#aaaaaaand away we go again!!

[aerodaltonimperial]

katy's community poll-fic 2k24

part 1

(Well, so here is your next part, as decided collectively! I had to decide whether or not to bring the lads into this, and ultimately decided not to, since despite Bowens' best efforts, that shit ain't kayfabe, at least for Hook. ENJOY PART 2. Remember, 24 hours to pick the next bit.)

Bowens, it is: he’s got to know better than anyone how to deal with Max Caster and missing objects. Turns out, he’s relatively easy to find, but only because Jack accidentally stumbles across him sitting out by the row of sewing machines and the people sewing with somewhat reckless abandon. Jack actually almost skids right past him, coasting on his heels before realizing he spotted Bowens’ head half-hidden by one of the coat racks brimming with sequins and bright colors.

Honestly, the garish pink should have given it all away.

“Hey,” Jack says, perhaps more demanding than he should, because Bowens looks up from his phone screen with a frown. “Have you seen Max’s title belt?”

“What?” Bowens asks, and that might just be because Jack came barrelling out of nowhere without much of a greeting, but this feels like a Bowens problem.

“Max’s belt. It’s missing. Have you seen it?”

Bowens’ frown intensifies, tugging his face down. “What do you mean, it’s missing?”

“Don’t tell him anything!” Hook screeches, coming around the corner and nearly taking out the whole coat rack in his haste to stop. As soon as he does, Jack reaches out and covers Hook’s face with his hand, trying to push him back and away. He ends up getting Hook sputtering against his palm, which, ew.

“Okay, what is this about again?” Bowens asks.

“Max’s belt is missing,” Jack says, again. “I’m trying to find it.”

“I’m trying to find it,” Hook interjects, though it’s a bit muffled given that Jack still has his hand smushed up against Hook’s mouth. He finally withdraws once Hook licks his palm. Gross. What the fuck is wrong with this guy?

Bowens looks at Hook, and then at Jack. His face betrays nothing. “Oh. So… you’re both trying to figure out what happened to it?”

“Yes,” Jack and Hook answer at the same time, and then, disgusted, both try, “No.”

“It’s nice that you seem to be working together again,” Bowens says. The worst part is, he sounds genuine. The soul-crushing horror nearly takes Jack out at the knees.

“I’m not working with him,” Hook replies. “I hope his own hair strangles him in the middle of the night.”

“I hope that he inhales a joint and ends up choking to death on it,” Jack says.

“Well, I hope that his stupid little briefs are too tight and cut off circulation to his legs and he gets gangrene,” Hook says, with a glare.

Jack rolls his eyes. “I don’t even wear those anymore, so this just goes to show how much attention you pay to your surroundings.”

“Oh, sorry I’m not staring at your crotch,” Hook snaps. “You know, not everyone is, you perverted egomaniac.”

“Hook, I sincerely don’t think you are staring at anything except the god damn sun,” Jack says, “and I’m amazed that you haven’t gone blind yet. But there’s still hope it might happen. Today, if we’re lucky.”

“I feel like we’re getting really off-topic here,” Bowens comments.

Right: Max’s title belt. Jack turns back to Bowens, whose expression has gone, for lack of a better word, befuddled. “Have you seen the belt? Or anyone take the belt?”

“You think I saw someone take my partner’s title belt and then just… came here to sit for awhile?” Bowens asks.

“Fine, fine,” Jack amends. “If you had to guess, who would you think would take it?”

“Are you sure someone took it?” Bowens asks. His brow remains furrowed. “Max would misplace his ass if it wasn’t connected to his body, honestly.”

“He says he had it, and now he doesn’t,” Hook says, like a chump.

Jack pushes Hook away again, with his shoulder this time, to avoid the guy’s tongue touching his skin again. “Would, say, the Assboys take it?”

“But we’re in a group now,” Bowens says.

“Yeah, and that always works out so well,” Hook grumbles.

“Do you have any other enemies?” Jack asks.

Bowens, finally, seems to take this line of questioning seriously. He sits back, tapping a finger against his chin as his eyes slide up to the ceiling tiles. Then he says, “Well, I guess we did kind of declare war on the Undisputed Kingdom, back before we knew they were the Devil Goons. They might be pissed about that.”

“And they’re clearly assholes,” Hook agrees.

“But why would they give a shit about Max’s title belt?” Jack asks. “It’s not like they can do anything with it. It’s bright fucking pink. Everyone knows who it belongs to.”

“Maybe just to fuck with him,” Hook grumbles. “Get him all riled up.”

“I mean, they did steal MJF’s little mask and all,” Jack muses thoughtfully. “So they clearly have a history with this kind of thing.”

Hook nods, mouth pursed. “Wouldn’t be out of character.”

“Still feels like small fries compared to everything else they’ve done,” Jack continues. Then he realizes that Hook has been standing next to him for, like, five minutes, and is agreeing with him, which makes him feel like maybe he needs to go take another shower or something. “Go away. I’m doing this by myself.”

“No, I’m doing this by myself,” Hook says, all pissed and pink-cheeked again. “You’ll just stab me in the back the second I turn away.”

“Actually, I’d probably stab you in the stomach. I’d want you to know it was me.”

Hook growls. “Oh, trust me, I already would.”

“So, you guys are friends again?” Bowens asks. He’s gone back to his phone, scrolling through social media like somehow Jack and Hook have already lost his interest. Shouldn’t he be worried about Max’s missing belt? Whatever. “That’s nice.”

“Gross,” Jack says. “No. I hope he gets hit by a car jaywalking like a douchebag New Yorker.”

Hook’s nose crinkles in distaste. “Spoken like a true bitch.”

“Okay, cool,” Bowens replies, without looking at either of them. “Good luck with finding Max’s belt.”

“I’m finding it first,” Hook promises, and then turns to head down the hallway with his hands jammed into his hoodie pockets as though he doesn’t look like a bum that just rolled in from beneath the nearest bridge.

What an asshole.

[sorrowfulrosebud]

Katsuki fumbled as the heavy wooden door of your mansion was nearly slammed in his face, you being the cause. Your infuriated strides didn’t stop as you reached the kitchen.

Katsuki felt his eyes burn and bile rise in his throat as he tried desperately to reach you.

“Baby, please! It was one time, and I didn’t even kiss her-,” he rambles worriedly, taking a step aback as you turn around.

Your eyes held nothing but pure fire and pain.

“Oh my FUCKING GOD Katsuki! You didn’t kiss her?! Oh that’s just wonderful, I totally forgive you for going behind my FUCKING BACK and fucking other women! That makes everything okay now!” You cry? Laugh? You couldn’t tell anymore.

Katsuki winces at your tears, pearly streaks of his own staining his cheeks. He reaches for you, heart breaking when you flinch away from him.

“Baby-,” he starts.

“Don’t you fucking DARE call me that you disloyal bastard,” you sob.

“I gave you my EVERYTHING, you son of a bitch! The nights I spent slaving over that fucking stove so YOU wouldn’t go hungry! I broke my back cleaning this fucking house, I give up my social life so we can be together, I bust my fucking ass doing stuff in bed I don’t want to do, ALL FOR YOU! I gave you EVERYTHING! So don’t you fucking dare try and have some balls now.” You sob through gritted teeth.

Katsuki sinks to his knees, openly sobbing and grabbing your hands. You tried forcing them back, but his grip was relentless. He pressed tearful kisses to your hands, amplifying your pained sobs.

“(Y/N), please! It was the worst mistake of my entire fucking life, of OUR lives. It was an act of stupidity, and if I could go back in time I would kill past me for even looking at her. It’s YOU I love, not her. It’s you, it’s always been you,” he gasped for breath, looking up at you. You paused.

“AAAAAAAND CUT! That was a great take everyone, go grab some lunch and be back in an hour to continue the shoot,” the director shouts, hopping off his pedestal.

You wiped your tears off, cursing the added tear stick as you laughed.

“Jesus Christ, that was a rough scene. How are you, baby?” You look down at him. Your smile was warm, a complete contrast to the character in the series you were acting in. Katsuki made no move to wipe his tears.

He rose slowly, before wrapping his arms around you tightly. He sniffled as he held you as close as possible, kissing the side of your face.

“Baby, are you alright? It was just a scene!” You giggle, kissing him on the forehead.

“If I ever make you sad like that, I need you to kill me. I would rather die than make you cry the way you just did,” he sniffed, wiping his nose and holding your cheeks.

“Aw sweetie. I know you’d never cheat on me. I love you so, so, so much. I guess we just did too good a job acting,” you giggle. You pull him in closer for a kiss, wiping his tears and playing with his baby hairs.

“I love you so much. Never ever forget that,” he says firmly. You nod, before squeezing out of his grip and tapping his ass playfully.

“Of course angel, now let’s get lunch. Sato made enchiladas and I’m craving them so badly,” you kiss him again. Katsuki’s phone beeped, and he checked before grimacing slightly.

“I’ll be right there babe, Eijiro’s complaining about something,” he says, squeezing your sides and sending you off.

You’re so fucking right, baby. He thought. His chest bloomed in pain. Ochaco’s bunched up tits stared right back at him in picture form, taunting him.

I did too good of an acting job.

[the-ninjago-historian]

New Dragons Rising Article!

(EDIT: I blurred out the episode title last minute. I was feeling paranoid about it. Lol. And I made some last minute grammer fixes. Enjoy!)

The episode titles and descriptions for Season 2 Part 2 just dropped today! There's TONS of new info and lore to unpack. So let's get started! *SPOILERS BELOW THE THE CUT!*

1: So first off we have The Shape of Motion. (This title is clearly parodying The Shape of Water. Lol.) It seems they will be picking up a new baby dragon! Riyu is gonna be a big brother! How cute!💖 I hope Arin finds his parents too. Poor guy.😔

2: Now we have Enter the City of Temples. The Ninja must have found out about the tournament and decided to go there. But why? We're not sure yet. I would think they would want to stay away from the tournament, considering what happened in the last one.😅 Also, Kai and Bonzle are attempting to escape. So that's cool! You guys will get to see them too!

3: Next is Gathering for The Feast. Some how I get an ominous feeling about that title for some reason. Lol. Also, looks like the Ninja's earned their invites somehow and are now in the tournament! And it looks this is the episode where we'll see the return of some old Elemental Masters!

4: Now we have Inside the Maze. This episode is VERY interesting. So much to unpack! Because it's the first mention of some new artifacts. The Horns. Specifically, The Dragon Horns. Arin and the others must have heard about them in the last episode. What are these horns exactly? Are they like instrument type horns? Or literal dragon horns? We'll have to wait and see. We also have a new character called Frak! And finally, something ALL you Jaya shippers have been waiting for...

JAYA TOURNAMENT BATTLE WITH AMNESIA JAY!!!⚡🌊⚡🌊⚡🌊⚡🌊⚡🌊⚡🌊

This is gonna break y'all hearts, I know it.🤣

5: Next is United We Fall. Oh boy! It's named after one of my favorite TSFH songs! Haha! Just kidding! Anyways, poor Wyldefyre is pitted against CINDER?!?! The guy who broke her leg?! Yikes! Looks like it didn't go well either. And the Ninja will have to win they way back into the tournament through a race!

6: Now we have Truth and Lies. Finally a Wu mention! But it doesn't look good. I have a feeling Ras is lying though. Or not. And we'll get some racing action from the rest of the ninjas!

7: Next is The Shattering Sword. Sounds like something from Lloyd's vision, huh? And we get to see the new character Roby giving Arin a museum tour and some new info on the source dragons! (It would be hilarious if Roby was working for Ras the entire time.😂) And here's how to pronounce Roby's name, if you're curious.

8: Next is Clues and Suspects! Tons of cool stuff in this episode! Roby has a way bigger role then I thought! There's a new character mentioned named Bleckt? (I wonder if that's a typo?) Also, FINALLY A ZEATRIX MENTION! And they're transferring her powers for some reason? The how and why are unclear. Also, this new character Bleckt is somehow connected to Arin's investigation. And possibly part of The Administration, since they mention he has an office. My guess is that these Dragon Horn thingies were confiscated by the Administration or something.

