#He did so much extra for us that they didn't even consider when firing him. Guess we all get to test road safety ourselves after storms now!

[bebsibby]

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[touteslespetiteschosess]

Is It Over Now? || Kylian Mbappé

Plot: Kylian and y/n have been fighting for so long, she's not even sure she knows what they're fighting for anymore. Angst.

Warnings: toxic relationship

Word count: 3458

Masterlist

y/n well done on your goal, amour x will you want dinner when you get home? i'm making myself some pasta so i'll do extra for you x do you know what time you'll be home? i've left some food in the fridge for you x kylian can you reply please? i'm worried it's getting late, where are you?

A deep frown was etched on her face, she stared at her ignored texts, the oldest sent five hours ago and the most recent nearly an hour ago. None of them had received a response and neither had her calls.

She hadn't been able to go to his match today, as she'd already arranged to go out for her friend's birthday in the morning. Kylian hadn't minded though, it wasn't a particularly important match and she rarely missed any of his games, so she could be forgiven for this. Surely that wasn't why he was ignoring her. Well, knowing him at the moment she could easily conclude that there was no reason behind the radio silence. He was just being Kylian.

Dick.

She knew he probably had no reason to ignore her; he was most likely just over at Achraf's and didn't value her emotions enough to dain her with a text back. Still, having been alone in the house for so many hours with only her thoughts to keep her company, she couldn't stop her mind from wandering. It only felt natural to pick up her phone and she really couldn't help herself from opening Instagram. Her thumbs had a mind of their own, opening one of his fan accounts.

Then there he was, grainy footage of him on their story at some club in Paris, surrounded by his teammates. And then there was somebody else. Some girl sat at his side- on his side more really- his arm flopped lazily over the back of the booth behind her.

She was saying something and he was laughing. He was laughing in a way that he never did with y/n anymore. Wow, he was really laughing- surely nothing she said could be that funny.

The video was short, maybe five seconds, but she restarted it, watching it again, feeling a fire raging within her. The next story was a photo that some stranger in the club had taken. The pair were on the dance floor, none of his friends were in sight now. Her hands were up in the air and only now did y/n notice the girl's outfit. She wore a little red dress, just like the one that hung up in y/n and Kylian's shared closet. It was his favourite dress and she knew it.

At the sight, the fire that burned within her suddenly settled, an eery calm setting over her. After a few moments, she headed upstairs and drew a bath, watching the water slowly rise up the tub's sides. She loved that bath; the tub was huge, yet elegant, and sat right in front of a huge window which gave the most amazing view of the Eiffel Tower. Besides that, she and Kylian had spent some memorable nights in this bathtub. Not for a while though, she thought.

Now that she really considered it, she wasn't sure how many good memories she had with Kylian in the last six months. Maybe after three years together, she'd just grown used to the knowledge that she loved him and hadn't considered if he still deserved it. Maybe she hadn't considered if he still deserved her.

Maybe she'd been so caught up in the idea of the perfect man she'd met in that bar three years ago. She still remembered that innocent smile so vividly, the way he'd lift his glass to sip, almost hiding behind the thing. How every time she'd flirt with him, he'd blush like a schoolboy, and then suddenly shoot back with the most outrageous comment.

How a month after they'd started dating, the pandemic hit, and he'd turned up at her door, much to her disapproval. Then, he'd immediately asked her to move in with him. She still remembered his words.

Take a chance. If we're gonna go down, let's go down in flames. I don't wanna forget you, baby.

That aged like room-temperature milk.

He'd convinced her so easily, his charming smile and smooth words always getting the best of her. And he'd been right. Those had been the best few months of her life.

And even after lockdown, when she was back at work and football became more full on, everything had just seemed so right. He just seemed so right.

Every time he'd go away for matches, he'd always find some stupid trinket to bring home for her. The tradition had started the week they'd met, when she'd asked him out on another date and he'd had to turn her down, as he was playing away in Italy. He'd brought her back a little keyring- a pizza with Italia written on it. It was so tacky and so cheesy that she immediately fell in love... with the keyring. Their fridge was still littered with far too many magnets to count, very out of place in his black and white, minimalist kitchen.

Of course, she remembered the first gift, and she remembered the first time he'd forgotten. It was after an away match to Manchester City. An away match that had knocked PSG out of the Champions League- in the semi-finals.

It wasn't that she'd been expecting a gift- no, she completely understood. It was difficult for him; he'd been injured and therefore couldn't play the second leg. He'd had to go all the way to Manchester and didn't even get to kick the ball. He just had to sit on the bench and watch his dream fade before his eyes.

Despite not playing, she knew he blamed himself. He always blamed himself. For the injury. For not scoring in the first leg. For everything.

At the time, she hadn't been upset that he hadn't bought her some shitty magnet for their already cluttered fridge or a bottle opener for their already stuffed drawer. Besides, Manchester didn't have much to offer in the tourism department besides football, so she could forgive him for not wanting to search through shops full of his opponents' memorabilia, just to uphold their tradition.

Looking back on it though, that was the moment he snapped. Three weeks later, he'd returned from Reims empty-handed; when she'd playfully questioned him, asking how she was supposed to sleep at night without an 'I <3 Reims' t-shirt, he'd grunted something about being busy with work and she tried not to let her face fall, wishing he'd have just made some stupid joke in response.

Y/n, I can't afford to keep buying you all these presents.

Honey, nobody hearts Reims.

Well, I had some grapes for you but I got peckish.

But no, he'd just grumbled some excuse and gone up to their room. They'd won the game too. The last match of the season. Sure, they hadn't won the league but that fate had been sealed weeks ago.

Of course, at the time, she hadn't sat up at night, tossing and turning because her relationship was over. She'd understood. For him, she'd understood.

Then, the trinkets began to come every other away match, then once a month, once every few months, and then they stopped coming. The last remnant of their once-sacred tradition still sat on her fridge. He'd brought it back after an unremarkable league tie against Nice. A little magnet in the shape of a palm tree, in the colours of the French flag, with two words on it.

Trés Nice!

What did that even mean? Neither of them were sure. She loved it.

After that, however, the keyrings, and magnets, and bottle openers, and t-shirts, and pens had suddenly stopped. Not trés Nice!

The bath was full, the bubble bath she'd added working a treat. Slowly, she eased herself into the warm water, sighing as she settled back in the tub. She didn't even have her phone but she really didn't care. For what must have been an hour, she stared out the window at the city below her. From his castle, she watched his kingdom, knowing she didn't have a place in it anymore.

She stared at the dark streets they used to haunt, giggling hand in hand as they snook out of their apartment for late-night strolls (though it was always technically morning) down streets that at any other hour would be packed with hundreds of people, pointing at Kylian. Or when they used to go to tourist attractions in the middle of the winter and he'd pull on a balaclava, dragging her up the Eiffel Tower or the Champs Elysees, insisting her liked the thrill. In truth, so did she.

She liked standing hand in hand with him, knowing the crowds around them had no idea Kylian Mbappé was in their midst, and they never would because he was her Kylian. For that moment, at least.

It was late when she heard the door downstairs, the security system blaring loudly. She didn't panic, as it quickly turned off. He didn't say a word on his arrival. She could hear him drawing closer to their bedroom, his feet heavy on the stairs, in the hallway, in their room, approaching the bathroom door.

She thought he'd let his guard down when they first met, telling her his worries and fears, but maybe he only truly knocked down his walls that night in the bathroom months ago, showing his true self.

Maybe she only truly got to know him after Qatar, when he really snapped. When she'd tried to comfort him and he'd yelled at her because she'd never truly understand what he was going through. She'd told him she was sorry. She'd apologised. For what? She still wasn't quite sure.

Maybe she only truly knew Kylian when she'd been struggling at work, doing overtime to catch up on her ridiculous workload at home. She'd missed his match and he'd lost; then, when he returned home and she hadn't been in the mood for kisses and cuddles, he'd been furious. He'd said it was her fault she was stressed- she'd brought it on herself. She could quit her job any day and never worry about money again. She'd tried to explain but he couldn't comprehend her need for self-reliance. If anything, he was insulted that she didn't trust him enough to let him take care of her. He'd never been overly traditional or had an obviously fragile masculinity but that night she'd questioned everything she thought she knew about him.

Of course, he'd apologised the next morning and she'd forgiven him. They were both stressed and there was no reason to let one pressure-fueled spat escalate into more than it needed to. Then those one-off spats became more and more common until they were the norm. If they weren't in silence, they were fighting.

They only found peace when they were fucking. Even that physicality wasn't what it once was, no longer the same slow, gentle love-making. Now it was always quick, desperate, his once soft kisses now left bruises and his whispers of sweet nothings had morphed into wordless grunts and moans.

Is that all this relationship was anymore? Physical.

Light flooded the dimly-lit bathroom, as he swung the door open carelessly. He looked almost taken back at the sight of her, his eyebrows raising a little, as though he hadn't expected to see her here- in her own house.

Then again, maybe it wasn't her house. Sure, she'd lived here for almost as long as they'd been together but it was never really her house. It was Kylian's house in Kylian's city, and she was here too.

He stared at her for a few seconds before smirking, "Hey." he mumbled, already stripping down to join her.

She sunk further down in the tub, allowing the thick layer of bubbles to give her back her modesty. Silently, she watched him, her lips a flat line, her eyes on his face, not his naked body. He wasn't looking back at her. He was too focused on hastily ripping of his trousers and his shirt.

Without hesitation or any more words exchanged, he climbed in the tub and she leant forward as he slipped behind her. She wanted to be held in his arms just one more time, to feel his body against hers. He positioned his legs on either side of her, his arms flopping over her shoulders, as he pulled her back into his chest. Resting his face on her shoulder, he let out a noise, somewhere between a contented hum and a whine.

She ignored him, turning her head to stare out of the window. The city's skyline was dark and at this time, the tower's lights were off. Now, it was just a dark silhouette against a dark horizon, only made visible by the bright light of the full moon.

"What are you sulking about?"

As he spoke, she could smell the alcohol on his breath and she almost wretched at the scent. Her voice was calm and steady, as she asked, "Where have you been?"

Her voice sounded like she had an innocent curiosity in the question as if she didn't already know the answer, or she was merely asking to make small talk.

"Oh, some of the team wanted to go out to celebrate the win."

He didn't lift his head from her shoulder, placing a soft kiss on the damp skin. He lied with such ease. Well, he hadn't entirely lied, just withheld some important elements of the truth. Maybe she'd have preferred it if he'd just lied to her. At least then he would have had to make a conscious effort to deceive her. No, this felt so much worse; he spoke with such ease, as though it was the whole truth, and maybe he too believed it. Maybe he believed that she didn't need to know about the girl in the red dress, just like he'd believed she didn't need a text back, or a kiss goodbye before he left the house this morning, or a goodnight before she fell asleep last night or the night before that or the night before that.

"And who was that girl?" she asked, her voice still chirpy, not a hint of bitterness showing in her tone.

"Huh?" he twisted his head, the side of it on her shoulder, gazing up at her face.

"The girl you were with. She was in a red dress, like the one I have. Blonde hair and-"

"Oh," he cut her off quickly, "she's one of Ousmane's friends, I think."

"You think?"

"Mhm, I don't really know. I didn't speak to her that much."

Now, that wasn't a half-truth, that was simply a lie.

"Oh, okay. Just 'cause you seemed really friendly with her."

He scoffed, lifting his head, his tone suddenly switching, "What, were you stalking me?"

"No, but you didn't reply to my texts and you came home seven hours after the match finished, so I wanted to make sure you weren't dead in some ditch."

"Of course, I wasn't. Can I not have a night out with my friends?"

"Yeah, that's fine but you didn't fucking text me back and the next thing I see you've got some random girl in your lap at the club and you don't even have the courtesy to tell me about it."

"It wasn't like that! Why would I come home and tell my girlfriend that some nobody had been coming onto me in the club?" he snapped.

"Because you were coming onto her too! Don't you think I deserved to be warned that people were going to post pictures of my boyfriend with someone else! It's fucking humiliating!"

She stood up and climbed out of the bath, wanting to get as far away from him as possible. She quickly grabbed her robe from where it hung and wrap it around herself. She sat on the little ottoman in the corner, hugging her arms around herself.

"What are you saying? You know I wouldn't cheat on you!"

He yelled the statement as though it were a fact. Maybe he believed it. He seemed to believe a lot of things. Maybe he just didn't think about her perspective much.

"No, I don't! What reason have you given me to trust you?"

His face fell into an expression of fury, "What are you talking about?"

"I don't know, Kylian!" she almost yelled and almost sighed, somewhere in the middle, "I don't know. What are we even doing this for?"

