#and have a bunch of normals on earth doing a monster of the week show

[aerithisms]

whenever people talk about ideas for the "whoniverse" i always can't help but be like. but what's the point. like people talk about the potential of setting shows "in the doctor who universe" but doctor who barely has a consistent universe that's the whole appeal! the show constantly makes shit up in order to facilitate whatever story it's telling that particular week and that often involves contradicting itself and none of us care because nobody is coming to doctor who for expansive lore. the show's entire MO is that it can do anything and be anything all on its own. what can an expanded universe possibly do but dilute that

[tsuki-sennin]

My, this is quite the turn of events.

What the hell happened in the past two weeks while we were gone, Donbrothers? We've got a funny red man, a blue monkey and a yellow oni who're a pair of losers, a pink bird wife guy turned epic divorce man, a jailhouse black dog, and a bunch of autistic kids hanging out in the void by themselves! ...also a Tiger/Dragon system apparently just off to the side, which is quite unusual for a Sixth Ranger.

Also, uh... yesterday morning, Kohei Murakami, who played Kusaka in Faiz and Bud in Zyuohger, after asking if his followers saw episode 36 of Donbrothers, shared a picture of Inoue captioned "Toshiki Kabedon", which is uh... exactly what you might imagine it'd be. I know I don't usually show pictures, but I find this deeply compelling. Look at his goddamn face. Look at it. That is a man who knows.

Anyways, Spoilers I guess beneath the cut~!

-Aw how cute, they're napping together :)

-F

-FIVE HUNDRED BILLION YEN??!

-Ah, yep, Kijino's in a real bad state.

-Damn. Railing against your boss like that? In a Japanese corporate setting?

-Haruka with the phonecall!

-...suddenly I'm very thankful that Crane Lady didn't see that he was getting phone calls from a teenage girl.

-Oh shit, a party?

-Of fuckin' course it's a party, have I seen this consistently festival-themed show before?

-Ah fuck, the preview has an inferno. This ain't good.

-Oh shit, GolDon Zyuoh Eagle. Hell yeah, really lean into that bird.

-Friendship :)

-Parfait time!

Haruka: Tell Mister Kijino how much he means to you, Tarou :) Tarou: Kijino, you are worth as much to me as- Shinichi: Y'know on second thought let's not do that!

-He is... The wife guy.

-Oh goddammit-

-Goddamn, he couldn't even get a man sent to jail hjkl

-Inuzuka Tsubasa...!

-Chase him!

-Damn, these Juto are violent violent!

-Me when no food.

-Ah, I see he's still a Master Shef.

-EAT

-EAT PUNY BIRD MAN

-Ohhhhh, sirens. ...did that guy say "Kyuukyuu" earlier? ...GoGoFive man?

-"Damn dude, I didn't know going sicko mode made you a shit cook. 0/10, would not eat again."

-"EAT MY GODDAMN FOOD YOU PIGS"

-Oh shit, Sononi-san!

-Crane Lady!

-Oh goddammit Haruka, do you have an interest in her too? ...I mean fair, but c'mon.

-Canned movie! ...oh shit, I still haven't seen that. Battle Familia either. Damn.

-Shake's pier.

-Prince, magic, true love, back normal!

-Hell yeah.

-Ohhhh, she wants to be a beast.

-Natsumi-chan~!

-Natsumi-san!

-"Wanna play fancy actress for a bit? :3"

-Ah, so this IS Natsumi mode!

-A rich fan!

-Oh shit, Jirou's back! I see Rumi-chan's still here too.

-Stew!

-Ah, the boys are fightin'.

-"Dude what, you suddenly grew a tiger kimono."

-He suddenly became a giga chad right before your eyes.

-Remember the sunset.

-Merbromin...

-"Yeeeeeah, I guess that makes sense!"

-Guess Haruka is a dedicated Natsumi stan now.

-Here they are! The condor lady and the shadow man!

-Ohhhhh, this is a bit intense.

-God dang it, Haruka!

Sononi: Geez, what's up with there? Sonoza: She's a

-Poor Emergency Guy.

-Momoi Tarou.

-Miho is Natsumi's dream?

-Get the real Tsubasa back, get rid of this sussy baka imposter.

-Ohhhhhh, I love Crane Lady's monster form.

-Oi, Tarou, don't say "Two on one works for me!", people might get the wrong idea.

-"Dammit, I must be slipping if I got saved by Sonoza!"

-Where the boyfriend at?

-Even wrote a notecard for you, huh?

-OH THERE HE IS HJKLH

-"Fuck it, who cares! Kage Time!"

-Kyuukyuu-Ki!

-Oh god, this is gonna be how Tsubasa has his internal reveal

-OH NO ROLLCALL TIME JHGLKGKV

-Born from a peach! Don Momotaro! Yooooo! Nippon Ichi!

-Bidding farewell to the transient world... SaruBrother! Yo! Muki muki!

-The manga master, OniSister! Yo! Oni no kanabo!

-YOU FUCKED IT UP

-YOU FUCKED IT UP YOU MANIAC

-Jirou, let's go!

-"BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA GET THEM! SHOOT THEM! SHOOT 'EM GOOD, DOGGIE!"

-God, this is such chaos, and I woudln't have it any other way.

-Save the Earth! Save a Life!

-Oh yeah, Jirou wasn't there.

-Goooold Avatar Change! Honnou Kakusei! Monarch of the Open Skies! Zyuoh Eagle!

-...that seemed a little anticlimactic. I mean, he probably could've cleared the fire on his own, but I guess a bit of Zyuoh love isn't remiss!

-There it is! The big fuck-off fully combined robot of this season!

-"Shut up arm, I own you!"

-Donbros Fantasia Supreme!

-A supreme win for the ages!

-Hey there emergency guy!

-Well done, report back to HQ.

-Goooooo Tsubasa!

-Hell yeah, you got him!

-Good job, Tsubasa!

-Only one. Ore koso.

-Did the creepy origami cats free him? Or did he rip out of there on his own?

-SONOSHI WHAT

-That form... IS THAT A HENSHIN NINJA ARASHI REFERENCE

-Well, I guess... they're a bit more even now. This man came waltzing in, so I guess he's here now. See you on Monday, I guess.

[liyazaki]

favorites tag game

tagged by @liankuea & @aheartandashirt- Nisa: loving the moot mind meld happening right now because I was going through old tag games I never finished when I saw this/you clearing out yours 😂 (sorry this took me forever, Rae!)

favorite time of year: fall, even though I haven’t been out of the subtropics to experience it in almost a decade 🙃 I’ll be making up for it with a girls trip to the mountains this fall, though.

comfort food: Mexican food (authentic, Taco Bell- I don’t discriminate)- nothing can be wrong when the queso and salsa are flowing. also chicken & waffles made with a caramelized, crunchy glaze- bye 👋 *passes away*

do you collect something: I don’t collect a bunch of any one thing- then again, no person on this earth needs the amount of tea I own (and yet-).

oh, and weird purses- can’t get enough of ‘em. I have one that looks like a tombstone, one that looks like a pineapple- the quirkier, the better.

favorite drink: I love tea but coffee is essential for my continued survival. my default alcoholic drink is a gin & tonic or a Moscow mule, but if a place has a good sour beer, that’s all I’ll be drinking.

favorite song: Into the Mystic or Moon River.

current favorite song: another tie- Plum, Troye Sivan or Seven Devils, Florence + the Machine (thank you, VegasPete brain rot).

favorite fic: I hardly ever read fics but I’ve read 10+ VegasPete ones this week, which really goes to show how extremely normal I’m feeling.

real answer: this 21K (!!!) Bad Buddy AU masterpiece written by my brilliant wife @gilly-bean, which I still haven’t finished because I’m a monster & I don’t deserve her- BUT. I know it’s amazing.

tag 9 people you want to get to know better: @moerusai @mrdumpling @namchyoon @nellsdani @jemmo @kinnsporsche @villaneelle @florenzim @rashfcrd (only if you feel like it)

[ckneal]

I think that when Michael finally comes home after his initial freakout over sleeping with the Ghoul for the first time in the shared-body midamoul AU, Adam sleeps on his chest for at least four hours straight.

I don’t think that that was Adam's plan, by the time that Michael finally showed up at his hospital, looking tired and worn in a way that only really showed around the eyes, because of course angels had the ability to keep themselves clean and tidy with a thought no matter where they were, but the truth was that Adam had sort of been carrying a lot by that point.

On the day that he came home and found out that something had finally happened between Michael and the Ghoul, his first feeling was relief. FINALLY! The awkward proverbial bubble had burst! Now the three of them could theoretically just be together, like they had been when they were all in the same body–even if Michael and the Ghoul ended up continuing their pigtail-pulling approach to flirting. This was proces. But somehow, even if Adam had anticipated that owning up to the change in their relationship would be hard for Michael, it had never occurred to him that Michael would be so freaked out that he'd take off.

And while Adam could wrap his head around Michael needing space to process what happened, the fact was that that time Michael spent away turned out to be fairly stressful for Adam.

The Ghoul had closed in on himself at the onset, as if he expected an eviction notice to come at any moment for driving Michael off, and Adam had spent a decent chunk of time talking the Ghoul down from that cagey mindset and reassuring the Ghoul that everything was going to be fine. He made a point of ordering the Ghoul’s favorite foods, and whenever possible they’d spend entire nights curled up under a blanket together on the living room couch, watching their favorite shows, and ignoring the parts of the various TV narratives where they both knew Michael would normally chime in with a comment about historical inaccuracy or being confused earth cultural—Adam all the while certain that Michael would be back in a week or two.

But then a third week had creeped by, and Adam had started to feel a little restless. He resigned himself to calling Sam, in what would have amounted to a thinly veiled attempt to fish for details while posing as the kind of casual, brotherly phone call Sam was always trying to tell him he could make anytime. After all, his brothers had supposedly raised the new God, it stood to reason that they might know when to expect him back—but then Dean answered the phone, and Adam’s plan was quickly abandoned as his other self-proclaimed brother proceeded to tell him that Sam had evidently gone on the interdimensional road trip too.

“They'll be back when they're back. Don’t worry, they’re probably not going to find anything but a bunch of rubble.”  Dean had said, blatantly assuming the reason for Adam’s call.

And for a moment Adam felt annoyed—because of course Michael wasn’t in danger, and he was obviously coming back. But it probably seemed a lot more likely to assume that, rather than the truth, which was that Adam couldn’t stop thinking back to how upset Michael was when he left, and wondering where he would have gone with that when he was away—assuming that Michael was processing it on his own, and not spilling out potentially damning details about their private lives that may or may not be well received by one of the world’s foremost monster hunters and his superpowered kid.

And it was stupid, because Adam is aware that he didn’t do anything wrong. But then another week dragged by, meaning that Michael had been gone for four weeks now, with no word, and Adam started to wonder if Michael would have needed less time and space if he'd been meddling more.  Adam wasn't even sure if communication was possible between universes or not, or if time worked the same out there, or if four weeks would even feel like a long time to an archangel, but he was starting to get restless. He was surprised by how shaken he was he went out with the Ghoul to celebrate passing the Intern Exam, and heard the Ghoul wobble out after seven drinks and a whirling cab ride back home, “’M sorry I broke up your relationship.”

Which was ridiculous, and of course meant Adam having to roll the Ghoul over in bed and assure him that he was still very much in both of his relationships, which meant everything to him—but privately, it also prompted Adam to feeling his first spark of true irritation Michael in all of this, as he fell asleep holding the Ghoul (who spent the rest of the night communicating purely in noncommittal grunts), and woke up the next morning with the Ghoul curled around him, and he himself reaching out to an empty spot in the bed.

All things considered, Adam was more or less expecting to be at least a little angry when he finally saw Michael again, or to have to clamp down on the urge to give him the verbal unloading he deserved after leaving Adam and the Ghoul in the dark for so long, and yet when he final saw Michael, standing in the on-call room of his hospital, after four weeks and one day exactly, Adam’s reaction came so naturally it that it was overwhelming.

Michael was standing there in the on-call room--he'd just appeared out of nowhere, looking nervous and apprehensive, which only seemed to get worse by Adam needing to just stare at him for a minute. And then all at once, Adam darted a look around the room, confirming it was empty, and slammed and locked the door without a thought. 

The only sound in the room came from Michael, saying his name like it was a question, when Adam whirled around and went directly into his arms—forcefully. Michael driven back against the bunk beds set up for overnight shifts, and fairly steered into laying down, with Adam all the while refusing to loosen his embrace in any way, even after Michael's arms went around him too, solid in a way that made it clear this wasn't a projection. Micheal was back.

“I thought you would be mad at me,” came after a few minutes.

“Oh, trust me, mad isn't even the word,” Adam spoke directly into Michael’s neck. “I just missed you too damn much to care right now.”

Michael's arms tightened around him. “I’m sorry.”

“We're definitely talking about it." 

"You are mad, then?"

"I'm something. Just give me a minute?” Maybe it was the relief of seeing him, Adam was suddenly feeling exhausted. As if he'd been sitting up waiting all this time. 

Michael nuzzled him closer as his arms tightened for a moment. As if he knew Adam was already feeling the urge to nod off right there on top of him, "Take as long as you need." 

"I should be working. . ."

"I'll take you back in time when we're done"

Adam hm'd in response to Michael's fingers combing through his hair. "And then you'll talk to the Ghoul?"

Silence.

"Michael, you are going to talk to him, right?"

More silence. Adam shifted on the bed, looking up to Michael, who was avoiding his gaze, like he could dodge the question just as easily. As the stare persisted, Michael offered him a nervous, "Of course," that had Adam narrowing his eyes. Michael shrugged noncommittally as he guided Adam back down. The joke was on him, though, because when asked, Dean overnighted a pair of angel cuffs to Adam, weeks ago, no explanation needed. Adam had learned his lesson in regards to staying out of it, and his two idiots were going to talk this out, one way or another. 

[ja-khajay]

Stuff I read (and liked) this year

As promised, here’s a list of the novels, comics, manga, etc... I read this year, focusing on the ones I enjoyed and would recommend to people. Under a cut, this is going to be a little long.

-------- Books --------

Favorite book of the year: Stranger in the Woods, by Michael Finkel

Non-fiction. Based on the interviews of the man himself by the author, it is about a man who felt so unfit for society he decided one day to leave it, and spent the next 28 years as a hidden hermit in forest in Maine. The book details how he survived there, how he was eventually found, and some of his reasons for doing so. It’s a great reflection on the nature of loneliness.

Indian creek, by Pete Fromm

...Yet another detailed tale of living alone in the woods. This time, the diary of a student who spent a winter in the mountains to help tend for salmon hatchlings, and how he spent the rest of his days hiking, hunting, meeting the locals. It’s a fun little book who, being set almost the whole world away from where I live, was a nice way to travel.

Howl’s Moving Castle, by Diana Wynne Jones

I don’t feel the need to explain this one since everyone and their mom has seen the movie adapted from it. The book, that I first read a decade ago before I actually watched the film, is a less romantized, more spirited telling of the same story. The writing is absolutely delightful and so is the world it paints, and it’s the first time in ages a book had me laughing out loud during my entire read.

-------- Comics (BD) --------

Favorite comic of the year: Monsieur Désire?, by Hubert and Virginie Augustin

A discreet young woman becomes a maid for a decadent, unbearable, byronesque young lord. Caked in the rigid and oppressive social hierarchy of the victorian era, you follow a mental and verbal joust between the two, as the lord tries his best to offend and corrupt his new unrelenting servant, to little success. The writing and especially the dialogues were stellar, drawing me into the tense atmosphere, watching this trainwreck of a character flamboyantly destroy himself. While there’s no precise content warnings that I can give, this is a mature and heavy story.

World of Edena, by Moebius

Anyone who’s followed this blog for over a month knows how much of a Moebius fan I am. Edena combines the vague, dreamlike, wordless storytelling from stuff like Arzach or The cat’s eyes with an actual plot. While I haven’t completly finished the story, the evolution of the main characters and how the story is told have been great to read through, and as always the art is beyond gorgeous. Unfortunately suffers from some good old sexism in the writing that even if minimal, tasted sour

Le roman de Renart, by Joan Sfar (book 1)

Sfar’s work always has a signature vibe of being dreamy and light without being light hearted, of being down to earth but drifting in the fantastical, and this one is no exception. It’s an adaption of a series of medieval folk tales I grew up with, who uses the same characters to tell an original story. If you’re familiar with icons like Renart as well as other mythological big boys like Merlin you’ll fit right in. There is something special in how the dialogues are written, who feel natural in a way that you’d overhear in a street corner and is very special to me.

The mercenary, by VIncente Segrelles

Another one I post about a lot on this blog. The mercenary is a king on the throne of fantasy cheese. The worldbuilding is interesting at times but the writing is a pretty pathetic display of glorious old time sword and sorcery sci-fantasy 10 years too late for it’s prime (warning for ye old sexism and orientalism that plagues the genre, cranked very high...) but you come and stay for the art. The entire thing is drawn in a series of hyper detailed oil paintings with an insane eye for technical detail, from the engineering of the weaponry, to the architecture and weather, to the anatomy of the fantasy creatures... Each panel stands out as it’s own painting which makes even flipping through it without reading the scenario a treat. Click here to see more of the art, in my Segrelles tag.

The ice maurauder, by Jacques Tardi

A short story about mad scientists entirely drawn like a 19th century engraving. In great Tardi tradition everyone is ugly and mean, it ends terribly, it’s both a hommage to the genre of late 19th cent. to early 1900s dramatic adventure novels and a critical eye on it, and it’s morbidly funny. Most people I saw online hated the way this was written but I’m not them and I really recommend this book. Die mad

-------- Manga --------

Favorite manga of the year: it’s a tie between the following two.