9: And here we have The Final Game. That doesn't sound good. Arin learns a "Devastating Secret about the Merge" Uh oh. Cole stays behind to protect the Dragon horns! What??? Oh no! Sora faces off against Nokt and Wyldefyre is too late to stop the "Manipulation of the Games!" OH NO. Yeah, this one is gonna be pretty chaotic. Yikes.

10: Finally, we have Elements of Betrayal. THAT'S AN EVEN WORSE TITLE! It's making me more nervous than the last one!

There's a new location called The Monastery of Gates. That I guess these Dragon Horns are at? Arin, Zane, and Cole seems like a fun combination. Should be a cool fight! And it looks like the elemental masters have lost their powers once again are going to be fighting Ras and his wolf warrior army. NoBoDy SaW tHaT cOmInG. Pfft.

Aaaaaaand, that's it for now. Wow! So much stuff! Sounds like it will be a very exciting collection of episodes! Hope you had fun reading this!

Bye for now!

[ghostlyeris]

may I provide a penny for your Inkblade thoughts? the people have to know!

absolutely anon! i don't have a full analysis since i'm waiting for part 2 of the finale to drop before i make one (still holding out hope for that rat grinder revivication) so instead have some headcanons while we all wait for the finale together

the crush was absolutely real. freshman year oisín thought adaine was the coolest thing since sliced bread but was always too nervous to talk to her. post shatterstar, that crush got warped into bitter resentment over adaine never noticing him, but somewhere deep down he still just wants her to think hes cool

the first person adaine went to talk to her new crush about was riz, hence his deep hatred for oisín, a dude he's never talked to. riz was super supportive, albeit a little uncomfortable, and as soon as adaine turned away he started crafting an intricate revenge plot in case oisín ever broke adaine heart. he's disappointed, but not surprised, that he has to use it

part of the reason adaine was so hurt about the heel-turn was the fact that this crush actually made her feel normal for once. sprinkling in some of my aroace adaine agenda, but for the first time ever she thought she found someone that could actually make her feel something romantic, the way a "proper" high schooler should. unsurprisingly, after this is all over, adaine goes back to riz to talk about it

the little apology in the cafeteria was genuine. oisín wasn't going to at first, but when he overheard adaine defending him despite having no reason to do so, something other than rage and resentment broke through for the first time in a while. he wasn't just apologizing for the cafeteria, but for everything he had already done and was about to do

aaaaaaand if oisín survives, their senior year is TENSE. adaine is hurt, and even though oisín apologized at the end of junior year, she's still on guard around him, waiting for everything to be another big joke on her yet again. oisín on the other hand still has that crush, and is doing his damnedest to give her the space she needs while also doing his best to make up for everything he did

[onskepa]

Hello! I saw ur post about requesting a part 2 for one shot so that's why I'm here. This is not a need, it's a MUST!! Can we get a part 2 for Tsyeytsyip?? The little girl who's smaller than Neteyam's hand. Maybe one day where he has to carry her in his pocket or something else, the choice is yours

Of course! I hope this is everyones liking! This might be a short one, idk. I type as I go. Enjoy!

Tsyeytsyip

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

Tsyeytsyip: Little pouch

“In the pouch? Again?” Tey ask, groaning a bit in displeasure. Standing on the right shoulder of neteyam as he opens his pouch made just for her. It was big enough to move around, she can put her things inside and still have space. 

“I am going hunting, you know you have to be in the pouch if you want to join me” Neteyam patiently replies. Tey groan a bit but gives in. Twirling a bit she jumps down to the pouch. Landing safely, she makes herself comfortable. 

“See? Not so bad, I added fresh soft cloth. Even placed some of your favorite berries too” Neteyam adds. Tey gasp happily seeing her precious berries. Chomping on them happily, she gives neteyam a tiny thumbs up. Good, little bite is satisfied. 

And feeling satisfied himself, he goes to begin his hunt for tonight. 

The pouch is something neteyam had since he was a child. A small bag to hold his little things, to hold his small medicines in case he got hurt, seeds, beads, or a rock he thought was pretty. It was useful for a time. 

It is made out of the skin of a thanator, strong and sturdy. Despite so many years passing by, the pouch is still in good condition. But now the only use he has for it is to carry his little friend around. Not always does tey get in. Usually she just sits on his hand, shoulders, or his hair. But like now, when he hunts. The pouch is very much needed. 

To keep her safe, away from any harm should neteyam have to run or fight an animal. And of course, make sure she is with him at all times. Having her in one place and that she is secured brings calm to neteyam. 

“What are you going to hunt today?” Tey asks as she peaks her little head out from the pouch, still eating her berry. Getting comfy on her spot, enjoy the view that neteyam sees. 

“Anything I can find, but hopefully some sturmbeest or hexepede. Not just for the meat, but for many things they can provide for us” He answers easily. Of course he was whispering now, but his voice was loud enough for tey to hear. Humming at his answer, she ponders. Tey can save the conversation for later. She will let her big mighty warrior do his work. 

Going back inside the pouch, she snuggles into the smooth cloth. Finishing her berry she lays and starts to mess around with the threats to make something. Not really having an idea in mind, rather letting her hands do the thinking and craft whatever it can make. 

Perhaps the pouch has its benefits. Gives her space but at the same time being with neteyam. Waterproof so it can also work like a little boat sailing in the river. 

But would tey admit to it? Absolutely not. The little pouch is merely a convenience for her. That is all.

Aaaaaaand that is it for this one! It was a short but sweet chapter! Hope you all liked it! Until next time! See ya!

[jpitha]

The First Few Rows Will Get Wet

Just for a moment, it looked like everything was going to work out.

The Starjumper Remaining Grace was taken by surprise while headed to the research station Rear Window. Pirates had been spotted operating in the general area, but they were known to leave the research stations alone.

Three pirate ships - calling them ships was generous, they were hulks destined for the scrapyard mostly - descended upon Remaining Grace as they made preparations to link away. Most of the time, piracy is pointless between the stars. Any ship out there can just link to a new location and with no way to track a link, there's no point in attempting to pursue. Pirates tend to be a local problem, centering on centers of populace. Rear Window, Vertigo, and North By Northwest are all long distance observation stations a short link from the Starbase Rakish Swagger. Everyone - including the local authorities - assumed the Pirates were based out of Swagger, but nobody could prove it.

Grace was full of supplies and scientific equipment and so a target that the pirates could not pass up. As they attacked from above, Grace defended themselves.

"Two are coming in from 11 o'clock high, one is trying to sneak around to the rear!" Penny LaGrange calls out from the radar station. Grace runs a small crew, so everyone helps out with the roles. She isn't the radar operator, but she was closest to the station when the attack started.

Captain Kennison grips the arms of his chair tighter. "Grace, did you WEP the reactors? We need all three batteries going while being able to finish computing the link home." He doesn't bother with the whole lines about giving permission and telling Grace the order with which to make decisions, Remaining Grace is five times older than the whole crew put together, he assumes they know what they're doing."

"Aye Captain, we're at War Power and climbing. Primary, Secondary and Tertiary batteries are free and firing. Henry, where are we with those link coordinates?"

"Sorry Grace, working on it. The computer crashed, I had to restart it. We're calculating from zero again." Henry Smithfield is sitting at the other station, willing the computer to calculate faster.

It's just the three of them and Grace themselves. Small crews are pretty normal these days. An AI can honestly run an entire ship themselves and they often do. Having more hands helps though, especially when things get busy. Henry's station pings and he looks up, relieved. "We have coordinates! We can link away anyti-"

A ripple of heavy thumps interrupts his announcement. From the Command deck, an alarm can be heard quietly warning the crew that isn't in engineering.

"Lucky hit! Reactor 4 is venting and entering overspeed!"

Sweat beads on Captain Kennison's forehead. "Grace, can you dump it and we link away before it blows?"

"We're going to try. Henry, enter the coordinates and link away on my command!"

"You got it Grace, coordinates entered and ready."

"Aaaaaaand-" There was a loud booming clang as a door was flung open -"now-"

****

Captain Kennison came to consciousness slowly, painfully. What was going on? Why was he on the floor? "Huh, this carpet is nice" he thought, as his consciousness rose to prominence and he heard the muffled shouts of Remaining Grace "Captain Kennison! Captain Kennison!"

He sat up. "What is it Grace, did we link away? That was quite a hit."

"Yes Captain, it looks like we had a missile strike as soon as we opened the wormhole, it detonated as we linked away. I took a very hard hit. We have other problems right now though."

It was then that Peter Kennison heard a noise that he had never heard aboard a Starjumper.

He heard the roar of atmosphere.

"We're falling!"

"Yes Captain, there was a link error, we've entered an atmosphere."

"What about juke charges? I remember reading that was used during a mis-link to reorient the ship"

"I'm too large Captain. I think I know the event you're talking about, it was a Frigate early in the K'laxi/Xenni war. We're going to have to land."

"Land?" Captain Kennison sounded incredulous. "Can a Starjumper land? I didn't think the could."

Remaining Grace sounded testy. "No, they normally can't. I don't know about you, but I don't particularly want to slam into a planet, do you?" Grace threw an image up on the screen as Henry and Penny regained consciousness. "It appears that this world is mostly water, so we're going to try to ditch in the ocean. I need you three to rig for ditching while I try and orient us Stardrive down and use that to slow our decent."

"Rig for ditching?" Penny shakes her head and wipes some blood from her forehead.

"Water landing. Now please help, I need to concentrate."

As the three of them got out of their seats, they felt and heard the Stardrive fire erratically. Grace was trying to use bursts of thrust to steer them and that combined with the gyros was setting them engine first towards the planet.

When people see a Starjumper in space, they think it's long. It's a reasonable assumption. Most Starjumpers are between 3 and 5 kilometers long with smooth sweeping lines.

They're incorrect though. A Starjumper isn't long.

It's tall.

All of the decks of a Starjumper are oriented like floors on a skyscraper. If you think about it, that makes sense. Starjumpers existed before wormhole technology, before artificial gravity even. They would thrust at 1 gee for weeks, and then coast between stars, before flipping over and thrusting again at 1 gee to slow down. With the engines at the "back" thrusting at 1 gee made that the "floor." Orient the ship like a building and now everyone is comfortable while they thrust.

Falling through the atmosphere, Remaining Grace looked like a skyscraper falling on a pillar of intermittent fire. While Grace worked hard to keep from slamming into the ocean, Penny and Henry ran around the bridge, flipping ancient mechanical levers and switches that were hidden behind long disused panels, while James shouted commands reading from a very old doc on his pad. Some paranoid engineer a thousand years ago worried that a Starjumper might have to make a water landing, so a process was developed and tested.

Finally, Grace was able to get themselves mostly oriented correctly, and fired their Stardrive. In the atmosphere, the roar of the drive was intense. The whole ship vibrated and roared as they rode the pillar of fire. "We're still going too fast!" Grace sounded like they were speaking through gritted teeth, this must be taking nearly all their effort. "You need to buckle up, I'm boosting to three gee."

Everyone quickly scrambled to their seats and strapped themselves in as Grace ramped up the thrust. As they sat in their seats, pressed by the hidden hand of thrust, they could feel the thrust swing around as Grace worked to keep themselves pointed straight up and down.

After what felt like an eternity, the Stardrive cut, everyone felt a sickening drop as they fell the last few feet, and then there was a gentle rocking as the ship bobbed like a buoy in the ocean. "Everyone, I can say for sure that I am as surprised as you all are, but we're down and safe." Grace sounded... amazed that it worked?

"Thanks Remaining Grace, that was masterfully done." Penny and Henry gave their assent. "But... now what? How do we get home?"

"That... is a little harder. We're going to have to repair or replace the wormhole generator and link back... somewhere. Probably Rakish Swagger or Rear Window themselves. It's not like they don't need the supplies anymore."

"But Grace, can we link from the surface of a planet? Do we have to boost to orbit first?" Penny was scanning the area, trying to figure out where they were."

"Honestly, Penny, I don't know."

[fangirlfrom-hell]

The Fragile Bonds Part 1 || Jay and Will Halstead x Halstead Sister

*re-posting this because I'm stupid and accidentaly erased my blog 🫠

Summary: After their father's death, Becca moved in with Jay. This is the first time the detective brother has to go undercover since his sister has been under his full care, creating a challenging situation for both. Reluctantly, Becca will have to live with Will and his family during those days, even though she doesn't feel very welcome in that household.

