#I need an Engie plush too

[flutterzya]

He's so happi

[cbsxreader]

could i please have the mercs with someone who has severe trypanophobia, to the point of going into a fight or flight response upon being exposed to needles? sorry if this is dumb or otherwise Bad

Sorry that this took a while!!! 😭 Also, I don't know much about having phobias n stuff so, sorry if I wrote anything wrong

Mercs with an S/o who has severe trypanophobia

Cw: Needles, trypanophobia

Scout

Scout acts like he isn't afraid of needles himself and says they're not that bad, but in reality he has a fear of them too. So, he isn't too confused about his S/o's phobia.

Distracts his S/o by doing tricks and small stunts to get their mind off of the fact that they're getting a shot. Even if it rarely works or doesn't work at all, Scout doesn't give up on his S/o.

If they freak out, Scout freaks out too and there's not a chance either of them calm down. After a single appointment, Scout completely understands just how much his S/o is freaked out by needles. Also, they both go out to get something to eat to put the appointment behind them.

Soldier

Doesn't really understand why his S/o is so afraid of needles, like, not at all. He's seen and experienced way worse than a single, little prick to the skin and he doesn't understand what his S/o finds so scary in it.

Even if Soldier doesn't understand their fear, he still comes to appointments at their request. While he remains non-bothered, his S/o internally worries.

When Soldier actually sees how afraid his S/o is and how they cling to him for dear life, he goes wild and throws away and destroys all needles on sight.

Pyro

Is afraid of needles too, though not as much as their S/o. Pyro doesn't completely freak out, they're just a bit nervous. So when their S/o tells them they have a phobia of needles, they feel very sympathetic.

They try gifting their S/o a plush toy they can hold while getting a shot, maybe something to squeeze or pet while trying to stay calm. Sometimes that plush can be Pyro! They're more than happy to see their S/o overcome their anxiety even a little bit for the better good.

Pyro even tries to motivate their S/o by sucking up their own fear of getting shots and try to show that it's not so bad. Doesn't matter if it actually encourages their S/o or not, they're not forcing them to at all.

Demoman

Not a big fan of needles either. Though it's just a feeling of uneasy-ness and he shies away from the doctor if he needs to get a shot. So, he understands his S/o's fear of needles.

Demo might try to reason with the doctor if there's any way for him to hold his S/o still as they get their shot. It's all for their better health, even though he does feel a bit bad about restraining his S/o.

Demo praises his S/o and lets them know how proud he is of them after an appointment. All he wants to see is his S/o trying to live peacefully with their phobia and even overcome it a tiny bit, so he'll make sure he helps them in that journey.

Heavy

A big, tough man like him can't understand why his S/o is scared of needles which are just quick little pokes in their skin to make them feel better.

Heavy has to hold his S/o in a bear hug every time they go to a doctor's or Medic's office, mainly to catch them if they faint and to hold them still if a fight response gets triggered. They're clinging onto him like their life depends on it.

If his S/o freaks out, Heavy tries to keep them still with his strength, but secretly feels guilty about it. To try to calm them down to endure the prick to their skin, he speaks to them in Russian in a comforting voice to divert their attention.

Engineer

It takes a little while for Engineer to understand his S/o's fear of needles because he's a practical man, but he gets there.

He tries to reason with his S/o, trying to tell them that it's just to make them feel better but he eventually understands it's something more than just a fear.

If he's allowed, he'll hold his S/o's hand to keep them calm when they get a shot. Engie really only understands how bad his S/o's phobia is when he has to handle them as they're hyperventilating and panicking.

Medic

He doesn't know why his S/o freezes up and doesn't respond to him when they stumble into his lab. He stares at them in confusion before realizing what he has on a stool right next to him.

Medic scurries to hide them in a cabinet and welcomes his S/o in. If they've gone into a panicked state, he tries his best to calm them down

If his S/o wants to spend time with him but he's performing a surgery and needs to use a needle, he motions with his hand for his S/o to look away. Though they can still get a bit nervous.

Overall, it's made him dapper up his lab for his S/o to not freak out. Maybe he understands and doesn't understand his S/o's fear of needles at the same time because "It's just a little prick", but he tries, that's what matters.

Sniper

Sniper kind of understands his S/o's fear of needles because he's not the biggest fan of them either. Not to the point of being terrified but more like a slightly displeased feeling of when he needs a shot.

Will come to his S/o's appointments just to make them feel more safe. Sniper can only pull them closer to himself when they grip his forearm.

Awkwardly fumbles when his S/o actually freaks out and tries to calm them down by soothing them and petting their scalp. If he needs to, he will hold his S/o so they can get their shot.

Spy

Spy mostly understands why they're afraid, he's sort of the most understanding too, because he knows phobias can't easy to overcome and can't be controlled at times.

Promises his S/o to give them something nice like chocolates and stuff after an appointment. Basically, if his S/o tries to overcome their anxiety, even if it's just them shaking but not completely freaking out, he congratulates them and praises them that they tried to do something about their phobia.

If his S/o starts to panic because they've been exposed to needles, Spy will be quick to react and will try to calm them down the best way he can. He mainly talks French to them in a soothing voice to try to calm them down and reason with them.

[sammyandromadrew32]

So, as of celebration for @quazies new episode of lil pootis and pootis plush 2.0, me and pootis painted his birdfriend! More paintings are to come of pootis himself, spy crab and desk engie, too! I just- need more paint. Medimedes ran me out of white paint.

[fuckyeahscienceparty]

Just the Two of Us

Maybe just having someone be there for you is enough.

-

just a ficlet :V bc it came to my head last night and i thought it'd be nice

-

It's one of those days where Engie could tell that Doc was tired.

One of those days where he watched from afar as he got stabbed, shot in the head, and blown up all within the span of an hour, Engie wincing in his head every time he saw his body hit the ground before proceeding to teleport back to resupply. Everyone had them, himself included, but he could tell that Medic was particularly just Not having it today.

They always said that you were your own worse critic but it seemed to double for him, the good(?) doctor himself seemingly more than a little displeased with his performance that day as he drudged past all his other teammates that afternoon after battle and made his way straight to the Medbay, locking the swinging doors to signify that he did Not want to be fucking bothered for the rest of the evening unless you were 2 inches away from death. Even then, he may consider just letting you go through reapawn instead.

So it didn't exactly surprise Engie when he heard a soft knock on his open workshop door that night, looking up to see Medic's weary face in the doorframe with a small, plush version of Archimedes in his hands.

He didn't need to say anything, he knew he didn't. Medic wordlessly made his way in, pulling up the spare chair Engie left near the door and sitting next to his chosen companion behind his desk to watch him work.

New schematics for the dispenser, Engie explained briefly; he was displeased about how long it took the current model to level up so he was trying to see if he could increase the speed without sacrificing other functionality.

Medic merely nodded, propping up his head in one hand holding onto his plush in the other, more than ready to just watch Engie scribble and mutter to himself for the next couple hours while he sat next to him.

Engie gave him a pat on the shoulder before turning back to his papers, flipping through old notes and scribbling down new ones in shorthand only the two men currently sitting in that room could understand.

Medic's show of gratitude for allowing him to just sit there with him came in the form of him softly head butting Engie's shoulder while he was in the middle of muttering to himself and erasing a large portion of what he had just written, at first taking Engie a little off guard.

He soon smiled instead and took a moment to ruffle Medic's hair as he proceeded to lean against him, head resting on his shoulder.

Engie then continued to write, only looking over every once in a while with a sort of fondness to see Medic fiddle with the Pocket-medes' button eyes while looking intently at his schematics, even if he wasn't exactly 100% sure what they meant.

It was kind of touching, in a way. That of all the people Medic wanted to spend time with when he got like this, it was him, even when both of them were almost completely silent and he had no idea what Engie was doing or how it worked.

He pressed on, however. And if Medic had eventually fallen asleep on his shoulder and needed to be carried back to his quarters because he was too tired to make the treck on his own?

Well that would just stay between the two of them.

[fruit-teeth]

Matters of Time and Fate (Chapter 24)

The bed felt cold as Olivia lay there, staring at the ceiling. She could hear a giant beetle pounding its wings against her glass, and while the sight of such a creature disgusted her, she paid the insect little attention this time. Her tears had dried against her cheeks, but they had left itchy stains on her face that wouldn't go away no matter how hard she wiped them away with her sleeve.