Cats of the Louvre, by Taiyo Matsumoto

Most wonderful comic I have read in ages. The story follows a bunch of semi-feral cats secretly living in the Louvre museum’s attic, and the small group of humans who share their life, walking through the museum as the night watch. When the cats are together, they are represented in a humanoid way, but still act like animals, and “become” cats again when a human is nearby. The plot is a sort of supernatural mystery centered around a kitten who walks around paintings. It’s a love letter to art, sincere and beautiful, with a unique art style and great characters.

Memoirs of amorous Gentlemen, by Moyoco Anno

A sex worker in early 20th century paris starts writing down a diary of the clients she meets, in a quest to cope with the troubles of her life. You follow her, her colleagues, and her bittersweet relationship with an abusive lover. I don’t have much words about this comic, but the art and writing both are amazing, it’s the perfect length and drew me in like little series had before. Obvious content warnings as this is an adult story that talks about sexuality, but also depicts both mental and physical abuse.

Hana, also by Taiyo Matsumoto 

A very short story, this was not made to be read as a comic originally, but served as storyboarding and visual development for a play, and the way it is written follows that. Hana is a slice of life story set in a fantasy world, of a young boy, his family, his village. Despite the setting being an original one, the character interactions are refreshingly... normal, and there is no huge plot to speak of, just a bit of the life of these characters. The art is beautiful, entirely black and white, with a scratchy style and an emphasis on contrast. Matsumoto is on a speedy road to becoming my favorite manga artist haha

Delicious in Dungeon, by Ryoko Kui

While not marked as my year’s favorite, I still consider this series among my favorite manga ever. The art and writing are amazing, and it’s both heartfelt, well concieved and plain hilarious. The story follows several parties of dungeon diving adventurers each on their little quests with a premise of our protagonists, on a panic rescue mission, surviving in the dungeon by cooking and eating the monsters they come across. From a DnD party turned cooking manual dinner of the week beginning, the plot creeps up on you and slowly thickens. I don’t want to spoil anything about the overarching story of this because it was a delight to discover for myself. While everything about DinD rules, I am especially fond of the design philosophy of the author, who puts great detail in the practicality and biology of what she draws, as well as the character writing. Everyone even side characters has so much charm and depth to them, the cast is so diverse and entertaining...! Each character is just a bit lame enough but endearing, and has their own little backstory that shows in the way they exist. It’s a delight

Chainsaw man, by Tatsuki Fujimoto

I went into CSM expecting a borderline campy hyperviolent dumb fun thing to read and was very surprised to find an uncomfortably well written story about a teenager being groomed. The hyperviolent dumb fun fights are here nonetheless and the series still qualifies as shonen for some reason, but the more mature character writing as well as some truly outlandish visuals make it something very special. If you can’t stand shonen, not sure you will like it, but if you don’t mind it, worth trying.

Witch hat atelier, by Kamome Shirahama

The oh so elegant fantasy seinen every cool kid started posting about this year, who I also succumbed to and fast. Witch hat is hard to explain, as most of it’s plot revolves around the rules of the world it’s set in, specifically the regulations around it’s magic and the social and historical reasons for them. It’s about growing up, learning, disability, making art. You follow a little girl taken in by a witch as an apprentice, her magical education, and learn little by little why her lovely teacher is so willing to break a lot of rules... While a bit too gentle and pretty for my taste at times, Witch hat has great worldbuilding and explores sensitive themes I rarely see in manga, much less in fantasy. And Berserk wishes it had art this good

[seventfics]

Autumn Birds

Written for @witcher-rarepair-summer-bingo

Prompt: We fell in love, but your previous lover reappeared/returned Relationships: Eskel/Jaskier (w/ past!Geralt/Eskel and past!Geralt/Jaskier) Rating: T Content Warnings: None Summary: They’d met just as the leaves were turning yellow. 

Read on AO3

* * *

They’d met just as the leaves were turning yellow.

Jaskier had heard of a witcher staying in town and, as was his prerogative since his acquaintance with a certain White Wolf, he’d ventured to see what the man was all about. It was not so often one got to meet someone of their caste. Why not have a little courage to break the ice himself?

The whispers spoke of a witcher with a terribly scarred face. Two swords strapped over his back, their pommels shaped into wolf heads. The women said he had a voice like a dog’s growl, so grave that when he spoke, it made children cry.

He thought that last bit was rather mean, and followed the trail of curses into a grimy tavern where a fight was about to break out.

“You promised fifty.”

“The best I can do is half.”

Jaskier’s hand freezes on the door. Whatever he’s come to doesn’t look good. The witcher’s back is to him, his padded shoulders raised with tension. The village’s alderman paces in front of him, fuming over a contract’s fee. There’s a few antsy people in the crowd too. The anger written on their faces makes him nervous.

He’s seen how this ends a dozen times. It’s gotten his own arse kicked butting into the middle of a witcher’s bargaining, actually.

“Now, now, gentlemen,” Jaskier interjects boisterously from the doorframe anyway. “This is no mood for drink and cheer. Calm your spirits with a little of the former—”

The alderman grumbles under his breath about merry idiots meddling in what they shouldn’t. “Shut up, bard. This here’s serious business. And I’m not about to be robbed by a witcher’s ridiculous high prize.”

“It’s not ridiculous. The contract says fifty, and,” the witcher stops to lift the bloody stump of a water hag’s head, “it’s already done.”

“That contract was up weeks ago. The reward’s gone down. You’re lucky half’s on the table at all.”

The witcher grunts—a familiar sound to Jaskier’s ears which translates to wordless annoyance—and drops the head on the floor. “You’re lucky the hag didn’t move closer into the village in that time.”

“Is that a threat?”

At the rising outrage in his tone, Jaskier slips closer to stare at the alderman over the witcher’s swordless shoulder. “Ah, I believe the witcher means more of your people would have died, had he not taken care of the problem so promptly. The reward hardly sounds like an unreasonable amount. I could get twice as much on a profitable eve of singing. In fact,” he flips to the witcher, who does not yet deign to look back at his unforeseen defender, “I could turn this place around and earn us both a decent share in one night. I’m no fop on the job!”

It’s then that the witcher looks towards him, but the bard only manages a quick glimpse of an incredulous set of eyebrows before the alderman starts shouting.

“Get out! Both of you! Out of my town or I’ll have the dogs chase you out!”

They both take that as their leave, Jaskier with a bit more speed in his jog.

At the outskirts the witcher turns fully, and at the sight of his whole face Jaskier almost gasps out loud. A long scar runs through his cheek, from eyebrow to jaw, and over his lips. It puckers the skin all around it, disfiguring half of his face.

Whatever caused that scar must have hurt a lot.

The witcher shifts in place, quiet for a long second as Jaskier does his best to hide his nerves. “I’m sorry to have involved you.”

“Oh, please, don’t be. I involved myself. Jaskier’s the name, by the way,” he introduces himself, hand extended in greeting.

The witcher scratches the back of his head. His lips twist to one side, bashful. One of his teeth peeks through the scarred tissue over his mouth. “Uh. Eskel.” He takes the offered hand and shakes it.

It’s the firmest handshake Jaskier has ever received.

“Well, Eskel. Are you short on coin? Because so am I.”

The snort he gets is—soft. Not at all like the gruff from before, with the alderman.

“I’m not doing too bad, I’d say. Just currently fifty short of what I expected to have at the end of the day.”

"How about I help with that? I wasn't lying when I said I could earn both a decent share, given the right crowd."

It's the sunset hour, and the leaves were falling on top of them. Everything is gold. The sky, the trees. Eskel’s eyes when they blink at him and he breaks into a genuine laugh.

Jaskier knows he’s a romantic. His heart flutters every odd day over strangers with pretty smiles. He’s just never seen such a shy, sweet smile on someone with such an intimidating facade.

Making him smile again became a personal quest.

* * *

At the next town over, Eskel speaks to the alderman there. This one is more reasonable at least, and up front about the sort of beast that lurks in the northern farms. Which brings up a whole new conversation as Jaskier doesn’t part from Eskel’s side despite the obvious danger.

Eskel grunts and sits him down, not unlike the times Geralt tried—and failed—to convince him to stay put. Jaskier just blinks his pretty blue eyes and says, “and how will I write a song of your prowess in battle if I am not there to witness it?”

“This is a dangerous contract, bard. It would be best if you let me handle it alone.”

“Oh no. No, no, I’ve heard that before a dozen times.”

Eskel pauses at that. “What?”

“I am perfectly capable of staying out of your way.”

The wyvern they encounter says otherwise.

To be fair, he had done a good job of staying out of the witcher’s way for most of the fight. It is only when the beast slams its tail into Eskel’s side on a backswing that Jaskier shouts in worry from his hiding place and brings undue attention to himself.

Wind whips around him for a split second, scattering dust into his eyes. It takes a moment to wipe them clean so of course he doesn’t see the great shadow flying at him. Doesn't realize the immediate need to hide or flee for his life until a giant claw snatches him by the bunched fabric on his back.

Jaskier's stomach plummets as he soars up. The ground recedes. His clothes start to rip. This is it, he panic-screams in his mind, this is his final day. Either as monster food or a blood splatter on a rock, his time has come.

A severe overreaction, and his own mistake for not trusting in a witcher's skill. He doesn't realize it in all, what with all his flailing about, but Eskel fires a crossbow bolt perfectly at the wyvern’s eye.

The beast screeches terribly loud in his ears. It flaps its wings once, twice, before twisting midair and letting him go.

They both fall, but Eskel catches him.

By the silence that follows after an earth-shaking crunch, he knows the witcher's won. Victory is not immediately on his mind, though. The way his sight spins and the sun paints a halo behind Eskel's hair, Jaskier dumbly thinks, oh—I've quite literally fallen in love.

“See?” he says instead, breathless with terror at almost having died, “I’m perfectly fine.”

Eskel raises a thick brow at him. And he's smiling too, the bard thinks. Could just be the scar making it look like a lopsided smile, but he wants to believe that he's made the witcher smile again with his foolish sense of humor.

“Are you alright? The tail,” Jaskier frets once his vision settles. Some of these monsters have poisoned stingers on the end of their tails. Are wyverns one of them?

But Eskel waves him down before he can consider the worst. “Relax. I cast Quen in time.”

“That’s a, uh, magic shield, right?”

Surprise colors Eskel's features. So it seems he's right. A point of pride on Jaskier's belt for remembering witcher signs.

Getting proof of a contract well done takes the witcher a good minute to collect. Wyvern skin is tough. The head would normally satisfy as proof, but it's too heavy to be lugging around town. He will have to make do with the wing tips. Should they question him, the remains aren't going anywhere.

“Come on, bard. Time to get our day's work done. And after that, we're going west.”

“'We'?” Something about the proclamation has his heart beating fast.

“'Course. I'm not letting you out of my sight now.”

He makes a show of bowing dramatically. “I wouldn’t want to be elsewhere.”

* * *

“You’re a friend of Geralt’s.”

Jaskier looks up from his notes.

Traveling with someone is always interesting—with a witcher even more so. So far he's learned that Eskel has far more routines than Geralt ever did, like counting his coin at the end of every week, and making sure he has two of every potion ready.

Jaskier quirks a half-smile. “I am. How did you figure? I never said his name.”

“Your song.” He points to the scribbled mess on his lap. “Or, I guess your work in progress. I see an expression he uses a lot, that he learned from me.”

“Oh?”

Eskel sits by him and nods, as if finally understanding Jaskier’s odd ease partnering with a witcher, and starts the story of where the expression in his handwriting originated from.

It’s funny at first, imagining a much younger, somehow more foolish Geralt together with this huge, frightening man who is not frightening at all to talk to. Eskel speaks so softly, so tenderhearted about the old memory—two boys, witchers-to-be, practically joined at the hip, making crude jokes. So he reciprocates with a tale of where he comes from, as destiny deigned to put them in each other’s paths.

As it happens, a lot of their first stories aren’t even their own, but Geralt’s.

And Eskel has many more over his. He’s more than happy to share them over camp.

Some of it leaves Jaskier’s throat aching. This is someone who clearly cares about his big grumpy friend. It's someone he can understand.

Then Eskel claps a bare hand on his back, his thumb and forefinger a hot press just under his nape, and oh, he’s more than a little foolishly in love actually, as his head is emptied of all reason at the small touch.

“Am I to become your travel bard,” Jaskier quips with an airy giggle. “I’m excellent entertainment at parties.”

“Not for long. It’s almost winter. Soon I’ll have to head north to meet my brothers.”

His heart sinks. “Oh.”

Eskel squeezes his shoulder with careful strength. “You better keep out of trouble while I’m gone, you hear?”

“Of course. I don’t go looking for trouble.”

“No, trouble just finds you.”

Well, if ‘trouble’ is a scarred, smirking witcher, he sure hopes that to be true.

* * *

They meet again when the trees are just beginning to color with spring blooms.

There is also a griffin tearing through the town's cattle, but that’s besides the point. Easily dealt with. Which is good, seeing as Jaskier had been near the scene and probably next on the menu. No one had told him about the griffin, so really. He's just as surprised to find Eskel as he is about the beast.

“You alright, bard?”

“I am now.”

Matter resolved, Jaskier walks in step next to Eskel. The town opens before them, welcoming the witcher not with smiles, but grudging gratitude.

“You sure? Trouble didn’t come knocking while I was gone?”

“Only a man with a lover’s grudge come to kick my ass out of a wonderfully luxurious establishment. Didn’t even get to enjoy the hot bath I paid for, which is such a terrible waste of hot water.”

A deep hum comes out of the witcher. “A lover’s grudge?”

“Just a past dalliance that won’t forget me.”

Eskel stops and shifts on his feet, like he wants to say something but he doesn’t know how to start.

Oh, witchers and their awkward conversation skills.

“You know what, I’m starving. I think a good, hearty meal is owed between us. What do you say we go collect your reward and we break fast at the alderman’s recommendation?”

“We don’t have to get the coin right now. I could go for some food.”

“First tavern we see then. Come on.”

Right as he says it, he wraps his arm around Eskel’s, and maybe he’s just being too obvious, too hopeful, but Eskel doesn’t shrug him off. They make their way to a large and welcoming tavern, him talking his head off about the barn smell that permeates the whole town and ignoring the dark looks people give them down the street, as Eskel listens, not a word coming from his mouth. It worries Jaskier a minute that he’s becoming more annoyance than the teasing meddler he wants to be. But Eskel is just scratching his chin, looking down and letting Jaskier lead.

When it becomes clear that Eskel doesn’t have any rented lodgings yet, Jaskier offers his own. “I’m sure the innkeeper won’t mind us bunking if we pay for two, at the end of our stay.”

Eskel doesn't say no. He also doesn't say yes. It takes them finally being settled in a table of their own, full of fruits, cheese and bread, neither of them taking the first bite to eat, for Jaskier to nervously ask, “What is it?”

“Nothing,” comes the too-quick response.

“If I overstepped in some way, please tell me.”

“It’s nothing like that, I—uh.” Eskel shakes his head, his expression scrunched up unpleasantly.

“Whatever it is, I won’t be offended.”

He's already writing a million apologies in his head for any of his imagined offenses, that he's not quite prepared for what Eskel says instead.

“You are...different from what I expected.”

Jaskier blinks. “How so?”

“I don’t know. You’re just. Human. You’re normal.” He makes a point of gesturing at the table, the people keeping their distance. “I don’t get why you do all this for me.”

It's slow-creeping, but once the pieces align, Jaskier starts to understand what he means. That confusion, he’s known it with Geralt. Why do you stick with me? What does a witcher have to offer a human that isn’t the service of a silver sword? What does a human want with a mutant when there are plenty of other ordinary, uncomplicated folk in the world to have for company?

“Because you’re a good man,” he tells the witcher gently. “Because you saved my life and I want to repay you in kind. Most reasonably of all, because we’re friends, and friends take care of each other.”

Of course there’s more to it than that, but if a friend is all Eskel wants, then a friend he shall be.

The rumble of the tavern fills the air as Eskel stares at him a little wide-eyed. Jaskier gives him a slight smile. As a close, he pushes the platter of cheese forward with an encouraging, “now eat your fill, my friend.”

Once Eskel returns his smile, he thinks that, well, that everything will turn out alright.

And they’re happy eating their food when Geralt shows up for the griffin that’s already dead.

At his distinct silhouette, Eskel stands up. “White Wolf.”

“Eskel,” Geralt calls back gravely.

They clasp arms and pat each other’s shoulders in sync. It might not seem like much to outsiders, but what a rare sight to behold—two witchers, two mirrored grins on both their faces.

Eskel is the first to part from the hug with a chiding, “You didn’t come for winter.”

“I know. I had a lot going on. Saw your handiwork hooked to your horse’s saddle.” Then he looks down, and spots Eskel's table company. “Jaskier?”

“Geralt.”

Their held eye-contact feels longer than it is. Looking away, Jaskier half expects the whole tavern to be staring at them, but as it turns out, no one cares to pay the witchers and their odd bard any attention now that the monster's been dealt with. It's just him, imagining his heart hanging out of his sleeve for everyone to judge.

And maybe Eskel senses something's up between them, because he leaves them with the excuse to collect his coin.

“I haven’t seen you in a while,” Jaskier says after Geralt takes Eskel's abandoned seat. “Have you really been so busy that you couldn’t let your friends know you were alive?”

Geralt's silence is its own answer—a little shame, a little remorse. He remembers how Eskel had said that as time went on, Geralt just, lost touch. There had been something heavy in Eskel’s eyes when he said it, and Jaskier had felt it in his soul. Now he understands why. Him and Eskel, they'd both gone through the same impossible task of loving someone who doesn’t believe he can be loved.

By gods, he still loves Geralt, but Geralt's heart is a rusty cage, and neither of them can coax the old bird that lives in it anymore. Soft words and gentle promises have run their course.

“So,” the witcher starts, “you and Eskel? Didn't know you knew each other.”

