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mirai-e-jump · 1 month

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Animage May 2024 Issue ft. Sakai Taisei x Higuchi Kouhei Interview (translation below)

Publication: April 10, 2024

A battle between the Kings and Dons?!

Everyone in King-Ohger and Donbrothers have died?! The series two most unique Super Sentai perform together in a dream collaboration! Both Reds talk about the unexpected turn of events that await in the V-Cinext!

Standing up to the danger that threatens Chikyu is Ohsama Sentai King-Ohger. Exterminating monsters born from human desires is Avataro Sentai Donbrothers. The members of these two Sentai, for one reason or another, have lost their lives, and have gathered in the Land of Death, Hakabaka!

King-Ohger VS Donbrothers, which is a crossover between "Ohsama Sentai King-Ohger" and "Avataro Sentai Donbrothers," will appear on screen as a double feature with King-Ohger VS Kyoryuger.

King-Ohger is characterized by its fantastic worldview set in six kingdoms, while Donbrothers focused not only on the heroes battles, but also on everyday drama. The one thing in common with both shows, which are completely different in style, is that all of the Sentai members have really strong personalities. Even though the members clash with each other, there's no way they could get away with it if it were any other Super Sentai…

It begins with a life or death struggle set in Hakabaka! From there, what unexpected things will happen to them? We hope you'll come to the theater to see the story unfold between the Kings and Avataros, who are guided by a strange fate.

We're the "only ones" at full power!!

-The chance encounter between two major Super Sentai that "wouldn't be interesting even if you imagined it"-

"When you heard about the details of this film, what kind of story did you expect it to be?"

Sakai: I honestly had no idea what would happen if "Ohsama Sentai King-Ohger" and the unique "Avataro Sentai Donbrothers" were to get involved with each other. I was looking forward to seeing how the script would turn out, and after seeing that, among other things, everyone dies, I thought it was quite an interesting story (laughs). While the setting of the story takes place on the King-Ohgers side, it was more like we had entered the world of Donbrothers, so it was exciting to film.

Higuchi: I couldn't imagine what would happen either, and thought it wouldn't be interesting even if I did try to imagine it. It's the same case with the current "Bakuage Sentai Boonboomger," but I thought that because the staff are thinking about various things and taking on new challenges, they'd produce a work that our minds couldn't imagine. When I actually read the script, it turned out to be as troublesome as ever (laughs). I once again felt that this was the quality of Donbrothers, and there were alot of lines that made me feel, "This is how I felt back then." It was both fun and nostalgic, and made me look forward to filming.

"What were your impressions of each other's team after working together this time? In particular, Gira and Tarou had alot of scenes together."

Sakai: I felt that there were quite a few similarities between them and the King-Ohger team. Kouhei told me that the Donbrothers team had gotten along well for a whole year without any major problems, and just like us, they're very close. I thought that Kouhei must've been a wonderful leader for Donbrothers. Kouhei usually has a playful image, but he's very stoic in his performance. In the scenes where we interact with each other, we were trying to match the emotion the other was feeling, so it was really fun to play.

Higuchi: Since everyone in the King-Ohger cast is alittle older than the Donbrothers cast, I felt that they gave off an extremely relaxed vibe. I got the impression that they fit the colors of King-Ohger, and that there was alot of enthusiasm among them. Also, there was a feeling of "moving forward together," and I felt that it must've been Taisei, who served as leader for a year, who created that atmosphere. Taisei's a cheerful person who's straightforward in his acting, so I think all the cast members in King-Ohger also found him very easy to work with. In the scenes where we performed together, I could feel that Taisei had been thinking alot about Gira over the past year and what he's been fighting for, and that he enjoyed playing him.

"You seemed to also enjoy talking during the photo shoot, but was there anything that brought you closer together?"

Sakai: Kouhei approached me, which was helpful since I'm not really that talkative, and thanks to him, I feel like it made things much easier.

Higuchi: But, that was because I liked Taisei's humanity and wanted to get along with him. As I started talking to him, we became as we are now.

"So you naturally hit it off."

Sakai & Higuchi: That's right.

-Looking at the dialogue and battles of our overpowered heroes-

"Higuchi-san, which character from King-Ohger interested you, and Sakai-san, which character from Donbrothers interested you?"

Higuchi: I thought all six of them were pretty cool, but…..it's still Gira. We're both Red, and I was impressed by the strong appeal of his eyes. I think there are many scenes that were captured well thanks to Gira's eyes.

Sakai: It's Don Momotaro. We're both fellow Reds, and just as I was able to do my best with the support of the people who've been with me for the past year, I feel that Kouhei experienced the same thing as he passed the baton to me, so I respect him for it. Also, Don Momotaro is simply the coolest.

Higuchi: He's cool, huh!

"Please tell us about some of the most memorable moments from filming."

Higuchi: The difference in vibe of the costumes that I felt in the scenes where we performed together was striking. The costumes in Donbrothers have a sense of realism, so when someone like Saruhara Shinichi enters the world of King-Ohger, he really looks out of place (laughs). It was interesting to feel things like the difference in flavor these two productions have.

Sakai: The scene where the King-Ohgers and Donbrothers confront each other was memorable, because while this was our first time meeting them, I felt like we were united. Also, I enjoyed the fact that Gira was able to get into situations that were very Donbrothers like.

"Sakai-san, is there anything you'd like to ask Higuchi-san, your Super Sentai senior?"

Sakai: What would it be……in our case, Kaku So-san is a very caring person who became the center of the six of us and connected us all together. I'm alittle curious on how the members of Donbrothers, who are very close, came to have the relationship they have now.

Higuchi: It probably wasn't just any guy, but everyone in Donbrothers. Everyone had a strong desire to get along with each other, and since no one was putting up any barriers, I felt like we were able to close the distance pretty quickly.

"Conversely, is there anything Higuchi-san would like to tell Sakai-san?"

Higuchi: This is speaking from personal experience, but from now on, when you go to other sets, I think you'll experience not being able to remove yourself from the role.

Sakai: Yeah, you told me about that.

Higuchi: This phenomenon happens only because you've been seriously and straightforwardly tackling the role for more than a year. Taisei, I hope that you'll move on when playing a new role, and to be conscious of, "Is this too similar to Gira?"

"Once again, please tell us some highlights of the film."

Higuchi: Transformation scenes are the real thrill of tokusatsu productions, and I personally look forward to watching their transformations after such a long time. In 10 or 20 years, we might return, but for now, this'll be the last time you'll see the Donbrothers transformation scene. I definitely want you to watch our transformation.

Sakai: As Kouhei said, I want the transformation scene to be burned into your eyes, and I hope you'll pay attention to the dialogue and struggles between our strong characters. Both King-Ohger and Donbrothers are full of characters with strong personalities. I'm also looking forward to seeing the completed footage to see what the two Super Sentai will look like when they unite.

"Finally, a message to the fans who have supported Momoi Tarou and Gira Husty."

Higuchi: I was saved by the line, "We've formed a bond," and experienced a year that made me feel the importance of bonds. The words, "We've formed a bond" also appear in this film, so please come to the movie theater to search for that "bond".

Sakai: I personally think that the character of Gira was created by Scriptwriter Takamina-san taking into account both my own personality and the opinions of the fans. In other words, I feel that this is a character and production that we've created together with everyone, and for that, I'm very grateful. Thank you for your support over the past year!! _

Q: What other heroes would you want to do a VS with?

It'd be ShinkenRed and GokaiRed. Tarou has an arrogant personality, so it'd be better for him to clash with the types of Reds who bring everyone together, as I feel like it'd create some fresh drama and make things more interesting. (-Higuchi)

It's not Sentai, but I loved "Kamen Rider Kuuga" when I was a kid, so I'd love to work together with Kuuga. He's also a stag beetle hero like Gira (laughs). (-Sakai) _

(page 116, bottom first) Encountering Warriors A highlight is the joint performances of the two major Sentai members! Pay attention to the combination of those appearing together, such as Gira and Tarou, whose common point is royalty, and Kijino, who faces off against Suzume and the lovey dovey Racules.

(bottom second) Why?! Face to Face Confrontation! Why are the King-Ohgers and Donbrothers even fighting? The differences in the members personalities are also evident in the way they fight. Don't miss a single moment of this unbelievable super battle!

(page 117, top right) Great Gathering! The Invincible Super Stars In "King-Ohger VS Kyoryuger," which will be screened at the same time, Ohsama Sentai King-Ohger will reunite with Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger, who they fought together with in episodes 32 and 33. This time, all members, including Kiriyu Daigo/KyoryuRed, played by Ryusei Ryo-san, miraculously come together. What will happen to Daigo and the others who set off in pursuit of the Uchu King Dagded? Can they restore the history of the Royal Sentai that's been changed? Don't miss the fierce battle for the fate of Chikyu and Earth!

(middle left) Golden x Golden = The Strongest! During battle, they acquire new forms, with KuwagataOhger becoming GolDon KuwagataOhger, and Don Momotaro becoming GolDon MomotaroOhger. What will their abilities be?

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shadebloopnik · 3 months

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Finally for the first time tryin to draw this man

Just a lil doodle while in class.

Also had the sudden inspo bc of a lil thingy(AU? Would it still be considered AU if i dont plan to expand?). Ik Angel!Alastor AUs are a thing, at least i think so, so i decided to try it out a lil bit.

So tadaaa, Angelic Alastor. I cannot draw wings to save my life, so bear with me. I based the eye shapes and over all facial expressions on how i drew the first Alastor doodle, except its a teeny bit less sharp with less bolder lines. I shaped his hair somewhat the same for the top part, except a bit slicked back with a more windswept look. I imagine his hair would be white with red tips, with an overall white, and red color scheme, with a black collar standing out. He'd have the same red eyess, tho with whites surrounding it.

I gave him two wings, to maybe signify that he is above most angels, though below those such as the Seraphims and Archangels, at least in rank. I was a bit conflicted what to make his cane like(yea ofc im giving him a cane im not a monster). Originally i wanted to copy what his lil antlers looked like, as to be a simple staff, but ended up with that wider antler design. Idk.

Angelic Alastor wouldn't really be much different than Demon Alastor, except for the fact that he's better at hiding it all, at least he wants to. He's quite powerful amongst other angels, moreso than seraphims despite being of lower rank. Similarly to how he can melt in the shadows, as an angel, he can dissolve into the light. Haven't really cemented what exact type of angel he is, though i'd imagine he's still a bit of a recluse, preferring to go off alone to do as he wishes.

Angelic Alastor is every bit as mischievous as his demonic counterpart. He lives for the entertainment, and his humor's quite biting for a being of light. He's sharp and charming and witty, and quite rebellious as well. He's curious about different possibilities, and has never quite felt like he belonged among his "perfect" angelic peers. He knows he's imperfect, and that all those ideas would be considered blasphemous. So he remains quiet, under the radar even with his strength; all to escape the possibility of being persecuted.

Its what draws him to the Morningstar. Lucifer, the powerful archangel with a heart of gold and a mind filled with wonder. (Also to anyone who's seen my blog, yes ofc im inserting radioapple im weak) Despite their gap in rank, Lucifer never treated him any differently, and Alastor found himself treating the shorter angel as an equal. Their friendship was a bit odd perhaps for the others, considering how they'd often greet each other with playful jabs and teasing remarks, all quite informal and rather unruly. He was drawn to Lucifer's ideas, as was Luci to him, both relishing in the fact that they weren't alone, despite being different.

Lucifer had always been the louder dreamer. Though Alastor often agreed with his ideas, and sometimes egged him on, Al knew the risks and knew when to pull back. He was cautious where Lucifer took risks.

And y'all already know its Radioapple but what if we add Lilith to the mix-

Like imagine, Lucifer coming back to Alastor and gushing about the first woman, the taller man amused at his friend's lovesick expressions. Imagine him being acquainted with Lilith, and charmed as well by passion and hopes for change. He's weak for dreamers okay-

Like imagine him helping the two hide their relationship, being the most cautious of the 3. Imagine his heartbreak when the two gets sent to hell. Imagine Lilith and Lucifer holding him, stopping him from falling with them, because he cant do this without them please-

This may have gotten away from me a bit

Anyway, there's also a teeny doodle of biblically accurate Angelic Alastor(idk ehat to call them, but those forms Sera and Em have when they go 👁👁👁👁)

Idk if i'll ever do anytjing with this. I have a whole fic playing in my head but its very long with a whole lot of plot and idk if im strong enough-

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masterwords · 5 months

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talk of the town

Summary: Hotch has an invite to a Christmas party at the White House and he's asking Derek to be his plus one. That's kind of a big deal and Derek might be having some second thoughts.

Pairing: Hotch/Morgan

Words: 8.7k

Warnings: insecurity, internalized homophobia-ish vibes, alcohol

Read below the cut or on AO3!

Notes: My 2nd entry for @imagining-in-the-margins Office Party challenge! Here I was thinking I wouldn't manage any and I wrote two. This one is pure cheesy rom-com stuff, nothing more. It's way too long and very sappy. It's the time of year when I over-indulge and that extends to my writing for sure! (I didn't exactly use a prompt so much as found inspiration in the theme of the challenge and a few of the ideas sort of mushed together in my head.)

*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***

“What is this?”