Olivia had been up in her room for the past hour or so. Or perhaps it had been two hours, though she had no idea how long it had been. She didn't want to keep feeling awful; she simply wanted to stay in bed and cuddle her plush cat and rubber duck until she felt better. Yet it had been a substantial amount of time, and she still wasn’t feeling right again. Internally, she screamed at herself, demanding that the sadness be cast away, but it wouldn’t budge. The bitterness sat in her chest like a boulder, similar to what she had felt when she learned her father died.

There was a knock on the door just then. Olivia lifted her head, and she asked after a moment, “Who is it?”

“It’s me,” Miss Pauling’s voice filtered through, wavering and low. “May I come in?”

Olivia wiped her eye roughly. “…yeah. Okay,”

The door creaked open, and Miss Pauling slipped in. She wasn’t dressed in her normal clothes, rather she had put on a pair of sweatpants and a long t-shirt. Her hair was also quite messy, and she looked tired.

Pauling sat on the edge of Olivia’s bed, saying nothing for a moment. Soon, though, she remarked, “Helen does love you, you know.”

Olivia sniffled, pulling the quilt tighter around herself. “She left me…” she mumbled.

“She wanted to make sure you went to a good home,” Pauling explained gently. “I can’t…I can’t explain everything that she does, but she wanted to give you a good chance. That’s why she didn’t just leave you at an orphanage when your dad died.”

“But…” Olivia’s lip trembled. “What’s wrong with me? Why couldn’t I have her?”

“Nothing’s wrong with you!” Pauling assured, taking a moment to carefully rub at Olivia’s back. “I was there right after you were born…she wanted you to be safe and cared-for, she had me take care of you and keep you warm,”

Olivia let this information process, and she sat up in surprise. “You…” she wiped her nose with her wrist, still teary but intrigued. “You were there when I was a baby?”

Pauling couldn’t help but smile. “Yeah. She called me over after you were born, and I got you cleaned up for the social worker.”

Olivia had never heard her father tell her stories about when she was a baby, and her nanny had simply stated she was "cute" and nothing else. She only had a few photos of herself as an infant, and it had felt so strange to think that she had once been such a chubby, toothless thing. Now, though, there was someone who’d been present for her infancy.

“What was I like as a baby?” Olivia asked, shifting closer to talk to Pauling easier.

“Well…” Pauling thought about it. “You were very tiny, and you were actually pretty quiet for a new baby. I had to make sure you were okay,”

“Was I okay?” Olivia wanted to know, as if she were worried for her past, infant self.

Pauling nodded, tucking a strand of hair behind Olivia’s ear. “Yeah, you were fine! From what I know, anyway, you were healthy, just small…I gave you a bath in the sink, you were really calm about it, but you did cry a little when I took you out of your swaddle,”

Olivia wrinkled her nose. “Swaddle?”

“Oh – sorry, the towel you were in. The swaddle. But yeah…” Pauling smiled at her again. “I wish I had pictures but…it was just that one night.”

Olivia thought about what’d she had just heard. She’d been a calm, happy baby who liked baths…she compared that to how she became later, as her father had taught her to become mean and ruthless. Her mind did not harp on that too much, though, and she instead grinned to herself at the thought of getting a bath from someone else. “I don’t take baths, now. Just showers,”

“I know,” Pauling replied. “And that surprises me a lot, I’ve never met a lot of kids like you…” she went quiet for a moment, before saying, “Look…I’m sorry I kept that secret from you. You must have had a lot of questions about your mom when you were little, ones your dad didn’t answer.”

“Yeah…” Olivia confessed. “But it wasn’t weird. I did okay…”

Pauling turned to look Olivia up and down: that same tiny baby she’d washed in the sink, bigger now and sitting next to her. Without giving it much thought, she reached over and picked Olivia up, pulling her into her lap. “Yeah,” Pauling agreed in a soft voice, holding back tears as she rested her chin on Olivia’s head. “Yeah, you’ve done great…”

Olivia was taken aback by the hug, but she accepted it with open arms, burying her cheek against Pauling's chest and letting herself be held. Soft guitar music began to flow in from downstairs at the same time, and Olivia looked up when it reached her ears. “Guitar?”

“Oh,” Pauling realized, noticing it too. “That’s Engie…he must be playing a little something. I wonder if he’s playing for the others?”

Olivia slid off of Pauling’s lap and went to the door, heading into the hallway to find out. Pauling followed her, rubbing her eyes and smoothing her hair back as the two headed down the hall.

Engineer sat on the couch in the living room, slowly picking his guitar strings. Scout lay sprawled out on the floor, staring at the ceiling with raw, red eyes. Pyro hovered near him, gently stroking his hair and muttering sweet things he couldn't understand.

When Olivia and Pauling stepped in, Engineer paused his playing. “Hey, you two. Feelin’ better, Olivia?”

Olivia gave a half-hearted shrug. “I dunno…I feel a little better, I guess, but…” she couldn’t quite articulate the sensation, instead gesturing to her chest. “I feel bad in here still,”

“I feel ya,” Scout spoke up from where he lay, his voice wavering a bit. Olivia glanced down at him, before kneeling and laying down on the floor to join him.

Engineer smiled at the sight, but Olivia and Scout were both so unhappy, he couldn't bring himself to laugh. “Hey, you too…either of you wanna talk about how you’re feeling? That might help…”

Scout rolled over on his side and curled up like a frog, frowning. Olivia copied him without much thought, but when Engineer’s words fully sunk in, she considered the prospect.

“Okay,” Olivia sat back up, wiping her eyes again. “Well…” she drew her knees up and hugged them. “I feel like…Mommy didn’t want me because there was something wrong with me,”

Engineer clicked his tongue. “Nah, nah, darlin’…don’t think like that. People have different reasons for doin’ things, it probably had a lot less to do with you and more to do with whatever she was dealin’ with…”

Miss Pauling took a seat on the sofa, letting out a shaky sigh. “Yeah, you’re right about that, Engie…”

Olivia sighed. “But…but Daddy said she didn’t want me…”

“That’s what he thought you’d understand,” Engineer clarified. “Y’know, Olivia, adults are really complex sometimes, and sometimes we don’t think little kids will understand the things we do. So…we try to make it simpler for you. Maybe that’s why your daddy told you that,”

“Hm…” Olivia thought it over. “But he knew I was smart…he told me every day. We’d do plans for the company at night, and if I did something right he’d say to me, ‘you’re so smart, Olivia!’” She pressed her cheek against her knee. “Mommy wouldn’t say that to me…”

Engineer went quiet, and he set his guitar to the side to lean in a little so Olivia could hear him better. “Look,” he began. “You don’t need her approval, okay? You got plenty of people in this house who care so much about you. When you got that, you can’t lose, all right?”

Olivia took this in, before she confessed quietly, “I wanted a mom like the kids on TV…”

“TV makes you want a lot of stuff,” Scout spoke up from where he lay. “That’s always been my experience…” he sniffed. “Makes you want a good dad, too…”

The floorboards beside the living room creaked, and Olivia noticed right away. “What was that?” she asked, looking around.

Engineer sighed. “Oh, lord…I know who it is,” he set his guitar down, calling, “I hear you, Spy. You can come out,”

Spy uncloaked himself, somewhat shamefully. When he appeared, Scout refused to look at him, choosing instead to pick at part of the carpet. Engineer clicked his tongue disapprovingly.

“I’m glad you decided to stick around,” Engineer informed Spy. “But sneakin’ around like this ain’t the way.”

“It’s my job,” Spy defended, a sharper edge to his tone than he’d perhaps intended. He leaned against the wall, staring at the floor. “I’m just…at a loss.”

Miss Pauling glanced up from her spot on the sofa. “At a loss of what?”

“Of what to do next…” Spy’s hands shook a little as he rubbed at his brow, grimacing.

Engineer frowned. “Seriously? Spy—he’s right there.” He gestured to Scout. “How about you stop dodging this and talk to your kid for once?”

When Spy looked up, Scout snorted, “Oh, hell, no. I ain’t talkin’ to that bastard.”

“Now, Scout,” Engineer chided, though his voice was gentle. “I think you deserve some closure and—”

“Don’t tell me how to feel!” Scout snapped, bitter. “Maybe I wanna be angry! Ever thought of that? I got a right to be mad, don’t tell me I’m wrong for it!”