“Maybe if you’d met either of us during winter you would have heard.” The phrasing's rough, but there's no resentment in his voice. He would have liked to know that Geralt had been safe in his wintering home, with Eskel.

“Yeah. I’m...surprised.” Jaskier raises his brow at him. Which just earns a quick shake of Geralt’s head. “He doesn’t make friends easily.”

“Neither do you, and yet look at us.”

“Look at us,” he echoes, staring at the empty plates.

“We missed a lot of opportunities together, didn’t we?” It doesn't make the truth any easier to swallow, but acknowledging the what-could-have-beens has always made him feel better afterward. Like closing a book, and getting ready to open a new one. He hopes Geralt knows that there's no bridges destroyed between them. Only those missed moments.

He still very much cares for Geralt, and he knows that Geralt does as well. They just have to come to terms with what's over—and what might come next.

“I won’t lie to you,” Jaskier adds more seriously. “I don’t want to miss any opportunities with him.”

The 'him' in question is unmistakable. Geralt nods. He looks down, one end of his mouth drawing up to dimple his cheek.

He says, like an olive branch offering, “His favorite flower is yarrow. Not because they’re pretty, but because they’re useful in the most surprising ways.”

* * * 

They spend the day catching up, all three of them, before Geralt is on the road again, taking his own path. Jaskier sees how it brightens Eskel’s spirits to have seen him off, and cheers up twofold. 

“I’ve known him practically my whole life,” Eskel tells him.

“I’ve known him half of mine.”

“So you understand.”

“That he’s a prat? Oh yes. Good at heart, backwards about verbalizing it. Cheeky when he wants to be. Oh by the way, here.”

From out of his little travel bag, Jaskier pulls a swathe of yarrows.

“Saw some at market street,” he explains, presenting them. “Thought you might find use in them for your potions.”

Eskel turns to him, his bright witcher eyes bouncing between him and the yarrows. Jaskier feels his heart climb up his throat, wondering what runs through Eskel's mind that makes him pause for so long.

Then Eskel takes them with one hand and with the other, he touches Jaskier’s face. It's big, warm, calloused against his skin. And sudden.

“‘Cheeky when he wants to be’, right?”

Jaskier stutters to say, “Well, yes, I mean, but this isn’t about him—”

He forgets how to speak after Eskel kisses him. It’s the lightest peck on the corner of his lips, so light that once he draws back, he wonders if he's not still dreaming back in their rented room.

“Thank you. I know just what to use them for.”

The yarrow gets tucked away with the other herbs in Eskel's saddlebag. A few glasses clink together as he moves things around so they don’t get crushed. And then, as Jaskier stands there, stupefied and slack-jawed, Eskel mounts his steed, a soot-black beauty that neighs softly at Jaskier’s face.

“Where are you headed for now?”

“Nowhere. Anywhere.” Wherever you’ll go, he thinks to himself. Wherever you'll have me.

Eskel grins wide at him, and it's the most beautiful sight, his smile, with all his teeth gleaming.

“That sounds like trouble.”

[onlyangelcas]

rosé flowing with your chosen family

my addition to @spnwomenweek ☼ day 2: family | read on ao3

“Claire,” Kaia says softly, placing her hand on Claire’s shoulder. “This is your family, what are you so worried about?”

Claire sighs, unsure of what exactly is so nerve wracking about walking into a house filled with her loved ones. Her back is resting against the side of her beat up station wagon, one sneaker kicking uselessly at the gravel under her feet and Kaia is looking at her with those concerned eyes that make her stomach knot up with guilt.

In front of her, past the somewhat wild front lawn, is Sam and Eileen’s new home, where their family is gathered for a last minute housewarming party. Sam and Eileen had put in an offer a few days after their wedding back in March, eager to get out of the dingy bunker and begin their life as a married couple. Claire was happy for them, Sam deserved a life of domesticity, just as Cas and Dean did.

It was weird, those first few weeks after the Winchsesters had defeated Chuck, God, whatever. Claire was devastated by the news of Cas being taken by the Empty, she hardly moved from her bed in the days following. Left confused, broken, and grieving an angel who was like her father in more ways than just his appearance. Kaia was supportive, of course, content to cuddle up next to her and run a soothing hand through her hair or convince her to eat a real meal at least once a day.

Before she even had the chance to fully process the loss of Cas, Jack and Dean had rescued him from the Empty. She remembered Jody’s voice calling out to her, she had slid from her bed and padded toward the front door. Claire was shocked to see Cas standing there, normal trench coat and suit traded in for a sweater and jeans, his hand tightly holding Dean’s. The two men had looked at her with concern, probably taking in her wrinkled pajamas, two-day-old bun, and the dark circles under her eyes. She had passed on asking the millions of questions that had flooded her mind in favor of wrapping herself tightly around Cas.

Claire had never been one to show her emotions so viscerally, but in that moment she couldn’t help the tears that quickly rolled down her cheeks. The joy of seeing Cas, when she thought he was gone for good, standing in her living room full of life and having apparently worked out whatever feelings he had for Dean, was overwhelming. Cas held her tightly while Dean ran a soothing hand across her back, and she wept openly for the first time since the Bad Place.

After that, things had returned to normal. Not normal for Claire, because all she had really known for the last few years was hunting, but the kind of normal where she didn’t have to kill monsters or worry that Sam and Dean were off getting themselves in trouble. There weren’t any monsters to hunt anymore, which left her feeling empty and useless for months. Kaia had pulled her out of that, like Kaia always did, and they decided to travel across the country and see the places they had never been able to enjoy before. It was freeing, to be on the open road, enjoying just being alive.

Claire and Kaia often passed through Kansas to visit Cas, Dean, and Jack at their house on the lake or to swing by the bunker to see Sam and Eileen. They never missed a birthday, wedding, or big event. Which is how they found themselves back in Kansas, Jody had called to let them know everyone was getting together for a housewarming party for Sam and Eileen. Her and Kaia had been in Memphis, enjoying barbecue and Blues, so the drive wasn’t too much of a hassle.

“Earth to blondie,” Kaia says, snapping Claire back to the present. “Are we going inside anytime soon? I’m starving, babe.”

Claire clears her throat, “Yeah, sorry. Lost in my head.”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

She looks into Kaia’s eyes, the usual soft brown painted with worry, and smiles in hopes it will ease her girlfriend’s concern, “No, I’m good, just overthinking. Let’s go eat.”

Kaia gives her a tentative smile, wrapping her hand around Claire’s and pulling her in for a chaste kiss.

They approach the front door, Claire raises her hand to knock but before her knuckles make contact the door swings open, revealing Sam with a grin spread across his face. He quickly wraps them both up in a hug and pulls them inside the loud and lively house. Claire and Kaia congratulate him on the house before breaking away to greet Jody, Donna, Alex, and Patience.

After hugs are exchanged and road trip updates are given, Claire slips away to the kitchen for a drink and Kaia heads toward Cas and Eileen who are clearly gossiping in ASL in the far corner of the living room.

Claire yanks open the fridge and helps herself to a beer, twisting off the cap and taking a long drink before propping herself against the counter.

“Hello Claire,” Jack says happily from where he’s sitting at the kitchen island, Claire hadn’t even noticed him when she first came in.

“Jack, jeeze, you scared me.”

“My apologies, I didn’t realize you hadn’t seen me.” Jack responds, his hands wrapped around a can of root beer.

“Yeah, I guess I was a little lost in thought.” She says, turning her head toward the door where the sound of Dean’s laughter is filtering through.

There’s a pause then, as Claire contemplates how she ended up here, with this ragtag group of former hunters, angels, and a witch that she calls family. It’s weird, she had always expected her dad to show back up one day and make their family whole again, back when she was young and naive. It’s even weirder, she thinks, that this band of misfits has become a better image of family than she could ever imagine to have with her mother and father. Claire had come to think of herself as a combination of Novak-Winchester-Mills-Hanscum for quite some time now, content to be part of this chosen family.

She still missed her mom and dad, from time to time, wondered what life would have been like if they had stayed with her. Claire never let herself spend too long on that path, knowing that if things had been different she would have never known Jody or Alex, she would never have known Cas, or Sam and Dean, she never would have fallen in love with Kaia. She has a family now; she found a mother in Jody and Donna, Castiel and Dean became her kind-of dads, Sam and Eileen the closest thing she has to an uncle and aunt, Alex and Patience are her sisters, Jack her brother. It’s weird and mismatched, but it’s hers and she wouldn’t trade it for the world.

“Claire,” Jack says, breaking her out of her thoughts. “You seem troubled.”

Claire flashes him a watery smile, suddenly overcome with affection for her perfectly messed up family, “Actually the opposite.”

Jack smiles back at her, a gap-toothed goofy grin, “Oh, I thought you were upset.”

She pushes herself away from the counter, abandoning her beer on the stone surface, and makes her way over to Jack. “Can I tell you something?”

“Of course, Claire, anything.” Jack says, his head tilting up slightly to lock eyes with Claire, who is standing close enough that she’s marginally taller than Jack sitting down.

Claire pulls Jack into a hug, wrapping her arms so tightly around him that her ribs ache, “I love you.”

Jack slowly loops his arms around Claire, resting his cheek against her shoulder, “I love you, too.”

She lets out a wet laugh, giving Jack one final squeeze before pulling away.

“Well,” A gruff voice says from the doorway. “Isn’t that just a sight for sore eyes.”

Claire whips her head around to find Dean lounging against the doorframe, his face soft with a bit of fondness in his eyes.

“Hello Dean,” Jack says, his face still twisted up in a goofy grin.

Dean stalks forward into the kitchen, quickly wrapping the two up in a warm embrace and pressing a kiss to the top of their heads. He pulls away just as quickly as he pulled them in, locking eyes with Claire and giving her a look that conveys all the words he can’t say out loud.

“Jack helped me get a bunch of Sammy’s baby pictures scanned onto a CD and I’m gonna put ‘em up on the TV for everyone, you don't wanna miss it.” Dean says, giving her a gentle pat on the back.

She laughs, “Sounds mortifying, I can’t wait to see Sam’s face.”

“C’mon,” He says, jerking his head toward the living room before turning and heading out the door.

Claire watches him and Jack disappear into the other room, smiling to herself as she snatches up her beer and heads into the chaos. Cas, Kaia, and Eileen are still deep in conversation. Jody and Donna are whispering quietly to each other on the other side of the room. Rowena, Patience, and Alex are pressed together on the couch, a martini glass dangling from Rowena’s hand as she gestures wildly, obviously recounting an insane tale as the other women listen with rapt attention.

She slides in next to Sam, who is leaning against the stairway railing, eyeing Jack and Dean with suspicion as they fiddle with the disc player next to the TV.

“This is a great house, Sammy.”

Sam looks down at her, smiling slightly, “It’s not bad, but it’s the people who really make it home.”

Claire returns his smile, then turns back to the scene in front of her; all her favorite people, the people she loves most in the world, gathered in one room.

Dean always says, family don’t end with blood, something his own stand-in father, Bobby, used to tell him. Claire never met Bobby, but she thinks he might have been onto something.

[jloves-pp]

The Story of Merida and Hiccup-chapter 9

Chapter 9-forbidden love

After a few months, Hiccup and Merida's relationship began to grow. Hiccup and Toothless would fly to Dun Broch and stay for a week, the time they shared together was wonderful. Mostly the teens, along with Angus and Toothless would explore Scotland. Merida told Hiccup about a monster in Loch ness and wondered if there might be a dragon living there, they investigated for hours but found nothing, but they did catch a glimpse of something that could've been a tail. Merida loved her new bow, it worked like a dream when she shot her arrows, she even showed it off to her parents. Fergus and Elinor were impressed by Hiccup's building skills.

As Merida watched, Hiccup's archery skills improved and in turn he taught Merida how to fly. She managed the basics but found it hard sometimes to remember to tail positions, one time Merida lost control and crashed into a field of wildflowers. Merida and Hiccup tumbled off Toothless, they landed on some soft earth so they weren't hurt. Hiccup stood and brushed himself off when he noticed a flower and an idea came to him. Merida had dusted herself down and saw Toothless pop up his head, he was covered with wildflowers. Merida couldn't help but laugh, she looked over her shoulder to see Hiccup walking up with his hand behind his back. He revealed a beautiful bunch of blooms. Normally, Merida didn't care for flowers but she thought it was sweet, she took them gratefully. Hiccup blushed slightly as Merida inhaled the amazing scent of the wildflowers. There was a deep chirping sound, they turned to see Toothless, holding flowers in his mouth. The teens couldn't help but giggle, Merida thanked him and took the flowers from the dragon's mouth. Later on, the princess placed her gifts of wildflowers in a vase. It brightened up her bedroom perfectly.

It was hard for Hiccup and Merida not to be close in public, even holding hands was too risky. That didn't stop them from giving each other quick kisses, hiding and secretly handholding. Sometimes, when they were walking along walls of the castle. They noticed one of the tapestries and Hiccup or Merida would pull the other underneath and stole a moment together. They enjoyed the thrill of almost getting caught. When they were out away from the kingdom, they were more like a couple. They would stroll through the woods, linking their arm as the sunlight glinted golden in the trees. They sat and snuggled and enjoying the breath-taking views.

Even though the two were happy, in the backs of the minds the fear of their secret being discovered still dwelled. They knew for a long time it was wrong, but their feelings were too strong for another, that they didn't want to be apart. Hiccup and Merida were depressed when they were apart, wanting nothing more than to see each other. So, when the met up, their hearts felt like they were going to burst. They knew that no one will except them being together, which made them wonder if they could ever have a life together.

"Merida. Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Aye, I always wanted to try this. I didn't have anyone to try it out with".

"Yeah, but why am I the one that has to be shot at with an apple on my head?"

it was the beginning of summer, the princess asked Hiccup to try a trick she'd always wanted to try. Hiccup reluctantly agreed but was really regretting it now. It didn't help that Toothless was sitting with Angus, watching the whole thing.

"You'll be fine. All you need to do is to hold still while I shoot at the apple". Merida explained as she readied her bow. "You're lucky I didn't decide to wear a blindfold!"

"Hey, yeah, then I'd be really scared!" Hiccup said, Merida took her place about 30 feet from Hiccup. Reached for her bow, she made sure her arrow would be right. When she was ready, she released her arrow. Hiccup shut his eyes, waiting for the blow, but he didn't feel a thing. He opened his eyes and look up to the arrow straight through the apple, hanging from the tree.

"Ha, Ha, I did it!" the princess cheered. Hopping for joy.

The Viking slid down the tree if relief, glad to be alive. Toothless walked over to check on his friend, although his friend was not happy to see him

"Thanks for saving me from certain death bud" Hiccup said sarcastically but he couldn't stay mad as Toothless licked his face all over.

"I think you've cleaned him enough now, Toothless" Merida said and giggled when she reached them. Toothless quickly stopped and then rubbed his head to Merida's, while she stroked him. Merida helped and pulled Hiccup to his feet "Thank you Milady and may I say, your skills never cease to amaze me". Hiccup said while he pulled the arrow from the tree, she removed the apple and using a knife, cut it in half, she bit into one half and offered the other half to Hiccup. He smiled and took the fruit.

"Well, I had help with my trick and I should thank you for it" she replied playfully and gently kissed him on his lip which Hiccup returned, placing his hand on her cheek. Once they'd finished, they collected Toothless and Angus and stook a stroll towards the glen.

The teens held hands and chatted away as they walked. "So who would the best at arm wrestling? Your Dad or mine?" Merida asked.

"Well obviously mine. He holds the most wins on the island!" Hiccup answered.

"Oh, you haven't seen my dad. He won 35 times in row and he was throwing daggers at the target at the same time, all bullseye" Merida grinned proudly.

"That's impressive, but can he split a huge stone in two with his head?" Hiccup said triumphantly.

"Aye, he can, but can your dad lift two cart full of haystacks and two cows-while blindfolded?" Merida questioned back, hoping to get one up on him.

"Actually, he has. Here's one, has he ever grappled the horns of dragon, 10 times his size?" the Viking said.

The smile was wiped from the Princess's face, Hiccup could see Merida trying to think of comeback but she eventually said

"Ok you win" the two smiled and burst out laughing. Their conversations flowed easily. "Well, come to mention it, I being wondering about something for a while".

"Sure, what is it?" Hiccup asked.

"Well, your dad is the chief, right?" Merida said.

"Right?" Hiccup replied.

"And a chief is the ruler of the tribe or kingdom, so he's a king. So that would make you, a prince" Merida explained.

"Well, I never thought about it like that, but it does makes sense". Hiccup said thinking about it more. "If your mum knew that, she would have us marry right away".

"Oh gods, she would" Merida replied, burning her face in her hands.

"Yeah, we're not ready for that until you change your mind" Hiccup said softly taking her hand off her face.

"Asked me again in a few years and then I'll answer" Merida replied and the teens laughed.

"Well, is there anything you'd like to do?" Hiccup asked. There was something Merida wanted to ask Hiccup but knew he wouldn't like it, but it was worth a try.

"Well, there is something or rather somewhere I'd like to see" Merida began.

"What is it?"

"I really want to visit Berk" Merida finished and she saw the colour drain from Hiccup's face.

"WHAT! No, no, no are you crazy? If my dad finds out he'll explode and they'll locked you up and execute you and you look better with your head on!" Hiccup cried in disbelief.

"Ok not as bad as I thought" Merida said in her head. She understood him but she heard so many wonderful things about Berk and she wanted to see it. "I know the dangers but I could stay in the cove".

"Yeah, but I don't want you stuck there all the time and what if someone will finds you" Hiccup said his mind was racing "I should tell my friends, having them know would make things easier... but I still don't think it's a good idea".

"Hiccup?" The princess took his hands in hers and softly rubbed them "Please, I know you're worried about being discovered especially by your dad. It's just you said how incredible your home is and I want to see it with my own eyes. I promise you, nothing will happen to me" she reassured Hiccup.