"You tell me! You're the one picking a fight for no reason!"

"No, not this just... why are we here? We keep fighting and I don't know what for."

He stood up, "What..."

"I'm not happy! You're not happy! What's the point!"

Wrapping a towel around his waist, he rushed over to her, "I'm happy, of course I am!"

"Well, I'm not." she murmured, standing up from the seat and heading for the bathroom door.

"What are you doing, where are you going?" he asked, panic setting over him.

"Away," she muttered, heading to the closet.

"No, you're not." he declared, chasing after her, "Look, baby, I'm sorry, okay?" Ignoring him, she began to change into some joggers and a hoodie. "Y/n, you're not leaving me."

"Why not? All we ever do is fight! There's no point in us being together if we make each other fucking miserable!"

"I told you, you make me happy! You make me happier than anyone else in the world!"

"Why don't you treat me like it then? Why don't you treat me like I'm worth anything? Like I'm a fucking human being!"

He was quiet, watching her as she grabbed a bag and started to toss clothes into it. "Y/n, I love you. I-"

"Do you, though? Really?"

"I do. Look I know I've been busy with work but you know how stressful my job is. I'm trying to be here for you and do my best for the team-"

"No, you're not. I know how hard you work but I have needs too. I can't keep doing this."

She dropped to her knees, zipping up the bag, packed with enough clothes for a few days. He stood in the doorway, blocking her exit as she tried to get her toothbrush from the bathroom.

As she stood in front of him, he took her hands in his, "Please, baby, I'll change. I'll do it for you, I swear."

"It's too late, Ky," she said, shoving past him. He didn't budge, "Kylian, get out of my way."

He clutched her hands as though his life depended on it, placing soft kisses on both of them, "I need you. You can't leave me."

"You should have thought about that before, shouldn't you?"

She shoved him out of the way and grabbed a few things from the bathroom before heading for the front door. He chased after her, his mind racing and his heart pumping a mile a minute in his chest. He swore it was working so hard he could hear his heartbeat in his ears- or was it the sound of her feet on the stairs?

"Y/n," God, her name sounded so right on his lips, he wanted to say her name forevermore, "she meant nothing. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have entertained her like that." Tears were forming in his hazel eyes, he watched her putting on her shoes, "Y/n, you can't leave me, I love you. I- I don't want to live without you. I don't want to be on my own."

"Kylian," she stood up and cupped his cheek. Her hand was so warm and fit so perfectly around his face, as though it was moulded just for it, "you know I'll always love you."

Covering her hand with his own, he shook his head, a single tear rolling down his cheek, "Don't do this to me, amour."

She hated seeing him like this: he barely ever cried. In all of their time together, she'd seen him cry maybe four times and it had never been because of her.

Her soft thumb wiped away the tear, "Don't cry. You'll be okay."

Then she was gone. The door was open and then it was closed. She was there and then she was gone.

He watched the space she'd been stood in for far too long, as though she'd swing the door open at any moment and declare that she'd had a sudden change of heart. But she wouldn't.

She was gone. It was over.

Masterlist

[gortash-did-nothing-wrong]

Things Enver does as a Father:

When their oldest was four, he started to understand what explosives were, so Enver spent three days teaching him how to make fire powder because, "What's the harm? He can't reach the shelf with the ingredients. So he'll never make them without my supervision." He may not have been able to reach the shelf, but that cunning toddler learned how to climb into chairs really fast after that.

When their children started being interested in tea parties, Enver gifted their children a sturdy but beautiful silver tea set. They couldn't brew the tea themselves, nor could they bake their own pastries to go with it, but Enver instructed their servants to fill the teapot with a caffeine free tea anytime the children asked. The trays of croissants and cookies were, of course, also provided.

When Enver joined those tea parties, he used it as a time to test his children's leadership abilities. He asked them how they planned on handling fake issues in the kingdom. Often, he assigned names to fake groups of people, inventing far off countries that sent either banes or boons to their doorstep. "What shall we do about all these refugees?" "The crops from the west fields have failed. Shall we attempt to grow more before harvest, or should we depend upon our reserves?" "Two different political factions are at each other's throats. One is the farmer's guild, and one is the merchant's guild. Who should we side with?" "There's only room in this year's budget to donate to the orphanages, or the trade school programs in the Lower City. Who do we support?" His children sometimes waved his questions off, wanting only to eat the snacks and play games, but sometimes they paid attention. Sometimes they even gave insightful solutions to these problems that were simultaneously fake and yet very real. Enver was always careful to nurture any of his children that showed promise in these matters

Of course, some of his children simply weren't suited for positions of higher leadership, which was fine. He loved his children all dearly, and loving them meant meeting them where they were and accepting who they were. His children that weren't leadership material had other talents. Archery, swordsmanship, art, dance, and more. His youngest daughter, the middle child of the family, actually had a knack for making friends and organizing events. While it wasn't something most would consider a highly prized skill, in her teenage years she turned it into a passion for charity work, especially with orphans and refugees. Something that he made sure the newspapers always reported on. Why not make sure the public viewed him and his family in a favorable light with the candle of his child's charity cases?

One of his children showed a knack for archery at a young age, and Enver wasted no time in designing moving targets for her to sharpen her skills with. His wife introduced their little prodigy to that vampire friend of hers, and soon his daughter was sneaking around the castle with a bow and quiver full of enchanted arrows. The servants only complained a little.

His brood grew in number until he was often walking around the city with a gaggle of eight children at his heels, looking every bit like a proud father goose. His youngest was almost always in his arms, a young boy with chubby cheeks and his father's grin. The public went wild with love for the sight of his hoard of children, calling them the Pride of the Gate. His wife insisted nicknames didn't count if he ordered the press to call them that, but Enver disagreed.

Enver was a firm believer in raising his children with an iron fist. Not in anyway did that mean physical punishment, of course. He detested the thought. But his children had a busy routine of tutors, governesses, coaches, and many extra curriculars from very young ages. His wife was often worried they were expecting too much from them, but Enver was always quick to remind her that they lived in a cruel world, and their children needed to be ready for that. His children were loved, but not coddled.

And as Enver grew older, he felt comfortable delegating more and more tasks to his children. Until finally, at the age of fifty seven with the entire sword coast under his iron fist, he named his heir, split up responsibilities among his other children to ensure there would be no infighting, and retired with his wife to a nice little castle in the upper city. Somewhere close enough to help should his clan require it, but far enough that he and his lovely wife could relax in their old age. He loved spending his mornings sitting on the balcony and having breakfast with her while he read the paper. His middle child, the charity worker, had taken over propaganda, and she was quite skilled at it. He would chuckle with his wife over humorous tidbits from his children's accomplishments.

And of course, then there came grandchildren. Little heathens running around his home, always so happy to visit "Grandma's House". Enver often rolled his eyes at the title of his castle. "I bought the damned thing." He complained to his eldest son one day. His son laughed at him, "Father, don't pout. They may call it her house, but they're always talking about wanting to see your inventions, play with your magic items, and um... Steal your shoes." Enver sighed at that. "None of you ever inherited my glorious fashion sense, and I regret that every day... Maybe one more child-" his wife interrupted them, "No."

[wobster109]

Why is Aventurine Preservation-Imaginary?

(The real answer is, it's probably just HoYo filling out the path/element roster, but we'll play along!)

We'll tackle his element first. It's not the easier of the two, but it's the one with less info to sort through. The basic element types are:

Elements: wind, fire, ice, lightning

Sorta-abstract: quantum, imaginary

Physical: physical

It's a pretty funny system, all things considering. Here's Gepard, he can summon a massive wall of ice through will alone! Here's Dr. Ratio, he can make a massive tower just by thinking it into existence! Oh and here's Luka. Ordinary human. Pretty good at boxing.

(Not including Trailblazer here - probably the stellaron helps her swing that bat extra hard or something.)

And in the middle, you have Guinaifen, Hook, and Serval, who use the element but do not create it from scratch. For example, Serval is conceivably using electricity from her electric guitar.

Most of the elements are pretty self-explanatory, but Quantum and Imaginary are a bit more abstract. What are these types? What do they mean?

Quantum: technology, information, data, uncertainty

In my mind, Silver Wolf is the classic quantum character. She uses hacking to change data. In her hands, the data is always shifting. Fu Xuan is another direction that quantum can go - she's a diviner, and her job is peering into the future and making sense of the uncertainty. And then Qingque has elements of both: she works in divination, and also there is uncertainty in each hand of Celestial Jade.

Imaginary: Logic, abstraction, math/physics/metaphycs, theology

For some reason, Imaginary feels to me like dealing with the grand existential questions. There's Dr. Ratio on one end, knowledge is the measure of all things, and then there's Luocha with religious symbolism all over him, the devils, the church, the insanity in his character story, healing you with a cross necklace. Welt with his black hole - there's some kind of physics in there!

But this seems more like a philosophy than an element in battle. So in practice, what Imaginary characters have in common most of all is summoning miscellaneous objects 😅 black holes, dragons, chalk, etc.

So on that note, Aventurine fits right in, summoning dice and coins all over the place! Watch your he-ead~ 🎶🎵

I would've expected Aven to be Quantum. All the RNG in his kit. . . all the gambling, all the uncertainty. . . it seems more alike Qingque's tile suits. He even has card suits on his shields!

Perhaps the Imaginary is more about his character. Much of his story is intensely existential - what's the good of his blessing when everyone he loves is gone; why are we born if it's just to die. Perhaps he brings not just another answer, but a new way to see the question—not Why am I here, but All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.

A more direct question that he himself discusses is why he's Preservation. We know he was offered the chance to become a Masked Fool, and seek Elation - the pursuit of happiness. Yet he turned it down.

As his alter-ego says, he and Preservation have nothing in common.

Interestingly, he also gives himself the answer.

He didn't choose the Preservation. Aventurine chose the IPC.

But wait—aren't the IPC the bad guys?

It is fascinating to me when people make out the IPC to be the villain of this tale, or talk about him "escaping" the IPC as if he's being held hostage. Not only did he choose the IPC, he gambled everything, including his life, just for a sliver of a chance to join them.

They didn't kill his family, enslave him, brand him, or make him kill 34 other slaves. Certainly, the IPC has used Aventurine's talents and self-destructive behavior to their benefit, and is not particularly concerned with what becomes of him. They are big, corporate, and easy to hate. But they are also not the cause of his tragedy.

It's not the IPC, but rather the Katicans, that kill Kakavasha's family. His sister describes them as "bloodthirsty, cruel, and insatiably greedy." Personally I can’t say with confidence that the Katicans are villains without knowing their full history, but either way, the conflict is between the Avgins and the Katicans.

My feeling is that the IPC is amoral - they are not actively out to do harm, but neither will they go out of their way to avoid or prevent it. They are focused primarily on profit. Sometimes that means taking over a planet against the people's will. Sometimes that means making gambles. . . or sacrifices. Other times, it means hosting an Aetherium event.

So, why does Aventurine choose the IPC? What's interesting to me is, he isn't a slave to the IPC in any sense - not even in the lack-of-choice sense of Topaz's planet. He had a choice. He could have become a Masked Fool. So, why?

It all comes back to this:

"Go ahead, use me as you wish, even stab me in the back if you see fit. Exploitation and treachery are simply tools of the trade. But remember, I don't make deals that don't pay off... So, I hope you don't disappoint me."

The IPC is a tool to him, a means to an end. He expects that the IPC will use him, and in exchange he intends to use the IPC.

But to what end?

It's got to be something big. He could have become a refugee or an ordinary IPC employee, and instead he took the risk of lying about Tayzzynronth's remains. He let himself be arrested and brought to Jade. "I bet you won't send me to the gallows." Death was a possibility, so it had to be worth that risk.

My guess is that he wanted to save the Avgin people.

(And in this sense, Preservation is his true path after all.)

His sister tells him, "As long as you are alive, the blood of the Avgin will never run dry." Perhaps his goal was to save the remaining Avgin people, bring them away from the land of rock and sand and hardly any rain, and give them a home where they could prosper. Or to environmentally transform his home the way the IPC transformed other planets. To do that, he'll need more money and power than an IPC grunt's income. But with a Stoneheart's power, the IPC's money, and the Intelligentsia Guild's knowledge, he could make that happen.

(It feels off. It feels like too simple of an answer.)

But the Avgin people are all gone. Aventurine specifically says there aren't any left. Now that his reason is gone, what will become of him?

In a way, he does offer us an answer.

Aventurine: There will come a day when the sky will drizzle, and I will hear the call of Gaiathra Triclops and know that it is time for me to go and be reunited with my family. Aventurine: So until the time comes... I should be preparing. Kakavasha: Preparing for what? Aventurine: Preparing to face them, Kakavasha, and to make them proud.

