#ERRON HOLY SHIT

[ilovelosermen69]

Yall need to stop sleeping on Erron Black. Especially Erron Black in his Indiana Jones skin.

[mediocreshake08]

Eat shit and fall off your horse!

Reference⬇️

[kalloway]

you ever re-read old ideas/fics and get a sort of longing feeling to go back to it? re-reading my old MK fanfic and like...

all that's holding me back is the fact it was set in a *very* specific part of the Second/Alternate timeline that isn't the "relevant" timeline anymore LMAO

[mlmxreader]

The Accidental Husband | Johnny Cage x m!reader

『••✎••』

↳ ❝ okay but here me out...when johnny and all of them are chilling in that bar,,,Skarlet introduces his younger brother (m!reader) Johnny immediately starts flirting with him and m!reader admits that he’s a huge fan of his movies and they both get too drunk and wake up in a random hotel room with wedding rings on bc they got married while blackout drunk 😩 ❞

: ̗̀➛ your sister introduces you to a... friend of hers, although things go a little too well.

: ̗̀➛ heavy drinking/alcohol consumption, swearing, reader is adopted/not a blood relative to Skarlet

•───────────────★•♛•★──────────────•

A long, long time ago, Skarlet had taken pity on a young boy who had no family; he was younger than she was, starving and scared. She wasn't sure what else to do with him, so she took the boy as her own brother; she helped raise him, and although he was never any good at Blood Magik, he showed promise elsewhere.

For years, it was just you and your sister, and when you were a little older, she allowed Liu Kang to introduce you to Kuai Liang; you showed promise within the Lin Kuei where you stayed. Skarlet visited as often as she could, despite the protests of the Grandmaster. It was there that you discovered Johnny Cage's films, and although some of them were absolutely awful, you would watch anything with him in it.

You were a huge fan, but you figured that it would be embarrassing to admit such a thing, especially to your own sister; she would never stop teasing you about it if she ever knew. So you kept it quiet.

You told Kuai Liang, only because he caught you skipping duties to watch one of Cage's new films; he just smiled and shook his head, telling you to crack on as soon as the film ended. Kuai Liang was always good to you like that; calm, reassuring, strong and patient. Gentle.

You looked up to him, and when you accidentally called him Uncle, he never held it against you or told your sister; but Kuai Liang was the closest thing you ever had to a father, and although he never treated you any differently to the other Lin Kuei, he was always kind.

He even allowed you to have "extra training" with his brother Tomas, which merely meant an excuse to watch Johnny Cage's films for a few hours together.

When you were trained enough to go out on your own, nearly halfway through your twenties, Skarlet picked you up. She took you to the nearest city, and as she was walking with you, she couldn't help but to laugh smugly to herself.

You were a little apprehensive, and couldn't understand why she wore a long, flowing red and black dress instead of her usual armour. It seemed a bit impractical, even if you were wearing a black hoodie and pale grey jogging bottoms that had been given to you by Tomas.

"I've got someone to introduce you to," she told you with a sly smile.

You looked at her with a raised brow. "Please tell me it's not Erron. You know I told him I wasn't interested."

"No," Skarlet shook her head. "It's someone you've never met before, and- in here."

You followed her into a nice restaurant, a little apprehensive; your sister could scheme and could be sly. She taught you how to do so yourself, but you knew that you could always trust her and that, if she had someone who she wanted you to meet, then you could probably trust them.

So you shrugged, and when she brought you to a quieter table, you didn't really question much. She ordered a glass of red wine while you got yourself an energy drink with a shot of vodka. Idle conversation with your sister followed until the drinks arrived, but just as you were about to take your first swig, you nearly choked on nothing.

"Is that-"

"Johnny Cage," Skarlet smiled, standing up and shaking his head. "You showed up."

Johnny nodded. "Well, yeah, Kuai Liang told me it was important - might be useful for my next film and-"

"Holy. Shit."

He looked at you, taking note of your appearance, and grinned. "Hello, handsome."

"Hi," you said quietly, feeling all too nervous. "I, uhm… hi."

Johnny pushed past your sister to sit next to you, his arm stretched out across the back of your chair. "I'm Johnny."

"I, I'm- I know," you said softly, hoping you didn't look too much like a deer in the headlights. He was even more handsome up close.

"He's a big fan," Skarlet told him. "Johnny, meet my brother."

Johnny laughed softly, not taking his attention from you. "Big fan?"

You nodded. Words had left you, and you weren't sure if you wanted them back or not. He was so pretty with his big brown eyes and his silly grin. You swallowed thickly, laughing nervously. "Sorry…"

"Oh, don't be," he shook his head. "If I knew all my fans were this good looking, I think I'd have it written into my contract that my press tours should be longer."

You laughed softly. "Thank you…"

Skarlet rolled her eyes, knowing her job had been done; she finished her glass of wine, and walked away, making sure to give the staff a tip before she left properly.

Johnny looked you up and down shamelessly. "Y'know, you've got leading man looks - have you ever thought about acting?"

You shook your head, stuttering nervously. "Uh, no…"

"You should," he mused. "You could really make it big, looking like that… Kuai Liang trained you, right?"

You nodded. "And Tomas."

"So he's handsome and he can fight," Johnny grinned. "Let me guess, you can cook and clean, too?"

"Yu-yeah."

"The full package," he put his hand on your shoulder. "How are you not married?"

You shrugged. "Just not something I ever, uhm… it's just not, uhm…"

"Don't be nervous," Johnny said quietly, moving to sit a little closer. "I know I'm a big time, handsome, movie star - but you're in safe hands with me… although… it's probably me who's in safe hands with you, right?"

You laughed softly, and Johnny felt his head spin a little at the sound; you knocked back your shot of vodka, hoping it would give you some confidence. "I, uhm…I need a drink."

"It's on me," Johnny told you, flagging down the waiter and getting six shots. The first round. "Handsome guy like you… it's only right I should buy your drinks."

You felt like your heart was going to pop out of your chest; Johnny Cage, a man you had been a fan of for who knew how many years, thought you were handsome. Fuck. You knew that the night would end somewhere wonderful. You didn't really want it to end.

There was one round, then another, and another, and you lost track after you started kissing Johnny in the alleyway after you had gone out for a cigarette; you weren't really sure what happened after that, but when you woke up, you were confused.

It was clearly a hotel room given the pristine painted walls and the lack of dust, the duvet around your waist was white and soft, yet a little stale. There was someone in the bed next to you, and when you gently pulled back the duvet, you wanted to scream.

Johnny Cage was in your bed. Or you were in his. Either way.

He turned over, opening one eye as he grinned.

"Hello, handsome."

"Johnny Cage is in my bed," you breathed out, staring at him.

"Mild correction, sweetheart," he groaned, sitting upright and stretching a little. "You're in my bed."

He still had his trousers on from the previous night. You were still fully clothed. You sighed a little with relief. "I'm… I'm in your bed?"

"Oh, yeah," he chuckled. "To be honest, I'm not really sure how we got here, I can't remember anything after kissing you but… y'know, I'm not one to kick a guy so handsome out."

You laughed softly, flopping down onto your back and covering your face with your hands as you grinned; but that's when you noticed it. The gold band on your ring finger. "Johnny?"

"Uh-huh?"

"I think something did happen last night," you murmured. "I'm wearing a ring…"

Johnny looked at his own ring finger, and barked out a laugh when he saw. "So am I."

"Well, fuck."

"Hey, this might not be all that bad," he told you, pulling your hands away from your face and straddling your waist. "At least it gives me a chance to know my biggest fan."

Your hands went to his waist by instinct as you bit down on the inside of your bottom lip. "You… you mean that?"

"Oh, yeah," he nodded, leaning over and letting his arms rest on the mattress either side of your head. "What?"

"Nothing, I… just…" you shrugged. "I dunno…"

"C'mere," Johnny whispered, gently and softly kissing you. He smiled when you buried your hands in his soft brown hair, getting his legs between yours as he nipped at your bottom lip softly. "What'd you say, huh? Me and you, husbands, and if it doesn't work out, I'll make sure you're taken care of - money, a house, whatever you want, baby."

You nodded. "Like dating?"

"With extra steps."

"Alright," you agreed with a soft laugh. "I… it's not what Kuai Liang would've wanted for me, but… fuck it. Uncle Liang can fuck himself."

"Perfect," Johnny grinned, trailing his hand down to your waist. "Do you want any breakfast, baby?"

"Yeah, I could eat," you nodded. "Thank you."

"I'm your husband," he teased softly. "It's my job to look after you."