The Viking couldn't resist her touch and those beautiful blue eyes.

"Oh. All right, I'll take you to Berk". Hiccup reluctantly said, hoping and praying to Odin they won't be caught.

"Yay!" Merida cried and kissed him on the lips.

"Ok, but if we get find out. You take the blame" Hiccup said after they separated "We should ask your parents first".

"Aye I definitely don't want to worry them, come on" Merida replied and the two quickly got on their friends and raced back to the castle.

Elinor was having some quiet time reading, she adjusted her woollen blanket when the door creaked opened to reveal...Fergus.

"Hello there love" he cheerfully said, smiling to his lovely wife.

"Hello dear, I thought you were teaching the new guards today" Elinor said as her husband closed the door before sitting next to her.

"Oh aye, we've took a break, we're doing hay bales later" Fergus said flexing his arms.

"Well, don't let them carry four hay bales at once. We don't need another accident" Elinor reminded him with a playfully smirk.

"Oh, would you rather them carry sheep?, trees?, you?" Fergus said moving closer.

"Are you sure? Wouldn't you be jealous" the queen asked, he pulled her in his arms, her Bear King, he held her to him.

"Jealous? I know you too well, no one would mess with you, until they want the bear to come out again" Fergus said gently moving a bit of hair out of her face.

"Well, my dearest man. I can release the bear any time I want" she said and then kissed her husband who returned it eagerly. Things may had gone further between the two but suddenly the door swung open.

"Mum, I need to talk to you" Merida called out as she and Hiccup walked in. Elinor and Fergus quickly pulled back and tried to fix themselves. The teens averted their eyes, felt like they were intruding.

"Should...should we go, we didn't know" Hiccup asked fumbling his words.

"No, no. We weren't doing anything...much" Elinor reassured them. She saw Fergus in the corner of her eye giving her a knowing look. "It's there something we can help you with?"

"No, we actually want to ask your permission" Merida started rubbing her arm nervously, really hoping they would say yes.

"Oh, what is it love" Fergus the asked.

"I'd like to visit Hiccup's home island for a week" Merida said smiling sweetly.

"What? How far is your island from here" Fergus asked Hiccup. Not believing what he'd heard.

"It's a two-day trip there but I promise, nothing will happen" Hiccup reassured the king and queen. Before Fergus could ask more, he felt his wife patting his hand.

"Fergus, can I talk to you in the next room please" Elinor asked him. It took him a moment to answer then he nodded. The adults left to the room and into the room across the hall.

The king sat down as the queen walked to the window.

"Have you noticed Merida lately?" Elinor asked. She could see Fergus didn't know what she meant, so she continued. "I mean, since Hiccup appeared. She hasn't been herself. She's become melancholy and distant but when Hiccup is here, Merida is back to her old self" she said as she walked to and fro. "I couldn't help but think..she's is love".

Then something unexpected happened. Fergus burst out laughing. He laughed so hard he nearly fell off the chair. He definitely thought his wife was joking but when he saw Elinor glaring at him, his laugh died down.

"Oh, you're not joking" Fergus said feeling a bit worried.

"Of course, I'm not joking, I would never joke about such things" Elinor answered back but she took a deep breath before saying "They showed signs of attraction and I overheard them talking and acting like a couple".

"Are you sure?" Fergus questioned "It doesn't sound like our daughter. Merida's in 'love', Merida doesn't do love!"

"I know, I know. Anyone who knows her, knows that Merida has never liked the idea of 'love' or 'marriage' but this boy has caught her eye. It's obvious something's between them" Elinor explained thinking of the interactions she'd seen between the teens.

"Now you mention it, Merida did ask me about her looks" he confessed. Elinor eyes widened, Merida couldn't care less about her looks, she could had gone around with her hair like a bush, covered in dirt and twigs and Merida didn't care, Elinor thought Merida must have really like Hiccup if she'd started thinking about her looks.

"There's definitely something between those two" Elinor murmured to myself. "What do you think of Hiccup, being with our daughter". Fergus took a while, thinking it over before spoke.

"I'm no sure, Hiccup's a nice boy but I don't know if he'll be able to lead the kingdom at Merida's side. She needs someone who's strong, who's a born leader and is able to care for Merida" Fergus voiced his thoughts. His wife thought he had a point.

"I understand but he's a gentleman and he's good building weapons, like the bow he's given Merida" Elinor said.

"True, that bow is impressive" Fergus agreed, he seemed to be a kind and responsible boy. "Do you think we should let Merida visit Hiccup's home by herself?"

Taking in all the information. They trusted Hiccup and knew that Merida had deep feelings for him.

"I believe so, let's go and tell them" Elinor replied. Her husband nodded and both left the room. What they didn't know was that while they were talking, Merida and Hiccup use d this time to be alone. When the teens heard the door cracking, they pulled away and sat up properly before the queen and king entered.

"Ur…should we leave?" Fergus asked when he noticed their red faces.

"Ur...No" Merida replied hiding her smile.

"Well, we've agreed to allow you to visit Hiccup's home" Elinor told them. Merida instantly jumped up, cheering and ran up her parents, giving them a kiss of thanks on their cheeks.

"Thank you, thank you" she said and hugged them.

"How does the day after tomorrow sound? it'll give you time to pack and we'll have Jamie take you to the docks..." Elinor said, but Hiccup stood up and without thinking shouted

"STOP!"

He froze, the royal family turned to him confused except Mer, who knew why. "I mean. My friend will take us there" He quickly told them which wasn't a lie but he could still feel the sweat forming on his forehead.

"Aye, so don't worry about it" Merida quickly said "Oh, look at the time. You need to return to your duties" and pushed her parents out the door, despite the royal couples' questions. Merida flashed a reassuring smile to Hiccup, who returned a smile of thanks.

Hiccup watched as Merida was handed her bags from her mum, the princess hugged her and her dad and ruffled her brother's hair.

"Yes, yes. I'll see if I could find any treats there" she said to the triplets.

"I hope your father's got the news of the guest your bringing" the queen said Hiccup. She'd asked the young lad to write to his dad before they arrived but Hiccup couldn't, in fear his dad would question him.

"Yeah, I have, he'll be surprised" Hiccup answered, rubbing his neck.

"Ok, Merida you have a good time and be careful" Elinor said to her daughter.

"I will. Don't worry" Merida said, giving her another hug.

Merida and Hiccup waved goodbye to Harris, Hubert, Hamish and the royal couple as they walked down the hill, toward the woods.

They soon reached Toothless and they set off. Their journey was exciting for Merida as they flew over the sea. She'd never left her home before it was so thrilling. They stopped on small islands to rest Toothless and slept in a cave for the night. On day three, when the sun was setting, Merida with her hood over her head was fast asleep. She rested her head on her Viking's shoulder, Hiccup didn't mind her, he loved to feel her close to him.

Soon Hiccup spotted the familiar outline of his home. Toothless purred at the sight. He flew and landed on one the Viking statues in the water, near Berk. The sudden landing woke Merida.

"W... what's going on?" Merida said looking about.

"Well, we're here" Hiccup said smiling. Merida looked over his shoulder and her eyes widened at the sight. Hiccups arms opened wide, showing the wonderous sight before them.

"Merida, this is Berk"

[chibimyumi]

The Circus Arc

Last week somebody asked me what my favourite manga arc is, and without a second of hesitation I answered 🎪. As I have already publically declared my love, it is only natural for me to write a love letter to the Circus Arc.

Why do I consider the Circus Arc the best still after more than a decade?

I. The true story

First of all, the Circus Arc is in my opinion the first arc wherein we truly get to meet the characters, as well as the series itself.

A protagonist who is dispensable in their own story is not a true protagonist. As touched upon in this post, before the Circus Arc O!Ciel was actually little more than a plot device to show off Sebastian’s many assets. “The Watchdog has a case because the Queen said so, Sebastian solves it.” “The Watchdog was kidnapped because Yana TOLD us he made life for the mafia a bit hard, so Sebastian saves him.” When Sebas said to his master “you truly have no other talent except for getting yourself abducted,” it sure rang very true until that point. It wasn’t as much a story of O!Ciel’s revenge as it was Sebas saving the day because: demon powers.

In the Circus Arc however, we truly got an insight on why this little boy could indeed have made life for the mafia hard, and why after two years the Queen still hasn’t fired him. As discussed in the post mentioned before, almost as a compensation for his prior starfishhood, O!Ciel had insisted on doing the investigation himself, even at the cost of his own health. We saw him actively cooking up strategies as well as dealing with any situation as they were met. O!Ciel really displayed a commendable aptness at playing the cards he has been dealt in the Circus Arc. In contrast, while Sebas did make many accomplishments, all his actions were the undertaken because of O!Ciel’s orders. In the Circus Arc we truly got to see how the boy is the chess player, and demon the black knight.

II. Our protagonists - into the core

The Circus Arc is likewise the arc wherein we actually get to meet our two main characters outside their token function.

We have seen Sebastian’s establishment as “the pawn that can move across the entire chessboard in one single move”. But without O!Ciel’s input or any price that the master would have to pay, Sebastian is easily just an ‘instant-win card’, an ironic “deus” ex machina, if you will.

As discussed in this post and this post, in the Jack the Ripper Arc Sebastian was quite dissatisfied with his master and therefore decided to teach his master a lesson at the cost of more innocent lives. However nasty, it had been O!Ciel who ordered for a subpar move, and technically the pawn “did nothing wrong.”

In the Circus Arc O!Ciel became meticulous about decisions regarding his chess piece. Principally there was nothing wrong with the order O!Ciel had given his butler about releasing the snakes before the first stringers would return, and Sebas who was bound to perfect completion of any order also didn’t do anything wrong, technically. However, it had already been established that as long as Sebas sees the interest himself he would find any loophole in orders to still benefit his master in one way or another. As it is, considering how Sebas did decide to release the poisonous snakes while his master was in the danger zone, we are left with a chilling conclusion that Sebas simply ‘did not see the interest’ of shielding O!Ciel from danger. For the first time we truly learn the extent of Sebastian’s nondiscriminatory nastiness; how indeed all humans are the same to him. For the first time we truly understand that O!Ciel is paying with much more than his soul for Sebastian’s services. This demon is a double-edged sword, but much more than swinging outwards, this sword has a tendency to swing inwards the moment the wielder allows for any opening.

Previously discussed in this post, we also see the full extent of Sebastian’s manipulativeness and toxicity in the Circus Arc. Sure, in other arcs Sebas is also manipulative, but all of those actions could still be categorised under “merciless honesty”. In the Circus Arc however, O!Ciel objectively did nothing wrong to be triggered and exhausted from the Circus shenanigans, and yet Sebas was unnecessarily re-triggering and victim shaming his master for some extra “flavouring”. If there had been any doubt whether Sebas is bad for O!Ciel, then surely the Circus Arc put all doubts to rest.

For the first time in the manga we also see a genuine obstacle for Sebastian that is for not also the final hurdle to overcome, like in the Ripper, Curry, Campania or any other arc really. In the Manor Murder and Werewolf Arc there were of course Earl Grey and Wolfram respectively, but in those cases Sebas mostly tried to outrun the obstacles. In the Circus Arc however, William is likewise a supernatural being, and Sebas knew very well that he can’t just neutralise William without causing more trouble than good. Hence we saw how Sebas tried to negotiate with William, and we learned that even Sebastian cannot just avoid hurdles. Negotiating with William did not work of course, so the story forced Sebas to be creative. It truly was great to see Sebas use his brain rather than demon-muscles to overcome a problem for a change.

While getting “creative”, Sebas displayed his aptitude for preying on humans in our weakest of moments. As explained in this characterisation of Sebastian, Sebastian is not terrifying because he has super powers, but because he understands human weaknesses like no other and uses our own weaknesses against us. Click here for an analysis of Sebas’ cross-media manipulation of Beast.

In this same arc we likewise truly understand the looming threat O!Ciel is dealing with, an explicit revelation of the monster Sebastian is. This scene from underneath is the most explicit moment telling us that Sebas is not just dwelling on Earth comfortably; he is holding out under a cover. This scene almost served as an alarming reminder to us: “beware, the demon can snap”.

What about O!Ciel? In our boy we saw his tremendous dedication to his job. Except for purposes directly related to the investigation, never once did he order Sebastian to make life easier for him. He never made Sebas secure food for him or do any of the chores for him. Surely Earl Phantomhive would consider himself above wrestling for food or scrub some floors, and yet he was willing to just take on any task without complaining. In no other arc do we see just how effective O!Ciel is as the Watchdog exactly because he is so versatile both in playing the ‘cute little boy’ card as well as the ‘feared Watchdog’ card.

Doll was an exceptionally well chosen “obstacle” for O!Ciel (more about her later). When Doll briefly wondered about why a peasant boy like Smile would speak in flawless RP, we saw O!Ciel’s ability of thinking on his feet, giving a very logical explanation of: “I served in a Lord’s household where I learned to speak proper.” When Doll caught him red handed when he sneaked into Snake’s tent O!Ciel also immediately pulled the “I didn’t steal anything!” card, skillfully tying it into his previous story as ‘the page boy who was fired for stealing’. We learned that the Watchdog really is willing to carry out his job through any means necessary, not just ‘the cool and edgy means’.

One of the best ways to get to learn a person is judging from their gut reactions. When O!Ciel was triggered in the final showdown he no longer had any energy to put on a strong front or think about matters rationally. He was in emotional pain and his gut reaction was to want that pain gone.

Even Sebastian who would not directly benefit from the case being completed advised his master against burning down everything. Even with the Queen’s commission as leverage however, the boy still yelled to have everything reduced to ashes. In this moment we also understood just how traumatising everything was to O!Ciel personally. This trauma response didn’t come from nowhere; everything that happened up until that point had been a logical build-up towards this inevitable result.

III. The Side Characters

A story cannot be told with just the main characters; you need to care about the interactions they have with others too. In my opinion the Circus Arc has delivered the most memorable side characters that linger with us even after death. In particular Joker and Doll.

Joker is a very fun, charismatic character as well as a person with many different sides. He is lawfully inexcusable, but we cannot help but sympathise, or at least understand how he too is a victim compelled into evil. Rationally we reject Joker’s actions, but partially it is because we have the luxury to do so. “Is this self defense? Would we, or how would we have done anything differently had we been in his exact shoes?” is a question worth considering.

Doll too; we see a child who lived a relatively happy life in the recent past. In the anime they made it explicit that Doll was complicit in all the kidnappings of the children, but in the manga it is more ambiguous whether Doll is fully aware of Kelvin’s agenda. This gives the effect that with the revelation of Joker always having taken most of the bullets, we understand that the torment Joker has been suffering was the price he paid to buy his siblings a more-or-less normal life. If O!Ciel sold his soul to the devil in the literate sense, Joker did so in the figurative sense in exchange for his family’s happiness.

IV. The Antagonists?

We do not spend too much time with Baron Kelvin, and he is a relatively simple character. But that is not bad as long as the villain’s threat reaches us. The horrors of Kelvin have always been quite clear; when children are harmed it triggers a gut reaction of disgust in most viewers. But the kidnapped children were not the functional victims in this story, it is the first stringers with Joker in the centre.

Kelvin has made a bunch of crippled children fully dependent on him, and used their own dependency as a currency to satisfy his own greed. Never once did he allow these children to forget how he could easily return them to the gutter from where he collected them. The kidnapped children were just numbers in the newspaper, but the first stringers are characters we spent time with. We have seen their suffering and we know they are just trying to get by. So it is all the more heartbreaking that children who merely wanted their basic human rights were turned into the antagonists that had to be exterminated. In the showdown between Joker vs Watchdog, the dynamic is shifted from “heroes vs child-kidnapping villains” to “villain-protagonists vs anti-villains”.

The Circus Arc is very special in how the villain impacts the readers, because the people affected matter to us. In the earliest arcs we didn’t REALLY care about O!Ciel, but he was the main person who suffered from the villains. With Sebastian around however, we don’t really worry. In the Ripper, Mansion, Campania and Potter Arc the main victims are characters we don’t spend any time with, so emotionally we don’t really care whether “evil gets vanquished”. In the Werewolf Arc we do have Sieglinde and Wolfram, and it is heartbreaking to see Sieglinde discovering that all her happiness had been a big lie and that to even her own mother she was nothing but a tool. But in the very least she did grow up happily, she survived and has a fresh chance to start a new life, and the person closest to her (Wolfram) is still with her.

For the first stringers however... all had been meaningless, all is finite.

As expertly described by Sebas in the musical adaptation of the Circus Arc, humans are pathetic because we are merely “accumulating sins in the version of hell [we] have chosen to live.”

V. From foil to team members

The servants at the Phantomhive manor were originally just designed to be foil for Sebas to demonstrate his awesome butler skills. I don’t know whether they were liked at first, but for one I do know that many found them quite annoying or pointless too.

The Circus Arc is the first time we see the significance of the Phantomhive servants, that they’re not just there waiting to be fed by O!Ciel because... he’s a philanthropist of some sort? Yana had made some questionable decisions at first, and she clearly regretted those ‘choices’. I personally see the Circus Arc as her first demonstration of her skills as story writer, and her public proclamation of: “this is Kuroshitsuji’s potential!”

Had the entire series started with the Circus Arc, then surely the animated series would have gotten a much higher budget and a better time-slot for airing.

VI. Humour

The humour in the Circus Arc is also great, but nothing was shoehorned in there for the sake of laughs, neither do these moments disturb the tone of the story.

Everything was funny because they were the inevitable consequences of putting these people together. William had been established as a demon-racist plank, and when made to cooperate with a demon, of course he would say: “my hands will rot”. When called “four-eyes”, of course he would say: “it’s SUIT”.