He will go on to live a good life. What form will it take?

I don't think he can ever completely shake off the responsibility of being the last surviving Avgin. It would be quite a leap for him to settle down and have a family, so perhaps he'll have to pass it forward some other way. Either by preserving the culture (another museum management event?) or by dedicating his wealth and power to saving other peoples.

The thing about being somewhere is, you can't help but grow into it, and it grows around you. And now, he has. . . allies who are a bit closer to friends than he might think.

He has two coworkers who willingly handed over their cornerstones for his plan—cornerstones more precious than life itself. He seems to genuinely look out for Topaz (advising her against getting involved in Belobog), and she talks about him cheerfully during 2.1. And I am sure that bringing him into the IPC was a significant personal risk for Jade, especially since he'd already caused the IPC a major financial loss. For Jade and Topaz, he has—if not their trust, at least their respect in his abilities.

And he has the Intelligentsia Guild's top Mundanite fussing over his survival. Not for the Avgin bloodline, and not for profit or the success of a mission. Acheron refers to Ratio as his “friend”, and he doesn’t bother to deny it.

He has three allies/maybe-friends involved in a grand scheme with him, and isn't there something addicting about scheming together? Something as marvelous as what the Trailblazer has with the Express? So, I don't think he'll leave the IPC anytime soon. He carved out this path with his bare hands, made a life and a purpose for himself, and even made some friends along the way. Now, it's time to live it.

[factual-fantasy]

27 ASKS!! AAA THANK YOU!! :DDD

Good question! :0 The Glamrocks would be quite creeped out. And actually, so would the sister location gang!

What I had in mind for my circus gang was that their face plates are not meant to move around to make them look more life like. They have the face plates for easy repair, replacement, cosmetic changes, and easy access to the endoskeleton if needed. When the animatronic is active, the faceplates are locked up tight and are not meant to open while the animatronic is active. Again, its just for easy repair and replacements.

So since the animatronics are not meant to move their plates, if one of them looked in a mirror and their face plates moved or opened.? They'd freak out! That's not meant to open! I must be broken! And they'd run to an employee for help <XD

NOOOO NOT THE BEAM ATTACK--

Maybe! :0 I haven't thought that part of the story through but I wouldn't be against that idea!

Funny how you say that when recently Browns headlights went out. Yeah he really does need glasses XDD

(He's fixed now btw don't worry👍)

She wasn't intended to have much of a role in the AU, considering Mario and Luigi are the only humans in the mushroom kingdoms dimension..

Maybe she could have been a childhood friend that they knew? Maybe she was their next door neighbor? Or perhaps a customer of theirs? What ever role she had in their lives back on Earth, it wasn't meant to be significant enough to remember/miss her..

@thebranflakescereal

The sister location gang? Prooobaly Circus Baby, with Funtime Freddy as a close second.

The Glamrock gang? Probably the daycare attendant XDD

@neo-metalscottic (Post in question)

AAAA THANK YOU SO MUCH!! :DD I'm so glad you liked my designs! And I'm also glad that my more mellow "go with the flow" vibe for Freddy was seen! That's what I was aiming for! :DD

As for the map bot question, yes! The beloved map bot is alive and well <XDD He's not a threat to Gregory currently and he thankfully doesn't bother the main cast much. He just hangs around until he sees someone in need of a map! XD

@ghfhgkfngjvfnvmfkf

Hmm,, good question. I think if Funtime Freddy was decommissioned but they kept the Bon's around?.. They wouldn't put the bons with Circus Baby or Ballora becuase they'd be out of place. Ballora and the reenas are humanoid. They're pretty, delicate, and are ballerinas. Circus Baby, Ennard and the Bidybabs are all humanoid as well and clown themed. With specific color palettes and a clown performance.

What they'd probably do is put them with Funtime Foxy and just expand his act to accommodate for the extra people. They'd make Foxy a magician/ringmaster and somehow incorporate the Bons into his act. Since him, Chica and the Bons are all animals it would fit better.

You can just put it in a paint program and white out all the characters like I did. :0

I did keep some of Jevil's powers from the game yeah. :0 But I've altered almost all of them in some way-

In the Grillby fight he's seen "teleporting" to avoid Grillby's attacks. I believe I saw a gif of Jevil teleporting and there looked to be a motion blur effect..? So I interpreted that as he doesn't necessarily disappear and reappear...? More he just moves incredibly fast.

He miiight be able to turn into the scythe.? But I've mostly just interpreted that as he is able to summon a scythe to his hands when ever he may need it. I haven't made use of the cloning ability because, well, I didn't know he could do that- <XDD I'll definitely have to add that though!

For Goner kid I'm not too sure.. my version has her as Monster kids little sister. And I've seen a lot of interpretations of MK having fire breathing powers. Maybe she has fire related powers too..? Either way, it'll take a long time for her to remember the powers she has, and even longer to learn how to control them. So as it stands right now she's pretty defenseless..

Spamton is supposed to have most/all of the powers that original Spamton does in the game. But his attacks are kind'a.. broken. Spamton's physical injuries leaked down into his very soul and cracked it. So all of his attacks are messed up. I'd have to do some research on what his attacks actually are, and then make them broken if he ever tries to use them.

Like for example, 2/3 projectiles he summons will fly off in the wrong direction. Any weapons that he summons will have bent handles and break easy.. stuff like that :(

I've heard about that power, but as far as I know Mario and Luigi just kind'a.. have that power naturally.? While in my AU, all the bros power come exclusively from powerups. If there was a Firebrand mushroom and a thunderhand flower? Sure! But if its something they can just do without any powerup assistance, then it wont fit into my AU.. :/

(Video in question)

XDD I can see that happening to Shellington and Kwazii

With DJ, Sun and Moon? Its very possible XDD

I think they'd get a long great! My version of Funtime Freddy is toned down a bit compared to canon Funtime <XD No crazy, "HEY BAWN BAWN!!"

(Post in question)

Yes! Even though he has nothing to do with sister location (as far as I can remember--) I've still thought about adding him in some kind of cryptic way.. 👀

@clockworkthenightbard

Thank you so much!! :DD

@khoiazo

AKASNSWNDEO TRAUMATIZED XDDD

Nope! They're all very colorful and sparkly, but they are not intended to be Glamrocks. :}

@minnesotamedic186

Yoooo that's a good idea! I'll have to at least do something with the Electrobab XD

@milk-powrit (Post in question)

Thank you!! :DD I cant fully retrace my thought process- But I believe I wanted to make the Minireenas not scary. So I gave them cute faces and dresses. But I thought that having all these tiny little doll girls running around might feel a bit creepy to little kids..

So I thought hey! What if I slap some wings on them and make them fly around like fairies?? And to make them even less scary, I can make them look like familiar bugs that kids like! Lady bug, butterfly, bumble bee, dragon fly... and then I thiiiink I designed Ballora after.? Or maybe Ballora being based on a butterfly was what first inspired me.?

Either way- Ballora is based on a Blue Morpho butterfly! Very pretty :}}

@bunny-coffee

Sorry, I don't take requests! But that's not a bad idea.. 🤔 Maybe someday XD

@astrokea

Awe, thank you!! :DD I'm glad you like what I make!! :}}

@beryl-shade

Jevil and Seam do not reveal their injuries to anyone unless they absolutely have to. And when they do, yeah its only to each other..

Like for example; if Seams eye socket started to hurt and it needed to be looked at/tended to. Seam would only feel comfortable having it tended to by Jevil. But the whole time he'd still be incredibly uncomfortable and would cover it back up as soon as he could..

I'm not sure if I've answered this ask before and forgot to delete it, or if its an old ask that got buried and I never answered it at all-- either way!--

Yeah, Jevil would be pretty spooked by his original counterpart. Because original Jevil is clearly insane.. But he'd also feel kind'a bad for his original.. he's still trapped in a cell..

Seam is definitely envious of his original. He thinks his original got off easy. He doesn't even have shackles. And his stitched mouth doesn't seem to bother him..

My Goner kid arguably has it better than the original. Considering the original is still lost in the void somewhere..

And I intended for Grillby to encounter another version of him. Maybe not the original, but at least another version. He saw his other self with his daughter.. it was really hard for him..

@luna-purple454 @elegysonnet (Post in question)

Sorry for the late reply you three! I was intending to draw a comic for this but I never got around to it.. haha,, <:D ..anyways-

What ends up happening is Papyrus offers to help. Seam is scared out of his mind but he ends up taking Papyrus' offer.

Papyrus picks up Jevil and helps Seam stand up. They make their way out of the dying forest, stepping over fallen trees and branches. All the while Papyrus is talking to Seam. "What's your name? Where are you from?" Seam tells him their names but that's about all he can manage to say through his trembling..

All the while they're walking something just.. feels really off. Why are all the trees and grass dead? Why is it so warm around here? Seam is sure he's seen this place before in other AUs. Isn't there supposed to be snow on the ground?

Eventually they make their way into snowdin. Seam was so stressed that he didn't really take the time to scan his surroundings. Although he did notice that they were walking through snow now. They get to Papyrus' house and walk inside.

The house is lit by candles, and all the lights are off. Seam and Jevil are put on the couch, Papyrus goes into the kitchen to make some soup for them to eat.

This when things takes a horrifying turn. While anxiously waiting for Jevil to wake up, Seam looks out the window..

The snow outside isn't like a blanket of snow. Rather its gathered in big piles. The big lumps of wispy snow cover the ground in front of the houses, but don't go into the forest and it isn't on any of the trees..

And then he notices.. there's children's shoes and coats buried in the.. "snow"..

Seam is a darkener, so he does not turn to dust when he dies. But he knows that AU's that have a snowdin town in it.. the monster's there turn to dust when they die.

There are mountains of bodies outside. What happened here? Who killed all those people? Thats why there's no power to the house isn't it? That's why its so warm, that's why all the trees are dead. The people who man the core are all dead. Everyone in this AU is dead, everything is dead. But who killed them? What happened?

..Did Papyrus....?

Horror washes over Seam. It was Papyrus wasn't it. He killed all those people. And now Seam is in Papyrus' house. He doesn't have the strength to get up, he cant run- he cant escape-

Its in that moment of pure dread.. that Jevil started to stir, and Papyrus walked back in..

[susagnon]

Shouto and his adoptive sisters, part 2

Would have loved to see an actual team-up between these two: The guy who thought his quirk works best without teammates around him, and the girl known for being one of the most versatile battle comrades you can have.

Asui is the older sister to two younger siblings. I headcanon that she talks to Todoroki like how she talks to them: Encouragingly and patiently, without any condescencion.

They got closer after Asui cried in front of him and the other kids, who sneaked away to Kamino. Todoroki was reeeally sleepy, but he still felt bad about having partly caused her distress, so he tried to talk to her more afterwards.

When the weather turns cold, Todoroki and Asui often end up sitting close to each other: First on the school bus, then anywhere else. Todoroki gets some comfort out of seeing how his fire side, which he had rejected for so long, can be helpful to others even outside of combat - be it to keep Dark Shadow obedient to Tokoyami, or to keep Asui from involuntary hibernation.

Headcanon: Todoroki intentionally chose the spot in front of Asui and Uraraka. He wanted Deku and Iida to join them but before they could, Aoyama and the other girls placed themselves around 1-A's pretty boy.

I saw a fan comic once, in which Asui brought Todoroki a cup of tea and he accidently refers to her as “nee-san”.  I headcanon that this has happened more than once. Todoroki’s cheeks turned rosy the first couple of times. Then Asui asked that he call her “Tsu-chan”, and he felt even more embarrassed by that.  

As such, Asui remains “Asui” when they are with others. She doesn't correct him, because when she’s alone with Todoroki-chan, she gets to hear “Tsu-nee-san.” Todoroki ends up calling her that nonchalantly. They also ignor that he's actually a month older than her. Considering how he doesn’t use honorifics with any of his other classmates, Asui feels rather special.

Todoroki really does emit youngest child vibes sometimes.

It seems like, barring Deku and Bakugou, most of Todoroki’s classmates didn't know anything about his family drama, until Dabi broadcasted it to the whole nation.

For example, I’m don't think Iida ever picked up on anything prior to Dabi’s dance. He's probably Todoroki’s closest friend (alongside Deku), and he cares a lot. But Iida also tends to be blind to emotional undercurrents. In one of the light novels, he accidentally pisses Todoroki off by telling him off for how he refers to his father. When he visited Todoroki in his room on Troy, he also made a well-meaning but misplaced comparison between their families.