[crisiscutie]

Sephiroth's mental breakdown was nailed perfectly. The raw emotions and him realizing Gast was no better than Hojo... Oh man... Rebirth is gonna be amazing

Game isn't even out and it's already one of my favorite scenes. The music. The buildup to it. THE JENOVA CLOSEUPS. The superb voice acting. (yes, I think Tyler Hoechlin does a fine job)

The only thing that seemed iffy was cutting out some of Sephiroth's monologue about the Cetra and traitor thing.

And you know what, I like Rebirth's slight retcon. In this version, it's much more about Sephiroth, providing a clearer understanding of why he succumbed to darkness. This man and boy (since young Sephiroth is his inner child that's always with him) finally discovered the ugly "truth" about the twisted experiments that made him and the other monsters. He always wondered about his purpose, and this was it. All those years of abuse and exploitation... were done at his expense because he's a monster. The few people that did love and support him? No, no such thing. They're no different from his tormentors. He felt so alone and lost.

The Nibelheim Incident is pretty much his trauma reaching a breaking point. I can see how difficult it was for some to discern for some this nuance in the OG (and even in CC) because they focused more on Sephiroth developing an ego complex from more obviously, outdated information. This retcon is more closer to the truth, the only erroneous thing being that Jenova was an ancient. It's an amazing fix and does a great job in humanizing Sephiroth. I absolutely loved how they used the Jung Shadow. I'm a psychology nerd. You basically watched the death scene of Sephiroth's old identity, especially notice how prominent his shadow is. It's meant to show his inner conflict and then his transformation.

He became exactly what he never wanted to be.

Anyways, another thing to note: what was a bit weird in the original game and the compilation is the strange shift in Sephiroth's beliefs and motivations. At first, he believed himself to be a Cetra and had a divine right to rule over the planet. Then, he transitions to wanting to destroy the planet at the beginning of FF7, seemingly abandoning any claims to Cetra heritage. We know why his motivations changed, but it feels odd not getting more expansion on it after they just suddenly threw that bit of information at us. I believe this retcon should help smooth out that awkward transition. It's a great feeling that one item from my wish/check list might be addressed.

And you know another thing I fucking loved Rebirth's portrayal of the Nibelheim Incident? They didn't back off from Sephiroth's villainy and sadism. I already made a post about it here, but holy fuck. He is out for blood. Everyone and everything in his path had to suffer, just like he did. They don't deserve to continue to live life so happy and normal.

Sephiroth really did not deserve any of the shit he was put through, but that will never not excuse the atrocities he committed in Nibelheim. I was honestly scared to see how the writers would humanize Sephiroth, but so far, they seem to do a great job of it. Hopefully, the full game can keep it up.

The demo still has some issues with Sephiroth and how the gameplay works, though.

[gloomiebearwritings]

Is there anything you can't deliver?!!!!!!!! Holy shit! Okay, okay, so how would Kuai, Hanzo, Kabal and Erron react to their s/o telling them they want to have their baby?

Omgg Tumblr ate this ask for a hot minute I didn't see it!! 😭I'm so sorry! Erron's is super soft because apparently, I'm not immune to "Really soft cowboy" hours

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kuai Liang

The talk happened every now and again when you two were restless at night, though it didn’t seem too serious at the time

Though deep down he had seriously thought about it on slower days, imagining what it’d be like to see you with a child of his

Sometimes his mind would wander to these ideas when you two would start getting into the heat of the moment

And there were times where he wondered just how seriously you’d want to have a family with him; though he never had the courage to ask

But when you finally told him you really wanted his child, he couldn’t help but smile with a joy you hadn’t seen in him before. It brought him a special joy to know you really wanted to have a family with him, and to be parents together. He’ll take your hands in his, placing them against his chest as he kisses your forehead, promising to be a better father than his was to him and his brother.

Hanzo

While talks about wanting kids had come and gone, he was genuinely unsure if he wanted to try again

Though over time he began to warm up to the idea of having a family again, feeling secure in the fact that he could keep you and the child truly safe

There were times he thought about it too deeply and would become quietly emotional, imagining what it’d be like to be called a father again

Despite this though, he’d never really admit it to himself how much he craved having it all back again

So, when you told him you seriously wanted to start a family, he went quiet for a moment, eyes wide as he processed it all before giving you a soft, warm smile. He’ll ask at least twice about being sure, not wanting you to jump into it blind; but would smile more when you’d tell him you were absolutely sure. Bringing you close to him in an embrace he’ll tell you about how he’d been anxious about trying to have a family again, but that he’d grown to be sure of his ability to keep you safe, so he was no longer afraid.

Kabal

He hadn’t thought too deeply about being a father, though it did run through his head from time to time

It’s not that he didn’t want to be one, it’s just that it didn’t really cross his mind unless you dropped a hint or discussed it with him

A part of him wasn’t too sure how good of a father he’d be, though it was something he was slowly coming to feel secure in

There’d be times where he’d be up late thinking about it, making himself promise that if it came to it that he’d be the best father he could be

That night you made him look at you and made him aware that you really did want his kid, and all he could do was blink a couple of times before it really hit him. A smile grew on his face as he nearly sheepishly asked of you were serious, saying he didn’t want to fuck it all up on you. But when you reinforce that you were serious, he takes a moment to run through his thoughts before moving closer; giving a little nod he’ll say he wants to take up the responsibility.

Erron

He wasn’t sure about being a father at all, finding the idea of it anxiety inducing; fearing he’d end up no better than his own father and not wanting to put you through that

But when you two would pass around the talk of having a kid he’d put on a brave smile, listening to everything you had to say before trying to suggest he wouldn’t be the best

Though after a few months of these talks he slowly began to come around to the idea, finding himself up at night or in the early morning looking himself in the mirror; scolding himself about being better than his father so the kid wouldn’t grow up traumatized like he did

He knew you’d be an amazing parent yourself, he just feared he wouldn’t be nearly as good as he should be for your sake

But when you tell him you’d seriously like to have his kid, he'll sit up straight in his seat, pressing his lips together before giving a sigh. He didn’t want to fail the kid or you, especially you since you’re putting your entire trust into him with a child. Clasping his hands together he’d admit he fears he won’t be as good as he should, or that he might end up scaring the kid the way his father scarred him. Only after you tell him you know he wouldn’t be like that did he admit he’d at least like to try for a kid, wanting to undo what his father did and give a kid what he didn’t have.

[chadillacboseman]

Inspired by conversations with @bdfightclub re: the episode of Always Sunny where the gang goes through alcohol withdrawals while quarantined for the flu. Featuring: Echo (@roofgeese) Kate, Alex (me). A quick mention of Tigue (@mintspider) and Danny.

--

Outworld is a strange place.

The rules of Earthrealm don't really apply there- not just the laws, but the biology itself. Erron is no stranger to the oddities that come with the travels to other realms, nothing surprises him anymore.

It's why he doesn't notice the way the villagers cover their faces with cloth, faces that are just a little too pale, eyes just a little too bloodshot. He can't be bothered to care when they hurriedly hand him the package and wave him away with distressed expressions.

As long as they pay up.

It isn't until he's back at the base that the puzzle pieces begin to fit together. He does a stint in the fight pit with some dickhead agent Kano wants punished; he's cocky, young and full of piss and vinegar.

Erron beats the shit out of him.

The beating isn't what the doc notices though, what he notices is the virus that seems to have taken root in the agent's body. Something that brings the man to death's door, a mystery illness that saps him of his energy, clogs his lungs, and nearly cooks his brain with a fever.

It's Echo who finally finishes the puzzle.

Her disinfectant wipes aren't enough for this one, no, the base needs to be cleansed in holy fire. Erron is clearly immune, that much she knows- he's lived enough lifetimes to have had anything and everything under the sun of every realm.

She quickly takes notes:

Alex has reactive airway disease. He is the most vulnerable.

She, herself, is only human, and is likely the second most vulnerable.

Kate, Kabal, et all will likely have some resistance, owing to their powers/origins.

Kano should be excluded from any and all safety measures.

Echo sets to work.

"What do you mean, quarantine?" Alex protests, his eyebrows knitted over his bi-colored eyes, "I feel fine!"

"That's the point, Alex, I don't want you to get sick," Echo retorts as she shoos him into the empty meeting room. Her small stature betrays her strength.

"This is bullshit, Echo! What am I supposed to do in here?"

The door swings shut and locks with a loud click. Echo is already on her way down the hall.

Alex is taken care of. Erron has been forbidden from leaving his room. Kate and Kabal are in the bar. Kano....she doesn't care about Kano.

Echo rounds the corner to the bar and lays eyes on Kabal and Kate, both of them knocking back drinks at 1:00pm on a Tuesday. Kano is seated across from them in the booth.

"Kate. Kabal. I need you both to come with me," Echo deadpans.

Kate jumps to her feet immediately, ready to obey without question. Kabal cocks an eyebrow and continues to drink, ignoring her request.