Engineer paused. “I…I wasn’t gonna say that,” he sighed. “I just feel like, if you two don’t talk this out, it’ll only get worse. You know?”

Scout hugged his arms, looking away again, mumbling. Spy watched him for a few, silent seconds, before he took a long breath.

“Jeremy,” he began, stepping towards the young man. “I…I apologize for…well, everything. When you were born, I ran into a great deal of trouble, and as a young man, I did not know how to deal with it properly…”

Spy sat down on the carpet, sitting just across from where Scout was. Olivia watched in silence, checking Scout’s reaction, but he maintained the same, stoic demeanor.

Nevertheless, Spy continued talking. “This isn’t an excuse, I should add. I just wanted to explain why it happened the way it did, because…I should have done better. I should have worked to find a better solution and deal with what happened like a man. But I was a coward, and…” he paused, trying to get reasonable control over his words. “You are not obligated to forgive me, in fact I don’t expect that from you. However, I…I promise I will not leave you again. Not after everything.”

There was a long silence. Scout finally looked up at Spy, his eyes visibly tearing up again. After a moment, he managed to speak. “Thanks…I didn’t think you were actually gonna say sorry.” He wiped his nose, sniffling. “I had a really hard time without a dad, you know. I guess you’re here now, anyway, but…thanks for sayin’ sorry. Means a lot…”

Spy nodded, looking a little relieved to hear that. “All right…good…” he cleared his throat again, clearly trying not to cry. “Well…I’m pleased we could talk about this…even if…”

Scout cut him off. “Yeah, yeah, man. Whatever.” He had a little smile on his face, though, his hands moving up from the carpet to sit on his lap.

Upon witnessing the interaction, Engineer had a sudden realization. “Wait—hey, this is a good idea,”

“What is?” Miss Pauling questioned, not catching on.

“We can just…talk to each other, about what we’re feeling, and…” he tried to think of how to explain it better. “This past day has been wild, and maybe we’d feel better if we just talked openly about what we were feeling,”

“Like a hippie circle?” Scout scoffed, but then backtracked. “I dunno, I ain’t sayin’ it’s a bad idea, actually…”

Miss Pauling sat up taller, considering it. “Sure, we can try it…we can get the others to join in, if they want to,”

“I can start again,” Spy offered, focusing on Pauling. “Miss Pauling, I…I’m sorry for what happened back there, for telling what you told me not to tell…”

“Oh—” Miss Pauling waved him off a little. “No, no…it’s my fault, anyway…Helen told me not to tell that secret in the first place, and…” she teared up again, looking away. “I let her down…”

Pyro patted Pauling’s hand sympathetically while Spy assured her, “No, Miss Pauling…it was her who ran off. It was her who couldn’t look her own child in the eyes and admit what happened. Do not blame yourself.”

Miss Pauling composed herself, rubbing her eye with her wrist. “I guess…” she muttered, unwilling to criticize Helen despite the fact that something in her eyes indicated that she wanted to.

At that moment, Heavy came walking up from the basement, with Medic close behind him. “What is happen up here?” Heavy wanted to know, coming to stand just beside where Spy was seated.

“We’re just havin’ conversations,” Engineer explained. “Just being honest about what’s on our minds.”

Heavy sat down, nodding. “Yes, this is good.”

Medic spotted Olivia, and he moved to sit near her. “Hello again, young one. Look who came to see you,” he moved aside part of his jacket, revealing that Teddy was pressed there.

Olivia’s face lit up, pleased to see the little baboon again. “Teddy!” she reached out to pet his fur gently.

Medic smiled, and he carefully pried Teddy off him. “Here, why don’t you hold him for a bit?”

Olivia gladly accepted Teddy, holding him just how she’d been directed to and watching as he grabbed onto the collar of her shirt. She giggled, “He likes me!”

“He does, you are a natural with him.” Medic praised, patting her head.

As Heavy watched them, he got an expression of gentle love on his face, taking in just how kind Medic could be with Olivia. A thought then crossed his mind, and he looked to Engineer. “I have something to talk about,”

“Oh?” Engineer nodded. “Okay, well…go ahead, big guy.”

Heavy straightened up, looking back at Medic again. “Doktor,” he prompted, getting the other man’s attention. “May I talk about…us?”

Medic glanced up, and he paused, thinking it over. “…yes,” he decided. “Yes, Misha, go ahead…”

Heavy looked back at the rest of the group, before he began to speak. “For long time, now, Doktor and I have been…in love. And…we did not know if she would talk about it, or tell, but…now I want to talk about it.”

Heavy and Medic's relationship was no secret among the mercenaries, thus his admission came as no surprise. Yet, the others chose to be respectful about this.

“We do not think differently of either of you, mon ami,” Spy affirmed, patting Heavy’s shoulder.

“Yeah, we support you guys.” Scout agreed.

Heavy smiled, visibly relieved. “Oh, thank you…I am so happy to be here with all of you.”

Medic approached Heavy, curling up on his lap and giving him a kiss. “Goodness, I love you…” he hummed gently, cuddling against Heavy.

“I love you, too,” Heavy replied, pressing his cheek to Medic’s with a delighted hum.

Miss Pauling laughed softly. “Oh, God, you guys…you’re so sweet, you’re gonna give me a cavity.”

Olivia watched from where she held Teddy, recalling how she’d seen them in the basement before. They really did love each other, that much was clear…

It was after this interaction that the others began to trickle in, one by one, to see what was going on in the living room. Olivia began to feel better as they sat quietly on the couch or on the floor, talking quietly to one another, and she snuggled Teddy closer to her for warmth.

Zhanna had her head laid against Soldier’s shoulder, but she looked up at Olivia after a moment. “How are feeling, little one?”

“Okay…” Olivia shrugged. “I feel okay. I’m still sad because Mommy doesn’t want me…”

Sniper, who’d been rather quiet, slipped down closer to Olivia’s level to sit beside her. “Hey…I know that feeling. It hurts like hell, but you should know you aren’t alone. Okay?”

“I know,” Olivia informed him, pressing her cheek against his arm.

“Are you all right, lad?” Demoman wanted to know, watching Sniper’s expressions.

“Me? I’m fine, I’m fine…” Sniper stroked Olivia’s head a bit. After a moment, he admitted, “This, um…this did stir up some stuff for me, but I’m going to be all right.”

Olivia leaned into his touch, but her eyes landed on Lar-Nah, who was standing just across the room from her. Lar-Nah appeared to be staring at Sniper, but she had a peculiar expression on her face that Olivia couldn't figure out.

It seemed that Spy had noticed Lar-Nah, too, for he suddenly prompted, “What’s on your mind, Lar-Nah?”

Lar-Nah glanced up quickly. “What? What are you on about?”

“She’s plotting something!” Soldier piped up, eying her with suspicion.

“Oh, quiet,” Lar-Nah waved her hand dismissively at him, before looking down. “Everything is fine…”

“Nah, I don’t think everything is fine,” Engineer shook his head, motioning for her to sit with everyone else. “You’ve been real quiet ever since you came here…you wanna talk to us?”

Lar-Nah sat down, her back against the end table, and she said nothing for a moment. Finally, she began to speak. “I killed a man today.”

Scout’s head popped up in alarm. “You did!?”

“Oh—yes, she did,” Sniper gestured to her. “She slammed the whole microwave on his head! I saw it. He was about to shoot me, but she took him out.”

“Huh,” Scout slumped back down again. “We’re gonna get a new one, right?”

Demoman leaned over and gave Lar-Nah a firm pat on the back. “Good work! Did not take you for the type!”

Lar-Nah smiled a little, glancing up at him. “Thank you,” she replied, looking down at her hands and plucking at her nail polish. “That wasn't my first time killing someone.”

Everything seemed to pause for a moment. “Hey,” Miss Pauling pointed out. “So has everyone else in this room…aside from Olivia. And the baboon of course. If you feel bad about that, it’s not a problem here.”

“I don’t regret it.” Lar-Nah affirmed, the tone of her voice shifting. “I poisoned my aunt and uncle when I was a teenager…they deserved it.”

“What did they do?” Medic wanted to know, intrigued.

Lar-Nah fell silent again, before taking a long breath. “If I tell you…you’re going to feel bad for me, and…that isn’t what I want. I’ve never told anyone about this until now.”

“Please talk—is okay,” Heavy assured her.