At the sound of Derek's voice, Hotch glanced up from his desk, up from the pile of papers that were barely holding his attention and blurring before his eyes. He pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger and felt the first tendrils of a headache beginning to unfurl. Not entirely a surprise, he’d been sitting at his desk for hours now preparing a stack of requisitions for the department that he’d have to endure a long, disappointing meeting in order to finish. At said meeting, he would present at least twenty requests (all vital to the function of the department) and be given the green light on roughly two of them. If he was lucky. At that point, he would have to figure out how to tell everyone who was turned down that they could submit their requests again in a few months and to please not lose hope. (He already had.)

It was tedious and it gave him a headache, plain and simple. He was certain that even if he wasn't prone to headaches this would be enough to do it.

“Excuse me?” Hotch asked, squinting to focus on the man in front of him. Not for the first time that night, he wished he’d remembered to grab his glasses from the console in his car. His contacts were giving him hell. Derek noted the squint and moved a little closer, still maintaining some cautious distance and an air of...irritation? Maybe. Hotch couldn't read him.

“This invitation.” Derek was standing with a small stub of paper in his hand, a gold lined envelope hanging open. The paper was thick, embossed, official White House stationary. He held it like it was fragile, like it was a bomb.

“Oh, that.”

“Yeah, oh that. What's the deal huh?”

Hotch indicated for Derek to close his door and have a seat with one wave of his hand. This wasn't exactly a secret but he didn't want the whole BAU to hear their conversation. Some things, like this new relationship, were sacred to him. The BAU had a way of hurting more than helping in most aspects of his life and he was trying so hard to maintain distance here. To that end, he had hoped this conversation would wait until after hours, but then this was technically after hours for most people. Just not them.

“Each year, the White House hosts a Christmas party, I’m sure you’re aware. I somehow manage to make it onto the guest list, much to my chagrin. Normally I decline, but the BAU has had a difficult year and I thought it couldn’t hurt to do a little damage control among the people who hold the power when they have drinks in their hands. The BAU has benefited from my sacrifice on this front on more than one occasion in the past.”

“Uh, yeah. I’ll say. Mister oh let me just pick up my phone and call in a favor from someone so high up the food chain no one could even imagine talking to them…yeah, I'm on a first name basis with the Pope and the Queen of England it's cool...just tell 'em it's Hotch...”

Derek's impression of Hotch was abysmal and a little insulting but he couldn't help finding it amusing. He smiled and shook his head, knocked off his game for a moment, trying to regain some composure.

"I don't sound like that," he managed to say before letting out a small chuckle that had been bubbling in his chest. "In any case, my mother attends every year, a fact that I try not to put too much stock in, but she was insistent that I attend this year. After everything that happened with Emily and the Senate Hearing Committee, I do agree with her.”

“Okay, sure. Yeah. She’s probably right, you guys are better at the politics and playing nice than most of us...but what’s that got to do with me?” He knew where it was headed, of course, but he was going to make Hotch say it.

Hotch simply sighed and leaned back in his chair, the weight of his head on his neck becoming unbearable. The paperwork was going to have to wait, he was going to need to go home after this conversation. “I was hoping that you might come with me. As my date. If you’re free that night, of course.”

“I uh...” Derek started, temporarily speechless. Imagining Hotch’s mother and a room full of politicians and the fucking President and who knows who else...it was a little daunting. A lot of money and not a whole lot of color, that’s what he saw. And worse, was Hotch really proposing that they walk into the White House holding hands? “Look, no offense to your mom and all those people but I'm not looking to be fired yet and I’m definitely not in the mood to be the victim of a hate crime or the poster child for how tolerant and progressive the White House is.”

Hotch smiled a little sheepishly and inclined his head to the side. His contact shifted when he blinked. He blinked again, trying to move it back into place and Derek watched with an amused smile as he did so. Hotch began speaking while he worked on the damn renegade contact. “I understand your concerns, and I do share them but it isn't like that, I promise. It will primarily be a bunch of very drunk rich people rubbing elbows, trying to collect favors and stories. Your name has been on the lips of plenty of people since the bomb in New York, and when you turned down that job to stay with the BAU...let’s just say there are a lot of people who would like to meet you. But mostly I’d just like you there with me.”

“So I’m gonna be your arm candy?”

“Yes. In a sense.” Hotch smiled at the way he said that, at the implication. He couldn’t help it.

“Are you asking me out on a real official date then?”

“I suppose I am.”

“And this date...which would be our third real date ever, hook-ups notwithstanding...will involve meeting your family.” And the President. And probably all sorts of politicians he had no interest in shaking hands with. And maybe dignitaries from around the world and probably celebrities and Derek...thought he might be sick for a second. For the first time since he and Hotch had decided to really try seeing one another instead of just hooking up when the weight of the world got to be too much, he was a little scared of what that really meant. Of the ways his life would have to change to accommodate someone like Hotch who was larger than life in many ways.

“You'll meet my mother, at least,” Hotch said quietly. “You do already know my brother.” Hotch smiled uneasily at first, but a little of his easy, sleepy confidence slipped out. He didn’t pursue relationships with people he hadn’t vetted, hadn’t given a lot of thought to. Especially here and now, with Derek and so much on the line in regards to work. And Jack. The highest stakes. No, it may have only been a third real date but Hotch was already pretty damn settled. It never really occurred to him that Derek might not be on the same page. “I understand if you don’t want to go.”

Derek tried to appear nonchalant, uninterested, but he failed miserably. The offer, while scary on many levels, was enticing...and he knew his mother would probably have his head if he refused a party at Barack Obama's house. “Guess I should make sure I got a suit that still fits me huh?”

“Actually,” Hotch said, his contact finally sliding back into position. The relief was instant. It was short lived though, his head hurt pretty damn badly and without the distraction the contact provided it was nearly all he could think about. “I thought we could go shopping together. My mother will comment on what I’m wearing if she detects even a hint of…”

Derek cleared his throat. “You may be amazing at a lot of things, but you’re not a great salesman, Hotch. Just tell me you wanna take me to lunch and shopping like I’m Julia Roberts and I’m all in. I’ll be your Pretty Woman. Tell me your mom is gonna inspect every thread of your suit and I might just come down with a sudden need to wash my hair…”

Hotch, primed to comment on Derek’s lack of hair, only nodded in agreement. He understood. “I’m not good at this.”

“No you’re not. But it’s okay, because I am. Pick me up at 11:30 tomorrow, we’ll go have lunch at one of those bougie hotels downtown and get some fresh kicks for a party full of stiffs.”

“Oh, they’re not stiffs. Not when you factor in an open bar and live music.”

“See now, you coulda led with that! Alright, so now we’re drinkin’ with the stiffs...I like the sound of this.”

(x)

Hotch slept in on Saturday morning, right through his alarm thanks to the sleeping pill he’d taken much too late for such a thing. He didn’t want the day to be ruined by his insomnia and by 10pm he knew it was headed right for disaster. He knew better than to take those damn pills after 8pm, too. He woke to the sound of Jack banging around in the kitchen, trying to find himself a bowl for his cereal in the dishwasher by the sounds of it. He was groggy and his head still hurt the same as it had the night before. He wouldn’t have much time to get himself ready to go, just a quick shower to wash away the exhaustion and a piece of toast to help when he took some Tylenol for his head. (As if that was going to touch it.)

“You’re going to hang out with Spencer today,” Hotch announced as he threw his mug of cold coffee in the microwave. He didn’t have time for a full pot but he still had his cup from the day before. Ten years ago he would have been appalled by this behavior, now it just made sense. “He’s going to take you to a movie. I put twenty dollars in your wallet, do not ask him for anything. Are we clear?”

“Yes, dad,” Jack replied begrudgingly.

“I mean it. You can buy your own popcorn and soda. I’ll pick you up from his house after lunch.”

“What about candy?”

“You can do what you want with your money, Jack. If I find out you asked for more we’re going to have a problem on our hands.”

“Yes, dad.”

The hotel Hotch was meeting Derek at for lunch was only a block from the movie theater, conveniently planned so Hotch could be nearby if Spencer ran into any problems. Taking a kid to a Christmas classic double feature with Home Alone and Elf seemed like a safe bet, easy for Spencer to manage. A slam dunk, really. And Hotch could have a mostly carefree date with Derek, which would then make the party at the White House their fourth official date and that seemed much more palatable for such a giant step.

The restaurant Hotch chose was one of the nicest Derek had ever been in, and he was no stranger to eating out. The menu was full of dishes he’d never had before, including one that came with three meats he’d never had occasion to try. Rabbit, goat and duck. He lobbied back and forth on it for longer than usual, glancing first at the outrageous price tag and then the descriptions and back before deciding on the lamb risotto. Couldn’t go wrong with risotto, it was a classic and he knew he could get his money’s worth. The problem with growing up poor was that you never stopped thinking about cost and value, even when your wallet didn’t dictate being that kind of frugal anymore. Hotch ordered himself a plate of roasted beets with pecans and feta cheese, and casually pointed to the meat trio before the waiter returned to the kitchen to put in the order.

“You really are treating me like your Pretty Woman,” Derek mused with a soft smile. "Play your cards right and I'll do that thing you like later." He said that last bit with a wink, almost too quite for Hotch to actually hear but it was loud and clear. Hotch felt the flush rising in his neck. "You didn't have to order that dish though."

“You told me the last time we went out that you wanted to try duck. I gave you the opportunity by bringing you here…”

Derek feigned shock, his eyes wide, his mouth open. “You calling me a chicken, Hotchner?”

“No,” Hotch chuckled, shaking his head. “Well, maybe. A little. I think you’re afraid to bet on liking it, and then you’ll be stuck hungry because your meal isn’t good.”

“Okay. That’s fair.”

“We can share it,” Hotch offered, sipping his water, peering at Derek over the rim with a sparkle in his eye. He was already more than prepared to say he loved Derek, hell he’d probably be willing to ask his hand in marriage. Going slow had always been hard for him.

“What if it’s so good I don’t wanna share?”

“Then don’t.”

“Damn, you don’t have to be so easy. Put up some fight.”

“I’m more interested in the rabbit. My mother makes rabbit stew, I haven’t had it since I moved out.”

Derek scrunched up his nose, picturing a little fluffy bunny rabbit. He didn't think he could put that in his mouth. “It’s all yours.”

(x)

Derek had never been properly fitted by a tailor before. He’d owned plenty of suits, but he always bought off the rack and if he needed one taken in or let out, he had a neighbor lady with arthritis in her fingers who offered to do it in exchange for him performing an odd job or two around her house. Fix a plumbing issue, put in a new outlet, clean her gutters. She called him her barter buddy, and sometimes her barter boyfriend. Her husband didn’t much care for that but he benefited from the work just the same.

Standing with a tailor’s hand pressing up into his junk was uncomfortable, and Hotch hadn’t properly prepared him for that. But Hotch assured him that when the tux was finished and on his body, he’d say it was worth the momentary discomfort. Derek had his doubts, but he wasn’t about to say so. Hotch had been right about the duck (and the damn rabbit, which he did in fact try and like), so he wasn’t keen on disagreeing with him again.

By the time Hotch dropped him off at his house, full and content, Derek didn’t quite want the day to end. He was having too good a time and it wasn’t often they had a whole day to themselves. “Hey, I gotta go take Clooney for a walk...you wanna come with me? Blow off some of those calories and then maybe...have some dessert?”

Hotch looked at his watch and thought about Spencer watching Jack. Their movies were just about over and he didn't think he should put the man out any further on a rare weekend day. Jessica would be home by now though, maybe he could sweet talk her into picking Jack up and spending an hour or so with him. Derek's life was beautifully uncomplicated and Hotch's was challenge after challenge, and while Derek watched him contemplate whether he could manage some time to just go walk a dog on the tail end of a really nice date he wondered whether he was in over his head. This was a commitment unlike anything he'd ever contemplated before.

“Let me call Reid...and Jess,” Hotch said, his voice laced with guilt. Derek thought about saying it was cool, they could just go to his place, but some part of him wanted to see whether Hotch had this in him. His marriage had ended because of his inability to make time...could he do it now? Was he even able to now?

“Cool. I’m gonna go grab the dog, I’ll be back in five.”

(x)

Derek stood in front of his mirror wearing his tux, white with black pipe lining and could scarcely believe his eyes. It fit every part of him in a way that clothing never had before. He didn’t see himself stepping out on his barter girlfriend any time soon, but he had to admit that Hotch was very, very right.

He was scared, though. Staring at himself in the mirror, adding up how much money and effort and time Hotch was putting into this party, this relationship. Was he in over his head? Was he going to break Hotch’s heart? The man was made to be married, and Derek hadn’t had a relationship go beyond three dates in years. More than a decade at least. And there had never been kids involved, not once. He turned to the side and examined his profile, sighing.

“I look damn good,” he muttered sadly. He wasn’t sure what to do. He liked Hotch. Really, really liked him. But was he leading him on? He didn’t think so, but then again, was he ready to be a father? Ready to live with someone? He had some thinking to do.

Strauss’ number popping up on his phone stopped that line of thought dead in its tracks. She was assigning him to a week at the Academy working with SWAT trainees on their firearms. That was usually something she asked of Hotch and he almost said as much but he didn’t want to rock the boat, so he just agreed. It was going to be a long week. He looked at himself in the mirror one more time and then began getting the tux back into its bag.

(x)

Jessica’s face when she answered the door was about what he expected and the exact reason he’d been hoping she wouldn’t be there yet. There was anger and surprise, and something that looked vaguely protective. He grew up with a big sister, he recognized the look. That “I can pick on my baby brother but if you hurt him I’ll kill you” look.

