#Shay really reminds me of her dad for some reason

[the-royals-ts4]

4 days til halloween

This is Princess Isabela and Princess Shay dressed up as Erika and Annelise from the Princess and The Pauper, my all time favourite barbie movie 

 “ My tip for creating a cool costume is raid any family member’s wardrobe for anything you could use if you can’t find anything in your own!  stole the dresses from someones wardrobe. Apparently these dresses belonged to Great Grandma. I also stole my tiara from my mom’s collection. I’m not saying you should steal, but if you think you can get away with it, do it.  ” - Shay

[fighterkimburgess]

We know that we in OC universe pregnancies are tough time (good luck to you! And congratulations if you deliver a healthy baby, that’s not so common!) so we’d like to know on your take of Stellaride pregnancy - like is it ok and peaceful? Any pregnancy scares? Baby name talks? How Kelly reacts when she tells him? And how the labour?

Blame it only pregnancy hormones if you wish 😂

Look, if I ever get hired for Dick Wolf Entertainment, the FIRST thing I'd change is using pregnancies for drama and ending badly. We've had Gabby, Kim and April all miscarry, and all traumatically. Even the pregnancies WITH happy endings (Natalie, Cindy Herrmann and Donna Boden) only one has been a main character, and they've all had some drama in the pregnancy. Nah man. No thank you. (Also as someone who's AFAB and can't get pregnant because of a fucked up uterus, seeing so many awful miscarriage storylines kills me. It really, really does. There's a reason I write so many burzek happy with baby fics).

BUT ANYWAY. My version of a Stellaride pregnancy?

I don't think they're sure if they want kids for the first part of their marriage. They're both ambivalent about it, they had crappy parents and are afraid of screwing up their kids that way.

Stella's also Very Set that she's a one and done kinda person. She thinks she'd like a child, but she wants to focus on her career too. She knows getting pregnant and being a mother puts her career at risk in CFD, and that's a big consideration to have.

Flora's completely unplanned. There was a big fire, a busy day, birth control was missed and nine months later she arrives. And her parents are delighted! But they both quickly realise they're very happy with just one child. Stella books Kelly a vasectomy and he's more than happy with that.

Kelly is terrified when he finds out Stella's pregnant. It's not planned, he thinks he's gonna screw everything up like his dad did. It takes Matt reminding him that he's not Benny, the same way Matt's not his dad. He can do it.

Once he wraps his head around it, he's all in. Every appointment, every test, everything he's there for it. He cries when he sees the ultrasound for the first time.

He also records the baby's heartbeat and a tiny snippet of it is his text tone for Stella.

When they are picking out names Stella wants to honour Shay. Which leads to Kelly explaining that Shay hated her name because she was a lesbian called Leslie. So they decide Leslie is the baby's middle name.

They pick Flora because St. Florian is the patron saint of firefighters, and this little girl is going to be surrounded by firefighters. Plus Stella loves how the names sound together, Flora Leslie Severide just sounds like a perfect name.

Stella goes into labour a little early. She's almost full term, but she's worried because she's at thirty six weeks and full term is thirty seven.

Kelly's doing his last shift as Squad Lieutenant before moving to take a position at OFI when it comes over the radio he needs to get to Med right now.

As soon as Squad is finished their rescue Matt sends them away. Kelly strips off his bunker coat in the rig, running into the delivery room in turnout pants and his boots.

Stella laughs through a contraction at how worried he looks in it.

Once Flora's born there's a text sent to 51 and 66, letting them know that Flora's here safe and sound. She's got hair like her mom, already dark and thick and Kelly can tell there'll be a curl in it. She's got her dad's nose.

Matt and Sylvie are asked to be godparents when they visit after shift, and it's an immediate acceptance.

[ffxivbabey]

Here are some numbers since I saw you reblog it from me lol, 8 and 18

8) How do they feel about the fame/infamy that comes with being a Warrior of Light/Darkness?

Nyka: She was a bit uncertain about it at first but by Stormblood, she was perfectly content to lap it up. She does wish that people would leave her alone when she's trying to fish though. They're scaring the fish away.

Josephine: She's never one to shy away from the spotlight. Though she never set out to be a warrior, much less a warrior of light, she does embrace that during Shadowbringers thanks to a certain someone informing her that she does have someone worth fighting for.

Grace: Oh she loves it. Just like her dad, she loves attention, and she's quite pleased that she's managed to fell gods with the help of the group of friends who found her in Kugane.

Shay: She's quite humble about the fame aspect but if someone tries to challenge her, she's quick to remind them that she is a warrior of light who has felled many a god.

Jaik: He's humble and says that he just wanted to help people. Which he did, and he does. He always has to stick up for the little guy and fight for what's right.

Sam: Thinks that he doesn't deserve it despite being there for everything. Growing up, he always heard that he would be the avatar of destruction, no better than one of the gods he later goes on to fight. So it's hard for him to accept praise of any kind, despite the best efforts of his friends.

Alin: He just got here but he thinks it's pretty cool. You get to see new places, meet new people, and get famous? Count him in! He really should have joined Jaik when he first set out.

Donne: It's just her job, nothing more. But if that fame and infamy makes her job easier? Well, that's just fine.

18) What is something they would never tell anyone? (a memory, a wish, anything)

Nyka: She'll never tell her friends that she's afraid of them all disappearing. Or that the reason she stays up fishing sometimes is because she can't sleep. Some people know, but not everyone.

Josephine: She was keeping her daughter Millie a secret until she found her during Werlyt. But she also won't tell how she always looks so good. That's her secret.

Grace: Her secret is that she joined the group of adventurers because she wanted to find her father. And she does in Radz-at-Han but she still doesn't tell anyone that he was her original goal.

Shay: She secretly wishes that she grew up in Ishgard with the other dragoons. She's always admired their fighting style.

Jaik: He will never share the super secret recipe for his cookies.

Sam: He won't share the details of his past on the Steppe. Nobody needs to know about that.

Alin: What really happened while Jaik was away adventuring and Alin was getting hopelessly lost looking for him.

Donne: Secretly has the biggest sweet tooth. Has absolutely not been distracted while on a mission by a really good smell coming from a nearby bakery.

Hannah: Though she's a Garlean, she's always harboured a burning desire to learn how to wield magic.

Louisa: Sometimes she makes her carbuncle big enough to ride on. This must be kept a secret because it's silly and irresponsible.

I know some people do pictures with answers but I have like ten characters and that'd make the post stupidly long

[hysterialevi]

His Name Was Isaac - Ch. 14

Fanfic summary: During a mission to avenge his mother’s death, Isaac hunts down the men responsible for her murder and kills them off one-by-one, only to discover that his last target is taking refuge among the Van der Linde gang. In an attempt to kill them, Isaac attacks the gang and unknowingly becomes enemies with his own father, who is in the process of fighting his own battle for redemption.

Point of view: third-person

Previous chapter | Next chapter

This story is also on AO3

ONE WEEK LATER

BARROW LAGOON, AMBARINO

Steadily rowing the narrow boat back to shore, Isaac allowed himself to glide across the icy water as a series of ripples wobbled in the surface around him, causing broken plates of ice to shift to the sides.

He had just finished catching some fish in the snow-covered lake, and thanks to the peaceful nature of the wildlife in these parts, he also managed to pick a few herbs that might’ve helped with his father’s sickness. Isaac doubted they would do anything to cure him, but he just hoped they’d be able to tame his cough at the very least.

He had enough to worry about, after all. Between watching out for Pinkertons and looking after Arthur’s health, Isaac honestly didn’t care that much about reaching Canada for the time being.

Hell, he was willing to stay in The United States for another fifteen years if it meant his father could focus on recovering, but... knowing Arthur, Isaac doubted he’d able to convince the man to worry about his own well-being before his son’s.

That stubborn old man always seemed to attend to everyone else’s needs first. Isaac knew his father came from a place of compassion, but he just wished he could’ve done something to help him in return. A gun didn’t do much when it came to battling pestilence, and that was about the only thing Isaac knew how to use.

Part of him just wanted Arthur to return to civilization. He knew the man loathed being around places that were full of people, but they weren’t going to find a doctor anywhere else. 

Time was running out for the outlaw, and the last thing Isaac wanted was for that time to be wasted. He and Arthur may have argued sometimes, but the man was right about one thing. This was their only chance to make things right.

Letting the boat slide back onto dry land, the young man hopped out of his seat and lugged the sack of fish over his shoulder, slowly trudging through the crunchy snow as he made his way back to Arthur.

At the moment, the older man was looking after their horses just by the shoreline and had a fishing rod of his own cast in the lake, but it didn’t look like he had been able to catch much.

His nose was red from the cold, and judging by the pale tint of his skin and the dark circles surrounding his eyes, Isaac assumed his illness wasn’t getting any better.

He walked up to the man, trying his best to conceal the concerned expression on his face.

“Isaac,” Arthur greeted upon seeing the boy. “You’re back. Find anything?”

Isaac hurled the sack of fish onto the ground, showing him what he had caught.

“Got a couple of fish, but... it ain’t much. Hard to find any food in these parts.”

“Well, it’s still better than what I did. Good work, son.”

The boy strolled over to his horse, giving the animal a friendly pat on the neck.

“What ‘bout you, Dad? You have any luck?”

Arthur let out a chuckle, reeling the line in. “I’m afraid not. You know me, kiddo. I was never much of a fisherman. Though, I did manage to kill a rabbit earlier. Should keep us fed for a few days.”

Isaac grinned humorously. “Once we get to Canada, I’m never eatin’ fish or rabbit again. I’ve had enough of it for a lifetime.”

The other man returned the grin. “Try eatin’ it for thirty years. That was all our cook ever made for us. That, and venison. We rarely ate anything else. Just stew full of rabbit and deer bits.”

“And you wonder why everyone in your gang was always so cranky.”

Arthur paused for a moment, thinking back to his time with the gang. “...Hey, did I ever tell you about Hosea?”

Isaac shook his head. “No. Who is he?”

“Oh, he passed a few years ago,” he said regrettably, “but he and Dutch raised me together. They were practically brothers. Funnily enough though, Hosea was nothin’ like the old man. He was an outlaw same as the rest of us, but somehow, he always managed to be a gentleman about it. He was kind, but firm. Wild, but delicate.” 

A warm smile spread across Arthur’s face. “You remind me of him. I think Hosea would’ve liked you.”

“Yeah? You think so?”

“Sure. I imagine he’d wanna take you hunting or fishing. He always preferred the outdoors. Hell, he even took me to hunt a bear once.”

Isaac glanced at him incredulously. “Really?”

Arthur nodded. “Really. We dragged ourselves all the way from Valentine to the Grizzlies East just to find the damn thing.”

“Did you catch it?”

“Eventually. But it weren’t easy. The beast almost killed the old man. Luckily, I managed to shoo it away -- more by luck than anything -- and ended up huntin’ it on my own. Got me a pretty good sum. The trapper recognized the ugly bastard’s pelt the minute I dumped it in front of him.”

Isaac gave Arthur a playful smirk. “You ever gonna take me huntin’ for bear?”

The older man laughed. “Not a chance. You’d just scare it off.”

The two of them chortled at that and began packing their things up, preparing to continue their journey as the white sun inched across the sky. The weather was a little warmer today -- or at least warm by Ambarino’s standards -- and tiny droplets of water could be seen melting off of the numerous icicles hanging around the environment. Unfortunately for them though, the road ahead was still mostly obscured by thick layers of snow.

“Hey, Dad,” Isaac said, climbing on top of Aldo’s saddle. “I’ve been thinking...”

Arthur mounted his own horse, letting out a brief cough. “What’s on your mind, son?”

“Well,” the boy tapped his reins, riding alongside his father, “when all this is over -- if we actually manage to make it outta the country, that is -- I’ll have to find a new way to make a living. A new career. I can’t just be an outlaw forever.”

The older man let one of his arms dangle casually by his side. “No, I s’pose you can’t. You got any ideas on what you wanna do?”

Isaac nodded. “Yeah. I think... I think I wanna be a doctor.”

Admittedly, Arthur found himself surprised by the decision. He didn’t doubt his son’s capability, but the young man never really struck him as the medical type. He guessed his recent illness was impacting Isaac more than he realized.

“A doctor? You sure about that?”

“Maybe,” Isaac replied with a shrug. “I dunno. I just...” his eyes sank downward, “...I’m tired of hurtin’ people all the time. It’s all I seem to do. I feel like I can’t go one week without nearly killin’ somebody. I wanna start carin’ for people for a change. Save their lives instead of taking ‘em.”

Arthur smiled proudly. “That’s a real noble thing to do, Isaac. I think it’d be good for you. Heh. And you didn’t believe me when I said you wasn’t a killer.”

The boy’s mood didn’t seem to lift at the remark. “Maybe I ain’t a killer now, but I definitely was before I met you. If you had seen the way I killed Eli...”

The other man remembered the name. “Eli Whitley? He was one of Shay’s friends, wasn’t he? You never really told me what happened to him.”

“Yeah.” He confirmed. “Eli was there when mom died. I hated everyone in Shay’s gang with a passion after that, but Eli... I guess you could say he was the kindest in the group. He was the one who convinced everyone else to spare me when they woulda shot me. He’s the only reason Shay ever took me in.”

“But... that didn’t stop me from goin’ after him.” Isaac continued. “I cornered him outside of Rhodes just a few months before I got to Shay. Interrogated him at this abandoned barn. Didn’t let him die until he told me what I needed. He was probably the least deserving out of the entire gang, and yet... I killed him the slowest.”

Arthur sighed, speaking in a gentler tone. “...What’s wrong with you, Isaac?”

“I... I don’t know. But I wanna change. I don’t wanna be that kinda man anymore. That’s why I’m thinkin’ of being a doctor.”

The older man encouraged the idea. “Well, you’re a smart kid. And you’re still young. I think you could do it.”

“Well, it ain’t set in stone yet. It’s just a thought. For all I know, I could end up becoming a hillbilly granger somewhere. Spend all my days roastin’ under the sun. Scare away the occasional coyote. Yell at kids when they come wanderin’ too close to my property. Marry my cousin.”

Arthur chuckled. “Good to see your sense of humor ain’t run off. Maybe you could go into show business. Become a... performer or something.”

Isaac scoffed in an amused manner. “You really think I could be a performer?”

“Well... maybe not. But don’t limit yourself. Who knows? Maybe you’ll be in Broadway someday.”

The boy laughed. “I hope not. Have you met New Yorkers?”

Arthur nodded, thinking back to a certain stranger he met outside Strawberry. “Yes, actually. Yes, I have.”

He fell quiet for a second, suddenly remember something.

“Hey, Isaac. Before I forget, I just wanted to say, I’m--” a series of coughs interrupted him, “--I’m--”

Being cut off once again, Arthur brought a hand up to his mouth and did his best to overcome the sudden attack, only to feel his heart racing when he realized that it was getting worse.

His entire body shook in pain, and with every jagged cough that escaped him, the more he could feel his throat burning.

“Dad?” Isaac said in concern. “Are you okay?”

Arthur didn’t respond. Instead, he simply continued to cough into his hand, desperately trying to catch his breath. The edges of his vision were starting to grow fuzzy now, and despite his efforts to fight through it, Arthur’s strength began to drain from his body by the minute.

“...Isaac...” He wheezed, his voice raspy with irritation. “I...”

Without any warning, Arthur suddenly tilted off his saddle and collapsed to the ground, sending Isaac into a state of panic as he inspected his father’s unconscious body.

“Dad?!” He exclaimed, shaking the man by the shoulders. “Dad! Hey! Wake up!”

His voice began to echo in Arthur’s ears, fading along with everything else as the world turned black.