Lar-Nah finally began, “They raised me because my mother died shortly after I was born. Growing up, they always told me I caused her to die, and that this meant I was a bad omen. That I was bad luck. My aunt was especially cruel to me…” she shuddered and rubbed her hair between her fingers in a self-soothing gesture. “I believed I was bad luck, but one day I had enough and put some chemicals into their food, and I promised myself I would never be a bad omen.”

“Good for you,” Engineer praised. “You didn’t put up with their mistreatment, and you decided to be better than what they told you you’d be.”

“No…” Lar-Nah shook her head. “No, no…you see, I’ve come to realize that…I am a bad omen. They were right…” she looked over at Sniper, and the only look in her eyes was one of crushing regret. “I was the reason the Australium ended up in space, which was what led to where we are today. I was the reason my child ended up dying. I was the reason my mother died…” she put her head in her hands, letting out a shaky sigh. “They were right about me—the only thing I’ve ever done is cause bad luck and misery.”

“Please, you know that isn’t true,” Medic tried his best to reassure her. “Surely, an intelligent person such as yourself would know that the concept of luck doesn’t exist, anyway…”

Sniper, however, appeared distressed at hearing this. “I…God, I had no idea…” he moved a little closer, trying to meet her eyes. “Hey—hey, look at me,” when she did, he explained, “I’m alive, now, all right? I’m okay, I ended up being okay. There’s no reason to tear yourself up over it, yeah? It’s all in the past, and besides: you saved me today. I’d say that makes up for it.”

Lar-Nah curled in on herself, but she looked back up at Sniper. “Truly?” she wanted to know, her voice low again. “You think that makes up for what happened to you?”

“I do…” Sniper rubbed her shoulder tenderly. “And I’m not mad at you, all right?”

Heavy leaned down and gave her a gentle half-hug. “Aunt and uncle were wrong about you…now you have chance here with us. Prove them wrong.”

A little taken aback by the hug, Lar-Nah fought back tears the best she could and leaned into Heavy’s hug. “Thank you…I’ll try.”

Olivia noticed Lar-Nah was about to cry, so she did the only thing she could think of and leaned against her arm. Lar-Nah didn’t respond to the touch at first, but after a moment, she gently patted Olivia’s head.

Miss Pauling's thoughts strayed back to Helen as she watched the scene unfold in front of her, and it was then that an idea hit her. “Wait…” she stood up, thinking it over. “Guys…we have to go out and find Helen!”

“What?” Soldier looked up, confused.

“Pauling, she’s an adult,” Engie assured. “She’ll come back when she’s ready.”

“No! No…” Miss Pauling began to pace, shaking her head. “I know her better than a lot of you guys…she took the Australium before she left, that means she’s probably not planning on coming back!”

Demo gritted his teeth. “’Course she took that. Well, where would she be?”

“I don’t know…” Pauling confessed. “But we have to find her and hold her accountable for—for everything, honestly. She’s been finding ways to avoid having to take accountability forever, and we need to put a stop to that!” she looked at Olivia, taking a breath. “For the sake of everyone. That includes herself…”

“What should we do then?” Spy wanted to know. “Should we form a search party?”

Pauling nodded. “Yeah…yeah. We should take multiple cars and drive all around, everywhere she could be!”

Heavy gestured to Olivia. “What about her? She stays here?”

“Can I come?” Olivia asked, looking up pleadingly at Miss Pauling. “I wanna help…”

Miss Pauling paused, thinking it over. “Olivia…I don’t think we can leave you here. Those people, they could come back, and then…” she shook her head. “I know what we’ll do—we’ll bring you along, but you need to stay in the car at all times, okay? We can’t risk letting anyone see you!”

“She can stay in my van,” Sniper offered. “I have room and a little space I could hide her.”

“Good,” Pauling nodded, relieved. “We’ll do that, then…”

Olivia adjusted Teddy in her arms, feeling a flurry of both excitement and fear. “We’re gonna get Mommy back here?”

Miss Pauling reached down, placing her hand on Olivia’s shoulder. “Yeah—let’s hope…”

[pomegranatefiend]

Variety of anime goods for sale

My anime hobby started back in 1995 with Sailor Moon and collecting anime related items came shortly afterwards... as the anime series I watched rapidly expanded, so did the collecting, from trading cards, stationery items, shitajiki, doujinshi, binsen, posters, keychains, pins to plush... Sadly can't just keep buying, need to sell some stuff too. ;)

For anime items like cellphone accessory straps, postcards, memo pads, key holders and the like, covering a variety of series like BLEACH, D. Gray-man, Kuroshitsuji, Inu Yasha, One Piece... please see my page HERE

Payment, how to contact me, etc is on this page as well.

For Meitantei Conan (Detective Conan (Case Closed)) items, see my page HERE

Binsen: Fan made stationery sheets (how artists got their artwork known, long before sites like pixiv existed ^^): By Aiki Ren and a whack load of other binsen (LOTS OF SERIES!) I have scanned please view them HERE

Binsen from video games, original art, Jump Series (HXH, HnGo, Gintama, Naruto, Shaman King, One Piece, Houshin Engi, Reborn, Eyeshield 21, RK, YYH, Neuro, Black Cat, Dragon Ball, Yu-gi-oh), FMA, Bleach, D.Gray-man, Gundam series, Death Note, Prince of Tennis, Saiyuki, Kuroshitsuji, far, far too many!!

Shitajiki (pencil boards): for sale are HERE

Lots of series, from 80s to 2010+ anime series: BLEACH, Kuroshitsuji, D. Gray-man, Matantei Loki, Inu Yasha, Kyou Kara Maou, HXH, Hanakanaru, Uraboku, Boy's love (shounen-ai, yaoi), CLAMP, Karin (Chibi Vampire), Tsubasa, Captain Tsubasa, YYH, KOR, Black Cat, Houshin Engi, Samurai Troopers. . .

TRADING CARDS: My main trading card page is HERE

Series include: Fruits Basket, RAVE, King of Bandit Jing, Sukisho (yaoi), Rurouni Kenshin, Houshin Engi, Tsubasa Chronicle, Matantei Loki Ragnarok, Hikaru no Go, Get Backers, Fullmetal Alchemist, Kyou Kara Maoh (Maou), Meine Liebe, Saiyuki, Gundam Seed, Gakuen Heaven, Harukanaru Toki no Naka de, Fate / Stay Night, Shakugan no Shana, Ouran Host Club, LOVELESS, Mai HIME, BLACK CAT, Code Geass, Saiunkoku, Kuroshitsuji, Natsume Yuujinchou, Slayers, Inu Yasha, Detective Conan

Prince of Tennis card page

BLEACH card page

D.Gray-man card page

Sailor Moon card page

[kellanved-ammanas]

12 Days of Shipmas Day Twelve: Pyro/Engie - Christmas Day

As usual, Engie woke up before Pyro. He didn’t want to get up yet though, Pyro was warmly snuggled up to him – he wasn’t wearing his suit either, still a new development. But he had things he needed to get ready for today.

So, he carefully forced himself out of bed now lest he start drifting off again. Before leaving the room, he tucked Pyro back in and gave him a gentle kiss on the forehead.

First, he went to the garage to check over Pyro’s gift one last time – it was a new invention, he’d been making subtle tweaks to it ever since he’d finished it to make sure it would was good. Unfortunately, as much as he would like to he couldn’t test it one last time but it seemed to be as good as he was going to get it right now, if needed he could make adjustments later. So he put it in a box and wrapped it and then a put a bow on top. He carried it out to the living room and placed it under the tree.

Then he went to the kitchen to make breakfast. He wasn’t that good of a cook but he could make a decent plate of eggs with a side of Texas toast. Pyro didn’t drink coffee so Engie didn’t bother with that, he was already wide awake anyway, hard not be on Christmas day.

Now it was time to wake the sleeping dragon. He went back to his room. Pyro was still fast asleep, curled up around a pillow now.

Engie approached and gently shook his shoulder. “Merry Christmas, time to get up.”

Pyro groaned and stirred. “Merry Christmas?” he said, looking up at Engie, still mostly asleep.

“Yes, it’s Christmas and time to get up.”

Pyro paused for a moment before shooting upright, suddenly fully awake. “It’s Christmas.” He hugged Engie. “Merry Christmas.” He then rushed out the door.

Engie followed, smiling at his antics. “Let’s eat first buddy, then presents,” he said as he reached the living room where Pyro was already eying his present under the tree.