Becca had been sitting down on the living room sofa for the last 15 minutes, looking at Jay going in circles all over the place avoiding whatever he wanted to say. 

"Would you please just spit it out? You are driving me crazy". 

He dried stopped in front of her: "I'm going on an undercover run. This is going to be for a few days, at most a week I hope....aaaaaaand you are staying with Will". 

He made a lot of hand gestures for each word he pronounced, especially when he mentioned their brother's part. Becca had a lot of emotions going around her chest. She was usually very nervous about her brother's job, but the prospect of him going undercover amplified those feelings. Of course he had been undercover in the past, yet this instance held a distinct significance: It marked the first time into such operations since she had moved in to live with him after their father passed away. This added an extra layer of complexity to the situation for both siblings. Besides all that, staying with Will for an entire week? That was torture! 

"Oh. Ok. Well, is Natalie ok with this?" She questioned the plan, somehow looking for a way around. 

"I already talked to Will, who is your brother. I honestly don't care what Natalie thinks". 

"But it's her house too..." Becca had this feeling that Natalie didn't quite like her, especially because of the emotional problems she had been dealing with due to all the changes and recent losses in her life. She was having a hard time dealing with anxiety and depression, and her brothers, mainly Jay, had been very busy taking care of her, rescuing her from her bad days and impulses. Natalie wouldn't like to have her in her house, especially around her baby, that was for sure. 

Jay approached his sister and sat down at the coffee table to be at her same height. 

"Bec...it's all settled. I know this is not your favorite idea in the world...to be honest, it's not mine either, but it's what we have". 

The girl took a cushion and put it on her lap to hug it. She unconsciously turn to the other side before speaking out again: "You can always choose not to go". 

Jay jumped to the sofa to meet her gaze and gave his sister a warm smile with pity eyes. 

"I know". She understood: "It hits different, now that we live under the same roof--I mean, when I was with...dad...I didn't see you every day, so it didn't bother me, I didn't even noticed if you were gone. But now... it makes me realize a lot of things..." 

"I know". Jay continued the idea: "Somehow it is harder for me too. What frustrates me the most is that this is your birthday week". He sighed: "I bet I'll be back in time but if not, we'll double the celebration on any other day, that I promise". 

Becca frowned: "I don't really care about my birthday. Just be very careful". She hugged him tight: "Very". 

"I will be". He kissed her hair. "But for now, I got an idea: before I go: movie night and pajama party as you liked when you were little". 

Becca smiled: "Yeah, I'd loved that. We used to do that a lot back in the days". It was what Jay used to do to keep her distracted when their mother got ill and started having frequent hospital admissions. 

"Quality time together as siblings, so you won't miss me so much". He teased his sister. 

It was the day. Becca packed the last couple of things before going down. She stopped at the frame door of her room looking around to check if she had forgotten something. In the middle of the bed there was a stuffed kitten, the one her mother gave her in her 7th birthday when her greatest wish in life was to have a cat as pet, but they couldn't get one because her father was very allergic to them. That stuffed kitten was the solution to the problem. It was one of the few objects she had from her mom. Becca thought about taking it, but decided to leave it there, thinking she would be mocked about it. 

"Where are you supposed to be going? It's only a week or less, Becc". Jay said when he saw his sister comming into the kitchen carrying so many bags. 

"It's only my school backpack, my daily clothes backpack, some books in this one and my dancing/acting backpack...because Will is taking me to my lessons, isn't he?". 

"Yes, I talked to him about that". But Jay wasn't very convinced of his oldest brother's intentions of doing that. Since he got together with Natalie, hers was the only family that mattered to him. "He has your schedule and all". 

"Good". 

"Alright. Leave those in the floor and get in the car. I'll make a double check around the house to be sure we're good to leave". Becca obeyed. 

After a few minutes, Jay joined his sister. The kitten was in his hands and he gave it to her as soon as he got into the truck: "Here. You forgot Mr. Snuggles". 

She smiled: "I was actually thinking of leaving him here". 

"What are you talking about? You can't even sleep without him!" The detective said as he started driving. 

The Halstead siblings entered the 21st from the parking lot. Becca was only carrying her small backpack with books and held Mr. Snuggles in her hands. Jay helped her with the rest of the bags. 

"Well, look at you!" Platt greeted Becca from her usual place in the front desk. -"I heard you are taking a short vacation with your doctor brother". 

"I am. I wish I wasn't, though". The girl said simply. 

Detective Halstead was looking around: "Is Will upstairs?" 

“No. Your brother hasn't arrived yet". 

"I told him to be here on time". He muttered in annoyance. 

"Hey, it's still early. Maybe he got caught in traffic or something". 

"Yeah, or something...". He concluded the short conversation and guided his sister to go upstairs. 

The Intelligence team was gathered around the board when brother and sister made their appearance. The smile was unanimous when they saw Becca coming in after Jay. Hank Voight approached a few steps: "Becca! What a surprise!" 

"I wasn't actually supposed to be here, but it looks like Will forgot about me". She stated that as something normal. Hailey raised her sight to check on her boyfriend's reaction, who was eagerly typing on his phone. 

"Well...silver lining: you get to visit us! We haven't seen you in a while". Burgess commented.

 Kevin stood up from his place to bump fist with the girl: "That right!". 

From the back of the office, Al peeked his head to greet the girl: "Did your brother gave you the book I sent?" 

"Yeah! Actually I almost finish reading it. Thank you, Mr. Olinsky". 

"A book?" Adam teased the little girl, "How old are you? 85?" Becca laughed and Al was about to say somethig when Jay abruptly interrupted the conversation, not even knowing that they were talking: "Alright, Becc. Will's on his way, he should be here soon". He said with a stern tone. There was no need to be a detective to know he was very upset. 

Jay's phone rang, but it wasn't his personal or detective cellphone. He received a message as an undercover and muttered something when he read the text. 

"I gotta go, I'm running late for...you know". He pointed to the phone and all the detectives understood. "Becc, you'll have to stay here alone for a few minutes. I can't wait for Will with you, I'm sorry". He looked at Voight asking for his approval with his gaze and the boss nodded. "You can take my seat, he'll be here soon". 

Becca nodded with sadness, swallowing hard trying to retain her tears. She was mentally prepared for this moment, but emotions were all over her chest: "Promise to take extra double care..." 

"Becc, I already told you--". 

"Promise me!" She lifted her pinky finger to consolidate the promise and her brother smiled following the game. 

"I promise to take double extra care". And when they crossed their fingers, he hugged her tight and sighed before parting: "Ok, gotta go now". 

Becca stood there until he disappeared going down the stairs. She felt a soft touch on her shoulder and Hailey's sweet voice invited her to the coffee room. 

"He'll be just fine, nothing to worry about. Your brother is a great cop". The blonde detective reassured the girl, who was pretending to be alright. "Besides, I'll be checking on him". She winked and took a juice out of the fridge and gave it to her. 

However, despite Becca missing her brother dearly, she didn't feel concerned about him in that way, as she saw Jay as invincible. What truly weighed on her mind was the thought of spending all those days at Will's house. Will had always been distant from her, almost like a stranger she used to call "brother," until just a couple of years ago when he made the decision to return from New York to Chicago. Before that, he was constantly on the move, traveling, studying—anywhere except home, even during the time when their mother, who was sick, had passed away. 

After a few minutes, Will arrived at the station, where he was greeted by Trudy Platt with a less-than-friendly gesture. "The Doctor's here". She announced striding to the entrance of the bullpen, him following her closely. As soon as he spotted his little sister, Will opened his arms to embrace her. 

"Hey, Becky!" Becca hated to be called like that, but at least he was trying so she simply rolled her eyes, "It's been a while". He playfully shook her head, something that also annoyed her quite a bit, a fact that she couldn't help but hide with her face. 

"Yeah, I know", she said, slightly moving away from him. 

"What do you have there?" Her brother puffed when he spotted the stuffed animal and he took him to observe it, "Aren't you a bit old for these kind of things?" He teased her. 

Flushed with embarrassment, Becca's face turned a deep shade of red, her thoughts consumed by the realization that now everyone around her would surely take notice of the plush toy. 

"Hey, Beccs!" Noticing the situation, Hailey called her with affection, her voice softening as she spoke directly to her, "You know, I'll be undercover with Jay, not diving in as deep as he will. I'll be in and out, so... if you need anything during these days—anything at all—just give me a call. You know my number’s on the phone. I'll be there as soon as I can, promise.”

Becca deep sighed: "I wish I could stay with you better". They both smiled. Upton opened her mouth to say something, but she was interrupted by the Halstead Brother's voice.

"Alright, Becca. I'm sorry, we gotta go. I'm actually in a rush right now". 

And so, she departed from Intelligence, from everything that held reminders of Jay—Unsure of how long she would be apart from the few things that made her feel at home. 

"We fixed the guest room for you, it's all yours for these days. You can close the door to have your privacy, but I--I removed the lock from the plate. You can close it, but it will always be open for us--well, for me to come in". Becca stared at the door, analyzing. She understood where the action was coming from, but couldn't help to compare that Jay had never and would never do that to her. 

"I'll always knock before coming in, don't worry". Her brother smirked, trying to lighten the situation. She forcibly smiled back to him. There was an unconfortable silence. Both of their minds were going in circles, trying to find something to say. 

"Natalie is on shift right now and Owen is with her grandma, so it's only us for now. If you want to, we could--". 

"I have homework to finish". His sister interrupted, but immediatly regret it, "But, maybe later we could--" 

"Yeah, we could do something. When you finish". Silence again. 

"Thank you". The teenage girl said before he left the bedroom, "For taking me". That night she avoided dinner by pretending to be asleep. 

She heard when Natalie arrived very late at night and sensed the hushed tones exchanged between her brother and his girlfriend when Will mentioned her presence in their home. Becca didn't like the unease that settled within her —she could feel them clamoring to escape the confines of her chest, she felt small and insecure. 

Thoughts and impulses that she had long suppressed began to resurface, intertwining with the tendrils of anxiety that sought to take control of her body. She longed for her familiar room, her comforting bed, her nightly rituals, and above all, she ached for Jay's reassuring presence. She wondered where he was, what he was doing in that exact moment, if he was safe. Her breathing began to agitate and her heart began to beat rapidly. She thought about giving Hailey a call, but it wasn't a real emergency to bother her with. She started to sniffle, and didn't even try to stop the tears. 

In her grip, Mr. Snuggles was tightly embraced, his plush form offering some solace amidst the overwhelming feelings; She closed her eyes, if she concentrated hard enough, she could conjure the memory of her mom's scent that lingered faintly within the fibers of the stuffed animal. The memory of her mother served as a soothing balm for her heart, and she felt a surge of gratitude towards Jay for making her take Mr. Snuggles at the last minute. 

With her mind slightly cleared, a glimmer of hope emerged: Tomorrow would mark the start of a new week, school and after-school activities would serve as a welcome distraction and would keep her away from Will's house, where she felt less than unwelcomed. She smiled when she remembered her dance lessons, she thought about them with excitement, that would maintain her sane, yeah. 

With the scent of her mom still enveloping her, her breathing gradually returned to normal, and her eyelids began to droop, until she finally fell asleep. 

Thanks for reading. If you liked it, it would help my soul if you give it a like, comment or share. 😌♡

[dribs-and-drabbles]

Laws of attraction ep 5

Will I have much to say this week beyond ajkldsvdfjhljgf? (turns out yes and no).

Aaaaaaand we're straight back to our unhinged evil babygirl. (who wears four different colours like this?! 🤦🏽‍♀️)

I was right about the 'doll' being able to record sounds! So what has been recorded from that night?

Ploy and her beautiful mother in red (revenge?) and green (Tonkhao?)...and fuck this particular drone shot for being so glorious.

I like that Tinn and Charn can go from heated disagreements about good/bad and right/wrong and then be flirty with each other, acknowledging their mutual attraction.