Many of the comedic moments are centred around our protagonists’ inconveniences, but nobody is inconveniencing them for the sake of inconveniencing them. When Sebastian was not trying to leave the vicinity William mostly let him at peace. O!Ciel for example also couldn’t do many things simply because Doll was clinging to him. But she did not know what was at stake and her actions were well grounded in her immense desire to make new friends. “You are young, I am young. You lost an eye, I lost an eye. Let’s be FRIENDS!”

This is in stark contrast with how ‘funny inconveniences’ were staged before using Lizzie or Grell for example. Lizzie was a drag to O!Ciel because... she’s a girl who wanted everything to go HER way... and Grell was a drag to Sebas because she... is a girl who wanted everything to go HER way.

VII. Ending

The ending of the Circus Arc also carried a bitter-sweet tone that most other arcs do not present. The thematic of “demons dwell in the human nature of stepping on others” is perfectly addressed in the Circus Arc, but it does not end with: “so don’t be evil!”. The Circus Arc simply highlights the issue and reminds us that ‘stepping on others’ does not exist in a vacuum.

Had the objective of the series not been established as “boy who swore on revenge”, and instead be: "rethinking evil”, then the Circus Arc alone would have told the story sufficiently.

The finale of the Circus Arc resonates with its audience because the core principle on which Kuroshitsuji is built is a narrative humankind has always wanted to externalise, but without success: “demons are only as evil as humans allow their own evil to show”.

[factual-fantasy]

Its done! Its all finally done!! All 16 cars! Man, this took like, what, two weeks?? This is one of the biggest and riskiest projects I’ve done in a long while. My hands are bruised and sore and I hope now more than ever that this was all worth it! And yes, the two mystery cars were Dragsters all along! If you’re wondering how a race car like that can be even remotely similar to a Tank, a Tractor, a bathtub with an Engine, a little tikes car, AND a power wheels... well, they’ve got a butt ton of power, they’ve got the biggest friggin tires EVER, they’re basically just flat bowls with pipe legs and an engine, and they’re most certainly toys so... kinda? Also the whole “You’ll wonder what’s in my family basement” thing? They’re trophies. Lots of them.

And I know the names aren’t cool Transformer names, I just wrote down their main name as what they are most commonly called.

Also, I bet you’ve noticed that my persona is in a few of the drawings? Well I put myself beside the cars that are my favorites. The very first drawing, Suburban, being my all time favorite.

Now what I have after the keep reading is a list of summary’s for each cars personality. You absolutely do not have to read them, but I worked hard on it and think they’re cool so.. I at least encourage you to take a lil peek. :}

So you wanna learn more ey? Well let me give you a little summary on their personalities!

Note: Some of the cars’s pictures have been taken from google because I didn’t actually have a picture of the car in my camera roll. And The google image is not identical to the actual car, its just the closest thing I could find. Also for privacy reasons, I will not say the name, age, gender or relation of the drivers of the cars or how many drivers there are in total. And also for privacy reasons, all the cars aside from the google images have been cropped or blurred to hide the background.

Also I am writing their descriptions as if they are real Transformers and have met some of the real Autobots.

Now, to the cars!

Suburban: Is my favorite out of all our cars. Suburban is similar to Bulkhead in may ways, he looks kind’a like him, he is gentle, considerate and kind to those around him. Big and small. Although he isn’t a meat head, he’s a smart guy that thinks everything through before doing it to ensure everyone’s safety. And he isn’t a Wrecker, or a Soldier, he’s a field medic. He uses his size and strength to charge into battle and retrieve wounded soldiers. He tows people out of harms way and uses himself as a shield to protect, not to harm. Although he can kick aft if it is necessary. Because he is not super chatty, is very compliant and polite, he gets along great with Ratchet.

Miata: Miata is a very squirrely scout and energetic go get’er. She’s always bouncing off the walls and just itching to get back out onto the road and show the other bots just what she can do! Although she isn’t an air head and knows when to joke around and when to take things seriously. She points that energy in the right direction while out on the battlefield. She is one of the faster bots of the bunch and always uses that to her advantage during fights. She’s real witty and clever, so she gets along pretty well with U.M.Dragster. She seems to always be smiling and laughing, so just like Escort, she really brightens everyone up where ever she goes.

Escort: One of my favorite cars. Escort is a very old bot that has been through quite a bit. In real life its idle is so quiet you cant even tell the car is on. But I always kind’a pictured him having a tendency to be a bit chatty. He is a really nice guy but there seems to always be something wrong with him physically, He is a recurring patient in the docs office for sure. He is very small, not strong at all and not particularity fast.. but boy is he smart. He is an Engineer turned backup medic, He can fix just about anything and always manages to bounce back from any and every situation. Mentally and physically. He is really positive and normally brightens up the team because of it. He is polite to everyone and easy to get along with, all he wants to do is help people and not be a burden.

Brown Suburban: The Brown Suburban is a bot of few words, the strong and quiet type you know? However despite being normally quiet, he has the best laugh there is. The only time this old lug smiles is if he’s laughing. Which is probably partly why him and U.M.Dragster are such inseparable friends, U.M.Dragster is the only bot that can make him laugh. Brown is a guy that can handle a lot, when it comes to annoying kids or injuries, its difficult to get him wound up. He’s just too tired to bother getting upset or worked up over the little things. He’s not too easy to talk to because of the lac of response you normally get, but I assure you he listens to every word you say.

U.M.Dragster: U.M.Dragster is surprisingly our youngest car, currently standing at only 14 years old. And obviously, he is by far the fastest of our cars, he’s even faster than his sister. He is fast, witty, and courageous, but cant dead lift scrap. As a transformer, he’s an energetic young scout that somehow is friends with the big lug Brown Suburban. Some people think Brown only likes him because U.M.Dragster makes him laugh. Now, U.M.Dragster is guy that knows if he was just given another chance, he would really light up the race track. He can be a real stinker most of the time, but generally he’s real sweet and honestly just wants to be worth something again.

A.T.Dragster:  A.T. Dragster is U.M.s big sister and our oldest car, currently standing at 51 years old. She is a lively spirit, and most certainly carries that big sister energy with the other Autobots, not just with her brother. She is a kind bot that uses her speed and agility to help out in any way she can. She just wants to help, and be of use again. She does everything in her power to stay alive and keep fighting. She tends to be a little more laid back compared to the other Autobots and doesn’t seem to get surprised by anything easily.

Green Truck: One of my favorites, and our second to oldest car. He has most certainly been there and done that. He has seen it all, war, injuries, death, betrayal, he’s heard all kind’s of screams and cries, all kinds of destruction.. He’s too tired to dwell on the memories anymore, he just focuses his energy on helping out in any way he can now that he’s back in the game. He’s a big guy, and despite his age, he is one of our strongest cars, standing in second place. He’s someone that knows that when duty calls, you just have to suck it up and get dirty work over with. And of course, due to his age he is a frequent flyer in the med bay. But he tries to not let that get him down. He’s still in fighting shape and can stand on his own two pedes. He fits something that Peter Cullen’s brother once said, “Be strong enough to be gentle”. Green Truck at his core is just an old soft hearted bot that gets along really well with basically everyone.. and just wants this stupid war to end.  

Vega: Although Vega is very old, he’s one of the fastest guys on the team, but he isn’t one to brag. He is a frequent flyer in the med bay after all. He’s a humble bot, who still has so much more life left to live. He’s not really shy, but he’s normally a bit quiet around the other bots. He’s still adjusting to being around so many people again and trying to get his barrings back when it comes to fighting. Like every other Autobot, he’s a nice guy and is pretty easy to talk to because he’s a good listener. But don’t let him get too comfortable with you, because then he’ll be the one talking your ear off. Vega isn’t necessarily the smart one of the group, he’s better at just being told what to do and doing it how ever he can. Vega is also a bit nervous around Humans. He’s new to Earth and not great with kids, he has so much to learn it gives him a headache just thinking about it. No, Vega isn’t really the smart one, he’s the strong and fast one. He’s a Soldier. He’s a monster out on the track and can beat the snot out of you if he needs to.

Red Van: Red Van is the Mamma bot for sure. She may be a van, but she’s a real hot rod. In her eyes, everyone is her baby. Even Optimus. She goes to great lengths to ensure their safety and always puts them first. She is a nurse and is always checking up on everyone and worrying about them. She can be really sweet, and she adjusted to being around the Human children faster than any of the other bots did. Although she does have a tendency to be a bit chatty, she really does help to brighten up the atmosphere where ever she is. Because of the motherly vibe she gives off, the other bots feel more comfortable around her and normally go to her to talk about their problems.

White Truck: White Truck is a real go getter and is always ready to lend a helping hand whenever its needed. He may not be very fast, or very strong, but he’s fairly big and can still hold himself decently in a fight. He is also pretty smart, he isn’t a certified engineer but he knows his way around most gadgets. He’s careful with Humans and wants to better understand them, but he still has a lot to learn. He’s really kind and tries his best to help out in anyway he can, when ever he can.

Beluga: Beluga is a really chirpy and bubbly person, She gets along very well with Humans and bots alike. Although she is a completely different person on the battlefield. Some would even call her ruthless. When asked, she explains that she tries to be very kind to everyone all the time and just bottles up her anger and frustration over anything and everything. Big or small. And then later proceeds to release that anger out on the battlefield. All and all though she doesn't like to hurt people. Bad guy or not.. but because of how she handles stress and because of her physical strength being very great, she believes she can better help others by being a soldier.

Honda: Honda has never been one for close combat, no, she prefers long distance, so chose to put her already acquired skills to the test as a fighter pilot instead. Opting to not see her enemy as she kills them.. Like Beluga, she doesn’t really want to hurt anyone. Honda is a smart girl that can pilot and repair almost any kind of Cybertronian aircraft. Honda gets along wonderfully with the Human children, and just Humans in general. She is very patient with them and always remembers to be very gentle. Shes a really sweet young bot that can be a bit shy at times, but is normally very bright and bubbly. Her and little sister Beluga are inseparable.

Ranger: Ranger is a tough gal for sure. If Cybertron had a word for Cowgirl, it would be used to describe her. At her core, she has a soft spot for those she considers family and would do anything to protect those she cares about. At times she can be very laid back, but she most certainly knows when fun times over and when things are getting serious. Something most people don’t really know about her is that she has a deep fascination with Earths Oceans and other bodies of water. Any chance she gets while scouting or something similar, she likes to stop by a river nearby and just watch the water flow curiously. Because of her soft spot, she cares very deeply about the Autobots and despises the Decepticons. Primarily because their very existence is a danger to her friends lives.

Volvo: Volvo is the silent type for sure. He is extremely intelligent and has no time for chit chat. If he discovers a subject that he doesn’t know anything about and that he also believes could be useful information, he will work tirelessly to learn every single thing possible about that subject. He is a hard worker and takes everything seriously, he has no time for jokes and games. Him and Ultra Magnus get along swell. Although despite this all, Humans intrigue him, and he wants to learn more about them. So despite him and Magnus being virtually the same in most ways, he does partake in Human shenanigans to “learn more about their species and culture”.

Jeepy: Jeepy is a real hot shot, but the friendly kind. He thinks Humans are a riot and fun to play around with. Jeepy normally isn’t particularly careful with Humans because he hasn’t fully grasped the fact that Humans all have this genetic condition called uh, fragile. So a side effect of that is he takes Miko on these crazy dangerous fun rides in secret because Bulkhead has common sense wont take her. He may have his moments of not thinking things through.. but he truly means well and would never intentionally hurt an ally, same species or not. If he knew better, he would be more careful. He’s got a big heart and his drive to fight comes from wanting to protect others and end this war. To end the suffering of his friends. Of the Autobots.

Bash Buggy: If you know anything about Overwatch, he’s basically Junkrat, just not on fire 24/7. He takes weekends off. Now, Buggy is an Autobot, so his spark is in the right place, and at his core he is a genuinely good person. He’s just a little weird you know? He’s got a few screws loose here and there.. and a missing fender.. or two.. and a trunk.. and his back seats.. and an optic.. ANYWAY, despite his ragged appearance, he is not dumb. In fact, he is actually very smart, and disturbingly calculated when it comes to his explosives. Buggy actually makes all of his own grenades and is pretty knowledgeable when it comes to other kinds of weapons and how to repair them. But he’s no medic that’s for sure. Although he is generally smart, he’s kind’a of a dunce when it comes to the severity of injuries because of how durable he is. He could be in blinding pain and bleeding out of every crack and crevasse, and just go, ”Let me go back out there chief! I can still fight! ୧⍢⃝୨”.

[mystical-flute]

Uncharted Waters 24: All My Friends are Heathens (Take it Slow)

Ao3 || Tip Jar

I.D.R.A Base, Water 7, Eturn

It had been almost two weeks since Dartz took over their organization and brought them to their knees. Two weeks since he’d taken her father and sacrificed him for some monster. Two weeks since she’d had to tell her mother about the disappearance, a literal world away from her.

It had been twelve days since Reika had escaped on the Thousand Sunny, into the vast blue seas of Eturn with the ragtag crew that had done the impossible.

It had been hours since she’d gotten the frantic, sobbing phone call from Reika that Yugi had been taken by Dartz.

Aiko had desperately wanted to teleport herself to the Thousand Sunny to… do something for Reika, give her a hug, offer her the chance to go back to Water 7 and use the punching bags Paulie had set up in Galley-La Headquarters to keep the shipbuilders in top shape, anything to take her mind off the fact that Yugi was gone . But no, she couldn’t even teleport to her best friend, because fucking Dartz had taken control of their devices.

All of that on top of whispers among the travelers that stopped at Water 7 that Marines had started to drop too - not that the World Government would ever allow that to get out, but Aiko knew the truth.

The one bright spot in the last two weeks had been Ace riding into town. He was closing in on Blackbeard, which was good, she thought. Anyone who backstabbed their own crew deserved everything they got.

She’d spent the last two days with Ace, in a whirlwind, romantic way. Both of them knew calling what they had anything other than a friends-with-benefits scenario was dangerous - after all, he was a pirate and she (as far as he knew) was an innocent civilian, but still, it was more exciting than any romance she’d had back in Domino.

Was it dangerous to fraternize with someone from Eturn? Yes. Did she care? No.

It wasn’t like her father was around to stop her.

“You got it bad for that boy, don’tcha?” Kokoro asked as they watched Ace’s small boat sail toward the horizon.

“Kokoro! Don’t be silly. It’s dangerous for us to have a relationship, since he’s a pirate and I’m… technically not from here,” Aiko replied, glancing over at her.

Kokoro hummed and took a swig of the wine. “You never know what might happen. This world is a strange place. I like to think that miracles happen, don’t you?” She gave Aiko a knowing look.

Aiko smiled. “Suppose I can’t deny that.”

“Hey! Lookie, your pocket’s glowing!” Chimney cried, pointing at the thin hoodie Aiko was wearing, a faint, green showing through it.

She gasped, pulling the teleporter out of her pocket. “We can go back… the Veil’s back to normal!”

“Well, I dunno what that means, but that smile on your face is encouraging!” Kokoro said. “Why don’t we get back to that headquarters’a yours and find out what’s goin’ on?”

“Yeah, of course!”

She hadn’t wanted to get Kokoro and Chimney involved - they were civilians, they weren’t able to fight, but after their bravery at Enies Lobby, well… Aiko couldn’t exactly cut them off now. Even Hiro and James had agreed, and so Kokoro and Chimney had become honorary members of the I.D.R.A.

“Hiro! What’s going on?” she called, rushing up to the small attic.

“I don’t know. It - it looks like we can get home. Yume finally managed to get into headquarters. She’s checking things out before she lets the grunts in.”

“What about Fuguta? Can’t he help?”

Hiro shook his head. “He’s still in California with the Kaibas.”

Aiko rolled her eyes. “I’ll call Reika and let her know things seem to be okay for now.”

“Right. I'll contact the U.S. to let them know we're safe."

“Hey Miss Aiko, what’s California?” Chimney asked.

Aiko paused. “California is… part of a really big island on Earth. It’s an island so big, it’s divided up into a bunch of little territories!”

“That big?!”

She nodded. “Yeah. It can take six months to walk across the whole length of it!”

Chimney’s eyes looked ready to pop out of her head as Aiko pulled her phone out of her pocket and dialed Reika’s number.

Reika’s phone rang, and rang, and rang. Finally, just before voicemail was due to pick up, the line connected.

“Hello?” a soft, very much not Reika voice questioned.

Aiko’s heart sank. “Noah? Noah Kaiba?”

“Yes, I - hello Agent Hashimoto.”

“Where’s Reika?”

Silence.

“Noah,” she tried again. “Why do you have Reika’s phone?”

“T-those cultists got her. I - I don’t know what happened. We were on our way back to California and she was just… randomly on the plane. Seto’s dueling the man who took her now,” Noah explained.

Aiko slid her hand over her mouth to keep herself from screaming. Not Reika. Not her best friend.

She took a long, ragged breath. “Okay. Thank you for telling me. This might explain why we’re suddenly able to go back and forth between worlds. If you need anything, call this number. Reika’s phone password is 0912.”

“I’m - I’m sorry I had to tell you.”

“It’s okay. It’s not your fault. We’re going to get her back, okay? We’re going to get them all back.”

A whimper. “Okay.”

“Aiko,” Hiro said as she ended the call. “What’s - ”

“Dartz got Reika. She’s gone.”

“Bird Lady?” Chimney said quietly, her eyes full of tears. “What about Franky and the other pirate guys?”

Aiko swallowed back her own tears. “I’m sure they’re fine. You know Luffy. He’s not going to stop until he has his crew whole.”

Reika would likely have planned for this, Aiko knew. There was a good chance the Straw Hats would be able to get to Earth to fight against Dartz themselves.

The thought made her smile as she put a hand on Chimney’s head. “Let us handle this. I’ll come find you and your grandma later, okay?”