Pyro groaned and sighed with exaggerated impatience but ultimately followed Engie to the kitchen. He ate his breakfast rather quickly, Engie followed suit to please him and because he was excited for the presents too, both to see what Pyro had gotten him and to see Pyro’s reaction to his gift.

“Gift time,” Pyro said as soon as they were finished. He put his plate in the sink and rushed back out.

Engie followed at a slightly slower pace. He almost bumped into Pyro upon reentering the living room. He was holding the gift he’d gotten for Engie. “You first.”

“Thanks,” Engie said, accepting it.

They sat on the couch, Pyro squirming with excitement. Engie unwrapped his gift, tossing the paper to the side for now. It was a carboard box. Inside was a knitted sweater, pulling it out revealed that it had a sentry gun on it.

“You made this?” Engie asked, not bothering to hide how impressed he was. He hadn’t known Pyro could knit.

“Yes.” Pyro beamed under the praise. “Spy helped me, he showed me how and made sure I didn’t mess up.” Good old Spy, helping his friends while still not wanting to admit he cared about them. “There’s more.”

After giving the sweater one last admiring look, Engie laid it to the side for now. Next, he pulled out a blanket, store bought and soft. It had a big letter ‘I’ on it followed by a heart and the silhouette of the state of Texas, essentially spelling out ‘I love Texas’.

“Like it?” Pyro asked, shifting excitedly. “I saw it and thought of you ‘cause you’re from Texas.”

“It’s wonderful.” Coming from almost anyone else it would’ve been a joke gift meant to be funny. Pyro was earnest though.

With a smile, Engie folded it back up and placed it to the side to pull out the last thing in the box. It was a teddy bear, it wore goggles not unlike his own and a hardhat – was ‘hardhat’ still the right word when it was a plush though?

“It’s cute,” Engie said with a chuckle. “Where’d you find it?”

“The gift shop it Tuefort. I found the blanket there too. It looks kind of like you, not as cute though, so I bought it for you.”

Engie blushed a little, though it wasn’t the first time Pyro had called him cute, nor was it likely to be the last. “Well, thank you, I love it, it’s wonderful all of it.” Engie placed the teddy bear top of the blanket and stood. “Now it’s time for your gift.”

He pulled the other gift out from under the tree and placed it on Pyro’s lap before sitting down again. Pyro clapped in wordless excitement before tearing into the wrapping paper.

In seconds he was opening the box and staring in amazement at the thing inside. “What is it?” he asked after several seconds, looking back up at Engie.

“It’s a jetpack,” Engie explained. “It won’t let you fly but you should be able to get some distance and height with it.” He’d had Demo help him test it – Medic had been there too in case it exploded which thankfully it only did once. Doing so while keeping it secret from Pyro had been difficult, they’d had to get Scout to distract him. “It’s the secret thing I was working on.”

Pyro carefully pulled it out of the box. “It’s amazing,” he said as he shot up to his feet. “I’m going to go try it.”

“Whoa, slow down there, cowboy.” Engie hopped up to his feet to block Pyro’s way to the front door. “Testing it here would get us in big trouble. Wait until we get back to the base.”

Pyro wilted. He didn’t even need to say anything, his body language said it all.

“Yeah, I know it sucks buddy. But it’s only about a week, you can wait that long, right?”

Pyro seemed to think about it for a little bit before nodding, straightening a little with a sigh. “I love it, thank you.”

“You are very welcome.” Engie let out a sigh of relief. Maybe he should’ve given it to Pyro upon returning to base but it made for such a good Christmas gift.

Pyro placed the jetpack gently down on the couch. “This is the best Christmas ever.” He kissed Engie on the cheek and then hugged him. “Thank you, I love you.”

“Love you too,” Engie replied, reciprocating. It was certainly a great Christmas, no denying that. He couldn’t have asked for a better one.

Day Eleven

[orbemnews]

A Big Climate Problem With Few Easy Solutions: Planes The worst of the pandemic may be over for airlines, but the industry faces another looming crisis: an accounting over its contribution to climate change. The industry is under increasing pressure to do something to reduce and eventually eliminate emissions from travel, but it won’t be easy. Some solutions, like hydrogen fuel cells, are promising, but it’s unclear when they will be available, if ever. That leaves companies with few options: They can make tweaks to squeeze out efficiencies, wait for technology to improve or invest today to help make viable options for the future. “It’s a big crisis, it’s a pressing crisis — a lot needs to be done soon,” said Jagoda Egeland, an aviation policy expert at the International Transport Forum, a unit of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. “It’s a hard-to-abate sector. It will always emit some carbon.” Experts say commercial air travel accounts for about 3 to 4 percent of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. And while planes become more efficient with each new model, growing demand for flights is outpacing those advancements. The United Nations expects airplane emissions of carbon dioxide, a major greenhouse gas, to triple by 2050. Researchers at the International Council on Clean Transportation say emissions may grow even faster. Before the pandemic, a “flying shame” movement, which aims to discourage air travel in favor of greener options like rail, was gaining ground globally thanks to Greta Thunberg, a Swedish climate activist. There were early signs that it may have reduced air travel in Germany and Sweden. Now French lawmakers are considering a ban on short flights that can be replaced by train travel. Investors are pushing businesses to disclose more about their efforts to lobby lawmakers on climate issues, too. And some large corporations, whose employees crisscross the globe and fill plush business class seats, are reviewing travel budgets to reduce expenses and emissions. The urgency isn’t lost on the industry. Scott Kirby, the chief executive of United Airlines, speaks often about the need to address climate change, but even he acknowledges that it will be difficult for the industry to clean up its act. He wants United and other airlines to try different things and see what works. “It is the biggest long-term issue that our generation faces. It is the biggest risk to the globe,” Mr. Kirby said in a recent interview. “There are plenty of things we can compete on, but we all ought to be trying to make a difference on climate change.” There are efforts to electrify small planes for short flights — including one backed by United — but doing the same for longer, larger flights will be tough, maybe impossible. Commercial planes like the Boeing 787 and Airbus A320, which can carry a few hundred passengers, require an immense amount of energy to reach cruising altitude — more energy than modern batteries can efficiently supply. Someday, hydrogen fuel cells and synthetic jet fuel could help to decarbonize the industry, and pilot projects have already begun, mainly in Europe, where Airbus says it plans to build a zero-emission aircraft by 2035. Boeing has put its emphasis on developing more fuel-efficient planes and is committed to ensuring that all of its commercial planes can fly exclusively on “sustainable” jet fuel made from waste, plants and other organic matter. ‘It’s going to be a real stretch.’ At a petrochemical plant outside Houston, Neste U.S. and Texmark Chemicals are converting imported undistilled diesel into renewable jet fuels. The undistilled diesel is made from used cooking oil and waste from vegetable and animal processing plants. Neste, a Finnish company, is the world’s largest producer of renewable jet fuel. Its U.S. customers include American Airlines, JetBlue and Delta Air Lines. United, which buys renewable jet fuel from Fulcrum BioEnergy and World Energy, recently announced a deal with more than a dozen major corporate customers, including Deloitte, HP and Nike, that will result in the airline’s buying about 3.4 million gallons of sustainable fuel this year. American has an agreement to buy nine million gallons of such fuel over several years, and Delta says it plans to replace a tenth of its jet fuel with sustainable alternatives by 2030. “There is huge growth potential for sustainable aviation fuel,” said Jeremy Baines, president of Neste U.S. “It’s a niche market today, but it’s growing very rapidly. Between today and 2023 we are going to increase our production at least 15-fold.” Neste produces 35 million gallons of renewable aviation fuel and hopes to reach 515 million gallons annually by the end of 2023 by ramping up production at refineries in Singapore and Rotterdam, the Netherlands. That is enough to fuel close to 40,000 flights by wide-body aircraft between New York and London, or well over a year’s worth of prepandemic air travel between the two cities. But it is important to put those numbers in perspective. U.S. airlines used more than 18 billion gallons of fuel in 2019, and the country as a whole consumes more than 100 billion gallons of petroleum products annually. Rystad Energy, a Norwegian consulting firm, predicts that renewable fuels will become increasingly economical after 2030 and supply 30 percent of all aviation fuel by 2050. But IHS Markit, a U.S. consulting firm, estimates that sustainable jet fuel will make up only 15 percent of all jet fuel by 2050. Renewable jet fuel has its limits, too. The fuel reduces carbon emissions by only 30 percent to 50 percent compared with conventional jet fuel, according to Daniel Evans, the global head of refining and marketing at IHS Markit. What’s more, production of the fuel can cause deforestation when the raw materials are farmed. Some companies want to get around those problems by avoiding agricultural crops. Fulcrum, in which United is invested, is planning to build a plant in Britain to produce jet fuel out of waste from landfills and other trash. Red Rock Biofuels, a Colorado company, hopes to use waste woody biomass. But development of renewable fuels from waste or substances like fast-growing algae and switch grass has been frustratingly slow. “It’s going to be a real stretch,” Mr. Evans said. “Even if you are burning 100 percent biofuel, it’s still not going to be getting you to carbon neutral.” Biofuels are also about 50 percent more expensive to make than conventional fuel, according to Michael E. Webber, chief science and technology officer of Engie, a French utility working on advanced jet fuels. Hydrogen offers another possibility, although probably not for several decades. Instead of batteries or fuel engines, the potential hydrogen-powered aircraft of the future would operate with hydrogen tanks and fuel cells, though the technology would need to be advanced to reduce the size of the tanks and cells. The hydrogen could be made with renewable power sources like the wind and sun to reduce planet-warming emissions. But such fuels cost two to three times more than conventional fuel, experts say. Several European countries also require refiners to produce and blend renewable jet fuel. The European Union is financially supporting Airbus’s development of a hydrogen-fueled aircraft, and the French government is encouraging Air France to research a synthetic jet fuel. In the United States, federal support is minimal, so far. Renewable jet fuel producers receive a $1 per gallon subsidy under existing federal tax credits for biodiesel, but a bill introduced this month in the House would provide a tax credit starting at $1.5 per gallon. Should airlines offset or store carbon? Another option that many airlines have turned to is carbon offsets. By buying an offset, a company or individual effectively pays somebody else to plant or not cut trees or to take other steps to reduce greenhouse gases. But the benefits of some offsets are difficult to measure — it’s hard to know, for example, whether landowners would have cut down trees had they not been paid to preserve woods, a common type of offset. Mr. Kirby, the United chief executive, is skeptical that such offsets are effective. “Traditional carbon offsets are a marketing initiative; they’re greenwashing,” he said. “Even in the few cases where they are real and are making a difference, they’re just so small that they can’t scale to solve the global problem.” United helps passengers and corporate customers buy offsets, but Mr. Kirby said the company was focusing more on sustainable fuel and removing and storing carbon in perpetuity. In December, the airline said it was investing in 1PointFive, a joint venture between Occidental Petroleum and a private equity firm that plans to build plants that suck carbon dioxide from the air and store the gas deep underground. This approach would theoretically allow United and other airlines to remove as much carbon from the atmosphere as their planes put into it. “It’s the only solution I know of that can help get us as a globe to zero, because the others, if you understand the math, they just don’t work,” Mr. Kirby said. Such efforts had long been dismissed as impractical, but corporations are increasingly pouring money into them as investors and activists pressure businesses to decarbonize. Mr. Kirby said such investments would help to drive down costs. But some experts warn that while direct air capture can help industries that are difficult to decarbonize, the ultimate aim should be to attack the problem at the source. “If you can avoid the emissions in the first place, it’s so much cheaper and easier than having to pull it back out,” said Jennifer Wilcox, an Energy Department official and expert on direct air capture. Despite the formidable challenges, Mr. Kirby is optimistic that investments in alternative fuels and carbon capture technology will yield a breakthrough. “In the near term, it’s about getting them to work economically,” he said. “Once you cross that threshold, you will have an exponential increase.” Source link Orbem News #Big #Climate #Easy #planes #Problem #Solutions