“You’re not dressed,” she accused, opening the door. He opened his mouth to answer but stopped in his tracks when he caught sight of Hotch coming down the hallway in his tux and bare feet, working diligently at his cuff links. They were giving him grief and when he stopped, Derek reached out and hooked them for him. It was such a simple act of nurturing, he didn't even think twice about it.

“You look like James Bond,” Derek said with a half smile dancing on his lips. Hotch nodded.

“And you’re not coming…” Hotch replied quietly, a little shaken but trying to hide it. Derek offered him a tired, apologetic smile.

“Today was just...it was a lot man. This crew they’re working is rough, bunch of undisciplined assholes who can’t shoot their way out of a paper bag and one of 'em said something that made me really uncomfortable. I’m sorry. You don’t need me there ruining your good time.”

Hotch had a lot he’d like to say. That he’d been looking forward to this, and maybe he’d played down its importance to the point that perhaps Derek didn’t think he was really wanted. Or maybe Derek was scared. He couldn’t read anything on his features. He was too emotionally involved and he was starting to have doubts about Derek.

Maybe he was pushing too hard.

“I understand,” he said finally, patting his pockets to make sure he had what he needed. His head hurt, he’d had a headache all week and he could feel his pulse in the hinge of his jaw. “Are you still planning on staying the night?”

“I’m gonna head home, actually. I don’t wanna be a downer, man. I’m sorry. I’ll make it up to you.”

Hotch nodded and said that was fine, it was about all he could do. He wasn’t going to start an argument before a party, and he certainly wasn’t going to do it in front of Jessica or with Jack right down the hall. Derek was acutely aware of the heat in Jessica’s glare but he avoided it long enough to make his departure.

“Derek,” Hotch asked, leaning out into the hallway. “If you had no intention of going, why did you stop by? You could have called.”

Derek smiled like the answer was obvious. “I wanted to see you in your tux.”

When Hotch came back in and shut the door, he stood there a moment collecting himself. Barefoot, in a tux he never wanted to wear going to a party he didn’t want to attend in the first place, it was a little too much. He needed a second to find his composure. Jessica stood in the kitchen and watched her friend’s heart break in real time.

“Let me go home and get a dress,” she said, already grabbing her purse. “I’m sure I have something in my closet that’ll work. Lord knows you’ve put me through enough of your mom’s parties over the years.”

“You don’t have to…”

“I know. But you can’t go alone and I'm a damn good date. Best back-up option on the market.”

“Thanks Jess,” he said quietly, wondering if it was too late to back out. He looked down at his bare feet, wiggling his toes in the carpet, and sighed miserably. He was going to need a lot of Tylenol to get through this night. "You've never been just a back-up, though."

"I know, but thank you for saying so."

(x)

“I’m sorry, I thought you were smart,” Penelope said loudly, announcing her presence as she walked right into Derek’s house without knocking. She had a key, after all. She was in charge of walking and feeding Clooney when the team were out of town, and if this wasn’t a perfectly good reason to use her damn key privileges then she didn’t know what the point even was in having them. “What are you thinking?”

“What?” he asked, clearly exhausted. He didn’t even sit up, just stayed laid out like a starfish on the couch, one leg thrown up over the back with an ice pack on his sore knee while the other was tucked beneath a rumpled blanket. He’d been half watching television and half zoning out. He looked broken, and under normal circumstances she wouldn’t even press. She would ask him if he needed anything and take care of him, but she couldn’t do that. Not right now. Not while he was sabotaging something pure and good and beautiful because he was scared of taking a leap.

“You just let him go to that party all by himself?”

“I wouldn’t be any fun tonight. My knee hurts, my head hurts, I’m in a shitty mood...he’ll have a better time without me.”

“No he won’t. He doesn’t go to those things. You know how many of those invitations he gets and he asks me to reply with some bullshit where he sends his regrets about being flattered by the invitation but not being able to make it? Constantly. Like, almost every day someone wants him to come somewhere. Brush elbows with someone. Sometimes the names make me want to puke. But he was going because he asked you to come with him, you idiot.”

“Mama...please…how’d you know anyway?”

“Because, you idiot, Jessica is going to go as his date now and he needed someone to stay home with Jack so she called me. Don’t you dare mama please me, Derek Morgan. Don’t you dare. I have thirty minutes to convince you that you’ve made a big mistake before I have to go hang out with a second grader all night.” She was already rifling through his kitchen, trying to find something to make him for dinner. Something that would perk him up. There was still hope. Poke some Tylenol down his throat (she knew Hotch practically ran on the stuff, he’d probably eaten a hand full for dinner that night too) and then push him out the door, that was the plan. She wasn’t in the mood to lose this fight.

“What do you want me to do? I’m exhausted. I’m not in the partying mood.”

“Did you ever consider why he wanted to take you? That his mom is going to be there? That he’s proud of you? I don’t think he’s exactly out to any of these people...and he wanted you on his arm…”

“I’m not exactly out either,” he reminded her. Not at work, anyway. Not that it was a big concern or something he was hiding, he just didn’t like to mix business with pleasure. Which was where a lot of this sudden crushing anxiety was coming from. He’d done so well never dating anyone he worked with, never even looking twice at anyone who stepped foot in Quantico. He’d been so damn disciplined...and then Hotch looked at him one day and he couldn’t help himself. He’d invited him out for a singles night Valentine’s Day dinner and realized he’d fallen right into feelings he had no intention of having.

“Is that what you’re afraid of?”

“I’m not afraid.”

“You coulda fooled me,” she said, sticking her hands in his face and presenting him with pills and water. “Here.”

“You don’t think I already took any?”

“Did you?”

“No.”

“Cut from the same stubborn cloth, both of you.”

Derek swallowed the pills and downed the whole water before talking, buying himself some time. Sure, his knee was sore but it was always kind of sore. That was just what happened when you blew it out so young – it didn’t usually slow him down. It wasn’t that, it was just a convenient excuse. “I think he’s making a mistake,” Derek said finally, reaching out to turn the television off. “Taking me to this party, putting us out there...it’s gonna trash his career. And his mom is what, some rich white old lady from the South. Old money, which probably means..." He didn't want to say that out loud, that was too harsh. He didn't know a damn thing about Hotch's family's money and possibly he was being presumptuous and cruel, but he would have to ask at some point if he was going to live with himself. That was so far from the point right now, though. "You think she wants a gay son dating a black man from the mean streets of Chicago?”

“Oh, baby…” she said, crouching beside him and hugging his head. Kissing him over and over, leaving little lipstick marks all over. “Sweet, sweet stupid man. You are silly. He’s not worried. You know he’s already thought through every angle of this scenario and he wants to do it. Are you worried about your career?”

“I don’t give a shit about my career. I’ve got plenty of other options, I’m not gonna put my career over a good thing.”

“Okay, then it’s rally cap time. Because if you don’t go to this party, you might not get another opportunity. You might burn this good thing to the ground. You feel me sugar?”

“I do,” he replied, defeated. Was that what he was doing? Burning it to the ground? Trying to force Hotch to end it so he didn’t have to? Cutting the cord before they got in too deep? He’d always been that way, it was his signature. He’d rather be dumped than do the dumping, but he’d be lying if he didn’t say he’d pulled every one of the strings along the way. Was he pulling the strings now? When he didn’t really want it to end? When he was really just scared that Hotch hadn’t fully thought out what he was getting into? What kind of damaged goods he was taking on? “What if I show up and he’s changed his mind? Come to his senses?”

“That man has never lost his senses. It isn’t in his nature. Now get up and put on that tux, I need to see you in it before you go meet your future husband at the White House.”

(x)

Jessica made good on her offer and found a dress that was still in its bag in the back of her closet. It was a size smaller than she would have liked, fit her less like a glove and more like sausage casing. She felt like a pot of mashed potatoes stuffed into a surgical glove, soft and poochy in places that she never had been before. Getting older, succumbing to gravity. "I need to start going to the gym," she muttered, pushing her hair up on top of her head in some sort of haphazard updo that she'd learned once and utilized her entire life. Effortless glamor, that's what her mom called it. She did another turn in front of the mirror and smiled - the sausage casing didn't look half bad, really. It was sparkly and slinky and black, a little too long but nothing a pair of heels wouldn't fix right up. All in all she was going to consider it a success considering that she hadn't been in anything but pajamas or work clothes in months.

Upon her return, the first thing out of Hotch's mouth was that she looked beautiful. The worst part was, she knew he meant it sincerely which made her feel awful about how she'd been thinking about herself since squeezing into the dress. “You’re dating a man, what do you know?” was her snippy response as she shifted painfully in her heels. The heels he told her weren’t necessary, that she could wear flats and still look gorgeous. He just smiled and nodded, accepting her dig.

“True,” he replied, “but my point is still valid.” He kept her on his arm, kept her close to him. She was a shield for him as much as he was for her. He was good at these parties and settled right in to the role he was expected to play, but he still hated them. Small talk had never come naturally to him, it was a challenge and he learned it reluctantly but managed to become an expert in the art after a while.

“I thought you were divorced,” a man said, approaching them with a small plate of food, a salmon crostini in his mouth. Jessica did her best not to pull a face but she was always shocked at how these people behaved. You would think they’d have a little more class, not speak with their mouths full, but it simply wasn’t the case. Not even at the White House. Hotch raised his chin a little and Jessica squeezed his arm reassuringly. She knew the drill. This was the easy part, the smiling and playing along like she wanted to be here. She would have made a hell of a wife for any of the politicians if she had ever wanted to settle down. But she didn’t. Not even a little bit. The little family she’d made for herself was plenty.

“This is my ex-wife’s sister,” Hotch replied confidently. They’ve done this before. “She’s a good sport.”

“Has to be, coming to one of these parties. Especially with you.”

Jessica’s eyebrow shot up and Hotch let out a soft chuckle. The man didn’t miss her hesitation.

“No offense to Hotchner,” he said, backtracking a little. “You’re just in the spotlight when you’re around this guy. He’s no wallflower. Everyone here wants a shot at his attention. You came with the Prom King.”

“Ah, I see,” she said, as if that made it clear. She had noticed, she’d always known. He may not ever seek the spotlight but it always finds him anyway, and his particular brand of power was enchanting to everyone. She just felt bad for him, though, because he wanted to share the spotlight with Derek tonight. He’d had big plans for how the night would look and now he was stuck with her, playing their silly little teenage games, joking under their breath about the ridiculous things they saw.

“Champagne?” a waitress asked and Hotch looked at Jess and nodded his head. He wasn’t drinking, not with the headache he’s been battling all week, she she grabbed a flute happily. The waitress offered it to him again and he politely declined.

“It’s not business hours Hotchner, lighten up,” Axelrod said, taking a flute and offering it to him like he couldn’t resist it now. Hotch smiled and handed the flute to Jessica who took it gladly. She needed all of the alcohol she could get at this point.

“I’m driving,” was his reply, because it was easier than admitting that he’d been plagued with chronic migraines since an explosion years ago, and that the medication he had to take since Foyet’s attack didn’t exactly play nice with alcohol either. He’d had a beer with Derek and Penelope two nights ago and fought vertigo that made him sick to his stomach for hours after. It wasn’t exactly how he wanted to spend his time at this party.

“Straight as an arrow,” Axelrod huffed. Jess smirked. Straight as an arrow, gay as fuck. That was what she wanted to say, but she just offered him her flute as a cheers and sipped, the bubbles going up her nose instantly. She hated champagne.

“Let’s dance,” she said, turning to Hotch suddenly bored of Axelrod’s conversation. She couldn’t tell if he was flirting with her or with Hotch, maybe both. Hotch nodded and Axelrod reacheed out to take Jessica’s empty flutes from her. Definitely flirting, she thought to herself, and she would probably not say no if he asked her to dance, but she was going to have some fun. Slowly she walked away, slinking beside Hotch to the dance floor to join the other very drunk politicians and spouses as they danced badly to live Christmas music. They fit together effortlessly, it wasn’t hard to see why they worked. He leads, she follows, they smile and make sarcastic little quips about the song or the party. They communicated easily without words, and to anyone looking they probably looked like they’d been married for a century.

“Axelrod...he’s the NSA guy, right?”

“Right,” Hotch replied, sliding them easily through the foxy like it was second nature. Step, step, sway. Step, step turn, dip. Jessica always loved being dipped, the way gravity left her and she was held by nothing more than Hotch’s hand at the small of her back. She tilted her head back and smiled at Axelrod as he watched them with a little jealousy in his eyes. Step, step, sway. Step, step, twirl. She felt like a princess, his arm high above her, her hair flying around her face in loosely pinned curls. He’d taken years of ballroom dancing classes with Haley. He sort of liked the fact that no one would ever expect it, that people probably assumed he had no rhythm. Surprising people was fun and Jessica...well just loved to dance. All kinds of dance. She didn’t like to be still, her body needed constant motion.

As the song slowly drifted from one into another, something Christmas music did effortlessly, Hotch felt a gentle tap on his shoulder. Jessica’s eyes lit up, she didn’t even try to mask the surprise on her face that melted into a huge smile.