However, a few of them did take notice of Todoroki’s complicated family life, e.g. Kirishima (Todoroki didn't hide much in BNHA's supplementary works). I headcanon that Uraraka and Asui were also among those, who at least picked up on the fact that Todoroki had grown up in a very strict environment. Thus, they tried extra hard to include him in their conversations and activities. This might have contributed to Todoroki warming up to the rest of the class much faster than he might have done otherwise.

[floofyfungi]

I know its a few months late but-

in Miracle when Novastorm takes Alexis Starscream nearly melts off one of her limbs however when Dirge Thrust and Ramjet nearly kill her intentionally they are just given half rations and are told to work forges, instruct flight drills, and shield duty.

This felt kinda lenient and more merciful considering it seemed like they committed a much more heinous act. Is there something to this that was more severe than I realized or are they useful enough Starscream didn't want to cripple them? Something else?

This is a really good question! Thanks for the ask <3

Essentially, the reason why Dirge got off light was because Starscream primarily blamed Skywarp. It was Skywarp who kidnapped Alexis, Skywarp who put her in mortal danger. Skywarp's blatant disregard for Alexis' well-being signalled to the other seekers that she was fair game. She must be if Starscream's own trine was treating her as expendable.

Comparing these incidents digs into decepticon culture in the Miracle AU. Novastorm's plan to keep Alexis as a pet enraged Starscream far more than Dirge just trying to kill her. Dirge is a decepticon, of course he tried to kill the organic Skywarp dropped on his back. To Starscream's mind Dirge was just being a decepticon. In contrast, Novastorm found a little organic wandering around the base and, instead of informing her superiors, decided to keep it for herself. That is a level of disrespect Starscream can't tolerate.

Ramjet and Thrust were following their trine-leader. Their goal was to defend Dirge from the Rainmaker trine, Alexis was never their target (even if they did indirectly put her in danger). Out of everyone Starscream is the least angry with them.

Another factor is Alexis actually got hurt during the Novastorm incident. Novastorm left her covered in bruises and in considerable pain. Whereas with Dirge, Alexis got a few scrapes but nothing so dramatic (Starscream is unaware Laserbeak had to catch her). Though Starscream did still send a blast of fire at Dirge that only missed because he dodged.

Half rations is a serious deal for a seeker class dragon. Their frames require a lot of energon. The Coneheads are essentially going to be starving while doing some of the least desired jobs in the fortress. Tasks far below their station and ones Starscream specifically selected based on how much Dirge, Thrust, and Ramjet would hate them. This punishment is an example of prolonged humiliation and torture. If they break and try to sneak some extra energon, Starscream will stop being so 'nice'.

This punishment is a warning to the Coneheads. And the final reason why it is so lenient is because Starscream needs the Coneheads. They are the highest ranked of the trines after the Elite trine. Dirge, Thrust, and Ramjet are senior officers critical for maintaining order over the larger seeker armada.

In addition, crippling the entire trine could have caused lower ranked trines to make a power grab against the Coneheads. In the Decepticons might makes right, and considerable infighting could have been sparked by the power vacuum. Starscream has seen it before. So soon after Slipstream’s betrayal, Starscream can't afford to wait for the infighting to settle down. This guy has schemes he needs to get back on track, Megatron isn't going to die without some help. He'd also prefer to keep the Coneheads, as they are loyal to him before Megatron.

Hope this helped explain Starscream's differing reactions. If Dirge had actually maimed Alexis or, god forbid, kill her, the results would have been very different.

[blade-that-was-broken]

John was sixteen when he figured out he was living alone.

He probably should have realized it sooner. Months since he left his brothers and moved up north with his father, but then suddenly, all he had was silence and free time. And not in a good way. His father suddenly had little interest in anything except his job and fishing. John could probably die in the woods one day and his father might not have even noticed.

Or maybe John just thought he wouldn't.

John is sixteen when he leaves home for the first time, spending weeks making his way back down to his mother's house - only to find it sold off and abandoned.

The whole trip took over a month but when he returned and was asked where he was, John didn't know what to tell his father. He said camping and it was accepted without fight or worry.

He wonders how long he could be gone at a time.

John is sixteen when he gets a job. It is just part time and doesn't pay a lot, but it is enough for him to get a bit of extra income to spend on the things he wants. His father's job pays well for the both of them to live but John doesn't really see any of it outside of basic bills he has to pay to keep the lights and heat on. He likes the movement and the work, and he gets to talk to people although John doesn't really say much. By this point, he's pretty used to the silence.

He is sixteen when he guts a fish for the first time. His father was gone for a week and there was little food in the house - with less money - but plenty of fishing poles and bait. He goes out, catches a fish and follows a video on how to gut and cook it. His father comes home irritated that his pole and some of his bait is missing but he calms down when he sees leftover fish on the stove. He doesn't apologize for the outburst, but John doesn't expect him to.

He is sixteen when he tries alcohol for the first time. He doesn't understand why his dad likes it.

He is sixteen when he gets lost in the woods for two weeks.

He is sixteen when his father disappears for almost an entire month. Considering John had done this himself; he doesn't say a word when his father trudges through the door looking for dinner.

He is sixteen when he breaks his first bone. It's only his finger but it still hurts. His father wraps it up so it would heal straight. John still isn't sure it did.

He is sixteen when he steps into that tiny hometown church and he leaves the service that day not certain God exists but if He does, maybe John isn't entirely alone.

He is sixteen when he makes a friend. It's not a person.

He is sixteen when he creates his clue board, trying to track down his brothers. He asks everyone; he gathers all of the evidence and intelligence he can. He spends weeks perfecting travel down to his hometown to try and investigate.

He is sixteen when he realizes no one knows anything. Fifteen years of being neighbors with the same people and no one knew where his mother took his brothers.

John is seventeen when he spends his birthday alone just outside a simple old cabin, huddled around a fire with a candle in a marshmallow. He only has one wish.

John is almost seventeen and a half when he can entirely live out in the wilderness by himself if he wanted.

He almost did.

John is seventeen and a half when he follows a girl from church to the recruitment office. They both have things they are running from and neither of them judge. Neither of them can. She stands by his side as they fill out paperwork and she asks him if he's okay. He hasn't been asked that for years.

John gives her a grin that's only partially fake and tells her never better.

John is seventeen and a half when he leaves home for the last time.

And then realizes it was never home at all.

[artzzyb00-27]

Buck's Baby Deer

Buck has a daughter AU. You all love it. I know you do. Anyway her name is Calliope Buckley. And she's four years old. This takes place Post-Lawsuit(our favorite). Pretend the loft has two bedrooms, please. Jealous Eddie, of a male friend of Buck's who is flirty with everyone. So all in all, good fun. Might make a part two to this, but not immediately taking place after.

If you had told Buck that he would've ended up straining his relationship with the 118 more. He never would have officiated the lawsuit. Considered it, yes. He had a kid to think about.

Calliope Buckley. Buck's pride and joy. Truly, she was a sweet kid. She was smart, which she got from her mom, and had sass to her which came from Buck.

The swearing came from her staying up late without Buck knowing and watching what he was watching secretly. Rick and Morty is the favorite. Of course, she got grounded, but hey at least she never whines when she gets punished. Due to it happening often, and never being extreme punishments.

Also, she only does small things, like drawing on the wall. So then she can't have her crayons and markers for a week. Till she started with black pens, which artistically impressed Buck, and gave her stuff back.

Her mom? Well to put it simply, she didn't want kids. Well not yet. She didn't feel ready, but she told Buck because she knew how much he wanted his own family. She said she'd go through the pregnancy for him, but after that, they were done. Buck was heartbroken, but it was healed with a tiny baby with a birthmark running across their nose.

Reckless Buck had been mainly a ploy, yeah Abby had been a thing, and Ali had loved Calliope, but Calliope never liked the women that came. So after Taylor, he stopped dating.

Which, yeah probably got rid of free babysitter but he had Carla. Who swore to not tell anyone about Callie. That's how he ended up at the store that day. He needed to go buy kid snacks and nutritional values. And he picked up some cat stuff for his neighbor Caleb.

He had forgotten the 118 showed up there to get their supplies. It slipped his mind, especially with a hungry four-year-old wandering around inside because she saw Nemo flavored Oreos posters outside and couldn't help but run in to look for them. 

"Because you're exhausting! We all have our own problems but you don't see us whining about it. Somehow we just manage to suck it up." Eddie yelled at him, that he was exhausting. It made him freeze. For one, the guy he liked, maybe even loved, hated him. Two, his daughter was around and he didn't want her to hear this. Especially cause it was true. At least to Buck, it was. Caleb had been great at making sure he knew how much he mattered.

But sometimes no matter how hard you helped, the brain would hotwire itself to not listen. His ears were ringing. Breathing was shaky and suddenly something exploded behind them. They ran out. Callie.

He grabbed her, grabbed the cookies, paid, and got the hell out of there. When Mackey told him they won and that the fire department wanted to give him 5.6 million dollars. He refused. He already had money from Callie's mom. Who was stupid rich, and gave him extra money than he needed for child support. How did Bobby and Maddie not know about this? Well it was in the files that weren't allowed to be shown to everyone, and Maddie hadn't probed questions at him while she was with Doug.

Callie's grandparents(maternal) were godsends. When he was too busy to make a flight for Callie, they would come and visit from Michigan. Good ole Harold and Ellie. Old but sturdy. Kind yet honest. Heart driven, yet logical.

When he denied the settlement,  Chiefs Williams and Alfonso had called him in. Asking why he didn't take it. When he explained the lawsuit from his perspective, they told him they'd make Bobby let him back in. He agreed, only on the terms that no one got fired. He knew what Bobby did wasn't professional, but he didn't want the man to lose his job.

He had already given up on the idea of having his family back immediately. But that didn't matter. He needed money. He couldn't rely on others for it too much.

And he damn well wasn't going to get it from a settlement. He felt sick at the thought. So when he returned to work. He sucked up the way he was being treated.

Wasn't easy at first, but he'd been treated like this for most of his life. So he got used to it quickly. Callie was keeping him going, making sure to get up in the morning and to make food. For the both of them, because despite being young, Callie was an observant kid. Hen too, but she'd tried to keep the peace on both sides.

Guess the secret couldn't be kept any longer, as he was on a twelve-hour shift when Caleb called.

"Caleb?" He had been cleaning the kitchen counter. The 118 was dispersed everywhere throughout the station, but Eddie, Hen, Chim, and Bobby were in the dining area nearby.

Looking over, Eddie frowned his eyebrows. Who the hell was Caleb?

"Slow down-,... Shit. I'm on my way."  Buck hung up the call and sped walked to Bobby. "I'm so sorry Cap, but I need to leave. Family emergency."

"What? Maddie didn't call." Chim said confused. Buck just rolled his eyes and continued talking. Taking the others aback.

"No, not Maddie, but someone who is family to me needs help and I can't wait around. Besides I only have thirty minutes left."

Contemplating for a brief minute, Bobby gave him the go-ahead. Giving his boss thanks, he ran downstairs, grabbed his duffle, and ran out. Didn't even bother changing out.

"Who'd you think needed help? I didn't even know he had other friends outside of us." Hen's questioning made Eddie and Bobby think. Had Buck ever mentioned anyone he knew outside of work?

-------------------------------------------

Heading to the hospital had been teasingly slow. Buck didn't know what exactly happened, but his daughter was there and needed a cast.

When he got there, he saw Caleb's car in the front. Luckily there was a spot next to it so he just parked there. Running in, he saw Caleb pacing around the waiting room. This guy is the guardian angel of his daughter.

"Caleb! What the hell happened?" Buck asked running up to his new best friend. Eddie had been demoted recently, which hurt Buck more than when he admitted to himself that he was in love with the man. Wasn't that hard of a realization as Caleb was studying to be a therapist and became a free one for Buck. He was gonna be great for younger kids.

"I'm so sorry, we were at the park and she was climbing the monkey bars like usual but some kids ran underneath her. I think she freaked and let go. She broke her list when she landed. I'm so sorry, Buck." Pulling the smaller man into a hug, Buck thanked him.

"You, confident Caleb, is worried? Relax, you did the right thing. Nothing worse happened so she's going to be okay. She's a tough nut to crack remember?"

"Yeah, she didn't fuss except when we were driving on our way to the hospital. Pulled out my phone to call you but she told me not to because it, 'Wasn't a big deal.'" Yup, his daughter all right. At that moment, the doctor came out.

"Family of Calliope Buckley." Both of the men walked up to her. "She's a brave and happy girl. She insisted on a cast with monster trucks on it." Chuckling softly, Buck just imagined his baby girl talking to the doctor casually as they were adjusting her broken wrist to fit into the cast.