“...Wake up...!”

~~~~~~~~~~

A FEW HOURS LATER

NIGHTTIME

NEAR LAKE ISABELLA

Cold. Pain. Fear.

These were the only things Arthur could feel at the moment. The only things to greet him when he finally returned to consciousness.

The world around him was still dark, and without the sensation of a solid ground beneath him, he might’ve assumed he was dead.

As for his illness, Arthur could still feel it burning the insides of his chest. His throat was dry and sore, and due to the freezing wind embracing his body, it almost felt as if the breeze was carrying his life away with it.

But no... not yet. He couldn’t quit. He was still here. He was still alive. His body hadn’t given out just yet, and he still had to protect Isaac, no matter the cost.

He just didn’t know if he could anymore.

Waking up with a start, Arthur felt yet another chain of coughs rattle his chest as he forced his eyes open, sluggishly observing his new surroundings.

It looked like he had been moved to a shack somewhere in the middle of Ambarino’s mountains, and if it weren’t for the stiff bedroll lying underneath him, Arthur would’ve been sleeping directly on a fresh blanket of snow. 

There wasn’t much of a roof to shelter the shack’s interior from the weather outside, and with the sun now hiding behind the horizon, the night only seemed to grow colder.

Jesus Christ... what had he gotten himself into?

“Dad...?” A familiar voice whispered, drawing Arthur’s attention.

Slowly turning his head to the side, the older man spotted Isaac sitting in a corner of the shack with his rifle clutched tightly to his chest as he guarded his father, clearly anticipating some kind of threat.

His eyes were widened with anxiety, and the way he kept his voice low only heightened Arthur’s sense of fear.

What was going on?

“...Isaac,” Arthur said, barely able to speak at an audible volume. “Where... where are we...? What happened?”

“You had another coughin’ fit.” The boy explained. “You just... passed out. Right onto the road. You-- Jesus Christ, Dad... I thought you were dead. I tried to find you some shelter, but there ain’t much in these mountains. The best I could do was this rundown shack.”

Arthur tried to ease the young man’s nerves, not wanting to escalate things anymore. “It’s okay, Isaac. You did good. But... why d’you seem so afraid? What’s goin’ on?”

“I saw Dutch and his men on the way up here,” Isaac warned. “They were searchin’ the wilds. I think they’re looking for you. They didn’t seem to notice me, but... we have a trail leading directly to us. Dutch could be here at any minute.”

The older man cleared his throat, trying to ignore the pain. “...Shit. That man don’t give up easily. I’ll give him that.”

Isaac looked to his father for guidance. “So, what do we do? Should we just stay here for the night? Or keep moving? I mean, you’re in no condition to travel.”

“We need to get outta here.” Arthur concluded. “You said we have a trail leadin’ straight to us. If anyone finds that...” another cough escaped him.

The boy disagreed. “Don’t be ridiculous. You need to get some rest. Pushin’ yourself will only make things worse right now.”

“And if we stay, we risk Dutch findin’ us. Or even worse, the Pinkertons.”

“But you’re too weak!” Isaac argued. “And it’s the middle of the night. If we go back out there, we’ll freeze to death! It doesn’t--”

Interrupting the young man, an ominous thud suddenly emitted from the shack’s flimsy door, causing both of them to go silent.

Isaac instantly aimed his rifle at the entrance and cocked his weapon, standing directly in the middle of the shack due to a lack of cover.

There weren’t any voices talking at the moment, but underneath the loud howling of the wind and the creaking of wood, Isaac could hear a series of footsteps approaching them.

It sounded like they knew someone was inside based on the steady pace of their movements, and when Isaac glanced down at the crack underneath the door, he couldn’t help but notice an orange light seeping through the small gap.

Part of Isaac just wanted to shoot whoever was outside, but if it was Dutch like he suspected, then that meant his men must’ve been nearby. He couldn’t risk drawing their attention with any loud noises, and if a shootout were to ensue, there was no guarantee Arthur would be strong enough to fight through it.

He’d have to keep things quiet for now.

Swinging the door open with a light push, their unexpected visitor welcomed himself into the shack as a gust of wind breezed past him, chilling Arthur and Isaac to the bone.

The man was wrapped head-to-toe in winter clothing and had a revolver in one hand whilst holding a lantern with the other. His face didn’t strike Isaac as incredibly familiar, but upon seeing the pinned-up hat that he adorned, the boy instantly knew who it was.

“...Bill.” He murmured, watching the man’s every move. “You’re here.”

The other man’s eyes widened in recognition, causing him to raise his gun in alarm. “...Shit. So it really is you. I thought I saw someone out here.”

Isaac stepped protectively in front of Arthur, keeping his finger on the trigger.

“...What’re you doin’ here, Williamson?”

“What d’you think I’m doing? Lookin’ for your daddy, of course.” Bill’s gaze wandered over to Arthur, leading to a sudden shift in tone. “...What’s wrong with him?”

The boy tried to hide the fear in his voice. “He’s sick. With what, we don’t know. But... we think it’s the same thing Dutch has.”

Bill was quiet for a second.

“...Is he coughin’ a lot?”

“Yeah.”

“Is there blood?”

Isaac thought back to when Arthur passed out. “Sometimes.”

The other man sighed, his expression remaining flat. “Then it’s probably tuberculosis. At least, that’s what Dutch has, accordin’ to the doctor. He finally saw one the other day.”

The news hit Isaac like a bullet to the gut. He knew whatever Arthur had couldn’t be good, but he never expected it to be that bad.

“...Shit.” He cursed quietly. “That... explains a lot.”

Bringing his attention back to Bill, Isaac pushed his thoughts aside for the moment and strengthened his grip on the rifle, bracing himself for anything.

“Listen to me, Bill. I dunno what the hell Dutch wants, but you don’t have to do this. Just... walk away. Forget you ever saw us.”

The outlaw stood his ground. “And why should I? If I recall correctly, your daddy said he didn’t care about what happened to me the last time I saw him. So why should I care what happens to him now?”

“Because he’s my family. Wouldn’t you do the same for yours?”

Bill’s glowered at that. “I would, and I have. The gang was my family. I tried to help ‘em, but the only thing anyone ever did in return was ridicule me! Everyone always treated me like I was some... some idiot! A fool! A drunk! Dutch was the only one who ever treated me with respect. That’s why I gotta do this for him.”

Isaac felt a familiar sense of anger boiling inside him. “...You lay a single finger on my father, and I will kill you myself, Williamson.”

The veteran guffawed mockingly. “Oh, yeah, you’s real tough when you’re attackin’ our gang from the shadows. But you ain’t nothin’ compared to Dutch. And neither is your daddy. That man ain’t just strong. He’s caring. He’s the only reason our gang has survived for so long. He has something that the two of you never will. He has our loyalty.”

The boy almost laughed at the ludicrous statement. “Loyalty? Dutch doesn’t give a shit about you. Any of you. Look at how quickly he turned on my father. What makes you think you’re any different?”

Bill looked at him in bewilderment. “Dutch didn’t turn on your father. Arthur turned on him! Dutch... Dutch is a good man. He helps people. He helped me. When I was at my lowest point, he saved me while everyone else ignored me. He saw somethin’ special in me, and he gave me a new purpose in life. And I will never forget that.”

Isaac sighed in frustration. “You’re blinded by your loyalty, Bill. Dutch may have been a good man in the past, but he’s a tyrant now. A madman. Surely, even you can see that!”

The outlaw grumbled to himself, shaking his head in disagreement. “...You’re a real fool, Isaac. You know that? You kill a couple of our men, and suddenly, you think you’re an expert on our gang. You think you know a goddamn thing about us!”

“I know enough. I know that your gang is finished. I know that there’s no more trust between you. No more loyalty. You’re the only one in your gang who still believes in Dutch’s old rhetoric of a better world, and meanwhile, everyone else has given up on it. Hell, even Micah’s already betrayed you.”

Bill fell silent at that. “...What? What’re you talkin’ about?”

“How else do you think I was able to sneak into your camp?” Isaac pointed out. “How else could I have known about the bank robbery in Blackwater? Think about it, Bill. Your gang’s been fallin’ apart since before I even showed up. Only difference now is... there’s no chance of savin’ it.”

It was clear that the other man’s faith was crumbling at Isaac’s words, but he remained reluctant to admit it.

“No... no. That ain’t true! Dutch is special. He knows how to save people. He’ll get us outta this mess. He always does. And besides, I owe him everything after what he’s done for me. Without him, I’d be nothin’ but a big, dumb oaf. But Dutch... he’s a great man. And when I’m with him, I feel like I can be somebody.”

Isaac found himself at a loss for words, unsure of how he was going to convince Bill to walk away.

The last thing he wanted was to start a firefight in the middle of nowhere, but Bill was turning out to be far more obstinate than even Dutch himself.

The man seemed to idolize their gang’s leader. He still saw Dutch with the same image that he held eight years ago, and it looked like he wanted nothing more than to be like him.

But... there was more to Bill. Isaac could see it. Beneath all the anger and recklessness, the boy could sense that there was something pure at Williamson’s core.

It was clear that he still carried some wounds from the ridicule he endured in the past, but with enough encouragement, Isaac hoped he’d able to persuade Bill to overcome it.

If they were going to get out of Ambarino alive, they’d have to make sure that no one else found them. And right now, Bill was the only determining factor on whether or not that would happen.

Isaac didn’t want to take another life, but that sure as hell didn’t mean he wouldn’t.

“Y’know, Bill...” he said carefully, “I used to feel the same. Not too long ago, I used to believe that without my father, I’d be nothin’ more than a heartless killer. I saw him as somebody I wanted to be. Somebody who I needed to be. But you know what he told me?” 

Arthur perked his head up in interest, silently listening to Isaac from his bed as the boy spoke about him.

“He said that when all this is over, I ain’t gonna be like him. Or Dutch. Or Shay. Or even Micah. I’m gonna be my own man. A better man. And somethin’ tells me you can be, too.”

Bill softened his voice at the non-hostile approach, struggling to get his thoughts out. He hadn’t exactly reached a friendly disposition just yet, but his demeanor wasn’t nearly as aggressive as before.

“Them’s pretty words, Isaac...” he muttered quietly. “But how do I know you mean them? How do I know you ain’t just playin’ me for a fool like everyone else has?”

The young man clenched his jaw in nervousness, trying to steady his breath.

“...Because I’m tired of killin’ folk. I’m tired of always fearin’ for my life. If you lower your gun, I’m willin’ to lower mine.”

Bill glanced at Arthur. “And your daddy? He gonna let me go, too? Or is he gonna gimme the same treatment he gave Micah?”

“He ain’t gon’ do nothing. He doesn’t have the strength. Just walk out of here and pretend you never saw us. We’ll do the same.”

The outlaw hesitated for a minute, clearly torn by the dilemma. Despite his animosity towards Arthur, he seemed to have some sympathy for the man due to their history together. 

Their gang used to be like family after all, and as rotten as Williamson could’ve been sometimes, even he wasn’t so monstrous as to murder a boy and his dying father in cold blood. Not yet, anyway. 

A part of him actually believed what the young man said to him earlier, and if Isaac was telling the truth about Micah being a traitor, it was likely that the rat had spoken with the Pinkertons too. If that was the case, then their gang truly was finished.

Dutch may have been a fighter, but even he couldn’t work miracles. Bill would have to get out of this life as soon as possible if he wanted any hope of surviving, and perhaps this was his chance.

He finally lowered his gun, keeping an eye out for any sudden moves from the boy.

“...Goddammit, Isaac.” Bill muttered in annoyance. “Fine. I’ll let you go. This time.”

The young man slowly followed Bill’s actions, admittedly somewhat tentative to believe the outlaw.

“You will?”

“Yeah, but like I said, just this once. If Dutch or Micah find you again, I won’t be able to do anythin’ about that.”

Isaac felt a wave of relief wash over him, allowing him to relax a little.

“...Thank you, Bill.” He said sincerely. “You’re a good man. Or at least, a better man than you think.”

Bill didn’t crack his shell just yet, but Isaac could tell there was a sense of appreciation somewhere in him.

“Sure, Isaac.” He turned around and headed for the shack’s door, stopping in his tracks just before he left.

“Listen, there is somethin’ you should know. The truth is, Dutch doesn’t care about findin’ your father. It’s you he’s really after.”

Isaac raised a brow. “Why me?”

“Hell if I know. Dutch mostly shuts me out these days. Only Micah truly knows what he’s up to. Just... be careful around him. There’s no tellin’ what he has planned for the both of you. Especially after all the hell you’ve raised.”

The boy gave him a nod. “I’ll remember that. Oh, and Williamson?”

Bill looked over his shoulder. “What?”

“...Thank you again. I won’t forget this.”

The grumpy outlaw stepped back out into the snow, pulling his scarf over his nose as the night slowly came to an end.

“Don’t thank me yet.”

[daxieoclock]

ok shay you dont understand i was literally scrambling through our messages on discord to find a dissidia link and now i cant pick between the kairi reunion with sora and the namixi bed sharing scene so you gotta pick for me

jdhfbghjgb Enu you absolute sweetheart thank you for the ask

they’re both kinda short scenes though sooooo por que no los dos djhfgbjh

Kairi reunion scene is in chapter 10 and the Namixi scene is in chapter 14

She'd only been there twice before, both times after Xehanort's defeat, but Kairi instantly recognized Terra, Aqua and Ventus's home: the quintuple towers and golden chains of the Land of Departure.

I don’t remember if I ever articulated what both of those times were in my head, but it’s a HC that just felt right hehe.

And there, sitting on the bottom steps leading up to the front door, was Sora.

He hopped up as soon as he saw her, that stupid grin all over his face, and then Kairi's eyes blurred over and her feet pounding against the stone courtyard.

"It's so good–" he said, and she cut him off by punching him as hard as she possibly could in the shoulder. "OW!"

Kairi’s anger, frustration and just general emotion is something I had a lot of fun exploring in DKH, and something I definitely want to do more of if I ever return to KH writing (still undecided on that). As much as I love the comedy beat of the pissed-off reunion, it’s an honest feeling I think, to be both overjoyed and infuriated by someone at the same time. And it definitely fits my interpretation of where Kairi – who has been incessantly damseled, left behind and sacrificed-for – is at this moment in her arc. Furious and bitter and just wanting to drag her dumbass bffs/bfs to safety whether they like it or not.

"It's so good–" he said, and she cut him off by punching him as hard as she possibly could in the shoulder. "OW!"

"You absolute, goddamn, stupid idiot!" Kairi shrieked. "Do you have any idea how worried I was? How worried Riku was?"

For whatever reason this makes me think of the very beginning of the story, with Riku lying awake thinking of Sora. Like...yeah. Yeah he was. And on that note, as much as I missed Sora’s presence in the story, I absolutely loved the chance to expand on Riku and Kairi’s friendship/relationship (it’s complicated; when is it ever not?) without him there. I wanted to emphasize both how much they care about each other, and how much Sora’s absence is felt nearly constantly.

"Probably," Sora said, sheepish, massaging his shoulder.

"We had to try and explain to your parents how you....you vanished into thin air, but how it's actually completely okay because you did it to save my life!"

I don’t know that I’ll ever focus too much on any of the KH characters’ biological families, but I think the Destiny trio are the closest to actually Having Any Sort Of Bond with their parents. We’ve got a vague idea of Kairi’s home life – adopted daughter of the mayor, and I’ve extrapolated her dad is kind of absent – but none of Riku’s and only the fact that Sora has a mom. But the idea of Kairi and Riku returning to the island alone, having to break the news to Sora’s parents, just stuck in my head when I was writing this.

She didn't know who embraced who first. But she was in his arms then, and he was in hers, and she squeezed him so close, so goddamn tightly.

"I'm sorry," he said.

"Just hold me," she said. "Just shut up and hold me."

I think this is just a sweet moment tbh djhfgbj.

"Your hair looks longer," Kairi said, finally. They were sitting on the steps together. Her eyes had cleared, but she wasn't ready to leave this moment. "And you're missing a button on your jacket."

"Oh." Sora ran a hand through his hair in that absentminded way that he did. He laughed. "I hadn't noticed."

Liar. She knew him well enough to know when he was putting on a front, and he definitely was now. But she wasn't much better, she had refused to point out the bags under his eyes, the greyish pallor of his tan skin, the way his blue eyes seemed darker than she remembered. She couldn't speak those details, as if silence would make them go away, as if she could will away the scuff from his shoes and the dullness from the little metal crown that hung around his neck. He reminded her of how Aqua had looked after they'd rescued her, so relieved but yet so exhausted. It was the impact of that much time spent alone, that much time spent wandering, spent lost and far away from the ones you love. Kairi's grip on Sora's hand tightened.

I will never forgive Nomura’s cowardice to not show the physical, kinda traumatizing toll that years of isolation in the RoD took on Aqua. 0.8 delved into it slightly, but only in the most surface-level way. And judging by what we’ve seen from Re:Mind and MoM, the same sort of surface-level emotion is going to be applied to Sora’s ‘death’ as well. He’s almost definitely going to come out of a YEAR of complete isolation being just as chipper and bright-eyed as he’s always been, and that is something I wanted to rectify here.

I love the KH cast and I love seeing them challenged, and love watching them grow. There’s not quite enough Sora in DKH to grasp the full extent of how he’s changed after his ‘death,’ but I’d like to think we do see that he HAS changed. It’s something I touched on more directly during Riku’s reunion with Sora, but it’s present here as well.

"So, who's your friend?" He motioned with his head towards the Spirit-Namine, who sat patiently on her haunches.

"Sora, it's me," she said with a little laugh. "It's Namine."

"Oh." Sora stared at the Spirit-Namine for a moment, the gears straining in his head, and then he looked over his shoulder up the stairs, then back at her with a confused expression on his face. "Wait, weren't you sleeping inside? Why are you here and a cat? How are you here and a cat?"

But of course, even after that sort of trauma, Sora is still Sora. He’s still a goober and a softie, and I didn’t want to abandon those traits for the sake of angst.

Sora had never been very comfortable with silence, she noticed him starting to shift and adjust next to her.

ADHD Sora rights.

Kairi kept catching herself holding her breath, waiting for him to vanish or the floor to give way or her alarm to wake her up. Waiting for something to drag him away again.

He looked over his shoulder at her and smiled. "I'm not going anywhere, you know," he said.

Kairi spluttered. "What...who...shut up!" She stared at the ground, cheeks flushed, unable to acknowledge out loud that he'd read her so well.

I haven’t decided if Sora’s surprising emotional perceptiveness is a new aspect of his character or something he’s always had that hasn’t been highlighted well, but it’s definitely an interpretation of him I enjoy. Like, yeah, he’s impulsive and inattentive and kind of rude on occasion, but he’s also showed some moments of being able to read people with shocking accuracy. I think that’s a skill some Keyblade wielders have, a sort of magical hyper-empathy, and Sora definitely has it in spades without even trying.

And briefly before we go into Namixi (and speaking OF Namixi)

Xion glanced at Sora and Kairi from the middle chair and threw up a peace sign. "Hey, what's up?" Her outfit had also changed a lot since Kairi saw her last, she had on a pair of loose black cargo shorts and a pullover hoodie, her black hair swept to one side and tucked behind her right ear. Honestly, she looked a lot happier, a lot freer.

Butch Xion is absolutely the hill I will die on this gal is 100% loves girls and presenting in nonconforming ways.

Namine, laying against Xion, her eyes closed and her expression peaceful.

Xion looked down at Namine as she noticed Kairi's stare. "Oh, yeah, I'm uh...keeping her safe? Cause she can't move when doing her spell, and uh, probably more comfortable than laying on this ground or something right?" She forced a laugh. "Yeah."

Namine, who absolutely has ulterior motives: “I’m going to be unconscious while using this spell and I’d rather not wake up sore, so maybe you could hold me while I’m using it? I’d make me feel safer too.”

Xion, who is gay as shit and forgot about the fact this castle has beds in it: “Yes absolutely I will totally hold you for as long as you need Namine wow yes that sounds great I’m on board heck yeah.”

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

And with that introduction let’s hop right into the dedicated Namixi scene shall we.

Namine heard her door open, then close. She didn't move, just kept staring straight ahead, lying on her side in the bed, her heart beating staccato on the inside of her chest. A quiet bump of collision in the dark.

"Ow!" Xion muttered. "Stupid bed."

No good confession scene is complete with at least a couple comedy beats.

Her eyes probably had to adjust to the dark still, which Namine was thankful for, considering the fact she was probably blushing up a storm at the moment. "Are you okay?" She sounded so concerned, oh light.

Gentlebutch Xion strikes again. I refuse to see her as anything but very polite towards pretty gals (and Namine is very pretty gal in her humble opinion).

"I'm fine," Namine said, quickly. "I just...." She reached out to take Xion's hand, but hesitated, and just let her own fall back onto the mattress. "Wanted to see you, I guess."

"Oh," Xion said. Relief. Namine started when she felt Xion's fingers brushing against her hand. "Shit, sorry, sorry."

"No, no." Namine laughed, and took Xion's hand. "Thank you. This is really nice."

The eternal sapphic dance of being terrified of overstepping and desperate to express your affection at the same time. Also I have said it before and I will say it again: The Gay Gals Love Hands. Idk what it is but sapphic attraction is like 75% hand-holding it’s ridiculous.