“May I cut in?” Derek asked, and Hotch felt his stomach drop. The breath hitched in his chest and he felt suddenly lightheaded. She searched his features for his reply before he turned and she released her grip on his waist. Penelope had told her she was going to try, but Jessica wasn’t holding her breath. Derek was stubborn, and he really did look bad. She didn’t hold it against him, not really. But he looked better, and god that tux...she wanted to dance close to him first. She controlled herself, though. This time.

“It’s about time you showed up,” she said casually, like they’d planned it. Like he hadn’t broken Hotch’s heart and walked out the door. Derek nodded and smiled.

“Sorry. Sometimes it takes me a while.”

“Well, you’re here now. That’s what’s important. I’m going to go get another drink and see if Mr. Axelrod wants to take me on a trip around the floor…” she said confidently. Hotch smiled at her, wondering how he got so lucky. What he ever did to have her in his life.

“I expect you’ll find him waiting for you near the chocolate fountain,” he replied coolly.

She nodded, her blonde curls falling around her face. “Perfect. Decimating that fountain was on my list for the night anyway.”

Hotch turned to Derek and smirked. “She’s never been able to resist chocolate. I knew I would eventually lose her to the fountain.”

Derek wanted to reply with something witty but he was so overcome with how handsome Hotch looked and how stupid he was to decide staying home was on the table that he couldn’t seem to form the right words. He felt so stupid, so so stupid. He was in love and being scared was not a good reason to do what he did.

“You look amazing,” he said, his voice rich and sonorous as he took Hotch by the hand. “I’m sorry I’m an idiot. Can you forgive me?”

“No, it’s alright. It was unfair of me to put you on the spot like this tonight. I’m not upset and you don’t need to apologize.”

“I wanted this too, Aaron. I wanted it so bad, and when I finally got it...I got scared that I’d lose it. Sometimes it’s easier to cut and run before getting in too deep than it is to lose something so...good.”

Hotch slid effortlessly into the role of lead on the floor, Derek following his every move. He could feel people’s eyes on them while they stepped and swayed just as easily as Hotch had with Jessica. Hotch was showing off a little and Derek was no slouch, he managed to follow with minimal effort. Being so close to Hotch was all it took to be comfortable. He rested his cheek against Hotch’s, relished the warmth and the scrape of his evening stubble. “You better want more than a couple dates with me, Aaron, because I’m in too deep now.”

“I do,” Hotch whispered, breathing in the scent of Derek.

“Who’s going to say something first?” Derek was still worried. Not about Hotch, but about everyone else. He could feel eyes on them. No one stopped dancing, no one said a word, but he could feel it anyway. Stolen glances, little knowing smiles.

“Most likely Axelrod,” Hotch replied. “And then my mother.”

“Where is she anyway?”

“Dancing with Senator Kramer near the Christmas tree,” he said without looking. He could feel her wherever she was. Derek glanced and smiled at her, a move that she took as an invitation. As if Grace Hotchner needed an invitation.

“She’s watching,” he said and Hotch nodded.

“I know.”

“Does she know about us?”

“She does. It was my mother that insisted I bring you tonight. I told her it would be cruel of me to invite you to a party this boring and she said the only way to make these parties less boring is to bring fun people.”

“She said that?”

“She did. She’s not actually the cold fish I make her out to be, we just have a complicated relationship.”

As the song came to an end, Hotch took Derek by the arm and led him to where his mother and Senator Kramer were dancing. Axelrod would talk to them, Hotch knew it, but he was otherwise occupied by Jessica and he was going to take the initiative and give the first dibs to his mother. She deserved it. She stopped in her tracks when she saw her son coming near and quietly left the Senator in her wake, approaching them with a smile.

“I thought perhaps I scared you off,” she said, eyeing Derek warmly. Hotch was the spitting image of her. Taller, by just a hair, but thin and pointy and a little scary. “I can only imagine the stories he tells people. And when I saw him walk in with Jessica Brooks, well...a mind does wander.”

“It took me a little too long to come to my senses. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Hotchner,” Derek said, taking her hand and kissing it gently. He wasn’t going to offer any excuses. Hotch smiled, a flush rising in his cheeks.

“And you, Agent Morgan.” She waited on her son to interject, but Derek took the lead. He was starting to warm up, become comfortable, find his confidence.

“Please call me Derek,” he offered and she nodded, squaring her shoulders and raising her chin.

“And you may call me Grace.”

Hotch and Senator Kramer made eye contact briefly, amused at having been forgotten. Hotch was fine with it, fine with his mother and Derek making each other’s acquaintance, but the Senator seemed a little put out. He stepped in, leaned around Hotch and grabbed Grace’s eye contact for just a moment. Long enough to ask if she would like another drink anyway. “I’d kill for a strong manhattan,” she moaned, practically wilting at the thought.

“Hey, that’s my drink,” Derek replied casually, switching quickly into flirt mode. “Aaron prefers an old fashioned.”

“Aaron and his bourbon. Some things never change. The stories I could tell you…” her voice drifted off and she looked at her son pointedly, a little smirk dancing on her bright red lips. Derek couldn’t get over how alike they looked with their hawk eyes and aquiline noses, the smirk that made them look a little scary. It was the same, and he wondered if Sean looked like their father. That wasn’t a question he was too keen on asking. “Don’t let this prim and proper facade fool you. He’s a rebel under all of that expensive silk.”

“Senator, I’ll join you at the bar,” Hotch muttered, leaving his mother and Derek to visit and dance. She was going to tell Derek stories that he would rather not stand around and listen to, stories he’d rather not hear at all. He’d already lived them once and that was plenty. There were countless mistakes he’d made growing up and his mother had cataloged them all with precision. She never had much occasion to share them with Haley, she’d been there for many of them in person, but with Derek...well, the possibilities for his humiliation and shame were endless.

Derek held her gently and they swayed beside the Christmas tree with its glittering lights and great red and green and gold decorations. Velvet ribbons tied into perfect bows, shiny balls you could see a thousand reflections in, rocking horses and angels and elves gilded and nestled into the needles of the tree. It was unbearably tall, brightly lit and covered in such ornate decadence that it hurt to look at it too long. Hotch turned back to watch while waiting at the bar. Derek was smiling, laughing easily while his mother spoke, her pristine brow knit in concentration as she recalled story after story.

“How long have you and Agent Morgan been seeing one another right under all of our noses?” Senator Kramer asked, his hands in his pockets. He, too, was watching them dance but with his interest in a different place altogether.

“Long enough,” Hotch replied with a smirk. The Senator nodded and ordered the four of them drinks before Hotch could get a word in. He had no plan to let anyone in on the secrets of their relationship. Being visible was one thing, but he was still intent on maintaining privacy.

“Kudos to you. I’ve always been of the mind that things get too messy when you involve yourself with co-workers, but then you don’t strike me as a messy kind of guy. In spite of our recent struggles with your department, you seem to run a pretty tight ship. Your crew is a little wild and you manage it better than most.”

“My house is in order,” Hotch replied coolly ,”and my crew are among the best in their field. It isn’t hard.” The Senator nodded in agreement. Despite the hearing regarding Ian Doyle, he’d had no reason to concern himself with the BAU prior to the investigation into their conduct. Now of course, he had to keep a close watch on them, but with Hotch back on US soil and Doyle six feet under...things were quiet. He wasn’t really sure what Strauss was always barking about – they may do things a little unorthodox, but then wasn’t that why they were put together in the first place? Still, he was fascinated by them in some way. Didn’t mind being tasked with keeping an eye on them.

“I believe you. So, how many people here knew prior to tonight?”

Hotch glanced around and scanned the crowd, made a show of checking out everyone. “Two,” he said confidently. The Senator laughed heartily, lifting his drink to his lips.

“Your mother and the woman you brought as your date and then ditched when Agent Morgan showed up?”

Hotch nodded, smiling. He was holding a drink for himself and one for Derek, but he had no intention of consuming it. He would have to find Jessica and see if she wanted to take it off of his hands. The problem would be finding her, she could get herself into all sorts of situations quickly. Trouble found her and she’d never been one to turn away from it. For all he knew she was smoking a joint in the women’s bathroom or climbing the limbs of the Christmas tree. She was a wild card.

“Your mother is a hell of a woman.” the Senator said, picking Grace’s drink up too. He wasn’t quite finished with her yet.

“Be careful Senator,” Hotch warned. “Many people here might say I’m scary, and I’m sure you can imagine she played a rather large role in that.”

“Apple didn’t fall far from the tree?”

“Not far, no.”

The Senator smiled. “I do enjoy a challenge. Merry Christmas Hotch.”

“Merry Christmas Senator.”

(x)

Hotch had been at the party hours now, which was longer than he’d ever bothered in the past. His normal routine involved showing up fashionably late, making the rounds, collecting a few favors (while offering none if he could help it) and bowing out before anyone got too drunk. There was a line he never liked to cross, sides of people he preferred not to see. It kept him sane at work, he allowed him to keep trusting these people. Himself, he would carry around the same drink all night so no one would try to get him liquored up, he would smile and play nice and then disappear. The key to a successful party, he knew, was not to overstay your welcome or usefulness. You never wanted to be the one people talked about the next day.

But he knew, as he danced with Derek, that he would be the one people talked about the next day this time. He knew it and he stayed anyway, because Derek came and he wasn’t about to waste that.

“What happened to your knee?” Hotch asked, noting the gentle limp every few steps. Mostly when they stepped to the left and turned. He stifled a yawn, exhausted. His head hurt. But chest to chest, cheek to cheek, none of it really made him want to go anywhere.

“I ran the master gunner course three times today,” was Derek’s groaning reply. “Any of these guys get picked for SWAT, my faith in the system is gone.”

“What was your time?”

“Fourty-eight fourty. Why?”

Hotch smiled and Derek didn’t like that look one bit. In fact, he hated it.

“What? Why?” he asked again.

“Nothing. Just that I ran it two weeks ago at fourty-eight thirty-seven.”

Derek groaned and rolled his eyes dramatically. “Man. I just said my knee was all jacked up…”

“Before you started? Or after doing it three times in a row? Sounds like an excuse to me.”

“I’ve never made an excuse in my life. You wanna try me? Give me a week. My knee stops hurting, we get JJ to proctor the course for us...I’ll kick your ass.”

“Are you asking me out on another date?”

“Guess I am.”

(x)

Lying in bed at Hotch’s apartment, Derek a little drunk and Hotch so tired he could hardly keep his eyes open, they both played the night over and over in their minds. Derek decided he would stay the night after all, he couldn’t just cut and run after the party, he felt too good, too high on adrenaline. Penelope had taken Jack over to his house so they could be with Clooney and the two of them could have the rest of the night to themselves. The pounding in Hotch’s head had quieted considerably and he found himself nearly asleep while Derek was buzzing, wide awake, his thoughts rushing a mile a minute. They were out now. Together and out, not just at the FBI but at the damn White House. Their pictures would be everywhere by morning. He could hardly wrap his mind around the magnitude of the night.

“You really did that…” he mused, staring up at the ceiling and Hotch hummed from somewhere beneath the blankets.

“What?”

“Took me to the damn White House Christmas Party and danced with me…right in front of everyone...”

“And kissed you,” Hotch reminded him, yawning and curling around Derek. “Don’t forget that part.”

“How could I?”

“What made you change your mind about coming?”

Derek let out a soft chuckle and shook his head. “Penelope talked some sense into me.”

“Smart woman.”

“Yeah, she is...I’m sorry I almost screwed it all up. I was really nervous about tonight and it made my bad day at work seem so much worse than it was. If she hadn’t come over and yelled at me I woulda really messed up everything.”

Hotch smiled sweetly and kissed Derek’s warm skin, the soft space between ribs, the mound of his shoulder, anywhere he could reach with minimal effort. “It’s okay. You came."

“What do you think tomorrow’s gonna be like? Word spreads fast.”

Hotch hummed low and sweet, smiling and dusting lazy kisses over Derek’s chest. He couldn’t stop himself now. He was tired, delirious, and in this state he couldn’t be held responsible for his actions. This was still all so new, them sleeping in the same bed, them kissing for any reason and no reason. It was all new and yet it felt comfortable and worn. “Intense.”

“Yeah. Probably right. Maybe we’ll get a case…” Taking Hotch’s lead, he began slowly dragging his fingers up the ridges of Hotch’s spine, trailing down then up again, flooding his skin with goosebumps. “I’m not tired…”

“You’re not?”

“Not even a little…” He was fishing, and Hotch...well he was damn tired, but he could hardly say no, not now. Slowly, he reached up and touched Derek’s chin, tilting it toward him and kissing him on the lips. Derek could feel his smile there and couldn’t help the way his whole body shifted into position expectantly, wanting, almost desperate.

“Mmm...wanna fool around a little?” Hotch asked, rocking his hips against Derek’s, letting one hand slide down his spine until it rested against the curve of his tailbone.

“Thought you'd never ask.”

#aaron hotchner #derek morgan #hotchgan #criminal minds #hotch x morgan #hotch/morgan #criminal minds fanfiction

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ultraericthered · 1 month

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Was earlier browsing the TV Tropes Ass Pull / Dragon Ball page for the most notable examples of total Ass Pull swerves seen across the Dragon Ball franchise, and I was curious in what was considered examples of such from out of the late Akira Toriyama's writing for the original Dragon Ball manga, back when he was young and in his prime. Among the handful of moments detailed on the page, there are some I agree to be unjustified, clumsily written and poorly implemented Ass Pulls (most notably all examples from the Majin Buu Saga) but a few where I honestly disagree and believe the ideas and the writing for them was sharper, more solid and sufficiently justified within the work than the TV Tropers gave them credit for.