"Yeah, that- that's Callie. My little warrior." Smiling at Buck the doctor extended out a hand. "I'm Callie's father by the way. Caleb is her godfather." The doctor smiled and read over her clipboard telling them what kind of pain meds she would need. Caleb, however, wasn't exactly listening. Godfather. Holy shit.

After the doctor told them she could have one of them go in, he gave Buck the go-ahead. They'd talk later, right now his friend needed to see his goddaughter. Damn, that feels good to say.

After a few minutes of waiting, the Buckleys walked out and Buck handed Callie off to Caleb to go check out. Walking out with the kid towards their cars he swung her around a bit, placed her on top of his hood, and just let her play games on his phone. She was good at Clash of Clans for a six-year-old.

When Buck walked out of the hospital, Caleb saw him look around to check for cars and when he turned right he froze. Then speed walked toward his daughter and best friend. Still half watching Callie, Caleb put her in the back seat of Bucks jeep.

"What happened?" He asked with Callies door still open. Her seat was always right behind Bucks. She liked being a tailgunner for some reason.

"The 118s here." Not wanting to look suspicious, Caleb pulled Buck into a hug with his eyes closed. Then when he opened his eyes as he was about to let go, he locked eyes with one of them. A relatively smaller guy who had brown hair and tanned skin. He looked confused. Mad? Who knows, but it wasn't happy.

"We'll talk about it later. Right now, this little fighter needs an ice cream." Callie shot out of her seat and yelled out.

"Fuck yeah!" Throwing their heads back, slightly looking around for parents who thought they were better, Caleb and Buck laughed at the six-year-old. Shaking his head, Caleb shriveled her hair and practiced his handshake with Buck. Then went into his pickup and drove off. Buck settled Callie down and told her to sit down. She did so immediately, already deciding what three flavors she could mix up conveniently.

Closing her door, Buck opened his door and drove off to the small ice cream business near his apartment to get their usuals for him and his small family. Meanwhile, the 118, specifically Eddie, watched him drive away.

-------------------------------------------

Watching Buck drive away with a kid was strange. Watching Buck with another man and kid, was even more strange. Was that Caleb? And who the hell was that kid Buck had in the back seat? After that, he decided to confront Buck about it next shift but then realized that Buck wouldn't be at work for another three days.

When he came to work the next morning, he noticed the small tension because no one could ask about what the hell they saw yesterday at the hospital parking lot. So they waited. And when the time came, Bobby said they were gonna have Bosko take over for Buck.

"He's on paid family leave." He explained but wouldn't go into detail.

"Why?" Eddie asked. Maddie wasn't hurt, or Chimney would be gone as well.

"Can't say. He told me not to. Leave it at that." For some reason, Bobby looked apprehensive. Which made Eddie more frustrated. He'd already dropped the street fighting. He didn't want to see Lena right now. So that's how he somehow found himself sitting in his car. In front of Buck's apartment building.

He hadn't decided if he wanted to go in, yet he was sitting out here like a stalker. In the end, he walked into the elevator and walked towards Buck's apartment. Taking a deep breath, he knocked on the door.

After what felt like the longest minutes, Eddie heard the door unlocking. His heart beating in his chest, preparing to face whatever was behind that door. Then it opened. It wasn't Buck opening the door no. But a guy slightly taller than Eddie, with darker skin, side shaves, and braids that went over the top of his head. He had muscle and yet looked so meek. Slight stubble and a scar on his right eyebrow.

"Can I help you hermoso?" His accent seemed Dominican. Shook, Eddie froze, till he heard a familiar voice.

"Eddie?" Behind the beautiful man blocking Eddie, was Buck. In a hoodie with basketball shorts and sneakers. The hoodie was not baggy, as it clung to Bucks biceps making it look like it was about to rip. "What are you doing here?"

"I-I thought you were alone."

"Daddy? Who's that?" A little girl behind both of the men walked out of the hall from the spare room. Okay, what the fuck? Eddie thought as he stumbled slightly and opted to leave. Buck followed him down the hall closing the door, leaving Caleb to distract Callie.

"Eddie! Eddie! You can't just show up, a-and not explain why you're here randomly at 3 p.m.." Buck said after pulling Eddie to a stop with a firm hand on the shoulder. Eddie spun around breathing rapidly.

"Me? Me not explain!? You have a kid that none of us know about!"

"Why does it matter?! You've done a really good job at pretending I'm not there at work." Not wanting a repeat of the grocery store, Buck left to go inside and left Eddie frozen in the apartment complex hallway. Unconsciously doing the same thing the older man had done to him.

Finding his way, Eddie headed home to his son. Who was playing online with his friends, so it gave Eddie an excuse to lie down on his bed. Staring up at his ceiling, Eddie contemplates back. To when he first met Buck. Then to the fire truck bombing and the backyard incident at Athena and Bobby's place. It had scared him so much that he had initially agreed with the idea of Buck staying away from the 118. Hell, the whole fire department.

But when he filed that stupid lawsuit, it hurt worse to have Buck out of reach. Then he came back. And Eddie did not want to talk to him. Despite his heart longing to and making it break every time he snarked at anything Buck said or did in his general vicinity. He was angry at Buck but hated himself for being angry at Buck. The street fighting had started as a good outlet to let out the anger. But it went too far, and he blamed Buck for not being there when he needed someone to bail him out.

Now it turns out he has a family. A daughter, he had said he'd be better at raising girls than boys, and a man who looked like the perfect,... husband? Buck never talked about sexuality. Sexual innuendos yeah, but anything else no. But that didn't make sense because he had dated a woman while working at the 118. Unless it was recent. Then that Caleb guy was most likely his boyfriend.

That absolutely didn't sting.

Eddie was his best friend and yet he didn't know Buck's sexuality. Except,.. they hadn't acted like best friends had they? They(Eddie) haven't talked about the lawsuit properly and how it affected everyone(them).

Thinking back to the little girl at the apartment, Eddie couldn't help the small fond look that formed on his face. She was definitely Buck's. Seeing as the blonde curly hair and birthmark over the nose didn't give it away, she had the specific head tilt and eyebrow raise Buck had when he asked questions before going down a rabbit hole of information.

The fond expression quickly vanished as he remembered her arm. She had a cast on. That explained Buck's Paid Family Leave. Eddie could agree with Buck on this one, kids come first.

-------------------------------------------

After the Eddie pop-up two weeks ago, came Hen and Karen. Caleb was babysitting his goddaughter when knocking from Buck's apartment three doors down was heard. Repeated knocking. Sighing, Caleb threw the hand towel he was using to wipe down the island of his kitchen over his shoulder and told Callie to stay in her playroom.

Peeking out into the hallway, Caleb saw two black women waiting in front of Buck's door. His Bob Marley Vinyl could be heard from outside, so it drew their attention.

"He's not home. He'll be back in thirty minutes." They nodded and looked back at the door. Then he walked up to him.

"Hey there, I'm Hen. This is my wife Karen." Hen greeted shaking Caleb's hand.

"Nice to meet you."

"Always glad to meet beautiful faces, I'm Caleb by the way. I'm Bucks best friend." Hen and Karen gained shocked looks at different things. They gave each other a look that Caleb couldn't describe and thanked him while walking down to the lobby of that floor.

Caleb could've sworn he heard, 'Eddie's not gonna like this.', but who cares. Callie wanted Neapolitan, and she was gonna have it goddammit. After thirty-five minutes, Caleb counted, Buck opened the door and joined them for ice cream.

After they finished, they stood up and got ready to relax in their apartments separately. When Callie went in she bolted towards her room to catch up on homework she had procrastinated on accident. She had a bad memory and would forget about when to do things.

"Oh yeah, these women came by earlier. They said they were Hen and Karen?" Buck's eye widened. Then his eyebrows furrowed slightly in thought.

"They're friends through work. Why'd they come here?"

"Not sure, but they weren't happy about me saying I was your best friend. They said Eddie wouldn't be happy." Weird, they said goodbye and continued their normal weekend routine like normal. With Buck being off work for a bit and Caleb off at his work as a mechanic for big trucks, Buck decided to take Callie to the mall. She loved Hot Topic, especially with all the new pins and Bluey merch Buck told her they got.

He wanted the anime and Coraline merch they had. When they got there, they quickly went to Barnes & Noble for a gift card for Caleb's birthday and to look for Vinyls that they wanted. They ended up getting one from Bob Marley and a CD from multiple oldies artists. Callie had gotten a CD player for her birthday a few weeks back so it was perfect timing.

Though she did like her dad's music, she wanted her favorites that she had heard from Buck's Spotify and put on a special playlist for her. Heading to Hot Topic, they browsed the store together. They found some cool earrings that were based on space that Callie liked. So Buck got the punk leather bracelet pack to get another piece of jewelry for half off.

Once leaving the store, they went to the food court and ordered a pizza for the two of them. Pepperoni on one half and sausage and olives on the other. Buck got his pizza whilst Callie ate her olives individually before eating the slices. A habit that she developed from when she was a baby. Olives were always eaten separately.

After they were finished, they put the tray on the stand above the trash can and then left to go back home. Getting boba on the way though. Callie claimed that her stomach needed some liquid to calm the food in her stomach.

They got out of the car, ordered, and sat at the tables outside to enjoy the warm sun cascading down. This made everything worth it to Buck, all it was missing was,... well.

"Buck?" Hearing that voice in particular made his heart beat fast. Whether from fear or feelings. Either way, he didn't want to deal with this. "And little girl."

"Who you calling little?"

"H-Hey now, Callie, remember what I told you?" Sighing, the sassy child responded.

"'Not to speak disrespectfully to anyone you don't know.' She had used a deeper voice to repeat her father's words. "I know, I'll try to be better."

"I know." Buck's gentle reply did something to Eddie that he wasn't ready to admit yet. Turning back to Eddie, Buck asked him why he was there.

"I came to pick up and order Chim did online for us. Didn't know you'd be here, I swear." Buck just said it was fine and to ignore it. But Eddie couldn't. He went inside, grabbed the five drinks, and walked back to his truck. He placed the drinks in the passenger seat momentarily before walking back to the father-daughter duo. "Look, I know you probably don't want to talk to me after what happened at your apartment, but I need to get something off my chest."

"Is it about that overused grey shirt that's probably been through more flannels than you have relationships?"

"Callie."

"I said I'd try to be better."

Dang, Callie had some attitude. It was oddly loveable. Hearing Buck sigh and seeing him get up gave Eddie the go-ahead to speak.

"You were right. I wasn't there for you after the truck ladder. I didn't try to understand the lawsuit or your side of the story. Hell, I did the opposite and indulged in street fighting." A look from Buck made him feel smaller than he already was. "I stopped, don't worry. Anyway,... I messed up. We all did. But especially me. I promised I'd have your back and I didn't. And I swear that right here right now, if you're willing to let me, I will spend the rest of my life trying to make up for it. Calling you exhausting was the worst thing I could have done. Especially because it's not true, you've helped me out a lot with Christopher. And you were taking care of your daughter to add to everything else! I'm not asking for forgiveness but I am offering it to you. And even if you don't want to, I want you and Christopher to be able to hang out again. I want Christopher and your daughter to properly meet and for your boyfriend-"

"Boyfriend? Caleb's my best friend, not boyfriend." Oh. That hurt a little less than Eddie thought it would.

"Oh, well, good to know. And for you. Buck, you deserve someone who will be there for you. Platonic or not. Assuming that Maddie doesn't know yet, I won't say anything to the others about her." With that, Eddie began to walk off. Till a hand got placed on his shoulder.

"I don't forgive you yet. But I'd like to try." Letting out a sigh of relief, Eddie nodded and drove off. Quickly wiping his tears before getting out of his truck and walking inside Bobby and Athena's house. It was a start.

If he wanted his friend back, he'd have to work for it. He'd die for Buck. He'd make that clear.

-------------------------------------------

The day after the boba apology, Buck had considered introducing Callie to the 118. Only his close friends. With Caleb there for support. And to officially introduce him as the godfather to Callie. He didn't want to make anything official yet though. He wanted to get her opinion first.

"Okay." Easier than he thought.

"You sure kiddo? You've only heard stories about them." Calliope was mature for her age, but she was still a kid. He didn't want to force her into something that would make her uncomfortable.

"I mean, I'm not happy it took this long. Especially if I can have friends after school." Buck hadn't let her have friends come over from her school. The only reason was he didn't want his parents being bitchy or weird towards him and Carla about why he didn't stay home. Or why the mom wasn't around. "But Pops told me that sometimes people take time to adjust to changes. Like how I had to get used to wearing normal shoes and not light-ups all the time."

Buck didn't think he deserved her, but Caleb and Carla had reinforced multiple times that they weren't one without the other.