Xion opened her eyes again, those gorgeous purple eyes.

Changing characters’ eye color is sort of a running theme in my fics I suppose, though it doesn’t ALWAYS come up. Xion’s purple eyes is something I saw once and got stuck in my brain forever. I have no idea who came up with it or why it’s something that apparently a decent chunk of Xion fans hc for her, but it sure is what we’ve decided on haha.

Three words. That's it. So easy, just three words. Just say it. Say it. "When you found out Sora was here, and decided to go after him." Coward.

Namine, like most of the female cast of KH, has basically no outwards emotion and very little development. For whatever reason, I’ve fixated on an interpretation of her as someone who expresses her emotions in unconventional ways, spends a lot of time overthinking things, protects herself by exaggerating her personality around others while also being terrified of hurting people the way she was forced to hurt Sora. It’s sort of funny to see a very similar personality come up around my interpretations of Haru Okumura in Deja Vu, but Namine definitely expresses her post-trauma identity a lot softer, less formal but still so very careful.

Anyway that’s a lot of words to say that she self-loathes and picks her words incredibly carefully and that contrasts really interestingly with the more impulsive, emotion-driven Xion. They’re a good fit for each other C:

"You can get under the covers too, if you like."

"Oh, I wouldn't want to make you uncomfortable."

Please stop being a gentlewoman and take the hint. "I want you to," Namine said. Was that too firm? Too bossy?

"Oh!" Xion smiled, and threw the comforter over herself in an instant. Guess it was fine.

More of that aforementioned dynamic.

"This is very good. I'm happy."

"I'm glad," Xion said. "I...like making you happy."

Namine had to inhale deeply at that. It wasn't easy to confess when the girl kept taking her breath away.

I really like the idea in general that it takes so long for Namine to tell Xion how she feels because Xion just keeps doing really sweet things or being kind of romantic but not really making the space for that confession, and Namine just gets flustered and puts it off.

Three words. Just three. Just say them. Namine took a deep breath. "I, uh. I..." She felt a sob welling up in her throat. Light, why was this so difficult, why couldn't she just tell Xion–

Her lips were on hers. Namine couldn't breathe, could barely think for the screaming of her heart in her ears. Xion broke the kiss, looking so very embarrassed. "Sorry, I'm sorry, I didn't mean–"

Namine reached up and pressed a finger to Xion's lips, cutting her off before she could apologize any more. "Um," she said, "kiss me again?"

And Xion nodded, and Namine let her finger fall, let Xion lean in and kiss her again. And she squeezed her hand so tightly and kissed her back.

So not really a confession but Xion DID get the hint. Once more: Xion’s impulsiveness makes things both very difficult and much easier for Namine. And I think I like the fact that she ends up deciding to just go along with that impulsiveness, just let go of her plan and kiss the gal she’s been pining for, and stop beating herself up about the words she can’t say yet. It’s sweet hehe.

[roggling]

A Talk

Relationship: Kallura (Keith x Allura)

Rating: General Audiences

Word Count: 1895

Summary: Keith and Allura finally talk after the mess of events the past few months and some confessions may be discussed.

After the fight with Sendak and the Altean-powered robeast, the Paladins had to rest for a while before being able to go out of their room. Allura, the alien, was naturally the first one to heal completely.

She was up and at it a full week before the rest of the Paladins. It gave her enough time to get up and have a conversation with each and every one of them.

Hunk gave her a bear hug when she got close enough, thanking her for bringing Shay to him. Allura giggled and hugged Hunk tight, reassuring him that he needed to see her after so long. Shay hugged them as well, offering Allura her own thanks.

Later, Allura visited Pidge. The Holts and Allura ended up talking about hundreds of different ways to improve the defenses, technology, and figuring out a way to accommodate all the aliens that Allura will be bringing in.

After Pidge visited Lance’s room, extremely intimidated when she sees Lance’s entire family watching her like a hawk on its prey. Allura looked at the family doe-eyed and she saw Veronica’s smug face. After the initial shock, they all got along and had a wonderful time talking about family and traditions.

“Um, guys?” Lance addressed his family, “Could you give me and Allura some privacy?”

“Allura and I,” Veronica corrected her younger brother, “But, sure.”

Lance thanked his family as they filed out of the room and his brothers sent him some winks. Lance blushed but rolled his eyes, punching Marco in the shoulder.

Once the family was out the door, Allura played with her feet and she looked at the floor, “Listen, Lance… I don’t-“

“I know,” Lance admitted.

Allura rose a brow, “What do you mean?”

“I know,” Lance sighed, “I know you don’t like me like that. And I don’t think I like you like that either.”

Allura’s eyes widened, but let Lance continue, “I’ve liked you since the first day I saw you. You were a beautiful princess that fell in my arms. I thought that maybe I can have a fairy tale ending like the one that I would read as a kid. And for a moment in our battle, I thought that we could have it.”

Allura looked to the side, “I didn’t mean to lead you on, Lance. I truly believed that I liked you back, but…”

“-But you aren’t the one for me,” they both said together in unison.

They both looked at each other with small smiles and Allura rounded the bed to give him a hug.

“I hope you find someone, Lance. Someone who fulfills your needs. Not exactly who you want,” Allura whispered.

Lance smiled and hugged her tighter, “I hope you and Keith work things out.”

Allura pulled away immediately with wide eyes, “What?”

Lance shook his head fondly, “Oh, come on, Princess. You really think Lancey Lance wouldn’t notice the thing you two had when everything started?”

Allura crossed her arms and huffed, “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Oh, come on, Allura,” Lance teased, “That fight between you two when we were stuck in space just screamed jealousy and unresolved tension.”

Allura looked to the side and Lance asked, “Have you talked to him yet?”

She shook her head and Lance sighed, “Well, you should. We both know Keith would rarely start an emotional conversation, but this is a conversation you two can’t avoid.”

Allura nodded, “Alright, thank you for everything Lance.”

“Anytime,” Lance smiled and let Allura go on her way.

When Allura arrived at Keith’s room, she leaned on the doorjamb when she sees Krolia and Keith talking quietly, the mother sitting by Keith’s side and holding his cheek fondly.

Keith sensed the intrusion and he turned his head to look at Allura. She sent a small wave and he smiled, “Hey, Allura. Come in.”

Allura took a shy step inside and asked, “How’s your head?”

Keith shrugged, “Not that bad. I’ve been through worse.”

Allura shook her head fondly and rose a skeptical brow, “Sure you have, Keith.”

The two fell in a comfortable silence, not noticing Krolia slip out of the room.

“I never got to apologize,” Keith said.

“Apologize for what?” Allura turned towards him fully, her arms crossed and an eyebrow raised.

“For those horrible things I said to you when we were stuck in space,” Keith explained.

“You already apologized,” Allura reminded.

“No,” Keith shook his head, “I apologized to the team, it was pretty half-assed too. The monster in front of us kinda cut it short. Anyways, I feel like I owe you a bigger apology.”

Allura sat on the bed and listened.

“I didn’t mean to sound like such a jerk. I had no right to attack your father or insult you either. I’m truly sorry,” Keith looked down at the sheets bunched up in his hand.

His eyes widened when Allura’s hand covers his and lift his gaze to look back into Allura’s warm, blue eyes.

“Apology accepted,” Allura smiled and Keith returned his, releasing a sigh of relief.

“I also should apologize for my words. I did not mean to sound so angry. I completely understood your reasoning. I guess I just…”

Allura looked away and Keith leaned a bit closer, “You what?”

Allura returned the eye contact and responded, “I guess I was just still hurt you left us.”

Keith eyes widened and he looked away. Allura tightened her hold on his hand and leaned in closer, “Did you leave us because of your insecurities as our leader?”

Keith’s head snapped back and Allura quickly explained herself, “I remember your face when we talked after your Blade mission where your teammate died. You seemed to be in disbelief whenever I would tell you how important you are to the team.”

Keith sighed, “I…wasn’t very confident in myself at the time. I always wondered why the Black Lion chose me and I would refuse to believe that I was the Black Lion��s Paladin. I…was scared. I became so close to you guys and I’ve never been so close with anyone other than my dad and Shiro.”

Allura tilted her head to try to see his face, but Keith just looked towards the door and smiled, “But after I found my mom, I learned what it meant to feel loved and accept it. I stopped being scared to love. I discovered myself in those two years I spent in the abyss and I understood I was meant to be the Black Paladin.”

Keith grabbed Allura’s hand with his other hand, “I missed you guys so much when I was there. I scared myself when I found out I missed my bickering with Lance.”

Allura laughed along with Keith at that and the two fell silent.

Keith let go one of Allura’s hands and scratched the back of his neck, “Also, I didn’t really think you were the one to blame about Lotor. I was just…angry. I never liked the guy.”

Allura smiled, “I understand. I was also quite miffed with him after I found out his intentions.”

Keith chuckled, “I saw. You body-slammed him when you found out.”

Allura huffed, “That wasn’t funny, it was a serious situation.”

Keith laughed a little harder, “I know it was. But…you gotta admit it was funny when he bounced off the floor.”

Allura fought back a smile, “Keith… you’re being mean. That must’ve hurt him a lot.”

He laughed harder, “He knocked out completely! I’ve been waiting forever to do that, but you beat me to it!”

Allura gave to the temptation and started giggling along with Keith. The two leaning back and their shoulders shaking, grasping their gut as their sides started hurting more with each passing second.

Allura’s giggles died down and she smiled as Keith continued laughing; she liked the sound of his smile.

“Look at us,” she said, Keith calming down to let her talk, “It takes a near-death experience to talk about our feelings.”

Keith smiled sadly, “Well, at least the surface of mine.”

Allura froze and her eyes widened at the revelation, Keith later adding, “Mine go way deeper.”

A blush spread across her whole face. Keith smiled softly and she calmed down enough to do the same.

“Same here,” Allura admitted.

Keith closed his eyes and smiled, Allura pressing her hand against his cheek, and he chuckled, “I never thought you’d actually-“

“-Why wouldn’t I?” Allura smiled, “You are an amazing man, Keith. You were always the one I’ve wanted.”

Keith rose a brow, “What?”

Allura chuckled, “What were you thinking when I kept finding excuses to be next to you? Why do you think I ran away with you?”

Keith shrugged, “I don’t know, I sort of thought that you didn’t want to be alone.”

Allura smiled, “Close, but I wanted to be alone with you.”

Allura slyly slipped in her hand in Keith’s bigger palm and she intertwined their fingers.

Keith smiled, “It’s a wonder you didn’t figure out how I felt.”

Allura rose a brow, “Well, you don’t really voice your emotions, Keith.”

Keith chuckled, “You’re the first person I’ve opened up to other than my parents and Shiro. You’re the only one who I’ve put down my walls to.”

Allura smiled, “You’re the only one I’ve truly loved.”

Keith froze when Allura closed in and whispered when her lips were just a hair’s breath away, “What about Lotor? Lance?”

Allura shook her head, “They weren’t the men for me. I followed them for the attention, not for my feelings. You, however,” she caressed Keith’s cheek, “You’re the only one who has my heart.”

Keith glanced down at Allura’s lips and licked his own. Allura saw this and asked, “May I?”

Keith nodded, “Yes.”

The two sighed in pleasure as their lips finally found their place, shifting against the other’s lips. Keith lifted his hands and cupped Allura’s cheeks, her thumb caressing his cheek as they kissed softly.

The two parted with a soft smack of their lips. Keith licked his lips and his eyes looked down back at her lips and joined their lips again, this time a little rougher. Keith tried to fix his position, but when he shifted on his bed, he hit the back of his head against the headboard and Keith broke the kiss and grimaced.

“I’m so sorry! Did I bite you?!” Allura worried.

“No, no, it wasn’t your fault,” Keith chuckled, “I just hit my head against the headboard. My head’s still hurting from my major concussion after my Lion crashed.”

“Oh,” Allura sighed in relief, “Then you should rest.”

Allura stood up and played with her fingers, “Besides, I still have a meeting with Commander Iverson and Pidge’s dad.”

Keith smiled back, “Alright, see you later?”

Allura nodded.

Keith grabbed Allura’s hand and pulled her in, placing a goodbye kiss on her lips before letting go.

Allura blushed and giggled, “See you, later, Keith.”

Allura walked out of the room in a dreamlike state and leaned against the shut door and sighe in utter bliss. A sound brought her back to reality and she gasps when she sees the Paladins and Shiro all “casually” leaning against the wall.

They all had sheepish smiles and a blush on their cheeks. Allura blinked and then screamed, “How much of that did you see!?”

[moonlight-dragon]

Allurance - Roommates AU (Home is where you are) CHAPTER 1

1733 words | Next Chapter

Lance sighed, burying himself in the couch while he waited for the arrival of his new roommate. Not like it was exactly his choice, but the conclusion of quite of a lot of coincidences.

When he had moved from Cuba, he knew he was going to share wherever place he found to live. Not because paying the bills would be easier -well, yes, that was rationally the reason- but because he wouldn’t be able to live in an empty house, no when he was so used to share everything with his brother, his sisters, his nephews, his mom, his dad, his abuela… He needed to feel there was people around him like he needed the sea of Varadero’s Beach, and his mom’s garlic knots.

And so, he felt so lucky finding Hunk, and later Keith as his roommates. Hunk was so friendly and an amazing cook and the nice scent always flooding the house whenever he cooked helped to not feel so homesick. That boy was a genius! Eating at home always felt like going to a fancy restaurant, every single day. Lance had had his trouble convincing him but felt so proud when Hunk finally chose a culinary minor apart from his engineering major. He did really enjoyed it and man, that was all Lance wanted.

Keith was a later incorporation. Lance at first didn’t exactly enjoyed his company, because they were rivals and the mullet guy didn’t even remember it, always being so emo and not able to understand basic stuff - “I say Vol- and you say -tron”, what was there to not understand? -. But getting to know him, he wasn’t that of an asshole. He was supportive, in his own weird way, and could be a good laugh when he wanted to. Even his mullet wasn’t that bad after all.

But then the coincidences came, and he couldn’t help to feel like the world was plotting against him. Keith’s brother, Shiro, had been recently rescued from a mission in Iraq after a year being assumed death. He had gone with Keith to the hospital, wanting to support his friend and the state they found Shiro in left his devasted. He was missing an arm and was haunted by nightmares he couldn’t quite control -the doctors had to sedate him, so he didn’t turn violent. He wouldn’t have known what to do, but Keith, Keith showed such strength that made Lance realize he was never giving up on his brother. And so, it made sense that he moved home with him, he would have never dared to stop him. But Hunk, man, Hunk had totally betrayed him!

*

“Lance, I had this planned before Keith’s moving”

“Ah, vavavva, shut up! You’ve no right of saying anything when you’re leaving me, so you can move with your girlfriend. Betrayal!”

“Dude, you were happy about us when I told you.” Lance made a pout, cause that’s exactly how he had felt. Shay was that rare kind of people that seemed so pure for this world. And by the way they acted whenever she came to their flat, he knew they were so so in love… he secretly wished to one day find something like what they had.

“I know… It’s just, I’d be so lonely” he finally admitted, feeling Hunk’s hand on his shoulder. When he turned, he could feel the big boy’s arms around him, in a way it reminded him of his whole family in those big hugs they did when someone felt down. He was going to miss his friends so much.

*

While he was helping Hunk moving with the help of Shay, he overhead them talking and when he stepped into the room he saw them smiling way too much in his direction. Shay came to help with the boxes, lifting them like they barely weighted a thing. That girl was strong.

Cute and strong.

Lance always joked about how he loved girls who could pick him bridal style and jokingly flirted with Shay, winking at her while telling her that if she wasn’t going out with his best friend, he would totally be at her feet. That always made the girl giggle. Because even if Lance seemed like a flirty lover boy, she knew that wasn’t true at all. Lance was a gentleman to the core. He simply made those comments to make her laugh, overdoing those finger guns everyone secretly adored.

“Hunk told me you’d kinda feel lonely. I’m sorry I’m taking him from you.”

“What?! No Shay, please, don’t apologise for such thing! You both thought about it months ago and I know how happy it makes Hunk and you” he smiled, but Shay could still see the sadness that smile was trying to hide. “Now I’d have the whole flat for myself, living the single’s life. Girls out there get ready for Lancy-Lance!”

Shay shacked her head, stepping closer to him knowing that what she was about to ask was just right.

“So, you wouldn’t mind sharing the flat with a girl, am I right?”

*

Shay explained him about her own roommate, Allura. When she talked about moving with Hunk, Allura said she had a place to stay and fully supported her friend. But something had happened with said place and Allura had found herself alone with a flat she couldn’t afford and 4 mice. Lance didn’t quite understand the mice part but kept listening. He kinda was in the same situation as Shay’s friend, and being honest, he’d love some company.

Being alone, well, that wasn’t Lance McClain’s thing.

Also, it was Shay the one asking him. He knew she wouldn’t be friends with anyone, less share a flat with them. And for what Hunk had told him, Allura was a really nice girl. And so, he found himself waiting for her to arrive in her car.

He barely knew anything about her. Just her name and that she owed 4 mice. He smiled to himself, imagining sharing his flat with someone Cinderella-like. Would her clothes turn into rags at midnight too?

He was thinking about it when he heard a knock in the door. Shit, he had been sitting by the window so he could see her arrive, for nothing. He rushed to the door, opening it to find himself facing a pile of boxes. He was going to say something when he felt them gravitate towards him. He extended his arms, trying to catch the body behind them.

He felt something warm against his chest, lowering his gaze to find the most beautiful blue eyes he had ever seen staring at him. They were like galaxies, with confusion shinning inside them. Lance felt his checks burning hot, and his mouth trying to articulate words that never formed in his lips. The stranger beat him to that.

“I’m sorry, looks like I tripped” she smiled, and Lance felt like his heart had stopped. She was so so beautiful “Thank you for catching me.”

“Oh, yes, well, no need to thank!” he finally said, clearing his throat as he gently let her body go, making sure she was steady standing in her feet. “Allura, right?”

“Yes!” she answered with so much enthusiasm Lance felt his knees go weak. “Lance if I’m correct”

“Yup, the one and only. At your service, my lady” he theatrically bowed, giving her a shining smile that faced as soon as he straightened up. “Please come in. Sorry I wasn’t at the door when you arrived, I’d have helped you with the boxes… that are all in the floor. But I didn’t hear anything cracking so they should be fine…”

“Yes, don’t worry, it’s all clothes” she stepped inside, dodging out the boxes as Lance guided her to the centre of what seemed the living room. The floor was wood’s, with the walls painted in blue and white, the same as the furniture, so many plants and big windows with coloured wood that somehow give a Cuban vibe. Well, it made sense as Lance was from there, or so said Shay.

“Your room in this way” Lance said, leading her to an empty space with a small balcony and its own bathroom. “Hunk and I used to sleep here, but as you’re a girl I thought it would give you more privacy, and so I’m staying at Keith’s room now. It’s too blue I suppose. Keith always said this room was like stepping into an ocean, vah, he is too emo to understand the amazingness of blue… oh, but you can paint the walls whatever colour you like, just say the word and we change it!”

Allura blinked, overwhelmed by all the information that left his lips in so little time. When he finally looked her way, expecting some kind of response, Allura was moved by eyes she had not realized were blue before. Blue like an ocean after a storm, so deep it almost felt as if you’d drown in them if you stared too much.

“Oh, but I do like blue” she smiled, making Lance smile as well, giving her a proud look as if only them knew the true value of the colour blue. Allura giggled a little. Shay was right, he was cute indeed.

“Okay! So, let’s bring all your stuff blue-lover-friend!”

And at that, Allura couldn’t help to laugh in a way she had never done in a long time.

*

“These are Platt, Chulatt, Plachu and Chuchule” she explained with the mice in her hands, showing them to Lance as he left the last box in the floor. “They say it’s an honour to share an apartment with you.”

“So, the mice thing was true” he said, stepping closer to see the mice. He extended a finger to them, mimicking a handshake with their tiny paws. They made a cute noise, which made Lance laugh lightly. “You wouldn’t happen to lose footwear around, do you?”

“No” she raised her eyebrow, mimicking the one Lance had in his own face. “And neither do my carriages turn into pumpkins and my clothes into rags when it’s past midnight.”

Lance couldn’t help to laugh. She had caught his reference! And answered him with such grace! If he had any doubts about her being his roommate, they were all gone. Sharing the apartment with her would be an honour, as the “mice” had said.

N O T E S

banner credit: scientists confirm cuddling with ur gf to be the best feeling in the universe by @cherryandsisters

about it: well it’s a roommate AU -wow, don’t tell me, right?-, in which I picture Lance and Allura sharing an apartment and the different situations they find themselves into with said sharing. “Home is where you are” is like another name for this series.