"Kabal," Echo warns.

He knows better than to test her, but he isn't going without a fight.

"What on earth could you possibly need from me?"

"I am instituting quarantine measures on the base," she answers coolly.

"That doesn't explain shit!" Kabal snaps.

"Hang on, this is my fuckin' base," Kano interjects, "What the fuck do you mean 'quarantine measures'?"

"Erron carried a virus back from Outworld. It is extremely contagious."

"And you were gonna leave me outta your little fuckin' plan?" Kano sputters indignantly.

Echo shrugs.

"Where are we quarantining?" Kate asks, her voice tinged with excitement. She won't get sick, she's sure of it- but she won't pass up an opportunity to be locked in with everyone.

"I'll go to my room, thanks-" Kabal begins, but Echo cuts him off.

"No. Too close to Erron. I have prepared the empty meeting room in the South hall."

Kate loops her arm with Kabal's enthusiastically and drags him to his feet. He digs in his heels like a cat being carried to a bathtub, but she overpowers him with ease, pulling him out of the bar and down the hall.

"Am I allowed to go too?" Kano snaps.

Echo blinks and stares him down.

"I'm fuckin' going," he pushes past her and downs his beer before smashing the bottle on the floor.

DAY ONE

"How long is this going to take?" Alex asks from his corner of the room. He feels hot, claustrophobic in the cramped space.

"A few days," Echo responds simply.

"Days?" Kabal asks incredulously, "what are we going to eat?"

Echo gestures to the table, where a pile of assorted MREs are heaped. Kabal eyes them with disgust.

"What about a bathroom?" Kate pipes up and the others murmur in agreement.

"There is an en suite bathroom," Echo points to the nearly-concealed door on the far side of the room.

"Why the hell is there a bathroom in the meeting room?" Kabal looks at Kano half confused, half disgusted.

"Does it look like I built the fuckin' place?" Kano snaps.

"There is bottled water under the table. I will open the door when I have completed my disinfecting," Echo interrupts the argument that threatens to boil over between them.

And with that, her blond head disappears through the doorway and the heavy door swings shut and locks.

"Ten bucks says Ramirez was just hung over and that idiot in the med bay couldn't tell the bottle flu from a virus," Kabal says to no one in particular.

"Is it hot in here?" Alex asks, ignoring Kabal's statement. He's sweating, his forehead prickled with droplets that patter onto his shirt.

"I feel fine!" Kate answers cheerfully, already tearing into a spaghetti and meatball MRE.

"Can you eat that somewhere else?" Kabal snaps, "the smell is making me nauseous."

Kate scoots a few feet to the left and Kabal lets out a sigh of exasperation.

The clock on the wall ticks just a little too loudly, counting down the minutes, hours as they pass by. Kano pulls his knife from its sheath and stabs it rapidly between his fingers on the surface of the table. The rhythmic thudding pounds in Kabal's ears, threatening to drive him to madness.

Kate is onto her second MRE, gleefully shoveling in forkfuls of chicken alfredo, the scent of which makes Alex's stomach churn.

Kano's knife stops abruptly and clatters to the table.

He jumps to his feet with urgency and sprints to the bathroom, nearly tripping over Alex's outstretched legs. The sound of him vomiting nearly makes the others follow suit, it even makes Kate pause her meal.

When he emerges, his face is pale, and his organic eye is haloed with redness.

"Holy shit, he's sick-" Kabal scrambles to his feet and darts to the door, "Hey! Echo! Let us out! Kano is fucking sick!"

He pounds on the door, but to no avail.

"I don't have Erron's fuckin' mystery virus," Kano spits, his voice now hoarse, "probably ate somethin' bad at the bar."

"Oh, sure, you just all of a sudden got food poisoning? Fuck off."

Their petty squabble drones off into a background hum as Alex tries to ignore the way his mouth fills with saliva and sweat continues to drip from his forehead.

"-all I'm saying is you stay on that side of the room!" Kabal's voice comes back into focus as he points violently at the far corner opposite Alex.

"I don't want him over here," Alex says through gritted teeth, trying to keep the nausea at bay.

"Alex...are you sick too?" Kabal glances at him warily, eyeing the beads of sweat and pallor.

"....no."

"He is!" Kabal points with vindication and backs up to the opposite corner of the room, "Kate are you still fine?"

"Yesh," she answers through a mouthful of alfredo.

"Okay. You n' me stay on this half of the room, those two stay over there."

Kate nods enthusiastically and Kabal realizes the fate he's just made for himself with a groan.

DAY TWO

Kabal wakes to the sound of Alex sprinting to the bathroom, his heavy combat boots thundering on the floor. His own mouth is unbearably filled with saliva, and his body feels hot.

Next to him, Kate is passed out on the floor, face down, with her hair splayed in a fashion that makes her resemble Cousin It.

Kabal sits up and immediately, the nausea overwhelms him. Alex is still knelt in front of the toilet. He makes a split second decision and stumbles for the trash can, heaving into it ungracefully.

The noise wakes Kate, who blinks blearily, trying to orient herself. Her head is pounding, and the sound of Kabal vomiting is not doing her own stomach any favors.

When he's finally finished, Kabal falls back on his heels and wipes his mouth on the back of his hand.

"I can't believe you fucks got me sick," he mumbles, shooting a glare in Kano's direction.

Kano is slumped against the wall, his organic eye now bloodshot and haloed by dark purple, almost sunken into his head. Even his cybernetic eye seems dim.

"I'm not sick, mate," Kano drawls weakly.

"Are you kidding me?" Kabal asks incredulously, "I think you're gonna die."

"Did Ramirez die?" Alex asks from the bathroom in between dry heaves.

"Dunno, he was in bad shape though."

Kate makes a sudden noise next to Kabal before shoving him out of the way and thrusting her own head into the trash can. Two MREs make their second appearance and her eyes water as stomach bile joins the party along with them.

Kate wails miserably and falls to the floor in a dramatic heap, her hair now clinging to her sweat-soaked forehead. She curls into the fetal position and whimpers quietly, her stomach still not settled.

--

Echo adjusts the gas mask on her face, checking the seal to ensure that it's sound, deft fingers running along the rubber lining for at least the hundredth time.

She's already checked on Erron, who was lying contentedly in his bed, whittling with his old buck knife. Tigue had been away on a mission and agreed to stay off base, though she did express disappointment at not being able to see the others subjected to quarantine alongside Kate. Danny, too, was off base gathering intel and required no arm twisting to get him to stay that way.

The other agents she didn't give a second thought to- as Kano said, they were expendable.

Echo thumbs the power switch on the electrostatic sprayer and sets to work coating every inch of the hallways in barbicide. She's not even sure if it will work, but she has to try.

She has to try.

DAY THREE

"I cant do this," Kabal moans. He's hunched over the trash can again, but has nothing left to expel, now just heaving until his ribs ache.

"Alex I need you to kill me."

Alex grunts in response. He's slumped against the wall opposite Kano with his eyes closed. His hair has long since fallen out of the neat bun and is now hanging loosely around his face.

"I'm serious, do you have a grenade? Take us all out at once."

Kate is still curled into a ball beside him. Every few minutes she shivers violently and lets out a small sob. Kano now looks as if he's been drained by a vampire- he is sitting so still that Alex has to tap him with his boot every few hours to ensure he's still alive.

"Do you think Echo has finished disinfecting?" Alex asks weakly.

"Doesn't matter if she did, she's not letting us out of this room when we're like this," Kabal answers bitterly.

Kate finally sits up slowly and cradles her head in her hands, trying to keep the throbbing at bay, "Do you think we're gonna die?"

"Sure feels like it," Alex mutters.

"I wish I had just one more drink," Kate says wistfully, "go out drunk, ya know?"

"You are an alcoholic, Kate," Kabal shoots with a derisive look.

"Hang on," Alex pushes himself up shakily and crawls over to Kano. Carefully, he pats his vest until he finds what he's looking for and pulls a silver flask from the pocket.

"What are you doing with my fuckin' flask?"

Alex ignores him and unscrews the top before taking a long swig. His face twists at the taste, he's never understood Kano's preference in liquor. He recaps the flask and tosses it across the room to Kate.

Kate takes a drink and hands it to Kabal who does so in kind.

"Pass it back here you fuckin' drongos," Kano gestures and Kabal tosses the flask to him.

The circle continues until the flask's contents are depleted. On empty stomachs, the small amount of hard liquor is enough to have them feeling lightheaded.

"This is crazy, but I feel a lot better," Alex pipes up from his corner of the room.

"I'm feeling better too!" Kate beams, "And you all look way better!"

Even Kano has the color back in his face, and his eye is no longer sunken and bloodshot.