"Alright. I'll tell them to come over tomorrow. Is that fine?" With a small head nod, he shot a text to the group chat and one separate to Eddie. Saying to bring Chris to keep Callie comfortable. He then went over to Caleb's with Callie and spent the afternoon there.

After sending the text messages, ten minutes later Buck's phone started going off. With responses to the invitation to his apartment. They all had accepted.

-------------------------------------------

118🚒

Hen:

Sure, got nothing going on

Tried swinging by earlier and you weren't there

Chim:

Down to go, wanna bring Maddie

 Is that okay?

Buck: 

Yeah that's fine

Bobby: 

I'll be there, Athena will be too

Hen:

Karen will be working so I'm flying solo tmr

Eddie:

I'll be there

-------------------------------------------

Eddie

Hey thanks for the invite, Chris will be there too

Good to know, I was thinking of making pasta or ordering

Just order pizzas, we'll be fine

Alright, see you tmr

-------------------------------------------

A few minutes after the pizzas arrived, so did their visitors. Callie claimed that she had to make a good impression on Athena. So Buck styled her hair in Dutch braids and put on her best green shoes paired with her black overalls and striped yellow shirt.

She set out a LEGO box of Hogwarts on the coffee table for her and Chris to build together while the adults talked. When knocking was heard at the door, Callie and Buck got ready to receive them. All of them arrived near the same time so they decided to walk in together.

Taking a deep breath, Buck opened the door and smiled at them. However, their attention was quickly drawn to a young girl's voice yelling.

"Surprise bitches!" Callie was doing a dramatic pose whilst wearing sunglasses that Buck had bought a while back. They looked comically huge but somehow they went with the outfit. As they walked in, they all had shocked faces. Except Bobby, Athena, and Eddie. Caleb was still in his place fixing something with his sink.

"Guys, meet Calliope Buckley. My daughter of six years old." Maddie looked distraught yet enamored. Hen looked like she wanted to kill Buck but hugged the hell out of Callie. Chris was shaking with excitement. Chim was looking between father and daughter. Probably making comparisons in his head. Athena was smiling with a fond look in her eyes.

Bobby had probably told Athena about her already, which was fine, but the look Bobby had was heartwarming. Eddie had a small smile on his face and glanced at Buck.

"What?" Maddie asked looking to Buck for answers. But before he could answer, Callie began chatting with Chris.

"Hi, I'm Callie."

"I'm Chris."

"Wanna build a LEGO Hogwarts?"

"YEAH!"

As the kids walked away and sat at the coffee table, Buck led the adults away as best he could from the kids.

"Questions and theories, I know. But right now, have some pizza." So they did, and while they were serving, Caleb walked in.

"Hey lovely's. How's it going?"

"About to explain." They all looked at him to continue and not leave them on edge. Breathing in a sigh, he started talking. "A few years back, I met a girl. She was sweet and cool and I thought we had something special. Then, she got pregnant and she explained to me that she didn't want kids. I respected it and decided to break it off. She had Callie because she knew how much I wanted kids. I was a teen dad by technicality. Callie's grandparents took care of her while I lived with my mom and dad. After I got my job here, I was able to have her move in with me." Waiting for it to register in their heads, he silently let them ask questions. Then Chim raised his head.

"So, who's mom?"

"Penelope Smith. She has a master's in medicine and is a practitioner for athletes specifically. She sends me money when she can. Doesn't mean I don't have to work though."

"Grandparents are sweet. They come to visit from Michigan when they can." At Maddie's eyebrow raised Buck explained further.

"After having Callie, they moved to Michigan for Pen's college and to raise Callie in a more communal area. Meanwhile, I went off to travel. Mainly to get my parents off my ass. I didn't want to at first but Harold and Ellie told me to go for it."

"Nah, Harold practically dragged you into that Jeep." Laughing at the memory the 118 smiled at the pair. Eddie too, his was just dimmed slightly.

Running into the kitchen, Callie looked up at Buck.

"Can we get our slices? Me and Chris want to multitask." Earning smiles from everyone in the kitchen, Buck got four slices and put two on each plate. He turned around and sighed at his family.

"Who's hungry?"

[nightfurylover31]

I WIP I did after being inspired by IDW #55 and @starrjoy stunning artwork found here.

“Alright, fox boy! You ready to have some real fun?” Surge threw Tails onto the floor, knocking the Miles Electric out of his hand. He tried to reach for the device, but was stopped as his captor stomped on his back. “Not so fast!”

“Whatever you’re planning, Sonic’s going to stop you!” Even if he was beaten and held hostage, no way was Tails about to show weakness. 

“Hah! Keep telling yourself that, kid! ‘Cause once we’re done here, I won’t be the only one he has to stop.”

That… did not sound good. Tails hated to admit it, but he was starting to get nervous. Surge dragged him by his left tail over to a large computer setup. She flipped him onto his back, pressing her foot on his chest to keep him in place, then proceeded to pull a glove with a strange stone on it. It sort of resembled Starline’s with the Warp Topaz, but different. Surge put it on her left hand, almost disgusted by it.

“This thing… caused us so much pain. I thought it was gone for good when I threw HIS into the fire pit, but it seems he had an extra… Lucky us.” 

With that, she slammed it down on Tails’s face. “Let’s get started!”

———

“So, this is the place?” Sonic asked as he turned to Kit. 

“Y-yes, sir. This is where we… w-where we lived.” The young fennec’s voice was more meek than usual. After Surge took off with Tails, the blue duo chased after them. Honestly, Sonic was surprised Kit stayed with him instead of going back to her. The hedgehog wanted to know if there was anywhere Kit thought Surge would go. This was the only one that came to mind, one of Eggman’s bases in the middle of the desert. 

“Huh. Starline sure made himself comfortable.” As the two made their way into the base, Sonic looked at Kit. “So, tell me again why you two had it out for us? We never met, yet Surge acted like I was her sworn enemy.” 

“W-we were… because… y-you…” Kit mumbled. 

Sonic didn’t understand. He knew the kid was on edge, but he couldn’t make out what he was trying to say. He was more of a nervous wreck than when Sonic first met Tails. Tails…

“Don’t worry,” Sonic reaffirmed. “That whacky doctor won’t bother you again.” The feelings were mixed. Sonic never considered death an option, unless there was no other way, but Starline caused so much trouble. Bringing Eggman back, which led to the Metal Virus, trying to capture Tails, kidnapping Belle, and now whatever he did to Surge and Kit. It must have been bad, but… he was gone now. All that mattered was finding Tails. His little brother was tough and smart. He… he would definitely be alright. 

"Can I ask... why you call Tails your 'brother'?" Kit asked. "You two aren't even the same species. How can that be?"

Sonic shook his head in amusement. "It's true we're not blood, but that doesn't make him any less of a brother to me." Kit turned his head in confusion. "We've been together for years. We both didn't really have anyone before, but when we met, we just clicked. I helped him be more confident in himself, and he's saved my skin more times than I can count. He always has my back, and I can count on him for anything. Because of him... my life changed. I wasn't going it solo anymore, and now I can't imagine my life without him."

"You mean, he's that important to you?"

"More important than anyone else."

Kit led Sonic down the endless hallways. Suddenly, he stopped at one door on the right side. His pale face went paler. He started to shake and breathe heavily, like he was having a panic attack. Was there something in there? 

“Stay here,” the blue hero told Kit. Sonic slowly walked into the room. There were giant test tubes of some sort of green liquid. They were big enough for Sonic to fit in, which made him even more unnerved. His eye caught something on the floor. Papers with sketches and writing on them. “Homing attack,” “Spin dash,” some kind of cycle of him vs Eggman. Why did Starline have all these notes? Sonic then saw more papers on the table. Designs for what looked like Surge and Kit, like different models of them. What struck him the most was was one image of a person with robotic replacements. Just then, the pieces started coming together, and Sonic felt his stomach drop. 

“He... made you?” 

Sonic looked back at Kit, who was now shaking up a storm. His eyes glowing with a horrific gleam. Some of the water was leaking from his pack, swishing around like frantic arms. “H-hurt us… changed us… m-made us forget… to… r-replace you…” 

Finally, Surge’s words before made sense. She blamed Sonic. He admitted didn’t quite understand what she was going on about in their first fight. She was ranting in anger, like throwing a tantrum, so he wasn’t sure what to make of it at the time. Now he did. Starline stole Surge and Kit’s lives, their identities, their freedom… everything for his plan. Sonic was ready to fight tooth and nail to save Tails, but now…

Sonic made his way back, knelt down and placed his hand on the crying fennec. “I’m sorry, Kit. I’m sorry I couldn’t do anything to stop him. But he can’t hurt you anymore. And once this is over, the both of you can live however you want.” 

Kit sniffled, wiping the tears from his eyes. “B-both of us?” The water tendrils began to recede.

“We’re going to save Tails, and Surge. She’s important to you too, right?” Kit nodded his head. Sonic ruffled the kid’s hair, stood up, turned his head toward the door at the end of the room, and took a deep breath. “Let’s get this over with.” 

As if the last area wasn’t “cheery” enough, this room had even more test tubes. Sonic was just relieved they all looked empty. He couldn’t even begin to imagine what being trapped in there was like. 

“Hey! I know you’re watching! We’re here!” Surge came out from behind one of the tubes in front of them in response to Sonic’s voice. She has a cautious air about her, not sure what to expect but ready to fight. “Listen, I don’t want to fight you. Just let Tails go, and we can all walk away.” 

Surge’s attention was more focused on Kit. She slowly clenched her fists, electricity sparking. “After everything we’ve been through… what they’ve done to us… you go and join him?! I TOLD YOU YOU COULD ONLY TRUST ME! I TRUSTED YOU!!!” The anger and hurt in her voice was immense as the lightning she discharged. Sonic could even see some tears forming. She truly felt betrayed. 

Kit hid behind Sonic, cowering in fear and guilt. “I… I didn’t mean…” 

“Don’t be mad at him,” Sonic quickly defended. “He just didn’t know what to do. I was wrong, I thought you didn’t survive the fall from before. If I had… look, just tell me where Tails is. Please. We don’t have to fight.” 

Surge stared at her feet, trying to recompose herself. “Well then…” she turned back with glowing eyes. “Too bad it’s not up to you.” 

Suddenly, something slammed into Sonic, sending him flying to the other side of the room.

“Mr. Sonic!” Kit cried out. 

Sonic tried to pick himself up, holding the side of his head that hit against the wall. As his vision refocused, he saw his attacker. The last person he ever expected. 

“Tails? What are you—“ his sentence was cut off as Surge lunged at his throat. They collided with another wall as her grip tightened. “W-what… did you do?” he gasped. 

“Simple justice,” she cooed with venom in her voice. “You take my sidekick, I take yours.” 

“Tails would never turn against me! Right, little bro?” The fox was silent, stone cold gaze staring back. “Tails…” Sonic faced many horrors in his life, but nothing came close to the dread he felt from what he heard next. 

“I don’t know you.” 

—————

NOTES: I cut out Eggman and the Wisps so I could focus more on these four. I wrote this up before we got the Prime clip of Sonic and Tails, but it made me even more emotional seeing how sad Sonic was when Tails didn’t know who he was. Let alone fight him. Kit's question was a last minute addition, and I think it really makes what happens at the end hit even harder. 😢

Thanks again to @starrjoy for letting me write about her mini AU. 

[moodymisty]

Heyo hun! Just wanted to drop in and say that I am in love with your Darksiders Strife writing! Gah I just love him so much and it makes me so sad there is so little about him, please m’lord may I have more grool.

I would love to see how Strife met reader to begin with or even how they built up such a connection. Maybe even have it where they share a sense of humor and his siblings just groan saying that “It’s frightening how similar you two are” or even have strife save reader from a demon who attempted to use them as a way to draw out the horseman.

Anyways enough rambling! Love your work hun and I hope to see more about our boy Strife ❤️❤️❤️

Author's note: Ok I decided to combine your ideas with another I had tossing around in my washing machine of a mind. Your prompt was the perfect opportunity because I felt like they worked together. I hope you enjoy!

Relationships: Strife/Fem!Reader

Warnings: Pre-relationship crushes/pining, Some verrrrryy light implications of overprotective Death or Death maybe even having a crush on reader but you'd have to get a microscope to see that, Firing Strife's gun, Fluff

Strife remembers the first day you met; Like it's one of the pioneering moments in his long, long life.

He knew of your importance to Death. The two of you get along, which is saying a lot considering the attitude of the eldest Horsemen. He couldn't even count on one hand the amount of beings that he could say that about. Strife would hesitate to even count himself among them.

When you'd gotten captured by demons, it was Death who tore his tongue from between his teeth and asked Fury, War, and Strife for assistance in the matter.