I’m not sure about the estructure, probably they will chapters following a major plot line but developving independent stories in each of them. Something like revealing little details that will converge into the final chapter? Well, I hope reading the whole thing would be self-explanatory... The lenght of each chapter would vary a lot as well, depends on the inspiration and how the story evolves.

The pov would be changing between Lance’s and Allura’s depending mostly of what character I want to look at the situation with. I mean, that depends on which eyes I want to borrow so is that character the one mixing its feelings with the narrative... something like that.

IMPORTANT THING -> English is not my first language so probably there would be mistakes, like totally, is like a thing you’ve to accept if you keep reading the story. Also when using the Spanish in the fic, it’d probably resemble more the Castillian Spanish than the one used in Cuba -of course I’d try to keep it as accurate as possible- because the first one is my mother tongue and I will rely more on what I speak.

Here are some notes/major plot lines I intend to follow, maybe with some edits to them:

i thought i was safe speaking in my native tongue about you. turns out you took (insert language) as a school elective for 7 years and know pretty much everything i’ve been saying about your beautiful eyes and ass...

you’re hot and i talk about you over the phone with my friends all the time using a code name that we thought was really clever, but it’s actually really obvious and you’ve known all about my Huge Crush on you this whole time and that’s why you’ve been walking around half naked so much

my mom/dad/parent/sibling is in town and is crashing with me, therefore us, and they’re convinced that we’re secretly dating

i have a mad crush on you so i’m going to keep bringing people over to make u jealous but you either don’t give a fuck or are pretending not to notice

bonus notes: I’ve been collecting reference material for the apartment’s appereance aka Pinterest photos and drawings of people’s houses and bedrooms. Because descriptions are easier when you’ve something to describe or at least a concept. As the story keeps going I would make collages and probably even try interior design -I’ll draw the apartment, cause yeah, who cares if I’ve never done it before?!-. I’ll add as well photos for stuff I think could be relevant, such as the clothing or maybe, pufff, the hairstyles?

I’m a visual person and I think having references helps a lot to picture the story on your mind. So I’ll do that, so you can see what I see when I’m writing... or something like that.

Hope you guys enjoy this fic and I’d love to ear your opinions about it. Any questions, ideas, headcannons or suggestions are always welcome!

[emphasis-all-mine]

I love seeing all the thought and planning you put into Paper Skin! If you don’t mind my asking, what was it that initially gave you the idea for the fic?

As always, I don’t mind at all! (Y'all know I love questions like these right? I am all about reflection and introspection!)

The short answer is:

A daydream

The Freemasons

The book “Feeding Hannibal” by Janice Poon

The initial premise was came when I was just sitting around my house daydreaming and it spilled out. It was originally supposed to be evil vampires take back a vampire that defected or whatever, kidnap who they assume is their human lover, and surprise! They’re a werewolf. They fight back, ride off into the sunset, fade to black, one and done. Just a Halloween-themed little idea I had in my head.

I started poking at it, coming up with some basic rules for the universe (I definitely was inspired by True Blood, but in reverse. Werewolf blood was going to be the delicacy to vampires instead). I didn’t have any other big overarching mythologies. I thought it would be fun to write it as Klance, with Keith as the vampire and Lance as the werewolf but that’s it. 

In the same time as this was in the back of my mind, I had also just started to regain my confidence in writing after a 10+ year hiatus/block. VLD/Klance had me feeling energized and really happy about what I was doing! I was surfing around writing blogs for inspiration, and there was a suggestion about writing your characters into your work life, and though I immediately dismissed that, but thought maybe it’d be fun to “sort” the VLD characters into the different neighborhoods in New York City.

New York City really is the background character of Paper Skin for this reason. I have lived in this city my whole life, and I used to do this with my friends in high school, sort fictional characters into neighborhoods and boroughs based on their personalities (ex: Character A would be a Brooklyn hipster selling crafts, Character B would be old money from the Upper East Side, Character C would live in Spanish Harlem and host block parties during a blackout, etc.)

One fine day, I was off and I had one single errand to run, go to my post office and pick up a package. I had a lot of time to waste, and honestly I wanted to up my step count because I had started a new phase of my job that had me at a desk more than usual, so I felt restless. I took a very twisty-meandering path to the post office, and an equally random walk back to my apartment so I could explore my neighborhood while the weather was nice and I had no responsibilities other than my one task.

That’s when I walked past a building, and did a double take. It was a beautiful building with lovely doors and white marble columns… and it was a Freemason building. I laughed because, well it tickled me. I grew up on The Simpsons, so I always think of the Stonecutters when I see Masonic imagery and the idea of a crazy secret underground society pulling strings behind closed doors, in the middle of my neighborhood? I don’t know why but I just couldn’t stop laughing and I walked along my way.

But that’s what took my little tiny seed of an idea, a vampire tormented and starved into biting their lover—all the while a shadowy force is pulling the strings from behind the scenes to manipulate things. Some evil society thinking that they have control, but surprise! The lover is a werewolf who gives the vampire strength to fight back! How would the society react? Who would they be? Could someone kill a moose at some point?

Something just clicked. 

The piece of the puzzles started falling and I started seeing scenes play out. I’d already settled on making it a quick klance one-shot if it was sticking to the original plan, so Keith was the vampire and Lance was the werewolf, but now I had the idea that Hunk was also a werewolf, and his gf Shay was a human vet, and maybe Pidge was a helpful shapeshifter that had to convince Keith and Lance’s neighbors that he just had a large wolf-like dog sometimes. But now I started thinking about what happened after the two escaped, getting picked up by Dad!Vampire Shiro on the Jersey turnpike, the werewolves using an abandoned sleepaway camp for hunting grounds and the moose thing, and more! I started “sorting” the characters back into neighborhoods as well as into supernatural species, and it just kept growing from there.

The last piece of the puzzle was already there, curtesy of a longtime fandom and IRL friend who is a fan of the NBC series Hannibal. She was very active on Twitter and would sometimes interact with a lovely member of the Hannibal crew, the food stylist Janice Poon. Janice was responsible for making all the food look like it was food made of people that wasn’t supposed to look like people but actually did look like people–and also was in charge of researching how Hannibal’s chosen ingredients would ‘behave’ when cooked. She compiled all of her recipes and more into a book that also spoke about how she would have to search for speciality meats, and also that she would incorporate blood into her recipes.

In short, Janice Poon wrote the book on creating meals fit for a cannibal, or for my purposes, a monster. My friend found out that Janice was holding a dinner party to celebrate the release of her book in Toronto, and we both decided on a whim to fly for a 3-day jaunt to Canada. (My proudest moment was non-stop joking about going to the Mall as a reference to Robin Sparkles, and then WE ENDED UP SPENDING A DAY AT THE MALL). At the release party, Janice and my friend had a wonderful time, and there was a private dinner where we got fed a meal “fit for a cannibal”, mostly delicious things like Lotus root with black rice, my first taste of bone marrow, other goodies and lots of wine and cocktails but the best part? The Sanguinaccio dolce she served for dessert.

I loved that pudding so much, it was sticking out of my mind when I started plotting out Paper Skin, I could remember the chocolate and the richness and that tiny little metallic taste that lingered, reminding me I was eating slowly simmered, thickened blood.

I start typing up the prologue and intro to Paper Skin, and I stop in the middle of the scene where Lance meets Shiro and Keith outside of the bar. I remember I stood to take the book off my shelf, and then I was struck with an idea for more of their backstory and what they DO. So I grab a bunch of those little post-it note flags that I haven’t used since college, and start bookmarking all the recipes that I think could be werewolf or vampire-friendly. I start reading Janice’s stories, how she learned to cook blood and to always get it frozen. What it was like to break down and stuff a heart (which she wraps in twine, I came up with bacon from my mom’s tendency to do that to our Thanksgiving turkey). I start researching blood sausage and Cuban cuisine, and the ball is already rolling. This isn’t just an urban fantasy romance with a mystery lurking beneath, it’s also a story about food and erasing the idea that an obligate carnivore or blood-drinker should be ashamed of what they eat to survive. 

It’s about love, and loving who you are, fiercely.

[blueplanettrash]

Day 6: Presents

Even when I’m not busy I’m late, sorry. I was just so tired yesterday for some reason, I’m going to catch up again by tonight though! I hope you enjoy! ❤️

When Allura announced that they would be going to the space mall, everyone was understandably excited. They calculated that it would have been December on Earth even if they couldn’t narrow down the exact date. They could celebrate Christmas whenever they wanted to though. They told Coran and Allura about the holiday and found out that they had a holiday much like it except it was on the opposite time of the year when it would have been around June on Earth; because of it, they opted to celebrate their holiday then and not Christmas with them. Although they were a bit disappointed, it was understandable that they would want to celebrate an Altean holiday.

As they searched through the stores it was easy to pick things out for each of the paladins, things on the shelf just reminded them of each other. By the time they got back to the Castle, they thought that they would be able to make each other’s Christmases with no problems.

However, there was an identical factor between four of the paladins. They all forgot to buy for one of them.

They agreed that they would meet in the lounge after they were finished getting their gifts ready for each other. They couldn’t wait an extra few days to do a Christmas morning and instead wanted to get it done and celebrate as quickly as possible. They agreed and split off to their own rooms.

As they wrapped their gifts, the realization came over them. They only had three gifts each to give to their teammates. They panicked slightly before realizing that the gift they forgot was for Lance. He wouldn’t really mind, as long as he got something for somebody else and they said that they would get something for him later. He only really cared about the money that was spent on it anyway.

It didn’t take them long before they were in the lounge with their piles waiting to start.

“Who wants to go first?” Shiro asked as he sat down. Pidge’s hand immediately shot up earning a chuckled from the rest of them. They agreed and handed over her gifts. She ripped them open quickly, not surprised at the various computer junk that she expected from the team. She stopped when Lance cleared his throat and she looked over at him. He was holding out his present for her to take.

Lance handed her over two gifts though. She ripped open the smaller box first, not sure what Lance could have gotten her. She wasn’t expecting much out of him though. Not until she unwrapped a brand new Nintendo 3DS. Her head whipped up to look at Lance in surprise.

“I found it in the Earth shop, thought you might want something you can carry around with you,” he said with a smile, thoroughly enjoying the excited look on her face. She quickly ripped into the other package, revealing a stack of games including Pokémon, Legend of Zelda, Kirby, and others.

“Lance this is awesome, thanks!” She cheered hopping up and wrapping him in a hug. He laughed and squeezed her back before she plopped herself on the floor and started up the console. They figured that she was going to see how well it worked, when actually she was trying to distract herself from the painful squeezing in her stomach. Guilt came over her like a wave when she remembered that she hadn’t picked anything out for Lance.

“Do you really like it?” Lance asked with a bashful smile directed towards her. She frantically nodded her head. He only smiled and turned his attention back to the group who was deciding who would get their gifts next. Finally, Keith huffed and just pointed to Hunk instead of arguing over it anymore. Before Hunk could try to volunteer someone else, they reached over and plopped their gifts in his lap.

“Oh. Well, okay then,” he relented before he started ripping into the packages. He smiled and thanked the paladins as he unwrapped the gifts. From Shiro, he got lion shaped oven mitts, a new apron from Keith, and a tall chief’s hat from Pidge. When he picked up the small round box from Lance, he immediately felt calm for some reason. He glanced up at Lance and saw that he was excitably wringing his hands together and staring at the box in his hands.

Before he could even open the box, he could feel the guilt rising up in his stomach. Lance was his best friend, and he had forgotten to buy for him, at Christmas no less. He popped the top off and gasped when he saw the glowing stone inside. He carefully lifted it up by the chain for the crystal to dangle in front of his eyes.

“Is-is this from a Balmara?” He asked in awe looking over at Lance who had a big smile on his face. He nodded his head excitably and clapped his hands.

“Where did you find this in the space mall?”

“Oh, I didn’t,” he admitted rubbing his neck as a blush formed on his cheeks.

“I actually got in contact with Shay a little while ago and asked if she could send a piece of a crystal through the Blade so I could make a necklace for you out of it,” he revealed. They gaped at the process that Lance went through, just to give his friend a stone on Christmas.

“Whoa, thanks, Lance,” Hunk said in disbelief looping it around his neck.

“That's not all though, Shay said that if you hold it near your heart the two of you will be able to communicate through the Balmara,” Lance said even more excited as he gestured madly at the pendant. Hunk gaped and clutched the crystal in his fist before holding it tightly to his chest and closing his eyes. His eyes snapped open when he felt a shot of warmth travel through his body.

“Oh my God Lance, thank you so much,” he whispered. Tears were beginning to well up in his eyes. A mix of happiness at beginning able to feel Shay again and the horrible shame that he knew Lance was going to be disappointed when his friend didn’t get anything for him. Although he knew that Lance wasn’t someone that would get angry over something like that, he knew that it would still hurt the blue paladin’s feelings.

They started arguing again when they were trying to decide who they wanted to decide who went next.

“Age before beauty Shiro,” Lance finally said.

“Yeah Shiro,” Keith smirked leaning back on the couch. Shiro rolled his eyes before accepting the gifts that were sent his way. He chuckled at the eyeliner and #1 dad mug from Keith and Pidge and thanked Hunk sincerely for the new boots.

“I’m really sorry I don’t know if I’m crossing a line with this one Shiro,” Lance said as he sheepishly handed over the package to the leader. He quirked his brow at the admission and heaved it onto his lap, it was a lot heavier than he initially thought. He looked up from the wrapped package to look at Lance in confusion. He was looking down at his lap instead and clenching his hands in his pant legs. He nervously tore the paper away from the box and lifted up the lid.

“What the- what the hell is this?” He whispered. The rest of the paladins peered into the box before looking up at Lance with wide eyes.

“Where did you find this?” Shiro asked, tracing his fingers over the white metal fingers of the prosthetic arm.

“Well, actually I made it myself,” he admitted looking up into Shiro’s eyes. He flinched slightly when Shiro tore his fingers away from it as if he had been burned.

“You made this?” Keith asked in awe, still looking flabbergasted down at it.

“Um, yes? I was learning about being a prosthetist instead of a cargo pilot before I was moved to fighter class, I learned all about these kinds of things, and I knew that there were only bad memories attached to your galra one so I wanted to make you this new one,” he told them. They were all shocked and Shiro started tearing up as he looked down at the new arm. The metal on it was matte black and white and shone with blue energy instead of purple.

“I hope I didn’t go too far,” he said ashamed. Shiro’s head whipped up to face him and shook his head frantically.

“No Lance, this is perfect,” he said choking up. He reached up and swiped at his eyes, trying to get rid of the water that was leaking out of them. Lance let out a loud sigh of relief and collapsed back on the couch. As tears rolled down his cheeks he could only feel the guilt well up in his chest, making more tears well up. He could see the happiness on his face, even though he hadn’t received anything and only saw how glad Shiro was for what he got from Lance.

Keith looked over to Lance for a split second before Lance opened his mouth.

“Age before beauty remember?” He said with a grin. Keith rolled his eyes but accepted his presents. He smiled though, as he opened up the presents. From Hunk he got a new pair of gloves, from Pidge a pair of sunglasses that said badass across the lenses, and a stuffed hippo from Shiro.

“I’m going to kill you for this,” he hissed at the grinning leader even as he hugged it to his chest. He took the last package and ripped it open.

“What is this?” Keith asked looking up from the tablet to look at Lance. “Did you just get me a tablet?” After all the things that he had gotten for the rest of his friends, he was kind of disappointed that Lance hadn’t gotten him something as monumental as them. Although, he really shouldn’t think like that since he hadn’t gotten the blue paladin anything either.

“Well, kind of,” he said shrugging his shoulders before getting up and sitting beside Keith instead. He took it from his hands and entered one of the folders before handing it back to him. There was now a picture of a galra facing them. It was a female from what they could tell and she had thick dark hair and bright violet eyes. He looked up at Lance in confusion, waiting for an explanation.

“I started asking Kolivan for some information and told him about you, and he gave me all the information he could on someone named Kara, we think she might be your mother,” he said. Keith’s head whipped up to look at Lance, tears already welling up in his eyes.

“What?” He choked out weakly.

“She had a mission on Earth and didn’t report back for years, when she did they informed her that her position was compromised and she came back to the Blade but she seemed devastated and she was posted at a second base further away then their communications could reach,” he said holding onto Keith trembling hands. He stared into Lance’s eyes, tears falling freely in shock as he took in his words.

“Every Blade has a tracker on them that monitors their health though and it shows that she is still alive, you could visit her if you want to,” Lance said softly. Keith turned to him in shock before collapsing onto him with a sob.

“Thank you so much, you don’t know how much this means to me,” he said clutching onto Lance’s shoulders.

“Well, if I thought about how much I would miss my mamá if she left without an explanation, I couldn’t stand to let you feel that for much longer,” he said softly ruffling Keith hair before they broke apart. Keith couldn’t stand it any longer and threw himself down on the couch beside Lance with a cry.

“I’m sorry!” he wailed clutching onto Lance’s pants. The shame was flowing out of him in waves.

“For what?” He asked threading his fingers gently through Keith’s hair.

“I didn’t get you anything, I’m so sorry,” he wailed pressing his wet eyes into Lance’s thigh. Lance sighed but didn’t let up on his petting.

“It’s okay Keith,” he said. Inwardly he was disappointed though, maybe the other’s gifts would make up for it though. It was obvious that Keith was feeling guilty because of it and he was going through an emotional breakdown right now. It wasn’t the time for him to feel greedy.

“No, it’s not,” Keith argued. “I promise I’ll get you something later, I promise that I’ll make it up to you,” he cried. Lance looked at him sadly for a second before looking at the rest of them with a smile. It dropped quickly though, as he saw that they were all averting their eyes to the floor and various points of the room. His heart quickly sunk in realization.

“Keith wasn’t the only one was he?” They looked up to glance at each other, hoping that at least one of them had a gift for the blue paladin.

“W-we just, I mean we, ah,” they tried to defend themselves. There was visible heart ache on his face though as he looked at them.

“We’re so sorry Lance,” Hunk said looking down at the floor, his hand clutched around the pendant around his neck. He looked at them in shock before pointing his gaze to the floor.

“It’s okay,” he said quietly but it was loud in the silence of the room. They went to argue but Lance held up and hand for them to stop.

“I’m just happy that you liked what I got for you,” he said before he gently stood up away from Keith, who looked up with a devastated expression. “I’m gonna go to bed guys, please don’t come see me until breakfast tomorrow, I really want to be alone,”

With that he turned and walked out of the room. It wasn’t until he got half way there did tears start falling off of his chin and he let out a tiny sob. He tried to stop, thinking that he was being greedy and he shouldn’t be this upset that he didn’t get presents from them. It wasn’t about the gifts though, it was that they forgot about him. Out of all the people on the ship, they forgot about him.

He strode into his room, not even bothering to do his nightly routine or change into his pyjamas before he fell onto his bed. He couldn’t bring himself to get up, the hurt that welled up in his chest and stomach weighed him down.

Don’t be greedy Lance. They didn’t mean to. Don’t be greedy.

[novasunriseturtle]

So how about that What If AU aka if Voltron was made for adults

Out of order but an idea for me to remember