"How is that possible?" Kabal asks, "All we did was empty the flask, how did we get better so quick?"

The group is silent for a moment before the realization sets in.

"Oh, shit- we haven't had a drink since we went into quarantine," Kabal breaks the silence first.

"Hang on, were we never sick in the first place?" Alex glances around at the others.

Kate looks from Kabal to Alex to Kano and back again, confused, "Wait...what does that mean?"

"It means we were going through alcohol withdrawals, Kate!" Kabal snaps. She responds with a defeated 'oh' and pulls her mouth into a thin line.

As if on cue, the door unlocks and swings open, revealing Echo. She wrinkles her nose at the smell that greets her in the stifling room, a rancid mix of vomit, sweat, and booze.

"About bloody time!" Kano nearly shoves Alex to the ground to get up before pushing past Echo and into the hallway.

Echo eyes the remaining trio with suspicion, trying to nail down why they look so guilty.

"Well, this has been a real treat, but I'm headed to the bar," Kabal rises to his feet and offers a half-assed salute. Kate jumps up behind him and clings to his arm as he rolls his eyes.

When they are finally out of earshot, Echo zeroes in on Alex.

"Are you going to tell me what happened in here?" she asks.

Alex avoids her steely gaze, instead focusing intently on a frayed section of carpet between his boots. He's already coming to terms with a hard to swallow fact about himself, he does not need Echo there to know it.

"Fine. If you won't tell me, I'll review the cameras."

[spookylizpg]

♡♡Rant♡♡

Look, I have no complaint with the DLC guests for Mortal Kombat 1. Homelander and Omni-man are great imo, they fit in (Literally, the amount of gore these guys give is phenomenal). Quan-Chi? Hell yes, I miss that dude! Peacemaker? Okay, seem decent. Maybe I'm biased cuz I genuinely love superhero shit and read about it but whatever. This rant isnt about them.

It's about Ermac.

Okay okay, maybe I'm being dramatic, fucking sue me but look, I love Ermac to death and want the best for them, literally when I mean it. They're like the reason I even got into Mortal Kombat again, (no offense, Erron Black) I was super obsessive with Ermac, reading their bio all the way to the old gens back to front. Hell, my friend can tell you how many hours I've spend talking about Ermac, and just them alone! They're a big deal to me. So to see them, getting fuck by NRS is so fuck up.

You would think they would give them his MK11 design like why not? They were never present in the canon storyline at all, and the design only appear in the Krypt, dare I say in a NONCANON place? Why waste such a decent design, I think the logical reason to do is give it to them in their mk1 phase, just putting little new details here and there.

No. They didnt. Being fucking NRS, They just have to screw it up. I was having a bad day, like I had a bad feeling and I didn't knew why, now I know and holy shit- this sucks ass

Edit: Now seeing the full model of Ermac design, I think it's now fine. Design is okay, but still sad that they did him dirty in the end.

You think they could have made them human like they did in Mortal Kombat: Deception. This is a literal whole new timeline, they could have just have them start over, making them look their Deception look or their original ninja outfit for all I care, but nope. But Liz, that's too crazy, they can't just do that or make them brand new as a human being like deception or any other old gen back then. We are already in crazy town the moment they made Scorpion and Bi-han brothers. We have cross the line already, if they can have a complete do over then Ermac can get one too. Also same goes that they can't give the exact or almost same design in older gen or mk11, I literally saw the Reiko leak and they barely change that fucker. (Love him tho, slay) what I'm trying to say NRS can do this, make Ermac actually look good or keep him the same, it just they fucking hate me so lol.

What even funny is that they are a DLC character, how shockin nice is that? Omg, I just hate it sm. They won't even contribute to the canon story probably. I hate this design so bad and how NRS gets away with shitting on good fucking characters. I usually let my statement to myself and my friends but holy shit, I just can't. Ermac was my last straw and I just can't believe it's happening. . .

Bro wtf, man-

I'm not even hopeful for the skins he going to get- but I'll pray anyway, that all I can do.

[innerchorus]

Arslan Senki Chapter 121

I was going to say that in that first panel, it looks like Jimsa selected a horse similar to the Turanian 'type' but actually I think his mount just looks small next to Shabrang! (I actually went back to look at Jimsa's horse in earlier chapters and in doing so I caught a minor mistake in Chapter 117, where his horse's mane is erroneously colored black in one panel)

Good horse content this chapter, anyway: I like that it's Jimsa (a Turanian, whose lifeblood is their horses even more so than Parsians) who rides in shouting for water for his horse. And how quick the men are to care for the horses that have been ridden so hard. (Seeing them pour water on Shabrang's legs instantly made me think of how racehorses are cooled down; it's worth remembering that this battle is taking place in sweltering heat and those horses have been worked extremely hard to the point that it's a valid concern to think that they might collapse from overheating. The way Jimsa's horse is breathing is definitely worrying. (If you're interested, there's an article here about preventing post-race collapse in racehorses that goes into more detail and sheds some light on precisely why they're right to be so concerned.)

The dialogue that accompanied wet Daryun is 👌 (when he says "To the ends of the earth, if that be your order" because doesn't that one line just embody Daryun's feelings?)

And GIEVE, holy shit. I admit I have never been his biggest fan, but his involvement in the defeat and death of Bodin hit the right spot.

"Even now, you squirm unknowingly on the palm of my hand like the mediocrity you are!" is going down as one of my favourite lines in the whole series, seriously.

Right on both counts. Also, lol at the face of the soldier in the middle who looks far more worried by Bodin's pursuit than Narsus or Gieve

Something I really liked with how this all turned out is that Arakawa didn't just add Bodin into the mix because it was a convenient place to kill him off, she also integrated his presence on the battlefield and the tactics used to deal with him into what happens to Guiscard.

(I've already shared my thoughts on Guiscard's survival prospects via reblog here, so consider those bullet points a lit candle for his prayer circle! The one counterpoint to the argument that he will survive is the fact that a key reason for allowing him to live is now no longer necessary; Bodin is gone so there's no need to try and pit them against each other.)

It's mentioned quite a few times in the novels that an enemy who has a good grasp of tactics etc is easier to predict that someone who is more of a wildcard. Narsus knows enough of Guiscard to feel confident in what his move will be here, despite never having met him!

On that note, I really cannot wait for Guiscard and Arslan to come face to face.

(Just thinking back to how stressed the Parsian soldiers look when Bodin is on their heels and you know, it makes a lot of sense. Though they know it's part of a plan, they're still relying on the actions of an external force in order to pull it off. Not everyone has Narsus's understanding of strategy, so perhaps they're concerned that Guiscard won't do as expected and instead Bodin's forces will catch them. Plus, although Narsus had time for a quick tactical talk, the situation was still quite fraught and needed a fast response so I doubt there was much time to go into great detail and reassure everyone.)

The moment I realised what was going to happen to Bodin and his army will stick with me for a long time. I knew I would enjoy seeing him meet his end, but I didn't expect the moment to feel so impactful. (That panel where he first looks at the rotting remains of the Parsian cavalry in the pit just keeps coming into my mind, even days after first reading this chapter.)

So thinking ahead to what we might see next chapter... obviously a resolution to whatever's going to happen with Guiscard. I can't see that being the entirety of the chapter, though, so what else might we see? I wonder whether we'll get a panel or two of a Team Zahhak reaction or some sort of... 'status update' I guess (this chapter did have that 'man who hears the voice of god' line to remind us of Team Zahhak's involvement with Bodin). Otherwise, I would dearly love to get a glimpse of what's going on in Ecbatana, where Team Hilmes are beginning to feel the pressure. Yes, it has 100% been too long since I have last seen Zandeh.

[between-the-matches-verse]

Between the Matches Incorrect Quotes #2

Kotal: Pros and cons of dating me.

Kotal: Pros. You'll be the cute one.

Kotal: Cons. Holy shit, where do I begin-

-----

*The gang is about to do something dangerous*

Frost: Shouldn’t someone give a pep talk?

Cassie: Go ahead.

Frost: Be careful.

Frost: Don’t die.

Jacqui: *Holds back a laugh*

Cassie: Great. We’re all bloody inspired.

-----

Takeda: *walking around disappointed after visiting an aquarium*

Scorpion: Takeda, what did you think a tiger shark was?

-----

Reptile, washing the dishes: Who the fuck used this pan??

Reptile: Wait. I the fuck used this pan…

Erron Black: It was you the fuck.

Reptile: It was I the fuck…

Ermac: Who cooks rice in a pan?

Erron Black: He the fuck.

-----

Kenshi, in a room with Johnny Cage, Jax, and Sonya: It’s calm in here.

Kenshi: It scares me…

-----

*The squad's reaction to being told they're the chosen one*

Jade: I will not let you down.