To cover them all and relieve the best and worst of Toriyama:

King Piccolo hits Goku hard enough to stop his heartbeat. but it starts beating again after Piccolo's gone - NO. I think what people really take offense to here is the timing of it, that Piccolo leaves Goku for dead and then his heart just so happens to resume beating after he's departed from the scene. That is silly and contrived as heck. But the event itself is sensible considering that Piccolo assumed this moment of caridac arrest to have killed Goku because no human, no matter how strong and good at martial arts, could live through that. But Goku isn't human. Even this very saga stresses something is very superhuman and otherworldly about Goku, including why he had a tail and could transform into a giant ape. Piccolo had no knowledge of the Saiyans and how they're strong enough to recover from near death experiences and come back stronger than ever, so he had no way of knowing that "killing" Goku like that might not stick for long.

The Ultra Divine Water - YES. That was weird. It is indeed a direct contradiction to the previous arc at Korin's Tower and if such a thing had always existed, it would've been nice for Korin to have hinted at it back when we last saw him even if he didn't want Goku to have it.

Nail merges his life energy with Piccolo - NO. There'd been nothing saying that warrior class Namekians of the same type as Piccolo could do this before, but there'd also been nothing saying that they couldn't. What's important to remember is that this isn't a case like Kami and Piccolo re-merging, where two halves become one whole Namekian again: Nail was beaten to within an inch of his life and could've died out there with all the power still within him going to waste, but since Piccolo came along and needed the extra strength to go toe to toe with Freeza, Nail decided to let Piccolo essentially mercy kill him by absorbing his life energy and ki into himself.

Vegeta can suddenly detect power without a scouter after his fight on Earth - NO. The only thing that makes this seen nonsensical is a line in the Japanese version about him being able to awaken and attain this ability because "he's a Saiyan", even though it's an ability that has been used by non-Saiyans all the way back to Mr. Popo. In context, it still makes sense that Vegeta unlocked the potential to do this when in battle against opponents who could do so, similar to how he learned to conceal his full power level from scouters at the same time. In fact, it actually first kicked in for Vegeta during that battle on Earth, as towards the end he could sense that his enemies were all "barely clinging to life" without even having to go near them.

The Zenaki Boost - NO. I think it's misrepresented in that entry. It claims that Vegeta's minor boost in power after a genuinely near fatal beatdown from Zarbon doesn't mesh with him later not being nearly as beaten down by Recoome yet recieving another boost that puts him on par with First Form Freeza from it...but why, seeing as it only made him stronger than Jeice and Ginyu? Being now able to match Freeza in his first form isn't the same as "surpassing Freeza in his first form", so it's not too extreme a boost. It then says Goku was only "somewhat stronger than Ginyu" after the Vegeta battle, recovery, and constant training on the spaceship, but after being healed from his body getting roughed up thanks to Ginyu, he's able to match Freeza at 50% of his total power, strong enough to not risk his life via Kaio-Ken x10 and even able to pull off a Kaio-Ken x20, and that is somehow makes no sense...but that boost he got that allowed him to be somewhat stronger than Ginyu was talked up in-story as being the breakthrough that put Goku towards becoming a Super Saiyan, so why is any of this in any way a surprising, unforseen and unwarranted development? It also falsely states that "keep in mind, Freeza's second form outmatched Piccolo, who was ten times stronger than Ginyu had been", but it was Freeza's third form that outmatched Piccolo: in his second form, Freeza thought he could outmatch Piccolo but Piccolo was wearing his weighted clothing throughout the fight and showed that without it, he was an exact match in strength, speed, stamina, and full Ki power for Freeza in that form. It goes on to say that the idea almost entirely disappears after the Namek Saga since Vegeta doesn't simply try to fight Android 18 after his beatdown at her hands nor does Goku try to enter the fight rather than do more training after he recovers from his virus, but this plainly neglects details of how that story actually went down - Vegeta didn't commit to training to ascend beyond a Super Saiyan until after he learned both that Cell existed and that Piccolo now surpassed him, and Goku knew there was a greater threat when he recovered so he felt the boost on its own wouldn't be enough for it.

Additionally, I know one could nitpick that the Zenkai Boost existing renders previous training and comebacks by Goku pointless. Like what was the purpose of Goku scaling Korin's Tower and fighting to take the water from Korin when he could've just fought Tao again with the boost he got? What was the purpose of Goku having to attain the Ultra Divine Water if he could've just fought Piccolo again with the boost he got? Why train with Mr. Popo when he could've just looked for a way to nearly kill himself in order to get strong enough to fight Piccolo Jr.? Why did he need to run down Snake Way and get to King Kai's world to train under King Kai? OK, for those first three, Goku nor any of the other characters knew what a Saiyan was, that Goku was one, and that the Zenkai Boost was a thing for Saiyans. And simply getting the Zenkai Boost is in of itself not enough to truly improve a Saiyan's full inner strength and mastery over their new boosted power. Vegeta is the only one who's ever assumed that it is because he's an high class elite warrior to whom strides in the buildup and enhancement of his own power comes naturally to him and he arrogantly assumes that this is enough to ultimately ascend him to the level of Super Saiyan. Goku has never believed that - he's always put in the work to bring out and gain full skillful control over the new power he surpasses previous limits in order to attain. The training doesn't substitute for the boost, it works in concurrence with it and enhances it. Vegeta and even Freeza learn from example.

Freeza says five minutes until Namek explodes, yet the fight goes on for much longer - YES. Freeza was foolish and cannot tell time.

The Hyperbolic Time Chamber - YES. The existence of the Time Chamber isn't an Ass Pull itself, but the idea that young Goku was able to train in it and withstand its gravity yet later had trouble with the gravity on King Kai's world, and the fact that none of the fighters who were training right there at Kami's Lookout were told to or ever thought to use it for the coming fight against Nappa and Vegeta, are definite plot holes that Toriyama had no good excuse for.

The Cell Juniors - KIND OF? I think the idea is that since Cell has Namekian cells in him from Piccolo and Saiyan cells in him including those of Vegeta and Nappa, he had both the egg-making ability of King Piccolo and the memory of how to plant and grow Saibamen, but given his unique bio-organic body structure, he's able to make the seeds/eggs for such creatures inside of him and they grow once he spits them out onto planetary soil. And they come out in his own image since they inherited energy from the cells that make them. However, since he never explicity states this, it is sort of bizarre.

Cell's return as Super Perfect Cell after self-destructing- KIND OF? Two parts of it were feasible, at least: Cell returning to his Perfect Form even without 18 inside of him was due to him rettaining the memory of that form in tandem with the huge boost in power he got from the power of Super Saiyan 2 Gohan he'd been put on the recieving end of but now awakened within his cells. It's said that "he'd been beaten up several times and never once got a boost from it" until this near-death experience... didn't he, though? None of his previous beatdowns were near severe enough for him to get such a boost, and in the two where he did get outmatched in raw strength and/or Ki control power (against Future Trunks and against Goku), he did quickly rebound with a boost in strength, speed, and technique. And as for him learning the Instant Transmission, while Cell had seen Goku use it multiple times without learning it, it was made a point of that Cell was increasing his speed via watching Goku's, including the Instant Transmission, and as the page states "the only noteworthy difference is that Cell was taken along for the ride that time". Yes, Goku literally had his other hand on Cell the entire time as he blew up while he used Instant Transmission. Cell can emulate the strength of those whose cells he shares, almost as though absorbing some of their Ki power into himself. What else was going to happen there should Cell happen to live through his self destruction?

The one part that's an Ass Pull and plot hole of epic proportions is that Cell was able to regenerate from near-total annihilation into next to nothing to back whole, in his Perfect form, at the peak of his Ki power even after all that he'd expended in the earlier fight because, as he explains, "he can survive anything so long as the nucleus located in his head stays in-tact." Which directly contradicts the earlier part in his fight with Goku where Goku disintegrated his head with a point-blank Kamehameha, and Cell regenerated his upper torso and head like it was nothing. The original English dub for the anime actually gave a better excuse, that so long as so much as a single cell within his core nucleus survives, he's unkillable and can come back from anything. So even if Goku had blown up the nucleus along with Cell's head, if a single cell leaked through Cell's body in-tact, he could come back from it. And even if his entire body blew up, if the remaining nucleus still contained a single cell, he'd respawn. It's only through Gohan's final blast that Cell's nucleus and every single cell derived from it gets completely obliterated, which kills Cell.

Gotenks and Trunks become Child Super Saiyans - YES. I've harped on this one before as being one of the earliest downfalls in the Buu Saga. Nothing against Goten and Trunks or Gotenks for that matter, but how Super Saiyan power-ups got handled in regards to their characters was cheap, diminishing, and inexcusable of Toriyama.

Piccolo regenerates his whole body after it got broken because his head still remained. - YES. Didn't Piccolo get killed by Nappa with his entire body in-tact? Weren't there earlier risks of Piccolo dying by Freeza and Cell shooting him through the heart? Well, the heart is located in the part of Piccolo's body that got accidentally shattered by Goten and Trunks when he was turned to stone, yet he can now just live through that because the head is where regeneration starts for him? Where did this come from? Why was this gag even needed?

Super Saiyan 3 - YES. The concept of the form less so than the way it got implemented in a nebulous and downright contradictory way. Earlier in the saga when Goku is asked to kill Buu, he says point-blank that at his current power level he could only equal Vegeta but there's no way he could take on and kill the likes of Buu...only for him to then reveal he attained Super Saiyan 3 in the afterlife, meaning he was actually far stronger than Vegeta and was holding back on him during the Majin Vegeta fight, and that he absolutely could take on and possibly even kill Buu. And then there's no given reason for why he doesn't kill Buu in this form, much less use it ever again against the stronger, more evil Buus later on in the saga. And to top this off, Gotenks is able to skip Super Saiyan 2 and reach this form even when in the manga he had know way of even knowing about it let alone how to attain it, which is when the saga, and with it the entire original DB series, jumped the shark even before the death knell of Gohan getting outfought by Buu and absorbed by him.

That along with....

Buu's scream breaks open the sealed off Hyperbolic Time Chamber - YES. And what's annoying about this one is that it could've worked easily and raised no eyebrows - there's a full panel of Buu all tensed up and roaring in fury over it, so the idea that Buu released all of his pent up power into the roar and it creates a small crack in the fabric of the chamber dimension that's small enough for only Buu to access by turning into his liquid form and seeping through it, would work perfectly. But instead, after the initial roar, Buu screams about how "IT'S NOT FAIR!" and THAT is what unleashes the power that blows through the chamber and creates a hole for him to escape through, and the anime makes this longer and even more dumbfounding. This was Toriyama writing himself into a corner for the sake of some dumb humor and not knowing how to immediately write himself out of it in a way that could bring Buu back out as a threat but still inhibit the good guys so that there's any semblence of remaining tension.

Vegito defuses back into Goku and Vegeta inside of Buu despite the fusion having been said to be permanent - YES. It's not explained why it happens just because Vegito's been eaten by Buu, it doesn't make sense, but then again nothing about the Potara earrings and the fusion they bring about ever made sense, and its setup only gets more contradicted the more the earrings get used as a device in later franchise entries. I don't care that a movie beat Toriyama to showing Goku and Vegeta fuse via the fusion dance, he didn't let the fourth movie's "False Super Saiyan" stop him from debuting the real Super Saiyan form he'd envisoned, so why let Movie Gogeta stop him from debuting Real Gogeta. Given that he would years later do exactly that in Dragon Ball Super: Broly, I think even he regrets not doing so. When you introduce the concept of fusion into a saga along with an exact method for achieving it, stick to that method and those rules!

#Dragon Ball #Dragon Ball Z #manga #anime #Akira Toriyama #opinion #criticism #ass pulls #bad writing #analysis #TV Tropes #TV Tropes NUTJOBS!

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lestatlioncunt · 1 year

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OC TAG GAME.

i was tagged by @aragorngf and @devilbrakers to categorize some ocs and use this picrew, thank you so much ily both <3

i'm tagging: @uldwynsovs @nuclearstorms @morvaris @reaperkiller @risingsh0t @florbelles @nuwanders @nokstella @faarkas @indorilnerevarine @malefiicarum @katsigian @swanfey @necroticpetals @saintjudegf @denerims @shadowglens and all the ppl i probably forgot or that want to do this!!

-- FAVORITE OC.

vesper moxley + fenix hayes — cp2077

just started and already cheating sorry. listen. i said this multiple times already but in my mind they're literally a package deal, buy one take two. if you ever spent 5 minutes talking to me or looking at my blog you know they literally live in my mind jdfnkds i've gave them infinite amounts of love, care and attention. i'll be honest, i was going to put only fenix here at first (which is crazy that an oc that was supposed to be just a backstory plot point came this far, i've poured into him too much of what's home to me that now he took the shape of my walls, my bad). but. look at that picrew of vesper..SHE'S SO CUTE I'M SO IN LOVE WITH HER <3

-- NEWEST OC.

maverick de soto — infamous if

maverick maeve mav rick eve, i gave them so many nicknames already and we're still are like, at the start of the whole if. they are a cunt, they would rather jump off a cliff than admit when they're wrong, she loves fights and antagonizing whoever falls in their trap..and they love their friends more than anything. i can't wait to see the if unfold because i love maeve SO much already!!