It's true, though, that had nothing bad happened, Tinn and Charn wouldn't have had such a strong (emotional) connection. They may have just been a one night stand because Tinn may have realised that Charn was morally dubious and not wanted to see him again. But now, Tinn is challenging Charn (and vice versa) to reassess their values and to almost like each other despite their differences.

Ima need someone to tell me what flower that is and the symbolism behind it...

Please! They're too fricking cute!

Tonkhao loved the colour blue 😭 (blue that might be Tinn's [and Charn's] colour - check out the underpants - but also..."Expect the Unexpected"?! And then "Where everything can happen"?! What are these messages preparing us for?!).

Omg, someone tell Silvy to stop being so gorgeous (I've been listening to her music this week too).

The green tie and pocket square returns for when Charn is wanting to know more about Tonkhao. I like that the pocket square also has a bit of red on it (for the revenge in Charn's heart?).

So I read someone's theory that Wit could be the 'mole' - it sort goes in line with what Charn has said about how people are easily bought with money and the people closest to you will hurt you the most if they betray you. I hope Charn already suspects Wit and that's why he hasn't said anything about the doll to him.

It was kinda obvious that Chai was going to be killed in prison.

The desire for revenge, or their passion for justice, (or both), is getting stronger.

This is a godawful tie. Oh Charn. smh.

I want to see Thee smile. And be hugged. This must happen. (I've seen people talking about how they need Tanthai to be hugged/shown affection by Thee, but honestly, Thee needs the physical comfort too).

I really hope they're setting up Wit to expose himself as the mole. It feels really contrived, so it has to be a set up 🤞🏽 (And thank goodness it was).

Also, Silvy and Organ. You're both amazing. Don't stop.

At the very least there should be a fire extinguisher somewhere in that office. 🤦🏽‍♀️

I'm sorry but I laughed SO HARD when the building blew up 😂

THIS IS THE BEST FUCKING THING TO HAVE HAPPENED IN THIS ENTIRE SERIES SO FAR. AND SILVY WITH A RAINBOW BOA AND THE GRANDMOTHER WITH A GREEEEEN ONE!! ICONIC!!!

I love Silvy's rainbow dots tattoo. (this is becoming a Silvy appreciation post, btw)

I realise I haven't mentioned Tanthai or Thatthep...but the green (of Tonkhao?) is till looming behind/on them. I still don't know what to make of Thatthep in shades of blue...but it's interesting this ep that Tanthai wears dark green and then black (with white stripes) - so no blue. Is this indicative of Tanthai pulling away from his father?...

And it looks like we might learn more about Charn's past next week, bringing more angst. I like that Charn's in green as he decides to go back to Bang Don Pan Village - the source of his trauma - and I'd like to think this (and Rose in all blue) is showing that, even though Charn is telling Rose that he wants to control Thatthep's power and wealth, he will in the end pursue justice for Tonkhao and Tinn. The love of a good man (Tinn) will guide him there...eventually. (Also...and I'm only putting this here so I can come back and gloat later...but the handles of all the knives behind Charn look red - what if Charn stabs Thatthep in the end?)

[tarisilmarwen]

Rebels Rewatch: "Rebel Assault"

Everything goes so very, very wrong.

Hoo BOY this opening slow pan across the Empire's current gathered forces above Lothal is ah... Very Concerning.

Were there this many ships in the finale? Did Thrawn call for reinforcements just for this one event?

This was an amazing shot in the trailer but once you put it up against that opening pan...

Yeah this attack was doomed.

Mart! Hi! It's so good to see you! Sad that Gooti and Jonner couldn't be here but hey. At least you have a couple redshirts flying with you.

Imperial March briefly excepts into the organs that signify that Thrawn's onscreen. Both he and Hera have identified the fuel depot as the primary target, being both the softest and least defended, and also the most important. No fuel, no production line, no output. This is basic War 101.

"24 ships, Grand Admiral." (squints, checks back in the caps) That is not 24 ships, guys. C'mon, nerds will be checking this.

And now the Empire gets to indulge in its favorite strategy:

Spam TIE Fighters at problem until it goes away. Lol.

No seriously this is going to bug me now, were there that many ships in orbit above Lothal for the finale?! Weeeeeeew lordy, Ezra might have the highest kill count of anyone on the show if that's the case.

Really liking the deep dusk lightning here on the ground with the others. It's very soft.

Aaaaaaand Duke is clearly just Freddie Prince Junior enjoying his Western Drawl voice again lol.

Ohhhhhhh I know I've heard this cue, they used this before in.... ghfkhfhj I can't remember! I think it was another spacebattle? Maybe?

Zeb still antagonizing Ezra like a bullish older brother lol.

Jeez is that pollution or lingering dusk? Hellish red.

The Main Theme kicking in as Hera attempts her heroic X-wing move here.

Thrawn. Thrawn, pal. Buddy. Compadre. That is an ace, you do not just let him get himself stupidly killed. You know full well what Hera is about to do, explain it to Skerris and then he might listen to you. Giving a cursory, "Hey you better obey me." does not suffice, as you well know from Konstantine's defiance back in "Zero Hour".

Maybe if your people skills were better, you wouldn't have people so eager to thumb their nose in your face.

Oh! Ohhhhhhhhhhh! Oh you absolute whore, Skerris didn't even need to die, you could literally have just not had your batteries fire! Oh my gosh this is his exact attitude in the finale. "Gee it's too bad about that guy, anyway shoot to kill." SKERRIS COULD STILL HAVE HAD INTACT SHIELDS WHEN HERA MADE HER SURPRISE ATTACK IF YOU HAD JUST NOT FIRED AT BOTH OF THEM, THAT WAS AAAAAAALLLL YOU, THRAWN, YOU ASS.

"How unfortunate." my foot.

Yeah, uh... X-wings can't actually fire like this with the S-foils closed. It's a known technical lore detail. Yeah the husband was pretty pissy about this one. I mean good for Hera but they should have really let her foils open.

Right so that means that this extra collision here is Thrawn's fault because he let Skerris die to prove a point. Stop doing that, you're gonna lose all your troops!

You know what I think Thrawn absolutely wanted to get to spring his second wave of TIEs on the attack squad and that's why he aggravated Skerris's blunder. He does seem to have a penchant for theatricality.

Again, very on-point lighting.

:(((((((

The defeat is almost muted in tone. We get only a suggestion of the massacre of the attack force, see them as nothing but streaks of flaming, falling comets of light. There's utter silence at first, and then strings ramping up as the horror descends, along with the ships.

All that effort and heroism, fizzled into nothing. With barely any effort on Thrawn's part.

The worry in Kanan's voice as he tries to call Hera. :(((((((

Ryder's resigned defeat, contrasted against Ezra's cautious optimism.

It's not often that it's Ezra comforting Kanan, but it works to pull Kanan out of his head enough to vacate the area with the others.

Ooooh the camerawork in that shot! And the sound design of Chopper's electronic panicked scream!

Seeing Hera hurt is always awful. Fortunately a gaggle of civilians are around to help.

The score flaring up in mournful cello notes as Kanan lets his fear and worry take over, which makes him halt and turn full tilt around to go back.

Ezra lets him go, even though he has to know what a bad idea it is. Better to let him try, I guess, and I know Ezra relates.

Still can't get over how hellish red Capital City looks at night.

Pryce is still Not Fond of Rukh lol.

RIP R3-A3. :(((((((

He died protecting Mart too.

Good on Mart, by the way, for being useful in this ambush, immediately grabs a blaster and shoulder-checks one Trooper and shoots another, I love him.

Zachary Gordon's voicing Mart a bit deeper this episode, apparently we hit puberty lol. (Mart, I mean. Zachary was 20 when this aired.)

Hhhnhnhnhhghfhh what was that noise, Rukh, jeez!

His theme coming in as he finds Mart and Hera and Chopper, heralded by that deep woodwind note.

Hera's not a slouch in the combat department, but Ruhk is very quickly on the offensive again, takes Chopper zapping the crap out of him for him to break off.

The white Loth-wolf meanwhile, is once again just kind of being ~mysterious~ and doing its thing. I have no idea why turning off all the other streetlights were necessary, it's not like Kanan can see it.

Kanan sounding very frustrated. I'm actually reminded of Ezra's behavior in the early part of "Legacy", impatient, impulsive, snapping randomly at the easiest target.

The Loth-wolf does not take kindly to it. But this gets Kanan to calm down again and clear his head.

Some excellent teamwork here between Hera, Chopper, and Mart.

"I'll catch up!" CURSED WORDS, HERA. CURSED WORDS.

The "Shenanigans" cue once again being put through an action wringer, notes staggered, off beat.

THE WAY THIS PARALLELS "CALL TO ACTION" WITH HERA SHOOTING OUT THE DOOR CONTROLS TO SEAL THINGS BEHIND CHOPPER AFTER ORDERING BOTH HIM AND MART TO GO.

Kanan being remarkably chill about all of this after his pep talk with the wolves.

And the wolves leitmotif to close us out, replacing over the ending credits.

Boy this episode is a downer. The attack we've hinged all our hopes on since Season Two fails, Hera is captured, and Lothal seems utterly lost. Now imagine having to wait about oh... six months to see the resolution. Yeah that was fun.

The animation and camerawork is wonderful this episode though, music appropriately somber, and the dark parallels to Season One's finale would continue, to a horribly subversive end. This is all serious from here on out. We have to face the darkest night before we can push through to the dawn.

See y'all next episode. It's uh... gonna be a thing.

[themagnusbane]

GAP The Series Episode 12 Thoughts

Aaaaaand we have made it to the very last episode. And boy it has been quite the thrilling ride. Now, I give my final thoughts on the series as a whole, at the very end of this post, but for now, I am strapped in, eager to see what Idol Factory will be giving us for our series finale (thank the universe that the angst is ending this episode cuz I don't think I have the strength to watch my girls cry for more than 2 episodes. Nope. I am not God's strongest soldier. I'm a weak ass bitch, who hates PAIN!!!!!), and keeping my fingers crossed that they stick the landing!

It probably says something horrible about me, but the glee I felt watching the previous episode snippet of Dishonourable Grandmother screaming for Sam as she walks away from her and her toxic mansion, is making me cackle so loud!!! Utterly satisfying!

2. Urgh!!! The pain I feel at Sam crying at the loss of her grandmother and asking if Mon will love her forever, because now she's separated from the one family that has defined her, and I am in so much PAIN!!! Because this isn't fair! This isn't right! Dishonourable Grandmother's abuse has so sunk into Sam that now she's floundering and wondering if there can be her without her grandmother and it's just heartbreaking because that's the codependency that abusers strive for, and my poor baby Sam, you deserve the world. You deserve better than what you got. Family shouldn't do that to you, especially when it's the only family you thought you had left. THIS IS PAIN!!!!!

3. My dearest Mon. YOU ARE AN ANGEL!!!! Look at Mon trying to comfort Sam, and telling her that she can have both: she can have the love of her life, and also have the love of her grandmother, and Mon is willing to help Sam fight to have both. And I'm crying because although Mon is that kind and loves Sam that much, that she realizes just how much Sam loves her grandmother, and separating form her would break her, the Dishonourable Grandmother, doesn't have that same insight, or just doesn't care. She is willing to break Sam, so she can get her own way, and Sam would be forced down the path she wants her to take, and that is just so painful to witness, because those you love shouldn't want to break you like that. But alas, abusers can do nothing but abuse the love and care you have previously extended to them. This is breaking my fucking heart, and I need to give Sam ALL the hugs!!!

4. Wanna bet that the person calling is fucking Kirk?

5. Aaaaaaand I was right. URGH!!! This phone call is giving me the call of doom. Like the minute Mon picks up, it will be something guilt-tripping like Dishonourable grandmother is in the hospital, and she needs Sam to marry Kirk as the incentive for waking up from like a coma or something. Which if this is the path that they take with this phone call, I AM LOSING MY SHIT!!!!!

6. They really did. They really did "Your grandmother is in the hospital". How. Fucking. Original. And of course, all the work from the previous episode will go down the drain because even whilst in a coma, Dishonourable grandmother is still a MANIPULATIVE BITCH!