Kotal: Sounds fun.

Ferra: K.

Reptile: No, I'm fucking not.

Ermac: Do we have to be?

Erron Black: Please god, I am so tired.

[enarei]

(re)watched star trek (2009) by JJ Abrams.... holy fucking shit. how was this as positively critically received as it was. like it falls into ALL of the pits that we make fun of marvel movies for nowadays, it has none of the depth of the shows, they're nothing alike except for sharing the costumes and the names of some of the characters. the enterprise is a headache inducing nightmare of strobing lights, who approved that amount of lens flare? I'd originally seen this as a kid when it came out and the only thing that stuck with me was the freefall jumping scene, which I'd erroneously assumed was from those really bad GI Joe movie that came around the same time.

I specially hate this version of the romulans. I hate Nero. I hate this stupid ass villain that has zero redeeming qualities yet somehow manages to keep his crew blindingly loyal to him for 25 YEARS based solely on how big his raging vengeance boner is for the federation, which the writers don't even bother to try to make it possible for the audience to sympathize with. Nero and his entire people are just fucked in the head and evil and have been floating in space for a quarter of a century because the plot would fall apart the moment they found the clarity to ask any questions pertaining the extinction of their whole species, or if spock was less nonchalant about correcting them on an extremely far fetched conclusion

it's probably the most braindead rendition of a villainous star trek race because they don't even try to make them meaningfully illogical or integrate this complete disregard for loss of life into their belief system, they just so happen to be led by an incredibly evil dude which cannot be bargained with by any means

[kitsu-katsu]

My complicated thoughts on c!Wilbur's ending (I tried to make this short)

For me, there are things about Wilbur's ending I still don't vibe with because they'd need to be more expanded on to be effective

The whole last arc still feels like a big flop because in the end Wilbur just kinda got stomped all over until in the end he followed Phil's worst advice for the worst moment and went away with that idea of "If they don't forgive me I have to go", and Phil's erroneous message was just kinda never really defied by the narrative

I still wish he would've had a moment to yell at someone and be rightfully mad because holy shit he should've, a scene to parallel Ghostbur's rightful anger at phil during Doomsday that felt to be so easily set up with Wilbur being reminded a few times that Phil, Techno and Dream did doomsday and the crater wasn't from the 16th, and with him having to confront and be pretty disappointed in it just being "his grave" when he had no grave, lighting up at the idea that L'manburg was worth enough to rebuild after he was gone in his conversation with Tubbo on the 3rd of August 2021 stream

The book for Eret and half of what was said in it regarding Eret is still shit in the context of my own Judas being a thing, with Eret only chastising Wilbur for "not apologizing well enough" when Wilbur never did anything to Eret aside from rightfully not trusting them once Eret murdered everyone for their own selfish gain and continued to do shit to the L'manburgians after (which is all in lost VODs and this isn't Eret crit centric, so I won't go too far into this, but the towers to make them feel watched, something like covering the sun on their territory to make mobs spawn, etc). Eret never apologized for real, Eret admitted to wanting Wilbur to be a sort of puppet leader in a new country to essentially make Eret a dictator, as she later said that democracy wasn't good, the only reason why she told Wilbur not to jump off the bridge was because "think of all the resources I wasted trying to revive you", she made the empty gesture of throwing away the crown for like the third time while losing no real power or status, etc

And I don't like that in defending the ending so much in the most literal sense some people have just disregarded what in my opinion makes the ending more interesting, which is that the Utah desert can be seen as a metaphor for the afterlife, but an afterlife in which Wilbur went to his imagined desert instead of the limbo he thought he deserved to suffer in, because that possible interpretation was clearly done intentionally with the Eret book, the Ozimandias callback, the "I never did forgive myself", and we know that Wilbur wants us to analyze the ending as he himself said it

So I understand those who didn't like it, had some problems with it or were dissatisfied, because I myself could never be satisfied by it, because to have that I would need everyone else who isn't Wilbur to own up to their own shit and make it explicit that Wilbur isn't and wasn't at fault for everything

Have Eret actually say a real sorry for killing him and all L'manburgians and it to have weight for real, have Niki own up to the fact that she was never abandoned, but she did betray the L'manburgians multiple times, have Fundy and Wilbur have a talk about the Pogtopia buttons and Fundy disowning Wilbur as a father, have Phil own up to and suffer consequences for Doomsday, let Wilbur actually confront the reality of Doomsday with Phil there, have them talk about the 16th, have Wilbur come closer to an understanding with Ghostbur from that going further than just sending Friend to him, get some deeper understanding of Ghostbur as a part of himself, have Wilbur see that self-love isn't letting yourself be beaten down and stepped over for the comfort of those who wronged you, have him see and others confront that he isn't just a scapegoat and he isn't the source of all evil, have that mythical reddit post that put this all so clearly guide the steps to this

But I get that it all would hinge on all these characters with pretty bad writing in general getting their shit together and actually being written well for longer than just one stream, things should've started changing with them all from hitting on 16 onwards and that just wouldn't happen, so in the context of what cc!Wilbur could do by himself, it's pretty good, and the open ended-ness and little more metaphorical pieces such as the nice afterlife in the desert, the bandage being gone without us ever getting a proper explanation of it, Ghostbur getting Friend sent to him by Wilbur even if Wilbur will forever separate himself from the idea of Ghostbur makes it all feel like at least c!Wilbur himself is... Ok. He isn't doing incredibly good, he still doesn't forgive himself, but hell, he's ok, be it at peace in a literal place or the afterlife, in the end he went off with a smile, he made his decision and got at least Tommy to talk with him one last time on ok-ish terms, in the end at least he knows that Tommy cares, even if it would've been much better to have more

More people involved, more explained and shown, more time, but alas this is it

[neitherthehoneynorthebee]

Holy fuck just remembered when my uncle erroneously explained what slash fic was. Just full from the chest explained it was cross-over fanfiction. And I, a younger guy at the time, sat there weighing up the pros and cons of correcting him. Holy shit that was a situation.

[cosmicjoke]

Idk, I believe I do, I red it, just didn't like it all that much. But, bro, holy shit, "you are judging him by today's standards" yeah, of course I do, because the context of time applies to the year of release, not the setting. He beats Eren more than once, the "to save his life" excuse doesn't apply to any shoving, pushing, intimidating, insulting and punching out ten of his teeth, because he dared to touch a syringe box. Yeah, "manhandled" by throttling. It doesn't matter what word you use to describe it, he still forcefully grabbed her by her neck. And no, "just physical discipline" does not apply, if the one you're disciplining is a fifteen year old under your legal care. That's abuse. Always and in literally any context. By that logic, Annie's father did nothing wrong either, because, back in the day, everyone would beat their kids. And not you saying that a twelve year old can volunteer to be a soldier, that's literally insane, c'monnnn 😭😭😭. Not even AoT itself stooped that low and somewhat criticized this mindset with Falco and Gabi. But you are right, I should probably leave, because, holy fuck. Have a good day, I genuinely hope you come around and stop praising military, one day.

You’re an unbelievable fool. I’m not praising shit, I’m giving context to Levi’s actions because, I don’t know if you can wrap your tiny brain around this, context and intention MATTER. You take Levi’s actions out of context to make him seem like something he’s not. And no, you can’t judge people of the past by todays standards. You have to judge them based on what was socially acceptable during their time. You must be 12 years old yourself not to know that.

Also, Levi didn’t grab Historia by the neck, he grabbed her by the collar. He punched Eren because he was directly interfering with the chain of command and wasting time. Eren was a soldier and he was directly disobeying a superior officer. Not child abuse. Jean isn’t under Levi’s “legal care” as if he’s some minor. He isn’t a “ward” as you tried to say. He’s a certified and trained soldier. Levi is his commanding officer. Just because the legal age for becoming a soldier in the US or wherever is now 18, we’re talking about a completely different time and culture. Obviously what was considered an adult in Paradis doesn’t match the standards of now, but to blame that on Levi and no one else shows your stupid ass bias. It was the system in place, one which Levi had no power to change. He was pressed into service himself, you jackass. But somehow it’s completely his fault for working with what soldiers they had. I guess he should have just quit, huh? Oh except he couldn’t because, again, he was pressed into service and him running away would only have accomplished all of their lives being placed in greater danger. And yes, they DID volunteer, regardless of age, and they chose what division they wanted to join at 15. Old enough in many countries to this day to be considered an adult. Your world view is obviously painfully limited. But then, you can’t even spell read correctly.

Again, you fool, you’re taking Levi’s actions out of context to make it seem like he was just randomly beating the shit out of helpless children for no reason, and again I repeat, you’re doing so erroneously to push your warped and negative narrative of who Levi is. You’re right, you should just fuck off now, because you aren’t worth anyone’s time with you’re misplaced and exaggerated sense of moral superiority. Send me any more messages, and they’ll go straight into the trash, so don’t even bother, you moronic clown.

