicity of Madroxes manifests in Kansas which can be seen from space.

I actually think I liked this one more than the first issue, even though it follows along much of the same lines as the first one, as the X-Men are in disarray, chaos is erupting across the globe, and we’re still not sure what’s going on anywhere.

Ed Brisson, Matthew Rosenberg, and Kelly Thompson put the disappearance of Kitty and Senator Allen on hold for a bit as they split into teams to deal with the disasters popping up, that seem to have the same energy signature as the disappearances. It makes me wonder if these are ripple effects from the messing with time from Multiple Man--especially since he’s an unintentional major antagonist so far--or if maybe it’s a repercussion from however Extermination ends (or, of course, it could just be X-Man).

Splitting into smaller teams to handle the issues, witty banter among the cast who treat each other like family, impossible odds, and impressive action pieces, I have to say that this really does feel like the X-Men. If that makes any sense. The humour itself really goes a long way to make this just that more enjoyable.

Also enjoy the simmering sub-plot of the younger mutants. And there goes Beast, always doing the stupid thing.

RB Silva and Adriano Di Benedetto take over the art chores for this chapter. Although I can’t say I’m a fan of the approach that this series is taking to the rotating art teams (each issue has a different art team), as I’d prefer the teams in blocks similar to how Avengers: No Surrender dealt with it, for overall consistency in storytelling and visual appearance when read in one go, Silva and Di Benedetto deliver some very strong artwork. The action sequences with the dinosaurs is particularly impressive. How they handle the Madroxes is also great.

I’m not as sold on the new Betsy Braddock. I really appreciate the reversion to a variation on her original body and ethnicity, I think that was a change long in the making. I don’t know about her overall new design though. Her costume is kind of generic, and she herself just kind of seems...bland. I quite liked the appearance of the psychic sword and shield in the previous issue, and reminding everyone that’s she’s really British through the bloody dialogue last issue and mentioning Brian this issue are nice, but it still feels like more work needs to be done on defining who Psylocke is again. 

There are some very nice uses of colour schemes for the various locations from Rachelle Rosenberg that help clarifying and delineate the sequences. It’s a nice, simple visual cue to help alleviate any possible confusion from scene changes.

While we’re still a little in the dark, the action and intrigue is entertaining and the tension in the plot feels palpable, just waiting for everything to explode overall. There are some nice character moments and an impression that all of the different corners of the X-universe are going to be touched upon at some point.

I’m definitely hooked to see where this going to go.

Quick Bits:

Domino #8 concludes, kind of, the vampire arc, though it feels like there should definitely be more coming somewhere down the line. Excellent artwork from David Baldeón and Jesus Aburtov. Aburtov’s colours this issue are particularly impressive, from the snow to rays of sunlight penetrating the ocean.

Exiles #10 brings the Thousand and One Nights arc to an end with a confrontation between the Exiles and Caliph Doom. All of the series has been great so far, but this one seems to really have elevated things. Saladin Ahmed, Javier Rodríguez, Álvaro López, Muntsa Vicente, and Joe Caramagna really seem to have gone all out on this arc.

Astonishing X-Men #17 concludes the series, tying a bow on the Reavers. Matthew Rosenberg gives us some nice character development for Havok and a rejuvenated Banshee.

Mr. & Mrs. X #5 concludes the first arc with some absolutely huge ramifications for Rogue. I’ve never really much liked Gambit, but Kelly Thompson is certainly bringing me around on him for this series, that’s a pretty huge accomplishment. Also, the art this issue from Oscar Bazaldua and Frank D’Armata is gorgeous.

Weapon H #10 has some stunning artwork from Guiu Vilanova and Morry Hollowell. Some of the layouts this issue as Morgan Le Fay drops some truth on the characters are amazing. Greg Pak delivers a few surprising revelations this issue, along with Weapon H’s full name. It’s a shame that this series is ending soon, since it continues to be an exciting and fun ride.

Weapon X #26 is one of the best issues yet from Greg Pak, Fred Van Lente, Luca Pizzari, Roberto Di Salvo, Frank D’Armata, and Joe Caramagna as the team goes to hell. Some interesting representations of each character’s hell and Sabretooth’s moral balance, but I think one of the most interesting things is the use of the 9-panel grids. It gives a feel that hell is ordered, structured, that all of the suffering has a design and is not just chaos.

The Unexamined: Secret Agent Deadpool #6

d. emerson eddy thinks it’s probably X-Man’s fault. It’s always X-Man’s fault. Unless it’s Beast’s. He’s pretty good at gumming up the works and perennially doing the wrong thing for the past decade or so too.

[tinyshe]

Catholics and Fridays. What Happened? 