[lost-opium-artblog]

Team Fortress 2 fanfiction : A bear for a new teammate

It's been a long time since I wrote any fanfiction! Even more TF2 fanfiction XD I hope this one is not too crapy >.> I wanted to write something cute and fluffy between Engineer and Pyro... Also, if you enjoyed the story, you also must thank one of my dearest tf2 teammate (Princess Doki Doki) for the editing, cause without her I would have kept this story in my language for myself X)

Hope you enjoy :D

"What the heck is that crap?!” Scout yelled, offended and frustrated. “Come on, Mumbles! Do I look like a three-year-old to you?! This is kids’ stuff!" Scout pushed away the tiny teddy bear Pyro was holding out to him. The gas mask stammered a few inaudible words. "You. Ah. Terrible!" The Bostonian griped irritably. Pyro was talking so fast but it was all lost inside the mask as anything more than an inaudible, confused sounds. Pretty much resembling a literal reading of a bowl of alphabet soup. A bunch of gobbledygook that was a waste of Scout's time along with the lame little bear. Speaking of which, the bad little batter took the plush and threw it in the nearest trash can.

"Here! Perfect spot for your stupid crap gift,” he announced before heading back to his room, leaving his teammate alone in the middle of the RED base’s rec room. The moment Scout was gone, the arsonist rushed to the trash to retrieve the little bear and hugged it tenderly in his arms, whispering a few comforting words to it.

Pyro had spent so much time and energy making this stuffed toy. Unfortunately, he had not been able to finish it before Christmas. The stubborn need to make it perfect sacrificed time management for well-meaning details. He’d convinced himself that by offering Scout a perfect gift made with love, their relationship could only get better! It was painfully obvious now that the adorable cub had not have the desired effect.

Perhaps it was because of the stress of the last battle? The BLUs were giving them a very rough time lately on the battlefield. Maybe it was because he’d been late and Scout hadn’t received his gift on Christmas Day? Scout was capricious and a little ungrateful, so that probably would not have surprised anyone. Perhaps Scout simply hated him more than he had thought and had done it on purpose to hurt him. No matter what the circumstance, his gift was rejected. Pyro wanted to cry.

Alone, Pyro left the base, stepping out into open. There was a watchtower near the base that overlooked their side of the battlefield. The mercenary used to go there when his day went bad and that day urged him to visit this place again. It was a bit cold outside, but the insulated suit was sure to keep the chill in the night air at bay. At least for an hour or two. At the very least, he was safe enough to shed a few tears out of sight.

Pyro heard some strange noises as he climbed the stairs. It very well could have been one of Medic's doves roosting, but for safety's sake, the rest of the climb was slow and quiet as possible. The gasmasked mercenary didn’t have time to see what was waiting for him at the top of the stairs, before a blow to the head knocked him down in the middle of ascending the last step. Pyro fell backwards towards the floor, uttering a muffled cry of both pain and surprise. Dizzy and sore, he held out an arm to his assailant in an attempt to prevent a second attack.

Two large hands caught the firebug's suit before he was swung back and shoved against the wooden wall of the perch, pinned by the shoulder.

"What the-?! Aw shucks! I thought... Oh I'm mighty sorry, partner! Are you alright, Hoss?" asked his aggressor, as they tilted Pyro's head to inspect the damage.

Pyro opened his eyes a little and noticed the familiar yellow hardhat of their new Engineer kneeling before him. He had arrived a week ago and the firestarter had not yet gotten the opportunity to get near, or even to speak to him. Instinctively, Pyro focused his teammate's worried face. His goggles were hanging around his neck, revealing his tired, warm, blue eyes and the dark circles around them. His nose and cheeks were red from of the cold. He hadn’t shaved in a while, so his five o’clock shadow was prominent. His thin, soft-looking lips were stretched into a nervous half-smile. He was so... captivating! That beautiful smile of his had butterflies in the pyromaniac’s stomach, but the smack to the back of his head from being pinned to the wall brought him back to reality

“Pyro! Hey, son! Are you still there?" Pyro nodded slowly in response to the soft baritone voice, picking out that sweet southern drawl immediately. The Texan’s smile widened a little bit.

"Don't sneak up on me, alright? I coulda killed you!" he tried to warned him. As he apologized, Engineer was scrutinizing the glasses of the gas mask, probably hoping to see something."Really though... I'm a might bit on edge lately, what with that goddern BLU Spy messing with my contraptions and stabbin’ me in the back every dang time I'm alone! ...I shoulda been tipped off it wasn't that snake since we're in ceasefire! Dagnabbit, I'm sorry, Pyro!"

Lucky for Pyro, it was impossible to see through the smoked glass lenses and he was rather happy with that. Mostly due to the fact he could continue to admire his new teammate without the Engineer knowing or risk making him uncomfortable.