7. Thank the heavens Nueng is here!!! Maybe she can speak some sense into her.

8. Aaaaand I spoke too soon. Sam honey. It's not about winning or losing. It's about your grandmother's abuse and you breaking away from that. Because what I foresee is a lifetime of her being able to use her frailties as yet another weapon in the arsenal of her abuse, and my heart is breaking for Sam because her grandmother is so clearly succeeding. AND URGH!!!!!!

9. But she's right though to call out Neung though. They are both being sucked into Dishonourable grandmother's wishes. The difference is that her sister at least knows this and resents it. Whilst Sam is resigned to this. Which, once again... FUCK!!!! But she is right in telling Sam to break up with Mon though. Let baby girl Mon go. Keeping her on a leash after she's decided to follow Dishonourable Grandmother's wishes is unfair. And now we will probably have them separated from each other until like the last 10mins of the show. Which... URGH!!!!!!!

10. Yuki is such a good friend. My queen!!!

11. Mon saying that she should have known that their relationship wouldn't last, and that of course Sam would pick her grandmother... MY HEART!!! This show is so determined to crush my heart into tiny smithereens. I'm dead inside.

12. The fact that Tee and Jim rushed over immediately to be with Mon is making me cry even harder. I just love the way this show has depicted the relationships between these group of women. Sure they are Sam's besties, but they have also adopted Mon into their group, and now that their bestie has been forced to break Mon's heart, they are there to offer Mon emotional support, and even Kade is desperate to come over, even though she's on set. They really are the ideal! And now I'm crying all over again!!

13. Me too Jim!! I really hate it when people leave things unresolved. It's something that is making me really resentful in this episode. Sam's been told to break up with Mon. Choosing to instead ignore her calls and refuse to speak with her, is very frustrating. It's this whole leaving her plunging at a precipice, and the only person it serves is Sam, who's chosen her grandmother, and by extension has stuck her head in the sand. Mon isn't getting the closure to move on, and although I know why Sam is doing that, it still reads as selfish because Mon deserves to have that thread snapped off, rather than it being pulled taunt, keeping them still connected because Sam isn't brave enough to make that choice. But I guess that is something that Sam's been battling with this entire series: her bravery. And this yo-yoing is driving me nuts!

14. Hold up. So it's not ONLY Mon that she's ignoring? She's gone radio silent on everyone??? Fuuuuuuuuuck. Sam baby girl. You can tell that she's distraught. And now she's cut off all contact. And the only people she's with is Dishonourable Grandmother, and Kirk the trash heap. Urgh!!!

15. I repeat. Sam's friends are the best!!! The fact that they're the ones forcing this. To give Mon the chance to move on. But are also willing to provide her the support, if she does want to walk away without having this final conversation with Sam? Best. Friends! For real! No show's doing female friendships like these! I love these women!!!

16. Gghjghjghjghjghjg. OMG!!! OMG!!! OMFGGGGGGG!!! Yuki just called Tee BABY!!! Yes!!! I HAVE ASCENDED!!!! GAY JESUS THANK YOU!!! LESBIAN JESUS WE ARE GRATEFUL FOR THIS MORSEL!!!

17. Hold up! HOLD THE FUCK UP! They are married??? She is marrying Kirk for real???? And It's not until her wedding day that Mon gets this closure??? Not from Sam, but through their mutual friends? What in the??? SAM WHAT ARE YOU DOING??? WHAT ARE YOU THINKING?? WHAT IN THE FUCKK IS THIS??? WHO WROTE THIS?? WHO THOUGHT THIS WAS IN ANYWAY OKAY???????

18. You know what? At this point I'm just exhausted. And done. This conversation... That Sam is having THIS conversation, whilst IN her wedding dress, ON her wedding day, and from what Mon has said, has ignored all of Mon's messages to her, until this very moment??? Mon is a much better, kinder and more forgiving person than I am. Because I would be screaming right now. And now in a good, sexy way. Mon sweetheart. You deserved so much better than this!!

19. Sam, Dishonorable grandmother falling ill IS NOT YOUR FAULT!!! Her body's the one that is LITERALLY failing her. It's got NOTHING to do with you. I swear, if at some point, this show doesn't address this huge ass fallacy, taken straight from an abuser's handbook, I. AM. GOING. TO. RIOT!!!

20. Wait. I'm confused. So were those pre-wedding pictures that they were taking? What is with this editing???

21. Yes Mon! That's good news!! Travel to England. Move on. Find a new great love. Leave everything behind. I am not the one dealing with all of things, but I'M EXHAUSTED!!! I can't even begin to imagine how Mon feels.

22. You go Mon beloved!! Get that post-heartbreak haircut!! Plus, it just makes Becky's face look even more angelic and beautification!! Absolutely stunning.

23. The audacity of dishonorable grandmother to say she would do anything to make Sam happy, whilst literally listening to Sam cry her eyes out because she's being forced into a marriage she doesn't want, to make her dishonorable ass happy? I AM LIVID!!!

24. Awwww. Her coworkers cheering her on, is making me so sad. So many people love Mon, and are so sad to see her go. And you know what? Valid. I love Mon too, and if I was in this universe, I would be spitting mad that because of dishonorable grandmother's comfort and wishes, Mon wouldn't be in anyone's lives in Thailand anymore. I repeat, this IS ASS!!!!!!

25. I know the show is expecting me to be ecstatic about DIshonourable grandmother and Kirk having a change of heart, but you know what? Fuck that. This is too sudden. We have been given NO hints that this woman and Kirk and the trash heap have been reconsidering the vileness that is this goal of theirs. To have it suddenly pop up feels unearned. Like the story needs to wrap up quickly so boom! We will have her grandmother change her mind. And honestly, I am over it. We still haven't tackled the abuse. It goes beyond just you being selfish Dishonorable grandmother. And the fact that we can see traces of you making it about you, and not the pain that Sam is going through??

26. I know that this show wants us cheering Sam rushing to make it to Mon to tell her that she's now gotten permission from Dishonourable grandmother and they can now be together. But you know what? Fuck that. I sincerely hope that by the time she gets to Mon's house, her parents tell her that she's already left for the airport. And that when Sam calls Jim to ask where they are, they tell her that Mon's plane has already left. They need to make her work to earn my girl, Mon back. I am vindictive enough to want that. Mon deserves that. After all the bullshit Sam and her family have put her through. But knowing this show, we are probably not going to get that.

27. I swear, the only reason why the premise of this show is able to work is because Mon is a Mary Sue character. That quick easy forgiveness and hug that she's given Sam right now? If it were me, I am first screaming at her for almost killing everyone in the car, especially Jim who is HEAVILY pregnant. Then telling her that nope. I'm going back to England. Cuz fuck EVERYTHING!!!! But alas. Mon is a much better, kinder, and sweeter person than me. So here we are.

28. Now that I've resigned myself to the fact that we are getting this rushed resolution and reunion, I will like to admit that this scene of their confession and reunion is soooo cute!!! ALL THAT COLOUR!!!!! It's sooooo pretty!!

29. OMG!!! It's Saint. My pretty pretty boy!!!!

30. Sam being all "I shall shout to the world that MON IS MINE!!!!!" is giving me life!!! Yes! That's a good start to making it up to us and Mon. Make that love visible!! Shout it from the rooftops!!

31. Now I know the reason why they've brought Saint, is to show Dishonourable grandmother that there are other royal people like her, who aren't homophobic, and his words have got her thinking outside the box... But I really don't like her as a person, and I'm miffed that every time I smile at Saint's pretty face, she shows up!

32. WE ARE GETTING A WEDDING!!!! YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!! This is sooo awesome!! And the colour of choice is Mon's pink hues??? Be still my heart!!!

33. Hold up a second. Is that Chin? Are he and Yha together??? I thought he was married??? Is he now divorced and with Yha??? I AM CONFUSED!!!!

34. I'm still wary of everything grandmother says. But I get it that this show is trying extra hard to remake our opinion of her, and even pulling in Nueng to do so. I don't buy it one bit. But I'm here for my girls being married, so I guess, I'll just have to live with that.

35. THEIR WEDDING DRESSES!!! I AM DEAD!!!! They both look so radiant. My babies. My hearts. MY LOVES!!! GAH!!!!!!!!

36. Their vows!! OMG!!! This is so beautiful. It's everything I've ever wanted. My heart!!!!

37. Hehehehe. I was hoping that either Yuki or Kade would catch the Bouquet. But having it be Kade and Kirk? Not bad. Not bad at all! Hehehehehe.

38. Awwwwww. That was beautiful. Her loving pink now because of Mon? My babies ARE married!!!!!

Aaaaaand we made it!!! This entire show was a rollercoaster. Am I still slightly miffed that we never actually tackled how abusive Sam's grandmother was? Yes. But am I surprised that the show didn't? Nope. I don't think it's a discourse that society is ready for. We are always so quick to sweep over the "sins" of our elders as long as they are moderately acceptive of our queerness, and I guess I am not surprised that Gap maintained that.

What I am happy about though is that we got a full-length GL series, that centered women and our queerness and also our community. Not only was it Sam and Mon's incredible love story, but we also saw two other sapphic romances. We also saw friendships amongst women. The type where they show up for one another, and also accept their friend's lover into their circle and become her friend in turn. It was beautiful and amazing and I hope we get more of stories like that.

And can I also say, I'm really appreciative that they didn't make any of the women catty? Like I thought for a second that they were going to make Nita this femme fatale. Especially with her noticing Sam and Mon's couple bracelets. But that didn't show up, and I love that!

GAP the series made my Saturdays enjoyable and I am definitely going to come back and rewatch it over and over again.

Thank you to everyone who came on this ride with me. If you want me to share my thoughts on other series like I have done for Gap, please come into my ask box, and drop your recs. Just make sure that they are gay and interesting and I will definitely get around to checking them out.

Until next time...

See ya!

[rainbow-pop-arts]

HOUUUUUUGH, time for part 2 of my Trigun Maximum vol 2 thoughts for @trigunbookclub !!

Some thoughts on TriMax chap 10-11 under the cut!

You…you did what??? Damn, what happened to you that you would go THAT far to give away your humanity??

BRO CAN’T ADMIT DEFEAT, HOLY SHI- I mean, HOLY CRAP!

Aaaaaaand Wolfwood shot him…

Vash hit Wolfwood!

Wolfwood hit Vash back!

Oh no, Vash and Wolfwood are fighting!! (;° ロ°)

I showed this to my friend who watched Banana Fish because this somehow reminded me of that scene where Ash didn’t hesitate to shoot himself for Eiji’s safety (My friend even said VashWood is like AshEiji, I guess it kinda is in a way)

(Anya from Spy x Family) I wanna analyze stuff like this like others in the book club but I can’t analyze for crap but I’ll try. Uhm, let’s see here…Wolfwood was mad that Vash wouldn’t even a kill anyone even if they wanna kill him, so I think Wolfwood was a bit jealous or worried? Like Wolfwood has killed a lot that he sees himself as the devil unlike Vash? Did I analyzed right?

THE GIRLS ARE BACK!! (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧

Y’all….a POC character who wasn’t drawn stereotypically??? (◎O◎)

Anyways, a small ship crashed nearby and there’s a girl who said Vash’s name

Aw, Wolfwood with kids and y’all….that smile (⁄ ⁄>⁄ ▽ ⁄<⁄ ⁄)

Wolfwood goes YEET

Vash ABSOLUTELY can not drive

So because of Vash’s INABILITY to drive, he got injured. But luckily, Wolfwood found help

Man, Wolfwood is so complicated ╮(╯∀╰)╭ (so are the other characters, dumbass)

Oh my, Vash doesn’t look so hot

Anyways, Vash’s helping to save this guy’s parents even when he’s in a condition to not do so (such determination, Rem would be proud! (*꒦ິ꒳꒦ີ))

It was at this moment that Vash knew, he screwed up

B O O M

Welp, all’s well that ends we-

Oh you gotta be kidding me

NEVERMIND, HERE’S WOLFWOOD WITH HIS BADASSERY! (ᗒᗨᗕ)

Wow, Wolfwood cares for Vash lots! ٩(＾▽＾)۶

Well….that’s the end of that chapter

That’s all for part 2! ଘ(੭ˊᵕˋ)੭* ੈ✩‧˚

Bonus: I was looking at the Trigun Book Club schedule again and noticed it would run until September, I'll already be in 11th grade by then.