-- OLDEST OC.

selene — oblivion

not counting my characters from original works, selene is the oldest oc i have. i've played oblivion lots of times and she (for the most part) always been there with changes through the years. i went off with the moon as a concept for her, "she's a dreamer from the moon" is a line that always makes me think of her. selene is the unwilling hero, the one that got dragged into smth bigger than herself and slowly, since she had no choice, took the shape of the role they imposed on her. she found a mirage of a home for a little while, only for that to be taken away from her. it's truly not worth it to be a hero, huh?

-- MEANEST OC.

violante waesphine — baldur's gate 3

a difficult battle between vio, akira & zefyr but in the end i went for vio. saying "mean" is an understatement. 'a rose born among thorns'..well she's a thorn born among thorns. it's difficult for me to speak of vio at times, she's more of a concept than a person, more of a numb soldier than the one in charge of her own life. an assasin and a pawn in the hands of a patron, melancholy and remambrance, her life is like a long walk to the gallows and while she's walking that path she has full intention of making it everyone's problem

-- SOFTEST OC.

joelle knight — fallout 4

this one made me realise how i barely have 'soft' ocs jklfds. easy sweep for joelle!! she had her whole life ahead of her with her wife & the son they just adopted, she looked at the future with exctiment until everything was taken away from her. joelle could've let the pain harden her heart but she didn't let that happen. joelle strives to help the people and what's left of the world she knew, she's a cutie who will listen to you talk for hours and crack stupid jokes to see you smile. her 'soft' nature doesn't make her naive so caution is still advised if you try to fool her!!

-- MOST ALOOF/STANDOFFISH OC.

zefyr — baldur's gate 3/d&d

i love zefyr madly. MADLY i say. they are a powerful draconic bloodline sorcerer that values their privacy AND peace more than anything else. zefyr lives as a hermit in a forest where they can fully concentrate on their studies of the arcane & such. they do not trust easily (or at all) and their guard is always up. you probably won't get more than a few words from them (unless you ask them about magic and power and such), they just want to be left alone u know? they are known as the ashen terror and not only for their hair color: ashes and fire are the only things they leave behind if you dare anger them!! also they are pink. if pink why evil, they're probably just misunderstood..

-- DUMBEST (AFFECTIONATE) OC.

hiraeth one-eye — skyrim

hate to do this to hiraeth so much fkjdsfnk..i wouldn't say they are dumb, but they surely prefer a good swing of their greatsword as a solution to any other more complicated response. they're super friendly, they love music, reading, chickens and dragons and they would risk it all for the people they love!! also they're extremely dangerous so don't let the big smile fool you. they value honor over anything else and they just can't let go of their father's death ://

-- SMARTEST OC.

sibylla — skyrim

you had a dumbest dovahkiin, now have a smartest ex-dragon priest!! a tie between her and joelle but since joy had her shot already, it's sibylla's turn. formely known as vennesetiid (=the winds of time/destiny), sibylla was a breton born during the middle of the merethic era that joined the ranks of the dragon priests for the simple desire of power, and knowledge. she later betrayed her dragon lords and joined forces to defeated them but lost her life during the battle. but it's not over for her!! a silly little situation makes her come back to walk Tamriel's land, this time as a vampire. sibylla has been alive for centuries and centuries and spent all that time studying the arcane and magic and science as well and working to become the most powerful mage that ever lived (lived..kind of). she saw most of the world's history & legends say she had the power to see the future & she's the proud achiver of the first ever gender transition in tamriel, if you don't love her already you better start

-- OC I WOULD BE BEST FRIENDS WITH.

moira velez — fallout new vegas

beside the fact that i love her beyond human comprehension, moira is funny, adventurous, stupid in a good sense as in you can do whatever crazy thing you think of with her, she's an enabler and i think we would have lots of fun together, she's the positive kind of friend that can lift you up from anything when you need it. plus her and my best friend's nv oc are besties so it's like we're all besties to each other!! hehe <3

#feel free to ignore this i'm a bit nervous to tag ppl i haven't done a tag game in ages sjfdksf #tag games #thank you sm again!!! i had so much fun doing this <3 #don't look too much at fenix's picrew. that's not him sooooo bad. he would not say that but it's he would not look like that #also idk how the banners came out this cute..i might just make these for all of my ocs..#oc: vesper #oc: fenix #oc: maverick #oc: selene #oc: violante #oc: joelle #oc: zefyr #oc: hiraeth #oc: sibylla #oc: moira

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kayadrake123 · 1 year

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Prologue

Hi there! Here’s a little snippet of something I’ve been working on. The reader is referred to as ‘Princess’ and the pronouns she/her are used. There is some Jason Todd x reader, but I’m leaning a bit more towards Tim Drake x reader (sorry, I’m literally in love with him). Reader is not mentally stable and her trauma is spoken about a lot during this story. She’s working on it. Anyways, enjoy!

warnings: injury, blood, reader is close to dying, angst

———————————————————

“Y/N?!” It’s fuzzy and seems so far away, but she can hear the frantic calls.

She can feel the tears falling from her eyes and running down the sides of her face, making her skin feel hot in its wake. The dark, polluted night sky of Gotham is all she can see, and for a second her heart aches at the fact that she’s going to die with this image being the last thing she sees.

Part of her always knew she was going to die this way. She, like many of her close ones, have dedicated their lives to protecting and fighting for those who are unable to do so themselves. To be the powerful among the powerless.

It’s something her mother taught her from a young age. She missed out on being a normal kid because she was thrown into training from the ripe age of 6. She sometimes gets a bitter taste in her mouth when she thinks of all of the times she bawled her eyes out as a kid who just wanted her mother, a family. Then she met Bruce Wayne, or rather Batman, who gave her exactly that. Sure, the man is a difficult person most of the time, but he cares. Even for those who aren’t his kids, such as Y/N. He’s the father she never had, and soon he’ll be the father she didn’t get to have for long. The best thing that came out of meeting the billionaire was becoming close to his kids too, specifically a certain boy who stole her heart no matter how far she pushed him away.

“Ghost?” The voice is closer now. A face with a black domino mask comes into view, and for a second she thinks she’s seeing things. But then the figure rips off his mask from his eyes and sharp blue eyes stare down at her worriedly. “Can you hear me?”

She opens her mouth to speak, but instead of words, a high pitched scream off pain comes tumbling out instead. Then all too suddenly she feels everything all at once.

“Fuck…” The man in front of her curses, moving one hand to hold the side of her face in a soothing manner, while the other reaches for the device in his ear. “Ghost is down. She needs to be taken to the cave immediately, and needs medical attention. Call Leslie.”

He’s trying to stay calm, but it’s so clear that he’s panicking as he holds the beaten body of his dying girlfriend. Louder screams fall from her lips and his whole demeanour breaks. He allows the tears to fall from his eyes as he places his forehead against hers, whispering soothing words to her.

“Copy that,” He hears typing on the other line. “Can she move?” Oracle asks.

He almost doesn’t register the question, his eyes now closed and whispers of reassurance for both of them falling from his lips. When she repeats the question more firm this time, he moves one hand to support Y/N’S head and the other to support her back, but as soon as he does the loudest scream he’s ever heard leaves her, causing him to immediately pull back.

“No.” He tells Oracle, before touching Y/N’s forehead and sweetly shushing his girlfriend. “Does her back appear to be broken?”

“I…” he stutters it out as more tears leave his eyes. His breathing becoming harsher and heavier but the second. “She’s bleeding, fuck, we need to help her right now. I can’t- Fuck. Oracle she’s in so much pain. I can’t do anything-“

“Tim.” He shuts up at the tone of her voice. “I know it’s hard but you need to breath. I need you to calm down, it will make getting her back to the cave much easier, okay?”

Tim nods his head, even though he knows she can’t see it. He strokes Y/N’s cheek and lays a gentle kiss on her forehead.

“Yeah, I think her back is broken.” He finally tells Oracle, his voice back to its usual serious tone.

He thinks he hears a sad sigh from Oracle’s line. “Noted.” Tim hears wheels scraping the ground somewhere in the distance not too far from their position. “Help is almost there. Hang in there Tim.”

“Copy that.” He sniffles before shutting off his comm.

Both his hands come up to hold the sides of Y/N’s head, lifting it up from the cold ground beneath her. His heart shatters at the sight of her in so much pain and on the very near brink of death. This isn’t how he wants to lose her. He never wants to lose her, but bleeding out on the dirty streets of Gotham is definitely a shitty way to die.

“Don’t worry baby,” He smiles down at her reassuringly. “I’ve got you.”

Y/N wishes she could tell him she knows, or even nod her fucking head, but the pain is just too much. She forces her screams to turn into whimpers and stares up into his beautiful eyes, ones that stare back at her with so much love and pain.

As the Bat-mobile gets closer she internally smiles at the fact that she won’t be dying with an ugly view after all, but rather the image of the most beautiful being she’s ever met. She would die with the image of Tim Drake.

But it’s not the end. Not even close.

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ltwharfy · 4 months

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"Bob's Burgers" Season 3 Episode Ranking Rewatch (long post)

So, I've been rewatching "Bob's Burgers" from the beginning and ranking the episodes using the spreadsheet that @babsvibes created! If you want to know why I'm doing this or how I view the 1-5 rating scale, you can check out my Season 1 post!

Now on to Season 3:

Average (Mean) Score: 4.43

Mode (Most Common Ranking): 5

Ranking breakdown: 12 5s; 9 4s; 2 3s

Season as a whole thoughts:

Season 3 is a goddamn delight! My season 2 as a whole review was positive and Season 3 just builds on everything I enjoyed in season 2. More wonderful recurring characters are added to the mix- Mr. Branca, Mr. Ambrose, Courtney, Henry, and a certain Regular Sized boy I relate to way too much- among others! The world of the show expanded with our first visit to Kingshead Island. And the show continued to grow creatively- hitting new highs in music with "Lindapendent Woman" and "Topsy". Plus, we finally got a full length season meaning we get our very first holiday episodes, including my all-time favorite Christmas episode! I also feel like the show had mostly conquered the tone/characterization issues that popped up in the first two seasons. Bob's occasionally still a bit more of a dick than in later seasons, but he gets called on it now ("The Unnatural")!

In my season 1 review I mentioned watching that season as it aired and thinking it had potential. In my season 2 post, I mentioned that at that point it had gotten good enough that I would've been upset at the time if it was cancelled. By season 3, it had become one of my favorite shows- one that I would encourage friends and family to check out. If people weren't watching the comic glory of "O.T." and "Topsy" they were missing out big time!

Some thoughts on particular episodes:

(Since these seasons are longer I will be writing about a smaller percentage of the episodes- feel free to let me know if you want my thoughts on an episode I don't discuss)

"Bob Fires the Kids": One of my favorite things about this rewatch is discovering what I think of as the "sleeper hits"- episodes I remember being fine but, upon rewatch, turn out to be even better than I remember. This episode was the sleeper hit for Season 3. The kids are exceptionally hilarious in this one- especially being upset about Bob firing them and their attempts at summer fun before they work on the farm. And everything Mickey does is hilarious- the calypso song he sings, his description of "Big", not knowing how to put his hands up, pretty much all his dialogue with Bob ("B.B. King has that disease" "shut up, Mickey"- that exchange always makes me laugh.) Also, "I knew you so briefly, you dead soap dog" is an all-time great eulogy title.

"Mutiny on the Windbreaker"- Probably one the show's zaniest episodes and I love it! Gene falling in love with a a manatee puppet, Louise getting the manicurist to make her claws, all the Bob and Duval interaction- it never fails to make me laugh!

"The Deepening"- "Our toaster is confused, too. It doesn't know why we put bagels in it." This episode could get a 5 for that line alone. Also, I love Mort's standup comedy attempts in here, and the Bob, Teddy, and Mort vs. the shark finale. I wish they revisited the idea of Bob as Block Captain and Hugo as Quadrant Captain in future episodes- stupid neighborhood power struggles make great comedy, and it could've been a great way to get Hugo in the show without threatening to shut down the restaurant.

"Tinarannosaurus Wrecks"- One of this season's two 3s; in an ask game I once said this was my least favorite episode of the show. I empathize with Tina waaaaaaay too much in it to find it particularly entertaining. The first time my mom tried to teach me to drive in an empty parking lot, I basically had a panic attack. I didn't hit anybody's car, but my mom gave up on teaching me and my dad was out of the picture, so I ended up not learning to drive until I was in my 20s. It's hard not to think of that when watching this episode. That said, Tina's Hell fantasy is funny, I enjoy the Mort as the Belchers' chauffeur subplot, and Bob Odenkirk is always good. But it's still my least favorite episode of this season.

"God Rest Ye Merry Gentle-Mannequins"- My favorite Christmas episode! "Mannequin comes to life" is one of those tropes/plots that always amuses me for some reason, and this episode has some hilarious fun with it. "He said he's not a murder mannequin" is an all-time classic line in my book. Also, the ending with Chet saying he has a loft in Manhattan and Bob's "What?!" is one of the best last lines of an episode. Always leaves me with a laugh.