"I'm a little worried, you still look a little dazed, son. Let me take a look at ya, alright?" After seeing the Texan’s hands approach the collar of his suit, the arsonist jumped and hurried to make several signs with his hands. Surprised, the mechanic stepped back. Then, hesitantly, he countered with a few signs of his own:  

"Are you... mute?" Pyro giggled and raised his two hands, shrugging his shoulders. He quickly signed to the other that he wasn’t deaf and could be talked to normally, same as everyone else.

"Alrighty then!" said the hardhat with a chuckle. He then picked up his wrench, which he dropped after he hit his victim, and walked over to the table behind him. Pyro wanted to follow, but he still was a bit dizzy and preferred to sit where he was. After all, this spot had a nice view for watching the Texan, who appeared to be shorter and a little more chunky than pyro was. Unfortunately, he could not tell what else differed between them, as Engineer's overalls and fur-lined leather jacket hid most of his physical traits from view.

"I'll make us some coffee. It's the least I can do, is that alright?" Engineer asked as he approached and surrounded the arsonist with a blanket and walk away again. "Don't worry, my coat is warm enough, I'm not gonna need this blanket."

Definitely, he was not going to refuse to be kept warm! Clutching the blanket around him, Pyro signed a thanks to his assailant, who turned out to be a true benefactor. It was a rather pleasant surprise. In addition to having a smile to die for and beautiful eyes, Engie was also kind and courteous. He reminded Pyro a little of his friend Spy, who used to take care of him, but  felt this had something more. Or less? In any case, he was starting to appreciate his new Engineer.

He came back with two hot cups of coffee and sat beside the firebug with a satisfied sigh. Engie put their drinks aside and asked the pyromaniac if he needed help removing his mask but his proposal was politely declined. Pyro opened the collar of his suit and passed his gloved fingers under the rim of his mask to pull it off with ease. His head finally free, he took deep breath of fresh air but quickly folded the collar over his neck to protect himself from the sudden chill.

Suddenly, he felt vulnerable, like he was being watched. He briefly locked eyes with the Texan, who immediately lowered his gaze, embarrassed. The arsonist sometimes forgot that his scar disturbed people. It was a large burn that had singed part of his face and twisted his mouth in a permanent half smile. Even so, it wasn't enough to distract from the rest his adorable and peaceful expression. At least, that's what Spy used to say, but he never really cared much about it.

After daring to steal another glance at the firestarter, Engineer seemed to notice something that worried him. He reached in his pocket for a moment and pulled out a handkerchief that he gently applied to the bleeding wound above his teammate’s temple.

"Damn, son! I really have you a good whack! Wait here, hold that cloth against your wound. I'll fix that," he said as he got up. He grabbed his metal toolbox and placed it close to the wounded mercenary. A wrench strike here, a kick here and there, and the machine didn't take too long to build. The dispenser finally ready, it hummed to life and the mechanic went back to his seat. A reddish light emanated from his contraption to envelop the pyromaniac in its healing aura. Slowly the wound stopped bleeding and closed, leaving a barely visible scar.

Pyro was stunned. He gasped and warmly embraced his benefactor. He was rather flattered that the Engineer would build his dispenser just for him when he very well could have just been told to go to the infirmary. The man with the hardhat laughed and handed him the still-hot cup of coffee.

"Drink up before it cools! It’d be a shame to pass up a warm cup o’ joe in this weather." The pyromaniac delicately took the cup in his gloved hands. He looked over his drink, carefully examining it and smelling it. His smile widened before finally taking a sip. The  Engineer watched him, finding some quiet amusement in firebug's mannerisms.

"Seems like I have just offered you the rarest treasure in the world," he joked as he took a sip from his own cup. The soft, little laugh that followed it was a good enough reward for him. The only sound around them after their laughter died was the electric hum of the dispenser, the whistling of the nocturnal wind and the creaking of the old wood of their sanctuary. They enjoyed their hot beverages in relative silence, at least until Engineer disturbed the serenity with a violent shiver.

"Brrr! I should add a heating function to this machine!" Pyro signed an ask if he was cold, and the mechanic replied with a smile, "Well a little, but your company is warm so... it should be fine!" This unexpected answer made the arsonist blush as well as chuckle. Flattered but embarrassed, he gave his teammate a nudge with a small smirk. They laughed together until Engineer calmed enough to offer another apology.

"Sorry again for whacking ya in the head, Py.” To show his friend that he harbored no bad feelings, Pyro reached over his shoulders and wrapped him up with half of the blanket. They held each other inside the blanket and enjoyed the warmth of their embrace. "Hehehe, that's a good idea, I should hire you as an assistant!" The joke made the arsonist chortle once more, before he used his hands to sign and talk to the other.

“i'm just a little arsonist and, even if I had  some good ideas, I prefer to burn things rather than think.” Then, with an amused grin, he brought up what he'd said earlier about the BLU Spy bothering him.

"Heck yeah! It's true, I’ve been havin’ trouble getting rid of that backstabbin’ snake!"

With a big smile, Pyro assured him that from now on he would have nothing more to fear from the Spy! Or at least… a lot less to fear! He promised to be with him at the next battle, protecting him and his buildings.

Suddenly something hit him, and this time it wasn't a wrench. Pyro opened his suit and plunged his hand inside to pull out the teddy bear he had intended for Scout. He looked up at the Texan and gave the plush to him. He explained that he’d made it for someone special to give to for Christmas. Since he didn't have anyone to give it to anymore, he decided to give it to him. Not just as a thank you, but also because he thought he deserved it.

“Thank you kindly, Py.” The man in the hardhat put an arm around his waist to pull him close and gently stroked the bear's plush head. He seemed happy about his new partner and even more touched by the gift. The Engineer's laugh was light, his smile so sincere, and that look... that look in his eyes so sweet that…

Pyro shuddered. His heart was pounding in his ears, he saw fireworks, and he could feel butterflies in his stomach... there was no denying. Damn it. He was falling in love.

[awwishfulthinking]

Houshin Engi 100 Questions!

There are SPOILERS!

I did this seven years ago (my god...) but I’m re-doing this because I can.

1. What is your name? My online nickname is Ariana. 2. When did you get into Houshin Engi? Around when I started university. So around 8 or 9 years ago.

3. Did you read it in Weekly Jump magazine? Or the tankoubons? Or both? I read the scanlations by SnoopyCool. 4. Do you own all 23 volumes? Sadly, no. But I hope I have the space/money to obtain them someday. (They’re actually on sale for a good price at Book Off, I just don’t have the space atm) 5. Do you own Houshin Taizen? No. 6. Do you have the special Houshin Taizen that came with Akamaru Jump? I wish. But no, I do not. 7.Do you want a Houshin Taizen 2 to come out? Yes! 8. Did you watch the anime? I’ve watched the 1990s anime all the way through at least once; I’m currently watching the remake it’s not great 9. Did you tape record it? I burned all the subbed episodes of the 1990s anime on five dvds... Felt bad about it and recently bought a complete series, official DVD set. I’ll likely buy the complete series DVD set for the remake as well because I love HE that much even though the anime remake is kind of. Eh. 10. Give your honest opinion on the last episode. To be honest the second half of the old 1990s anime has been nearly completely wiped from my memory. I don’t know how I feel about the remake’s last ep as it hasn’t aired yet, but I’m praying it provides some decent closure. 11. Do you own mp3s of the opening and ending songs? Yes.

12. Do you buy the soundtrack albums? No. I really should, shouldn’t I... 13. If you answered ‘yes’ to #12, what is your favourIte track? N/A 14. What Houshin Engi merchandise do you own? Unofficial merch: Like 12 doujins. Official Merch: A bunch of acrylic keychains, and hopefully that Taikoubou prize figure, the nendoroid, and the mini plush doll.