Story idea - Shiro doesn’t come back until the final season revealing he’s in fact Keith’s uncle/older brother (whichever works) and did not die “I live bitch!”. Or better yet, he forms a team he finds on a planet he got teleported and saving other lives from the other side of the universe. Even though he’s no longer the Black Paladin as he entrusted Black to Keith, the people they saved still saw him as one and a hero. They also made like paintings of him or a statue. So it does switch between the main story and Shiro’s side story unless that’s bad writing. Cuz I was planning on adding more story to Shiro with his new rag tag team since I decided not to kill him off or use him as plot device.

Then it all comes together when Shiro sees Voltron and best reunion ever between his teammates he saw as family. Tears will be spilled.

They did discover the Blue Lion like the show so it stayed that way for like 13 chapters. So after Shiro is now stuck in the astral world (or his rag tag team adventures) lion switch happen, there’s an exchange between the leader and right hand man. Bayard exchange.

So they don’t work along at first leading to frustrations between members, yeah there’s a point even Lance got irritated but after some bonding and vulnerability they finally synchronized. So same thing like the show, just them being more open about it.

“I don’t think I’m cut out to be leader. I’m not calm like Shiro, I’m not as graceful as Allura, and I’m certainly not as good of tech like Hunk and Pidge. And you... Black made a terrible mistake of choosing me as its new paladin” Keith

“Honestly I was jealous you were chosen as the Black Paladin since you’re always the best out of everyone else. And that fact still stands even if I was forced to admit it. But to be frank with you, since the lion switch. I don’t think you’re as bad as you make it out to be. Sure you made an irrational decision and almost costed our lives but not everyone is perfect. Well maybe Shiro but the point is, you are a good leader and the lions never make mistakes. Black chose you for a reason and whatever it is, I will respect it. Besides, you’re not alone anymore. We’ll find Shiro. If it means risking and maybe not destroy everything in our path, I’ll gladly follow you and do this; together. Now let’s go fix this mess.” Lance

I’m taking the concept of Voltron only forming by bonds between lions and paladins into consideration by also having them not able to form Voltron because of dispute. This will also transfer negatively now they joined the Galra side since Lotor killed his father. That’s something I like seeing. Not to mention Lotor and Haggar being the main source to cause tension between teammates.

Do I keep Shiro clone? Nope. Gonna use the generals as double agents.

Do the Blades stay? Yeah. Also make tension between the Blades and Empire Galras cuz why should I trust them?

Does Hunk make food jokes? Not really, he’s a passionate cook sure but majority speaks science, math, and logic. Unlike the show shoving Pidge is the only smart one of the group.

Do I keep the Holts? Let them have death like I wanted.

Does Pidge stop being a dick? Yes

Is Lance reduced to comedy relief? Fuck no

Does Coran have more purpose and gives his insights to his past not to mention I’m bringing his son back for drama and betrayal and reunited? Yes

Does Keith get pissed at Krolia for leaving him despite she did it so he’s safe? Yes

More insight on Krolias relationship with his dad. And yes they had a dog.

Wow romance in the AU? Pining Keith is still happening with a dash of oblivious Lance. Established Hunk and Shay. Unfortunately I’m gonna do Lotor and Allura. Except she realizes Lotor isn’t who she thought he has and final battle between them. Just let me have that. I want her duking it out against Lotor.

Oh yeah have Lance comment on an alien guy that’s he’s cute or flirt with him. Boom established bi. I’ve always liked the idea of Lance knowing he’s bi but hasn’t come to terms yet. Probably denying. I don’t know how to describe it. Or Keith is the only guy he’s ever truly fall in love with like Jenny but he’s like I’m not emotionally ready to love again. Cuz his heart has been broken many times before. Personally I think he stopped believing in love after experience cuz he’s always second never first. And the day Keith confesses he loves him is like, probably laughing bitterly “I don’t believe you” or something.

Does it end with Keith heartbroken and Lance realizing he does love him and done fucked up to the point they make up when he saves his ass? Yes. Does Lance die like in the show where Keith felt his bond with Red cut off and panicked? Allura revives him.

This is indulgment but when Krolia sees Lance? “He reminds me of your father.” And then sees Shiro. “Is this your father’s brother he never told me?” She also may have adopted Hunk.

Who does Shiro end up with? He becomes Kakashi and gets a pet cat when returning home.

More of them getting a break and having fun. Like Space Mall and D&D. Also dimension adventures meeting their alternate selves.

Also give the parents trying to fight their way to Garrison about their children’s whereabouts. We need to know dammit. Have them refuse to believe their children are dead.

Nyma, Rolo, and that robot I forgot his name return as allies.

More Alteans they find. Romelle (like the originals) is her cousin

Bring back Queen Merla ugh my bi heart

Haggar being the true villain because yes and she has magic

Epic battle ensues, war ends, peace finally sets in the universe and everyone goes home.

Plot twist, they return to space. I know they all miss home but something tells me their parents will understand and encourage them to go. “But always visit us again. Send pictures to let me know you’re okay.”

Would it be bad there’s a massive time span where their families grow old once they return home? Cuz you know how time doesn’t exist in space.

Also references of GoLion and DouT. Watching a show Beast King GoLion or meeting the OG paladins. “So Voltron was a sentient being?!”

Because I’m a hoe for Tokusastu. Meet space Godzilla and becomes an ally to Voltron.

Chapters will be referred as episodes so why not

[attackofthespaceturtles]

Voltron Season 4 Thoughts

So yeah, this is ages late because I procrastinated on watching season 4, and by the time I was finally ready to watch it Stranger Things season 2 came out, which took up my tv-watching energy.

Truth be told, one of the main reasons I waited so long is I had to take a bit of a leave of absence from the Voltron fandom. I usually don’t let fandom drama get in the way of my enjoyment of a particular show. I’ve been in internet fandoms since I was 13 and have seen a LOT of shitty fandoms long before Voltron. But I’d also be lying if I said that the negativity from the fandom didn’t affect me just a bit. It’s kind of disappointing to see a fandom I have been in literally since the week the first season was released on Netflix turn nasty towards each other over stupid shit and just overall glorify negativity, whether making unusually cruel and dark fan works or, again, being mean to and policing each other over stuff that really doesn’t matter at all. Taking a bit of a break was the best thing I could do, and luckily season 4 reminded me of why I love this show so much!

Since I haven’t been around in the fandom lately I have no idea what the reception is towards this season, but I can say that I thought it was excellent. In fact, taken as a whole with season 3 (since they are practically one season split in two) I would consider these some of the best episodes of the show so far. I’m really happy with the direction things are going. Here’s my breakdown of what I liked/disliked (of course, there will be spoilers):

What I liked:

-Don’t get me wrong, I love how Keith’s story has developed in seasons 2 and 3, but that being said, I also really enjoyed getting to see the other paladins have the spotlight away from Keith for a while. It gave us a much-needed focus on the other characters, which was nice!

-The humor in this season was some of the best so far. Seriously, Allura and Coran’s reaction to Lance milking the cow was one of the funniest moments on any tv show I’ve ever seen. The animation and their exaggerated reactions was absolute comedy gold.

-Matt is back! I really, really loved the episode where Pidge is finally reunited with Matt! They have such a great dynamic and I’m excited to see how Matt will interact with the other members of the team now that he is part of the crew (Shiro, Matt, and Allura OT3, anyone?). Additionally, even though Pidge still has to find her dad, I’m interested to see how her character will develop now that part of her goal of finding her family has been fulfilled.

-Higher stakes. I actually felt the threat posed by the villains this season, especially in the last two episodes. Characters actually die, and it adds so much to the show (RIP Narti, you will be missed!). Even in the episode where Pidge finds Matt, I knew he wasn’t dead because he was in the trailers, but I still felt the emotions and the intensity in that scene. Character death is a real possibility in this show, and the writers do a great job on making the audience aware of that.

-Lotor and the Galra girls had an AWESOME story this season. Their slow turn on him felt very believable and I’m interested to see what they do next. It will be fun to see Lotor team up with Voltron (and eventually betray them, probably), but I do wonder if we will see the galra girls team up with Voltron too, maybe even for good (if Axca really is Keith’s mom this is a huge possibility). These are definitely some of the best written villains I’ve seen on an animated show in a long time.

-Allura’s powers were not forgotten! I was worried they would be sidelined since it was not mentioned at all in season 3, but thankfully they were brought back in the finale in a big way. I appreciate that Allura has so much to do and is a valuable member of the team.

-More female characters! We get another cool lady Galra general and that adorable dog pilot, plus the return of Shay and Nyma, even if just cameos. I love seeing this female cast fleshed out.

What I didn’t like:

-I do wish Hunk and Lance had more character development. I appreciate that they are taken seriously this season and not used for jokes (the season makes a point of how smart Hunk actually is, which is appreciated!), but I do wish that we got more episodes challenging them and delving deep into their characters. They just felt like they were kinda there in season 3, but I do get that this wasn’t a big season for character development all around, except for the villains.

-I wish that “The Voltron Show” went further with the parody. While it was a fun episode and a really successful horror/suspense type story, I wanted something more along the lines of “The Ember Island Players” that poked fun at the characters and the fan base. We don’t really get that here, which I felt was a missed opportunity.

What I want to see in season 5:

-More character moments

-Fun interactions between the cast, maybe splitting characters up into pairs that normally don’t hang out or get screen time together.

-More delving into Allura’s powers.

-Interesting dynamics between the team and Lotor

Overall season 4 was an excellent season! It got me excited about Voltron again and I look forward to what the show will do next.

[cwnerd12]

“I’ll Be Okay” David walks into a cavernous file storage room. Asher, Abby, Joel, Shay, and Monique sit on the ground, papers strewn around them reading files. David, “What is this?” Asher, “Fuckin’ files, man. We found our files. You don’t have a file, you have a box.” David sits down, Asher slides a box over to him. David opens it and thumbs through the folders in there. David, “Who else has a file here?” Joel, “Everyone. Seriously, look at this room. There’s a file for everyone the MSS has ever dealt with.” Abby reads from the file in her hands, “Franklin Hatch, Jr. Known pseudonyms: Frankie, Frank, Jr. They forgot to include ‘Dumbass.’” David, “I like Frankie.” Abby, “Okay, but seriously, if you yell, ‘Hey, dumbass!’ Frankie will turn around and say, ‘What?’” Shay, “I can’t believe this. Shay Mendoza: confirmed homosexual. I’m trying to overthrow the king, and that’s what’s important about me.” Joel, “Seriously? For you, that’s like saying, ‘Asher Levinson, confirmed Jew.’” David flips through his file, “Oh, I got a confirmed homosexual, too.” Monique, “Me, too. Apparently trans and bi people don’t exist.” David, “We’re unicorns. No wonder they can’t catch us.” Abby, “Aw, I didn’t get one, I’m sad. Especially considering the number of times I’ve banged the princess.” Joel, “Jack didn’t get one, either. You’re only a confirmed homosexual if it’s convenient for you to be one.” David, “Where’s Jack’s file?” Asher, “It doesn’t say anything about his condition. Sorry.” David stands up and begins to go down the aisle, looking intensely at the shelves. Asher, “What’re you looking for, David?” David, “I don’t know if they’re going to have his file, but I’m looking for a guy named Ivan Waters.” Asher, “Who?” Shay, “That’s Wednesday’s dad.” Asher, “The filing system here is kind of complicated, but I can find him. Why are you looking for him in particular?” David, “Wednesday doesn’t know what happened to him, just that he didn’t come home from work one day. Jesus- if we can start giving answers to families who are missing someone…” his voice trails off for a moment, “We need to start making these files public. We have to figure out a way to give them to the people who want them.” Asher, “There’s a lot of missing people in here.” David, “We can set up some tables. Get a bunch of our soldiers working them. People come up, request a file, and we send someone back to find it, and then we give it to them.” Shay, “We can do it, but it’s gonna be a fuckin’ mess.” David, “Then let it be a fuckin’ mess! Silas built his kingdom on secrets, and now we’re gonna tear it down!”

Early next morning, Monique steps out of the MSS building, and sees a line of people already wrapping around the block, with reporters and TV cameras there, too. She thinks for a long moment, and then has and idea and walks off.

Inside the lobby of the MSS building, AFG members work to set up a line of folding tables with laptops and chairs, ready to search databases and distribute files. AFG soldiers sit at the tables with helpers standing behind them. James and Ethan both help set up computers. Beth helps set up a refreshment table with coffee and snacks. Adam goes up to her, “Beth?” She looks up at him, and then quickly looks away, saying nervously, “Oh, hi.” Adam, “How- how are you doing?” Beth, “As well as I can, I guess. Been trying to keep busy. Helping out.” Adam, “Oh. Good. It’s- it's been rough for me." Beth, “Yeah, I- I mean of course it's rough, I mean..." she drifts off. Up at the front, Abby enters, with David following her. David greats James and Ethan while Abby goes to the center of the lobby, “Thanks for being here, guys.” Ethan and James, “No problem.” Abby speaks up, “We’re going to open the doors, but before we do, I just want to remind you all, some of these people have been wondering what happened to their loved one for over twenty years. They’re going to be emotional, and you need to be sensitive to that.” David steps up, “Today’s gonna be a long day, and it’s probably gonna be emotionally hard, but it’s really important that we do this.” He looks around and sees Beth and Adam. Beth smiles at him. David looks away, “Okay, so, open the doors, let’s get going.” Someone opens the doors, and people start to file in. David turns to leave. Beth’s face falls. She quickly turns to Adam, “I’m going to talk to David real quick. I’ll be right back!” She hurries off. When she nears David, she says, "David!" and reaches out and touches his arm. He turns around and then pulls away from her. Beth, “I was hoping to see you." David, rushed and nervous, "Not right now, we're pretty busy." Beth, “Can we talk later, maybe? I- I really want to talk to you." David, “Maybe, but not now." Beth, “Okay, well-” David interrupts her, “I've gotta go.” He hurries away, and Beth watches him leave. Slowly, Adam approaches Beth, “So… you've been talking with David?” Beth, “Oh, yeah. I- I’ve been talking to him about Ryan.” Adam, “When?” Beth, “What?” Adam, “It’s just that David’s been here and you’ve been at the safe house…” Beth, quickly, “Oh, we talk on the phone. I guess we got to know each other petty well being cooped up in the same house for a while. He’s a nice guy. You should talk to him.” Adam, “Yeah, I should.”

In an operating room, a surgeon performs Jack's cranioplasty. In the adjoining observation room, Michelle and Dr. Hussein watch. Michelle, “You know, for a little while, I was really jealous of Jack because he was there while David got an emergency laparotomy in the middle of the woods. But I think I’ve one-upped him, now. I’ve seen his brain.” Dr. Hussein laughs, “I’m suddenly very glad my sister is a teacher.” They both laugh. Michelle tensely watches the surgeons as they screw everything in place. Michelle, “So you’re sure, two weeks for everything to heal, and then he’s leaving the hospital, right?” Dr. Hussein, “As long as no complications develop. I can’t 100% guarantee they won’t, of course, but everything’s gone perfectly so far.” Michelle nods, “Good. I know Jack's ready to start the intensive part of his rehab. All the following orders and pushing your physical limits, it's almost like being in the army again. I’m actually pretty glad he’s gonna be at the rehab center instead of at home-” Dr. Hussein interrupts, “You mean the palace?” Michelle, “Yeah.” Dr. Hussein, “Queen Rose told me that she was bringing Jack home.” Michelle, “What? No. You told me yourself, Jack needs to go to the rehab center for the best possible outcome.” Dr. Hussein, “Yes, I explained all that to Queen Rose, but she said that Jack would be returning home.” Michelle, “Why?” Dr. Hussein, “She said something about security issues.” Michelle mutters, “God damn it,” she sighs furiously, “This wasn’t my mom’s decision, it’s Abner’s!”

Monique returns to the MSS building, which has an even longer line wrapping around it, carrying two plastic bags stuffed with cans of paint and paintbrushes. She leaves them by the front door, and goes inside. She sees David overseeing the delivery of a file and goes up to him, “David, come with me for a second, I have an idea.” David, “We’re pretty busy here, can it wait?” Monique, “Nope. Get Abby, Shay, and Asher here, as well.”

Monique, hands David, Shay, Abby, and Asher cans of paint and a paintbrush. Monique, “Every single person in that line lost someone they love. We’re going to deface this building with their names.” David, “What?” Monique takes off the lid of a can, dips a paintbrush into it, goes over to the wall, and paints ISAIAH CLEMENS, “We’re making a memorial to everyone we’ve lost. David, you can put your dad and brothers.” Asher, “Monique, this is brilliant.” He goes over to the wall and paints out LEO AND NORA LEVINSON, with a star of David next to it. Shay goes over and paints RODRIGO MENDOZA. Abby looks down at her can, “I don’t know if I want to add my dad to this.” Monique, “Then give your can to someone else.” David, “Are you sure this is a good idea? What if people start painting on the names of people we’ve killed?” Monique, “Then it’ll be a memorial to them, too. You want to convince people you should be king, right? Then why not show them a thousand reasons why Abner shouldn’t be king? Besides, we don’t kill civilians, right?” David nods uneasily, “Okay.”

Before long, clusters of people fill the wall with names. Reporters talk to people and TV cameras film it all. People take selfies by the names they’ve painted, eyes full of tears.

Inside, Liam approaches Adam, “Adam, bro, have you seen what’s going on outside?” Adam, “No.” Liam, “People are painting names on the front walls as some kind of memorial. Where’s Beth? She needs to paint Ryan’s name!” Adam, “I think she-” Beth emerges at the end of the hallway, and Liam runs over to her, “Beth! Hey, BETH!” Beth, “What?” Liam, “You need to put Ryan’s name on the wall.” Beth, “What wall?” Liam, “They’re painting names on the front of everyone’s whose died. You need to do Ryan.” Beth is taken aback, and stammers he reply, “I- I, I really shouldn’t do that, I-” she looks nervously from Adam to Liam, “You guys were much closer to him than I ever was.” Adam, “He really loved you.” Beth, “Look, I met Ryan when he ended up in the safehouse outside of Nob that I was running. We had some fun, and then the raid on Nob happened, and Ryan had to leave, and I went to another house, and we’d talk on the phone, but that was kind of it. Not much of a romance, really.” Ryan, “He talked to you every day.” Beth, “Yeah, we did, and I mean, I- I did have feelings for him.” Ryan, “Did?” Beth, “I still do, I just… You guys are the ones who were with him.” She shrugs awkwardly. Ryan, “Yeah, okay, well, come with us when we do it, anyway.” Beth, reluctant but resigned, “Okay.”

Out in the lobby, Monique talks to James and Ethan, “Where the fuck is David? He’s not answering my texts.” Ethan, “He texted me a little while ago, says he needs to space.” Monique, “Well there’s about a hundred TV cameras out there all waiting to see David paint a name on a wall.” James, “We’ll get him out, it might just take a little while.” Monique annoyed, looks around. Adam, Liam, and Beth enter. Monique sees them, “Adam!” He looks at her, “Yeah?” She goes over to him, “Have you seen David?” Adam, “No.” Monique, “Can you help me find him?” Adam, “We were going to put Ryan’s name up.” Monique, I need to find David.” Beth, “I’ll help you look,” she glances at Adam and Ryan, “You can wait a few minutes, right?”

Beth walks down an empty hallway, looking at office doors. She comes to one door that’s slightly ajar, and sees David sitting on the desk inside, deep in thought. Beth, “David?” He looks up at her, “Oh, hi.” Beth, “Monique is wooing for you.” David, “Yeah, I know.” Beth, “It’s about the wall.” David, “Yeah, I know.” Beth, Do you not want to do it?” David, “I do, it’s a great idea, I just…” he sighs deeply, “I don’t want to do it in front of a bunch of cameras.” Beth sits down on the desk next to him, “I’ll be there. Adam wants to put Ryan’s name up, and he wants me to be there.” David, “I’ll do it, I just need a few minutes.” Beth, “Okay. Do you want me to text Monique?” David, “Sure.” Monique talks to Adam and Liam as her phone dings. She looks at it, “Says he needs a few minutes,” she sighs, annoyed, “As long as he gets out here.”

Back in the office, David fucks Beth. Beth moans loudly. Davit mutters, “Don’t be so loud.” Beth, “What?” David, “Don’t be so loud!” Beth, “Oh, sorry.” She goes quiet and David keeps fucking her.