“Okay… you promise?”

“Pinky promise,” Aiko said, hooking her pinky with Chimney’s with a smile.

When the door closed behind them and their footsteps faded, Hiro spoke into the main communicator.

“This is Captain Hiro Nosaka: Agent Muto has fallen. I repeat: Agent Muto has fallen.”

KaibaCorp private jet, somewhere above Utah

Noah had never liked planes. He had always found them loud, crowded, and they always seemed to have an odd smell he never could identify - even the private KaibaCorp jets his father insisted on flying in.

Now though, now that he was back in the land of the living, he had grown to appreciate them. Even if he’d been on too many to count in the past two weeks thanks to that fool Dartz who kept trying to buy the company. Why a man who wanted to kill the human race in both dimensions needed KaibaCorp Noah didn’t understand.

At least when he tried to take over KaibaCorp, it was for a good reason, seeing as he was a Kaiba. And now that he, with his intellect, was alive, there was certainly no way anyone could get KaibaCorp away from them.

“Did you send Reika the designs yet?” Noah asked Seto.

“Of course. I haven’t heard back from her yet.”

Noah frowned. That wasn’t like Reika at all. She had been waiting for those designs, and it would be something to take her mind off Yugi’s soul being taken.

“You should do your walking,” Mokuba said, looking up from his phone. “It’s 3:00.”

Noah sighed, but rose to his feet. He didn’t particularly like being told what to do, but he did like walking, and he needed to get better at it. He needed to be better than he’d been before he was chucked into the virtual world like a broken toy.

It was difficult to do his exercises while on a plane, but he managed, moving up and down the aisle of the plane and having the flight attendants cheering him on. It was nice because it felt like they actually wanted him to succeed, and they weren’t just being paid - or programmed - to say it.

“Great job, Noah! That makes seventeen feet now without your walker, right?” Mokuba asked as Noah dropped back into his seat.

“Yes. I would like to get to twenty feet before - ”

thud

Noah glanced up. “What was that?”

“I dunno. Maybe something outside.”

“Outside the plane ?”

Mokuba shrugged. “I mean, we’re living in weird times, right? Look at the sky. It’s not the right time of day to see the Northern Lights.”

Noah frowned. He certainly couldn’t argue with that, as much as he wanted to.

“Just go look if you’re so concerned,” Seto groaned, not looking up from his tablet.

If anyone should have gotten up and stretched their legs, it was Seto, Noah knew. But he didn’t say anything. Instead, he rose again, going to the flight attendants area.

“Hello? Is everyth - ”

He froze, unable to breathe.

“SETO!” he screamed, raw and terrified, and it was warranted because Reika was slumped in one of the chairs and she wasn’t moving .

Two pairs of feet ran toward him. Mokuba stopped short, frozen in just as much terror Noah felt, but Seto pushed forward and scooped Reika’s still form into his arms.

“What’s Reika doing here?” Mokuba croaked, his voice full of dread. “I thought she said the portal between worlds was closed?”

Noah nodded. “S-she said Dartz had control of it, right?”

Seto shifted, straightening up, and turned to take her back to their seats.

“Oh dear , Reika doesn’t look so good,” a voice sneered.

Alister.

Seto’s face was full of stone, his eyes glinting with restrained rage. Noah had been on the other side of that look once, and was eternally grateful that he hadn’t met it a second time.

It had been Reika that saved him. Reika, bruised and bloody and scared, but still full of defiance, had refused to give up on him until he was safe in the real world again.

And now her soul was gone.

“ You did this to her?” Seto asked.

“I did,” Alister replied, pulling cards out of his pocket and flipping them around. Noah couldn’t keep himself from screaming as he took in the images of the Young Five in Alister’s grasp. “I almost have the complete KaibaCorp set. It’s so exciting.”

Alister glanced at Noah, who shrank back against the wall.

Seto stepped between them, his hand out in a defensive gesture. “If you have a problem with KaibaCorp, you bring it to me, understand?”

“Fine. Once I take your soul, your brothers will be easy pickings.”

Seto activated his duel disk, his face twisted with rage. “You will not lay a hand on them.”

“It’s funny. Reika told Master Dartz the same thing about Yugi. Now he has both of them.”

“And soon, he’ll have you .”

The fact that the fate of the world rested on the outcome of card games was perhaps the most ridiculous part of being alive. In the Virtual World, he’d thought it made sense for Pegasus to use the game to his advantage, but then Noah had learned about Marik, Ancient Egypt, and now this? Noah wasn’t sure if it was better or worse than his father’s love of war.

Seto’s duel began, the evil card was played, and soon, Seto and Alister were dueling on top of the plane, leaving Mokuba and Noah alone.

“Mokuba… I can’t help but feel it should be me that Alister duels, not Seto,” he said quietly, holding Reika’s now-quiet phone in his hand.

“What? Why?”

“I have the blood of Gozaburo inside me, not you or Seto.”

Mokuba furrowed his brow and lifted the discarded Young Five cards into his hand. “I don’t think Alister cares about that. He just wants to cause all the pain he can to avenge his brother. Besides, no offense, but you’re not as good a duelist as Seto.”

“If you recall, I won against Seto in the virtual world.”

“Yeah, ‘cuz you cheated and used me as leverage.”

“A win is a win, isn’t it?”

“Either way, I already have one brother doing something reckless on top of a moving airplane, I don’t need you doing something reckless too,” Mokuba said, just as the lights in the plane cut out, and a robotic voice crackled out through the speakers:

“Autopilot disengaged, beginning descent.”

---

Seto Kaiba had not been so angry since the duel with Noah, where Mokuba had been used as leverage against him.

This was worse than that though, because not only had Alister threatened his brothers (two of them now, that he needed to protect and watch out for), but Reika’s soul had been taken. Seto still had a hard time believing in all of the magic nonsense, but Reika’s unnervingly still form in the plane was compelling evidence to say the least.

“She saw it, you know,” Alister blabbered. “The place I lost my brother, my war-torn island. I dueled her right on that spot.”

Seto grit his teeth together as the wind whipped around them. “Is that so? I suspect she showed you more sympathy than I. She’s good at that sort of thing.”

“You should have seen her as she cried for mercy. But she got what she deserved in the end. They all did. And you will too when I finish this duel and take your soul.”

Seto frowned. That didn’t sound right. He had seen Reika scared before - that time in the Virtual World came to mind - but he had never seen her cry for mercy. Instead, he knew she would kick, scream, and fight; and knowing that, well, it just made him even more angry at Alister for daring to insult Reika in such a way.

“You know, Alister, I was starting to feel sorry for you. I’m sure losing your brother in the middle of a war wasn’t easy. But surely, you can’t be stupid enough to think that distracting me with false accusations of my girlfriend would ever be a good idea?” Seto questioned.

Alister rolled his eyes. “Believe me or don’t. You can ask her yourself once I take your soul.”

“I’ll ask her when I get it back, you mean.”

“Have you been listening to anything I’ve said? You are not getting her back. This whole world is going to start anew, and for once, you and your brothers are actually going to help something.”

“Purging the world won’t bring your brother back. If anything, it’ll just make you as bad as Gozaburo,” Seto said.

Alister’s eyes flared with rage, shining green as the Seal around them seemed to glow brighter. “I had no idea you were in such a hurry to die, Kaiba, but I have good news for you - whether or not you win this duel, your life ends tonight, because this plane is going to crash into the California desert without anyone knowing you’re - ”

Over the roar of the rushing air, he heard that familiar humming, and one by one, his helicopters came into view, Roland and Fuguta pressed anxiously against one of the windows.

Seto could only smirk. “You were saying?”

A haunted look crossed Alister’s features as he looked at the helicopters. “I’ve got this in the bag… I just need one more attack and you’re finished, Kaiba! Soon I’ll have you on your knees begging for mercy.”

Seto couldn’t hold back the laugh that escaped him. “Let’s get one thing straight, Alister. If anyone is going to be pleading for mercy, it’s you .” He stared down at his deck - he only had one chance to draw the right card…

And he did. His new Fang of Critias came through for him as he suspected it would.

As the Seal surrounded Alister, Seto could only shake his head. “I hope you understand now, Alister. Never, under any circumstance, threaten the people I care about.”

Alister gave him a final glare before his eyes closed, and the seal consumed him.

“Alister…” Mokuba said quietly.

Noah frowned. “Leave him, Mokuba. Let’s worry about the plane!”

Seto rushed to the cockpit, sitting in the pilot’s seat and scrambling for the controls. “You two, strap yourselves in. I’m not letting this plane go down!”

Tideless Isle, Eturn

The sky was rapidly darkening with the oncoming storm, a sharp wind blowing through the town. The residents quickly packed up any outside objects, dragging them indoors or covering them with tarps to protect them from the imminent rain, paying no mind to the frantic pirates running through town.

The light on the device Reika had given to Robin was green, and each Straw Hat felt a sense of foreboding.

Then, they’d found the bag next to the memorial statue, with Reika’s abandoned batons inside, and knew immediately that the worst had happened.

“Reika said all I have to do is press this button and we’ll be able to go to Earth,” Robin said after they’d put Sunny in a small, hidden cavern.

“Remember, she also said you need to be the last one through,” Zoro added.

Robin pressed the button and watched as a blue… hole tore itself open, sparking with energy, smaller than the one she’d seen in Domino, but still just as awe-inspiring.

Luffy ran through immediately, with Zoro, Sanji, and Franky on his heels.

“Is this gonna hurt?” Usopp questioned with a shaky voice, before finding some courage and jumping through after Nami, Brook, and Chopper.

Robin stepped through last, and the portal vanished behind her.

They stood in an arid desert, the sun (did they call it the sun?) shining high in the sky. It seemed to be later in the day than it had been on Eturn. How strange.

“Wow… so this is Earth, huh? I always thought Reika said she lived on a smaller island near the ocean, but I don’t see the ocean anywhere!” Nami said with a small frown.

“Maybe we’re not on that island,” Sanji said with a frown. “Reika said she was tracking her cousin, right? Or that… spirit thing.”

“I still don’t understand what she meant by that, but you’re right. They should be around her somewhere…”

“Holy crap! Is that a freakin’ skeleton ?!” a voice yelped from above them.

Robin glanced up at the group standing on top of a ridge. “Ah, it appears we’ve found Reika’s friends.”

It was the same group they’d been introduced to a few days ago, only two of them carried what appeared to be bodies on their backs which, while not the most disturbing thing Robin had ever seen, was certainly startling.

“HEY!” Luffy shouted up to them. “Where’s Dartz?!”

“We don’t know! We’ve been trying to get to him too! Where the hell is Reika?” the boy with black hair (Duke, Robin thought his name was) shouted back, as the group started descending the ridge.

Robin opened her mouth to answer, but was cut off by the sound of whirring coming from the sky. Several large… machines soared overhead, the largest one being guided by three dragons.

“That’s Kaiba’s plane!” Téa shouted.

Robin stared at the black machines with whirling blades. “What are those other things?”

“Helicopters. They’re full of Kaiba’s thugs. People at home call them his death squad,” Tristan said.

“Death squad? Cool!” Luffy said, running over to the plane and beginning to try to climb its wing as Sanji went to pull him back. Franky had followed, but judging by the look on his face, he was more interested in the mechanics of the plane.

“But why are they here? Noah said they were just flying back from New York; his helicopter squad shouldn’t be here,” Serenity said with a frown. “I hope everything’s okay…”

Pharaoh, the one in Yugi’s body, was pale as he looked at Robin. “Where is Reika?”

Robin bowed her head. “I’m sorry. We have every reason to believe Dartz has her.”

Pharaoh collapsed to the ground, his eyes wide with fear. “What? But - but how?”

“Reika knew it might happen, but wanted to provide you with more fighters against Dartz, my pharaoh,” Azila said, appearing next to the pharaoh, her brow knitted in concern. “The truth is, Mai Valentine held her crew in stasis. Reika had little choice but to comply.”

That explained the odd feeling Robin had.

“What? Mai was there too? Why?” Joey asked. “Did Reika manage to get through to her?”

“I suppose it was to be an intimidation tactic, or perhaps to lure her into a false sense of security. But no, Mai seemed content where she was. Although, she flinched when Reika used her shadow magic.”

Joey frowned and opened his mouth to speak before -

“Oh great. Yugi found more nerds to hang out with.”

Robin glanced behind her as people began to descend from the plane using a slide. Two younger boys, and an older teen, who was carrying Reika in his arms. Leading them was the unmoving form of another man, who was quickly picked up by the “death squad”.

“Mokuba! Noah! Are you okay?” Serenity asked.

“We’re fine. Seto took care of Alister,” the green haired boy said with a shudder.

“You guys must be Reika’s friends from Eturn. I’m Mokuba. This is Noah, and that’s our big brother Seto over there,” Mokuba said, gesturing to where Seto was handing Reika off to a man in sunglasses.

Luffy grabbed the edge of the plane, launching himself into the doorway. “Alright! How do we find Dartz?”

“Did his arms just stretch?!” Duke asked.

Kaiba ignored the detail as he glared at Luffy. “Get the hell out of my plane.”

“Hey, Trench Coat Guy, can we use your Death Squad to get to Dartz?”

Kaiba looked like he’d swallowed a lemon. “My what?”

Tristan suddenly found a rock on the ground to be exceptionally interesting.

“Or… an alliance!” Luffy offered, jumping down from the plane and holding out his arm. “We all want the same thing - to stop Dartz and save Reika.”

Robin could see Kaiba’s teeth clench before he ground out a response and held out his arm and grasped Luffy’s. “Fine, but none of you touch anything in the helicopter, understand?”

“You got it, bro!” Franky cheered, although Robin could see the hint of disappointment in his face.

“I’m not your bro,” Seto said, glancing at another man in sunglasses. “Tell Copter 2 they’re to take Alister, Rex, and Weevil to the nearest hospital. Reika stays with us. And get that Den-Den Mushi out of the plane before we take off.”

“Yes sir.”

Everyone settled onto the long benches in the helicopter, the Straw Hats glued to the windows as they rose into the air.

At long last, Earth and Eturn were allied once again.

[cynthiaandsamus]

Custom Toonami Block Week 73 Rundown

Code Geass: Lelouch and co. are still stuck in China and Xingke’s flipping out because the Chinese assholes are gonna kill the Empress and go with someone less problematic for their political marriage to Britannia’s creepily overaged prince. However Lelouch pulls out a Knightmare that’s basically the Twink version of the Gawain and busts everyone up as well as pulling a Father Cornello on them and letting the people know they’re all elitst 1% assholes that don’t care about them, which I suspect all countries probably know about their leaders but it sucks to hear it in a recording so riots show up all over China and CC Geass Flashes Anya to take her out so Britannia has to back out because the Chinese Hierarchy are now the least popular people in the world. So Xingke gets to be with his Empress and joins the Black Knights but Dietard wants the Empress to marry someone on their side so they can basically do the asshole move Britannia just tried to do but for them. All the girls are like ‘hey no’ and Lelouch is like “Oh hey Tamaki buddy, let’s go talk and get me the fuck out of here” so before Lelouch actually has to give Tamaki more lines and elevate him beyond the Black Knight’s Yamacha Shirley calls and Lelouch just straight up asks Shirley about love in a weirdly forced series of circumstance. But Shirley’s like “Yeah don’t fuck with love, don’t you love anyone?” and Lelouch is like “Yeah I do, Nunally!” and I don’t think that’s at all what Shirley meant but it does mean Lelouch sees that fighting for something beyond politics is powerful and agrees to not marry off the twelve year old girl, so that’s good. Lelouch decides to return home while they hunt down the Geass cult which is in China for some reason despite that being one of the like two places on earth Britannia doesn’t control and the Geass Cult largely being a Britannian affair. Meanwhile Sayoko is basically a Lelouch Vtuber at this point with her insanely accurate Lupin III mask of Lelouch and kisses Shirley so Shirley’s a little bit more gay than she was before and is not sure how to feel about that. When she’s about to tell the real Lelouch he kisses like a girl, Anya and Gino show up because we’re retreading the whole ‘sleeping with the enemy at school’ thing from the first season except with way less interesting enemies. Also the preview for the next episode is Lelouch dramatically talking about enemies finding out he’s Zero overtop footage of Shirley and Milly absolutely naked in a batthouse scene so I think we know what kind of episode that’ll be.

Inuyasha: The Panther Demon filler concludes with everyone meeting at the site where the Panther Master is being revived behind a strong barrier, if only someone just got a barrier upgrade to their sword, oh wait. But yeah everyone manages to free the hostages so even though Kagome’s jewel shards revives the Panther Master he’s still a zombie without a sacrifice which is weird since Naraku managed to completely revive the Band of Seven with one jewel shard each from skeletons and the Panther Lord has three shards so idk the rules here but yeah he steals the souls of his own men to revive and is Wind Scar Proof because he just is. It’s pretty cool to see him shooting his claws and lightning and shit but he’s too big and slow for it to be much of an interesting fight. Sesshomaru’s about to go full demon which would be interesting since we haven’t seen his full demon form since he lost his arm but in a neat bit of character development, Tenseiga calms his rage and tells him to use it instead. You get the feeling Sesshomaru only goes full demon when he flies off the handle and forgets about speed and strategy so him opting to not repeat the mistake he made against Inuyasha is pretty cool. Anyway Tenseiga heals the souls of the Panther Demons and drains their energy from the lord so he’s back to Zombie Cat Man which Inuyasha can Wind Scar because that’s what happens to villains on this show, all Wind Scars all the time. The Panthers don’t wanna fight anymore since their boss just killed them and tell Inuyasha to tell Sesshomaru the feud is over and they’re going back to the West. Honestly this is basically the same backstory they gave Kirinmaru in Yashahime so it’s funny for them to say they’re going back to the same place Kirinmaru is from, wonder if it’ll ever come up in Yashahime since most filler seems canon there.