(GIF from Oshi no Ko) And on top of that I'll lose most of my free time on Saturdays cuz I have a math tutor in the morning and I'll be joining an art cram school on August that'll be in the afternoon until evening. I'll also have one grade left before college. I'll just imagine Vash, Wolfwood, Meryl and Milly (probably Roberto and Knives too) cheering me on...

[lampmanliveblogs]

While the rest of the Hexside students distract Kikimora, our heroes have just enough time to draw up the complicated teleportation circle… with a bit of help from Luz’ palisman, who has yet to take on its true final form.

Kikimora is able to shake off the attacking kids long enough to take one last shot, just as Luz activates the teleportation array and and a brilliant flash of light, their whisked away from danger and into the vast cranium of the Titan.

There they stand now, under The Collector’s Archive House, so close, yet so far away. For I fear that the hardest part is yet to come…

Listen, I don’t know anything about Star Trek, but I do know that ”Beam us up Scotty” is a Star Trek reference. So yeah, shoutout to that, as well as Camila coming out as a fellow Cosmic Frontier fan, which also doubles as a light-hearted reference to the fact that Hunter, like O’Bailey, is a clone.

And let’s not forget Amity and Willow being best friends again, that’s super precious too. You love to see it.

Alright, first things first, I love the guesses the squad had.

Camila guessed a dragon, because dragons are THE fantasy creature, and she knows how much Luz loves her fantasy books.

Hunter guesses a bird, not just because of Flapjack, but because Eda (and the rest of the Clawthorne family) has a bird palisman.

Amity guesses an otter, which is a callback to Enchanting Grom Fright, when Luz wondered if she should go to Grom dressed as an otter… with a dark side!

Willow guesses a bat because…. because… um… Bat-Queen? Maybe? They did have that excursion in the Bat-Queen’s forest back in Escape of the Palisman.

And finally, Gus throws out snake. And I’m going to be honest with you guys, I might’ve maybe had a few hints at what Luz’ palisman was gonna be. Enough to figure out it was a snake, or more accurately, snake-related.

As far as in-show foreshadowing goes… at the top of my head, last episode we had a bunch of snake imagery around Luz. We had her finding the ”snake pajamas” in Camila’s nightmare/flashback, we had Luz wearing that shirt with a staff and a snake on it, and I think she might’ve had a drawing of a snake in her notebook? As far back as episode one of season one, Luz was playing with snakes and I think Camila might’ve even said something about Luz making some friends that weren’t reptiles. That’s not even to mention the fact that Luz’ newly adopted sister is a snake.

So yeah, there’s been plenty of snakes around Luz. But of course, this isn’t just any old snake, it’s a…

A SNAKESHIFTER. You guys know I love a good pun. And just like Vee, this little cutie is a shapeshifter. Which is so perfect for Luz, the child of two worlds, a chaotic being, always on the move.

Her name is Stringbean! Now, David ”Stringbean” Akeman was an American singer-songwriter, musician, comedian, and semi-professional baseball player. String bean is also one alternate name for green beans. You can also call them haricot verts, if you wanna charge extra.

So yeah, I gotta agree with Luz here: she’s perfect! She is Luz' own infinite potential given physical form.

Now that things have calmed down just a little, Willow takes the opportunity to thank Hunter for his words before, he really helped her, and he means a lot to her too. and then they blush and almost hold hands and it’s so cute.

In fact, it’s almost a little too cute, I’m starting to get nervous here. Because surely, they’re gonna end the episode on a cliffhanger, and there’s only just over a minute left of the episode…

But before that, I’m gonna get what might very well be the last cute screenshot of this episode.

Look at the babies! Look at them!

Aaaaaaand there we have it. Good vibes ended. The camera pans upward to The Collector overlooking our heroes, with Raine still possessed by Philip looming behind them, ready to whisper yet more poisonous words into the ear of the Lord of the Fireflies.

”I think I wanna play a new game.”

And with a snap of their fingers, The Collector ends the episode right then and there as everything goes black.

Treat me like I'm evil Freeze me till I'm cold Beat me till I'm feeble Grab me till I'm old

Fry me till I'm tired Push me till I fall Treat me like a criminal Just a shadow on the wall!

[thessalian]

Thess vs the Valley of the Fallen

I've still been running through Stuff in Horizon Forbidden West in the mornings, but the last day or so it was mostly "Attempt to hunt up THINGS for armour, be disappointed when the Slaughterspine I was hunting didn't turn out to be the really dangerous one, sigh and decide to try again later". But I did trip over a quest, and ... yeah.

So yesterday I tripped over a quest from Nakka in Fall's Edge, when I was trying to tick the "Visit Fall's Edge" box on the main questline. But I can't find the person I need to talk to here and the quest isn't ticking. Lemme check Reddit.

Sooooooooo it just ... stays there until I do the main part of the quest? Really? Couldn't we have at least had it turn off when I actually visit the place? What the--? Oh. Hi, Nakko.

Okay, so, dude's worried about his brother. Who has disregarded orders to avoid the Really Weird Valley with the Really Weird Lights. Kids are stupid. Buuuuut they probably don't deserve to die for it. I mean, there are limits to how Darwinian we want to get here, right?

But first I wanna get that data point I keep missing, or I will forget it again.

I mean, it seems useless, but it honestly doesn't seem to be. There have been at least two data points that I can remember that talked about people struggling to find jobs. That's ... a mood.

Right. Valley of the Fallen.

Hi, Ivvira. Yeah, I feel for you, getting sent out to rescue kids from their own overconfidence. Park rangers used to get that all the time, and there were fewer killer machines back then.

Oh dear. Poor Daxx. Wonder if I can get Ivvira to tell this dude's brother about this.

Huh. That's not too bad a gathering. I expected more in the way of Clamberjaws, since map tells me this is a Clamberjaw site. Maybe it's only a Clamberjaw site after I take out the lures--

Oh. Zenith lures. Well, yeah, protecting their private island, right.

Override you and--

Did ... did you just say "Local vermin"?!?

Did you just add "Yay!" after your fucking kill count, you asshole AI?

Zenith genocidal fuckwits GO DIE IN A FIRE.

Right. Site the second aaaaaaaand ... ah. Spikesnouts. At least I know how to deal with those.

Yep, lemme just loot first-- There was a Skydrifter there? I ... guess I killed it without noticing?

Sorry, Yivekka-- Oh. Hi again, Ivvira--

There ... are Spectres now?!?

Why do I suddenly feel like I did this backwards?!? Oh fuck it; poonk-time is now!

Okay. Yes, Ivvira, you stay here with Yivekka; I will go deal with that last lure.

And this lure-- OH SHUT UP, YOU HORRIBLE LITTLE AI! YOU'RE LIKE CLAPTRAP FOR GENOCIDAL MANIACS!

Thunderjaw and Tremortusk? Oof. Okay. Lemme see how much damage I can do without getting close.

...Quite a lot, apparently. Right. Lure the third.

And now the AI has a voice. And ... it really is Claptrap for genocidal maniacs.

Oh. Hi, Erik. Genocidal fuckwit.

Yeah, I definitely did this backwards because now it's telling me to go to the third lure. Gods, I hope I didn't bug this out completely...

I did not. Good. And I have ... another weapon I will never ever use. But thank you anyway.

Right. It's night. If I hurry, I might be able to get myself an Apex Slaughterspine. I'll blow a fast travel pack, just to be on the safe side.

And up the mountain I gooooooooooooo...

Scanning ... it's taking a second--YES! Just want to get the Leaplashers first.

Bye, Leaplashers! Now-- oop I alerted the Slaughterspine AND I HAVE NO COVER SHIT.

Smoke bomb; dodge roll-- AGH!

Fuckthisthingfuckthisthingfuckthisthiiiiiiiiiiiiing...

YES! With my last arrow, too.

Now, lemme just find a workbench-- Oh. I missed a Leaplasher. Now, how far away can I be and still hit?

...Never mind next post code; that was across state lines. Best way to deal with a Leaplasher, in my opinion.

I could fast travel, but I want to get that Redeye Watcher site.

Quietly tracking aaaaaaand--waitwut.

Why are there Bellowbacks THIS IS NOT A BELLOWBACK SITE ON MY MAP WHY ARE THERE BELLOWBACKS?!?

Okay, I don't really need to hunt the Bellowbacks so I'mma just sneak through in the river, thanks.

Redeye Watchers. I don't really need to hunt them either, but what the hell. It'll get me close enough to register the site properly on my map.

And over I go to Lowland's Path. And workbench aaaaaaaaaand...

FULLY. UPGRADED. LEGENDARY. UTARU. WINTERWEAVE. ARMOUR. I AM INVISIBLE!

Right. I was going to be better about food. So I should do that.

Well, I mean, as well as food, I have a D&D thing to do today. At least I'm a little better on the pain scale. Yesterday wasn't great. Had to take a dose of mallet meds to leave the house. Did I mention I hate fibromyalgia? Because I hate fibromyalgia.

[potassium-pilot]

FFXIVWrite 2023, Day 9: Fair

Oliver shuffled his hands through his notes, taking care that all of the date he recorded on elemental activity was organized. All he needed now was to get home and start properly analyzing and logging what he had learned in his lab in the cottage.

Upon opening the door, he found Dia hanging upside down, Hector dangling her by her tiny, six-summer-old right ankle. Chaos was true order in the Sito household, so when the red-headed midlander returned to a maniacally cackling Elezen child and his reckless bald highlander life partner and research assistant holding her like a fisherman with his rather large catch, it didn't quite phase him much.

"I assume you know that I would be rather upset if you were to drop her, yes?"

"Don't ye worry yer pretty head, darlin'. Only 'oldin' 'er like this 'cause o' 'er pryin' lil' 'ands!" The young child giggled loudly as he lifted her higher to look her in the eye and give her a menacing grin.

"Gods' sakes, Hector. What could she have done now?"

"She thought she could get away wit' snoopin' through a cookie jar when 'er ol' man was right across the way and she knows dinner's bein' served in a bell! Ain't tha' right, Dia?!" She could only laugh in response.

"Heavens above", Oliver rolled his eyes. "Put her down, Hector."

The highlander approached a well-used pale blue sofa and gently laid her down against the cushions. The Elezen was still in a laughing fit, calming down from the rush her father gave her just then. Oliver went to her side and patted her head. "I understand your temptation, but give not into it. That would spoil your appetite and I would feel better if you ate a more nutritious meal. Do you understand, dear?"

"Yes, daddy."

"Good girl." Oliver smiled. Oliver then walked over to Hector and sternly told him, "Holding a child like she's a fresh-caught sea bass, on the other hand, is not an appropriate response for a child dipping into a cookie jar."

"What if the child was 'avin the time o' 'er life?" Hector turned to Dia and asked enthusiastically, "Weren't ye 'avin fun, Dia?"

"Yeah!" She cackled in response.

Oliver sighed and pinched his nose. "I get no support here." With his notes still in his inventory, he made his way to his laboratory and closed the door behind him.

--------

Years have passed along. Oliver was reading on the sofa as he felt a presence sit right next to him. He looked and found his thirteen summer old daughter simpering next to him. "Hi, daddy!"

"Hello, dear. Did you care to join me for some light reading? I've an interesting book on the fungal species of the Twelveswood. It's been updated for this year."

"That's nice, but I was hoping to ask you something."

"Of course."

"Do you know what today is?"

Oliver looked to the calendar hanging on the wall nearby. "I believe today is the twenty-eighth day of the Fifth Umbral Moon."

"Right. So do you know what that means next week is?"

He knew perfectly well, but he had to pretend to think on it for his amusement. "Well...I believe there's to be a waxing gibbous in the sky that night."

"Aaaaaaand?"

"Hm...perhaps someone's nameday may be on the horizon. But whose nameday? Now that is perplexing..."

"Daddy!" She yelled excitedly.

Oliver chuckled to himself and ruffled her hair. "Yes, your fourteenth nameday is upon us. Oh, I remember when we found you in the Twelveswood like it was but a day ago. Now look at what's become of that sweet infant."

"Yes, and I'm very glad you two took me in, but you remember what you told me?"