Outside at the wall, a bunch of cameras watch as David, Ethan, and James paint JOHN SHEPHERD, ELI SHEPHERD, and ROBERT SHEPHERD on the wall. A ways off, Adam and Beth stand next to where RYAN HITT is painted. They both watch David paint. Adam shifts uneasily from foot to foot, bites at his lower lip, and sighs. Beth, “You okay?” Cameras flash and David walks away. Adam watches intensely. Beth, “Adam?” Adam, “What?” he snaps at her, broken out of his concentration. Beth, “You okay?” Adam, “Yeah, I- I guess.” Beth, “I’m gonna go back inside.” Adam, “Wait.” Beth looks at him, “What?” Adam looks down at the ground, “I…. I, um…” he shuts his eyes tight, “I just… I-I have some questions. About how Ryan died.” Beth, “Why are you asking me about this? You were there. I wasn’t.” Adam, “I just… I dunno, I…. I can’t shake this feeling that maybe, somehow, it wasn’t necessary.” Beth, “Adam, that’s just your grief talking.” Adam, “I know! I know, I know! I know I miss him, and I know this is hard, and that he was a soldier, and soldiers die in battle, but…” he sighs deeply, “Ryan… Ryan got sent out to throw a grenade, and I- I just don’t think he had to. We could have taken the top floor without it. It would have taken longer, but we could have done it.” Beth, “Take it up with whoever sent him out.” Adam, “It was Joel.” Beth, “So talk to him.” Adam, softly, “I don’t think he’d tell me the truth.” Beth, “The truth? The truth about what?” Adam stares at Beth, thinking for a long moment. Finally, he murmurs, “I don’t know.” Beth, warily, “Adam, you’re traumatized and exhausted. I think we all just need to pray that David gets made king at Council, and we can finally stop fighting.” Adam stares at her, eyes full of doubt. Beth, softly, “I’m gonna go back inside. Maybe you can talk to Liam about it.” She turns around and walks toward the front door. Suddenly, Adam calls, “David really loves Jack, you know.” Beth looks back at him, startled, “What?” Adam, “Jack. Whatever decision David makes, it’s all going to come down to Jack.” Beth, unsettled, “Jack is brain dead.” Adam, “How do you know?” Beth, “Because how can he not be? David has to know this!” Adam, “Are you sure?” Beth stares at Adam, “You can’t get shot in the head and just be okay.” Adam thinks for a moment, and then looks back down at the ground, “Yeah, I guess so.” He stuffs his hands into his pockets. He glances back up at Beth, “Go back inside. I think I’ll just stay out here for a little while.” Beth, uneasy, “Okay.” She walks past him, awkwardly. He watches her go back inside.

Back in his hospital room, Jack slowly blinks awake form his surgery. He looks over and sees Michelle and Rose with their backs to him, speaking in low, furious voices. Michelle, “He won’t be able to walk on his own or speak in complete sentences!” Rose, “Yes, I know, Dr. Hussein warned me about all that. We can get all the right care at the palace.” Michelle, “That’s not enough, and you know it!” Rose, “We don’t have a choice here, Michelle.” Michelle, “You and Dad kept it covered put he first two times he went to rehab, why is this any different?!” Rose, “We could shut down any publication that said anything, and we still didn’t stop the rumors. These circumstances are very different.” Michelle, “Oh, bullshit!” Rose, “This can all change, depending on what choices Shepherd makes at Council.” Jack moans softly. Rose and Michelle both look over at him, startled. Michelle immediately puts on a smile, “Hey, metal head. How you feeling?” Jack groans and rubs his eyes. Rose get up, goes over to him, and kisses him on the forehead, “All you need to do is heal.” She steps back and heads towards the door, “I’ll go get the doctor.” Michelle, “You can’t just ignore this, Mom.” Rose, “Not now, Michelle!” She marches out into the hallway. She goes into the lobby and goes up to a doctor talking to a nurse, “He’s awake, Dr. Alexis.” The doctor looks at her, “Excellent.” Rose smiles and leads him back into Jack’s room. Michelle sits in her chair, fuming, as the doctor approaches Jack. Doctor, “Hi, Jack, how are you feeling?” Rose sits down beside Michelle as the doctor goes on, “The surgery went without a hitch…” Michelle furiously wipes tears from her eyes. Rose looks over at her, and says softly, “Nothing is settled until after Council.” Michelle, “It’s barbaric. He’s using Jack’s whole future like it’s some fucking playing card.” Rose, “I know. And I hate it, too.” Michelle stifles a bitter sob. Rose, softly, “How much faith do you have in David?” Michelle, “What?” Rose, “David. He’s given to dramatic rescues, isn’t he?” Michelle, “What, you're hoping he’ll attack the palace?” Dr. Alexis turns to them, “Everything looks good." Rose smiles, “Wonderful.” The doctor leaves.

David sleeps in his cot, but is woken up by a flash of lightning and sudden BOOM of thunder. His eyes shoot open, and he realizes it’s just thunder, “Oh, fuck.” Flash, boom. He sits up and rubs his face. Flash, boom. David goes over to the desk and begins digging around. He pulls out a bottle of meds. He opens it. Flash, boom. David jumps and accidentally drops the bottle, “Fuck!” He turns a light on and begins scooping up pills. Flash, boom. David cries out in frustration. From his sofa, Reinhardt, “Thunderstorms are a bitch, aren’t they?” David, “Shut the fuck up and go back to sleep.” He takes a pill and drinks from a bottle of water. Flash, boom. Reinhardt, “Sounds just like being under mortar fire. Took me a long time to not hate thunderstorms.” David, “What the fuck do you have to be traumatized about?” Reinhardt, “Watched half my unit die when their transport got hit by an RPG.” Flash, boom. David shudders. Reinhardt sits up and lifts his shirt, revealing two bullet wounds and a laparotomy scar, “Also, I got shot.” David lifts his shirt, “I got stabbed, by Alek Amal, no less.” Reinhardt takes his shirt off as best he can, and turns his back, revealing a long scar, “Some asshole high on angel dust did not want to get arrested.” David takes his shirt off and shows the burn scars on his shoulder, “I got bombed and then spent three days and three nights in the woods with no food and no water.” Reinhardt, “You just have to keep one-upping me, don’t you?” David, “I’m an asshole.” Reinhardt, “You never did let me sign your cast.” David, “Where are your pens?” Reinhardt, “Top left drawer.” David opens the drawer and takes out a pen. He goes over and hands it to Reinhardt. He sticks his cast out. Reinhardt signs it. He glances down at a scar on David’s ankle, “Where did you get that one?” David, “My brothers tried to run me over with a golf cart.” Reinhardt laughs, “I forget, sometimes, that you’re just a kid from Bethlehem. Honestly, I never would have guessed you were capable of getting scars from something as mundane as your dumbass older brothers.” David, “Shut up and go back to sleep.” He goes back over to his cot and lays down. He and Reinhardt both lay in silence for a little while. Reinhardt, softly, “I feel stupid asking this, but has Lydia been by at all?” David, “Who?” Reinhardt, “My outrageously beautiful wife, dumbass. You met her.” David, “Oh. I dunno. I don’t deal with that sort of thing.” Reinhardt, “I haven’t gone more than a day without speaking with her since we’ve been married.” David, “It hasn’t even been two weeks.” Reinhardt, “For two weeks, she’s all I’ve been able to think about.” David, bitterly, “At least you know she’s okay.” Reinhardt, “You’re the same way about Jack, aren’t you?” David, “Shut the fuck up.” Reinhardt, “Yeah, I figured as much. You’ve got to face Shaw the day after tomorrow, you gonna rip his throat out?” David, “Shut up, or I’ll have you gagged!” Another boom of thunder. David takes in a sharp breath, trying not to panic. Reinhardt, seriously, “If anyone did that to Lydia, and then kept me away from her, I’d kill them. No hesitation. Just fucking kill them.” David, bitterly, “You’re not leading a revolution.” Reinhardt, “No, I’m not,” he pauses for a moment, “I’d still do it, either way.”

In the morning, another long line waits outside of the building, and more people add names to the wall. At her station in the lobby, Beth works takes a family’s file request.

Monique adjusts cuff lengths on Asher’s formal uniform jacket. Shay and Joel also get measured and fitted. David comes in, looking tired, “Hey, Monique, what do you want?” Monique, “Finishing uniforms today. Do you and Abby still have yours?” David, “Yeah, I think so. Can you make three in a day?” Monique, “Four, I’m making one for me, too. I’ve been working all week, and I’ve got some friends helping me. We’ll have everything ready for Council, don’t worry.” Shay, “We’re gonna look fuckin’ snazzy.” Asher, “Have you thought at all about what you’re going to say tomorrow?” David, “A little.” Asher, disappointed, “How little?” David, “I have something in mind. Don’t worry about it.” Asher, “Abby and I both want to go over everything with you.” Monique, “I want to make sure your uniform still looks good.” David, “It’s up in my- I mean Reinhardt’s office,” he looks over at Asher, “You and Abby can talk to me in there.”

In Reinhardt’s office, David dresses up in his wrinkled uniform while Monique inspects. Abby shows Asher some papers. Reinhardt watches from his spot on the sofa. Monique, “Well, it needs to be pressed, but the fit still looks good.” David tugs on the jacket, “Good.” Monique, “Where are your medals? There’s no way in hell I’m letting you sit down without those.” David, “They’re in my bag. Don’t worry.” Abby comes over and hands David a stack of papers, “I drew up some talking points for you. You need to keep all of these in mind.” David flips through the pages, “This is a lot, Abby.” Abby, “Yeah, well, this isn’t your high school debate.” David, “I was on my high school debate team, and we were regional champions.” Abby, “I wrote my master’s thesis on Royal Council.” Reinhardt loudly snorts with laughter. David, “Ignore him.” Monique, “David, take your uniform off, I need to press it.” David puts the papers down on the desk, “Yeah, sure.” He takes the jacket off and begins to unbutton his shirt. Reinhardt, “You know I always assumed the pictures on OMGossip were carefully curated, but you really do take your shirt off more than the average person.” David, “Shut up!” On the desk, David’s phone rings. David, “Shit.” He picks it up and sees a call from Laura. Asher, “Who is it?” David, “It’s Laura.” He accepts the call and puts the phone up to his ear, “Hello?” Laura, sitting in her private jet, “Hello, David!” David, “Uh, hi, what’s up?” Laura, “I’m on my way to Council. I have some people with me that I think you’ll be glad to see.” David, “What who?” Laura hands the phone over to Jessie, “Hey, baby! I can’t wait to see you.” David, “Mom?! What- what are you doing, it’s not safe for you to come to Gilboa!” Jessie, “I have protection from Laura, and she says that with the MSS being taken over, there’s no one to arrest me. I’m perfectly safe, don’t worry.” David, “Mom, I still don’t know if this is a good idea.” Jessie, “David, it’s worth the risk if it means I get to see you and your brothers again. I’ve missed you so much! Every night, I’m scared of what I’ll see on the news. I need to see in person that you’re all still in one piece. How have you been?” David struggles to think of what to say, “I- I’m holding it together. It’s been rough, but, I’m okay.” Jessie, “You boys come to my hotel room and we’ll order room service. How does that sound?” David, “Sounds good.” Jessie, “Tell Abby her brother is coming with us. Would you like to say hi to him?” In the background, Frankie yells, “David, bro, what’s up?!” David, “I’m okay, Mom, really.” Jessie, “I’ll see you in a few hours, then, okay?” David, “Yeah, okay. I’ll see you then.” He ends the conversation, “Fuck.” Asher, “What’s wrong?” David, “My mom’s gonna be in Shiloh in a few hours, she wants me and my brothers to have dinner with her. Fuck! Do you have anything nice I can wear?” Monique, “Don’t you dare wear your uniform shirt, I am not spending all night washing soup stains out of it.” David, “I don’t want to show up to dinner wearing an old t-shirt and cargo pants.” Reinhardt, “I’ve got an extra suit in my closet. You’re free to wear it.” David, “Seriously?” Reinhardt, “I’m not using it.” Monique looks from Reinhardt to David, “Ought to fit you good, too. Get it out, I’ll press it, along with your uniform.”

David, dressed in Reinhardt’s suit, walks out into a hallway, where Ethan and James wait. David pauses and looks at them. Ethan, “Nice suit.” David, “It’s Reinhardt’s.” Ethan, “Seriously?” David, “Yup.” James, “Fitting that you’re the one dressed up.” David, “I can put something else on.” James, “Don’t. Let’s just get going.” They go out into the lobby. The file exchange is still going on. Beth still sits at her station, tiredly writing down a name. David glances at her as he passes, and she looks up and sees him. The woman Beth was talking to speaks up, “That’s G-R-E-Y.” Beth snaps back to attention, “Oh, sorry,” and writes down the correct name.

Outside the MSS building, David, Ethan and James cross the street and unlocks an SUV. As Ethan and James get in, David turns and looks at the building, now covered in names of those who have died. He stares for a moment, at the Shepherd names on there, the enormity of it all weighing down on him.

David walks down the hallway of a fancy hotel, Ethan and James behind him. David, “What room is it?” Ethan checks his phone, “523.” David spots the number, and stops by the door. He looks back at his brothers, “You ready?” Ethan and James both nod. David sighs and knocks on the door. Jessie answers. She looks at her boys for a moment. David smiles softly, “Hi, Mom.” Jessie sweeps him into a big hug. Ethan and James both go in and hug her. Jessie, “Oh, I’ve missed you boys so much!” Ethan, “We’ve missed you, Mom.” Jessie steps back, I have a surprise for you.” She swings the door open a little wider, revealing Arthur and Sean waiting on the other side. Ethan and James go over and hug them, greeting each other with brotherly laughter. David, “How?” Jessie, “It doesn’t matter.” David looks at Sean, “What are you gonna do when it gets reported to the army that you were here with me?” Sean, “Glad to see you, too, David.” David, “No, it’s not… I’m glad to see you, it’s just, I- I’ve seen people get tortured for less!” Ethan, “David, we still have Reinhardt as leverage. Nobody’s gonna mess with us as long as we have him.” David sighs deeply, “Yeah, yeah, you’re right- I’m sorry. I guess I’m still stuck in war mode.” He goes over and awkwardly hugs Sean, “I’m sorry.” Sean, “It’s all right. You’re just looking out for everyone.” David goes over and numbly hugs Arthur, as well. Jessie looks at her remaining boys with intense pride and sadness, “It’s been too long since I’ve had all my boys together.” James, “When was the last time?” Arthur, “I dunno. I think it was Eli’s funeral.” Ethan, “I dunno if it’s really fair to call that together.” Sean, “It was after you got acquitted. I remember because right after that I got sent to Shiloh. I kept trying to have you over for dinner, remember, David?” David, “Yeah, we were both always busy.” Sean, “Yeah I guess so. I guess you never expect something like that to be a last time, huh?” Jessie, “I have a room service menu right here, why don’t you boys take a look at it? Queen Laura’s paying for everything- get whatever you want.” James, “Oooh, then we definitely have to order something fancy!”

Everyone sits around a table and eats. James and Ethan eat with gusto while David quietly picks at his food. James, “Oh man, you don’t realize how much you miss eating real food until you actually eat some! I mean, no offense David, but AFG food kind of sucks.” David, “It's the best we can do.” Sean struggles awkwardly to eat with one hand. Ethan, “How’s the farm?” Arthur, “Still in Gath.” Ethan, “You had any luck trying to get back into Gilboa?” Arthur, “Margaret and the kids are free to go to Gilboa but I can’t leave without giving up the farm.” Ethan, “That’s bullshit.” Jessie, “Language.” Ethan, “I’m sorry, but it is!” Arthur, “Best we can do is keep doing what we’ve been doing all along: just keep praying something happens. For a while it looked like the Gilboan army might re-take Bethlehem, but that stalled out once the war with Ammon started.” David, quietly, “I’m sorry.” Arthur, “Don’t say sorry, David, it’s not your fault.” David, “It kind of is.” James, “Hey, don’t pay any attention to that shit that Amal said.” Jessie, “Amal? What did he say?” James, “A bunch of crap trying to mess with David’s head.” Jessie, “When was this?” James, “Don’t worry about it, Mom!” Sean, trying to change the subject, “So, David, do you know what you’re gonna say tomorrow?” David, “I- I dunno. Hey, make me king? It’s a lot to think about.” Jessie puts her hand over David’s, “Whatever happens, we’re all very proud of you.” David, “Thanks, Mom.” Sean, “Eli would be proud of you, too… and Dad… and Robert.” David tries to smile, “I’m doing my best. I dunno if it's enough, but, it’s my best.”

After dinner, everyone gives David their encouragement. Sean, “You’re gonna kick ass tomorrow, David!” James, “Yeah, kick Abner’s ass for all of us, okay?” David, “I will. Don’t worry.” Jessie, “You boys don’t go and do anything stupid until then.” All the bros, “Yes, Mom!” Jessie, “All right, good night!” David, “Night.” Jessie closes the door, and then looks over at David. She smiles at him. David, quietly, “So, what did you want to talk about, Mom?” Jessie, “Come sit with me.” She goes over to the sofa and sits. David follows her. She looks down at his hands, and takes the injured one in hers. The cast is now decorated with the signatures of all the bros. Jessie, “How did you get this?” David, “I knocked Alek Amal’s teeth out.” Jessie sighs, “Oh, David. It drives me crazy when I don’t know what you’re doing, but when I find out, I wish I hadn’t.” David, “I’m sorry, Mom.” Jessie, “You don’t have to apologize. You’re doing the right thing.” David, “Not always.” Jessie, “What do you mean?” David shakes his head, “Nothing. I just can’t remember the last time I knew what the right thing was. I’ve had to make a lot of really hard decisions, and I don’t know if I’ve always made the right choice.” Jessie smiles proudly, “That’s good. It means you still care.” David, “I’ve done some really terrible things, Mom.” Jessie, “Oh, David, baby.” He starts to cry. Jessie hugs him. Jessie, “You said you wouldn’t disappoint me by becoming a bad person. And I’m not disappointed. I’m proud. I am so, so proud of you. You are good. You’ll be okay.” David sobs into her shoulder.

[4evereclare]

Scattered thoughts on Degrassi Next Class Season 4

Is anyone even active in the DTC these days? 

It’s been a while for me so I thought I’d share my general thoughts from this current season.

Episode 1: Esme is a jerk. Wasn't a fan before, still not a fan now. She did have a point about the art project though. I wasn't following why her painting was more inappropriate than Zig's. But she trashed Saad and deliberately turned Zig's anger toward him for absolutely no reason. What a snake. Love the friendship btween Lola and Yael. Overall the episode was a gentle ease-in to the season, I guess.

Episode 2: Saad is really growing on me. The subtleties of the actor's delivery really draw me in and make me root for him. As far as Esme, Frankie, Shay...man it never ceases to amaze how many dumbass decisions these Degrassi kids make. Haha at least Shay came to her senses early. And how about our girl Lola - at this point she's the smartest chick in her group. Who saw that one coming?! I'm so glad she dropped the dumb girl act. She's badass now.

Episode 3: Lmao Miles got into Queens University for business and he's gone to like 4 classes throughout his high school career. Guess he'll be valedictorian a la Fiona Coyne? On a side note, Eric Osborne continues to be amazing - if you'd told me in season 13 that he would become one of the best actors on the show, I would've raised my eyebrows at you. But omg he is brilliant. My heart broke when he stepped back in English class on the abuse question. Also I already love that English teacher (Mr. Mitchell?). Goldi is so freaking hilarious. Her and Winston's friendship is adorable.

Episode 4: I love Goldi's prom theme! Am I the only one who wants to try those cool dessert dishes she and Winston were trying? The rest of the plot is so heavy because it's so relatable these days..

Episode 5: This episode is so insightful regarding the whole islamophobia issue, but I can't shake the feeling that there are a lot of missed nuances. I guess this is a valiant effort though. Saad's online communication with that possibly radical dude is a really good touch. Feels scary.

Episode 6: Craig Manning appearance?!  OMFGGGGG I died the entire scene. Olivia has the voice of a fucking angel and I can't deal. I love how you could see Jake Epstein viscerally reacting to her performance. Also, all the songs they write for Maya are gorgeous. Literally the opposite of the nails-on-a-chalkboard memory of the Jenna Middleton repertoire. Jess Tyler is great but I could never stand any of the Jenna songs. Yael's new look is way better than that Velma Dinkley-looking style she was rocking before tbh. She looks adorable now. But honestly she can"t expect Hunter to just immediately hop on board. It is what it is, and he's allowed to have a confused reaction, I think.

Episode 7: Esme truly is an asshole. She reminds me of an ex-friend of mine. Just because you're damaged doesn't give you the right to be manipulative and toxic ALL. The. Fucking. Time. I love Shay and Tiny but I actually thought they would keep Shay a virgin through grad. I have no problem with most of the characters having sex but she just seemed like one who would wait until college. Oh well.

Episode 8: Lol Hunter, you're prejudging someone for being dangerous when you almost shot up the damn school? (OT: but damn Spencer, you’re hot AF) Can Baaz go one episode without pissing me off when he opens his mouth? He's such a gnat. Tiny's promposal was so fun! I love that Lola and Frankie were part of it, but wasn't Jonah dancing alongside Frankie kind of odd??? They're not exactly on good terms. Triles is breaking my heart. I can see Tris is trying to do what he thinks is best for Miles. But fuckkkkk STOPPP. Their chemistry is still off the charts.

Episode 9: I know we're supposed to feel bad for Esme but I really don't. I have never felt one smidgen of understanding. The writers have vaguely told us she has a messed up past but all they've mostly shown us is how manipulative and selfish she is. Idgaf how messed up your past is, you don't get a free pass for being toxic. I feel like she triggers me in a way because of toxic friends from my past. Nice closure with Miles and his dad. And the sweet moment with him and Tris in Tristan’s room made me tear up. I have mixed feelings about Yael narc-ing on Saad. They didn't really show the extent of the texts with the radical dude so I'm not clear on how far they went to incriminating him. Lmao someone bring Esme some fake tears. Her eyes are always dry like the desert even when she's supposedly bawling.

Episode 10:

Lmao is Grace high? The way she laughs about how Zoe Rivas turned out to be Maya's cyberbully...ummmmm...? Haha not actually hilarious? But wow - reminds me how Zoe was such a bitch before. Grace and Maya are so cute together though. Also, Zoe's mom sending her birth certificate and passport and not showing up is so cold. But I always knew she was trash. She never came off as a sincere caring parent, more like a bitchy stage mom. I am sort of glad they ended Zoe’s story this way. Some of us don’t get a happily ever after with our shitty parents, so it’s good that they showed this as a scenario.

It was weird that  Yael was in charge of herding the graduates. Degrassi does some of the most nonsensical shit. And once again they hold grad the morning after prom. Does any school ever do this? It's been a while since I graduated but it all seems strange to me.

Also, do schools announce what university each graduate is attending? Isn't that shaming to people who aren't going to uni? And what the fuck is an honorary high school diploma? Did Tris graduate or are they just putting him through?

That montage at the end was perfect and made me bawl. I cannot believe the niners from season 11 are done! 😭

(I hate to say it but it sort of feels like my ties to the show are gone now. I’ll still watch though.)

[real-life-pine-tree]

Arc-V Aftermath: Blood Separation (6/26)

When all is said and done, things have quickly recovered in the four dimensions. But when weird things start happening, the Yu-Salad Boys and the Bracelet Girls quickly realize they have some loose ends to fix. Co-written with @violetganache42.