"Broadcast Wagstaff School News"- If I do a top 25 episodes list at the end of this rewatch, this episode will almost certainly be on it. Both the main plot and the Gene-as-little-Bob subplot are hilarious! "Back to you, Andy!" "Back to you, Ollie!" is the ultimate Pesto Twins moment to me. We get some character development for Zeke (his family moves around a lot), Mr. Branca makes his debut, Tammy and Jocelyn team up for the first time- this is pretty significant episode in the development of the support players at Wagstaff- in addition to just being really freaking funny.

"O.T.: The Outside Toilet"- A hilarious episode with a great "Belcher kids and their friends have an adventure" bit (I live for those), and an emotionally resonant plot for Gene. And drunk Linda repeatedly changing her terms for taxi ("snacky", "snatchy") always cracks me up! One time, I was creating a dating profile on Bumble and I had recently rewatched this episode on Cartoon Netowrk, and in the "About Me" section of the profile I wrote "I will never get tired of that episode of Bob's Burgers where Jon Hamm plays a talking toilet". I'm still single (but that profile did actually lead to me meeting one of the more interesting people I've met through a dating app, so...)

"Topsy"- Pretty much generally acknowledged as a classic, so I'll just specifically mention how much I love Teddy in this one. The whole backstory he comes up for "Dr. Glen Wellness" and the line "What's it like out there? Are people still the same, with their funny ways?" is sooooooo good. Like, I need to think of an occasion to say that in real life.

"It Snakes A Village"- Meh. If you want me to care about a story, don't make it about Gloria and Al. Especially don't make it about their sex life.

"The Kids Run the Restaurant"- I don't watch this one a ton because I can kind of empathize with Bob's squeamishness re: blood, but it is pretty hilarious. I especially loved Gene's idea of reformatting the restaurant to serving chicken. This week, I managed to turn his line "Chicken on a treadmill, last offer" into a running joke with a coworker whose never seen the show, so that was fun.

"Boyz 4 Now"- One of the strongest candidates for the title of my favorite "Bob's Burgers" episode. After rewatching it, I really think it might be the episode I would use if I only had one episode to try to convince someone to watch the show. It's unfailingly hilarious yet also has a relatable emotional core. I'm a 42 year old man, and I still feel like Louise every time I have a crush. Louise and Tina stories and "Louise in denial of her feelings" stories are two of my favorite types of stories and this is both. Plus, the tablescaping subplot really shows the Belchers at their best- all getting really enthusiastic about something pretty weird that one of them is doing! Also, Boyz 4 Now and their songs are hilarious and a perfect parody of pop music. My ranking scale for this project only goes up to 5, but in reality this an A++++, 15 out of 10, no notes.

"Carpe Museum"- Another all-time classic. Putting aside it introducing my favorite recurring character for the moment it also has: some of the show's definitive Bob-Louise bonding moments; the introduction of Henry Haber; Linda joining a picket line and coming up with obscene chants; Frond and the museum lady flirting; Teddy's speech encouraging Linda to go to the museum...so much good stuff! But yeah, there's also the introduction of Regular Sized Rudy, the most "me as a kid" character in TV history. Oh, and that last scene with Bob, Louise, and Rudy cuddling on the school bus? Basically the cutest thing ever in my book. If I ever seem a bit too excited to talk about Roudise on here, please keep in mind that I've basically been shipping them since May 5, 2013, with relatively few people to talk about it with until I joined this silly website last year.

Random Thoughts (stuff that doesn't affect the ratings):

-It is so nice for the show to have the normal version of the theme song and opening credits! Yes, the changes are small, but they matter to me. The opening music and credits in the first two seasons are just not as fun and lively as the version from three onward- and it makes the show as a whole feel a bit more fun now.

-Gene in "Broadcast Wagstaff School News": "Quick! Comb me over! Trump me!" It's so weird when pre-2016 TV shows make jokes about that guy in the genre of "businessman"/TV personality with bad hair knowing now that he is a wannabe fascist dictator.

-"Things that are different in their first appearance" department: Regular Sized Rudy's voice is noticeably different in "Carpe Museum" (it was funny to hear that interview where Brian Huskey said he was told "do what you did at the table read" and didn't really remember what he did at the table read). Also, Mr. Branca's pants are a different color in his first appearance than they normally are- I'm assuming that his normal pants were damaged in an unfortunate incident with his work crowbar.

Well, much like the Deuce of Diamonds and Toad the Wet Sprocket, I gave you my magic and now I am going to disappear. (Not really, I'm just ending this post. I'll still be here. I just couldn't resist making another reference to that line)

#bob's burgers #bob's burgers season 3 #bob's burgers episode ranking rewatch #long post

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wakeofvultures · 8 months

Note

Hiii. I might have to stay as Anon in this one lmao. You'll definitely know who I am. Anyways, I want to ask you regarding the plot device in New Moon: The San Marco Festival (Saint Marcus Day). I remember you mentioning this:

"Also I imagine this random celebration that turned into a kinda confrontation between Marcus and Myrtis is the origin of St. Marcus Day. Like I imagine the details got all jumbled, but it’s got all the ingredients. Marcus (who probably looks pretty divine glowing in the sun), someone identifying him as Marcus (so they know what to name it), a vampire being driven away, a red cloak. I know the red cloak is supposed to symbolize victims according to the lore but again! Time and confused details!

I thought that this being the Saint Marcus Day origin would actually put an interesting parallel for New Moon and Edwards whole stunt. (the Volturi probably hate Edward for the reminder)."

How will the whole concept of The San Marco Festival go in your version, say, if you were given the full power to further develop this plot device into one big concept. Any key details perhaps? It's fine if you don't answer though lmao cuz i remember already asking this to someone but eh. Love you work <3

-"X"

Hmmm... I guess the rather disappointing answer is that I probably won't develop it much more than the tidbit that I wrote in the quote you cited. I generally lean towards the Volturi being apathetic towards humans for the most part, so I imagine that they let the humans do whatever, and the festival arose mostly from humans passing down a strange story and trying to make sense of what happened.

I do think that the fact that vampires got involved in the story might have been some mischief from the guard just wanting to mess with the humans, and when the various rumors started solidifying into a more cohesive story, the Volturi leaders gave whoever responsible a stern talking to. A hundred years down the line, I imagine Aro finds it quite funny (until he remembers why Marcus was sad and in the middle of Volterra in the first place).

I imagine that in my little universe that San Marco Festival/Saint Marcus Day is the topic of hot debate among academics. The two prevailing theories being that it is derived from Saint Mark's Feast Day somehow or "Saint Marcus" is something like "Saint Demetra" which has local religious practices combining paganism with Christianity. (This also means that people are casting Marcus in the role of Mars which is interesting.) Aro, of course, closely follows the debate.

Anyway, other than a joke to try to get Marcus to laugh at and a nice festival to use as a cover to smuggle a large group of tourists, I imagine that the Volturi of my story don't really partake in the festival. It does endear their city to them a bit more tho.

Thank you, and thanks for the ask!

#yeah I think I can hazard a guess on your identity #i imagine the city of volterra is like the volturi's pet rock. they feel some affection for it and its people but like... its also just a r #long post #asks #x anon #fic: cracks in the crypt #oc: myrtis #twilight #volturi #the volturi #saint marcus day #marcus volturi #aro volturi

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abysskeeper · 3 months

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Trick, mistake, secret and skin

This 100% did not start with me thinking Trick was one of the words

Yeah ok, my secret is that I'm always on my bullshit about Trick too. Another readmore because I uh...always always ramble hard about my girl.

skin: How comfortable is your OC in their skin? Do they grapple with anything that lives inside them—a beast, a curse, a failure, a monster? How do they face the smallest, weakest, most horrible version of themself? Are they able to acknowledge it at all?

So, the key to writing Trick in any way, shape, or form is that she is, 99.9% of the time, never comfortable in her own skin and always contending with some type of monster writhing beneath her skin. Is she confident and capable in her abilities? Yes. Willing to lead and make the tough decisions? Yes. Self-assured and secure in who she is? No, never.

Is it a contradiction in a lot of ways? Yes, but the girl's a mess of martyr complexes and insecurities. She almost always, honestly believes she is the most horrible version of herself (a coward and a monster), and though she would only call herself as such in a conversation where it's directly referenced, she never denies the accusation and does all she can with her actions to try and make up for her perceived shortcomings. In reality, the worst version of herself is the girl who gave up for a time (there's usually some point in her history where she went selectively mute and actively tried to kill herself), and in that regard, Trick often pretends that girl actually succeeded. She rarely acknowledges that time existed, ashamed as she is by it, and on the rare chance it does come up...well, the ensuing conversation isn't pretty.

As for the monsters beneath her skin, it varies by verse, but she's usually contending with some type of darkness or beast that's a thinly veiled allegory for her rage, desperation, and trauma (because I'm like that). A few examples, in no particular order:

Pack-verse: In Trick's original universe (a dystopian urban fantasy/sci-fi mashup), she's a wolf shapeshifter who was experimented on as a kid, which ultimately resulted in the line between human and beast blurring within her. Meaning, she has a tendency to go partial-to-full werewolf when deeply upset, among other differences (improved senses, heightened instincts and reflexes, etc). She's terrified of her capabilities and tries to repress herself as much as possible, which only backfires. The whole character arc there is about her coming to terms with who she is and what happened to her, and accepting that that side of her (the rage, the desperation, the trauma) is not actually a bad thing (and is actually more heightened because of her human choices, not the animalistic ones).

SWTOR: I took the Jedi Consular story and ran with it. The effects of the Force plague linger after chapter 1, even after Morrhage is defeated. I figured that lending out your soul to protect fellow Jedi against a Dark plague probably means you don't get everything back properly, even if you did everything right. She doesn't suffer from corruption so much (I actually believe she's not corruptible because she learned the shielding technique), but she's almost constantly, subconsciously using the shielding technique on herself to battle off the bit of Darkness she inherited from those she shielded. Other parts of her are missing altogether. It causes her a lot of chronic pain, but over time she learns to deal with it...until chapter 3 when she secretly starts shielding the Children and accidentally inherits some of the Emperor's power. KOTFE and KOTET are the worst time of her life, and she never knew so much relief as when the Emperor finally died in EOO.

BG3: My new project and current brainrot. Trick's issues are a little different here, as she's dealing with divinity instead of darkness (her backstory fic I'm working on is literally subtitled "You've Been Touched by Something Holy"). Instead of dealing with darkness, she's dealing with the fact she's literally been touched by the God of Death and bares the scars (both physical and emotional. I'm using this as an excuse to finally make this a valid design and not just metaphorical) that set her apart from her peers. It's still very much a metaphor for her rage and grief, but has a new and exciting flavor that I'm still working out all the kinks of.

secret: What's one secret your OC never wants anyone to know about them?

Again, depends on verse, but Trick always has at least one, world shattering secret she's keeping to herself. Generally, no matter in what iteration, there are deaths in her past she doesn't want anyone knowing about. The numbers and her exact involvement often vary, but she always feels a sense of guilt for people she either directly or indirectly killed through her actions and/or inactions. Otherwise:

Pack-verse: Her primary secret she wishes no one knew is, exactly, the number of people she's been responsible for killing as an agent of the government. However, that isn't a secret she can hide, as most people know and/or remember her committing those crimes. Instead, the secret she's trying most to hide is the aforementioned experimentation and ensuing consequences. She doesn't want anyone to know just how monstrous she really is, and how utterly disgusted she constantly feels about herself.

SWTOR: She tries to take the fact she was born an Imperial slave to the grave, but it does come out eventually to the Republic or Alliance. Instead, the one thing she will take to the grave is what happened to her as a result of the shielding technique. She'll never speak a word about the non-corruption corruption (thus, she'll never ask for help) because she fears how people will view her or treat her if they ever knew. The only exception is Cipher Nine, sometimes, but that man can and will both take a secret to the grave and never once consider betraying her trust.

BG3: The fact she died and was resurrected by a God. It's kind of hard to avoid in full, given the golden scarring is a dead giveaway of something divine happening to her, but she doesn't easily share the full story. And having died and being resurrected stands in direct contrast to being a cleric (and unrealized Chosen) of Kelemvor, nevermind the fact it was Kelemvor who asked her to live and resurrected her in the first place. It's complicated.

mistake: What's the worst mistake your OC ever made? What led to them making it? Have they been able to fix it? How have they moved on?

Trusting Torren, in every verse. The worst mistake she ever made is trusting her...ex? Abuser? Mirror image and narrative foil? All of the above?

Regardless, Torren is always her worst mistake. She tried so hard to fix him, but he was one of those people who couldn't be helped, and did nothing but manipulate and use her further because of her goodwill. People got hurt and died because of it, no matter the verse. She got hurt (usually assaulted), no matter the verse. Torren is always the worst mistake, no matter what, and the only reason she ever trusted him was because she was young and naive and just wanted to help.

Usually Trick rectifies it by, eventually, killing him. It's the only way she feels like she can rectify everything he's done (to her and to others), and it is her burden to bare alone (though sometimes Tav insists on doing the honors). Even after he's dead though, it takes a long time for her to move on from everything that happened. When she has Tav, he usually helps facilitate her moving on quicker, but she can get there on her own with enough time away from the situation and a metric fuckton of painful self-reflection.

#don't mind me #asks #sometimes things just appear on my dash #no I haven't been working on this for a week and a half #time isn't real anymore #uh....#happy valentine's day here's torturing my girl!

