#I love how no one questions the really evil lab coat for how obviously evil it is

[oifaaa]

to oifaa,

your art is phenomenal but please never show me anti-robin again I broke out in hives and the back of my head hurts now. those colours in that exact combination supercharged all of my fight of flight instincts and I'm all out of wings

seeing god and the devil,

anon

But that's the point I want people to physically weep at the sight of the anti Robin I want it to be painful to look at him for too long least you lose your eye sight for good

[lovee-infected]

hi hi!!! i love your vil analysis post!! just wondering though...why does vil force epel to do traditionally “cute, feminine” things. i get that it’s, like, to counter neige for the vdc, but it kind of goes against vil’s ideology? like, how i see it, vil advocates for people to express themselves how they want without being bound by gender roles. i feel like if epel tried forcing his manliness ideology onto other people, he’d be justified in his “forcing epel to do cute things” plan, but i don’t think epel has ever shamed feminine guys? he just wants to be manly himself. could this be an allusion to how the evil queen turned ugly just to fulfill her goals? vil going against his core ideals and becoming “ugly” just to win?

Glad you enjoyed it dear! As for your question, I believe that'll be better if I go into details because I've seen many asking similar questions regarding chapter 5, and I guess that's causing some misunderstandings towards both Vil and Epel. Well, we're soon getting the rest of the Pomefiore Chapter, so I guess it's the best time for an analysis on Epel and Vil's relationship and how Chapter 5 has been going so far

First off, let me state something really really important about the Pomefiore chapter, this arc has got pretty wild spirits that are quite new compared to the previous chapters. We've got Neige, the first RSA character to appear as a real rival of a NRC student, Vil and Epel's rough relationship, Ace and Deuce joining MC on the new adventure once again and finally, the VDC: an event with is potentially important to not only the whole NRC but also Twisted Wonderland!

While all fans are surely excited to see what we'll be going through next, there are quite a few of misunderstandings and wrong interpretations that are considerably important regarding the Pomefiore chapter. In order to avoid possible dramas and more misinterpretions between the fans, let's try to take a better look at this Chapter and important Pomefiore hints that we've got so far:

(1)Epel's feelings; the most important element of chapter 5

One of the quite brilliant facts about Chapter 5, is the unique presence of characters and their roles in the story. This might seem quite unrecognizable, but right now Epel's appearance is effecting the audience way more than Vil's! This arc is mainly focusing on making the audience feel his pain and hard time, and I can say that they're doing it pretty well! We'll talk about how his feelings are being presented in part (6). Now, you may wonder why his feelings are so important in the Pomefiore arc? Isn't it supposed to be mostly about Vil? Well of course, the story is most likely leading us to Vil's overblot so he's the heart of this chapter, but the important thing is too see how crucial Epel's role is here. Watching how Epel is in pain, silenty crying and forced into doing something that he doesn't want to by Vil is savagely effecting this fandom's interpretation of Vil, some are commenting on how he's the worst or how horrible he is or hundreds of not really friendly critiques which is awfully frustrating... We'd continue to talk about this point in part (5)!

(2) Epel's relationship with Vil

Let's review what we've got through the side stories. To begin with, Epel obviously doesn't really like Vil, (I'm trying to cooperate and not say that he hates him) he didn't appreciate having him as the dorm leader from the very beginning. But he's got some strong reasons to dislike Vil so we can't really blame him:

1)Vil slapped him all of a sudden just because of his poor posture at the dinner table 2)Vil almost crashed Epels head between his hands while teaching him some manners 3)Vil's idealistic are just the opposite of Epel's 4)Vil is trying to change Epel, especially during chaptet 5. It sometimes feels like Vil is treating Epel like his puppet and Epel doesn't appreciate this all.

At the end of his SR lab story Epel stated how he's going to study his hardest in magic and potions, so maybe at some point he'd beat Vil, which goes to prove that he considers Vil a rival.

"Why is it so though? Isn't this pretty risky for Epel to challenge Vil, especially as Vil is a dorm leader and Epel's just a first year who's still an amateur at magic?"

Farewell, let me mention something about Epel, he's got a really strong will to the point of not giving up until proving everyone wrong. He's often looked down on, is called to be useless and dumb, and is sometimes insulted for being innocent and naïve. True, he still has a lot he needs to learn and he's aware, but he won't take being underestimated easily.

Just look at him! He's been raised in a farm and he still found his way to this school filled with stunning students coming from noble families while Epel is a simple country boy! He proved the point to us once again in his lab coat story where Crewel gave him an impossible task just to push him into giving up and coming to apologize afterwards. When Epel realized that he was just tricked by Crewel, he felt quite frustrated and started to cry, yet he didn't give up and used his personal experiments and what he'd learned back in his farm life and paved his road to success and impressing everyone including Crewel!

This is why he isn't backing up now, he doesn't want and isn't going to lose to Vil. Another important reason might be how Vil seems to have control over Epel, his manners, his attitude, the way he looks and basically, the person Epel is. Epel has indirectly said that Vil may be currently bounding his actions and life, but someday this will change. He mentioned similar lines several times and you can see he really has a strong will to prove everyone, especially Vil, that he's not a cute apple boy to sit still and look pretty. And if he's been waiting for the right time to stand against Vil, chapter 5 has got it. In part (7) you'll see why.

(3)What is happening in chapter 5?

Okay before we continue, let's just focus on what we've got in Pomefiore chapter: This year's vocal and dance championship has an unbelievable amount of media focused on it , because two of the world-famous influencers,Vil Schoenheit & Neige Leblanche, are joining. Both are great influencers and talented designers, but recently Neige has been getting really popular through the social media and TV, thus Vil realizes that the time to face his well-known rival, Neige, has come.

The VDC is no joke to him because hundreds of people are coming to watch this competition between two Celebrities, and his career is surely at risk. If the VDC doesn't go as well as he's planned, that'll be an end to his fame and clout, possibly his whole career! Therefore he has to make sure that nothing is going to ruin his plans for the big day, and that's why he is going to use his ultimate weapon, the red poisoned apple. Note that this isn't just about Vil, it's about protecting NRC's clout against RSA as well, so losing the VDC would seriously effect NRC's picture throughout the whole twisted wonderland. So a really important part of NRC's future is relying on Vil's hands right now.

Look, unlike the previous chapters, Vil's story is about nothing fictional or exaggerated; it's something that's pretty normal to see in real life! Two famous fashion designers joining a competition, both are giving in their best, aren't planning to lose, are going to be awfully strict towards training their models and making sure that nothing would be messed up, and are SERIOUS about winning because losing it to the other side would end in losing their clout and having the reports of their unfortunate fall-down spread worldwide.

Unlike the previous overblots, Vil's strictness and seriousness has NOTHING to do with being evil or crazy, he's just doing what he's supposed to be doing, working his hardest to defend his career. Anyone else who were in Vil's shoes would've done the same, and nothing about it chaotic, heartless or mad. His being pretty strict towards Epel because he's his main hope, Epel is the perfect beauty material and is definitely capable of achieving all the best through the VDC, that's why Vil's counting on him. Just as a fashion designer is strict with training their model, Vil is all serious with his way of couching Epel. And it's just about being professional, not being evil!

(4) It's not about Vil, it's about Epel

This is more of a continuation to part (3), but let's talk seriously about how wrong chapter 5 is being interpreted. "Vil is the worst! Can't he see that Epel doesn't want this?" or "Ew gross! People like Vil who use others for their very own benefits are just horrible" are some of the aggressive comments I've recently heard about how Vil is doing in Chapter 5, which is mainly because of Epel. I mentioned that Epel's feelings are most important element of chapter 5 and this is why!! Vil isn't doing anything that savage or mean but his actions seem to be a lot more appealing to fans due to how Epel's frustration and pain is being focused on. It's not because of Vil, it's because of Epel. Vil had been just the same with Leona back in the fairy gala event and most of the fans considered the story to be much of a comedy, but when Vil's treating Epel just the same way it sounds mean, cruel, harsh and heartless. See what I meant? Epel's presence was crucial to give Vil an evil perspective and make him seem just as bad as Azul or Leona.

I'm not defending his action since Epel as well is surely under a serious pressure. He doesn't even want to be joining the VDC, let alone having to follow all these strict rules that Vil's been teaching him so far. But since Epel forcedly made the deal with Vil and promised to help him for the VDC, there's no turning back now. Vil is counting on him as his very last hope and is putting his hardest of work and effort into training Epel, just like any professional fashion designer would've done.

(5)Vil is NOT the Evil Queen!

As for Vil's biggest difference with the Evil Queen, I must say that Vil does really work his hardest for what he desires. Evil Queen simply wanted Snow White dead while we've got Vil, working his ass off preparing everything for the VDC. He isn't just going to get mad and envies of Neige because his becoming popular, he doesn't want Neige dead either. All Vil has been doing so far was working and working and working and getting to be called cruel and heartless in return, I mean can't you just feel the amount of effort and nerve he's giving into work?

See, a considerable majority of the fandom is exaggerating the story of chapter 5 while Vil hasn't even shown a simple sign of having any ill intentions or evil plans in mind! We don't know what is going to happen i the next episodes but let's say that he hasn't done a single evil thing so far.

Just take a look at previous chapters! Leona was openly planning to unfairly harm and injure other students and Azul fooled nearly 200 students, took away their magic and forced them to work for him in Mostrolounge until they graduate from the very beginning. Heartslabyul and Scarabia weren't as severe as these two but they still did have some sort of a visibly unhealthy aura. Vil's current impression as the villain of chapter 5 is high-kay normal and chill compared to the previous chapters as he literally has done nothing evil so far, NOTHING. Most of the fandom is currently giving him the malicious aura that he doesn't have, or at least he doesn't yet have. Look, Vil's just doing his job. This doesn't even have anything to do with the Evil Queen! Also, Vil's rival ship with Neige has nothing to do with beauty, it's about fame, net-worth and popularity.

We don't know if he'd come up with any ill plans or serious intentions to harm Neige or anyone else in the new episodes, but his current impression in nothing more than going hard on Epel as his coach which is just being overly exaggerated by the fandom. A real life fashion designer would've done JUST the same thing! I know that this story is most likely going to end in Vil's overblot and him revealing his inner villain but come on, he hasn't done anything horrible so far!

(6)How Epel is being presented through Chapter 5

This point is the cause of many misunderstandings and confusions regarding Chapter 5, many find the context of Epel being forced to do what he doesn't like so cruel, some on the other hand are confused becaused Vil has clearly stated that his terms of beauty are gender neutral, so why would he force Epel to do these in the first place? As I said before, it's because of Epel, not Vil.

When it comes to perspectives on beauty, Epel's idealistics are just the opposite of Vil's. Look, Epel hates being mistaken with a girl or being considered soft and cute, this is something that has been bothering him for quite a long time. Being misgendered because of his appearance all over his life has had some negative effects on his perspective toward anything cute or feminine, as it just reminds him as how he often gets misunderstood because of his unwanted appearance and cuteness. Epel is awfully similar to Deuce and wants nothing more than getting to reveal the manliness he's holding within, through not only tastes but also abilities.

This is why he's been feeling quite uncomfortable in chapter 5 because Vil's basically pushing him into doing what he hates the most, looking cute and, well, something that Epel would consider feminine. The thing is, Vil does not consider stuff like 'Being able to sing beautifully, performing eye-catching movements voice, wearing stunning clothes and applying makeup' feminine at all, to Vil these are gender neutral terms of beauty and he doesn't get why Epel might consider them girlish or feminine either. Epel's comment on not wanting to do girlish things sounded naïve and low key rude to Vil because beauty isn't bound to being male or female, and he doesn't appreciate the idea of these works being called girlish at all.

This is neither Epel nor Vil's fault, it's just the difference in idealistics.

(7) Vil's on thin ice right now

Let me tell you a secret, 'choosing Epel to become the red poisoned apple wasn't an accidental act AT ALL'. Vil has been watching over Epel ever since he entered NRC and this is why he was so strict about changing this "Mudded potato" into a well-behaved Pomefiore student. Vil knew Epel's name and had discussed his case with Rook right at Epel's first day, and this is why he treated Epel so harshly at the dinner table because his plan to turn Epel into his red poisoned apple had already begun. He was preparing Epel from the very beginning and was just expecting the big day to arrive, the day he'd need Epel to defeat his rival, Neige.

Remember that I said how Epel's been waiting for a chance to stand against Vil and how Chapter 5 would be his BEST opportunity to do this? Before we explain this point, let's have a review on how Vil has been effecting and changing him so far. During his first days in NRC, Epel was more comfortable with shouting, fighting and opposing to other students including Vil. He used to disagree until Vil slapped him but now in Chapter 5, he doesn't even say a word when Vil tells him to do something, he just silently obeys as tears fall from his eyes. He no longer fights back as much as he used to.

But right now, Vil's career, status and future is bound to Epel. Vil has been working harder than ever trying to turn him into the Red poisoned Apple he's been expecting him to become, and if Epel backs up or decides to ruin the show and stop letting Vil have control over him, that'll seriously make Vil explode. And if you think that Vil deserves to be hurt like this, I gotta say that he doesn't, he seriously doesn't deserve this after all he's been going through. Just imagine being on Gil's shoes, how would you feel about having the result of all that hard work and effort you've given into work for YEARS ruined like this? Look, we need to judge this situation nonetheless, even is you don't really like Vil it's important to realize the unfairness of this possible future to the story.

Epel now has the opportunity to BREAK Vil like no one has ever done, after all Vil has been going through to coach Epel, teach him manners, change his nature and prepare him for the VDC this would certainly be the worst thing that may happen to him and it'll make him mad, like really really mad. The Vil we've seen through the story so far was nothing more than Vil's normal calm self so we can't even imagine how it might be to see him mad. At this point he won't be bound to any manners or consderations, and keep this in mind: "We won't like it when Vil is evil, and we can't imagine how evil he can be,"

I'm honestly so excited and terrified at the same time to see what we'll get to see in the rest of the Pomefiore chapter, the atmosphere is so nerve-wrecking right now and I can't help but to pray that the rest of this story doesn't traumatize us as much as it can- “Yana please, have mercy on us”

[arklay]

🤝✨👗😇 for diana!

[🤝] how does your muse approach intimacy? are they hesitant or do they like it? what types of intimacy do they like and dislike? (ex. physical intimacy, sexual intimacy, emotional intimacy, etc.)

in terms of emotional intimacy, she is extremely hesitant to it, but not so much so with physical and sexual intimacy. i wouldn’t say there’s any she doesn’t like, it just takes a lot longer in some aspects. this is a really interesting one i feel because the answers are so varied. it takes a long time for her to trust someone, and she’s not all that comfortable with talking about her feelings. love is something she also has a lot of trouble with, she’s just not one to really show her emotions often. physical intimacy comes more natural to her. although she’s not one for public displays of affection, she loves the closeness of someone she adores and the small, fleeting touches. the casual intimacy of it all… the hugs from behind. a hand on a thigh, arm or lower back. kisses to cheeks or the back of a hand. unexpected massages. and this all goes for giving and receiving. uh. she also just really loves good old passionate sex okay? hand holding or looking into each other’s eyes is a must

[✨] what aesthetics or symbols do you reference when writing your muse? are these backed up by canon, if your muse comes from a canon? is there any specific relevance to these choices?

snakes snakes snakes. besides her fascination with reptiles from a young age, the symbolism of snakes obviously ties directly to the uroboros plan – snakes are the symbols of rebirth, transformation, immortality and healing. some also associate them with evil and lies. in terms of aesthetics... pearls. silk blouses. black lace. button down shirts. test tubes and beakers. lab coats. syringes. slides and petri dishes. raven hair. pointed toe heels. marble sculptures. colours are typically black, white, and hints of like a dusty kinda teal?