[rogueshadeaux]

Chapter Twelve — Erroneous Serenity

Now that I was so close to the surface, I could see how deep the Sound was — so deep, that I couldn’t see the bottom through its murky surface. So, with a single steeling breath, I pulled my hand up, forcing the water under my feet to come with it and plunging myself into the water before I had a chance to back out. 

5k Words | 16 min read time | TRIGGER WARNINGS: thalassophobia, terrorism

⚠ CANON DIVERGENCE: Hi! There is one big change that I need to make a disclaimer on now; Delsin will NOT be able to heal people using his powers in this fanfic. Unless it's a situation such as removing concrete from bodies, like in inFAMOUS: SS' good karma ending, it will NOT be featured at all in this tale in order for the plot to make sense as we progress. Great way to farm karma, bad way to keep the stakes high in a story. No 'hold triangle to heal.' Thanks, I love you, drink some water and fix ya posture ♡ 

Dad slung a string of curse words I knew would’ve upset Betty beyond belief, rounding to my front and getting on his knees in front of me. He had his own sleeves of water now, pushing his hands through my bubble and wrapping them around mine. “Hey, it’s okay,” he reassured aloud, though I wasn’t convinced he was talking to me. My churning water took from his as well, spinning faster and heating up of its own accord without my input. The cold on my hands slowly began to melt away, leaving me a tingling mess of pins and needles, the ice blue of the frost actually darkening to black. It looked like soot on my fingers

 “Oh that’s…” Brent was standing behind us now. “That’s really bad frostbite.” 

 “Keep the water going,” Dad instructed, hands still on mine. I couldn’t even feel the sensation fully — just the stabbing numbness. Like dead leg only somehow worse. “It should heal you. Just keep it going.” 

 “It hurts,” I whined, flipping my wrists to look at the skin palm-side. The lines of the insides of my knuckles looked like the wrinkles on a leather chair. 

 Dad took to moving his hands off of mine, instead beginning to massage away at the base of my fingers. “Can you feel anything yet?” He asked, cursing again when I shook my head. Only the edges of the black hurt when he pressed against it — the black skin itself had no sensation. At all. Fuck, was I going to lose my fingers? 

 Dad pulled away when the black skin began to actually bubble, blisters forcing their way up through the black skin and popping away in bursts of ash and blood, each one coming with a deep twinge of pain that made tears come to my eyes. It felt like when the Novocain hadn’t settled fully when the dentist began drilling my tooth; shockwaves of pain that lit me up from my hand to my spine, and the entire avenue the nerve took to deliver the feeling. I actually began to sweat despite shivering from the chill of the ice. 

 But each burst was leaving behind skin, my regular, tanned skin, tingly and sensitive but normal. The water was pushing under the gaping holes now, filling in the black skin and making it swell until the entire layer tore away, the fresh layer exposed raw and pink but full of feeling. I tried flexing my fingers again and gasped at the fact that it actually worked. 

 I breathed a sigh of relief through the tears, flexing my fingers around a dozen different ways before dropping the gross gauntlets of water, all full of blood and black and whatever that stinking off-white liquid was. Dad’s hands were on mine again the moment I was exposed to the air, commenting, “Holy shit, you’re freezing, Jean.”

 I didn’t care; I could actually feel the pressure of his fingers on my hand, and I was trying so hard not to sob that I didn’t even care for anything else. Nothing but keeping myself from weeping like a fool. “I can feel them now,” I eventually gasped out, looking up at Dad.

 He nodded, forcing the sleeves of the thin hoodie I wore under my jacket over my hands. And now that he was sure I was fine, it was time for him to tear me a new one. “Jean, I told you to stop,” he began, bite mostly giving away to lingering concern. 

 “I know, I just—“ a shiver wracked my body, hard. That was a stupid idea. “I was really close,” 

 “You did melt it, at least,” Brent commented, rounding us to kick at the pathetic little puddle. Yeah, what a miraculous show of ability. I could piss more liquid. 

 “Yeah but,” Dad, looking down at the puddle, shook his head. “If that’s what has to happen in order for her to make it change, it isn’t worth it. Too dangerous. I don’t want you doing that again Jean, okay?” 

 “Trust me,” I huddled my arms close to me, trying to keep them as close to a source of heat as possible, “I’m not gonna,” 

 Dad hummed. “Well, no pond. But, I did bring you out here to try one more thing, Jeanie.” 

 Oh god, there’s more? 

 Dad helped me stand, motioning for us to follow him as he began to walk to the pavilion — and straight through the aisle of picnic benches. We actually bypassed it entirely, walking over the court and to the tall picket fence. 

 It was odd, watching Dad slip past the wooden slats in his own burst of water; is that what I looked like? I could barely make out his form in the bubbles, most of him overtaken by a small wave that slipped around and over and under the posts. I could see him solidify almost immediately on the other side, calling back “C’mon,” 

 I glanced at Brent who shrugged, steel seeping from his body and in the blink of an eye becoming wings, allowing him to sort of hop and glide over the fence with no issue. Show off. He definitely could have simply climbed it. I evaporated — or no, I’d have to find a different name for it now — fitting through the panels like a Hanna-Barbera character getting steam-rolled before going back to my solid state. 

It was amazing just how quick using the powers could be. It probably only took, quite literally, a second for me to liquify, humidify, and then do the reverse on the other side of the fence. If we hadn’t used the Core Relays, would it be this easy? Or would there still be stutters and mess-ups in our power use? 

 Not that we were proficient now, granted, but we were definitely better off than we were two days ago. 

 Dad was a bit ahead, about two feet from the edge of the cliffside and looking down at the Sound — and across, where the shadows of Seattle’s skyscrapers stood against the harsh gray mist of the snowfall. “Remember that warehouse Betty told you two about? The one I brought down?” He asked, not facing us to see our nods. “It was a cannery, and it was here. Tore it down a long time ago but…I loved sneaking onto the roof and just looking at this view. At closing time, when the workers were turning off machines and stuff, I’d sneak up to the rafters and just…” he trailed off, waving a hand vaguely at the view.

 “Cannery? What’s that?” Brent asked beside me.

 “It’s how the Reservation used to make money. We canned salmon.” Dad shrugged. “Everybody worked there at least once in their life, it was like a rite of passage. It was actually on my lunch break that I found the view — it was even better back then, cause you’d be like, 50 feet up and could see the Longhouse too.” 

 That’s how they made money? But if it was gone…”How do the Akomish make money now?” 

 Dad laughed, a sound void of most humor as he said, “Reparations. Have a government crook use your reservation as the stage for a domestic terrorism attack and then injure half the residents and you’re set for life, apparently.” 

 Yeah, that’d probably do it. 

 “So why are we here, Dad?” I finally asked. The view was nice but what did it have to do with my power? 

 Dad stepped aside, turning to me and motioning forward, to the edge of the cliff. “Hop in.” 

 “Wh-, sorry?” I asked. 

 “Yesterday, you said you think you can breathe underwater.” Dad motioned to the Sound again. “Try it.” 

 I sputtered a moment before whining, “Dad, I just got warm.” 

 “I know but — it’s not like I have a pool for you to test this out,” Dad smiled apologetically. “Plus, I also want to see if you can control both salt and freshwater. Puget Sound has both.” 

 “It’s an esh…” Brent trailed off, seeming to struggle with remembering the word, “…estuary? That’s it, right?” 

 Dad nodded. “It’ll have both salt and freshwater in it.” He repeated as a confirmation.

 “Y’know, I never understood that,” Brent commented. “If it’s mixing, doesn’t it all become saltwater? Doesn’t make sense,” 

 Salt or fresh, I wasn’t exactly bouncing with joy at the idea of diving in in the middle of December.

There was also the blaring issue that we were at least a good 20 feet away from the water below. “How do I get down there?” I asked Dad, almost accusatory. It was starting to seem like he was just trying to get rid of me. 

 “That,” he stressed, “Is for you to find out.” 

 Yeah, thanks for the cryptic answers, Pop. 

 I hazarded a look over the cliffside, down to the gently lapping waters below. There was always something so serene about water in the wintertime; the waves seemed so calm despite it being high tide, pulsing gently like they were a beast in hibernation, trying to save their energy. A mist stayed hovering above the Sound, just another bit of white to contrast the dark waters. 

 I had no idea how deep the closest bit of water was, and it was probably a stupid idea to dive in anyways — what if the bed of the Sound was covered in rocks? No, I’d have to find a different way down. 