He remembered very well, and it drove his heart rate through the roof to think of it. "About that..."

"Daddy, please! Not again!" Dia begged.

"I know, but...I cannot let you leave until I know with absolute certainty that you will not be harmed if I were to let you go to Limsa Lominsa's Arcanist Guilt by yourself."

"I'm almost fourteen, Daddy. I'm more than ready to go. I've been working on my combat magic!"

"Have you?"

"Yes!"

Oliver put down his book on the old oaken coffee table, coated in coffee stains and littered in papers, and looked her in the eye. "Prove it to me." He stood up and walked to the door. "If you can hold your own against me, then I will take you to Limsa Lominsa myself."

Though it had been some time since he last needed to use it, his family pioneered combative arithmantic black magic, a form meant to mimic the act of black magic without drawing aether from the land. Knowing this about him, Dia stood up and faced him down.

"Then I've no choice but to hold my own against you, do I?"

The two stepped outside into the forests of The Black Shroud. They took an appropriate distance from one another. Both faced the other down, Dia's eyes glimmering with sheer determination. Oliver had to hide his fear behind a shield of stern looks.

Dia took the first cast of Ruin and fired at her father. Though she was stronger with it than when he first taught it to her for self-defense purposes, it barely made an impact into him. It only hurt slightly.

With that, Oliver used his book to cast Fire and aimed it squarely at his daughter.

The impact of the spell sent Dia flying backwards, spinning until she landed face down against the ground. She brought her arms to her side to try and get up, but the pain was overwhelmingly powerful. Her forearms were shaking, her chest was burning, and her head was throbbing, the world looking so blurred through her eyes. Though she tried her hardest to stand back up, her body simply would not let her and so she collapsed once again, panting for breath.

Oliver watched her struggle in this state and felt his knees turn to jelly. His chest tightened and his jaw slacked in horror. When he tried to run to her, however, his path was blocked by his highlander partner, his eyes glowing red and his axe prepared in his hands.

"TRY AN' TOUCH 'ER AGAIN AN' I'LL SPLIT YER 'EAD IN TWAIN!" Hector roared.

"Hector!"

Hector ran to Dia's side and lifted her carefully into him. "Don't ye worry, Dia. Da's got you. Hector's gonna take care o' ye, okay?"

Dia coughed and said weakly, "I'm sorry."

"What ye gotta be sorry fer, love?"

"Daddy...he said I needed to show him I could hold my own...if I wanted to go to Limsa."

"Did 'e?" Hector turned his head slowly to look to Oliver, and in a quiet fury, growled, "Ye ain't the marauders she's s'pose to worry 'bout."

Hector stood up, holding Dia in his arms as she laid in him limply, and carried her into the cottage without another word. As he held her, Oliver could see the blood stain her shirt, and smell her singed flesh, his stomach churning as he realized he did that to her. Once Hector closed the door, Oliver found a corner nearby and vomited violently.

---------

But a week after the Scions awoke in their bodies on the Source, Dia and Alisaie went shopping in the Sapphire Avenue Exchange in Ul'Dah, looking to buy some supplies for Tataru while she dealt with some other business away from the Rising Stones. While picking out some cleaning supplies from an apothecary, they hadn't noticed a scrawny brown-haired Hyur man nearby. He walked very casually but very close to the both of them, and without Dia noticing a single thing, stole some gil from her coinpurse.

Despite Dia's unawareness, Alisaie heard the jingling of money and saw the man walk away quickly. The youngest of the pair put two and two together and gave chase, leaving the eldest behind with the merchant, who Dia apologized to, asked him to hold the cleansers for them and ran after her. He turned a corner into the back alleys, but Alisaie was quick with a Corps-a-Corps and tackled him to the stony ground.

Alisaie turned the man around, grabbed him by the cuff, and screamed, "Do you realize who you just stole from? Do you even know?!"

"Urgh! Get off me!"

Dia appeared behind her in time for Alisaie to yell, "That's the Warrior of Light!"

His face grew pale with fear. His jaw trembled and his eyes grew wider and wider.

"If you have any sense, you'll give back what you took from her and never show your face again!"

"Alisaie", Dia took her shoulder calmly and tried to de-escalate the situation, "It's all right." With a scowl towards the man, she stood up as Dia asked him, "How much did you take?"

He showed her what he had taken, a small handful of gil. It was a pitifully small amount compared to what she kept on her person usually, never mind the fact that most people could only dream of being able to afford her usual gear. "Take it and go. Don't let us catch you doing that again."

He crawled back to standing and ran away as fast as his legs could carry him.

"Dia, what were you thinking? That was yours."

"What he took didn't even make a dent in my coinpurse anyway. Don't worry. I've plenty of money."

"That doesn't give him the right to take it from you without your permission."

"Nor is it fair to burn his face for what's really a pittance. Now come on, we've got supplies to buy."

"Unbelievable. You are unbelievable, Dia", Alisaie sighed in frustration.

-------

About one day ago, Estinien returned Dia to Ishgard from the Ragnarok. He left her in Aymeric's care, knowing full well that she would accept nowhere else to rest but Borel Manor.

At this point, Aymeric was in the Seat of the Lord Commander. Though he should have focused on his work, his thoughts distracted him. The idea that one of the most important people in his life laid in their bedchambers as hurt as she was made him tense. She just saved the universe from the ravages of despair itself. Why was he here when he could make himself useful to her? The war against Garlemald was effectively over, there was no war against the dragons anymore. At this point, his role as the Lord Commander was for bureaucratic purposes as Handeloup oversaw training of recruits and kept the knights working. The bulk of his work was papers and meetings through the House of Lords.

"My lord?"

Aymeric's focus returned to the waking world and he stared up at who just called him. Handeloup stood above him.

"May I speak freely with you?"

"But of course."

"Thank you." Handeloup cleared his throat before saying in a serious tone, "If my wife were to have returned to me in the state that you found Mistress Sito in, I don't think I'd be able to sleep, much less return to work for a while. Are you well?"

Aymeric frowned. "Ah. I'm afraid you caught me ruminating on the subject as well."

"'Tis difficult, I'm aware, but my lord, I wish to make it clear that I would be happy to undertake some more responsibilities for you should you wish to be more present for Mistress Sito. I know I would appreciate such a thing."

Aymeric put his quill down. "I'm unsure what could be done. While I wish to help her in whatever way I can, my duties do not stop here in the Congregation."

"That is true, but my lord, I believe I have an idea for that..."

Dia was half-asleep in bed in the Manor. The painkillers given to her by Captain Whitecape drained any ability to keep herself roused, so she laid there dazed and exhausted. She was ordered to strict bed rest and had no reason at this point to break it. That in mind, she hadn't noticed the sounds of a door opening and only came to when she felt a gentle kiss press against her forehead. She tilted her head as much as she could to see that Aymeric was the culprit. He sat down and took her hand.

"Hi", she smiled woozily. Her words slurred as she asked him, "What are you doing home? What time is it?"

"But a quarter-bell to noon. I'll be taking my work here."

"What?" Her smile dropped. "No no, you don't have to do that."

"If I leave you here alone, my guilty conscience will never allow me to finish any work."

"Oh, but G'raha and the twins and Angelbert, they're all here, remember?"

"And I'm not. 'Tis enough to make a man feel rather left out."

"Aw, I don't...I didn't mean to make you give up your work for me."

"But my work continues. I can handle a solid portion of it from my home study. If I've any need to attend sessions with the House of Lords, then I shall depart for that much, then I can return straight here."

He circled his thumb carefully around her hand. "And I'm afraid that if you didn't wish to take up my every waking thought, it fell on me not to fall in love with you, and I am far too late to stop that, even if I wanted to."

"Ayms..."

"You have saved us on countless occasions, Dia. It is only right that a team of people who love you overwhelmingly so find the time to care for you. You deserve so much more."

Dia breathed out of her nose. "Don't let me stop you from anything important though."

"You and Ishgard are ever my most paramount concerns, my dear. Worry not for me. Please."

The medication made her too drowsy to argue the point anymore. "All right." With that, she had no more energy and nodded back off. Aymeric brushed some hair out of her face and stood up.

This felt right to him.

[justaredheadf1fan]

What happens in Mexico, stays in Mexico

Whatever happened to my manners, hola!!

There’s been quite some content before the race with the Driver’s Parade and whatnot. Apparently so, due to some comments on Ted Kravitz’s part about Cuntstappen’s illegitimate championships (truthful comments, might I add), both him AND FraudBull won’t talk to Sky. They don’t know how to lose, but certainly they don’t know how to be handed championships either, because that’s not winning in my book.

Onto happier things, Lewis and George looking like a just married couple in the Driver’s Parade has added to my life expectancy. Cute as fuck, if you ask me.

8 minutes to go and I’m stressed. I’m gonna summarize a part of the race because we’re having dinner altogether at Marina’s, but we’ll watch the race start properly.

Good start for George and Lewis, but Lewis ends up passing George and the Ferraris fighting each other, good thing it was a clean start for now.

Fraudstappen and Lewis are turning away from the rest, and surprisingly enough Lewis might be slightly quicker. I sure hope so. George and the Ferrari boys have fallen behind, I hope this gets sorted, we need something there. No incidents for now however, just Stroll’s radio messages cursing giving me life.

Pierre receives a 5-second penalty for pushing Lance off the track. Classic. It was a pretty normal thing and yet the penalty is way harsher than it really should be. They truly have it out for him after Suzuka.

The party actually starts now that Cuntstappen is struggling with his tyres. Still they stop Checo first and fuck up his stop. Nice one, RedBull. Lewis saying his tyres are doing good means good stuff. Keep it up, baby boy, you got this! LEWIS LEADING, STOP THE RACE!!!!!!!

Charles holding off Checo is what wet dreams are made of. But with an illegal car it’s way too obvious that that won’t last long. And now Flopstappen is crying again. Anywho. And now Charles goes into the pits, let’s just hope no one crashes fucking up his strategy.

Lewis called to box, let’s hope this works. Austin went fucking amazing, this strategy should be good too. Caerlos stops too and Scuderia Clowneria going at it again as usual, what a surprise. Good thing George says his tyres are good and that he’s staying out longer.

How good is George, truly? He’s thinking so far ahead, it’s fucking insane. He’s planning the end of the race while the rest is just trying not to suffocate 🤣 He goes into the pit to get Hard tyres as well. I need some war crimes now, honestly. I trust you, Giorgio.

I know I’m not the only one to think that Bottas is utterly unable to be aggressive and therefore overtake anyone. Esteban’s overtake was absolutely amazing, but Bottas making “attempts” to call it something… And now the Merc boys complaining about their tyres, fuck.

Nothing much really going on in the last few laps without pit stops or else. And I had to open my mouth. Daniel getting too close to Yuki and Yuki’s car is popped into the air over Daniel’s tyre. Fuck’s sake. Yuki’s race is practically over if not straightforward over. They’re gonna retire, indeed. Dani was in the wrong here, Yuki was rightfully angry. And they handed him a 10-second penalty straight away apparently.

Lewis making more drama about the tyres 🤣 Baby boy, WE KNOW. But there’s still 18 laps to go. Let’s trust Bono, please.

10 more laps to go and I’m dying on the inside. This race like a few others gave me a slight hope of something great, considering. And now, watching the race. Meh. Alonso complaining or something (I’m assuming because that’s all he usually does) about the SEASON. I’m here for it.

Amazingly, Daniel is gaining pace and might even salvage the penalty. Aaaaaaand Alonso stops and we got ourselves a VSC. He lost the engine at Turn 1. Well. That’s Karma, my friend.

Anyways, so that was quick. 5 laps to go. This is unbearable, honestly. The only thing is George stopping for Softs. Let’s see.

Last lap now and obviously Crystappen wins, what a surprise, how well deserved, so impressive. Thank goodness for sarcasm.

I’m gonna end this here today, these next few days are gonna be a much needed F1-free week, I need to organize my life since tomorrow I’ll be going back to reality. I don’t want to 😭

Until Brazil, until hope is renewed again, peace out!

[racingliners]

F1 Re-Watch 2022: Round 19 - USA

More mild shock because it’s a race I did remember to watch C4 highlights of!!