[👗] what is your muse's fashion sense like? are they able to dress the way they want to? what would they wear in an ideal world?

i mean i think i kinda alluded to this with her aesthetics but will go in more depth of course! i don’t know names for fashion styles so bear with me, but think like sophisticated and elegant? the heels are important – pointed toes always! pumps and slingbacks. if she’s wearing boots, you bet there’s a stiletto heel there. silk blouses and button down shirts. pencil skirts or cigarette pants. leather coats. blazers. lace or sheer stockings. mainly white and/or black. pearls and gold for accessories. think like large studs or drop earrings. thin bracelets and chokers. and yes, she’s definitely able to wear what she wants considering her upbringing and how lucrative her job is plus wesker’s

[😇] what would your muse do if they became a god?

hehehe the right to become a god, you say? if she was to become a god – well first of all, that’s a terrifying concept considering that’s what she and wesker basically saw themselves as. gods amongst men – i honestly think she would be focused on the advancement of humans, while of course having people bow down to her. like to eliminate disease and perhaps make life expectancy longer (not immortal though of course, that’s only for the gods). reduce morbidity and mortality rates, but also probably lower fertility honestly cause. uh. the whole line he has of overpopulation comes to mind. i’m not really sure actually. like i doubt she’d really be one to give to her devotees. she’d probably just enjoy omnipotence

send in an emoji and i'll answer the corresponding question about my muse!

[firstpuffin]

Some constructive suggestions for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2:

Breath of the Wild 2, sequel to the latest Legend of Zelda game, is currently in progress and while I haven’t bothered to look into an estimated due date, I’m hoping it will be soon. That’s also my viewpoint on the Elder Scrolls 6; call me lazy if you will but I consider it me being patient. Anyway, I really enjoyed the game as did plenty of others (although those who didn’t like it seemed to really not like it, oddly enough) and am looking forward to this new entry.

  The thing about Breath of the Wild 2 is that it’s Breath of the Wild two, which means it should improve on the first. As fun as it was, the first game was an experiment for Nintendo: open-world, different format, different clothes- it was not a very Legend of Zelda feeling game, which was only a weakness if you insisted on viewing as being another entry in the series. Which it was.

  Is there a better way of explaining this?

  Anyhoo, it was a fun game if taken by itself, but being an experiment it had some serious flaws. I don’t really do lists but here are a few improvements that Breath of the Wild 2 could do with.

 Feel like a Legend of Zelda game:

What makes a franchise identifiable? I personally feel as though I’ve been asking this question a lot recently, what with Devil May Cry 5, Breath of the Wild- and that’s all I can think of off-hand; there have been more, I swear. The answer is made up of a few things: music, visuals and gameplay are the big three.

  In the case of Devil May Cry, there was always a certain sound that the music had; a hard rock that moved into metal without quite leaning on the screaming that so many people dislike. Then DMC.5 (the reboot) and Devil May Cry 5 came out; DMC.5 went full on into metal with Cannibal Corpse and Devil May Cry 5 had more of a traditional sound to it. The Kingdom Hearts series has always had Yoko Shimomura as the composer and no matter how different the soundtrack, it always sounded like her; even the songs that weren’t originally hers.

  One of the complaints for Breath of the Wild was how unmemorable the music was and, apart from the Hyrule castle stuff, I have to agree. Yes, the themes were there and I’m listening to the soundtrack as I write this, but none of it stands out as you play.

  And then there’s the tunic: I won’t complain about customisation (I love that junk) but the famous tunic only appearing after a difficult and very optional side quest was not a good move, and the outfits that did have that telling silhouette were unlocked by the bloody stupidly rare Amiibo. Give us the option of looking like Link early on. Please.

  And then there’s the dungeons. Breath of the Wild balanced a fine line here, with shrines and Divine Beasts instead of real dungeons. Don’t get me wrong, this was probably the first Zelda game in a long time to have real puzzles, but c’mon. What’s Zelda without dungeons?

 Care for your weapons and they’ll care for you:

A range of usable weapons is a part of the customisation that I love so much, and weapon degradation was an interesting take that I liked more than expected. Despite being done so, so wrong.

  I think that this was a big problem for fans. The weapons didn’t last long, there was no storage system for resource management and worst of all, no means of repairing them. I think everyone develops a favourite weapon as they play a game, and seeing it break after maybe ten swings is infuriating. I think that most games with this system have a repair option, so it’s kind of unbelievable that Nintendo didn’t include one also.

  Having twelve different weapons that you picked up purely because you’ve lost the good ones sucks hard and was a terrible design choice. Not being able to store the good weapons for the end game wasn’t great either.

  And while we’re on it, why was I always finding two-handed weapons when I was trying to focus on one-handed? The big weapons were too slow and you can’t use a shield with them, and considering the image of Link built up through decades of these games… well, it seems clumsy.

Of course, could I really escape talking about the Master Sword? Like, I get that what with the weapon degradation they had to do something to force you to mix things up once you got it, but that’s not really hard to do.

  Rather than having the Master Sword somehow regenerate, just have it be outclassed by other, obviously rarer, weapons; except when facing “true evil”. It already gets stronger in the presence of certain enemies so just expand on that. Simply having the range of different weapons that the game already does means that people will want to mix and match. No need to force anything more.

 Speaking of mixing and matching:

Weapons and armour are an odd thing in Breath of the Wild. Why have weapon degradation but indestructible clothes? That seems almost odd as the limited dying system where you can dye some clothes, and even then there’s a secondary colour that you have no control over.

  And I could go into the bonuses that one: means you can’t mix and match without losing said bonuses, even if the clothes you are mixing have the same bonus, and two: have some really odd choices of bonus. Why increased speed at night but never day? Or all the time for that matter?

  I’d like true colour customisation, mixing and matching and, where possible, to wear the same clothes as the NPCs. Nothing bothers me more than not being able to pick up and wear a lab coat (not that Zelda has lab coats- that’s just a peeve of mine). I could comment on how difficult it is to fully upgrade the outfits, but that’s personal; more importantly I’d rather the outfits had more of an effect. Wearing a set of plate armour should surely mean I don’t get half my health eaten by an arrow, ragdoll down a cliff with momentum that I can do nothing to stop, and die. From max health.

  I don’t want to get rid of any of this, I just want it improved on. Oh, and the jewellery was great, I just wish they acted as a set bonus.

 Suck it up and poop like a regular man:

I enjoyed the cooking in Breath of the Wild, but I’d like it expanded on as well. Have meals only edible outside of combat, and have it influence hunger and stamina for the next day. Have a thirst and sleep meter-

  Or just abandon that half-explored mechanic and focus on the elixers which I preferred (for immersion among other things) and which seems less expansive than the meals. But yeah, the cooking was fun and a reason to use it other than health and other bonuses would be great. We all know the Skyrim cheese wheel memes.

 Speaking of half-explored:

This- is not a complaint of mine, but I get it. As my friend said (although I dunno if he coined it), Breath of the Wild is trying to do what other open-world games already do better. And yeah, he’s right. There is a lot of running between everything and very little to actively explore. Sure, go look behind that hill; what’s there? A korok maybe. Possibly a chest.

  There’s certainly no side-quests, or caves to explore or small towns. Let’s look at Skyrim: there’s stuff everywhere! Caves, abandoned forts, towns you likely would never go to intentionally; there’s side-quests, and characters expanding the lore and occasionally followers who desperately need to be improved for Elder Scrolls 6.

  Breath of the Wild has huge expanses with nothing; the few NPCs may say something banal and if you are lucky there’s an occasional side-quest. There are fights but they aren’t as common as you might hope. I want more places to find those one-handed frost-blades because I love them but they are rare.

  Give me various caves that I need warm clothes for, or to take clothes off for their fire equivalent. Let me explore, let me do. That’s why I spent so much time in Hyrule castle before the climax: it was probably the best place to just explore.

  I enjoyed the game oh-so-much. But I also can’t return to it because it is, honestly, dull.

 And that’s that. Yes, there’s a hell of a lot more but I don’t write this to complain, but instead hopefully to inspire.

  Not Nintendo of course, they won’t read this. But maybe someone else will and remember it when they are creating something of their own, or maybe just expect a bit more from others in future. Because quality is an acquired taste, and if we don’t pressure others for it, we won’t get it.

[connan-l]

Ciconia Phase 1 Ramblings

Well, it sure was a wild ride, but I enjoyed it quite a bit!

The whole thing was very Heavy and Intense and Long and a lot of stuff happened. I’m not sure I really digested everything yet, but I have Thoughts.

GOD I spent so much time writing all of this... At first I just wanted to make a short Twitter thread about it, but it ended up a lot longer than initially... 😔

Those are just some messy ramblings and I don't think I said any more new or interesting stuff than what other people have already said, but I still felt the need to write it down, so...

Ciconia spoilers for Phase 1 and the tips:

So I thought overall it was pretty good and interesting! As someone who didn’t play the demos, I went in completely blind, and it was a nice read. (As such the flood of Okonogi memes some time ago were kinda confusing to me at first lol.)

It was radically different from Higurashi and Umineko, but that was something I expected (Umineko was radically different from Higurashi, after all.)

I’m not sure if it’s going to hit me as personally as Higurashi and Umineko did yet, or even if I’m going to like it as much — I enjoyed Phase 1, and the story is really intriguing, but it’s not quite on the level of its predecessors for now. Then again, it is only the first part of the story so it’s a bit unfair to compare them now, and I remember I was far from being into Higu and Umi by just their first installments too. So I guess I’ll just have to wait for the other phases and see!

On a technical level, this is definitely ones of Ryukishi’s most sophisticated visual novels — with the big animations and sound effects during the battle scenes, of course, but also with the numbers of different backgrounds and the visuals for the Kizuna thing. The sprites are also my favorites from all of Ryu’s games, they have the uniqueness of his artstyle all while being more polished and with really pretty coloring. And the character designs are SUPER GOOD — the best of 07th Expansion works to me (well, I was still a bit disappointed in Vier’s design, though. I mean. She’s just Takano with a lab coat. You could’ve at least changed her clothes or something, Ryu.) The music was the only thing that was... pretty average. It wasn’t bad, there was a lot of neat OST in it... but there wasn’t really anything memorable either (Alright, except for Apocalypsis Ciconia II. This one was dope as hell and it gave me chills.)

I was pleasantly surprised by how good and compelling the worldbuilding was too, as personally I find this peculiar part of Ryukishi’s writing has always been one of his weakest points. I don’t know much about sci-fi stuff admittedly, so I’m not sure how that would be perceived by fans of the genre, but Ciconia’s world is still quite fascinating — the different factions, the technology and selcom stuff, the way childbirth is managed or the history of World War III, all of that was good. Although to be honest, some stuff felt kinda contrived too (like, sure, let’s say the entire history of WWIII is entirely erased, like that we don’t have to deal with the political issues of our current real world lmao), and I don’t know all of the histories of the countries mentioned, so I can’t really tell if some things were insensitive (for example, how Africa was “unified” by a single king felt a bit off to me, but, er... I don’t know...)

The more absurd elements like the conspiracy theories, the chivalric orders or the freaking ILLUMINATI KINGS were pretty hilarious, honestly. I’m... not sure what to make of them. Obviously none of Ryu’s stories were ever going to be realistic (and well, the entire premise of Ciconia is about children soldiers who have the strength of an entire army in one gauntlet, which is ridiculous enough), but knowing him I wonder how much of this is going to be played straight and how much of this is meta stuff. Especially with all the religious/spiritual references (the blue bodies of Evil Miyao and of the gauntlet girls alluding to the Hindu god Shiva, Seshat being a Egyptian goddess, etc.)

I have more mixed feelings about the plot, and especially the pacing. Most of it was okay, but some scenes were really dragging and redundant. Which, isn’t really something new with Ryukishi’s writing, but here especially with the political stuff and the long blocks of exposition it was... kinda boring and hard to focus on it, and after a while it even felt quite egregious. Some of those parts weren’t needed, or at least didn’t need to be that long. Especially given that after the first hours, there were not a lot of more peaceful moments that would give the player time to breath. 

Which is another one of my complaints: a lot of intense things happened, but the narrative rarely give you the time to actually digest those things, especially in the second part of the story. It often pretty much felt like “X event happen > Discussion of X event between the characters > Y event happen > Discussion of Y event between the characters,” and this without any breaks (with the exception of some exposition here and there in between, of course). The events, discussions and characters were interesting enough to more or less keep my attention, but it still felt like too much at times. Part of this may be volunteer, as it put a stressful and opressive feeling on the reader (God, the clock and quotes between each chapters stressed me out a lot lol), and after a while I really felt like I was kinda suffocating with all of this like the characters — but even so I think it would’ve been better to give us some pauses here and there. Which is something we could have had with, say, the tips. I thought it was a shame all of the sixteen tips could only be read once the main story was over, because the narrative could have really benefited from having them fit into the plot or in-between chapters, like in Higurashi.

Also, I know Ciconia wasn’t exactly marketed as an horror story unlike the other WTCs, but hoo boy, I think some of the sequences in it are honestly among the most gory and disturbing things Ryukishi wrote? I haven’t read Iwaihime or TRianThology, so I can’t really say for sure, but damn, those human factories really are big nightmare fuels...

Now, I think the most tricky parts and the ones who are gonna get the most criticisms are, likely, the whole political and military stuff. Ciconia is probably Ryukishi’s most political and provocative work so far, maybe on par with Rose Guns Days — not to say Higurashi and Umineko are not political, they definitely are, but here it truly is in-your-face. Which is not a bad thing, per se, but... let’s say it all depends on how Ryukishi handle and criticize all those stuff down the line in the other installments, when so far it’s been... meh?

Like, the whole military stuff, specifically, was... shaky, at best. The thing with fiction that portray militaries with soldiers as their main characters is that they walk a thin line between just portraying this thing and actively glamorizing it. The narrative was definitely critical of some of it (lol the whole massacre at the end was very obviously there for a reason), and I appreciate Ryukishi often makes a point in his stories to frame a problem with different persepectives... but the whole “healthy military balance” and “Walls of Peace” thing was still iffy, and I’m... unsure about how much of it is going to be criticized within the narrative in the end. Now, again, it is just the beginning of the story, and Ryukishi has always been good at presenting a thing at the start for later on tearing it down to pieces, so... I don’t know.

It’s way too early to decide what kind of themes and messages Ciconia is going to have, so here too I guess we’ll have to wait and see, but I’m just a bit wary given some things that were in RGD were... definitely questionable. Now I actually think Ciconia got to a better start than RGD, but... well. I’m also not really someone who know much about these stuff, so I’m not the best placed to talk about it, but it’s definitely something worth to be under scrutiny.

On the more positive side, there were times where some things felt really, really real, as well as pretty in tone with some of today’s social issues. Like all those news about the terrible things going on in the world and that a war can happen anytime, the military propaganda to recruit young people who “want to fly” in the army but who just end up killing each other, or the feeling that these kids have about how in the end they’re just powerless pawns  who can’t do anything used by selfish old men... I saw someone said Ciconia was basically Fuck Boomers: The Game, and... yeah. Yeah, that’s basicaly it lmao. All of the adults being assholes is not new in WTC or even in Ryukishi’s works in general, but here it was definitely a big theme. God even the whole thing at the end about how the planet is dying and that everyone knows it but people just don’t care about it... lmao, if that wasn’t directly referring what we’re living right now with climate change, I don’t know what is.

I just really loved too the way the game was sort of sold as this “cool sci-fi battle royal,” but in the actual story all of those kids are desperately trying to not kill each other, until the very end where everything just goes to hell.

I said it before, but there really was a huge feeling of suffocating and being powerless the more and more you reach towards the end, and the way everything culminated in this huge massacre truly sent shivers in my back. I know at some points I could really feel for the kids who were like “Well, fuck it, let’s just let all those awful people kill each other and the world get destroyed.” The final scene with the Christmas party was really powerful and also so uncomfortable to read, it was really well done.