 It wasn’t hard. I’d done it the day before. But it still was absolutely nerve-wracking to step up to the very edge of the cliff and take one careful step off. But the water molecules I forced below me didn’t give, didn’t make me plummet; instead, it turned to liquid, letting my foot rest in its floating puddle and not giving under the weight. “That!” Dad suddenly declared behind me. “I can do that.” 

 I pushed more weight down on my foot just to make sure, more confident in stepping fully off of the cliffside. The molecules I arranged densed-up as well, and I was now standing in midair, the waters under my boots swirling softly like a bubbling creek. They weren’t giving, they didn’t even move under the pressure of my body’s full weight.

 “If something happens…” I trailed off, unsure of where I was going with this. 

 “I’ve got you,” Dad confirmed. “You’ll be fine, but send up a signal if you’re not. Some sort of spout or something,” 

 I nodded, taking a deep breath. Here goes nothing. 

 Bounding ‘downstairs’ with stairs you can’t see is clunky. It’s awkward. It’s that feeling of missing the last step, only with every step. This wasn’t going to work! It was too awkward, and it…was my fault. I was still scared of the water giving up. I wasn’t trusting myself, or my power, and instead making things harder than they needed to be. I needed to be trust in it. 

 I let myself step without organizing the water around this time, simply asking to no one in particular to catch me. And it did; the water shot to meet under my foot, no hesitation, the puddle it made splashing slightly with my less-than-subtle step. I didn’t even have to think about it. I was safe; the water had me, so long as I trusted it would.

 And trusted it I did. My awkward and scared steps slipped away to bounds as I began to dash down to the Sound, the water helping me every step of the way. It was so freeing; I felt more alive there, midair with water pads, than I ever had before. Running on my own runway of wet, I felt unstoppable. Invincible. 

 At least until I got right to the surface of the Sound, pausing a few inches from its rippling top. I could physically feel the freeze from it, snowflakes settling softly on its surface and taking a moment before giving away, adding to the amount of water in the Sound. This place must flood bad during the spring. 

 “Go ahead, Jean!” Dad called down. He was at least 20 yards away now. “You’ve got this!” 

 “It’s cold!” I complained. He just laughed, the sound getting carried away in the wind. 

 Okay, I’d be fine. Water doesn’t stick to me anymore, so theoretically, it’d just be the initial contact that would be freezing, right? Maybe I could just mess around and warm up everything surrounding me so I wouldn’t get hypothermic. 

 Ugh, this was gonna suck. 

 Now that I was so close to the surface, I could see how deep the Sound was — so deep, that I couldn’t see the bottom through its murky surface. So, with a single steeling breath, I pulled my hand up, forcing the water under my feet to come with it and plunging myself into the water before I had a chance to back out. 

 Oh my god. Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god. There’s cold, and then there’s baptizing yourself in water that had to be close to its freezing point. Every nerve in my entire body lit up with the discomfort that I could probably pinpoint them individually, and I violently shook as I began to sink. But I had to push down that urge to leave as fast as I could. I had to be sure that this was something I could or couldn’t do. 

 I let myself fall to the bottom of the Sound, holding onto my breath as well as I could as I steadily sank. Holding up one hand, I began to will the water closest to me to warm up, thankful as it listened. The water went from freezing to mildly uncomfortable, to the comfort of a warm bath, bubbles from the difference rising to the surface of the Sound. 

 I settled on the bottom, silt rising from my disturbance only for a moment before quickly settling again. Now that I wasn’t so worried about turning into a popsicle, I was able to look around, eyes adjusting to peer past the darkness. 

 It felt like an alien world. I somehow sunk between a bunch of kelp without touching a single one, their tall stature swaying gently with the current. Algae stretched along the bottom, carpets to purple starfish and actual anemones! I didn’t even know the Sound would have those! Bursts of orange and yellows along the dark green. Something spotted scuttled away from the closest one, and I leaned forward to see it was a crab, some gargantuan thing as big as both my hands were across, purplish moles along its rusty colored shell. Schools of fish swam around above me, akin to the crows above surface. 

 My lungs were beginning to scream, begging for a fresh breath. I needed to test and see if I could breathe. Holding my hand up over my head, I willed my sleeves of water back, their color indistinguishable from the Sound and only different because of their bubbling current. Just in case I began choking, I’d shoot up some water, warning Dad I’d need help. 

 And once I was sure I’d be safe no matter what, I let the breath in my upper chest go, and breathed back in. 

 I gagged at first; the water slid into my mouth and down the wrong pipe with ease, the feeling making me want to vomit everything back up. But…but somewhere, deep in the esophagus but before the lungs, I could feel it…I dunno, lingering? Not in a choking sense, but like when you drink way too much water and can actually hear in sloshing away in your stomach. I was aware of the liquid, and exactly where it was — but it never went further down. Never came back up, either. Instead, my lungs steadily filled with air as cold as menthol, the water staying stagnant in my throat. 

 I laughed, a stream of bubbles leaving my mouth. It was the weirdest feeling in the world, borderline disgusting, but I was breathing underwater. I knew what was happening in my throat, I saw it in the visions; my powers were ripping the oxygen and hydrogen apart, probably letting the latter off back into the Sound while the oxygen followed my inhale. 

 I was breathing underwater. My god. This was amazing! 

 My curiosity of the world around me took my attention, and with the ability to scuba dive without all the extra equipment weighing me down, I got distracted in letting the world whisk me away. I swam leisurely, stopping to look at shells that littered the bottom of the Sound and to examine the cool water life, like these stabby little things on the dark rocks. What were they called, urchins? Needlepoints that spread in every direction, purple and maroon. They looked so amazing, I stayed there and examined the little cluster of five of them for a few minutes. Definitely didn’t touch them, though. There were a few car tires, and a bucket full of cement with a rope hanging out of it that I didn’t wanna think too hard about, but all of that disgusting litter was eclipsed by how absolutely amazing being underwater was. 

 The bottom of the Sound sunk deeper, leaving me midway through what had to be 80 feet of water, my ears popping with the adjustment to the pressure. This? This was peace. Nothing would ever compare to floating freely so deep in the water. The sun broke past the surface in godly rays, illuminating this patch of open, undisturbed water. And even when I was disturbed, it was miraculous; a gargantuan shadow faded in from beyond my vision, growing more and more until white burst through the dark. There was no way. Absolutely no fucking way. 

 The orca calf stopped in place too, contemplating me as if to ask what the fuck are you doing here? as well. Not that I could judge it; I probably looked like the alien here, in this world. I wasn’t even in proper gear it may have seen a human in previously — I still had my knit cap on, for god’s sake, my leather jacket and hood billowing around my form. I was entirely foreign to the little thing. 

 Well, little in age. It was easily as big as Dad’s truck. 

 The calf started forward again, veering slightly to my right and swimming slowly, cautiously, waiting for my next move. Man, if only I could speak whale — I’d probably be assuring it in baby talk that I wasn’t gonna hurt it, and actually wanted to do nothing more than to kiss its forehead. God I wanted to pet it. 

 But I couldn’t. It wasn’t right; I could freak out the baby orca, I could, I dunno, transfer germs to it that it wouldn’t be able to deal with. It could spook and bite me in half, too, which I also wasn’t keen about. 

 So I pushed back slowly, moving fast enough to genuinely get out of the way but so slow that I didn’t startle the little thing. It eyed me warily, moving carefully until it was about 2/3rds of the way past, growing rapidly impatient and suddenly shooting off with a flick of its massive fin, disappearing back into the dark. 

 I swam off a bit more, stopping when the next creature appeared from the murk; this thing was all sorts of ugly, to be honest, face leathered and just a bit too human for my liking. It looked like an eel? Its teeth were razor sharp and eyes so beady that it scared me. I made sure to move over this time so it wouldn’t cross my path. 

 But the scary looking eel followed my movement, swimming right up to me and lingering in the waters just in front of my face, curling with the current to stay there. Jesus Christ, this thing had to be 8 feet long. Bubbles swirled at my wrists as I summoned my water, preparing to have to push back against this scary looking thing if I had to. There weren’t electric eels here, right? 

 The creature didn’t flinch. In fact, it moved closer to…nuzzle me? It curled against where my neck met my shoulders, burrowing into the nook. The mouth full of spikes didn’t open to chomp me, there weren’t any volts of electricity. It just…stayed there. 

 And so did I, terrified and confused. 

 But eventually, I calmed the waters around one hand, slowly leading the fingers up to rub along its skin. It was slimy and textured, scales so close to the skin they seemed imbedded. And the eel liked my touch. It actually fished for my fingers when I began to move away, curling around for more pets. 

 Yeah, next to the whole breathing underwater thing, this was the weirdest experience of my life. 