Strife had seen you sitting on the ground; A wounded leg that isn't deadly but enough to cause you trouble is visible, and he holstered one pistol to make helping you up easier. Your smaller hand wrapped around the sharp edges of his gauntlet, and you looked up at him and smiled.

"Thank you Strife."

The horsemen of eternal unrest remembers that sentence vividly. As the moment you'd said his name, he was falling. But for a long while, he never did a thing about it.

You didn't seem to realize, but Death lingered around you at the back like a ghost. Constantly vigilant. He would never let him near you.

He wouldn’t; If he was Death. No one knows better than him what type of person Strife used to be. Cutthroats like him don't get to play around with fragile things like you. Even taking you on rides with Mayhem earns him an earful from the Reaper, who insists that he was too lax. That you’d end up getting hurt.

Death eventually acquiesced on it ever so slightly largely because you and him were quickly becoming attached at the hip, but Strife can still very much tell that the Reaper isn't fond of him being around you.

Well, fuck that. He's never been that good of a listener anyways.

"Hold on tight, I ain't gonna be the one telling Death you broke your nose."

Strife's much larger hand wraps around your own, which both hold onto Mercy's grip like a vice. His hand only forces them tighter, making extra sure that there's no chance the pistol can whip back into your face. Even with all this preparation however, you still have a hint of trepidation that the pistol is going to be too strong for you. It's overly large and looks almost hilarious in hands not meant for it, but you look down the iron sight with a fierce determination anyways.

It makes your nose wrinkle in this specific way Strife thinks is absolutely adorable, but he keeps the thought to himself. He thinks plenty of things about you are cute, this was just one of many.

"And just, pull the trigger?"

You know how a gun works, but given this is some magical Nephilim weapon, you just want to make sure that there isn't some sort of crazy, obscure thing you need to do so it doesn't blow up in your face. Better safe than sorry; And missing a finger.

"Yep." Strife pops the p and watches your index finger slowly pull back on the trigger, more and more before the forest that was peacefully quiet suddenly erupts with a frighteningly loud-

BANG!

He's fired these guns in your vicinity before, but it seems like when you're the one actually doing it, it's so much louder; As the sheer power of it has you doing a back step. The loud crack makes you nearly jump, before you begin to smile and laugh. The tree you were mildly aiming for is clipped on the side, splitting the bark and sending woodchips flying. Now smoke billows from the end of the gun's barrel, which you point downwards as you look up towards Strife.

"Holy shit, this thing's strong."

When you go to shoot it again you feel a cold gauntlet on your shoulder blades keeping you straight, as you fire shot after shot until your arms hurt from being so tense and shaken about. Strife stands right at your side the entire time, enjoying the way you laugh at the sheer shock and awe, and fun of it.

"And what exactly are the two of you up to this time?"

Death's voice cuts through the air like a knife, and Strife straightens up to look him in the eye. The Reaper's arms are crossed tight across his chest, and Harvester slung on his back in it's singular scythe form. He takes one glance towards the tree you've been shooting at and raises his eyebrows, before also noticing the way you're gripping a Nephilim weapon with all your strength. To think Strife had given it to you so casually.

"Just playing around. No need to get all pissy about it."

You can feel the way the air quickly fills with static between the two of them, glancing towards Death before you look back to Strife and hold Mercy out to him. You quietly request he do something with it so you won't shoot yourself in the foot.

"I want to try something." Strife takes the pistol from you and does what you ask, though there's a curious look to his eyes as he hands it right back to you.

It's sated quickly, as what you do is you do is attempt to spin it by the trigger guard, trying to replicate all the flourish you remember seeing in old western movies. When you manage to get a few successful rotations out of it, it's impossible not to smile and do a little congratulatory hop.

Death rolls his eyes.

"It's frightening how similar the two of you are."

Strife glances towards Death for a moment, and silently wishes for nothing more than for the Reaper to leave. Even if just for a minute more. Death's sentence gives you the exact opposite reaction however, as you step closer to Strife and look up at him.

"Partners in crime, right?" Your face and smile are expectant, happy, as your eyes dart over his mask. Strife claps a hand on the crook between your shoulder and neck and tugs you closer to him in a half-hug.

"Yeah! Partners." He doesn't miss the way Death visibly bristles the moment the word 'partners' leaves his lips. When he shifts from leaning on a hip to standing fully upright in preparation to walk away, Death nods towards you but speaks at Strife.

"Don't get her into anymore trouble than you already have." The gunslinger scoffs and rolls his eyes, shooing Death off with one gauntlet. Once the reaper is out of view you turn to Strife, raising your eyebrows. Mercy is in your hands pointed at the ground.

"The two of you really need to learn how to get along better."

If they were still mixing like oil and water after how many hundreds of years, Strife doubts they'll ever really get along. You being in the middle and a large point of contention doesn't help matters, even if you're totally unaware of that fact.

"I don't think that's gonna happen, princess."

He changes the conversation before you have the chance to entrench yourself more into it.

"Wanna give it another shot?" Pointing towards the tree you'd shot at previously he returns his hand to your shoulders, and breathes a sigh of relief when you become distracted again by attempting to play with weapons you really shouldn't be playing with in the first place.

He's got you all to himself for another moment, and he just wants to enjoy it.

[swearyshera]

Dear Gods, they're both desaturated... Way to hurt us. If I didn't know how it ended... oh dear... Anyway, I'm dropping in just to... offer you an egg in this trying time, or something... I really do think that some of your ask-ers lately are asking things of you above your pay-grade. Perhaps I am one of them? There's the usual fandom-fighting about the redeemability of Hordak that I thought was resolved ages ago with people just hanging out on their respective sides of the fandom. There's religion-rankling of the type that feels to me like it would be better discussed on people's on blogs and/or on various reblog chains by people familiar with the culture / subcultures and imagery rather than coming to the part funny / part pain abridged series blog that was trying to go for a more generalized approach and stay out of controversy. And I am glad that you took a more generalized approach with Prime, too. You could have easily played up the (canonical) Evangeli-speak and did a straight-up "Religion Bad!" thing with him which would have felt very tired to those of us who've seen it in many shows and stories before.. It also would have been alienating to the few (all one?) of us in this fandom who deconstructed their previous Christian religion thoroughly and ditched all organization and dogma but somehow didn't land on atheism as their personal answer? Your version of Prime feels much more like a generalized patriarchy, the general social expectations of the binaries and hierarchies. (In other words, I didn't even know who Andrew Tate was before the fight with Greta Thunberg or Ben Shapiro until he started setting Barbies on fire and your take on Prime gives me those kind of vibes - the vibe of the insecure, pathetic "manly-man" who must control the narrative but never will. Something like that. It really makes me feel like diversity of thought and life will win in the end.

I just like to add that little extra bit of hurt!

And I'm always happy to discuss my interpretations and what I have or haven't done, but sometimes there's things that I just have to stand up and say "I didn't know enough about this to do it right, so I didn't".

You've pretty much got my reasons spot on for not going full-on 'Prime as a preacher' - and i very much considered it. When it comes to religion, it's not always 'anti-religious atheism' vs 'super controlling oppressive religion' - there's a great majority of people for whom religion is a driver for good things in their life, and I don't want them to feel like their faith is collateral damage in my attacking a particular type of religion.

I think having Prime as a massive homophobe was a better choice narratively anyway. With the central story revolving around a couple of lesbians, it makes sense that he would be the antithesis to that. There's also an element of misogyny and general assholery that comes into it as well, but for the most part, Prime is someone who's hellbent on getting rid of queer people. And that is something that, horrifyingly, seems to be seeping into the real world too - some of the stuff I've had Prime see seemed so far-fetched at the time, but then you start seeing the same kind of rhetoric happening for real. It's terrifying, but I want to keep those parallels because, just like Adora, we will not be defeated by that. We won't be erased, because we are going to win out against hatred, just as Etheria will!

[chidoroki]

182 Days of TPN - Day 168

Chapter 168: "Dad"

I know this is the same room Isabella & Peter were seen having their discussion in back during ch165, but to just have two plain chairs in such a large, empty room seems so extra. Regardless of that, I do like the panel of the trio here, even though they're surprised to find no one here due to the fake footage Peter fooled Vincent with that lead them there.

Dunno how all the kiddos are hearing Peter's message since the teams seem to only have one person with a communication device but whatever. Perhaps he's speaking loud enough for everyone to hear.

Although I have a hard time believing the Ratri men were able to tie up the Adam clones without a fight, I guess anyone will yield once you hold them at gunpoint. Also, the absence of Hayato in this panel is a nice hint to his role next chapter.

While the demon guards don't cause much of a problem during the rest of the story, it still would've been better if the kids killed them off instead of put them to sleep. I get that they didn't wanna kill if they didn't have to, but it would've been one less thing to worry about. Hearing about Sonju & Mujika's execution definitely adds to the stress. Not as much as their deaths could have, but we're thankful Peter was stupid enough to actually wait three days.

Along with all the citizens who drank the evil blood being killed, the Ratri clan and the higher-up demons taking control of the government, let's add the plan to assemble a ton of new Lambda farm into the mix as well. Talk about a big time panic. The premium farms don't sound so bad now huh?

Oh Vincent, you dunno these kids as well as you thought if you honestly believe they would shoot the adults in front of them. Emma, Ray, Don & Gillian couldn't manage to fire a shot at Andrew back when he held Dominic & Alicia hostage after the shelter raid. You're best bet would've been Oliver. This goes back to that old post of mine wondering who, among the kids, would be able to shoot at another human, but I still believe Ray could manage it, if only as a last resort.

The thought of Norman firing at another person was always a toss up for me though. Of course he showed no mercy towards demons during this WM phase, so even with the clear difference between demon and human, I wouldn't have been completely surprised if that cold persona of his came back with a vengeance once he heard Vincent get shot. Peter's been a thorn in Norman side ever since Lambda, so having this bastard personally hurt one of his friends just adds fuel to the fire. Norman (& Ray) did often mention taking down Isabella & Krone back during their GF days if they wanted to escape successfully, so they have level of brutality, it's just been real lowkey. Thankfully none of the children need to get blood on their hands. They've suffered enough already.

Please never say those words with your mouth. No one in this world considers you as that.

Hell yeah Oliver, let him know what's up!! I love that he, Zack & Gillian feel so strongly about the word "dad" because of the relationship they had with Lucas. The same can be said about Ayshe & her father but I can ramble more about all that next chapter.

Favorite panel/moment:

If you've been around me for a while, then you already know how damn hilarious this panel of Norman is to me.

I mean, in context, it's pretty serious, but thanks to a silly edit I've made years ago, I can't look at this panel anymore and not laugh like an idiot. So, now's the perfect time to upgrade it from a noticeable bad edit I made in the car on my phone once upon a time to something more worthy to use every time I lose my mind.

[rivangel]

i was thinking about it and i realized how cruel it would've been if kuchel still had to actively work as a prostitute whilst pregnant with levi. like pls i get the need to have money and that the whole Underground mentality is survival but at least during that time, kuchel needed a break or to at least not have some pig on her. like kuchel is strong and all but imagine the potential shame felt from being unable to keep levi "safe" even before he's born(??).

god this is so interesting. Kuchel probably kept the pregnancy from her boss(es) for as long as possible until she started showing too much to excuse. because what if she got "fired"? when the truth does come out, i think the other women would've stood up for her though. even women who Kuchel's not particularly close to.

But fr she probably had some close friends that always wanted to touch her belly🥺 and maybe talked about names with, or held debates over whether it's a boy or a girl... to take away from the true gravity of Kuchel bringing a baby into this kind of world.

if she ever heard criticism or pointed questions about how happy a baby/Levi would be, Kuchel would completely dismiss it, and get defensive. She knew she loved Levi even before he was born, and that she would provide, support, and protect him with her life. he deserved to have a chance to live.

she was especially ornery after Kenny came to try and talk her out of it. a shouting match perhaps? holy shit. Kuchel being the one to flat-out tell him to go to hell if he says one more thing about her baby being cursed or doomed from the start. I like to think about the sorrow Kenny would feel, even though he'd be remiss to admit it even to himself.

on the topic of the women Kuchel considered friends, they would come by her room with extra food from time to time since she was eating for two. I think that after a certain point when Kuchel was too far along to work (it's dangerous anyway?), Kuchel had to go without pay and (begrudgingly) relied on the others for charity. Kuchel is the independent type, but for Levi she set aside her pride and asked for help.

imagine after she's done with a client and the guy lights a cigar or something. she refuses to be in the room with him (would a customer pay her extra to cuddle or something...?) until he puts it out. On that topic I wonder how many customers she'd get after it became clear she was pregnant? Very sad to imagine her pregnancy being used as a turn-off for some customers. maybe others had a moral problem with it, but in the Underground who knows.

did any customers have a savior complex? and offered to take Kuchel away from the Underground, like sweeping her off her feet or something? She'd probably heard the same promises many times before and didn't take the offer because she knew they wouldn't go through with it. But then again, if it meant her baby being born and living Aboveground, wouldn't she have done it? Even if that meant a toxic or abusive relationship, at least Levi would've had a father figure and had sunlight. Could she have been that stubborn? For Levi there's nothing she wouldn't have done :/ so maybe she didn't get that chance.

customers who offered to pay for her to have an abortion... Kuchel's boss(es) threatening her with less pay if she didn't because of the way her body would look after the birth (stretchmarks, a bigger belly I think? and for some time after birth she wouldn't be able to have sex).