WARNING: Dub names will be featured in the story.

Ray winced as she pricked Celina's finger, allowing Leo to receive the final blood sample. "Hopefully this should do," she said as she reverted back to Zuzu.

Yugi cleaned up the last and newly made prick mark from her finger. He used the back of his hand to wipe off any sweat that may have formed on his forehead. With that finished, all he has to do now is watch the procedure unfold and help out if anything goes wrong.

Having all the blood samples he needed, one from each dimensional counterpart, Leo took them to the ARC-V machine. He began loading each sample so that ARC-V can analyze them and ready itself for the procedure. After inserting all eight samples, he spotted the tri-colored-haired young man looking at the machine. He seemed to be a little worried about this as well. He knew this may be the only time he will meet Zarc and Ray (…well, technically their revived forms), but he's afraid of them inadvertently staying.

"You seem rather nervous," Leo remarked.

"Sorry," Yugi said. "I was wondering why I had all my memories left intact."

Leo seemed intrigued by that statement. "Really..." he said. "But I don't recall seeing you."

"A lot of strange things keep happening to me," Yugi explained. "Mostly it's foreign whispers I hear in my dreams, but it's nothing important."

"Aside from your unusual hair, you don't look any different from anyone else," Leo remarked. He had a sudden thought. "Tell me, Mr. Muto. What was your life like before the dimensional split?"

"I was an ordinary student at Domino High," Yugi answered. "I had my group of friends, but nothing special happened. Years went by and we ultimately graduated and went our separate ways."

"Is that why you seem so quiet?" Leo asked.

"No, I was always like this," Yugi replied. "I did feel lonelier after I lost my family, but I don't mind. I just wish more people would stop by the family game shop."

The last few sentences intrigued Leo. He knew what it was like to have no family. Although he had Henrietta and Declan, him recovering from amnesia during years ago made him realize he was lonely without Ray around. It was difficult, but he eventually accepted that certain things in life are meant to be that way, even death. The separation highlighted not only his act of redemption towards all four dimensions, but his acceptance of death and sacrifice being normal in life.

He also determined what Yugi said about loneliness. He doesn't mind it, but he still wishes for some company now and then, especially at the game shop. And for that matter, he was introverted, but he managed to create a small group of friends. Does he miss them on occasion? Whatever the reason is, Yugi surely needed some company. Maybe even a new friend?

"I understand," Leo said. "Perhaps I could promote your shop so you would get more customers.”

"You would?" Yugi asked, a small spark momentarily appearing in his eyes.

"Certainly," Leo replied. "But for now, we should focus on the separation." He walked over to Zarc and Ray. "I need you to step into those tubes and remain there until the separation is complete."

"Of course," Zarc said.

"You'll stay near me, right?" Ray asked as she approached a tube.

"Certainly," Leo answered.

Ray and Zarc entered the tubes as instructed. Leo remained standing next to her like he promised while she was standing inside her tube and preparing herself to get absorbed. As everyone waited for ARC-V to reach 100%, he and his daughter decided to talk about their memories back in the Original Dimension.

So while Ray was recalling what one of her intense duels was like during a tournament, Zarc couldn't help but notice that his hand was starting to fade. He remained silent, not wanting to interrupt the last time Leo and Ray were able to speak to each other. He simply watched the two, happy that at least his halves were able to redeem him.

"Sir, we have reached 100%," one of the employees informed a few hours later.

Knowing it was time, Leo placed his hand on Ray's tube. "Goodbye, dearest daughter," he said. "I love you."

Ray smiled softly and placed her hand on the tube as well, right near Leo's hand. "Goodbye dad," she said, unable to stop tears coming from her eyes. "I love you too."

Leo gave the employees the okay while still looking at Ray's face for the final time. With a push of a button, she and Zarc vanished and were instantly absorbed into ARC-V. There was no turning back right now…

Shortly thereafter, everything seemed to be going smoothly. The readings were stable and the machine was functioning properly…until a distorted screech was heard. Yugi asked if it was coming from Zarc or Ray, with Leo responding that it most likely came from Ray. He looked at the employees working as hard as they can to fix the first glitch.

"It appears to be the same problem as last time," the employee reported. "There is foreign metal in the machine."

Leo was baffled as to why there would be foreign metal in the machine. Little does he know is those were Lulu's spinal plates that she got after an Ancient Gear Hunting Hound scarred her back during the Invasion. He told them to use the same solution to fix it; surely, that would be considered an easy fix, but considering how premature this separation is, he was more cautious than cocky. He was more concerned about the machine making the four dragons and the Natural Energy Cards like it did the first time around.

That was when Declan showed up. "Father, what is going on?" he asked.

"I'm not sure," Leo answered. "But it seems the machine's malfunctions are because of foreign metal. I'm not sure where that's from."

Suddenly, the machine began to overload. The employees frantically searched for a way for fix the glitch before anything catastrophic happens. The female student caught up with Declan; just as she was about to ask Leo if that will be all for her assistance, she noticed the overloading machine, causing her to freeze with fear. Yugi ran up to her, placing his hands on her shoulders to try and keep her relaxed, but at this point, everyone was in a state of panic.

"Father, why did you do this?!" Declan asked. "You know the separation procedure wasn't ready!"

"I didn't have a choice!" Leo explained. "The mind merge was happening earlier than planned! That was why Zarc and Ray easily took over!"

Meanwhile, Yugi couldn't help but notice that this female student looked familiar. "Wh-Who are you?" he asked.

The girl looked up at him. "Téa Gardner," she replied.

Yugi looked alarmed. "Téa?" he asked, noticing that the last time he saw her, her hair wasn't that long. "It's me, Yugi!"

Téa became surprised, which was then turned to happiness. She hugged Yugi, knowing she was glad to see him again. He asked her what she was doing at Duel Academy, with her describing about how dance school was a flop for her and she attended here shortly after that. He replied that he continued working at the game shop after graduation, admitting that it often gets lonesome. Just as they were about to hug each other again, Leo had to remind them that they have a serious matter on their hands. The two apologized and continued comforting each other, hoping that Zarc and Ray's reincarnations will make it out okay.

"Sir, a message has appeared on the monitor," an employee informed.

"What does it say?" Leo asked.

The employee read the message. "'I'm sorry for the damage I caused. Let me make it up to you. -Zarc Nightstone'."

Just then, another glitch occurred, but it was coming from Zarc. His tube began to light up, worrying everyone. What on earth is going on this time? Is it going to interfere with the separation? Before they knew it, the light got brighter and brighter; its luminescence engulfed everyone in the room, followed by shockwaves. The Duel Academy students braced for cover just as felt the first few waves. The light grew in brightness until all of Duel Academy was surrounded by it. It then expanded to all of Domino City and eventually the entire Fusion Dimension…

Leo opened his eyes, regaining consciousness and sitting up from the ground. Declan, Téa, Yugi, and the employees did the same thing when they began to get an understanding of their surroundings. It seemed oddly familiar to them… well, everyone except Declan, of course, but they were left figuring out where are they and what happened.

"The Center Duel Field?" Declan asked. "What are we doing back in the Pendulum Dimension?"

People from all four dimensions started to fill the outdoors. They were complaining about something, but because of the multiple overlapping voices, it was hard to make out what they're saying. Sure enough, they were all on the same topic: all four dimensions have unexpectedly merged together. This shocked everyone involved with the separation procedure.

"I demand to know what's going on!" Kameron said. "My wife and I were working on business arrangements when suddenly we saw Duelists driving by the company building on weird motorcycles!"

"You better have a good explanation!" Skip told Leo.

Leo explained that Yuya and Zuzu went to the Fusion Dimension to see him because the mind merge was happening earlier than planned. They got some assistance from Yugi and Téa along the way so Zarc and Ray can separate. There were a couple glitches due to how premature it was, one from foreign metal in Ray's tube and the other from Zarc's that caused the dimensions to merge. He also hypothesized that Yuya and Zuzu didn't tell anyone about this because of how sudden it was and that they didn't want to worry anyone.

Shay looked alarmed by this information. "Is something wrong?" Leo asked.

"The foreign metal must have been the stainless steel spinal implants Lulu has!" Shay explained.

Shay's realization made Leo wide-eyed; that would explain why a loud screech came from Ray’s tube. He asked Lulu's older brother when she got the spinal implants, with the latter answering that she got them during the Invasion after a Hunting Hound gave her scars on her back. Leo cringed upon hearing it; the Aquaria Project was supposed to have Duel Academy card Heartland, but since a selected few were rather sadistic (like a certain Chthonian user), they added fuel to the fire. As a result, it led to Lulu's injury and Lono's fatal sacrifice. This helped prove that he shouldn't have mingled with the four dimensions just to bring Ray back.

"I apologize for what happened," Leo said. "This was why I wanted to restore the eight counterparts. It was my way of apologizing to everyone in the four dimensions. But it seems that plan failed as well."

All of a sudden, two giant lights appeared in the arena, which soon formed two individual glowing orbs, one dark violet and one light yellow. This caught everyone's attention and they gathered to where the orbs were. Those that witnessed Zuzu's revival recognized the light yellow one as Ray's, so does that mean the dark violet one was Zarc's? Leo could sense their lingering spirits, but they were faint. Assuming that their spirits could most likely get stronger, he let out his frustration because he was afraid that the Yu-Salad and Bracelet Girls were dead. Their friends and families grew upset at the sheer thought of it and not wanting to accept this as true.

Surprisingly, Zarc and Ray's spirits didn't get stronger. They split into eight different colored orbs—red, blue, aqua green, and purple from Zarc's and pink, indigo, light green, and yellow from Ray's. They all slowly descended on the ground and dispersed, revealing all eight counterparts as they lied unconscious with some slightly different and new appearances. The Bracelet Girls ended up with markings of the Natural Energy Cards somewhere on their bodies: En Flowers on Zuzu's right cheek, En Birds near Lulu's heart, En Winds on Rin's left hand, and En Moons on Celina's forehead. As the eight woke up, it was revealed that the Yu-Salad's eye color had changed to match their respective dragon.

Yuya let out a groan as he stood back up. "What's going on?" he asked.

Everyone soon became overjoyed and ran to embrace the newly revived counterparts, with eyes filled with tears of joy. They all notice and complimented the Yu-Salad and Bracelet Girls' added changes. It took them a couple seconds for them to realize the differences on them. Shock and amazement filled them… Well, most of them. Yuri was left out, having no one to celebrate the reunion with. After causing so much mayhem throughout the Interdimensional War, it was understandable why he would be abandoned from the festivities.

Leo noticed the cabbage-haired boy's saddened expression and he approached him. "Are you alright?" he asked.

"Not quite," Yuri answered. "Just look at them. Yuya, Zuzu, and Lulu have their families, Yuto has the Obsidians and his XYZ Dimension friends, Yugo and Rin have those two Turbo Duelists over there, and even Miss Celina has the Lancers." He let out a sigh. "I suppose no one really cares about me."

That was when Dennis and Sora approached Yuri. "Aw, don't feel so glum!" Sora cheerfully said. "You have us!"

"Precisely," Dennis agreed. "Obelisk Force might have disbanded, but we're still a team."

Yuri was surprised by this. "Really?" he asked. "Even though my judgement was clouded by the darkness within Zarc's heart?"

"Us Obelisk buddies gotta stick together!" Sora replied, playfully punching Yuri in the arm.

Yuri couldn't help but chuckle a little. In all the years he spent at Duel Academy, he always had friends with him the whole time and never noticed until now. He began remembering the time when he and Dennis taught Sora how to duel, leading him to becoming the best in his class, and all the times they closely bonded together. Just thinking about it made him genuinely smile.

"Thank you, true friends," Yuri said. "Perhaps you can teach me about this 'Dueltaining' you learned."

"Of course, Yuri," Dennis agreed. "Anything for a friend."

Now with Yuri included in the mix, everyone can truly celebrate the reunion of the Yu-Salad and the Bracelet Girls. Their brand new lives have only just begun…

[lordzuuko]

Hello, I've told you before, but I have to tell you again: You're Voltron Family AU is amazing! One of my friends want's to ask you a question but they're too nervous to ask because they think you are so awesome(as do I)! so I hope you don't mind but I'm going to ask in their stead. Anyway, this was their question: What if Pidge came home with a platonic (male or female) friend but the whole family assumed that it was like when Hunk and Lance brought over Shay and Rax?

Thank you! And oh my gosh! Tell them no need to be nervous and just send away the Voltron Fam prompt XD

[The Voltron Family] To say Shiro was nervous was probably the understatement of the century because Shiro was fricking nervous his hands were sweating nonstop and he could hardly tie his fricking tie properly. 

The cause of Shiro’s anxiety was that his baby girl said she was bringing someone home to their monthly formal dinner and that could only mean one thing: Pidge’s special someone. And if Shiro was just being honest, he’d rather be Pidge’s special someone forever—she said so when she was 5 “Daddy Shiro will always be The One for me” and Shiro might have cried at that and now he was crying for a different reason. There was no way someone was going to take her baby girl away from him.

Keith: You’re practically producing your own private pool.Shiro: *blinks repeatedly and stares at Keith* *gapes*Keith: *rolls his eyes* Let me do that for you. *does Shiro’s tie*Shiro: Keith… *looks awfully miserable*Keith: Relax, will you? *gives him a peck on the lips* It’s not going to be the end of the world.Shiro: It’s the end of my world though.Keith: Stop being so dramatic.*snorts*  Sometimes I feel like you should’ve gone to Broadway instead of going to med school.Shiro: Haha. Very funny. *makes a face*Keith: Why, thank you. *smiles* I’ve been told I’m very funny a couple of times. So it’s no surprise really. *shrugs*Shiro: Keith… *frowns*Keith: *cups Shiro’s face* She’s no longer a baby girl, Shiro.Shiro: She’s still my baby girl. *pouts*Keith: *smiles in amusement* *kisses Shiro’s pout away* If you behave, I’ll give you a prize.Shiro: *eyes widens* *blushes* Keith— *gasp*Keith: I’ll bake you whatever you want. *chuckles*Shiro: *deflates* Oh.Keith: *squints suspiciously* What were you even thinking, you pervert?!Shiro: *shock* I.. I was thinking you’d treat me to a… a m-movie!Keith: *rolls eyes* Nice save, champ.

The doorbell rang and it was Keith who opened it. In front of him was a girl in a black cocktail dress. 

Girl: *eyes widens* *flushes* Oh my gosh. *containing herself* *clenches her hands in excitement* Y-you’re Pidge’s Daddy!Keith: Y-yes, I am. Well, one of her daddies anyway.Girl: *beams* You’re very very very handsome tonight, Mister Shirogane.Keith: You look lovely and beautiful tonight…Girl: Alice! Keith: *smiles* Alice. Why don’t you come inside?Alice: Thank you! *enters* *looks at Keith* I’m actually excited for tonight. It’s the first time I’ve heard of formal dinners at home. Usually they’re done outside  in such fancy restaurants but looking at your house now, I can understand why you’d rather have it here. So when Pidge told me her family was having one soon—*gets distracted by a family portrait* Oh my gosh. *coos* Is this them when they were kiddies?Keith: *chuckles* Yeah. They were such cuties, weren’t they?Alice: *looks closely* *giggles* I am so blackmailing Pidge with this. Look at her! How precious is that?!Keith: *smiles at Alice* *loves her energy* You’ll definitely get along with my husband. *chuckles* Which reminds me, I should introduce you to him. C’mon, he’s in the kitchen.Alice: *takes Keith’s arm and let’s him lead her* Lead the way, Sir. *smiles*

Keith was shocked by the gesture of the younger girl but somehow found it endearing how comfy Alice was with him since usually people tend to have a hard time warming up to him. They enter the kitchen and Shiro was there trying to make everything look perfect.

Shiro: *spots them* Oh, hello. *eyes widens*Alice: *beams* Hello! *looks at Shiro then back at Keith* You, sir, have such great taste in men. Keith: *chuckles* Oh gods. *shakes head in amusement*Pidge: Alice? *enters* You’re already here?Alice: *turns around and sees Pidge* Pidge! Look at you looking so cute in that tux! *hugs her tight*Pidge: *giggles* Thanks, man. I should show you my room! Alice: Yes! Let’s go! *turns back to Shiro and Keith* It was so nice to meet you, Pidge’s Daddies! Pidge: *grabs Alice’s hand* If you’ll excuse us, I’ll have to show her my new project. Just call us when dinner’s ready, yeah? See yah! *waves and drags Alice away with her*

Once the two girls were gone…

Shiro: A girl. Pidge’s special someone is a girl. *shock* Oh my god.Keith: *rolls eyes* She’s a lovely girl though.Shiro: I lost to a girl. *looks at Keith* I lost Pidge’s affection to a girl, Keith.Keith: You’ll get over it. *chuckles*

During dinner, something rings…

Alice: Sorry! *looks at her phone from her purse* It’s my boyfriend. *looks apologetic* I’m sorry if you’ll excuse me I have to answer this. He’s calling internationally and they’re rather pricey and if I don’t—-Pidge: Just go, dude. *shakes her head in amusement* The sushi won’t go anywhere. If it makes you feel better, I’ll make sure Hunk doesn’t eat everything and save some for you.Alice: You’re such a gem, Pidge. This is why you’re my best friend. *laughs* Alright. BRB. *waves at the family in the table* *leaves*Shiro: *gapes* Best friend?Pidge: *looks up* Yeah. Alice is my best friend. She’s really nerdy despite being such an extrovert and energetic. *looks at Shiro suspiciously* Why?Lance: *giggles* Daddy Shiro might’ve thought Alice was your girlfriend!Hunk: Oh my god. *laughs along* Pidge: Oh my god. Daddy Shiro! What the hell?Shiro: What? You didn’t tell me you were bringing your friend!Pidge: I did though! I said I’ll bring my friend. She’s really interested in our formal dinners. She likes playing dress up and would like to see me wearing something formal to take pictures of. Which she really did. *rolls eyes*Shiro: How was I supposed to know about that? *defensive*Pidge: I didn’t know we’re not allowed to bring friends. *pouts grumpily*Shiro: No, sweetheart. Of course you are. *smiles apologetically*Hunk: I think this is partially my fault because I brought Shay to meet the family. *looks at Shiro* I’m so so sorry, Dad.Keith: *smiles* Then the Rax thing happened with Lance. I guess you can’t really say you blame your Daddy Shiro on this one, Pidge. 

When Alice came back and she saw the family laughing…

Alice: *smiles* What did I miss? I leave for a few minutes and you’re all having fun without me. *pouts* Shiro: *smiles at her genuinely* Why don’t you sit down Alice and I’ll go get Pidge’s baby pictures.Alice: *eagerly sits back* oh my god. This is gonna be good. I have my camera ready for baby pigeon. *beams at Pidge* Pidge: *groans* *looks at Shiro* Daddy Shiro nooooooo…..

[romancevsreality-blog]

vanderpump rules, season six, episode fourteen: caution - feminism ahead

Every single episode I wonder how they’re going to top the generic musical intros they use on this show, but here we are - this week, it’s simply “na, na, na, nah, nah.” Also known as, my approach to writing this blog lately!

Apologies. I’ve gone through a lot in the last few months. I’m back, I promise. Just in time for the finale, of course!

OF COURSE.

We start in West Hollywood in Tom and Ariana’s apartment, where Ariana is dreading going to hair removal. Ariana is teaching Tom the basic essentials to hair removal, and Sandoval is straight up shocked you don’t roll up there with a full bush and they just buzz through it like some kind of laser lawn mower. No, you have to be fully shaved, closely shaved, so they can access the hair follicle more easily. If they could superimpose an NBC “The More You Know” rainbow over this entire scene, that would be fantastic.

Ariana’s working on body positivity and #embracinghervagina, but it’s a slow process of both undoing that hatred and gaining some sense of self-love there. Hopefully one day she’ll love her vagina as much as she should. Sandoval loved their trip to Vegas because it was like, an adult trip - he wasn’t black out drunk the entire time, just like, 75% of the time. Who cares if Lisa had to kick Tom and Tom out of a meeting because they were out of control and being annoying? Not Sandoval! He showed up, and that’s what matters. I wonder how Tom pays his rent with the brownie points he’s getting.

Over at Sexy Unique Restaurant, the Generic Music cue is “Oh, Superstitilous”.

Can someone. Tell me. What “Superstitilous” means.

I cannot think of a sentence where I would need to combine “superstitious” and “delicious” into one word. I literally have tried to for the last hour. Like, maybe if it’s the Boston Marathon or something and you’re eating pasta? “This pasta is so superstitilous, I hope it brings me good luck tomorrow.”

I’m trying, y’all.

DJ James Kennedy, CBE, and Raquel, his squeak-toy-turned-girlfriend, are over at Sexy Unique Restaurant. James is putting on a jacket because his father is coming by and he wants to give off the vibe of being Very Smart. James, a jacket can only do so much for you. It’s his dad’s first time coming to visit after getting divorced frrom his mother, and his father is just as much of a British stereotype as you can think of. His dad is a less attractive Robbie Coltrane1 with worse teeth. He’s wearing sunglasses that can only be described as Creepy Manager Chic, and a baseball cap and a black polo.

It’s like they yanked him straight out of 24 Hour Party People2. We’re reminded that James was surrounded by music growing up - not only did his dad manage George Michael, but he was a DJ himself. He is also a grown man wearing an ear cuff.