 But I laughed, shaking off my other water gauntlet and bringing up both hands to gently rake my fingernails against this guy’s odd-feeling skin. It was like a dog, leaning into the touch the way they do when they don’t want you to stop. Ugly little eel had a soft side, apparently. What a weird sweet little thing.

 I rubbed and scratched till it pulled away, swimming back to a little alcove in the rocks below I hadn’t noticed and joining a similar ugly duckling in brown rather than gray. A mate. That was precious. 

 I backtracked only a bit, finding a perfect spot to float on my back under the canopy of kelp, muted sunlight barely breaking through. Schools of fish passed above, their shadows casting over my face again and again as I relaxed. Being in the water, it felt amazing. I couldn’t even call it refreshing, because it went so far beyond that. It was…right. I felt how I did after that Relay, only that feeling lingered, pulling the stress from my shoulders and any pain from my body. My fingers no longer hurt. I felt the most energized and yet relaxed I’d ever been. Like I could take on the world. Not that I wanted to yet; it was so beautiful, so peaceful down here. I could sleep here. Hell, I’d live here, a mermaid without its tail, if I didn’t have Dad and Brent back on land—

 Oh shit, Dad and Brent! 

 I had been underwater for a good thirty minutes, and swam so far into the Sound that they probably wouldn’t even be able to track me if they tried. They were probably freaking out. 

 I tried backtracking without surfacing, following the refractions on the surface of the water to find my way back to the Longhouse. It wavered in the ripples of the Sound, the totem dancing to the water’s tune, and I turned back to where I knew Dad and Brent would be, beginning to paddle that way.

 Despite how long I’d been swimming, I wasn’t tired, not as I paddled parallel along the shore of the Sound, not as I hovered in place when I found the cliff end. Not even as I pulled the water around me to my sides, enveloping my bottom half. The water under me began to boil with the energy I was forcing into it, churning faster and faster as I looked up, took aim, and shot myself out of the Puget Sound on a waterspout. 

 As I launched into the sky, a grin on my face and with that fun plummeting heart feeling I’d chase on roller coasters, I was surprised to find only Brent at the edge of the cliff, steel wings tucking back into his skin as if he had just landed. He spun in place at the sound, sighing and rolling his eyes when he spotted me. “What the fuck, Jean?” He demanded as I landed. “Where’ve you been?” 

 “I got, uh, distracted,” I excused, looking around. “Where’s Dad?” 

 Brent waved his hand over the cliffside. “He went looking for you. We both did,” 

 He looked annoyed, angry, but overall relieved, shoulders sagging down with his deep breath. I had disappeared on them without a single warning, selfishly rushed off in my excited stupor to leave them wondering if something had happened. “I’m sorry,” I finally said. 

 Brent glared at me, but found it in himself to ask, “Guessing it worked?” I nodded. “Hm.” 

 Yeah, it’d take a minute for him to not be mad at me. 

 Brent I wasn’t worried about; despite how big and tough he’d pretend to be, he was genuinely horrible at keeping a grudge. You’d have to really piss him off to stay on his shit list for longer than a day. Dad was who I was scared of, especially as I saw him rushing down the Sound, atop the Sound like an Akomish Jesus, hopping to leave the surface of the water and bound up his own water stairs, looking absolutely furious. “Regina Rowland, what the hell was that?” He demanded before he even got fully up to the cliff’s edge, voice echoing along the Sound with ease. 

 “I’m sorry, Dad, I—“ 

 “Anything.” He finally made it, stepping off from wet to frozen and stalking over to me. “You didn’t think to do anything to tell us you were okay? I thought you’d drowned!” 

 As he got closer, I’d realized he was wet; his hair was plastered to itself, swept back with a hand, leather jacket glistening in the dull sun. He was drying off quicker than possible in cold like this, but there was no doubt in my mind that he went diving to find me. To possibly find a body. 

 To be fair, he may have been drying off because of the heat radiating from his body, anger that made me shrink in on myself. He was scary like this; shoulders drawn back, jaw set and eyes aflame. If this was the Delsin Rowe at the helm of the insurrection, no wonder they won. 

 I tried repeating myself, only getting an extra word in, ”I’m sorry Dad, I shouldn’t—“

 “You know what, Regina?” He hissed low. “Go to the truck. I’ll deal with you later.”

 “Dad—“

 “Now.”

 Dad was easily level headed in arguments. Not in like, the staying cool part, he’d always be some varying level of pissed; but that anger would be his argument fueler, breaking down excuses and exposing fallacies. He’d gone to school to learn how to argue, he’d joke all the time. So rarely were we sent away when we did something bad. He’d confront it in the moment. When you were banished, it was because he was flaming mad. Like, steam coming out of the ears type of furious. It meant we’d pushed too far, and literally broke his ability to stay in the moment without giving away to his anger. 

 So I knew better than to argue. If I didn’t remove myself, he would just remove himself, and either way there wouldn’t be anything constructive happening. So I nodded, looking down at my feet as I turned and left for the truck, hearing it unlock as I approached. 

 I clambered into the passenger side, closing the door rather mutely. Yeah. I fucked up bad. I really should have popped my head up, even if it was just to be like ‘this is cool I’m gonna go have fun okay byeeee’ without waiting for Dad to interject. I mean I’d still be in trouble, possibly, but not like this. Especially since both Dad and Brent still seemed shaken. I…this was the second time in, what, 4 days that I’d gone missing on them? What was it like back in Portland? I’d never thought to ask. But to be having a day of shopping, elation over a date for Brent and Dad simply getting new work supplies only for me just to not be there…

 That had to be scary. I couldn’t blame them for being mad. 

 Dad kept his eyes on the truck, using the push to start on his key fob once I was in and nodding once it vroomed to life. He still had that face on, glaring at the windscreen before turning away to begin talking to Brent. I just turned on the radio and looked out the window, trying to swallow the guilt that sat in my throat thicker than the water of the Sound. 

 I mean, I tried to concentrate on making myself feel better. But somewhere in the truck, something kept…humming? A consistent little burst of noise, barely audible over the music until I flipped the pop station down to 2. It was coming from the center console, Dad’s phone in one of the cup holders and waiting for him to check later on. 

 Or preferably now, apparently, as it kept buzzing. 

 I couldn’t even pick it up without it vibrating three more times, the constant stream of notifications making the home screen lag to load his apps as I unlocked the phone with my fingerprint. That was one of the rules of getting a phone; his print would be registered to ours, so if something happened, he could get in. And as a show of good faith, ours were registered to his, for the same reason. Usually it’s led to nothing more than joke home screen backgrounds and a singular browse through our conversations — earlier this month after the whiskey thing, actually — but now, it let me see how absolutely hectic his entire notifications were. 

 I thought 147 unread messages were bad. Try over 1,200. The icon didn’t even display a whole number anymore, just 1.2k+ in a silent beg for Dad to clear it out. His email rang in at 3,686, and there were about 2.7k worth of missed calls. 

 None of those were what was making it vibrate so violently. No, it was the consistent stream of news notifications, the headline making my heart sink. 

 I opened the first one, ignoring the article to go straight to the news’ livestream to see if it was true. And it was. Oh my god, it was. Why would they do this, why would anyone do this? I watched from the view of the helicopter’s camera for only a moment longer before my heart settled like lead in my stomach, the weight threatening to make me vomit. 

 I was out of the truck before I knew it, one hand still on the phone as I abandoned the open door and began running towards Dad and Brent. They’d made minimal progress, Brent holding a chrome looking baseball bat and rolling his eyes as he saw me running towards them over Dad’s shoulder, saying something to Dad. He spun in place, glaring at me as I approached and began to say, “Regina Elaine, I told you to—“ 

 “They bombed COLE.” I almost sobbed, eyes wet, pushing the phone into his hands. “Dad, they bombed COLE.” 

[hopeymchope]

So uh... with September 23′s “Aniplex Online Fest 2022″ event having come and gone without any mention of the Magia Record anime getting additional another Blu-Ray volume to complete the series in North America, I’m starting to think that it’s... just not coming? Hmph. 

Are they really going to just skip out on the rest of the series over here? Given the size of the fandom, that’s pretty bizarre to me. But if so, I know it’s not like they’d be doing it because of the fan backlash to the way the show went. Retailers never care about that stuff anywhere near as much as previous release sales. 

In other words, if the first volume sold like crap? That’d explain it.  And since Aniplex’s prices for their physical releases in North America are FUCKING ABSURD, if Volume 1 sold like shit, they should really look themselves in the mirror. 

PFFFFT see what I mean?! What the hell is that price?! The “Your Price” amounts to $10 for every 22-minute episode! Holy shit, you guys.

I believe I should use one of my newly acquired reaction images for this occasion.

ETA: Edited to remove my erroneous assumption that the English dub never got completed. I guess it did, and I simply didn’t notice.