Otherwise, if there was one work I wasn’t expecting to scream “LGBT+ rights,” it was Ciconia, but here we are I guess lmao. Honestly, that entire conversation was super neat, not just in a “Oh it’s great they acknowledge gay and trans people exist in a positive way,” but also because it really adds a lot to the worldbuilding. I remember some people talking about it when a similar thing happened in the comics of The Legend of Korra, and honestly more stories should do that, not just in term of representation but because, well, it’s just good writing to put this much thought in your fictional world. The conversation in itself was a bit clumsy (GAYS DON’T FUCK), but it also felt very sincere and a pretty believable discussion a bunch of teenagers with very different backgrounds could have on the subject (and I really loved the narrative acknowledge how different cultures and religions feel about those topics, without it being judgemental.) I’m also thankful it was here at all because of the, uh, gay jokes made about Miyao and Jayden early on that were a bit tasteless to me.

(Now it would be even more great if we could have actual canon gay and trans characters too. Ryukishi... please...... I beg you........)

And of course, the characters were also really good! 

It was so nice to have such a big diverse cast all constituted of likeable characters, and I was honestly impressed Ryukishi managed to handle it. That was something I was wary of when the game was first released, but in the end I think he did a good job so far. Of course, that’s only from my point of view, so I can’t say if other people found there were some things he did badly or that was offensive...

But personally, I honestly love all of the Gauntlets kids so much. They’re all so good and charming! And I kinda want to adopt them all lol.

I think my favorites for now are Miyao, Gunhild, Naima, Rethabile, Chloe, Koshka, Rukhshana, and Lingji... But like I said, they are all really good it’s hard to choose!

However... when it comes to their writing I felt Ciconia went in the continuity of Rose Guns Days and concentrated more on the plot than the characters, and that’s something that... honestly bother me a bit. I liked RGD, but Ryukishi’s writing is still at its strongest when it comes to very human, character-driven narratives, like Umineko and Higurashi. Like I said, I love all of these kids a lot, and some of them have pretty solid characterization and screentime... but in the end a part of me still feel like we didn’t really... get to know them much, if that makes sense? Even with the main ones, like Miyao, Jayden or Gunhild — most of their scenes were principally focused on the Plot Stuff, and not much about them as people.

I know there are a lot of folks who criticize the slice-of-life parts of Higurashi and Umineko, where there are lots of scenes of just the characters spending time with each other or goofing around and that don’t do much to advance the plot — and in a way I understand that, because yeah, some of these scenes can be pretty long to get through and drag the pacing. But personally, I always thought those sequences are very important. Even if some of them are admittedly unnecessary or are a bit too long, they’re really needed to humanize the characters and make you invest in them  — which was something that was a bit lacking in Ciconia. Basically I guess I’m saying the VN needed more slice-of-life stuff, and that rejoin with what I said earlier — that including some of the tips in the plot here and there instead of putting all of them at the end would have really helped with that.

Now, that said, again I’m aware this is just the first part of the story. I understand Ryukishi needed to have all of those exposition blocks and truly pose the basics of his story first and foremost. So I’m really hoping that after that he’ll be able to focus more on its characters  — especially on those who got almost no screentime, like the Yeladot Shavit and Cairo Squad girls. Having characters and human grounded moments is especially important in a story where war is a big focus like Ciconia.

Now, on the characters themselves... 

Miyao was a really charming protagonist, and I love him a lot! He was so endearing to me during the whole story. He was instantly more likeable as a male protagonist than Keiichi and Battler, where it took me some time for them to grow on me — principally because, well, Miyao don’t have the shtick of sexually harrassing the female characters around him, which was profoundly annoying in the other WTCs. I loved his serious but caring and friendly personality, his friendship with Jayden and Gunhild and with all the other kids, and his anger against the adults trying to use him and the others. His relationship with his father too was interesting. His interactions with Evil Miyao were also pretty intriguing, even if I’m not sure yet what to think of him being a “murder program” or about what even is Evil Miyao. 

Now, the only thing I am on the fence about him is... his whole DID thing and Meow. Like, on one hand, I think it is neat to have a likeable protagonist with a named mental illness, and the narrative felt sincere on not wanting to present this as a bad thing and just a part of who Miyao is... but on the other hand, there were all the jokes made as a result of this, which made the whole thing pretty awkward to me. Furthermore, there’s the problem that this “CPP” thing is not really DID, as if I recall it doesn’t actually seem to come from any trauma-related reason, and is almost a made-up condition? It kinda gave me Kara no Kyoukai flashbacks, in which Shiki, the protagonist, also has an alter, but it is not as a result of trauma or anything — it has a fantasy explanation. And, I mean... An author taking an actual, real condition that a lot of people have to bend it at their will to fit a story isn’t super cool, especially if you’re going to make some jokes at its expense... The other kids calling out Jayden on how he didn’t act properly with Miyao about this was nice though. (Also, now that I think about it, did Miyao just... randomly told all of the other gauntlet knights about it? Wasn’t it said that “CPPs” were something most people didn’t like to talk about? It’s a bit odd.) Plus there’s also the fact Miyao is possibly a “program” and it adds another layer of not-so-great stuff... So I’m just really wary of how Ryukishi is gonna handle this going forward...

Those problems aside, Meow herself was... fine. She’s cute, but she doesn’t really have much going on for her. She and Jayden are dorks together and their scenes definitely made me smile, but their relationship still felt kinda shallow so I don’t have much feelings about them as a couple (like, it’s just that to me Miyao and Jayden have a lot more chemistry and have been friends for quite some time, so it’s just odd that he instantly decides to date Miyao’s sister whom he just met. And, also, he was definitely flirting with Miyao before meeting Meow, too.). It was also pretty jarring the way she just... almost disappears once the war stuff began, so in the end I had this disagreeable impression that she really was just here to be Jayden’s girlfriend, and not as a character on her own or to develop Miyao more...

Jayden was pretty neat too! He’s a character that could be “yikes” pretty easily, but in the end he really did come across as a awkward but kind teenage boy who may be clumsy at times but is still trying his best. In fact, I really wish Ryukishi had wrote Keiichi and Battler more like Jayden. It was nice in general that none of the guys in Ciconia acted inappropriately towards the girls (with the exception of Toujirou, I guess. The way he acted towards Valentina especially made me go “ehh dude please no.” Like I know the LATO girls are said to be older than the other kids so they’re probably 18 or something, but still, it was a bit ugh... But even then it wasn’t something that was too overt, so it didn’t bother me too much), because some of Keiichi and Battler’s antics towards the female characters was something that annoyed me greatly. Don’t get me wrong, I did end up liking Keiichi and Battler despite this, they’re both good kids at heart — but it’s possible to write horny teenage boys without them ~comically~ sexually harassing the girls around them, if you feel me? Aside from that, I like that the story made a point to show that Jayden is actually a pretty lonely and kinda socially awkward kid just like Miyao, and that’s why their friendship work so well. On the other hand, though, his character mostly only turned around Miyao and Meow, and so we didn’t get much of him as a person? Which is a bit disappointing as he is meant to be one of the main kids, so I’ll hope he’ll get more interesting later on.

I ABSOLUTELY LOVE GUNHILD, she really intrigue me! I wasn’t expecting to love her so much — for the most part I thought she was okay but nothing more... though now that I finished the story, she’s probably my favorite character for now? Her scene in the restaurant with her sibling, and especially the tips focused on her, really got to me. I loved her cool personality and her backstory was really interesting, as well as her relationship with Miyao and Jayden. She seems to honestly like and care for both of them, but at the same time resent them, and the way she obviously have a lot of pent-up anger towards the world and some self-hatred make her a truly compelling character. I’m pretty intrigued by Maya and her relationship with her too. She’s honestly one of the characters towards who I look forward the most, and I really hope Ryukishi will deliver on her. 

Chloe has definitely a lot of Rena Vibes, so of course I was going to love her lol. Although honestly for now I find her mostly... confusing. She’s obviously really fucked up (CHLOEVIL), and she made me pretty nervous during the entire story because there was this “Okay so when is she going to snap?” kind of tension with her. And her last scene with Lilja gave me chills... At the same time, her kindness and caring nature as well as her friendship with Koshka, Lilja and the  others felt genuine, so it was an interesting contrast. Other than that I wasn’t a fan of the running gag of Okonogi hitting her whenever she mess up (or do not mess up, for that matter)... Like obviously Okonogi is meant to be a Bastard, but the thing being presented as comical made me go :/ I really wish it’s going to stop.

Koshka was cute and also Extremely Relatable in a lot of ways (I, too, would rather spend my time playing silly games on my phone rather than socialize lmao). I love her a lot, and like Gunhild she really fascinate me. I like the fact that she’s meant to be an asocial, cold person but that at the same time it’s pretty easy to see glimpses of the affection she has for Lilja, Chloe or Miyao, and how she’s actually a deeply traumatized and angry teen. I’m pretty intrigued by what kind of “crime” she must have committed and how she ended up being an “equipment”... Not sure what to think about her super brain or the thing about her being some sort of “chosen one” lol. It sounds really shady.

For Lilja, I have to say I wasn’t exactly fond of her at first, but then the small moments we got with her where she obviously care a lot about Koshka and Chloe still got to me. That scene in the tips where she fiercely defends Chloe made me go “awww.” She really give me the impression of being the sort of person to hide her vulnerability behind a tough façade and her odd tics, and in that way she’s pretty similar to Koshka, which is how their friendship feel really special. The revealation at the end that she’s probably faking a lot of her personality and of her friendship with Koshka because it’s an assigment made her and her relationship with Koshka a lot more interesting to me, and I hope it’s going to result in a lot of compelling character stuffs.

Lingji was great! She’s pretty cool. I liked her optimism  and her will to do the right thing, and how that actually cover the fact she’s a pretty fragile and sheltered person. Her scene where she break down after her grandfather’s death is really illustrative of this especially, and where I really felt for her too. I think she’s the most interesting character in term of possible development. I quite enjoyed her friendship with Miyao too, but here again I wish these two had gotten more moments together. Like, how much more impactful the scene where Miyao kill her would have been if we had actually seen these two have some intimate moments before? But, oh well...

Aysha was really cool too, and I especially loved the way her sharp and down-to-earth personality contrast to Lingji’s idealism. The moment where she calls out both of her teammates was super good. Momotake was okay, and I love his intense admiration for Lingji (I’m a sucker for male characters really looking up to cool female characters lol)... but otherwise I felt he was honestly the most stereotypical character of the bunch — especially compared to Lingji and Aysha.

NAIMA IS THE BEST, SHE’S MY BABY I LOVE HER SO MUCH. She was my favorite before I even start the game because of her design alone (SHE’S THE CUTEST CHARACTER RYU EVER DESIGNED OKAY), and I wasn’t disappointed from seeing her actual personality. She’s not especially complex or anything for now, but she has a lot of potential. I loved her relationship with Naomi and Stan too — it kinda felt like two older siblings looking after their annoying youngest one reluctantly, but who still have a lot of affection for them. Also she’s such a little badass, I literally cheered out loud during that rescue scene or during the last battle scene where she screams she wants to protect all of her people. I want more of her in Phase 2 pleaaaase!

Naomi was really overshadowed by Naima and Stan, so as a result I don’t have much to say about her. I think she’s cool, and her backstory about how she apparently lost a lot of her memories and emotions is interesting, but again I can’t say much given we barely see her at all. Stanisław was a good boy, but despite the fact we see him a lot during the story, I... don’t really have a lot of thoughts on him? I liked his implied friendship with Gunhild as them being death metal buddies, but we didn’t actually saw them interacting at all, which was a shame.

Rethabile was the coolest character of the cast, I love her dearly! I like how she can be so adorable and such a dork but at the same time she’s probably the one who has her shit together the most out of all the kids. I feel she really has a good grip on politics and how the adults just want to use them compared to the others — which, well, isn’t all that surprising given she’s literally a princess. The scene with her brother’s death was pretty harsh, and I’m sad they didn’t really... put much attention to her reaction to such a traumatic event. I know the plot hadn’t time for that, really, but I feel even Lingji got more focus when her grandfather died, so I wish we had more of that with Rethabile too.

Ishak and Abdou... well, they didn’t really get much time for them either. They seem like nice dudes, and I really love their relationship with Rethabile, how they tease her quite a bit but there’s still obviously a lot of complicity and respect among them. So I hope we’ll get to know them more, especially on an individual level — as for now they were only present as a duo.

The LATO girls were... interesting too. I especially love Valentina, because she really give me Bad Bitch vibes and I love bitchy female characters lol. It’s pretty clear she has some Secrets and I’m really curious about her goals. As for Maricarmen, I thought she was mostly going to be comic relief like the Yeladot Shavit, but towards the end she actually showed some interesting depth so she did grew on me quite a bit.

And then there was just the teams no-screentime lol. Alright, I guess Suparṇa did get some time, and Rukhi is ones of my faves, but they still were really sidelined. I liked Sujatha, she’s such an uptight idiot, and her scene towards the end where she says she was aware that Miyao’s plan was doomed but still played along for Lingji made me kinda emotional. Rukhshana is the cutest and the greatest — I really liked her personality, how she can be extremely shy but then also completely goof around when she actually trust the people around her. And that moment at the end where she just say to her superiors to fuck off was glorious and one of my favorite scenes. Her relationship with Sujatha and Andry is adorable too. Andry himself was also... not present at all, but I really love the small glimpses of him we have seen, he’s pretty cool. I like how he sincerely seems to care a lot about his teammates despite his aloof character (him protecting Rukhi when their superiors try to hit her at the end was sweet.)

Still, Suparṇa wasn’t sidelined as much as Yeladot Shavit and Cairo Squad, though. I mean, I do like those girls — I adore Gannet because she’s cute as hell, Noor seems cool and Mariana intrigue me, but I can’t actually say much about them. Leah, Fatma and Stephania were also mostly comic relief except for one or two scenes towards the end. So I really hope Phase 2 will remedy to this, ‘cause I want more of these six, definitely!

I’m not sure I have a lot of thoughts about the adults characters quite yet — GERMAN TAKANO cracked me up, but she’s just as great as her Higurashi counterpart for now, and I always trust Ryukishi to write good Terrible Women. Especially Terrible Mothers, which is one of my personal weaknesses. Though I guess it’s not actually been confirmed she’s Miyao’s mom? It’s heavily implied, but we all know Ryukishi love to troll his audience so I wouldn’t put it past him that it is in fact just a red herring, but well, we’ll see I guess. 

Toujirou is obviously a bastard, but he’s an interesting one, and I have no fucking idea what is going on in his head. Like it’s interesting that on the one hand he seems to genuinely care about his son, but on the other hand he has no problem manipulating and screwing him over (and the implication of Miyao being maybe just a program is... ooof.) Okonogi was... a bit less worse than in the other WTCs, I guess? He obviously care about the kids in his own way, and him defending them at the end was nice... but I still can’t really feel anything but contempt towards him. He’s still a pretty bad instructor, and like I say, I’m really not a big fan of the way he treats Chloe at all, even if it’s meant to be “comical.”

The Three Kings mostly made me laugh to be honest, and they’re more plot devices than actual characters for now so I really don’t care about them (a part of me even wonder if they “exist” at all, because, you know, meta stuff). I absolutely LOVED Jestress on the other hand! I have no idea what’s the deal with her, whether she’s Lambda or whatever, but she’s really intriguing and her design is top notch and I want more of her. Seshat was so fucking cool and I don’t have much thoughts about her yet other than I wanna marry her.

And that’s pretty much it!

I’m not really good at predictions or at throwing theories around (sorry, Ryukishi), so I’m not sure what to expect for the rest of the story. I guess my only thoughts are that the moles are probably Gunhild and/or Chloe, but then they seem like obvious candidates, so I don’t know. I kinda suspect Valentina too, because, er, I do not trust her at all and she just have that traitor vibe. 