Yu Yu Hakusho: Yusuke and Kuwabara continue the assault on Tarukane’s compound and basically plow through the lower demons easy since they’ve been fighting minor deities up to this point. It’s always pretty cool in Shonen to just have a few rounds to show how much power creep the heroes have had where certain things just don’t bother them anymore. Toguro murders a Chimera which has an oddly similar backstory to Nina from FMA and he seems really bummed about it but he’s like “Hey we’re both monsters made by humans telling us to do shit, so sorry for killing you bro”. And Tarukane basically sees Toguro is the next boss and is like “Yup time to scam some people off of this” and he sets up a betting ring for how far Yusuke and Co will get into his compound. This is kinda neat because it puts Tarukane in the weird position of betting against his own guards and hoping Yusuke will make it all the way to Toguro and then lose after everyone else has seen how awesome Yusuke is and bets on him. And funnily enough Sakyo’s in on the betting and he’s watched anime before so he knows to bet on the plucky teenagers with weird powers. So yeah Yusuke and Kuwabara finish plowing through the demons while Hiei kinda stalks them and remembers getting his eye surgery and wanting to help his sister but it’s kind of against spirit world rules for demons to just go plow through humans even if they’re scumbag humans so now Yusuke and Kuwabara have to go fight the Triad of boss demons Toguro has under him before Hiei busts in and just murders everyone for kidnapping his bird-loving jewel-crying little flower of a sister.

Fate Zero: So Kiritsugu can break Kayneth’s Terminator 2 Gaara defenses with rib bullets that just say ‘no’ to using magic and fucks his arrogant ass up. Saber and Lancer do some combo shenanigans to stab Caster right in the book and disrupt all his hentai tentacle demons but the book heals so idk why he can’t just make more. Kirei fucks up Maiya and Iris but didn’t double tap Maiya and DID double tap iris but she’s got Saber’s bullshit healing scabbard on her which no one knows about so Saber’s like “uhhh why are you healing” and Iris can’t tell her so she’s basically “Uhh internet?” Lancer comes in to save Kayneth’s worthless ass and tells Kiritsugu to stop being a dick to Saber because she’s pretty dope. But as usual for an early Fate encounter, no one dies and nothing of terrible consequence happens despite it being teased a couple times. I’ve noticed a trend with Fate that it really doesn’t like killing characters early so you’re basically guaranteed to have the first 2-3 major battles have a zero net gain/loss. Rider in UBW was probably the subversion to that since it happened crazy fast and anticlimactic but even that wasn’t till like ten episodes in.

Konosuba: So we finally meet Wiz the big booby Lich and Kazuma learns a new skill, both fun things. Also the gang gets a house to stay in after escapades with an army of haunted dolls and the most “I need to pee” in a horror setting since Corpse Party. But yeah, good progress this time honestly, the living in a stable gag was getting kind of old so Kazuma’s a bit stronger now and they have a home base so that’s pretty cool. Also Wiz is a Demon General or some shit but no one cares cause there ain’t no money in murdering busty zombie waifus.

Sailor Moon Crystal: So turns out Minako is Princess Serenity, except everyone who knows anything about Sailor Moon or indeed plot structure knows Sailor Moon is Princess Serenity, that’s like the Luke I Am Your Father of this series. But still turns out Minako has been guiding everyone with the power of video games but also thinks the power of friendship sucks and she’s gotta go do everything alone. This makes things super awkward because Mamoru’s pretty sure he was in love with the Princess but likes Usagi, now instead of running with this interesting thread of a reincarnation falling in love with someone new we’re gonna do the reveal that Usagi’s the princess and the whole ‘till death do us part’ part of marriage was just a metaphor and you’re stuck with one person no matter how many times you reincarnate. But yeah, Minako fights the bad guy on top of the tower but he has Naraku’s Barrier now and Minako doesn’t have the Red Tessaiga upgrade yet so she needs the power of friendship but this barrier is friendship-proof and this fight is basically a bunch of kids on the playground making up increasingly stupid powers that negate the other powers the other guy just made up. Anyway Tuxedo Mask shows up and is like “Holy shit Sailor Moon I love when you kiss me and kick ass, go get em sweetie I’ll hold your flower” and they kiss and Usagi has learned that if she just pretends she got this the power of her confidence will beat the bad guy. Unfortunately she does not got this and Tuxedo Mask has to pull a Piccolo and throw himself in front of the blast.

Durarara!!:  So now that we’ve had our climax for the arc we have a six month timeskip and everyone’s just kinda living life, Mika and Seiji are being clinically insane together, there’s cops harassing Celty to the point of mental breakdown (normal cop stuff) Shinra’s dad’s in town, Namie’s become Izaya’s secretary for blackmail shit, you know, normal stuff. Also there’s a katana-wielding maniac going around slashing people and Anri’s being bullied and sexually harassed to the point of mental collapse, normal stuff.

[meteor752]

I made a joke post about Legolas and Aragorn adopting a baby Geralt and raising him a few weeks ago, but I can’t get it out of my head, so I’m gonna expand on that AU. First post can be found here

So Legolas and Aragorn are basically just out on a vacation in the eastern part of Middle Earth, just taking a break and chilling around you know, when they stumble upon a child just outside the kingdom of Rivia (Yes I am keeping that)

The child is about three or four years old, with the peculiar outward appearance of big Yellow eyes and almost white hair, and it doesn’t seem to mind being out alone in the middle of the forest.

Both Legolas and Aragorn decide though that they will try to find the child’s parents, and they spend two days in Rivia searching for the parent of the child, or just someone who knows something, but they get no results. Most people are repelled by the child, saying that it’s cursed or the result of witchcraft, and both Aragorn and Legolas take offense by that as they had gotten attached to the child.

On the third day they eventually give up, and after a long discussion they decide to adopt the child, as again, they both got attached real fast.

When the two return to Gondor with the small boy whom they named Geralt, a lot of people get quite surprised, mostly because what and why. Their respective families have the same reaction.

The two realize quickly that Geralt is not a normal child.

First, they have no idea what he is. They first thought human, but when small bursts of magic started to come from him, and when his acute sense of smell was discovered, they scratched that idea.

Second, he refused to part with his wolf medallion. They didn’t know why, it had been inspected by a lot of people, including Gandalf himself, but it didn’t seem to have any type of spell or curse on it that made him so fiercely attached to it. And he couldn’t tell them anything about it because-

-Three, he barely speaks. At first they thought he was mute or deaf or something alike, but that didn’t seem to be the case as he could hear, and he did utter a few words here and there. He just chose not to speak, and mostly made cute little grunts when people spoke to him.

Legolas became a mother hen very quickly, and was very loving towards his strange child, and as a child Geralt didn’t mind it too much. As an adult however, then he just wishes his ada would stop smothering him (He secretly loves it).

Aragorn is a lot less lovey dovey, but still very caring and Geralt loves to be around him. He was very quick with teaching his child both sword techniques and manners, but his major priority was teaching him how to care for a horse.

Geralt was not a shy kid as many people believed, When it came down to it he was more than able to voice his opinion. He just, doesn’t like to talk. And because of that fact, he also grew up to be very poor with words and having a problem formulating himself, which backfired a few times in his life.

The thing is, he doesn’t like when others talk either. He just wants to sit around and brood in silence like the angsty boy he is, but none of his family members allow him to, as they are all very chatty and cheery.

Especially his two uncles Elladan and Elrohir and his aunt Tilda, like whenever either one of them are around he can kiss peace and quiet goodbye for at least a few days. It’s even worse when it’s all three.

Geral’t strange magic became a problem early on, as it was very unpredictable. He could do more simple things like start fires and create a protective shield, but also literally manipulate minds, which was not a pleasant thing, especially as he had a hard time controlling it in his youth.

Gandalf tried his best to teach the boy to control his magic, and he did manage to get a hang of it, but sometimes it could still act out in his adulthood when he felt particularly stressed out or angry.

That wasn’t the only problem that came with Geralt being of unknown origin, as sometimes Aragorn and Legolas didn’t know how to properly raise the boy, and what he really needed.

For example, when Geralt was around seven he fell ill. And with that I mean really ill, many feared that he would not survive.

Both Legolas and Aragorn were devastated and the former spent nearly all his time holding and cuddling his shaking and whimpering baby who was in too much pain for the caring parent to handle, and he started to stop eating just to always be able to be by his son’s side.

Aragorn couldn’t afford to drop all of his duties as king, even though he wanted to, but his mind was very absent during everything he did that did not involve caring for Geralt.

Geralt eventually got better, thankfully, but neither Aragorn nor Legolas would ever forget the fear they had felt for almost five months of their still small and fragile son being so close to death.

Geralt’s magic wasn’t only a bunch of negative stuff, it did also come to some benefits in his youth, especially when it came to worrying his Ada.

At around nine Geralt found out that he could temporarily vanish, aka become invisible, if he focused on it enough, which meant that his parents were forced to place a bell on him just to make out where he was. He took it off quite often and would usually be hanging around his frantic Ada, sipping his juice box and watch the scene unfold,

(And I know that’s not really in the Witcher canon, but I just thought it would be cute and this is my AU so fuck off)

Not too long after Geralt got a half elf cousin by the name of Brand, at at first he was confused by the small thing and why he was supposed to care, but as Brand grew older and learned to sit up and make noise, Geralt hated the small thing and just wished for it’s demise. It did not help that his parents loved the kid and would gladly babysit when the thing’s parents were busy, which meant he was forced to be around it.

When Geralt turned twenty two he left Gondor to find his own path (Much to his Ada’s terror because there’s so many ways for him to get hurt Aragorn how are you so calm about this), only equipped with the bare essentials for a life on the road, including a mare he named Roach, a descendant of Brego.

Geralt was very quick to pick up on his father’s habit of having conversations with his horse, and Roach was quite a good listener.

Geralt found his purpose when a child ran up to him while in a village and asked if he could slay the monster that had killed his sister in exchange for money, as his family had seen his swords.

Geralt complied, partly because he could need the money and partly because it would be nice to help, even though his facial expression remained a grim scowl.

And after killing the thing and nearly dying himself in the process, he figures that he needs to do some research on different types of monsters and how to beat take them down before he starts going about.

He also starts carrying potions with him that he acquires from mages and witches across Middle Earth, just to make it easier to hunt and to heal himself after the fact.

But it is not everyone who appreciates his help unfortunately, as many turn him down just by his strange and uncanny appearance, and by his grim attitude that often scare people off.

It does not help that he introduces himself as Geralt of Rivia instead of Geralt Greenleaf of Gondor, just so people wouldn’t know who he was and treat him differently, but it does result in people having no idea he’s the son of a king and a crown prince so they treat him like shit if they want to.

It does not get better by the events in Blaviken, that Geralt would rather not speak off, especially to his parents.

It is first when he meets a young cheery bard that reminds him of an annoying bird that people start to respect him more, after the bard creates a ballad about him.

(Toss a coin would obviously sound a little different since in this AU the term ‘Witcher’ doesn’t exist and I doubt he would “Thrust every elf far back on the shelf” if he himself is part elf by adoption, but it is till toss a coin)

And both Aragorn and Legolas are just delighted at hearing the song because they are just so happy for their son, if not a little confused on why he is called Geralt of Rivia, but still yay!

(The bardlings love singing it together when they are around each other, as they love their nephew and is also all music loving people)

There’s also the mage that he encounters from time to time (And with encounter I mean they fuck, because well, Geralt is related to both Legolas and Tilda after all), whom the Bard, Jaskier, hates.

And then he gets an invitation to the wedding of Arwen and Éowyn while around both Jaskier and the mage, Yennefer, and they both are just as confused because “Wait you have a family?”

And the minute they find out about Geralt’s large, loud and quite famous and royal family, they are both pestering him about following to the wedding because they want to meet the people who raised Geralt, and he gives in after a lot of nagging and begging.

So when Geralt shows up in Rivendell with a brightly dressed bard and a gothic mage, well let’s just say it’s interesting.

Legolas is delighted that his little Gerry has made some friends while also checking on him that he is alright and Geralt hates in while Yen and Jaskier are having a blast.

Jaskier is really smug about the fact that Geralt is actually related to a bard in a way, with his Ada’s step siblings mother being one, and the three take after her with their own musical talent.

Jaskier and Sigrid gush a lot about different songs together.

And Tilda is just shamelessly flirting with the sexy gothic mage while Geralt regrets every single decision he’s ever made.

And of course Brand is there being an asshole while flirting with Jaskier, and again, Geralt regrets everything.

A betting pool is set up on who they think Geralt will end up with, Jaskier or Yennefer.

Geralt just craves death.

***

I tried to incorporate as much of the Witcher lore as I could, but I also had to take into account how Middle Earth works, which is very hard.

I mean, one is Polish and the other from New Zealand.

I don’t know what Geralt is supposed to be exactly, maybe some sort of Fae or Elf half breed, or maybe he is a mutant like the actual Witcher’s.

Anyways, this was fun, and I really wanna make more of this AU, because I love it. It’s not canon in my Universe though, sadly, because it just wouldn’t work.

[dafukdidiwatch]

I’m actually pissed that this is a decent movie.

<A lot of spoilers>

Overview: Arctic Researchers/Scientists stumble on Nazis who live in the center of the earth who have survived by replacing their dying tissue for living ones in a bid for immortality.

And in order for me to talk about this film, I have to talk about this:

Fucking Sky Sharks.

I hate that movie.

I hate it So Much.

I bought it from a Walmart for $10 so what a waste of movie.

The first like, 10 minutes was the movie dragging on showing everyone in the plane in the worst way possible. An old swedish man watching shitty CGI sci-fi porn. A weird gang turn priest man which I for sure might have been the main character but had the weirdest backstory that goes no where and does nothing. Some drunk guy wanting to flirt with a stewardess and the joke is that she wasn’t a super model 20 something. So after going On and ON THEN the sharks come in to show how epic they are.

And they also suck ass. I couldn’t give a shit about the CGI this is a movie about nazi sky sharks I walked in not expecting quality.

Oh yeah, Nazi’s. Forgot to mention the Nazis. Because, you know, they made the sharks. And are also zombies who rose again to take over the world. And our first look is a female blond haired officer killing people in the longest and dullest way possible. Like, there is only so many ways you can decapicate a bunch of people with wires.

After that, move into the “plot” with random ass girl #1 and random ass girl #2 where girl #1 is also in the Antarctic (shocker) and finds a boat, goes in by herself without help/backup, finds out the zombies are not only in there, but also shark tanks because this is where they were raising the sharks.

So to recap: In the COLD NEGATIVE FROSTBITING SNOW COVERED DREADNAUGHT the nazis are not only alive and NOT freezing, but the great white sharks are also alive and NOT freezing. You can say bs science, I say bs movie.

Oh and you know what the sharks feed on?

Misogyny.

God this movie hates women so much. First, multiple porn shots/sexual harassment jokes on just the plane alone (again, first 10 minutes). Then the “sexy” female zombie commander because that’s what was in the Nazi Military: Women. Not saying shit about history or anything, just saying that I know a fetish when I see one. And the Random Ass Girl #1? The reason why she was at the boat in the first place is because she was on a solo rescue mission to help some researchers who found the boat. A Guy and A Girl. The Guy was like, killed normally or shot or something I couldn’t give a shit about. The Girl was stripped naked, hung upside-down by her foot, bare naked ass shown to us, as she is fed to the shark tank.

Yeah, real women friendly.

It also doesn’t help that when Random Ass Girl #1 gets stabbed with, I guess zombie venom for ReAsOnS, she has a shower scene where it shows her being affected and poisoned under her skin....but also how Hot she is by having it shot on her boobs, check, body stretching and curling to show ALL of her body. While under a show that’s in the middle of the fucking room like it’s Hannibal Lector’s bathroom.

And you that that would be the reason I hate this movie but it isn’t dammit. The movie was dull as hell. I’m only talking about the Misogyny for so long because it was the only thing that was actually worth mentioning. I didn’t give a shit about anything else!

The acting is bad and just monotone across the board. Apparently RAG#1 and #2 are like, rich spies from a super rich family corporation which took me a full as 20 minutes to realize. And they have no idea how the fuck to plot a movie! Finding out the sky sharks were because of Dear Old Granddad, results in THREE! SEPERATE! FLASHBACKS! EACH MORE BORING THAN THE LAST!!! I have no idea how you made working with NAZIS dull as shit but this movie found a way. Instead of having the history set in the beginning of nazis doing shit as a teaser to explain later, he just tells his fucking life story of how making Sky Sharks would save the Third Reich. And I Couldn’t Give A Shit.

It got so dull and bored that I literally fast forward through the entire movie to find interesting parts. Spoiler: there was none. Not even with more sharks like eating the world could it entertain me. I just fast forwarded to the very end, and only watched 30 minutes of a 90 minute movie. God I hate Sky Sharks.

So WHY am I bringing it up? Well, it really did set expectations and a bar for Nazis at the Center of the Earth. They both have rediculous titles that you can’t take seriously or expect “great things” from. They both deal with nazis, zombie-ish nazis, genetic research, scientists in the Arctic, and Nazi’s hiding in the Arctic. That is a lot, and I just watched Sky Sharks like 2 weeks before so this was very recent and absolutely in my head.

Which is WHY this movie was a very pleasant surprise.

We start with seeing Nazis doing action pact Nazi shit escaping for science! It even has that Wilhelm scream, but the movie has plot and vision. It didn’t make the nazis seem any more than being just army soldierd and has decent action and sets expectation for the rest of the movie.

And that’s like the big difference between this and Sky Sharks: The Treatment of the Nazis. The nazis here were treated, in my view, as powerful and dangerous. They are meticulous, uncaring, cold and distant. The head Nazi is actually Dr. Mengele, he is in this movie, and he is just so apathetic to everyone.