Godd she'd definitely feel so much shame. she had so little support, and even less ability to make sure her baby grew in a good environment. the stress on her couldn't have been good. But her anger, too, whenever customers/whomever insulted the idea of a prostitute being a mother. calling her baby a parasite. perhaps thinking of Kuchel as "ruined" in a way.

| levi masterlist | main masterlist |

[amenders93]

4 Weeks till Chicken Run 2!!!

Often times we see that before two people can actually start to realize they're developing feelings for each other, something has to happen between them that leads up to it. They start off as friends and one does something small but kind to show how nice they are or can be. Then they can perform either a heartfelt touching act or a brave and daring deed. Finally they have a tender yet somewhat romantic moment where they feel some kind of spark between them. That's why for this week's post, we are going to review the most touching scene between Rocky and Ginger - their talk on the rooftop. After their escape from the pie machine, Rocky is now having conflicting feelings nagging at his mind and his heart. And when Ginger comes along again, those feelings may end up changing the whole situation. What is going to happen and what is he going to do about it?

Let's pick up where Ginger is now in hut 17 warning the other hens about what she and Rocky discovered in the barn. Ginger was right before; something really is wrong on that farm. All the clues were there and they just didn't put it together until now - strange boxes arriving in the barn, Babs stops laying but isn't taken to the chop and the extra food rations. They all point to one conclusion: Mr. and Mrs. Tweedy are fattening the chickens up to turn them into chicken pies! At first the hens, as they often do in such situations, start to panic but then Ginger informs them that Rocky sabotaged the machine and bought them some more time. And even better still, now that his wing is better, he will demonstrate his flying technique the next morning. Ginger is sure that once they've seen how it's done, they'll get it. She also assures them that everything will go much, much smoother by tomorrow. The chickens are now cheering with excitement and being filled with hope by their trusted fiery leader.

Unfortunately, even though all the chickens inside the hut are now happy and excited about tomorrow, there is one chicken outside the hut watching the whole scene inside that is feeling the exact opposite - Rocky. After Ginger's fired up speech, he starts to walk away towards Fowler's hut. As he walks inside, it's easy for us to read the emotion on his face. He's feeling bad and responsible; he had led them all on, and now Ginger was pinning all her hopes on something that would never - could never - happen.

Rocky is so deep in thought about his predicament that he gasped when he bumped smack into Fowler, standing right in front of him scowling. Our young rooster gathered his wits together and defensively asked the older rooster what he did wrong now. However, instead of another complaint, this time Fowler replied that what Rocky did was a brave and honorable deed, for he had saved Ginger's life. Rocky was taken aback by this; usually Fowler had always complained about him but he has never once complimented him. And what comes next is equally surprising - Fowler apologizes to Rocky for misjudging the young rooster's character especially after saving the life of the hen that he considers a daughter to him (Ginger).

The elder rooster then pins his beloved medal to Rocky's bandana for his brave act, salutes him (with Rocky awkwardly following suit) and even surrenders the bunk entirely to the young rooster in order to sleep under the stars. Fowler marches toward the door and turns to Rocky, telling him that he awaits tomorrow's flying demonstration with great anticipation. And then Fowler is gone, leaving Rocky alone in the hut. He looks at himself in the mirror saying "You and me both, Pops" under his breath and then looks at the medal on his chest.

Now we find Rocky sitting under the moonlit starry sky on the rooftop of hut 17, looking down at his medal. If he felt bad before, now he's feeling even worse. Now not only were the hens looking forward to seeing Rocky fly the next day, but even the usually cranky old rooster Fowler is anticipating his flying technique as well. The young rooster has finally earned the trust and respect of all the chickens, and it's all based on a lie. He looks up from the medal and out to the horizon, not realizing that Ginger was coming up from the other side to do the same thing he's doing right now. She doesn't know he's up here too.

The two chickens are startled to see each other there and start to speak to each other at the same time. They do this about three times before they then start to giggle. This was the first time they had actually laughed together. Rocky and Ginger sit next to each other and that's when Ginger starts to talk (without interruption this time, mind you) to Rocky. She admits to him that she was a bit harsh with him at first and then thanks him for saving her life, then adding on to that thank-you that he's saving all their lives. Our determined hen is really starting to go soft, which is a good thing. And I think it's all because of a certain rooster.

Ginger is now looking at the hill in the horizon and tells Rocky that she comes up to the rooftop every night to look out to that very hill and just imagine what it must be like on the other side of it. Rocky gazes at the hill with her as she is pouring her heart and her feelings out to him. But when she mentions that she's never actually felt grass beneath her feet, he turns to look at her realizing just how much this means to her. His heart is starting to grow for her even more so, making what he felt before even more conflicting. Rocky is really starting to take her feelings seriously at this point.

That's when Ginger interrupts herself, apologizing that she's been sitting there rambling on about hills and grass and yet, he had something he wanted to say to her. Now it was Rocky's turn to talk, but he's really nervous and starts to fluster with his words. He tries to say that life, as he experienced it out there lone free ranging, is full of disappointments. Ginger jokes that he's saying that grass is not all it's cracked up to be. Rocky grabs the concept of grass and adds that everyone says grass is always greener on the other side but once you get there, it's brown and prickly. He asks Ginger if she sees what he's trying to say; first she nods her head yes but then she shakes her head no. I think what he's trying to say (in his own way at that moment) is that sometimes in life, things don't always turn out the way we hope. That when you build something up so much, the real thing cannot possibly live up to expectations.

Rocky then tries again to take this chance to tell her what he wanted to say earlier at the dance party, but when he looks at Ginger, he finds himself looking deep into her beautiful green eyes again and feeling things he had never felt in his life. He just can't get the words out; he just simply says "You're welcome" to her thank-you for saving her life. Ginger smiles and turns back to the hill and softly says that the hill is looking closer tonight than it ever has before. My guess is because of the company she has with her at this particular moment 😉. As she says this, Rocky looks at Ginger again and back out to the hill again. He's probably thinking about how beautiful she is at this moment and how upset he is at himself for chickening out (no pun intended) at telling her the truth.

Ginger then places her hand down, only to find that she'd accidentally set her hand on Rocky's. They nervously pull their hands apart and their eyes met for a brief second. If they had just kept looking at each other or had their hands touch longer, this would have been the perfect romantic moment 😉😍. Both Rocky and Ginger are now feeling awkward and embarrassed; they also probably felt a little spark when their hands touched and are just feeling uneasy at feeling something they have never felt before. That's when Ginger stands up to leave and gently bids Rocky good night. As he watches her go, he reluctantly bids her good night too and for the first time ever, he calls her by her name. Ginger pauses, smiles, softly sighs, and then just leaves. If I didn't know any better, I think that Ginger is falling in love with Rocky 🥰. Rocky sadly watches Ginger leave, still upset at himself for not getting the right words out earlier. When he turns to look back at the horizon, he pulls out a torn piece of paper and stares at it, trying to figure out what to do about this situation. Rocky is now about to make the hardest choice he's ever had to make in his entire life.

At this point, we can say that our dashing rooster and resourceful hen now are starting to develop feelings for each other, and they are romantic feelings too. After the dance party and the pie machine rescue, Rocky and Ginger start to see each other differently, and in a good way. Ginger is now seeing Rocky as kind, charming and brave and Rocky is seeing Ginger as compassionate, confident and also brave, not to mention beautiful. They have changed each other for the better, Rocky most of all, but still. Ginger has gotten softer and maybe less brutal with her honesty and Rocky is growing a heart for the chickens and considers them his friends, actually caring about them. But this sweet love story is about to get complicated before it can get more romantic.

Ginger is now more open around Rocky and is comfortable with sharing her feelings. She thanked him for saving her from the machine and everyone's lives by simply being there, and talks about her dreams of going over the fence. On the other hand, Rocky feels nervous about sharing his feelings and is flustered with his words, which is very different to how he talked to Ginger initially. This is because he has never had the chance to really express himself to anyone about his true feelings due to whole façade with being the Lone Free Ranger and his boastful, confident nature he shows on the outside. He has even stopped calling her derogatory nicknames like he had previously done. If that doesn't show how much Ginger has changed him, I don't know what will.

If Rocky had felt bad before, now he's feeling even worse. First he feels responsible about leading the chickens on with a big lie he's kept from everyone. Then when Fowler starts to show him respect and even gives Rocky his prized medal, the feeling starts to turn to guilt. And now after the rooftop talk with Ginger and even their brief romantic moment, his guilt starts to grow immensely. For the first time in his life, Rocky has fallen in love - and with Ginger. Which makes it difficult because earlier that day, he called her out on her brutal honesty and yet he hasn't been very honest about himself to her. Talk about irony. He knows just how much his contribution means to her and therefore he makes the toughest decision he’s ever made. What do you think he's going to do?

Anyway this is my ninth weekly Rocky/Ginger moment post commemorating the upcoming sequel to Chicken Run. I hope you enjoyed this post. There will be 3 other posts about the first film coming up in the future. Waiting for this long-awaited sequel may not be easy but these posts are making it easier as the release date draws nearer. But now the wait is almost over!!!!

[bishiglomper]

Damnit

I can't sleep

I took a whole muscle relaxant but.... yeah

My brain won't stfu

I keep trying to run scripts

Being one of those self conscious autistics freaking SUCKS

I figured out how I could ask Amir stuff though.

I'm weird and can't curse IRL without some major effort so to just SAY "You don't have to fuck to be fab" is already hard enough without the extra layers of social anxiety that come with it. I was about to conceded defeat with that idea. But fuck it I'll just hand him a note like "Can you say this line as Alastor pls?"

Also I was kind of hoping for a-

"You dont have to fuck to be fab, darling!"

But then I thought if he did it more like-

"You dont have to fuck to be fab, my dear."

THEY HAVE SUCH DIFFERENT VIBES AND I LOVE THEM BOTH like a "let your freak flag fly" VS encouragement UUGH how do I verbalize that exkncbfjsn. Like honestly if he did the latter I might get teary fr 🥺

Also that would be fun to share with a panel and voice it at a mic but LOL like i could do that. 💀

Also. If I WERE to have the courage to use the mic..

I would want to pose a question to him as Alastor, and say something like "Do you consider yourself asexual? (a sexual)" (ty 🤭 @grownupchangeling)

But that's a very risky chance of Amir catching onto the wordplay let alone expecting him to run with it.

Though.....

If I can get a hold of him before the Sunday panel (which, I freaking hope I would) Maybe I could just run it by him and then he'd be prepared.. 👀

See, I told you, my brain just won't shut up. I'm so anxious lmao I hate speaking to people. I wish I could just emote irl. Sigh.

You know nephew is so different when he's in a mask costume. Pikachu or plague doctor, he loves interacting with people. He actually had the confidence to sit away from his family to join other kids at an interactive thing at the Ren Faire, and he sat himself at the edge of the road to greet and pass out gems to passerbys. He's just totally different.

My friends said her kid was like that too. With masked costumes, they're just more confident. And she can tell how comfortable they are by whether they're wearing their covid mask or not.

I. DO NOT HAVE THAT.

IT REALLY OFFENDS ME THAT I DO NOT HAVE THAT.

I cannot put on that type of mask, my self consciousness runs too fucking deep. I can't even play imaginary with kids. I can't read/sing aloud. Barely even alone. I feel like too much of an idiot.

One time anime club asked me to explain the plot of the anime we were gonna watch because they didn't see the first episode, but I had. The lights were off, I was in a corner, I didn't have to look at anyone and they didn't have to see me. I also knew beforehand that they were going to ask it of me. I did it but I felt like I was on fire. Even all that only helped by like 15%.

It is just. So bad. So, so bad. My online interactions are only marginally better. The think-to-text filter is a lot more forgiving than the think-to-speech one.

...........

So anyway, that's the trauma dump of the day ✨️💅 I hope you enjoyed your stay ✌️