I really hope too that we’ll have time loops here again instead of a linear story because... well... I don’t wanna these kids to die okay... I also know that Ryukishi said Ciconia is only going to have four parts, and that’d make sense given how long Phase 1 was... but a part of me still kinda hope we’ll have a bit more... I guess it’s just that only four phases seems really little compared to the density of the story, and I’m really hoping he’ll have the time to develop well all of his narrative points and characters...

In any case, I think my thoughts on Ciconia for now pretty much get down to: it’s interesting and it has the potential to be a really great story, even if it’s far from being flawless and that I’m still very wary about how Ryukishi is going to handle some elements in the future.

But I’d definitely recommand it to people who love 07th Expansion stuff and sci-fi stories, and am very much looking forward to Phase 2!

[neverwatchedonepiece]

598-600: "A Samurai Who Can Cut Fire! Foxfire Kin'emon!", "Shocking! The True Identity of the Mystery Man Vergo!" and "Save the Children! The Master's Evil Hands Close In!"

Well, well, well...

The plot thickens into a rich ragu. An intrigue ragu, to be precise. Only the best and tastiest kind, obviously.

Oda is working overtime with these reveals and I am loving every second of this arc. (The main storyline, anyway. The Foxfire Kin’emon plot I can take or leave but I’m guessing Kine’mon has to be in the story to make it work.)

And I have SO many questions about Doflamingo now, it is ridiculous.

Oh, and Caesar? Yeah, he’s a multi-car pile up of issues that have caught fire and are now raining down shards of twisted, squealing metal onto innocent passers by.

And that’s just three episodes!

That’s Mr Burger Face to You

I normally resist writing about the huge reveals until the end of a post but I cannot wait to talk about the Feathered One and his role in whatever the hell this thing is with Caesar in Punk Hazard.

I guess I’ll start with Vergo. 

Or Vergo-san, as he insists on being known as.

I spent most of episode 598 wondering, “why is there a burger on that man’s face?”  This was unfortunate, as he’s a cool character. Officious, calculating and sinister.

“Do you really think *he* didn’t know?” he said, as Law rolled on the ground in pain. “We don’t trust Caesar, either. That’s why *he* was being careful and sent an undercover agent. Monet is that agent.”

First off, Oda took great pains to ensure Doflamingo’s name was not yet revealed. He was still only the mysterious “He” at that moment, which lent the initial encounter with Vergo a creepier, more mysterious vibe.

Secondly, Caesar: the guy is definitely not working for the World Government. This is because he is working for Doflamingo. But even Doflamingo does not trust him, as Monet is a plant sent by him to keep tabs on Caesar. I wonder if Caesar knows this? If he does, I expect a gloating, “I knew all along!” moment. If he’s been hoodwinked by Doflamingo, I don’t think his massive ego will take it well.

The next thing Vergo said to Law was, “You’re a Shichibukai now, eh? You’ve done well. I just arrived in Punk Hazard. Luckily, I was at Dressrosa. I got a ride on a SAD tanker that was about to leave. It was the right move.”

First point of interest: Dressrosa! I recognise that name. It’s on the CR arc list, so I am assuming it’s a place (like Thriller Bark, Punk Hazard, Alabasta and all the other arcs, come to think of it. Duh.) Second point of interest: a SAD tanker. What are those?

Law then tried to appeal to Vergo’s better nature. I don’t think he has one. “Did I cause any harm to you guys?”

“No, but if you did, you’d be dead. You can’t fool grown-ups, Law. Oh, and you’ve got to say it properly. It’s Vergo-san to you.”

This little exchange was kind of weird, but I’m assuming Law had no clue Vergo and Monet were involved with Doflamingo/Caesar. He never realised he stepped on Doflamingo’s territory and was afraid his own plans had compromised Doflamingo’s by accident because he admitted he’d been involved with Doflamingo at one time. I’m guessing it was when Law was only a kid (and hence vulnerable?) because Vergo keeps needling Law with “grown ups” type remarks. Vergo also literally had Law’s heart in his hand and kept squeezing it. Ugh.

Vergo is not the kind of man to show mercy. He is also into punishment. Law tried to warn Vergo the G5 were on Punk Hazard. Then one of the huge reveals was just casually flung out there.

“Since you’re their base commander, I think you’ll be in trouble if you run into them.”

Gasp.

GAAAAAAAAAAASP.

Vergo was the traitor Smoker and Tashigi had speculated may have existed within the Marines. Were they right about said Traitor fudging the records to cover up Caesar’s dodgy experiment supply chain? 

Yes, they were. The action cut briefly to a random island on the New World, with Vergo’s corrupt G5 men abusing their power. The parents of the missing kids begged them to look for their kids. They were sure they were still alive. If not, could they talk to Captain Tashigi? She would look. She listens so empathetically to the people. But what? AN INSULT! Corrupt randoms had already asked Vice Admiral Vergo a hundred times. It had been investigated. The kids were dead! Get over it.

Nope. They ain’t dead. They’re on Punk Hazard, addicted to Caesar’s Smack Candy.

But why is my question. Why is Doflamingo teaming up with Caesar? Why is Vergo covering up all these disappearances? What do they want from each other?

In Which Law Thinks, “Fuck it...” and Tells Everyone

They must’ve dragged Law into Caesar’s lounge (that sounds like a casino), as the next time the action cut to him, Law had been locked in a cage with Luffy, Robin, Franky, Smoker and Tashigi.

Caesar had finished cleaning house, had delivered his captives and was off to prepare his big experiment before wrangling his smack-addicted children. Caesar isn’t a complete dumbass and ordered his minions to clap the prisoners in Sea Stone irons. As Caesar did not make the delivery personally, I’m not sure he knows Vergo has turned up. (Still not sure how he’ll take it. Mad Scientists don’t tend to like being checked in on by the boss. Then again, he did call Doflamingo earlier to get permission to kill Smoker and the Strawhats. The jury’s out on that one.)

Once Luffy established that, yes, they were all in a cage together and it was like old times (lol), Monet and Vergo realised they were awake (and Vergo finally ate that fucking chunk of burger, THANK GOD.)

Smoker and Tashigi were obviously devastated to learn Vergo was the traitor covering up for Caesar.  The weird thing was that Smoker was not surprised. “The head of base is a double agent. A characteristic of G5 but a dishonour.” Are G5 notorious for corruption and allying with Yonko/pirates?

Law dished the dirt on Vergo’s background and Vergo added a little to it, since Law had blabbed so much. Vergo was originally a pirate. Before he made his name, Doflamingo must’ve got a grip on him. Vergo joined the Marines at Doflamingo’s order. He spent fifteen years rising through the ranks. He has brainwashed his G5 men into following him unconditionally. Even if they found out his double-agent status, it didn’t matter.

Vergo also helped himself to Caesar’s booze without asking and announced that Smoker and Tashigi would have to die to keep “Joker’s” secret. Punk Hazard was Joker’s important territory. Couldn’t let those who learned about his identity simply walk away. But don’t worry. Their deaths would be processed as an “accident at sea.” Standard.

Then Luffy asked the Important Question: “Tra-guy? Who is Joker?”

Law spilled it. He once worked for “Joker”. That’s how he knew Vergo. Joker was just his alias as an underground broker (Doflamingo is a dodgy broker. That is cool. Wonder who he does deals for?) His true identity? Someone Luffy would know very well. 

Even before Law said his name, I recognised THAT COAT from the shadowy reveal.

It was so obviously Doflamingo. I mean who else rocks those feathers, leggings and shoes?

Despite all the reveals, I still have questions. The main one is: why is Doflamingo working with Caesar if he doesn’t trust him. What’s in it for both of them? For Caesar, it’ll be Doflamingo’s protection, I guess. For Doflamingo...? Caesar’s weapons, maybe? I mean, the other pirates seemed pretty damned interested in Caesar’s Big Damned Ad Broadcast at the end.

I’m guessing it’ll be harder for Law and Luffy to kidnap Caesar than they thought. 

Oh, and This Guy Can Cut Fire

This subplot isn’t the most interesting part of the arc for me, so I’ll keep this section short. 

It was kind of cool seeing what Foxfire Kin’emon can do. Useful, when Smiley is a potential threat to quite a lot of people on Punk Hazard. He can negate explosions by cutting them. (Zoro was interested in his technique. I wonder if Zoro will learn anything from him?)

The banter between Brook and Zoro was class. Zoro calling Brook a dumb skeleton, “Learn from observation!” Brook telling Zoro to stop talking to him like a bully because Brook was seventy years older! Zoro saying, “Oh, sorry grandpa!” and Brook being scandalised because he is still a lively skeleton. Lmao.

Sanji’s observation haki at work was interesting too, as was his freakish free diving ability, plus blue walking through water (useful!) There was a random comment he made that was a bit odd. Sanji was still salty about Foxfire pre-judging him harshly and accused the samurai of “hiding behind his disability” and being awful to him for no reason. Yeah, it was rubbish, Sanji, but Foxfire did have previous negative experiences with pirates, so you can understand why he nursed that hatred.

At any rate, they’re all fine and are currently hoofing it to the lab to try and locate Foxfire’s son. I hope he’s not preserved in a jar in Caesar’s lab somewhere.

Think Caesar Can’t Sink Any Lower? He is Full of Surprises

Caesar is such a flamboyantly evil trash can. I love villains like that. They’re a lot of fun. I’m also a sucker for a sly, slick manipulator, so Caesar has ticked a bunch of my villain boxes.

As soon as the fight was over and the threat neutralised, Caesar’s “Benevolent Master” mask slipped back into place. All of a sudden, his minions were “My strong soldiers!” again. And could they perform a few tasks for him? Oh, and if they could just move inside the lab? It would become very dangerous out here. But *he* would protect them.

(He is such a great example of the Faux-Affably Evil trope, seriously.)

Come Here, Crack-Babies! I Have Moar Crack!

The next time we heard from Caesar, a minion informed him his air ship was ready (an airship? That’s a new one for One Piece. Is Caesar the only one who has one?)

“Great!” Caesar said. “Now we can go pick them up.” I knew who he was referring to as soon as he hefted a large bag of candies and added, “It’s about time for them to have these.”

Oh, Caesar.... Mate, you have crossed so many lines. xD

Still not entirely sure how Caesar found the camp where Nami and Usopp were sheltering, but while they were doing their best to keep the kids safe (and dodging withdrawal rage punches) that little gaseous sound that accompanies Caesar wherever he goes crept up on them and I knew Caesar had found them.

He totally ignored Nami and Usopp, headed straight for his guinea pigs and turned on the benevolent facade. “Are you okay, children?” he simpered in faux concern. “Let’s go back to the lab. It’s dangerous out here!”

And, of course, he flashed the bag of candy. He knew exactly what he was doing. The kids flocked to him. “Master! Master!”

Nami was furious. “Are you the jerk who kidnapped these kids? How could you do such a horrible thing?”

Caesar just smirked and totally turned it back round on Nami. 

“How could *you* do such a horrible thing? Why did you take them away? The children are suffering!”

“You’re making them suffer! They said they wanna go home!”

“Oh? Where are the children who want to go home?”

The kids ran to him. They freaking ran to him. And he knew exactly how it would play out.

Ooooooooh, Caesar, you are such a snake! xD

It’s hard playing an accomplished liar at their own game. Especially when they have such a firm grip on their victims. His evil side came to the fore when he stood back and smiled, just watching, while the big kids strained at their chains. I knew he was waiting to see if they’d break free. And they did. Suddenly they were “Amazing!” and had become so powerful! Smh, Caesar.

Usopp did try to fight him. He aimed a Firebird Star at Caesar’s smug face. But Caesar nullified it entirely. And, of course, gloated afterwards. “Did you think I’d catch fire and explode? Too bad. I put out the fire before it even touched me. Poison gas is not the only type of gas. I can manipulate the air within a certain area.”

(Annnnnnnnnnd that’s when everybody probably realised what Caesar had done to Luffy, Robin and Franky. Luffy should be able to beat him. All he needs to do is land one massive hit before needing to breathe. He’s done it before. Luffy just needs to hit Caesar so hard he doesn’t get up for a while.)

He almost took out Nami and Usopp too. And boy did he not revel in the iron control he wielded over those poor, brainwashed, addicted kids. He withheld giving them the candy. “Children, I’m only giving it to the good cones who come back to the lab.” Of course the kids fell over themselves. “Then just wait a little longer, alright? Before we go back, kill these devils who took you away and tried to worsen your pain.”

And I was like, Caesar, no.

What was kind of scary was that Caesar might have succeeded in manipulating those innocent kids into committing murder... were it not for the return of Brownbeard!

Brownbeard Calls Out Pathological Liar and Is Surprised When He Lies

Sorry, I thought you were dead, Brownbeard! The Yeti Brothers’ report of your death was greatly exaggerated.

Brownbeard was beaten up but he remembered the recording the Yetis had played just before the attempted murking. Let’s just say he wasn’t pleased to be reunited with his former Master. He swiped at Caesar a few times, who had no idea who he was for a minute, until realisation dawned.

With absolute brazen cheek, Caesar attempted to engage Snake Mode. “Of course, I didn’t forget you. I just didn’t recognise you! Your body is charred and you look terrible.”

But Brownbeard had seen his true colours. “You ordered them to kill me!”

Welp, Caesar thought. This minion was a sunk cost. Let’s just bail! He ordered the kids to board the airship and was about to walk when Brownbeard asked for his crew back.

Caesar turned, his face twisted in an incredulous sneer. “Huh? You don’t have a crew. You and all your crew became MY subordinates. You’re just a shitty pirate who got beaten in the New World. They’ll keep following me thinking I’m their saviour! They’re too dumb to notice I kept them alive because they’re my guinea pigs. GASTANET!”

Ouch, Caesar. No mercy there. He goes straight for the jugular when the mask comes off, eh? Brownbeard survived the boom, which is cool. I feel bad for the guy and I hope he gets some revenge against Caesar (even if Luffy has to do it for him).

While Caesar was eviscerating poor Brownbeard, Nami and Usopp sneaked off to try and save the kids. I actually jumped when Caesar’s hands appeared and grabbed them. xD

And he Gastanetted them too. Caesar is not playing anymore. He is fed up with all the guests on his island. It’s time to gtfo.

I Have Loads of Unnecessary Screenshots of this Walking Trash Can and his Hilariously Expressive Face

But it wasn’t over, even after Nami and Usopp were secured. Caesar called Monet, informed her he had retrieved the children, and asked if Smiley’s food was ready (why do I get a bad feeling about that?)  Since everything was in place, Caesar said, “Great! Put me on broadcast!”

And this was the Big Thing for me.

Caesar has direct goddamn connections to lots of shady characters in the OPverse. 

“To all unlawful brokers, wherever you are. I’m sorry to contact you on such short notice but you are all very lucky to see this. What you are about to witness is the deployment of a poison gas weapon. I added a new feature to the one from four years ago. It’s something those government scum can only dream of creating! Today, we have uninvited guests on our island. That’s why I decided to perform the experiment now. Invasion, war, domination-- it has various uses. If it appeals to you, let’s talk business.”

And guess who was watching?

Big Mom’s henchmen, Pekoms and Tamago, and Eustass Freaking Kidd!

I dunno...

Will Doflamingo be happy about this? If Caesar is working for Doflamingo, will he be cool with Caesar doing his own deals?

I dunno, but I’m loving the way this arc is going.

10/10 would watch again.

And my Chopper theory is still viable! Little guy is the only one on the loose who can let the other Strawhats into the lab. He’s a wildcard! :D

Chopper and the Downward Spiral.

[geekmama]

Dream Baby

Yay! I managed to write something! Many thanks to Ellis_Hendricks for feedback and editing.