By Dr. Jared Staudt 

Should we abstain from meat on Fridays? The short answer is – yes. The longer answer is – you need to practice penance on Friday and can substitute something in place of abstaining from meat.

Here’s the problem. The longer answer has practically destroyed the Friday penance in the United States. Many countries still practice mandatory abstinence from meat on Fridays and England has recently returned to the practice. When I lived in Poland and Italy it was a normal practice for Catholics.

Here’s what Canon Law says, after speaking of the necessity of penance as coming from God’s own divine law (1249):

Can.  1250 The penitential days and times in the universal Church are every Friday of the whole year and the season of Lent.

Can.  1251 Abstinence from meat, or from some other food as determined by the Episcopal Conference, is to be observed on all Fridays, unless a solemnity should fall on a Friday. Abstinence and fasting are to be observed on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.

Can.  1253 The conference of bishops can determine more precisely the observance of fast and abstinence as well as substitute other forms of penance, especially works of charity and exercises of piety, in whole or in part, for abstinence and fast.

It’s the part on the Bishops Conferences that makes the difference in the United States. The US Bishops issued a document, Pastoral Statement on Penance and Abstinence, in 1966 a year that should flag anyone’s attention who knows of the chaos following the Second Vatican Council (though not caused directly by the Council itself). People interpreted the Bishops’ complicated stance as abolishing the Friday penance. After waxing eloquently on the importance of the traditional practice of abstinence from meat and affirming the necessity of penance on Friday, the document issues the following decision:

“Among the works of voluntary self-denial and personal penance which we especially commend to our people for the future observance of Friday, even though we hereby terminate the traditional law of abstinence binding under pain of sin, as the sole prescribed means of observing Friday, we give first place to abstinence from flesh meat. We do so in the hope that the Catholic community will ordinarily continue to abstain from meat by free choice as formerly we did in obedience to Church law.”

Even though the Bishops said other penitential practices could substitute for abstinence from meat, they still said they hoped Catholics would continue the practice. Unfortunately, this did not occur, as we all know.

What should we make of the Church’s teaching on the Friday penance?

One, we should politely request the Bishops to update this policy passed at a difficult and chaotic moment in the Church’s life. When you read the 1966 statement as a whole, it actually provides many significant reasons to restore the practice.

Two, we need to make sure that we are practicing the Friday penance! The US Bishops insisted on the necessity of this, backed up by our current Code of Canon Law. The necessity of the Friday penance has not been abrogated, just the necessity in the US of abstaining from meat as a mandatory form of the Friday penance

Three, abstinence from meat is the default penance of the entire Church and has been practiced consistently throughout the Church’s history. It is not just a neutral option, but, in my opinion based on these reasons, should be practiced by all Catholics unless there is a compelling reason to substitute another penance.

It’s time to return to this central and crucial practice of the Church. We can see from the oldest catechetical text of the Church, the Didache, that Friday was a day of fasting in the early Church. It’s up to us to preserve this practice, not for antiquarian reasons, but because penance is a way of taking up our Cross and following Jesus. Without clear and definite practices of penance, it usually falls by the wayside.

Abstaining from meat is a sign of turning away from the concupiscence of the flesh and also recognizes that Christ offered His flesh for our salvation on Friday. Having a distinctive practice on Friday reminds us of what happened on this day and as we abstain it should be a sign pointing us to the spiritual reality of the Cross.

In short, we need to observe penance on Friday and abstaining from meat is the traditional practice and the one mentioned by Canon Law.

Letters from the editor, THOSE CATHOLIC MEN

Join thousands of Catholic Men who recieve (almost) weekly emails from the authors and the editor of Those Catholic Men.

[drackomancy]

bishop critical

friend: And Casivar vs Bishop is LG vs CE

me: The rift there is a little more understandable but mostly because I'm biased against chaotic evil as an alignment

me: Who do you know that only ever makes choices to hurt others all the time and goes out of their way to create chaos, benefiting absolutely nobody

me: And never faces repercussions for it

me: When is Bishop punished for being an evil little shit in the game except getting mouthed off to for 2 seconds?

friend, bringing up a key point: He's in a wall for eternity now because he's atheist... which...

me: Oh, yeah. Because he's an atheist. Not because of the women he's abused or the deaths he's caused or the people he threw under the bus

me: Because why should they punish him for being a fuckhead when *obviously* punishing him for being godless is a much better opportunity to show that evil never prevails?

me: I don't get that bit of the narrative, he should have gotten kicked in the head forreal a lot sooner and not because of spiritual preference

friend: Yeah, he's basically a Karma Houdini TV trope

me: *suddenly the world makes sense, the universe falls into order, I can see all*