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aeonianarchives · 2 years

Text

Costumes

Fotfictober Promots: 29 - Costumes

Summery: Glorfindel tries out a tradition among men

Pairing: Glorfindel x Reader

Characters: Elrond, Estel, Erestor, Lindir, Glorfindel, Reader

Warnings: Glorfindel being a bit suggestive at times maybe

Reader Pronouns: He/Him

"Are you sure you'll be able to see with that costume on" You questioned glorfindel he had talked you into do a tradition among men were you dress up as scary things, you had kept your costume plan and simple as you decided to go as Fëanor as Glorfindel all but talked you out of imitating Morgoth or a Balrog, he however decided to do a myth among men, the headless horse man

"Ofcourse I will Meleth" Glorfindel said

"I think you should just put the pumpkin on your head insted of planning to throw it at Erestor" You said the blond hummed and shoved the pumpkin on his head

"I suppose you are right as always" Glorfindel said

"What would make this better is if we could get our hands on a Morgul horse" You said

"And there you go on your crazy tangent" Glorfindel said

"I am not about to go on a tangent, you can use my horse i highly doubt the headless horse man would have a horse as nice as yours or even mine" You said Glorfindel chuckled

"Give me a kiss" Glorf said

"No you have a pumpkin on your head" you said shoving the blond away

"What on Arda are you both doing" Erestor questioned, Lindir stood behind him with books in his hand

"It's Glorfindel's Idea" You said

"Ofcourse it is" Erestor said

"Hey don't throw me under the bus" Glorfindel said

"You have a pumpkin on your head and look ridiculous" You said

"And your dressed like Fëanor" Glorfindel said

"Atlest i don't have a pumpkin on my head" you said

"anyway this is for little Estel, we thought we should give him a taste of the traditions of the race of men" Glorfindel

"You thought we should" you said

"Stop being so grumpy and playing into the role of Fëanor" Glorfindel said wrapping his arms around you, and pulling you away from the two Estel was excited to see Glorfindel with a pumpkin on his head

"What are you supposed to be Lord Y/n, how can an elf be scary" Estel said

"You'll find out when your older buddy" you said ruffling his hair

"Is it to do with that weird oath thing Elrond refuses to tell me about" Estel said, you glance to Elrond

"Maybe, Maybe not, who knows, nobody knows, i have your nose" you said pretending to take Estel's nose

"HEY GIVE IT BACK I'LL TAKE YOUR NOISE" Estel said you chuckled and pretended to but it back the kid was on your chest

"Tickle him, Lord Y/n is deathly ticklish for an elf" Elrond said

"THE BETRAYAL, TO THINK I SAVED YOUR GRANDMOTHER FROM THE GRINDING ICE, TO HAVE HER GRANDSON BETRAY ME LIKE THIS" you shouted in mock horror as the child tickled you

"You know Estel is also related to her through my brother" Elrond said

"Even more betrayal, to think i served Turgon loyally and his descendant do this to me" you said

"It's like it was all planned the ghost of turgon telling them to betray you for surviving the fall of gondolin and until the 3rd age without being reembodied" Glorfindel said

"Not my fault I am just built different" you said Glorfindel soon joined estel

"Take that back" Glorfindel said as you had started to laugh you threw your head back onto his shoulder laughing

"Never" you said struggling to get it out

"Someone tickle his feet it's his weak spot" Glorfindel said

"No, Elrond, please have mercy on me don't do it, I serve you just as loyally, what have I done to you" You said trying to keep your cool as Estel and Glorfindel tickled you

"Entertained Glorfindel on some of his most ridiculous said trails" Elrond said

"I am the meleth of the said man, am i just supposed to tell him no" You asked

"Yes" Elrond said you sighed in defeat as the Lord helped Estel

"I hate the whole line of Finwë, i will curse you with all the magic powers i have" You said

"You have non" Elrond said

"Shut, that is a minor oversight" You said still laughing the three soon gave up when you were struggling to keep breathing due to the laughter

"Why must I be bullied in this way" you said panting

"Because you just built that way" Glorfindel said you shook your head

Elvish Translations:

Ada - Father

Meleth - love

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jessicanjpa · 1 year

Text

Twilight Advent Calendar 2022 event

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Dec. 10 prompt: Pick two Volturi guards and tell us something nice about their friendship.

Demetri and Felix have one of the longest-standing friendships among the Volturi Guard. They've been fast friends for nine hundred years—an anomaly because there's a line between the gifted and the ungifted, and friendships usually don't extend over that line to this degree. They spent a lot of time together, just hanging out, exploring, occasionally even playing human when they get restless. They often go on missions together and train new recruits together—that's how they got to know each other so well. They have each other's backs, especially when Caius is in one of his moods.

The specific headcanon here is one Demetri mentions in Second Meeting (his POV of the saga). This prompt finally gave me the chance to write out a one-shot about it. Basically, Demetri encounters a singer, gets himself in massive trouble, and Felix helps him out. It's less than 2k words, so I'm going to post the whole thing here. You can also read it on FFN here or AO3 here.

Title: Mistake

POV: Demetri

Words: 1.8k

Warnings: typical vampire violence, mass murder, a little torture between friends

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

Summer, 1550

New Spain (modern-day Guatemala)

Demetri POV

I was dead.

It was the only possible explanation for the ecstasy that lifted me higher with every glorious swallow. This was Paradise, and the streets of Paradise ran red with blood—and such blood! I wept for my indescribable joy as I drowned myself in its living water, its pure delight! I had been found worthy. Every fiber of my being came alive and sang with the painful pleasure of starvation met with the most heavenly blood, the feast that made all other feasts turn to ash in my clouded memory. I was dead and I was alive, more alive than I had ever…

The hot flow of blood slowed—no! I could not bear it if… no. No, please, God… please…! I bit deeper, tore with my fingers into the ruined flesh of some celestial throat, desperately lapping up what little I could. It tasted sweeter than ever as the last of it slipped through my fingers. Paradise darkened around me, fading back into sunlight.

All at once, I was a man again. My eyes opened and I found myself stretched out over the body of a Spaniard in the mud. I looked up, squinting, when I heard the despairing cries of humans surrounding me. Something about the scene wasn't right, I realized slowly. I shouldn't be out in the sunlight. They shouldn't be watching me feed. When I looked down and saw the pitiful trickle of blood on the soldier's throat, smelled the echoes of Paradise, the madness called me back. I barely noticed the shouts, the tearful pleas, the beating hands and spears and swords that clattered against my back as I squeezed out the very last drop of blood.

At last, I pulled away and lay my face on the blood-slick armor, stunned, close to weeping for what I had gained and lost in a matter of moments. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see human soldiers running out of the fort atop the hill toward me, and it meant nothing. The heavenly blood was gone, gone, and I would never have it again. Only the sharp scent of smoke had the power to pull me from my grief: a blazing torch in someone's hand, carried high, rushing toward me. I scrambled to my feet and dumbly faced the mortal crowd that shrank back when they saw the blood coating my lips, my chin, my throat. They had already seen enough to destroy themselves, to destroy me. What did it matter what I said to them?

"Demetri?!"

Felix appeared at my side. After a moment's frantic glance around the scene, he turned and bellowed for the others. I was still dazed, unsure what I had done or what I was even doing in this village. All I could think of was the blood. I barely understood the instructions Felix hissed into my ear, and then he whispered some more to himself—no, the air near him rippled with translucence, with the barely discernable shape of a nodding head. It was that idiot Afton. The apparition moved away again. Felix waited a few moments and then promptly grabbed the nearest human and began to feed. Again the screams, the bristling weapons, the shock when Felix swung one huge arm and felled ten men at once. There was no need to pretend now.

He grinned at me open-mouthed, letting the blood drip down his chin to match mine. "He can't execute both of us," he said cheerfully in Greek. "Come on, Afton, you're up."

Afton shouted in alarm and rushed over, supposedly just arriving and noticing Felix's behavior. He drew his sword and demanded that we surrender ourselves, which we did immediately. He strolled around us in a slow circle and finally let the edge of his sword rest against my throat.

"Watch it," I muttered under my breath. He grinned back.

The villagers' fear of their dreadful visitors was nothing compared to their curiosity or a chance at the silver. They eagerly joined the tight circle around us, shouting over each other to report what we had done. Once the audience was gathered, the other guards closed in and formed a loose ring around the human crowd. Caius arrived a moment later. He took one look at the evidence, at the crowd of humans waiting expectantly, and his eyes blazed. He struck me so that I fell onto the dead man, and then he shouted for Jane.

"These men are my knights," he told the crowd. "Their lives are mine. But for the sin they have visited upon your town… you will see justice done at once!" He pulled a purse from his belt and held it high, letting the silver coins spill out over his fingers. "Who will witness?" he called out, louder than before. The news spread quickly through the crowd and into the fort. Only Felix, Afton, and I could see the guards waiting just over the edge of the hill, ready to catch any humans who might try to escape. Now that I was in my right mind again, it was easy enough to play the part of the penitent knight facing his lord's wrath. Caius would come any moment.

The familiar pain tore through me before he even finished saying her name. It burned on and on until I cried out for mercy, for death, for anything. I could hear the massacre going on around me, but Jane did not relent. She alternated her attention between Felix and me in rapid succession so that our screams answered each other in turn.

During the brief respites between the spasms that rocked and twisted my body, I could see that Caius had left us to join in the work. Some were feeding, but most were using the swords and spears they had taken from the dead. I saw guards breaking into nearby homes, setting them on fire as they exited. I closed my eyes in shame, gritting my teeth for the next wave of Jane's fire to come. It had been centuries since I'd mourned a human life, and we were obliged to silence large groups like this sometimes, but this was a tragedy.

The next time I was able to open my eyes, the scene had quieted and my screams were the only ones left. Felix was over by the fort, carrying a load of armored Spaniards on one shoulder. Jane must have released him first so he could go help the others.

"Enough," Caius said harshly, and the pain stopped so abruptly that the final spasm pulled me to my feet. I waited, frozen, as he slowly picked his way through the carnage toward me. The sunlight was almost completely obscured behind the smoke now. The whole village was afire. Felix came up beside me. He knelt, pulling me down with him.

"Master," he pleaded, but Caius silenced him with a hiss. We waited until the other guards were gathered and all the bodies were accounted for and piled in a heap, down to the last child. A bonfire was lit and a guard was sent to the next village to warn them that the black death was here.

"We came here to end a plague," Caius said at last. "Not to start another one. What happened?"

I opened my mouth to say that I didn't know what had happened, that Felix and I had been hot on Benito's trail when… I shook my head slowly, trying to remember.

"A mistake," Felix said for both of us. "A scent so strong that it sang." he shook his head slowly, looking like he was trying to remember, too. "I don't even remember what happened. I think we fought over it. Do you remember, Demetri?"

"No."

"Afton?" Caius demanded. Afton's eyes rested on me for the slightest fraction of a second, threatening something, and then he looked back up.

"I did not see it done, Master. I arrived after."

Caius eyed us with suspicion. "Get up," he spat. "Tell me where Benito is."

I turned northward and focused my mind, taking a moment to feel for my quarry. "Well into Mexico now," I admitted. "Twenty, thirty miles."

"Well? Get on with it!"

I led the company onward, following the trail left by the passing of Benito's soul. I only looked back once, as we crested the next hill, and saw the ruin I had made. The blackened fort and the smoking pyre beside it looked smaller from up here. Thanks to the war our kind had whipped up in the ongoing upheaval brought by the conquistadors, we would be cleaning out larger human settlements than this and inventing other outbreaks of plague before this mission was over. But this one was my doing, mine alone, and I could not even remember doing it.

"I still don't know what happened," I confessed to Felix when he caught up with me. "It was a madness I've not felt before. What was that about singing?"

"You've been given a rare gift," he said. "Haven't you heard the tale yet? The Song of the Song?"

I shook my head.

"It's a legend," Felix said, leaning in, "that every vampire has a singer out in the world, or that it will be born someday. One whose blood sings for you—compels you as no other blood has before. I could see at once that you had been struck by the song. There is no resisting its call."

"That sounds right," I said with a mournful sigh. "And I cannot think how I will ever enjoy blood again."

"It takes time. But be cheered—I've had two. It may be, if you can live long enough, another will sing for you. And another for me." He let out a booming laugh. "I've never seen you run so fast."

I watched my friend for a moment as we walked. I'd always envied Felix's reckless strength, his robust spirit. He'd accepted me when the others offered only mistrust. Even though I'd come to serve the Three alongside them, I'd done it as a traitor to my own maker. Felix was more generous with his friendship, and today that friendship may have saved my life. I could not unsee the agony that had distorted his face when he'd burned alongside me. I rushed over and clasped his arm.

"My gratitude," I said in earnest. "I'll do the same for you, in time."

Felix grunted his agreement, clapping me on the shoulder. "I don't think Caius would have ended you," he said thoughtfully. "He knows the song, and he needs that hound's nose of yours. For this mission especially. I knew that if it was two of us, he'd have to settle for being annoyed."

"Annoyed?" I said. "You endured—"

"Besides," he said roughly, in that voice that meant I was talking too much, "if you get yourself torched, who would I torment?" He scrubbed a hand over my hair and shoved me away, whistling as he moved up the path.

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You can find all the #twilightadvent22 prompts here!

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#twilightadvent22 #Demetri #Felix #fanfiction #Caius #Volturi Guard #Southern Wars #singer #Basically Demetri and Felix are the Edward and Emmett of Volterra #Just with more danger and uncertainty #And a much higher body count

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