After the "Sherrinford debacle", Sherlock's waking mind may once again be entirely focused on The Game, but even the World’s Only Consulting Detective can’t control his dreams... 

He woke with a convulsive gasp, and lay blinking at his surroundings for a long minute, the incongruity of the moment striking him with devastating force. 

Three months after the Sherrinford debacle, he had thought everything was once again in order. His flat (and its surrounding environs) had been repaired. He and Mycroft had weathered their parents’ wrath and dismay. A positive relationship with his mad sister was being established. 

And he and Molly Hooper were, once again, good friends. 

Just friends. 

Though, in that case, how was he to explain his current state: body still a-tremble, sheets now in need of laundering (and not by Hudders, he could just picture the speculative, teasing gleam she’d throw at him), and his dream still vividly, vibrantly with him? 

He found himself swallowing hard, his inner eye helplessly riveted on the slender yet shapely form of dream-Molly, her silken hair strewn messily over the pillow, sheets rumpled beneath her, and her smile… sated, yet oddly innocent, and completely loving… took his breath away. 

There was a helpless twitch of reviving desire against the already damp sheets, and he groaned, cursing, threw off the covers and fairly leapt from the bed, and stood there for a moment, swaying. 

Was he some spotty adolescent, unable to master his baser instincts? 

This entire episode must be deleted immediately! 

And yet, as he stripped the bed, throwing the evidence of his discomfiture in a pile on the floor, and repaired, with what dignity he could muster, to his new state-of-the-art and beautifully tiled shower, he found his determination to delete fading. 

And this was what philosophers and theologians warned about. 

Temptation, thy name is Woman. 

And, more specifically, in this case, Molly Hooper. 

How on earth can that be? he asked himself as he soaped himself down, annoyed and strangely flustered. 

And, again, inspired by that vision of her smile. 

Not to mention the rest of her. 

He cursed again. 

He should turn the shower straight to cold. 

Was this the way to think about his friend? 

Was this the way a man of mature years and disciplined habit behaved, even in the privacy of his own flat? 

The warm water ran down his body. The warm eyes of Dream-Molly swam through his brain, enticing. 

No. Enchanting.

He sighed, and finally leaned his forehead against the cool tile. 

Apparently this was the way such a man behaved. 

He closed his eyes to the world and was lost in that ephemeral vision… sighed again… and surrendered to the moment.

 *

 He had thought the dream would fade, as most dreams do, dissolving into a misty subconscious, leaving, perhaps, a warm afterglow, but affecting day to day existence very minimally. 

This did not prove to be the case. 

Strangely, every detail of that dream remained alive in his mind, and he found himself returning to it over and over as the hours and days passed. 

He did not contact Molly. For one thing, she had gone out of town for a few days, traveling to the Lake District with a couple of her co-workers – both women, thank God, or he suspected he would have been piqued toward intervention. And after her return… Dream-Molly still plaguing him… bewitching him… there was a dearth of legitimate reasons to visit Barts – Lestrade was fairly astounded at the lull in criminal activity – and Sherlock was reluctant to visit his Siren’s native ground for the less orthodox purposes that had served in the past. 

This lack of real life Molly seemed to do little to assuage Sherlock’s predilection for Dream-Molly’s companionship. He began to wonder, in fact, if Dream-Molly’s perfection would taint his view of the actual woman – which might be a good thing, considering what his imagination and subconscious were capable of in Dream-Molly’s regard. Disappointment might yet cure him of this sudden, very strange obsession, and things could go back to… to what they had been before. 

That his heart invariably sank at this idea told him how contorted had become his thought processes. He would have said deformed, but could not quite bring himself to use such a derogatory term in relation to his… beloved. 

He was sitting in his new chair by the fire, drinking a cup of tea supplied by his landlady (who was still unaware of his state of unrest, thank God), when this description… this endearment… occurred to him. 

Beloved. 

Well, she was, of course. Had been, as a friend, for many years. 

But Dream-Molly was… different. So much more. 

Ridiculous, he told himself for the hundredth time. 

Or was it? 

There was only one way of knowing. 

And fortunately for his sanity (for he had begun to wonder about it, of late), Lestrade called that very evening regarding a possible homicide that looked to be a seven, if not an eight. 

A visit to Barts morgue was in the offing. 

And, ever-cognizant of Molly’s schedule, Sherlock knew that she would be on duty.

 *

 He swept in as per his habit, and there she was… there it was, as she turned to greet her visitors: that smile that lit not only her countenance but her whole being. The element of satiation might be missing, but the happiness, the love was there, as in his dream. He found himself halting in his tracks, and felt an odd tingling against his cheeks. 

My God, he was blushing! 

Her smile was fading at his hesitancy, and she suddenly looked concerned. 

“Molly!” he blurted, forestalling the question on her lips, “It’s good to see you. Can you show us Mr. Steed? Lestrade here has promised me an eight, but I’m reserving judgement until I see the body.” 

“Yes… yes, of course. Hello, Greg.” 

“Evening, Molly. It’s been a while, hasn’t it? But the forces of evil never rest quiet for long – much to Sherlock’s gratification.” 

Sherlock said, with a slight wince, “Gratification is hardly the word, in spite of what you may have assumed in the past.” 

Lestrade rolled his eyes. “Assumptions be damned, you’ve always been like a kid in a candy shop when there’s something wicked afoot. Though maybe recent events have changed things up a bit?” 

“Yes. Well. How could they not?” Sherlock said, glancing furtively at Molly. He felt heat in his cheeks again, and said abruptly, “Mr. Steed, Molly? None of us wish to be at this all night.” And then his heart sank as he realized how that must have sounded to her. Like the old Sherlock. 

Who, in many ways, was no more. 

And indeed, a look of annoyance slightly diluted the fondness of her gaze, though there was still a question in her eyes, too. However, she obediently turned to do his bidding and Sherlock stood silently watching her comply. Studying her. 

Wondering what it would be like to ease that lab coat off her shoulders, let it fall to the ground… slip his fingers beneath the edges of that cherry-bedecked cardigan… brush his thumbs over the sensitive peaks that swelled beneath the flowered cotton of her blouse and the soft lace of her bra … take in her look of surprise… wonder… her small gasp of pleasure… 

“Here he is, John Steed, age 41,” said Molly. “The preliminary exam showed deep slashes to the abdomen reminiscent of the ritual suicide customs of Japan. Unfortunately not deep enough to sever the descending aorta.” 

Lestrade grimaced. “So, a helluva death. Poor devil.” 

“Yes,” muttered Sherlock, though he was rather thankful than not for the gruesome distraction. 

It was all business for the next quarter hour or so as they examined the corpse and questioned Molly on particulars. 

“Murder,” Sherlock said, finally. “I’m nearly certain of it. Lestrade, can we get a look at his flat?” 

“Sure. But it can wait until morning, eh? I have a meeting at nine that I can’t miss, but after that I’m your man. Say 11:30. Shall I pick you up?” 

“No, text me the address and I’ll meet you.” 

“Right.” Lestrade gave Molly a grateful smile. “You’re the best, love. Thanks for taking us in on such short notice.” 

“Always happy,” she said, returning Lestrade’s smile with great sincerity. 

Almost too great. Sherlock felt a familiar twinge that he suddenly realized was jealousy. 

Bloody hell. Had he never known himself at all? 

His consternation was obviously writ large on his face, for when she turned to bid him farewell the words died on her lips and her brows rose. “Sherlock?” she queried uncertainly. 

He stared at her for a long moment, then cleared his throat and said, “Your shift ends soon, do you fancy some takeaway? I can wait for you.” 

Her eyes widened. Perplexed. But also gratified. “Yes. I… yes! That would be lovely!” 

Lestrade was observing the two of them with amused interest, of course. However, all he said was, “Well! In that case I’ll take my leave.” 

“Yes, off you go,” said Sherlock. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” 

“Good night, Greg,” Molly said, laughter in her voice. But as soon as the door swung to in the detective’s wake, she turned to Sherlock, eyeing him curiously. “Sherlock, is everything alright?” 

“Yes, certainly. I mean…” His voice trailed off as fear, confusion, chagrin warred for primacy in his breast. 

But he could not lie to her. He would not. 

“Molly… there is… something,” he said finally. “But it should wait until we’re back at the flat. Is that… acceptable?” 

“Yes. Of course,” she replied, smiling again, though somewhat worriedly. “Just let me finish a couple of things and I’m with you.”

 *

 He wanted to take her hand as they were leaving Barts, but did not dare. He glanced down at her as the lift rose to the ground floor and wondered at his trepidation. It was only Molly. But somehow, now, he knew she was so much more. Everything, really. His better half, as old husbands said of their wives, being aware of so much history between them, good and bad, Heaven and Hell, and siting it as a matter of course. 

There was a great deal between him and Molly Hooper, and it was past time the Heaven outweighed the Hell. 

It was a black night, not too cold, but drizzling rain, and unfortunately, for once, his ability to flag down a cab failed him. 

“Let’s take the Tube,” Molly said, giving his coat sleeve a tug, near the wrist, and leading the way, a last flash of her smile seen in the pool of light by Barts’ doors before they were swallowed up by the night. 

He turned his hand swiftly and caught hers. He knew she turned to look up at him in surprise, but he ignored it, and together they walked up the street. 

Almost immediately the rain began to increase, from a drizzle to a shower. 

“Oh, no!” said Molly, laughing as they walked faster – and then five seconds later she gave a squawk of dismay as the heavens opened and they were caught in a real downpour. 

“Come on!” Sherlock shouted. Together they hurried across the silver and gold of the lamplit street to a place he knew, the side entrance to an office building that was situated down a few stairs, a well drained and solidly sheltered alcove at the foot of the tower of steel and glass. “Careful!” he admonished, as she slipped a bit and half fell down the ill-lit steps, but as he steadied her he found she was still laughing. 

They fetched up against the solid door and, in that small, cold space, hidden by the noisy curtain of rain, he took his life in his hands, bent, and swiftly kissed her. 

He felt her small gasp, felt her stiffen, felt her small hands clutch at his coat. He drew back slightly, and he knew she was staring up at him, trying to see him in the black night. 

“Sherlock?” 

She sounded so shocked that his fear reared up again. “I… I suppose I should have asked first.” 

There was a moment’s hesitation. And then she kissed him. 

A sound escaped him that he could not but acknowledge was a small moan of relief, and he slipped his arms about her slight form, pulling her close against him, his head bent to hers, her kiss turning to kisses, tentative, yet eager, too, the moment stretching out, his heart thudding in an admixture of wonder and delight. 

They were both panting a bit when they finally paused for breath. And Molly said, “Sherlock… is this… what is this something?” 

“I dreamt of you,” he said, shamed. And, at the same time, thrilled. 

“A dream? Wh-what sort of dream?” 

He gave a chuff of laughter. “The sort I haven’t had in years,” he admitted, cheeks burning again, and infinitely grateful for the blind, cool night. “Molly… I know you will always be my friend. But… I want more. And you… you still think of me in that way… don’t you?” 

Her hand rose to caress – he turned his head and placed a kiss on her palm – her slim fingers brushed the wet curls from his forehead. And she was silent for a long moment, 

But then she spoke. “Are you sure? I mean—“ 

He kissed her again, with nothing tentative about it this time, showing her a little of the passion that was so new to him: a shining, beautiful thing with which to show his love. 

He had never thought of carnal relations in this light. But with Molly… 

When it ended, and they were forehead to forehead, warm breaths mingling, keeping the cold at bay, he demanded, low and intent, “Do you still want me in that way?” 

“Yes. Of course I do,” she said, her voice shaking. 

They held each other, then, for a time, and those moments were replete with such tenderness, such heart-filling love, that neither of them noticed when the downpour slackened, faded, then turned to mist.

 *

 It was past nine when the small sounds of the arrival of morning tea served to wake Sherlock, still lying abed, snug and warm with his Beloved. His Better Half. 

His Molly. 

His Molly. 

“Oh! Oh!” came Hudders’ startled coo, and he could not repress a crooked grin. She must have noticed the pile of discarded raiment: still damp coats, Molly’s cherry cardigan and flowered blouse, his own shirt – the aubergine Dolce and Gabbana, worn last night as extra insurance, what with the whole of his future happiness at stake. Shoes, too. But not trousers or underthings. 

The bedroom had been the place for that… and the beginning of intimacies… well, that he had only dreamt of. 

Prolonged, and oft repeated, through the hours, and the dark night, and the sound of rain. 

Intimacies that had left them both wrung out… probably a bit sore… and yet even now he could feel renewed desire seeping through him. His fingers twitched against her skin, 

Hudders was leaving – his landlady now knew which way the wind blew and he had no doubt he and Molly would be subjected to some twitting and smug laughter when they eventually emerged from their nest. 

And now Molly was waking. 

She moved… groaned a little, and when he loosened his embrace, she turned onto her back. 

He followed, for fear suddenly prodded him once more. 

What did she think of all this in the light of a new day? 

But there had been no need to worry. 

There was nothing but love in the brown eyes that looked into his… her silken hair strewn messily over the pillow… the sheets rumpled beneath her... 

Beneath them. 

“Good morning,” she said, her voice soft, and edged with that now-familiar admixture of wonder and delight. 

And her smile… that smile… took his breath away. 

 ~.~

[lilacmoon83]

Finding You Always

Also on Fanfiction.net and A03

Chapter 157: Break Free

After making sure Tilly got something to eat and dropping her off somewhere safe, David drove to Hyperion General, which confused Rogers a bit.

"Why are we at the hospital?" he questioned, as David shut the engine off.

"Because both Weaver and I are convinced that either Belfry or Stavros has a mole at the station. I don't want the crime lab touching this," David said, as he held up the bag with the glass in it.

"You think the mole will tamper with the results," Rogers stated.

"I'm certain they will, so I need to have a different lab run the test. Weaver gave me a recommendation for a young doctor that he is sure can't be bought," David said, as they headed inside.

Rogers followed his partner, as he approached a nurse's station.

"Hi...I'm looking for a doctor Aeson," he requested.

"You must be Detective Nolan," a voice answered, before the nurse at the desk could. David looked toward the source and found a young, raven haired woman in a lab coat standing there. He was struck by how familiar she seemed and shook her hand, as she put it out.

"I am...you're doctor Aeson?" he asked. She nodded.

"Jenna Aeson...Captain Weaver said you need a favor and that it's a bit sensitive?" she asked. He nodded.

"I need a DNA test done and a very important case could be compromised by the police lab. I am hoping for more discretion here," he replied. She nodded and motioned them to follow.

"I can help you with that. I assume you want this done right away?" she asked. He nodded.

"That would be great," he said, as he handed her the DNA sources, which were Clayton's glass and a hair he managed to snatch from Mary's hairbrush.

"And what markers am I testing?" Jenna asked.

"Sibling markers. I want to know if the two people that these samples are from are related in any way," David replied. She nodded.

"I need a little time, but it shouldn't take me long. Can I get a number to call?" she asked.

"Actually...I'd like to wait for it. This is really important. The life of a mother and her son could be at stake," he replied. Jenna seemed intrigued by that.

"All right...I'll get it done right away, Detectives," she agreed, as she went into the lab.

~*~

That afternoon, after work, Jacinda pounded the pavement, as she plead their case to anyone that would listen to them, regarding the Community garden. People were really responding to her petition and it instantly gave her hope.

"Thank you so much," Jacinda said, as she filled yet another page of signatures.

"Is it true, Mom? Are you fighting grandma for the garden?" Lucy asked, as she arrived from school and ran up to her.

"I am...but what are you doing here? Isn't the bus supposed to take you to Grandma's?" Jacinda asked. Lucy shrugged.

"I decided to get off here," she replied.

"Honey...I love that you came to see me, but you can't just run off. It doesn't help us," she chided.