15. Have you ever bought any of the Senkaiden games? I have the Senkaiden ni II game for wonderswan (downloaded). 16. If you answered ‘yes’ to #15, which ones have you bought? refer to answer above 18. Could you name all the characters in Houshin Engi? I don’t think I’d ever be able to remember everyone’s names. 19. Favourite male character(s)? Taikoubou, Taiitsu, Gyokutei, Tenka. And far too many others but those are my usual top faves. 20. Favourite female character(s)? Yuukyou, Sengyoku, Ryuukitsu Koshuu, and Ko Kibi! (This answer hasn’t changed at all in the past 7 years lol) 21. Which is your favourite Taikoubou outfit? I used to like his post-Chou Koumei arc outfit, but now I think I prefer his original outfit slightly more. The post-Chou Koumei outfit seems a little... too much to me now. The gloves on that outfit really annoy me for some reason. 22. Your opinion on Youzen’s outfit during the fight against Jyoka? It’s fitting. 23. Your opinion on Fugen’s shoulder-revealing shirt? how does it stay on??? 24. Have you ever imitated Dakki’s speech pattern? Nah, I don’t really like faux-cutesy speech patterns. 25. If you could transform like Youzen, who would you turn into and what would you do? I honestly don’t know... lol 26. Which act/chapter is your favourite? The Chou Koumei battleship arc still remains one of my favorite arcs to this day. 27. Which anime episode is your favourite? For the 1990s anime: The one where Taikoubou fights Raishinshi using the drunken fist technique. For the remake: Episode 10... it’s painful but it’s probably the best episode of the remake so far. 28. Which volume cover is your favourite? Of the fancy tankoubons, the last two volumes. 29. Which title — be it volume title, chapter title, or episode title — is your favourite? I don’t pay attention to them enough lol... 30. Have you ever cried while reading Houshin Engi? No, but some parts of the manga did make me feel emotionally drained. 31. Do you still buy the calendars? I kind of want one but eh, I can live without them. 32. If you answered ‘yes’ to #31, do you keep the old ones up? refer to answer above 33. What is your favourite quote, and who said it? “Let’s go flying to the land of rainbows on my ferrari!” —Doukouson. (my answer still hasn’t changed lol) 34. Do you have a favourite romantic pairing? Ko Hiko x Kashi. (He loved her so much...) 35. Say anything you want about that favourite pairing? Out of the (very few) confirmed romantic pairings in HE, I just love that Ko Hiko is portrayed as a man who loves his wife that deeply (and that she loved him that deeply as well). 36. Why are you into that pairing? refer to answer above 37. Have you thought of a perfect song for that pairing? What song, and by whom? I’m not really the type to think up pairing songs... 38. Which houshined character do you want resurrected? *slams fists on table* All the Juunisen members and also Tenka.

39. Which character made you think “I’m glad s/he wasn’t houshined!”? Taiitsu. And Bukichi. 40. Which of the Konron 12 would you like to be scouted by? Taiitsu would definitely be the most “fun” to have as a teacher. Fugen or Kuryuson (Dokouson’s master) would also be good because they both seem pretty nice and laid-back. Also Gyokutei because he’d be a good teacher (I can’t believe I initially forgot about him orz) 41. What are your reasons? refer to answer above 42. Suupuushan, Kokutenko, Kokukirin. Who would you want to ride? Suupuu! He would be the best conversational partner.

43. Do you have any friends who like Houshin Engi? Thank god for the HE discord group. 44. Who’s your favourite Jyuttenkun? Kinkouseiba! Her design is A+ 45. Did you like “Ennui Academy”? It was good as a gag; but honestly, if this was an actual manga series and not just a three-page gag it’d probably be kind of insufferable. 46. What’s your favourite non-romantic pairing? Bukichi and Suupu’s friendship in the latter part of the series is adorable. 47. Which do you like better; the Dakki Sisters or the Beautiful Sisters (Venus and Co.)? The Beautiful Sisters! 48. Do you want Roushi’s suit? Sure. It seems useful. 49. Name one paopei you want. I’d love to have a mini-version of the Zansanken (Gyokutei’s sword) if only to chop up ingredients quickly. Also, Youzen’s Koutenken because... how could you turn down a fluffy, giant white dog that you can pet and also use to attack people with if necessary? 50. What would you use it for? refer to answer above 

  51. Who is the strongest character, in your opinion? Fukki. 52. What is your reason? He freaking beat up Jyoka, who was the strongest being in the HE universe. Do I need to state any other reason? 53. Which character makes you go, “I’ll never forgive him/her!!”? Outenkun 54. What colour do you like on Taikoubou’s hair? Black. 55. Name a master-disciple combo you like. Gyokutei and Youzen. 58. Which is your favourite splash page? The one of Fukki under the waterfall. 59. Taikoubou + Outenkun = Fukki. Did you easily accept this fact? I was spoiled but yeah. Sure. 60. Did the entrance of Fukki affect your opinion on Houshin Engi? No, although tbh I’m still ambivalent about Fukki’s entire existence. 61. Do you think of Taikoubou, Fukki, and Outenkun as three seperate people? Yes. 62. Where on Taikoubou’s body do you think Outenkun’s paopei’s mark appeared? I know this question was asked for all the perverted minds out there. I’m just gonna say it was probably on his hand. 63. Who would you want to be houshined by? I would rather not die if I could, thanks. 64. Who would do you want to houshin? Ryogaku; he’s the one that deserved it the most. 65. Which of Dakki’s many outfits is your favourite? It’s been 7 years and I still like her retro-space outfit (reference to Space Channel 5) outfit the most. 66. Is Venus scary? Only if you get on her bad side. 67. Which paopei made you go, “That’s terrible!!”? Rikukonhan. I think it’s pretty much unanimous. 68. What is the colour of Chibi Youzen’s horns? Gray. (I think that’s what they are in the anime?) 69. What cup size is Dakki? C. Any bigger would be kind of ridiculous. 70. Who’s your favourite Colourful Trio sennin? Taiitsu! 71. Your opinion on the brand new sennin world? It’s fitting for Taikoubou’s ideal of what a senin world would be (no interference in the human world) 72. What is Fukki’s hair colour in act 201? White. 73. Ask yourself a question concerning Houshin Engi. What does this question even mean 74. Your response to that question? ???? 75. In your opinion, is Nentou in love with his half sister? Probably 76. Did the Sennin World War leave a deep mark on your heart? The page where Taikoubou cries has still got to be the most hard-hitting two page spread I have ever seen in my life. 77. Do you own any Houshin Engi doujinshis? Yeah, I have about a dozen because I have a serious problem 78. Kichiku, hentai, yaoi, shounen-ai, general. Which doujinshi genre do you have the most of? I have the most shounen ai doujins, but I really prefer gag doujins. 79. Do you make Houshin Engi doujins? I wish I could, but sadly I can’t draw. 80. If you answered ‘yes’ to #79, do you make doujins about couples? refer to answer above 81. If you answered ‘yes’ to #79, the amount of Houshin Engi doujinshi circles is decreasing, but do you intend to continue yours? refer to answer above 82. Who’s the easiest character to draw? Taikoubou’s alien form (lol) 83. Who’s the hardest character to draw? As much as I like Taikoubou, he looks like an absolute pain to draw. I like his outfit design, but it is kind of a mess. 84. Have you ever done Houshin Engi cosplay? No, because everyone’s outfits are so complicated it looks like it’d be hard.

85. If you answered ‘yes’ to #84, who have you cosplayed? refer to answer above 86. Does your website mainly have Houshin Engi in it? I don’t have a personal website lmao 87. Is there a Houshin Engi fan you can’t forgive? Who and why? ...no comment. 88. What is Hanyoutai Youzen’s colour scheme? whatever it was in the remake 89. If Nataku were to give you a ride, where would you want to go? let’s be real he’d probably kill me before I even had the chance to do that.

90. Which of Choukei’s outfits is the best? His Jyoka arc outfit is nice.

91. Say anything about the most memorable scene in Houshin Engi. ouch my feelings 92. What do you think of the ending to Houshin Engi? Probably one of the more satisfying endings out there for a series. 93. Have you imagined what happens after the series’ end? It’s pretty much like what happens in the Senkaiden Ni II game I guess. 94. If you answered ‘yes’ to #93, give more detail. http://s2he-game.livejournal.com/ (angry that my walkthrough pictures no longer work thanks photobucket) 95. Have you read Parallel World Houshin Engi? Yes 96. Do you own “Dramatic Irony”? No. 97. The series has ended, but is your love for the series still going strong? My obsession with the series definitely comes and goes... but I think this is a series I will always be a fan of no matter how old I get. 98. Do you really think Fukki has nothing left to do in the end? let the lazy bum be lazy. He deserves the retirement. 99. Say anything you want about Fujiryuu. I don’t always understand your character design choices but I love your story-telling. 100. Any last words? please let there be new HE content forever thanks