James’ dad has no idea what his son’s drink of choice is, or that James cannot drink while on the job. James said his dad isn’t a bad influence, he just doesn’t understand why James can’t work and drink at the same time. Raquel continues to be like “if Lisa catches you with a drink, you’re donzo.” Speaking of, Lisa arrives for this week’s contracted meddling. She talks with Billie Lee, and then talks to James and his dad. Ken’s known Andreas (James’s dad), forever, but Lisa only knows him through George Michael, she’s keen to remind us.

Scheana and Lala3 meet with Brittany at Hooters, where they’re celebrating Jax’s 83rd birthday. He claims it’s his 38th, but we all know the truth. He’s not fooling anyone. Brittany knows she’s better than doing anything for Jax, let alone throw him a birthday party, but you know what? She’s all in on this relationship with this philanderer. Stassi, Schwartz, and Katie all arrive, shocked they’re downtown... but Hooters might be the only reason they’ll ever go downtown. Fuck Jax.

Stassi reminds us that when she broke up with Jax, she all but dug her key into the side of his pretty little souped-up four-wheel drive and carved her name into his leather seats, but she can’t judge Brittany for coping in her own way. Jax calls this the perfect birthday party for his inner child, because there’s nothing better than going to Hooters. My only experiences with Hooters have been this show and that episode of The Office, so I can’t confirm or deny this.

Stassi’s complaining about having big boobs, and how girls with small boobs will never know the pain of underboob sweat. As someone who’s new to the entire concept of having boobs, this is very true. It’s actually awful, and kind of gross. Katie can hold a pencil under her boobs, Stassi can hold an entire pack of rats. I can’t, and as someone who was thrilled she couldn’t hold a pencil case between her thighs, I’ll just go along with their entire thing here.

RealDoll Scheana takes Jax aside and confronts him about what Kristen told her Jax said about her and Rob. Rob says he loves RealDoll Scheana, but he’s not in love with her yet - even though she is, and she’s planning their entire life together down to the pillow shams they’ll have in the lake house. Rob may tell Scheana he loves her, but Jax was told something different. Scheana can’t imagine that this is true. There’s so much meaning behind not telling your significant other you love them every time you say goodbye.

Delusion, by Scheana Shay.

She knows they’re going to get married - sure, it’s not as quickly as she’d like it to be, but they’re going to. How does she know this? Does Rob know this? For once, Jax is in the right, and y’all know how much I hate it when that happens. He’s just trying to bring Scheana back down to Earth because she’s looking at her entire life through her Instagram feed. If she can project perfection4 to everyone else, eventually that’ll become true. She’s trying to The Secret her entire life. As someone who tries not to fuck with the universe and tries not to put things out there that can come back to me later5, even I know at a certain point it’s out of my control. Scheana hasn’t, clearly.

Peter asks Brittany how it feels to be back at Hooters, and she’s happy to be there. Ariana, with a mouth full of chicken, is like, “it’s so nice of Jax to take us to church on his birthday.” Ariana remains my favorite.Sandoval and Tom have gotten Jax a gift - a male romper. I’m guessing this was that time last summer that romphims were shocking the world, and honestly, there’s nothing wrong with it? I never understood why it was such a big deal. I mean, guys don’t even have to get naked to pee in their rompers. They should be much more of a staple in men’s attire than women’s.

Oh god, am I defending rompers?

The next day, Stassi and Billie Lee are headed to Kristen and Carter’s apartment, and Billie swears she’s not an alcoholic. Billie Lee immediately greets them with gluten-free vegan brownies and bread and she was doing so good up until this moment. Do not walk into my house with gluten-free vegan anything. Stassi loves Billie Lee. I did too, at one time. Apparently, Jeremy, Ariana’s brother, asked Billie Lee out on a date. Kristen and Stassi are skeptical and want to make sure it’s in public because Jeremy’s a creep.

Or so they think.

Jeremy’s kind of a creep and a lingerer, and at Schwartz and Katie’s wedding got a little too drunk and handsy, making Stassi uncomfortable. Kristen hopes he’s not just trying to fuck Jeremy, and Billie Lee’s like “Uh, that’s what I want.” As soon as she says that, they’re like, “oh, well, that’s okay.” It’s fine if a dude creeps you out if you want to fuck him, I guess? Billie Lee’s nervous now, however. I don’t blame her.

Scheana and Brittany6 are at BBCM for brunch, and Brittany’s refusing to drink. Brittany’s happy that she cleared the air with Jax, and Scheana’s like “yeah, there’s no way what he said was true, so it’s fine.” Scheana wants Brittany to be as happy with Jax as Scheana is with Rob because Scheana is determined to make sure that Brittany stays the hell away from Jax. Scheana knows a lot of people, which has never been said without an air of malice around it. Brittany’s hoping Jax will turn into the person she fell in love with, which is hilarious.

If you’re hoping your boyfriend will just… squash part of his personality that you don’t like, Brittany, you might as well be wafting in Delusion, by Scheana Shay. Jax is abusive. End of story. Scheana texted Adam, the hot new guy at Sexy Unique Restaurant7, because he asked about Brittany. Honestly, Scheana really thinks she’s Cher Horowitz and Brittany is Tai. She wants Brittany away from Travis Birkenstock (Jax) and in the pants of literally anyone else, but hopefully Elton (Adam). I see you, Scheana.

You will never be Cher Horowitz. The closest you’ll come is American Woman, Kyle Richards’s show about her life starring Alicia Silverstone.

We’re at the site for TomTom, and Schwartz wants nothing more than to be shoveling dirt with the construction site. Schwartz, clearly not knowing where he was going, is wearing fucking sandals. Katie married a grown man who wears sandals. All the time. Who doesn’t know to wear closed-toed shoes to a construction site? Does Tom Schwartz realize that a ton of health codes require closed-toes shoes in restaurants? He’s gonna die.

Sandoval is still trying to direct the set up of the bar area, and Lisa shuts that the fuck down. Again, Sandoval thinks he’s a true partner in all of this, but what Lisa wants him to do is what she wanted him to do at Sexy Unique Restaurants - craft a cocktail menu. That’s it. Nothing else. She doesn’t want your design input or any tips on what kind of food you’d like. She literally wants Tom to go to all his favorite bars in Los Angeles, choose his favorite cocktails from there, and assemble a list.

Oh, Sandoval. You only own 5% of the restaurant. Have you been wearing Delusion, by Scheana Shay?

Queen Lala arrives at Scheana’s apartment literally dressed like a goddess, in a white two-piece outfit. She looks like a California princess and clearly, she’s just touched up her lips because they are PLUMP, girl8. Following behind is Billie Lee, and then we get some shady shots of all the photos of Rob and Scheana in Scheana’s glam room.

The producers hate Scheana so much, I love it. Billie Lee needs a drink immediately upon arrival, and the girls are all happy to comply. Scheana’s pulled a few outfits for Billie to wear on her date, and Billie tells the details of her conversation with Kristen and Stassi. Billie Lee’s skeptical because Stassi gave the implication that Jeremy will just bounce from girl to girl to girl, hoping for some kind of positive interactions. Lala and Scheana are like, “well, he’s never tried anything with us, so.”

I do want to touch base on the “Well, he never did anything to make me uncomfortable, so,” response. A broken clock is right twice a day. Sometimes people we think are good are capable of doing bad things. Sometimes people’s behavior can be interpreted differently. A part of how the #metoo movement came into being was the collective idea that these people couldn’t have done this, they were good because of [xyz]. Did we learn nothing from Spotlight? The Catholic Church protected its own, we will forever protect our own instead of listening to victims. Listen. You’ll learn something. Reexamine people and their impact. Just because someone hasn’t hurt you, doesn’t mean they’re not capable of it.

Lala is immediately riled up because Kristen and Stassi tend to say things that not only hurt feelings but affect others’ lives in the long run. Billie was excited about her date until they brought up all of those thoughts.

Everyone loves and adores Billie. Especially Lala, who loves her tits. Billie chooses a green printed romper, and she looks cute. I won’t even hate. It’s a great date outfit.

Billie and Lala go to get a drink, and Lala’s getting buzzed before going into work because she’s the fucking best. She is all of us. Lala’s there to calm Billie down before her date because Lala understands the nerves and butterflies and jitters that accompany the first date. Jeremy arrives, and Billie immediately sets her sights on setting the mood. Guys are hesitant to date her because she is trans and people talk, and Jeremy’s like, “Whatever dude, you’re a girl and you should be acknowledged as such, who cares.”

This is the correct response.

Because this show can’t introduce anyone without bringing them up again, we’re meeting DJ James Kennedy, KCMG, and his fucking dad again9. James is ordering alcoholic slushies, Andres claims that George Michael christened him and spat on him, passing along his musical powers. Is that how powers are spread? Through spit? Like a cold? Having George Michael as a godfather has made James determined to be Something. Him and Lala together. James’ dad lost everything when George Michael and he had a falling out, and now James is getting over his struggle. He cries when thinking about his dad. Somehow, I find it within me not to feel bad for him. Maybe it’s my own personal daddy shit that prevents this.10

Back at Sexy Unique Restaurant, the cast is still pretending they work there, and Lisa’s doing her obligated table greeting. Max Vanderpump-Todd got a $2,000 tip the night before, and that’s worth celebrating. Ariana’s leaving early because they’ve got a girls’ outing, and Lisa can sense that Ariana’s pissed11 about something. Ariana’s caught a whiff of what Kristen and Stassi were saying about Jeremy, and she’s upset. Scheana told this to Ariana, and Ariana can’t believe it, because he’s her brother, of course. I mean, Jeremy saved Sexy Unique Restaurant from burning down, and Lisa is endlessly thankful. She even gives him some money.

In case you didn’t know, the musical cue is “I came to get down,” so you know we’re headed to The Lion Tavern for a wild girls’ night out. Scheana and Ariana are greeted by Brittany and the rest of the girls. There are two factions - Ariana/Scheana/Lala, and Stassi & The Pussycats, but they’ve both come together because of their mutual love for Brittany. Stassi immediately asks how Ariana’s vagina was because thankfully we’re basically spared an entire scene of Ariana undergoing laser hair removal, and get like, ten seconds. Scheana immediately makes everyone uncomfortable when they’re all complimenting their own vaginas by being like “well, my boyfriend likes it, so.” Girl. Read the room. No one cares about Rob’s opinion of your vagina, they only care about yours.

Ugh, the patriarchy.

Lala brings up the Jeremy-shaped elephant in the room and calls Stassi out for trying to scare Billie Lee. Stassi claims she was being supportive, and Scheana’s like, “That’s definitely not how she took it.”

You know how I hate when Jax is right? I hate when Scheana’s right just as much.

Ariana tries to get them to bring up the wedding, and Stassi’s like, “I don’t want to hurt anyone!!!” It’s okay if she hurts people unintentionally, she just doesn’t want to do it on purpose. Scheana leaves because she’s got a curfew to return to her RealDoll box, and Katie immediately is like “IT’S MY TURN FOR CAMERA TIME.” She says that she got a lot of complaints at her wedding regarding Jeremy’s behavior, that he was even predatory. Ariana wants to snatch Katie’s wig as soon as she uses that word, and immediately defends her brother. Katie, being the ultimate in hypocrisy, tells Ariana she needs to advocate for those who can’t advocate for themselves right now. Katie is such trash because this is so pointed and so purposeful and so intended to make Ariana feel like a hypocrite. We get it, Katie, you hate Ariana and you really hate that she’s a better person than you are. Ariana reads between Katie’s lines, and Katie tries doing the plausible deniability thing and claiming Ariana misheard her. Lala comes and sits next to Ariana and tries to soothe her, but Ariana is so upset at this point that she’s seeing red.

I get why Ariana’s upset. She’s defending her family and Katie’s essentially saying she’s a bad feminist for doing so. I’m not saying Ariana’s right, and I’m definitely not saying Katie’s right. There’s a better way to handle this, but they should have known that with family involved, the emotions are heightened. Katie, you defend Schwartz’s shitty behavior constantly. Shut up. Ariana dismisses herself from the table and all the girls are like “Wait, sit down, calm down, what?” Stassi makes a false equivalency by saying Ariana can criticize Stassi all she wants under “hard truths”, yet Stassi can’t criticize Jeremy.

Because Ariana is not responsible for her brother’s behavior, and since she doesn’t know the entire story, she can only defend him. She’s not right for this. She could have listened more. But their issue is with Jeremy, not Ariana. The most feminist thing to do is to demand they hold Jeremy accountable instead of getting angry at Ariana for her brother’s bad behavior.

Over at Jax and Brittany’s apartment, Jax has a drum kit he’s showing to Tom Sandoval. Even Sandoval is like, “Man, you got spoiled for a guy who just cheated on his girlfriend.” Brittany is reinforcing bad behaviors by treating Jax like this. He’ll definitely cheat again if she continues to reward it. Tom decides to head over to Schwartz and Katie’s apartment because he needs to talk to Katie about what happened with Ariana. He calls it “complete and total bullshit”, because he’s Tom Sandoval. He’s never found a man he won’t blindly defend to the death.

Over at Katie and Tom’s, Stassi and Kristen have arrived and they’re going to make their own perfumes.

Are they making Delusion, by Scheana Shay?

Sandoval comes over and Schwartz immediately tells him to proceed with caution. Sandoval starts out and denies all of Jeremy’s behavior. Stassi and Kristen are continuing to maintain that Jeremy made them uncomfortable and Sandoval just... denies it. He literally says no, that didn't happen. He wasn't there, how would he know?

You don’t get to tell someone how they feel, Sandoval. You can’t just shoot down the way someone else feels. If multiple people are claiming to feel some kind of way about something, it might be worth inspecting. What do I know, though?

The most important part is when Stassi asks, “why would I lie about this?” When it comes to a lie, you always have to look at the side of the person who benefits from the lie. Stassi doesn’t benefit from lying about this, and neither do the millions of women who come forward with accusations of sexual misconduct. There is more to lose by coming forward, and literally nothing to gain. If you think they’re looking for a payoff, wonder who benefits from being paid to keep silent. Not the women. I once heard a story of a woman who came forward with accusations of sexual assault, signed an NDA and took the money, and then came to find out her NDA was so strict she couldn’t even talk about her experience with a therapist.

She attempted suicide because of it. Fuck NDAs, and fuck anyone who thinks that women who come forward about sexual harassment are looking to get paid off. There is no money that can erase that experience. And no amount of money is worth more than actual punishment. Sandoval doesn’t know what he’s talking about because he wasn’t there. Stassi’s tired of protecting men and Tom Sandoval tells her to watch herself. A man telling a woman to watch herself when she’s telling the truth is some Crucible bullshit. Tom claiming he’ll start telling truths about them if they continue to talk is just… sad, petty behavior.

Then again, Tom will protect every single move Jax makes if he can. It’s shocking Ariana, who is proudly pro-women, will put up with Tom, who is definitely pro-men in every single way.

Back at Jax and Brittany’s apartment, Brittany gets a call from her dad. Oh, and Brittany hasn’t told her dad about Jax’s cheating, even though she’s told her mother. She’s afraid to tell her dad because he’s gonna be upset. We get shots of Jax sensing something ominous in the air and listening in on Brittany’s conversation when she tells her dad Jax cheated on her.

Brittany’s dad is unsurprised. He can’t help himself. He has no control. Brittany’s heard this before from him, and that’s why she’s put distance between them. She doesn’t want her dad to “I told you so” her, but… he told her so. Brittany’s dad is a lot less unforgiving than Brittany’s mom, who is on her third marriage and continually tells Brittany to just put her head down and deal with it because she’s on TV now. Brittany’s dad wants him to grow up and get serious, and he doesn’t think that now that Jax is 485 years old if that’s really possible. If he wanted to grow up, he’d be grown up. Brittany’s dad is most definitely not on Team Jax.

Jax is like, “oh man, I’m doing so good at the drums now! What did your dad say? What did he say?” Jax isn’t upset about Brittany’s dad not liking him - he couldn’t give a fuck - he’s again, more upset that she’s “airing out their dirty laundry”. Talking to your parent about your relationship is not airing out dirty laundry. The fact that Jax was Brittany to isolate any conversation about him and his behavior is textbook abuser behavior. He only wants to talk about it with her so he can tell her how she feels. None of these other people have his side, only hers, so what do they know?

God, Brittany. Stop. This man thinks you talking to your parents about your problems is “dirty laundry”. No. That’s what they’re there for.

Brittany doesn’t want to deal with the pain and strife this would put on her family ever again. They’re already predisposed not to like him and she’s not trying to pile on. Jax promises he won’t do anything like that again (LIAR), but she’s not perfect, either.

Why. Are. Men. Like. This.

One of the reasons my ex and I broke up was his almost blatant refusal to see my side in things. Literally, one time we were talking, and I mentioned that the fact that does that bothers me. He apologized, and then immediately was like “well, you do that too.” And I burst into tears. I was already on edge, already frustrated at not being heard and not listened to, and here he was, making that my problem. It’s this stubborn need to always be not only right but right and justified in every situation. “It’s fine for me to do this because you do it too.” I’m not saying I’m right in my actions. But if I’m asking you not to hurt me, what’s so wrong with just apologizing?

Why do you need to say, “I’m sorry, but this isn’t only my fault”?

Brittany admits to her bad behavior and owns up to her imperfections, but Jax won’t. He’s like, “own up to it,” and she will. He tells her if she’s not happy, maybe she needs to move on. I don’t disagree, but this is just him trying to get out from under bad behavior. I do the same thing. “You chose to be with me, you can leave at any point.”

Jax just always needs to be the good guy. That’s Brittany’s problem. His need to be the good guy in his mind will always trump any of her feelings. Good Guys are just as bad as Nice Guys.

Lala, Ariana12 and Scheana head to the bar, where people are meeting them, namely Daddy Adam, who is my new bae. They’re all there to basically show Brittany that she doesn’t need Jax and that she’s swimming in a sea of hot dudes who want to bang her. Scheana knows that Jax is never going to change and the love of a good woman won’t do shit - he doesn’t deserve Brittany. Hottie Adam shows up and orders seven shots of tequila upon arrival. Brittany’s Out To Flirt and piss off Jax, and Adam is prime real estate.

Lala mentions her conversation with Stassi, and that she doesn’t think she’s out to get anyone. Scheana and Ariana are pissed at Stassi and Brittany’s defending Stassi. It’s charming, but only a tiny bit. Scheana’s drunk and takes Brittany aside for a drunken truth-telling. She tells Brittany the truth - you will never be able to change Jax, you don’t deserve to be treated like this, and you can do better. And Brittany’s main problem? She loves Jax. And she can’t just like, stop loving him. Scheana can’t understand her thought process on this, and Brittany can’t explain to people that she knows he’s wrong but she still loves him. Scheana doesn’t want Brittany to be where she is - 32, divorced and starting over from scratch.

Scheana knows what it’s like to lie to yourself and convince yourself it’s all going to work out in the end. It’s hilarious because she’s acting like she used to do this when she’s doing it right now. God damn, I love the producers of this show.

Next Time: Lisa doesn’t understand why Brittany’s still celebrating Jax, let alone taking him to Mexico for his birthday. Lala is “ready for Mexico” in that she’s… way too tan. Scary tan. We’re going to Playa del Carmen! Lala ain’t taking any of Jax’s shit. Sandoval needs to fuck off.

Random Assessments from the Desk of Amanda:

Y’all know I love Ariana and shit, but god damn, that red dress in the talking head? With the corset front? No. Ariana, take it off. Immediately. Trust me.

Meanwhile, Tom Sandoval’s talking head with the polka dot bowtie and the plaid pants? I love it. It’s so extra. He looks like a sexy butler.

Scheana thinks Billie Lee and Jeremy are fated because they both smoke weed.

Is Billie Lee the first trans person on Bravo? Bravo, Bravo, then.

I mean, Stassi and Kristen have a point to be afraid of being around Jeremy.

Okay, really - Brittany is losing sympathy for staying with Jax, and fast. The only way she can redeem herself is to dump him. She can’t keep putting herself in these scenarios and expecting a different response.

Hagrid from Harry Potter, for you Yanks. ↩︎

What part of England are the Kennedys from? Are they from Manchester? ↩︎

Who has taken to pronouncing “baby” like it’s two letters - “BB” ↩︎

Scheana is such a fucking Taurus. ↩︎

I won’t even tell people if I’ve applied for something exciting just in case it backfired. The minute you put something into words and say them aloud to someone else, they’re real. I don’t know where I got this superstition from. ↩︎

I love Brittany’s 2005 glasses so much. ↩︎

OH MY GOD HE ACTUALLY IS THE HOT NEW GUY AT SEXY UNIQUE RESTAURANT. Hellooooo, Adam. Adam, come to mama. ↩︎

In the words of Beverly Johnson, if you don’t have a top lip, get one. Have you guys heard my podcast yet? ↩︎

I’m choosing to think of him as Robbie Coltrane from National Treasure (Not the Nicolas Cage fantasy films, the British series about Operation Yewtree) and less Hagrid. Makes him easier to hate. ↩︎

Same reason I’ve never seen Finding Nemo all the way through but I can handle The Lion King. ↩︎

Read: a producer told her to ask. ↩︎

Dressed in only what can be described as “Beetlejuice for Pretty Little Thing.com” ↩︎