Granted, the bulk of my memories around this race were Lewis nearly winning, Seb leading for one (1) lap and Seb and Kevin’s INSANE last lap battle for P8.

Oh and once again everyone wore cowboy hats because Texas

So, grab your team coloured Stetsons and let’s jump in!

I think this race was good?? I mean I hope it is

I actually like COTA as a track, it’s pretty decent (and the best of all the current USA tracks by a mile imho)

(yes I’m saying that despite us being months away from Vegas bc what is the Vegas layout 😭)

Anyway, starting grid whiplash:

“Lots of drivers out of position thanks to penalties” 2015 McLaren Honda flashbacks

ouch Dan P15 & Charles P12.

BUT SEB TOP 10 YEAAAAAAAH BOI

LANCE P5!!!!!!! LEWIS P3!!!!!! INJECT IIIIIIIIIIIIIIT

I love it when the starting grid whiplash is actually nice

“This race could be anyone’s today” Really Crofty??? Really??? When the RB18 exists???

Helmet watch: Lewis’ neon yellow helmet with the purple visor >>>>>>

They had to change Lewis’ brakes before the start???? I really will be taking a sledgehammer to the W13 when I’m finished re-watching 2022

[Start/Lap 1]: Oh... a Merc murdered Sainz at turn 1

or not he’s gotten going he’s just at the back

oh it was Russell erguhaii

The saga of George Russell’s violence against the grid continues

anyway SEB UP INTO P5!!!!!!!!!

THAT’S! MY! BOOOOOOOOOOY!!!!!!!!!

[Lap 2]: aaaaaaand Sainz DNF. 

Charles up to P9

LANCE IS IN P3??????

STOP THE RACE

TEAM GREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEN 💚💚💚💚💚💚

[Lap 3]: and 5 sec penalty for Russell t-boning Sainz

Meanwhile Albon has no grip, and has dropped to P10 from P8 and has Bottas all up in his business

“The Aston Martin is working well around here” Inject it, frame it, capture it, remember it

the AMR22 is a tractor no more!!!!

“Lightning reactions from Lewis Hamilton” Of course??? He’s a king, tell us something we don’t know

[Lap 5]: No George, don’t overtake Lance. That would be rude.

also boo Perez got past Seb

welp Lance demoted to P4

“Howdy Crofty!” HI TED!!!! 👋

[Lap 6]: aw no Nicky spun 😔

oh Perez’s front wing is not looking healthy, front wing endplate went poof

(Alexa play I Want to Break Free by Queen)

[Lap 7]: Meanwhile Lance and Seb are vibing in P5 and P6 as the unbothered Kings they are 💚

....Lewis is three tenths faster than Verstappen you say???

please tell me we get a Hammertime radio it has been SO LONG

[Lap 8]: I’m ignoring the Ferrari radio that came up telling Charles they’re already thinking about Plan B :))))))))

Perez v Russell... I fear much violence

[Lap 9]: Charles up to P7, the race seems to have calmed down for now

I may cry at the Seb and Charles battle though, I miss them 😭

[Lap 10]: and the gap is down to 8 tenths, @ TV director show me my boys!!!

It’s also seemingly fucking WIMDY at COTA

[Lap 11]: oh the #JustLewisThings of him saying he’s not happy with his tyres then proceeding to set a purple sector, nature is healing

ahhhhhhh there’s Charles v Seb!!!!

The fact that this would have caused me pain in 19 & 20 but now we’re rejoicing. Growth!!

[Lap 12]: Gasly pits, after Bottas pitted the lap before, overcut win!

and back to Charles v Seb

and Charles gets past pretty easily

HAMMERTIME RADIO!!!! IT’S BEEN 84 YEARS!!!!

Bono I’m sending you a basket of the finest pastries AND flowers

[Lap 13]: Lewis pits for hards??? I’m still recovering from the radio message so I’m not fully processing what’s going on

aw Lewis came out behind Seb after pitting

[Lap 14]: Verstappen and Russell pit, also both for hards

oh my days Lance trying to fight him GO ON MY SON

anyway this is a very early pit window, I can only assume it was a bit warm on race day

Charles up into P3, but he’s yet to stop

[Lap 15]: Perez pits for hards also

LANCE P3!!! SEB P4!!!! STOP! THE! RACE!

“Aston Martin running in the top 3 for the first time this season” *longest yeah boi ever*

[Lap 16]: And Lance pits for... mediums

And Lewis got past Seb for P3

and sets the fastest first sector. 

Esteban and Mick having a slightly spicy battle, mainly bc Esteban’s car got caught by some wind

[Lap 17]: “Plan E consider” p a i n 

I mean at least it came from Charles but Ferrari kindly fuck off

[Lap 18]: Yellow flag sector 3????

oh Bottas is beached in the gravel

OH shit Safety Car

ah AM Safety Car my beloved

Will Ferrari be smart and pit Charles under the SC??

[Lap 19]: THEY DO!!! They found their braincell!!!

“Plan EEEEEEE this is lucky for us!” I love Ted so much

oh Seb pits too!! nice!!

Charles in P4, Seb in P6. WE’RE VIBING FOLKS!!!

oh replay of the George on Sainz violence at the start again

[Lap 20]: First SC at Austin since 2015 apparently, a somewhat fun fact (That was a half wet race iirc??? I’m not sure)

fuck what is this drone footage I’m getting vertigo

Lewis still having brake issues, I will sledgehammer the W13 and then burn it

[Lap 21]: SC ending, boys please don’t be dumb I don’t want any carnage

Lewis the filling in a RBR sandwich... does NOT spark joy

phew no nonsense as of yet

[Lap 22]: SEB TAKES P6!!!!

And Esteban locks up and Mick takes P12 

OH SHIT FERNANDO

AND LANCE

NOOOOOO

that was not the fun whiplash fyi

And of course Crofty mentions the fact that we had future teammate on teammate violence

[Lap 23]: Also I’m sorry but Lance’s car is on the track and there’s debris everywhere, where is the red flag?????

...

Not Fernando hitting Lance’s rear and then doing a wheelie

F1 CARS SHOULDN’T DO THAT

that really did not spark joy

the various on-board replays of debris flying everywhere are also not sparking joy

[Lap 24]: This race has been surprisingly eventful despite not having that much actual racing oh my days

Lance walking alone through the paddock... Alonso you can meet my fists

[Lap 25]: SC ending, again boys please DON’T BE DUMB

I am anxious

restart 2 electric boogaloo - so far no carnage

[Lap 26]: “Sebastian Vettel gaining on George Russell” screaming, crying clutching my chest in euphoria

oh he is legit closing up on him 

go on Seb, get him!!!

[Lap 27]: 8 tenths of a second gap 👀👀👀

okay the gap is fluctuating between 8 tenths and 1.1 seconds but I’m on full hopium and delusion

[Lap 28]: DRS re-enabled

Nicky fastest on the speed trap. Goatifi intensifies.

also I heard Ted say news from McLaren and I immediately had the ‘McLaren news’ jingle from The Fast and The Curious podcast play in my head thanks Chris Hugill 

[Lap 29]: Seb now 2.2 seconds behind Russell, the hopium was fun while it lasted

Charles v Perez???? 👀👀👀👀👀

[Lap 30]: CHARLES WITH THE LUNGE TAKES P3!!!!

woot woooooooot!!!!

“And there’s a lot of fans here that will want to kiss Charles for that” yes and I’m one of them get in line

[Lap 32]: Meanwhile George still has a loose endplate on his front wing after his lap 1 violence

[Lap 33]: Verstappen apparently not very happy with the wind

Oh, Mick and Kevin both in the Top 10!!!! We adore to see it!!!

[Lap 34]: Why are we cutting to Ed Sheeran???? Show me the cars!!!

Mick and Yuki both pit

[Lap 35]: and Lewis pits, undercut maybe??

oh and Yuki’s undercut did work on passing Norris

[Lap 36]: Verstappen pits

and it’s slow 👀

LEWIS TAKES THE NET RACE LEAD

😭🙌

More Perez on Russell fisticuffs

[Lap 37]: ah nvm Russell pits

[Lap 38]: Charles v Verstappen... spicy

both of them are on the mediums while Lewis is on the hards

[Lap 39]: Perez pits

AND SEB TAKES THE LEAD!!!!!

STOP! THE! RACE!!!!

Oh Charles doing the switcheroo on Verstappen, BEAUTIFUL

AND Seb P1, with Lewis P2. I know the end result and I do not care but STOP THE RACE!!

Seb leading his 3,500th lap, I love him so much 😭😭😭😭

[Lap 40]: Cut to Seb in the lead with Lewis P2, feels so good and SO organic

[Lap 41]: Lewis takes the lead, not surprising, but seeing them on track together one last time was very beautiful

and diving head first into the sea of delusion we go Lewis is def gonna win right? 🥲

this race has legit been so fun though

“Good to see Sebastian Vettel up there” preach it Ted!!!!!

[Lap 42]: 15 laps left. yelling.

slow stop for Seb 😭😭😭😭😭😭

16.8 seconds 😭

It’s okay Team Green I still love you

[Lap 43]: no don’t go back to the drone cam it’s not fun

Charles still in DRS range of Verstappen

[Lap 44]: But Verstappen goes half a second quicker than Lewis...

welp

[Lap 45]: Perez going 1.5 secs quicker with a borked front wing??? What is going on in the House of Commons????

Seb watch: in P13 1.6 seconds behind Yuki

Norris v Ocon!!! Beloved midfield spice!!!!

[Lap 46]: Lewis and Verstappen doing almost identical lap times on similar age of tyres, though on different compounds. STRESS.

[Lap 47]: 10 laps left 😬

Gap just under two seconds, love how I’m slightly stressed despite knowing the end podium 😂

It’s the ✨ emotional investment ✨

[Lap 48]: Now would be a great time for another Hammertime radio Bono just saying

SEB ONBOARD

He’s in P12 after Ocon pitted

He’s on the back of a DRS train on fresher tyres LET’S GET IT WELTMEISTER!!!

[Lap 49]: Alonso’s mirror just... fell off????

alrighty then

ughhhhhh Verstappen has DRS

I am stressed Angela and stressed Angela is me

[Lap 50]: Thank you Brundle I really needed you to list all of Verstappen’s car advantages 😭

But more importantly SEB INTO P10 KLAXON!!!!!

...

fuck me I did not breathe during Lewis’ and Verstappen’s battle

Lewis did not give up though and I love him for it

[Lap 52]: SEB INTO P9!!!!!!

and back down to P10, he’s having some fistcuffs with Albon

and round the outside, back into the points, that’s my 4 time world champion

6.3 secs behind Kevin with 4 laps left

It’s fun knowing what happens in advance sometimes

ohhh Seb let Albon back by bc he went off, that’s fair

[Lap 53]: Verstappen assigned track limits criminal by GP, Bono, and Lewis

and then Lewis gets a warning himself svuoheaugh

boys

[Lap 54]: The one positive is that the RBR has not streaked off into the distance, the W13 has some rights.

I mean I’m still going to take a sledgehammer to it though

[Lap 55]: Seb watch: 3.2 seconds behind Kevin now

oh and already down to 2 seconds 👀

gap between Lewis and Max is three seconds though 😭

[Lap 56]: Ignoring the front and watching Seb on the running order, gap down to 1.5 seconds

...now 8 tenths of a second

(I know the overtake is coming but the hype is fun)

[Finish]: Verstappen wins, Lewis P2 and Charles P3!!!

now show me Seb!!!!!

THERE HE IS!!!!!!

go on go on go onnnnn

AND DOWN THE INSIDE HE GOES!!!!!

SEB P8!!!!!!!! THAT’S!!! MY!!!!  BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!

elmowithfire.gif

such a peach of a move like... Go off King you dropped this 👑

gonna celebrate with the biscoff ice cream mum just brought me 🥳

Well, that was actually a pretty fun race!!! You didn’t really know who was going to win until the last few laps, which could not be said for a lot of races in 2022 imho. Charles going from P12 to P3 was iconic af, Lewis making the most of his first proper chance in ages for a win was superb, and Seb was just doing iconic Seb shit... AND we got some midfield spice to boot!!

Overall, 8 front wings out of 10. Next race: Mexico!