All the Nazi’s faces were covered in mask so you couldn’t see their faces, making them inhuman. And the first Nazi face we do see is Dr. Mengele as he just, slowly cuts the face off of a person. Methodically. Meticulously. He doesn’t even talk, doesn’t react as the person begs. Just does it. And was going to do it to the girl as well but because she kept talking science, he allowed her to live.

But it was close.

In the beginning it feels like two different movies because it cuts from two researchers who got kidnapped by Nazis surviving their own horror movie trying to escape, and the rest of the researchers being in a Survival Rescue Movie trying to find them. I honestly wanted to see more of the Nazi part because that was the more engaging section. It was filmed, framed, shot as a tense horror movie, where you don’t know if she will live or die.

I also want to approve of the lack of misogyny. Like, first, the Nazis are equal treatment terrible to everyone. They shot one of the researchers who wandered in because he was Jewish. (”I’m non-practicing” lol love that line). Second, the scenes that they did were filmed in a way to highlight the horror but not the sexiness of it. The guy and girl strapped to the table, they are both naked. We don’t see the whole naked body, just enough to establish it while censoring the rest. You see Dr. Mengele looking over them, but there isn’t sign of lust. He is viewing them both as just experiments (which also adds to the horror aspect but I digress). One of the girls ends up being thrown to the Nazi Officers to be raped and killed, but we don’t see that. She doesn’t have a shirt, but it isn’t films as a “sexy” moment, the camera doesn’t move or linger on her body. It is just a straight shot, where she tries to cover herself up. When they close in on her, crawling towards her, the camera focuses more on their approach than on her while at a distance. This is scary, but it isn’t sexualized. Which I approve and is a WAY PLUS from Sky Sharks.

This movie has an odd budget too. There is a lot of CGI. And it isn’t good. Not at all. It works to show things happening like CGI tanks...CGI snow/ice. CGI Robots and lasers. They don’t hide it at all. But then, they also have amazing makeup budget because the “ripping face scene” was amazing physical effects it looked so real. The Nazis are obviously frankenstein stitched up monsters, but they are well done in makeup and design. Like all the close up shit is amazing to look at.

Overall: It was an Alright Movie. Yes, there is plot. There is tension. There is fear trying to survive with the nazi. Bad CGI, and a bit campy at the end, but nothing to detract from the actual movie. It was a fun movie.

[lostbetweenvampiresandmusic]

Since I can not WAIT for Halloween to come, can I have a cute fanfic of the boys carving pumpkins with Star since Star seems to like to decorate and is into artsy stuff? That’s just the vibe I get but I can totally see the guys acting silly while carving and being sweet, helping her if she’s having trouble. (She strikes me as the drawer but weary of the actual craving/using the knife but I’d she ever got kicked, the boys would get in over protective mode lol

Same- I love Halloween! And definitely! I mean, she's their little sister 😊 I hope you like this!💕

-----------

Star had asked them about it a year before. It had been her first year with the boys, and she had wanted to create some sense of normality. So, around Halloween she'd asked them if they could decorate the cave, carf pumpkins and do other typical Halloween stuff. At first the boys had laughed - they didn't celebrate it. They were monsters throughout the whole year, they didn't need a special day to be monstrous. So, they'd not so kindly declined her proposal, and left Star feeling terrible. All she had wanted was a fun night hanging out with her new family.

That was something the boys understood now, and they wanted to make it up to her. They knew she was still not all too happy with the way they treated her last Halloween, and thanks to David they now had a plan to try and fix it.

It was the week before Halloween when Star was at the boardwalk. She had been alone - the boys out feeding - and had looked at the creepily decorated stores.

"We got the money if you want to buy some stuff," David had shown up next to her. She jumped, before taking a deep breath.

"You scared me." She looked at him, "I thought you guys didn't do Halloween?"

"Maybe it's time for a change," David shrugged. "But if you don't want it, then-"

"No no no! I do!"

"I thought so. Do you think two hundred will be enough?"

"Two hundred?"

"It's not like we really need it."

"I- Thank you, David," Star smiled, hugging him. She took the money, before entering some of the special Halloween stores around the boardwalk. She loved it - the spiders, the witchy stuff, the creepy music playing. Even though she wasn't that big on vampires, this - Halloween - was definitely her thing. Hours she spent walking around in the stores, buying decorations she'd like for the cave. Some realistic skulls -so realistic she doubted they were fake -, some black and red dripping candles and some other stuff she just fell in love with.

"You got everything you wanted?" Marko was waiting for her when she exited the store.

"I think so."

"Great. Let's go home. Paul's getting take out."

"What is he getting?"

"Either pizza or Chinese."

Star nodded, getting on the back of his bike, holding on to him as he drove off. When they got to the cave, she had the feeling something was different. She said nothing about it, instead making her way into the cave where there were a bunch of pumpkins standing in the fountain.

"Pumpkins?"

"You seemed pretty sad last year," Dwayne shrugged, "so why not?"

"This- thank you guys," she smiled, putting down her bags, before grabbing a marker.

"Ooh can you make one for me?" Paul asked, a playful grin on his face.

"What on earth would I put on that one? Weed? A high bat? A naked girl?"

"Yes."

Star groaned, shaking her head as she laughed. "How about no."

"Then I'll do it myself!"

Paul sat down next to her, grabbing a pen from his coat. "So you just sketch it out and carve it, right?"

"Pretty much," Star nodded. "You've never done this before?"

"None of us have," Marko sat down in her other side, looking at her work.

"What do you think?" Paul held up his pumpkin, showing a drawing of a bat holding a joint.

"It looks just like you," Marko chuckled.

"That's what I thought!"

"See you found the pumpkins," David showed up behind Star.

"Yeah, thanks for that. Here's the left over mone-"

"Keep it," David gave her a rare smile.

"Guys, why are you all acting so different?"

"Cause they have only now realised how rude they've been to you," Dwayne sat across from her, "And since they're not good at apologies, this is it."

"It's a pretty good apology."

"Would pizza make it even better?" Paul asked, handing her a box if her own.

"Ugh, you're amazing!"

The boys chuckled, each working in their own pumpkin. Even though they - especially David - claimed it had only been for Star's sake, it was fun to actually do it. The whole night they spent drawing and carving the pumpkins. Paul was having the time of his live - he'd started a fight with Marko by getting the pumpkins seeds in his hair - running around, looking like an orange mad men.

Star was working quietly, a small smile on her face. She had just started the carving process. She'd done that once before, but she was still nervous about it. She was I the movement of removing the knife when Marko bumped into her. She quickly moved her hand, preventing it from getting cut. She was visibly shaken - ironically she wasn't that big on blood. The sight nauseated her, so she was beyond glad she didn't actually cut herself.

"Here," Dwayne took her pumpkin, taking the knife from her. "I'll do it for you."

"Thanks," she smiled, hugging him. She stood up, brushing of the dirt on her hands on her skirt. David grinned, handing her one of the bags she'd put down on her bed. "As long as you clean it up before next year, you got free reign decorating the cave."

Star blinked, and then again. She had heard that right, right?

"You-"

"Yeah. Now, go on, before I change my mind."

Star smiled, hugging him, before decorating the cave. At the end of the night, when the first rays of the morning sun rose above the horizon, the cave was decorated, and all pumpkins were carved. Star had put the seeds and the fruit flesh into two plastic boxes, having decided to make pumpkin pie the next day, and to either dry or plant the seeds. With a satisfied smile she laid down on her bed. Maybe this family thing wasn't that bad. She sure as hell felt like a part of the family now and she was beyond gold to have finally found her place between her brothers.

"Let's hope every Halloween will be like this," she mumbled with a smile, before drifting off to sleep.

[huntsman-ash]

RWBY V8E4 LiveThoughts

And were back at it again, this week with turkey and Italian preserved sausage as a snack! Lets see what RT has for us this week.

Oh, 20 minutes. Are they normally this long?

Oh, wait, the openings almost 2 minutes long. Thats more like it.

And now to Robyn and Qrow. Seems Robyns actually liking Qrow a little bit now. 

Guess the cells aren’t secured if a fly got into Schnee’s. This a “Fly on Mike Pence’s face” reference?

Qrow sounds more growly again. Did he get smacked back two seasons by Clover dying?

If by “darkness” you mean “Tyrian” then, yes. Also dude, its Clover. He was shit anyway. All the Aces are shit. Dont feel too bad about him.

And he’s got a point too. If Clover had thought with his head instead of his dick (yes, Im sure they were gonna fuck, Fair Games totally a thing), he probably wouldnt be dead now, and Tyrian would be the one with the sword through his chest.

But of course this is RWBY and V7/8 so things cant go their ways.

Ouch. Deep thoughts of Qrow. And some interesting stuff from Robyn too. I still think I’d prefer hopeandharmonizing’s Briar, though.

Marrows glare gives me life. Hare’s just a moron right now though, but thats no real surprise. She’s immature emotionally.  Honestly, shes...kind of like a less bad version of our current President. Always has to be the best at everything, fastest, leader, whatever.

Thats probably why this is grating on her so much. Even though shes TECHNICALLY the Ace’s leader now (I think? Seemed like she was Clovers lieutenant, so by rate of succession she’s in command now)

A glance at the little floating control pad... “Clerance access only”. Okay, that...seems weird. Shouldnt it say something like authorized personell only? Maybe it means access by clerance only or something.

Then Robyn’s name, and then process ID 4591-27. No idea what thats useful for but its there.

Also Marrow seems to be the only competent member of the Aces rn. 

Ah now we get to see some of the hills around Atlas. For those of you who have seen my headcanons on the Hunter-Killers and their base of operations, Fortress Academy, its out in these hills somewhere.

The music sounds like a boss fight.

The screen on Ren’s hoverbike reads “HVB Rhino” and “HD5800″ I can only assume HVB stands for “hoverbike” and Rhino must be its name, like how the dropships are Mantas. No clue what the number is. 

Also apparently the cold in Solitas is so bad it corrupts machinery?

Ahh, good, some action. Lets see what we get now. Ohh, teamwork. And again, signs that aura allows you to move faster and farther than a normal human

Heh, it really is like a boss fight, like the chase scene at the end of the first Viking level in For Honor.

Oh, and it can call for reenforcements literally out of nowhere? Or is the whole tundra of Solitas just CRAWLING with Grimm?

Yes, yes it did just call for backup, Yang. Maybe these are all forward scouts and ambush units from the Grimmstorm. They did say its the biggest...

Another banger from Casey Lee Williams...

What the hell happened in Solitas to cause this geography? Seriously, its a line of bridges over a gap in two cliffs...that cant be natrual, not that equal in distance.

Man, those bikes didnt even last half an episode...I guess thats fair, they are facing obsurd odds. Or maybe they just want Yang to be the only one with a bike.

And there goes the dropwall. Woops.

Also you can just kinda see it but they bounce off the rock and thats why they slow down. Useful.

Also this part with them falling off the edge reminds me of the ending cutscene of Halo 4s Forerunner level, where Chief flies out of a portal and almost goes sailing off a cliff in a Ghost.  Except here, the bike stays on the land and THEY go off the cliff.

I paused at just the right time cause YANGS FACE XD

Holy shit what are Ren’s weapons cables MADE OF? The one atop him is holding him AND the weight of his two teammates. And the one below has both Jaune and Yang. No sign of slippage or breackage at all. 

Ahhh there’s the whaleship (Monstra? Fuck it Im gonna keep calling it the whaleship). So yeah my headcanon now is the mountain its right next too is Menachite, where Fortress is. 

Oh hey back to the Schnee manor of all things! Does...this mean military invasion of the Schnee grounds. Hey Whitley. Lesbians are here. 

Someone make a video cut of Weiss banging on the door to the “Knock knock open up the door its real!” part of that one song.

Hehehehhe. Nice Weiss.

Also convenient about the house staff. Good thing RT doesnt need to animate them or Willow now...

I hope the staff took some of the silverware and some paintings on the way out.

Why is MAY the one carrying Nora.

Ah so now they’re stuck out there with no cell service. Hehe.

Ah okay so the cold in Solitas DOES eat aura. Good, my headcanon still kind of stands. 

I wonder, does wearing proper cold weather clothing (like bundled up stuff) help? Or does it cut right through...

Why is JAUNE the one hauling the bike? Isnt Yang the strongest? Or maybe they take turns.

Ahhh inter-team talking. Also, outpost. Hmm. Atlas one? Overrun if I had to guess. Unless he saw Fortress. Which I doubt.

I do love the circling shot here, with the light on Yang’s hair and the shadows on Ren. Its...really artistic and emotional. GREAT WORK RT. 

Rens got points. And hes saying stuff I myself have been saying for ages, which is good. I wonder why this is how Ren is now...working with the Ace Ops? Being afraid of loosing Nora? No one tell him what happened last episode.

Also, Jaune’s hair seems to have gotten less crazy in recent episodes. It looks less like a banana and more like a close tactical cut.

Yangs got a point.

Ahhh and now we get to see the inside of the whale. 

SALEM FOR THE LOVE OF GOD STOP SHOWING THE FUCK OFF. SERIOUSLY. WE GET IT. 

...this is gonna be a really criingy torture section, isnt it.

Someones gonna take that “hound didnt break you” line in the WRONG direction 

It is amusing the only thing holding Oscar down is the Hound actually. 

Ah so they’re still searching the remains of Beacon.

Also I like how Salem calls them “her forces” as if its anything but a random bunch of expendable monsters. Like, bruh, you cant search anything with THAT.

Ignoring the boring chat between these two, notice how the Hound’s shoulder literally flexes and shifts when Salem touched it. I dont think this thing is solid at all aside from the head and the bone claws...the whole thing is just amorphous Grimm material that can adapt to whatever situation it requires. A specialist unit. A...Hunter hunter.

Yo what the fuck was that. Magic? Huh. Did we actually SEE magic for once in the show? Only took us 8 FUCKING SEASONS...

Doesnt seem to be anything but an energy blast/pain never firing though. I assume his auras still gone, cause its completely singed his shirt, but it didnt do much else.

...Im not impressed.

She really needs to stop touching his face, its creeping me out.

HAHA SHE CANT DO IT HERSELF SHE HAS TO RELY ON HAZEL BEATING THE SHIT OUT OF HIM. I think we know where she stands now, doesnt she...say what you will about her letting Hazel have his vengeance (which is very valid, even he admits hit), but me? I think she A) cant actually beat up on Ozma herself because she still cares and B) shes almost out of magic too. Its weakened as the Gods have been gone and shes been forced to rely on the Grimm and on pawns. Basically, once she and Oz are both gone? That’s it for magic. Remnant will belong to the Grimm...and to technology. 

At which point without Oz around to hold them back Atlas is going to go fucking BONKERS and basically ensure the Grimm get pushed back into a corner and then finally permenantly STAMPED OUT.

More Whale insides. Seems like most of its empty grandious spaces. Or possibly muscle? Hard to tell. Either way theres a lot of open air in there...with tight corridors. If you fired a thermobaric warehead into one of the chambers the resulting blastc could possibly blow the doors off and send a raging fireball through the entire thing...Hmm. Filing that away for later.

NEO IS SO SHORT ITS FUNNY TO ME. I know its just positioning BUT SHE LOOKS EVEN SHORTER IN THIS SHOT THAN USUAL.

More note on the Hound; the “flesh” around its right shoulder spike actually sinks down when it stops moving. Its neck shifts and moves too, like the material isnt solid, but recirculating.

I also dont see any eyes. And it looks like it has some kind of...forehead mouth? Def looks like teeth down the ridge of its spine.

Oh boy yeah that...whole thing is basically melting in on itself.

I wont lie; hearing Cinder get berated by CORTANA (and yes, I still hear Cortana in Salem, espeically now that the two characters are kind of one and the same, both megalomaniacal leaders of giant armies, bar the fact that one of them is about a TRILLION times more dangerous than the other because one of them has access to Guardian Custodies and the other one is...well kind of lame and has to have beefy dudes beat up on small children etc) is pleasing to me. 

Get fucked, Cinder.

And THERE is Cortana again too.

Neo Marry Popins’s Ya’lling is fucking CUTE. And I love her little smirk.

Wait the whale’s that close?

..oh my...hold on.

...thats it. THATS ATLAS’S AIR FLEET!?!

12 AIRSHIPS? 12? EXCUSE ME!?

ARE YOU LEGITAMETLY TELLING ME THE BIGGEST MILITARY ON REMNANT HAS FEWER AIRSHIPS THAN THE SMALLEST NAVY ON EARTH HAS FRIGATES? YOUR FUCKING KIDDING ME RIGHT? THERE HAS TO BE MORE SOMEWHERE. THIS IS A JOKE, A STRAIGHT UP FUCKING JOKE.

...

No, thats...thats it. Thats Atlas’s airfleet. 12 tiny vessels. I swear it was bigger last season...

...HA! HAHA! HA! Oh, Ironwood, and Atlas as a whole...you deserve everything your about to get. I hope you die SCREAMING, and that when your bodies fall bleeding and shattered to Mantle, the people down there will realize that, no. You cant just assume Hunters will do all the work for you

THIS IS REMNANT. ITS KILL OR BE KILLED. YOU EITHER MAKE A FORCE POWERFUL ENOUGH THAT THE GRIMM RUN FROM YOU  OR YOU DIE INSTEAD. ATLAS FAILED. NOW THEY SUFFER.

Emerald stop simpin.

Also that is...the SHITTEST outpost...I have ever seen in my life. My overall thought process of Atlas is...sinking even LOWER than before. 

Though it seems more like a waystation. Bed, Dust, some dudes coat on it. Dead heater. Its probably a rest spot for Specialists out in the tundra.

Ren does the emo sit. Lol. Yang even says it. Brood himself to death.

Alright whats this now...something forcing itself out of the tundra?

And thats it for today! Cool ass concept art at the end there too.