"But I should be with you," Lucy whined.

"I know...that's why I'm doing this. For you," Jacinda promised, as Mary and Bobby approached. The raven haired beauty handed her a clipboard and Jacinda's eyes widened.

"You got all these signatures?" she asked. Mary nodded.

"It seems that this neighborhood would rather keep a small, but beautiful garden than have to look at yet another skyscraper," Mary replied. Jacinda smiled.

"Then...we did it," she realized.

"This is enough! We did it!" Jacinda said, as she hugged her daughter.

"We couldn't have done it without you," Jacinda said.

"We loved helping. We both love that garden too," Mary said, as she hugged her son close to her side.

"Does this mean Ms. Belfry won't be able to destroy the garden?" Bobby asked.

"We're hoping so...the voice of the people can be a powerful thing. It's not likely that a judge will ignore that," Mary reasoned.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that, Ms. Blanchard," Victoria interjected, as she walked up to them.

"You can't stop us...we're filing that injunction," Jacinda warned.

"Ms. Blanchard...you and your unruly son are not needed in this conversation. I'd like to speak to my step-daughter alone," she said, as Ivy approached and took Lucy's hand, as she led her away. Mary gave the other woman a good glare, before leading Bobby back to Roni's.

"Getting me alone isn't going to change my mind," Jacinda refuted.

"Oh, I think it will...because you won't be able to resist what I'm about to offer," Victoria countered.

"And what exactly is that?" Jacinda questioned.

"Drop this petition now...and you and Lucy can have one of the condominiums that will be built where that useless little garden is," Victoria offered. Jacinda narrowed her eyes.

"If I drop the petition...you'll give custody of Lucy back to me?" she questioned.

"That is the offer...like I said, it's one you can't or shouldn't refuse," Victoria responded. Jacinda looked at the petition and then back at her step-mother.

"This offer expires at the end of the day," Victoria said, as she walked away. Jacinda first instinct was of course to throw the clipboard away, but since Mary and Roni had been such a huge help, she decided to go to the bar and at least tell them that she planned to not file the injunction. They deserved that much.

~*~

Enchanted Forest 3

Storybrooke Year 2021

"So...the assassination attempt on Prince Gregor was because you believed he was responsible for killing your father?" Snow asked. Ella nodded.

"But according to Tiana, that was all a set up by my step-mother. She wanted me at that ball that night so she could pin the murder on me," Ella answered. It was a bit of Deja Vu for Snow. Regina had pinned Leopold's murder on her and used it as a reason to pursue her. But Tremaine definitely seemed to have different motivations here than Regina did. Regina's marriage to Snow's father had been forced, but from what she had gathered, that wasn't the case with Tremaine. She had once had a loving marriage and Ella didn't divulge the reasons that her father ended up marrying Ella's mother, but it was definitely clear that this Lady Tremaine was as cold-hearted as her counterpart that had once tortured Snow.

"She blames me…she thinks I'm the reason that Anastasia died," Ella confessed.

"Are you?" Snow asked.

"Yes…" Ella replied. Snow put a hand on her shoulder.

"Are you really? Because my husband once asked me the same question about Regina," she said, as Ella turned to her.

"A very long time ago...Regina blamed me for ruining her life and for a long time...I blamed me too," Snow confessed.

"But you didn't?" Ella asked.

"Some people would say I did, but I was just a child at the time. I was manipulated by Regina's mother into telling a secret. I didn't know what I was doing or how evil Cora really was then. But my telling the secret got the man that Regina loved killed," Snow replied. Ella lowered her head.

"We...the three of us, Ana, Drizella, and me fell through the ice. My father...he managed to pull us all out, but Ana was last and it wasn't in time," she told her.

"That's why she blames you," Snow said. Ella nodded and Snow put both hands on the young woman's shoulders so she could look her in the eyes.

"Listen to me...what happened sounds like it was a horrible accident that you are absolutely not responsible for," Snow implored.

"Ana was her favorite...her perfect daughter," Ella argued.

"Then your step-mother was wrong in the first place for even having a favorite," Snow said. Ella nodded.

"I know parents say they don't have favorites, but it's true that some do," she reminded. Snow nodded.

"Some do, I suppose," she agreed.

"But you don't?" Ella asked.

"Goodness no...Charming and I do not play favorites with our children. Obviously our younger ones get more attention than our older ones now, but that's to be expected. Emma, Leo, and Eva have their own lives. But Charming and I really tried to make sure none of them ever felt left out when they were growing up," Snow explained.

"Emma was eleven when the twins were born, but we were determined to make sure she didn't feel left out and I think we succeeded for the most part," she said.

"You did," Emma said fondly.

"Sorry...didn't mean to interrupt," she added.

"That's okay...Ella and I were just exchanging histories," Snow said, as she took the girl's hands.

"Listen...back to what I said about not blaming yourself...I know what it is to shoulder such a burden. It took me a very long time and my husband and eldest daughter to convince me until they were both blue in the face that I am not the reason Daniel was killed," Snow expressed.

"Cora used me to confirm what she already suspected and I'd like to think that Regina realizes now that her mother would have done exactly what she did, regardless of whether or not I told that secret," she continued.

"I do," Regina confirmed with a warm smile, as she joined them. Snow smiled.

"Your situation is different than ours. Your father pulled the three of you out of icy waters. It was a terrible accident and it is not your fault. Accepting that will help you move on," Snow said.

"But my step-mother will never accept that. She'll never move on," Ella warned.

"Then she's not fit to lead a Kingdom and this resistance will overcome her. Believe me...I know better than any that good always wins over evil," Regina replied.

"She's right. What happened to your family was terribly tragic and I cannot imagine losing one of my babies. I like to think though that, if I did, I'd still be there for my other children. But it doesn't sound like Lady Tremaine has even been there for Drizella," Snow said. Ella nodded.

"She hasn't...it's changed Drizella. She's become as cold and devious as her mother," she said sadly.

"I'm sorry...but I want you to know that you're not alone anymore," Snow said, as she looked around at the others.

"This is your new family," Snow said, as she hugged her and then left her to talk with Emma, who smiled at the still stunned look on the other woman's face.

"Is she...always like that? So warm and accepting?" Ella asked. Emma grinned.

"Yep...that's my Mom...and my Dad," she replied, as she watched fondly at the way her father's face lit up at the sight of her mother. And then she rolled her eyes, as they started kissing. She looked at Ella, who still looked uncertain.

"Hey...she's right. This family...has been through a lot, but if there is one thing I know about my parents...nothing defeats love. Especially not a love like they have. We'll win this," Emma promised, with a smile, as she left the young woman to her thoughts. And Ella wanted to believe her, but she was too conflicted and didn't like the thought of all these people making sacrifices for a problem that she had created. And that's why she knew exactly what she had to do...

~*~

Hyperion Heights

Jacinda entered Roni's bar with a forlorn look on her face and was deep in thought about what she was intending to do.

"Hey...Mary told me the good news. You got enough signatures on the petition," Roni said, noticing her preoccupation.

"Except...I think I have to throw them all away," Jacinda confessed. Mary turned from her spot at the sink.

"What? Why?" she questioned.

"Victoria made me an offer...if I drop the injunction, she'll give me one of the condos that's going to be built...and custody of Lucy back," Jacinda told them.

"But...she can't be trusted. And even if she holds up her end...she'll never stop holding it over your head," Mary argued.

"But I'll have Lucy...this is what's best for her. You have to understand," Jacinda pleaded.

"What if it was Bobby? You'd do anything to be with your son," she added.

"I would...but Victoria will try to run your lives," Mary argued.

"It's a small price to pay," Jacinda said, as she pushed the clipboard away.

"I'm getting my daughter back and if that means dropping the petition...then that's what I have to do," she said.

"What?" a voice said, as Jacinda turned to find her daughter there, mouth ajar.

"You gave into her?" Lucy asked.

"Lucy…" she started to say. But the little girl started backing away.

"You promised to fight her!" Lucy cried.

"Lucy...this is what's best. We can be together this way," Jacinda argued.

"No, she won't! If she gets her way, then the curse will never be broken!" the girl cried.

"Lucy...there is no curse," Jacinda snapped, as she held onto her daughter's arms.

"This is real life and sometimes parents have to make tough choices. This is one of those times," Jacinda said sternly. But Lucy shook her head.

"No...you're just giving up. Grandma is hiding something and I'm going to prove it!" Lucy cried, as she hurried out. Jacinda sighed and went after her. Mary sighed and looked up, as someone came into the bar. Her blood boiled, as Clayton waltzed in with a smug smirk on his face.

"Hello...dear sister," he greeted.

"Get out," Mary snapped.

"Oh...I can't do that and soon the van from Dr. Samdi's clinic will arrive to take you back to where you belong," he told her. Fear crept up inside Mary, as she eyed the folder in his hand, which was from the courthouse.

~*~

David practically paced a hole in the floor, as they waited on the doctor to return with the test results.

"Mate…" Rogers called out, slightly annoyed. David sighed and sat down beside him.

"Sorry...I just have a bad gut feeling that we don't have much time. Clayton Stavros isn't the type to sit back and wait to strike back," the blonde said.

"Then you're certain he will try something? Like getting that order revoked?" Rogers questioned.

"He has power of attorney over Mary. The order Weaver got could easily be revoked by another Judge, especially one on Stavros' payroll. Trust me, he's trying to do just that. I know it and I can't let that happen," he lamented.

"You care for her," Rogers muttered. He sighed.

"It's...complicated. I don't even know what it is, to be honest. I just met her and it sounds crazy...but I feel like I've known her for most of my life," he confessed.

"Like this is some other life that you're just acting out...and none of this is really where you're supposed to be," Rogers said, as David looked at him in surprise.

"How…?" he asked. Rogers shrugged.

"I feel like that all the time...like I'm just mulling through this life. Like something very important is missing. I just haven't found that yet...but it seems like you have," he mentioned. Those words left David deep in thought. It was more evidence that Bobby might be right, but could all that really be true? Bobby's book was some of the most fantastical stuff David had ever read and he hadn't even gotten all the way through it. How could it even be possible? He was about to continue laboring over it in his head when the raven haired doctor reappeared from her lab with an official folder.

"Well?" David asked.

"Your suspicions were absolutely correct, Detective Nolan," she replied, as she handed him the folder. He opened it, as she continued talking.

"The male DNA I tested was in no way a match for sibling markers against the female DNA you provided," she reported.

"I knew it…" he hissed, as he looked at the results, just as his phone rang.

"Detective Nolan," he answered.

"David...it's Roni. You need to get down here now. Clayton is here claiming that he got the court order that released Mary revoked. He says that Dr. Samdi's orderlies are on the way to take her back to that place," Roni said. His heart clenched in his chest.

"Stall them as long as you can...we're on our way," he said.

"Thank you doctor," he said quickly, as he looked at his partner.

"We need to go now," he implored.

"Good luck!" she called, as she watched them go.

~*~

Tears threatened to fall, as Snow faced going back to that horrible place and being separated from not only her children this time, but David again as well. She was trying to keep her emotions in check, but just the thought of going back to all those haunted nights inside that tiny room and the pills being forced down her was enough to threaten a complete breakdown. Not to mention, Dr. Samdi's abusive orderlies and the frightening nightmares. No...she couldn't go back there. She could lose Bobby again. She couldn't lose David and Summer either now that she found them again.

"I'm not going back there," Snow cried, as Bobby clung to her and the orderlies entered the bar.

"This piece of paper says that you are," Clayton countered.

"Let's make this easy for once, Ms. Blanchard," Horace requested.

"No...you can't take her! You can't take my Mom again!" Bobby shouted. Clayton pointed a stern finger at him too.

"If you think you're going to have the same freedoms you had before, young man, then you're mistaken too," Clayton hissed.

"What are you talking about?" Mary asked. He smirked and took out another piece of paper from his jacket pocket.

"I got Bobby into a nice boarding school overseas...one where, if we're lucky, he'll learn a little discipline," Clayton replied, as he held up the document. Mary snatched it away and her eyes widened.

"You're sending him to England?" she asked.

"It's for the best," he replied.

"No...it's not! You're taking my son away from me...I'm his mother," she said, as the tears finally came and she broke down sobbing.

"You are not fit to take care of yourself, let alone raise him. You're a sick woman, Mary," he said.

"No...I'm not! There is nothing wrong with me and you know it, you bastard!" she shouted. He rolled his eyes.

"Gentlemen...please remove her from these premises. Everything is in order with a Judge. She is to be returned to Dr. Samdi's facility and this time...for good," he said coldly. Mary started to panic when she saw Jasper extract a capped needle from his back and take it off.

"No...please!" she pleaded, as he started toward her, just as David burst into the bar.

"Don't take another step toward her!" David growled. Relief filled her, as he put himself in between her and the orderlies.

"You have no legal authority here, Detective. A Judge has overturned Captain Weaver's little injunction he filed to get her released. And believe me, that won't happen again," Clayton said smugly.

"Wrong...she's not going anywhere, because you're the one with no legal authority here," David replied, he held up his own file.

"What's this?" Clayton questioned.

"A DNA test...comparing yours to Mary's and it turns out that there is no match. You're not related to her or Bobby, which makes your power of attorney over her and custody of Bobby null and void," David retorted. A deep scowl marred Clayton's face and he glowered at the blonde.

"My partner is on his way to a Judge with a copy of this test as we speak; a Judge not in your pocket too. You have no power over her or her son now...and you never will again," David said, as he spotted his partner coming into the bar.

"Mr. Stavros...this is a Court order revoking your power of attorney over Mary Blanchard and your custody of young Bobby Blanchard, as you are of no relation to them," Rogers stated. David smirked, as he watched the other man nearly turn red in rage.

"She is a crazy...she thinks she's Snow White half the time!" Clayton growled.

"Her Dissociative Identity Disorder is not a threat to anyone and since you had her committed with falsified papers, claiming to be her brother, there's going to an investigation," David stated. This time, he was the smug one.

"You're going to regret this, Detective. Mark my words…" Clayton seethed, as he stormed out and the orderlies followed him. Roni and Bobby let out cheers of joy, as she hugged the boy and then Mary, who was stunned and still crying. David noticed the crumpled piece of paper on the floor and picked it up.

"What's this?" he asked.

"Clayton was going to send Bobby away to boarding school overseas," she sniffed.

"You saved us...again. You kept me from losing my son again," she cried.

"I'm just glad I proved he wasn't really your brother in time, though I'm curious as to why he was even posing as your sibling in the first place," he mentioned.

"I can probably think of a few reasons...but for now, let's just leave it at he's a very evil man," she replied. He nodded in agreement, as silence passed between them and they stared at each other.

"Thank you doesn't quite sound like enough for what you just did," she said, choking back more tears. He swallowed thickly and felt a jolt in his chest when his hand brushed hers. And then without being able to help herself, Snow stepped forward, boldly grabbed him by his collar and pressed her lips to his. Rogers smirked and politely looked away, as Roni just smiled on. Bobby was excitedly texting Iris to tell her that their parents were actually kissing. Even if it didn't restore his Dad's memories yet, he knew it meant that his Dad, even in his cursed state, would fall in love with her.

Snow suddenly remembered that he, in fact, did not have his memory back and she broke the kiss.

"Oh! I...I shouldn't have done that...you barely know me," she said, chiding herself. But she had gotten caught up in the moment and he was there. Kissing him was like a thing of second nature to them usually. But she was afraid her boldness would make him pull away. But to her surprise, he leaned back in and pressed his lips to hers again, kissing her breathless.

"I don't know why, but when we kissed...I felt like you were inside my soul," he muttered.

"Mmm..and our hearts were one," she murmured. He looked at her in amazement and somehow saw answers in her eyes that mirrored the questions in his.

"There's...things I'm feeling...and seeing that I don't have logical answers to. But then...all the answers seem to be you and it makes no sense and perfect sense at the same time," he confessed.

"I might have answers...but this wouldn't be the place," she responded.

"Then later...we'll talk?" he asked. She nodded. She didn't know how much she could tell him yet, but if he wanted to talk, then she was going to let him and listen with rapt attention. She wanted her husband back and she wanted him now. For the moment though, they said goodbye to Roni and Rogers, before getting Bobby and going home.

~*~

Henry was relieved when his current customer vacated his car, for he smelled like he had bathed in a week.

"Damn...now the whole car reeks," he muttered, as the man waved. He plastered on a fake smile and waved politely. Once the man turned away he dug through his glove box and tossed several air fresheners into the back seat.

"Ugh…" he groaned, as he was about to drive away...until he saw Lucy in the community garden. There was some dangerous equipment around and she looked to be unsupervised. He parked the car and got out, before jogging into the garden.

"Hey kid...what's up?" Henry asked. She looked up, like she had been caught, and then sighed.

"I'm trying to prove the curse is real," she confessed.

"Really? By climbing in an underground hole?" he questioned.

"You don't understand!" she lamented. He put his hands up.

"Okay...why don't you explain it to me then," he replied.

"Why? So you can humor me and then impart some wisdom about life and reality?" she replied sassily.

"Damn...okay. I promise there will be no humoring or lesson. Just me listening," he said. She sighed.

"My Grandma is tearing down this garden to put up some condominiums," Lucy said.

"Progress...yeah sometimes it stinks. I think I prefer the garden," Henry replied.

"Me too! And I thought Mom did and we were going to fight her! But then she just caved into Victoria's demands and gave up!" Lucy ranted. He sighed.

"Lucy...your Mom loves you very much. If she did decide against fighting Victoria on this, then I know it was because she feels it's what's best for you," he replied.

"I know...but she doesn't understand! Grandma is hiding something here! That's why she's trying to destroy it...I know it and I'm going to prove it!" Lucy cried, as she started going down into the hole.

"Wait...Lucy! Stop!" Henry cried, as he tried to grab her, but she was already too far down in it.

"Come on! Maybe we can find what she's hiding together!" Lucy called, as she trekked further into an underground tunnel.

"Dammit...this kid," Henry growled, as he went after her.

~*~

A glass shattered on the wall in his Office, as he chucked it in rage.

"Damn them!" he growled, as he tossed the chair through the glass window of his office and turned his desk over. His office was completely trashed, but he couldn't see through anything but his anger at that moment.

"My, my, I do hope all the charity money that I donate to your little museum won't be going to fix the damages you're causing to your office," Baron Samdi stated, as he appeared.

"You…" Clayton growled.

"You told me they wouldn't be an issue…" the Collector hissed.

"Wrong Collector...I told you that they couldn't break the curse. I didn't tell you that they would not find each other. I did not tell you that they wouldn't fall in love, for they are the truest in all the realms. There is nothing you or I can do to keep them apart forever. We are lucky we achieved two years," Samdi corrected.

"He exposed that I'm not really her brother! I have no power over her anymore! Which means he'll just keep poking his nose into my operation!" Clayton yelled.

"Then take care of him," Baron suggested.

"You know it's not that simple with them!" Clayton ranted.

"When I made Snow White crush her husband's heart, it was in a place of magic and seizing the power of the chalice was possible for mere seconds. But if one of them were to die in a place without magic...the chalice would be useless forever!" Clayton reminded.

"Believe me, if killing those two idiots was our goal, I would have done it already," he seethed.

"I was actually suggesting you use other methods to convince the detective that pursuing an investigation into any of us would come at a great cost to him," Baron retorted, as he slid a photo of Iris over to the other man. Clayton smirked.

"Now that is a plan I can work with," he agreed.

[stefandesofia]

Stories from the Unliving Ch 3

“And that’s how I saved humanity from a reset” said I to the wide-eyed man. 

“You can’t be serious! You went through all that trouble, you literally survived through a war, stopping it BY YOURSELF! And they still ended up taking you apart to learn what made you live?”

“Ah well, it’s fine. All those people are dead now, and even if they did hold me in a cage for years, I can’t die, so I just waited for the cage to fall apart. Only took about 300 years for the metal to get too rusty, and I managed to break it.”

“Even still! It was heartless of them, they cut you up, took you apart, when you should have been treated as the hero you were! Why, if I could go back, and give them a piece of my mind!”

“They still ended up dying anyways, though I don’t know what caused it, since I was locked away. I did end up looking around, after I got out. It was very interesting, everybody was gone. There was little to no damage to the buildings around. There was cars and whatnot that had obviously crashed into things, but it’s like all the people disintegrated. That was about 4000 years into the current reset, so very high level of technology. I checked out the military bases that I knew, and most of them were empty, though a couple I couldn’t get open either, so that’s likely where you had hid that time. I ran some scans using the leftover equipment, so I could check what might have happened. The radiation was really high around. And I mean, everything dies in less than 1 seconds of exposure, and by 20 minutes, only a bloody pile is left kind of high. I’m guessing what happened there was, some sort of radiation wave hit the planet, likely something from the sun, and only the quickest and most well off people managed to hide in underground bunkers. I ended up not communicating with anyone at that point for over 3000 years until the radiation died down a bunch. I also tried helping. You know that area, waaaaay up north? That place where you people call it cursed? Where anything that goes too close, be it people or animal dies? Yeah, I did that.”

“I thought you said you weren’t an evil lich! And now you’ve cursed the whole Valley of Death?”

“Nah, I made it easier for all you to live on the surface again. I went with a truck I fixed, and by hand scraped down and decontaminated all surfaces, gathering all the radioactive material off the surfaces of literally everything, putting it in the truck and driving it off over to the Valley. You know how bad radioactive stuff is for technology? I had to use all trucks in over 300 different shipping yards, fill them in, and after the 14th-15th truckful they would stop working, and I would just start driving them in the Valley as far as they would go, and once they broke for good, I’d just abandon them, walk back the several hundred miles, and start over with another truck. Considering how deadly that area still is, even after 13.000 years, I’d say, I single-handedly managed to bring you lot to the surface thousands of years before you would have gone out on your own. And you know, you might not have, at that point. I read that people can only really stay underground for a few generations at most. Not being able to see the sky or something messes with your heads, and you either go insane, or drop dead.”

“Well, in the name of all of humanity, past and present, I thank you for the work that you’ve put in, that noone but me even realises.”

“Don’t sweat it! It actually gave me a purpose. Not being able to even talk to animals was a real bitch, so I needed something to keep me ‘alive’ so to speak. But you know, I never really figured out exactly what the issue was. I only had my speculations, but since all technology died from the massive EMP that swept over, pretty much erasing all records of things. I watched the sun from a telescope for a while, but the large ball of white didn’t help much, I’m afraid.”

“How did you look at the sun? Wouldn’t it have damaged... your... eyes... I realised the error in that question, forget I asked anything”

“It’s fine, you’re used to something, and it’s difficult to wrap your brain around anything else.”

“What about the time while you spent locked up? Did you have anyone to talk to?”

“Well, I don’t feel pain, so they would take me apart, and almost get me atomized, and then put back together, but I would still be able to speak, and whatnot, so I definitely made them enjoy my witty commentary. There was that one doctor chick. Don’t remember the name, but she had the dorkiest laugh. Every time I would comment on them taking me apart again, she would laugh. She probably got reassigned because of that. Getting too close to the subject and all that. And looking back on it, if you laugh at the joke ‘Hey baby, I hear there’s a party coming up, and I have no body to go with. Wanna go with me?’ while I am just a piece of skull on a table, they must really like you. Shame too. She was a looker. After that, all that was left was sweaty, fat guys in coffee stained lab coats. There was this one particular tubbo, he was the nastiest piece of work. He was balding, but just on top, he had the largest boil on his forehead, and his sweat stains would soak through the lab coat, even. He had the worst, most evil attitude! He would put his cup on my skull, and hold me in his greasy, little, fat hand. Would even sit on me. And then when I would tell the other people there he would say things like ‘Would you really believe what this freak of nature says? Why would I sit on it?’ and it would always work! I bet if that chick doctor was there, she would have believed me! But no! He was the replacement for her!”

“He really does sound awful. Why didn’t you talk to the leader of the settlement about him?”

“You think the general would go down to where all his lowly science dudes were? Nah, he’d stay up in his office/suite, and just have the people bring him food and news, while he sent his assistant down to give orders.”

“And you didn’t talk to that person? Why not?”

“Not due to a lack of trying, I’ll definitely tell you that! Nah, they would always put me in a box whenever they expected someone important to come. Can’t let the ‘big, bad, evil skeleton’ do anything to our dear leaders!”

“Wait, if you were taken apart, who put you back together, so you could escape? I get the sense that you can’t move then taken apart.”

“Oh, I can, I just didn’t. I can actually control every bone in the body individually. Here, watch” and I take my left fist into my right hand, detach is, and chuck it over the pond’s surface. Right before it hit the water, I stopped the bones midair, and pulled them back to me. “I can only really pull the pieces closer, and not much else. And even this took me many years to figure out.”

“That’s witchcraft! How did you do that?”

“I mean, magic doesn’t exist, so not witchcraft. I can control the bones in my body, so I am put together again, but nothing else.”

“Even so, this really is reminiscent of magic. Can you do it to other people’s bones too?”

“Nah, have to consider the bone a part of me. I guess, technically, if I just go crazy and decide, and fully believe, that all bones on the planet belonged to me, I could pull them closer and become this colossal mass of bones. I wonder if it will pull the people, or pull the bones only and leave the flesh. I guess it’s a good thing we’ll never find out, right? Ha!”

“That truly is a terrifying thought. Noone will be able to stop you, as you will be able to just control everyone.”

“Worse yet, since all bones will be mine, I will be the singular cause for the permanent extinction of all vertebrates on the planet! No more resets, no more people, no more big animals. Only me and the snails! That’s a little funny”

“I suspect we have different definitions of funny”

“Having consumed as much media as I have, you get numb to most things.”

We stood there in silence for a while. 

“I think I’ll go now” said the man. “I actually have an outing later tonight with this maiden that I fancy, so I need to polish my armor!”

“Wait, don’t tell me you plan to go dressed like That!”

“Is there anything wrong with my family’s armor? It was passed down for generations as an heirloom! Only the greatest of warriors have ever worn it, and now I have that same honor!”

“Oh for the love of everything that’s living still, you can’t expect to ask a girl out and then go dressed like you’re ready to slay her! Come here!” I pulled him closer and started undoing his armor straps. “You need to dress to impress, and I bet if I still had the ability to smell, you would reek! When’s the last time you took a shower?”

“I do not know that word, but I washed up just a few weeks ago, and I haven’t even fought anything.”

“A few weeks?! Jesus! I knew it! Help me out here! Take all this tin can stuff off! Oh, lord, there’s a chainmail underneath, what are you going to fight, a dragon?”

“No, you told me all of them died out. I am showing pride in my family’s name!”

“Yeah, no, I get that, but can’t you just wear, say, a nice set of clothes, and a cape with your family’s crest on the back? And like, the sword hanging at your side, if you reeeeeaally need it that bad.”

“... I suppose that would work, but I will have to requisition a cape made with my crest. Back in town there is a tailor, that I’ve heard does a fine work at things.”

“Now we’re talking! It’s too late now to get it done, but we can still dress you up a little better. Do you have any other clothes in that pack of yours?”

“Of course, I always keep a spare set. Have a look.”

“I suppose these will have to do, now start bathing!”

Took a while to get all the grime scrubbed off, and of course, I didn’t let him anywhere near my pond with that soap of his, just sent him down the stream a bit so he doesn’t contaminate anything. 

“You’re almost glowing!” I said. “I didn’t even realise your skin was that white!” 

“I know, it’s terrible! It’s a show of my sheltered life! I was never allowed to leave the walled off area around the house, and the only place I was allowed to explore was the small area in our garden where there were trees planted.”

“What are you talking about, you look great! If I were a chick, and still had any skin, I’d totally go for you. But let’s get you ready, put the clothes on... Great, and let’s shine those boots. Perfect. I have an idea for finishing the look, here” and I took just the chest plate from his armor and put it over his vest. “Now this way, you can show off your house emblem AND look like you’re going on a date. Do you have a flower guy?”

“I’m sorry? Ah! If I have anywhere to buy her a flower? No, why would I do that?”

“Are you kidding me? You like her, right?”

“Sure, she’s real pretty, and very smart.”

“And you want her to like you, right?”

“Of course. She would make a wonderful wife”

“Just don’t tell her that to her face. Okay, you need to get her a flower. Just give me a minute” and I dove back in the water. I picked some bright water-weeds, a few lili blossoms, some greens from the nearby willow, and wrapped them all up in a piece of parchment, tied together with a piece of string. “Here! Now you won’t look completely helpless”

“Thank you! This is amazing! I didn’t know you could make such beautiful things with flowers”

“Yeah, yeah, had time to read books on design, and learned a thing or two. Now! Before you do anything else, before you meet up with the girl, you go to that tailor, and you get him to make that cloak. You want it to be an over the shoulder kind, and go up to right above the butt, as that will show off what you’re working with, but also will have enough space for the house logo. And the over the shoulder type is what the nobles wear just about every reset, so it’s a good bet!”

“I will! Thank you again! I will tell you how it went, when I come over tomorrow! You will keep my armor safe, right?”

“You better! And duh, it's not like anyone ever comes here.”

"You have my gratitude!"

"Come on! Off you go!"

[dailyaudiobible]

10/25/2017 DAB Transcript

Jeremiah 48:1-49:22; 2 Timothy 4:1-22; Psalms 95:1-96:13; Proverbs 26:9-12

Today is the 25th day of October. Welcome to the daily audio Bible. I am Brian and is great to be here with you today for the next step forward in the scriptures this year. And it’s a special day because we will conclude Paul's second letter to Timothy in today's reading and, as we mentioned when we began this letter, this is the final writings of the apostle Paul's life. So, we will come to the final word written by the apostle Paul in today's reading. But first, reading from the names of God Bible, Jeremiah chapter 48 verse 1 through 49 verse 22.

Commentary:

Okay. So, we concluded Paul's second letter to Timothy, which is also the final writings of the apostle Paul's life. And, you know, these are the final things that he has to say to Timothy. Obviously, it's full of melancholy because Paul knows he's going to die and he's hoping to see Timothy again and Paul is sending Tychicus to represent him at the church in Ephesus, to give Timothy the opportunity to come, if possible. And he’s even asking Timothy to bring the warm coat that he left with Carpus in the city of Troas. Right? So, winter’s coming and he’s in a dungeon and his execution is eminent. And ya, so, there's just a lot of melancholy in all that. And it's within that that we have the famous quotation, ‘I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race’. And, so, Paul's, kind of, final instructions to Timothy are, listen, things aren't always going to be good. People will abandon you. People are going to say all kinds of things and teach all kinds of things and you need to be patient and just continue to teach the truth even when people, you know, even when people shop around looking for someone to tell them what they want to hear. You need to just patiently continue to teach the truth and you’re going to have to endure some suffering. It may get rocky out here. Consider yourself a missionary and devote yourself to this work and keep your head clear. And then Paul says, my life is coming to an end and it’s now time for me to be poured out as a sacrifice to God. I have fought the good fight, I have completed the race, I have kept the faith. That verse has always flattened me ever since I really began to understand the context of this letter. When I began to understand that it had come down to abandonment, that this great apostle, Paul, who we revere and who is responsible for so much of the New Testament that we read, that it all came down to a dungeon with winter coming on and pretty much everyone gone. And Paul warns Timothy and he talks about these kinds of things in his other letters, that this is not an unopposed life, that even though the good news of the gospel is the hope of the human species and the integration of God and people can once again happen and this world could begin to flourish, most people are going to ignore this and some are going to be hostile. And Jesus warned the same thing. And, so, Paul's words are humbling and give us a lot to contemplate. Because this is a guy that is going to be executed, who was able to say, I did what I came to do, I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race. And the way that I did that wasn't through grand spectacles, it was that I kept the faith until the very end. I want that to be true of my life. Don't you? Like, at the essence, at the core, no matter what happens, I want that to be true. And it's pretty clear that Paul wanted that to be true in his life and he wanted to transfer that conviction to Timothy so that it might be true of him. And that as this letter spread around that it might be true of all. And, so, here are the final words of the apostle Paul and may they be spoken over us each. The Lord be with you. His is goodwill be with all of you.

Prayer:

Father, we come into that. It is a baseline heart cry - that we can fight the good fight, that we can finish the race, that we can keep the faith. And we have to also acknowledge that so many times we've measured that by how much we feel You are blessing us, like, that has become our measure, when we see that that is isn’t the measure at all, when we look at the apostle Paul and we look at your life Jesus. That isn’t the measure at all. This isn’t a fight for how much exterior blessing we can have. It is a fight for our heart and soul. And, so, as battered as we might be, with the circumstances that swirl around us, we regroup and center ourselves in you once again. We stand up once again and start fighting the good fight and we will finish this race and we will keep this faith by the power of your Holy Spirit, and by no other power is it possible. So, come, Holy Spirit, and help us to move forward as we honor those who have gone before us and finished the race, those who have finished the race by giving their lives so that we might have this treasure. Come, Holy Spirit, we pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Announcements:

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And what’s going on around here for the next few days is the global campfire initiative. And if you haven't had chance to listen the fireside chat, the little community meeting that we put out yesterday, then please do. The global campfire initiative is just some of the growth that is happening inside of this community and some of the ways that God is asking us to face outward so that what we do here every day, this rhythm of the scripture in our life, in community, in the beauty of the community that we share together, is more available. So, be sure to check that out. You can participate in the global campfire initiative at dailyaudiobible.com. If you just scroll down a little bit to initiatives, you'll see it. Or if you're in the Daily Bible shop you'll see a banner for it as well. It's easy enough to get to. Thank you for participating in the next steps forward for us together as a community.

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And that's it for today. I'm Brian I love you and I'll be waiting for you here tomorrow.

Community Prayers and Praise Reports:

Hello my Daily Audio Bible family. My name is Rayna here in California, Los Angeles area. I’ve called before. I listen daily. I don’t call in often but I do pray and listen and pray along with all of you. Today, I have to reach out. Again, I’ve called before. I’ve gotten really sick with fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue and other ailments in my body due to severe stress that I’ve ensured over the years and especially this one long year. It’s now taken its toll on me. The fibromyalgia pains are just extreme to the point where I can’t even think and work right. I draw blood for a lab. So, I have to be steady. I have to be focused. And I’ve found it very difficult to go to work lately. And it’s just been really hard to focus and feel like I'm worth anything. I don't like to hear questions like, what's wrong with you? Because it makes me feel like I’m not good enough anymore. So, I’m just asking God to just take this away from me completely. I’ve been liberated from it before but it’s just come back with full force and…I just…sometimes I wonder why I am still here. I struggle with also being alone in the house. I just want to go to work. I really love my job and ask you to please pray for me. I’m beginning to feel worthless. That God would just give me a new body and reinvigorate me and give me health again. Thank you, my Daily Audio Bible family, for just being there.

Oh God, I thank You for our churches and our church community. Thank You Lord so much for what they are doing and Father God thank You so much for the work you’ve laid upon their hearts to do. Father God I pray especially now for the children’s relief work of our church communities of our Christian communities Lord. Whether it be part of the DAB or DAB Kids or DAB teens or whatever or whether or it be the midweek Friday clubs or Tuesday clubs evening clubs or the Sunday morning clubs that people can learn, get to learn about You Lord. Thank You so much for what you are doing. Thank you for people who you’ve laid on their hearts to be a children’s worker or relief worker in their spare time to volunteer Lord. Father God, I pray that you’d be leading those people that you be leading those churches, giving them wisdom on how best to help children find you, how best help them grow, how best to disciple them. Please be blessed in these works Lord. Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.

Hey family. This is Melissa again. I have a prayer request. My oldest daughter, her name is Darion, we call her Pudding. She would kill me if she knew I told ya’ll this. She will be going to China for a year to work. So, I need you all to pray for her. Me and her dad are, kind of, ya know, iffy about this, but this is something she wants to do. She’s 28 years old. She’s a good girl and I need to ya’ll to please keep her lifted up in prayer. Joselyn, you called in and were talking to a lady about her kid being sexually abused, and you said you didn’t let your kids spend the night, go to sleep over. I’m so glad you called in and said that because I don’t let Gabby spend the night with people and it’s just cause of things that happened to me. Allot of times when ya’ll call in to talk to other people and encourage them you don’t realize you’re encouraging other people too. So, thanks for so much for that. I love ya’ll. Ya’ll have a great day. Bye-bye.  

Hello Daily Audio Bible you make this family such a big, big lovely family. Brian, I just want to say thank you. For the last 5 years five years that I’ve listened to the Daily Audio Bible I love the fact that you get to this point in Jeremiah 29:11 and to take a pause and expand and expound and just tell us how great it is to have context. Yes, that’s one of my favorite versus as for many I know it is. It is great to understand context. In the bible, it will give us a big picture of what God is trying to tell and teaching us. So, I just wanted to say thank you Brian. And it’s great to know God has plans for us but whatever situation He has placed us, whether we like it or not, He is going to use that. So, we should try our very best to praise God, to flourish in all those moments. I am very happy that I am a member of this very wonderful family. Each one of you are loved by God. I really mean that. God loves us. And if God never did anything else for any one off us more than he has already done, the death of His son, Jesus Christ on the cross is good enough. It is the best gift anyone of us could ever receive - the gift of salvation, the gift of His undying love. Her pursued…

[randomfandomimagine]

Don’t Touch Her (Theo x Reader)

Character: Theo Raeken (and Stiles, kinda)

Fandom: Teen Wolf

Categories: Reader Insert, Female!Reader, Sister!Reader, Stilinski!Reader

Title: Don’t Touch Her

  Requested by anon:

Hi! Could you do a theo raeken imagine? Like i'm stiles's little sister and is dating theo? And the dread doctors capture me and turn me into something and they both try their hardest to save me by working together and all that? Thank you!

She had put it off for nearly an hour now, and even then she didn’t really want to go. But Y/N had to break the moment and stand up from their cuddling position.

“Are you leaving?” Theo asked her even if he knew the answer, watching how she put her coat back on.

“I have to” The girl glanced at him, resigned. “Stiles will kill me if he finds out that I was late because I was here with you”

Her boyfriend couldn’t help but to roll his eyes at that statement.

“Your brother is too protective of you” He stated, despite the fact that for once he agreed with him. Not that he would admit this out loud, though.

“You’re telling me” Combing her hair a bit, she sighed. “But I really gotta go”

“Fine” Theo budged even if he just wanted her to stay. “Want me to walk you home?”

Y/N laughed at such stupid question.

“And let him see us together? No, thank you”

Theo acquired an amused expression that made her chuckle.

A moment of silence followed. Y/N tilted her head, observing him closely.

Even if Theo always hid his emotions, she knew him well enough. If it were for him, she would never leave his side.

Besides, it was obvious even by the way he held her closely. Tight. Lovingly.

He would miss her, just like she would miss him. Because despite the fact that Theo could be shady and two faced, she was completely sure that she could trust him. He loved her, and she might be one of the only things he treasured like that.

“I’ll see you soon” Y/N held his face and kissed him in the lips, smiling at him before he left.

He just stood there, watching her leave and seething in silence.

Theo was always worried to leave her on her own. Not because he didn’t trust her, it was the rest of the world he didn’t trust.

Especially knowing so many evil things and people crept out there, many of them supernatural. Yet he had to relinquish and let her be.

Even if he was left with an uneasy restlessness.

*

The next day Theo couldn’t stay away from his phone. Usually, she texted him.

Whether it was to chat or to say she was going over. Maybe just a random text, she always said something to him. It was strange that she didn’t that day.

Something took his mind off it for a while, because he heard someone approaching the house. And Theo was absolutely sure that it wasn’t Y/N.

He stood up to check who it was, opening to door sensing whoever it was didn’t present a threat. The boy was not expecting him at all.

“Stiles?” Theo was genuinely surprised to see him approaching him.

It was clear that he didn’t like him. Actually, they didn’t really like each other. Yet he looked determined to talk to Theo, which told him that it had to be about his sister. And it had to be extremely important, probably something bad.

“Where is she?” Was the only thing he said, not even bothering to walk closer to him. Almost like being too close disgusted him.

“Who?” For her sake, he pretended like he had no idea who Stiles was talking about.

“You know very well, who” Stiles sternly told him. “Y/N, my sister”

“I don’t know” Theo frowned as he spoke, as he was speaking the truth and it upset him.

“I know you two were dating, I’m not stupid” Stilinski clenched his jaw, angry. “Now tell me where she is and why she isn’t answering her phone”

“She’s probably okay” Even though he was talking to Stiles, Theo was also reminding himself that. “Maybe Y/N just went for a stroll”

“For twenty four hours?” The other boy exclaimed, outraged and anxious.

Theo felt a heavy claw of fear clutching his guts and the blood draining from his face. He wanted to speak, but a weight formed in his chest and froze him.

“She…” He gulped, afraid. “She didn’t make it home last night?”

“Why would I be here if she did? Why would I freaking talk to you?!”

The two of them remained silent for a good two minutes. They both were too immersed in their thoughts and horrible images of Y/N, worried about her safety, to keep the conversation going.

Until Stiles piped up, desperate and terrified.

“Listen and listen good” The boy told him as he cut the distance between them. “I’m just here for my sister, and because you’re the only one that can help her”

“So you need my help” Theo knew that he could really use Stiles’ help, but didn’t really voice his thoughts.

“Not even Scott can seem to find her” Annoyed, Stiles scowled. “You’re the only one that knows about the Dread Doctors”

“What makes you think it was them?”

“Oh, it was them” He nodded vehemently. “The fact that you’re involved too just reinforces my hypothesis”

Theo stared at him, not bothered by his words, almost challenging him. Seeing this smug attitude, Stiles did not think twice.

“You’re gonna help me” He held Theo by the collar of the shirt, even if his hands were shaking. “Because the only thing we have in common is that we care about her”

“And the only reason I’m gonna work with you” Nonchalant, he pushed Stiles away from him. “Is because we’ll find her faster together”

*

The first thing Theo did to look for her, even if it was without Stiles, was go to the Dread Doctors’ lab.

A hunch told him that the reason she was missing was them. One of their damn experiments. He just hoped she was still alive and well. Even though those two things were improbable, each one more than the other.

He crossed his arms over his chest and waited to feel their presence. They would have to get there sooner or later.

When he felt them close enough to him, he made his posture and expression menacing and grave, stern. Then he turned around to face them.

“We had agreed that you don’t touch her” He opened up by saying.

“She was an exceptional individual” One of them said in their strange and deep scary voice.

“I don’t care” Theo deadpanned, taking a few steps closer. “You promised, and you owe me that”

The Doctors didn’t reply at first. They just stood there in that creepy way of theirs until one of them piped up.

“The subject failed”

“Where is she?” The boy angrily demanded to know. “Where?!”

“Unimportant” The creature replied to him in a neutral voice.

“I need her alive!” Theo shouted at them, hating to think she was dead. Even if it seemed like it was so.

He didn’t care it would anger them. The only thing he cared about was finding Y/N. So he left the lab as fast as he could and went to look for her.

The boy climbed into the car and drove to the only place he could think of. There where all the failures went.

Theo knew Stiles was following him in his Jeep. He didn’t care about that either, but the reason why he allowed it was because Y/N would like to see her brother when they found her. If she was still alive.

*

With a sigh, Theo got off the car, awaiting Stiles’ outburst.

“She’s here, isn’t she?” Indeed, the boy began yelling at him.

“Yes” He replied, rolling his eyes thinking he was too tired to put up with any of that.

“Why didn’t you tell me?! She’s my sister!” Filled with a burning fury, Stiles’ eyes became watery. Also due to the fear, probably. “I deserve to know!!”

“Shut up and follow me” Theo turned around apparently calmed. “Let’s go find her”

Stiles obliged because he knew Theo was right despite it all.

The latter tried to hide his restlessness, because he could feel Y/N. He knew she was nearby because he could smell her fear, her pain and her uneasiness.

He used that scent as a trail and followed it hoping it would take her to her. Because he needed to see her, even though he already knew she was alive, which was an immense relief.

“Are you getting anything?” Stiles was obviously agitated as he piped up.

He knew Theo had a better sense of smell and he was hoping that would help them. For once, he was glad to be around him. That would be the first, last and only time that happened.

“She’s alive” Theo walked slowly, trying to prick up his ears as well, looking for a heartbeat or ragged breaths or anything at all.

“One would think that’s an important piece of information” The other shrugged, salty. “You might want to share it… I don’t know, with her freaking brother!”

Theo rolled his eyes and focused on the trail. He didn’t want to miss anything that might lead them to her. The only thing that comforted his anxiety was the fact that he didn’t smell any blood.

“Did you hear that?” Stiles mumbled the second an audible sob arrived to them.

Not bothering to reply, Theo jogged in that direction. The other boy followed right behind.

“Y/N!” Soon enough they spotted her.

The girl lied on the floor, curled up over herself and shaking in fear. There was something strange and different about her, which told them the Dread Doctors really did experiment on her. Probably changed her into something supernatural.

She cautiously looked up and stretched out her arms when she saw them. It was a clear and desperate call for help since it seemed she could not move from the spot.

“Oh my God” Stiles uttered, passing Theo by quick as lightning as he kneeled in front of his sister. “You okay, sweetie?”

“Stiles” She sobbed, scared, still reaching out for him.

“I got you” He sneaked an arm under her legs and tried to pick her up as she wrapped her arms around him. “I got you, don’t worry, it’s okay”

Stiles struggled. Not only because his hands were as shaky as his voice, restless and frightened. But also because he just wasn’t strong enough.

Seeing as he couldn’t lift her up on his own, Theo shoved him away and did so himself. When he scooped her up in his arms she hugged him tight and hid her face on his shoulders.

She spoke their names lowly, both in relief and still in fright. Theo carried her carefully as he turned around to Stiles, who observed them with resignation.

“They did something to her, didn’t they?” The latter tried to forget the fact that his arch enemy was carrying his little sister even though he wanted to do it himself. Her safety was more important than their enmity.

“Yeah, but we’ll find a way to change that” Theo replied, talking mainly to reassure himself. “We’ll figure it out”

“Let’s take her home” Stiles fidgeted around nervously as he walked back to his Jeep.

“I’m not leaving her” Her boyfriend replied, clutching to her almost as tight as she clutched to him.

“Me neither” Her brother clenched his teeth in determination. “And her place is home, so I’m taking her there”

“I wanna go home” Y/N whispered to Theo, still not moving from her position. “I wanna go home…”

“Fine” He gave in. “But I’m still not leaving her side”

Hating him sticking around, Stiles sighed in frustration. But then he motioned over to his Jeep and Theo obeyed the silent order. She was going home, but Theo was going wherever she went.

The both of them would protect her. Despite their dislike for the other, Y/N was the priority.

And she only found comfort on the two of them. Her boyfriend and older brother would never let anything happen to her again.

I HOPE YOU ENJOYED THIS! SORRY IF IT WAS A BIT RUSHED AND SHORT, I DID MY BEST WITH SO LITTLE INSPIRATION. BUT ALSO, I MIGHT WRITE A PART 2 IN THE FUTURE. LET ME KNOW IF YOU’D LIKE THAT!