#and she and lorelei even got somewhere today!

[2old4fun]

A birthday surprise for Nanami

{Just a little ficlet based on a now-dead ship, but Nanamin is always best boy, and so her gets his birthday}

*Edit: how I managed to not see that 'surprise' was spelled wrong before setting it to post this morning, but then notice it when I'm still half asleep and bleary-eyed, I'll never know

The pounding on the door was incessant. The voice coming through it? Loudly obnoxious, but that wasn’t a surprise given the voice’s owner.  

“Come on, birthday boy! Open up!”

Laughing, Lorelei pushed herself from her chair, the remains of their breakfast neatly stacked on the table, waiting to be fully cleaned up.

“Don’t open that door,” her fiancé muttered around his cup of tea.

“You know the world’s most powerful sorcerer will just let himself in,” she teased, dropping a kiss on his cheek.

“World’s most powerful pain in my ass,” Nanami retorted, catching her arm with one hand and returning the kiss. “Do I really have to deal with him, today of all days?”

“You know, the sooner he says his piece, the sooner he’ll be on his way, Ken-chan,” she whispered in his ear, using the nickname she only ever used in private.

With a sound somewhere between a sigh and a growl, he let her go.

“You’re right. Let’s get this over with.”

Together, they walked to the door, opening it to find a grinning Gojo waiting, as patiently as was possible. As soon as there was space, he dove inside, wrapping Nanami in a bear hug.

“There’s my buddy,” he enthused. “Happy birthday!”

The white-haired sorcerer leaned over and planted a chaste kiss on the top of Lorelei’s head at the same time as he patted her second-trimester-round belly.

“Sorry, ladies, I’m stealing daddy and Daddy,“ his eyebrow waggle was noticeable even under the black blindfold he wore, “for a little bit today.” He grabbed one of Nanami’s hands and dragged him toward the door, an unstoppable force. “I promise I’ll bring him back later. Bye!”

Too shocked to protest, the blond sorcerer was dragged out the door of his home.

Laughing, and with a little wave and blown kiss, Lorelei sent him off for the distraction she’d arranged. One hand went to her stomach.

“All right, little girl, we’ve got some cleanup and prep to do. Yuji will be here in an hour.”

True to his word, Itadori arrived right on time, the order from Nanami’s favorite sandwich shop in one hand, gifts in the other. She led him out to the garden, which she had set up the surprise party. Once everything was arranged, she texted Gojo, giving him the ‘all clear’ signal.

A few minutes later, the white-haired sorcerer’s distinct voice could be heard, loud and clear, as they arrived at the house, Gojo dragging Nanami into the garden where several of their friends were gathered.

Brown eyes widened in genuine surprise at the chorus of birthday wishes that greeted him, various drinks held up in salute, his little redheaded fiancée in the middle of it, mischievous smile beaming.

His expression softened into his small, quiet smile and he moved through the small group, shaking hands and accepting hugs as he went, until he reached Lorelei. He slid his arms around her shoulders and buried his face in her neck.

“You are in so much trouble when everyone leaves,” he whispered, nipping at her earlobe as he pulled away.

“Promise?” She retorted, one eyebrow raised.

Then, it was time for the celebration.

Food had been eaten, the mess cleaned up, birthday song sung, cake eaten, and gifts were being opened. Lorelei brought one wrapped in pink paper. “This one is from your daughter,” she explained, setting it on his lap. Her eyes widened and she grabbed one of his hands, placing it low on her belly. “She wants to be involved in giving it to you, as well.”

He held his breath, feeling the tiny movements beneath his hand, blinking away joyful tears at the proof of this little miracle he’d never expected to receive. He leaned over to rest his cheek on her stomach.

“Thank you, little one,” he whispered.

Finally, the last guest left and he locked the door behind them. He turned to see his fiancée, the mother of his child, smiling softly at him.

He meandered over to her, slipping his arms around her. “What’s that look for?”

“My favorite thing in the world is seeing you happy,” she answered, wrapping her arms around him.

“You do, hm? Then you need to be my wife.”

“I’m ready when you are. You know I don’t care about the ceremony.”

“Tomorrow, then? We’ll go to the clerk, first thing.”

“That sounds like the perfect plan to me.”

“Mmm…” he hummed. His hands slid down to grasp and squeeze the perfect mounds of her ass. “Well, maybe not first thing,” he teased. “Remember I said you were going to be in trouble when everyone left?”

He smirked down at her, his body already responding to her nearness.

“Yes,” she nodded once, her hands gliding across his chest.

“There’s something on our bed. Go put it on, and then I’ll spend the rest of the night punishing you.” He pulled her into a hard kiss, guiding one of her hands to the pronounced bulge in his pants. Her shivered response, pressing into his kiss, was all the answer he needed.

“There’s my good girl.” He swatted her ass as she turned to walk down the hall to their bedroom, and he watched her every step of the way. It was only once she was in the room that he turned to switch off the lights and then follow her.

“Happy birthday to me.”

[guidingsbolt]

if cress and lorelei hadn't started yelling at each other lorelei would have told her that gets being backed into a corner with no good options, and that she gets wanting to run so she respects that cress is with them and hasn't bolted. however they did start yelling at each other,

[bitter-sweet-farmgirl]

Athtur I’zig

Part 4 of ‘A Deep Misunderstanding’.  Who know how many more parts are going to follow…  Link to Series Masterlist.

Thorin falls for a Dwarrowdame raised by Elves, and tries to make know his feelings, but accidentally offends her, which leads to another and another misunderstanding between the two.

Based off of @immawriteyouthings​ ‘Falling Stars’

Note:  If you wish to be tagged for certain stories, just let me know and I can add you to a tag list!

MASTERLIST

OC(s) Used: Estel (Lorelei mentioned)

Word Count:  2,142

Warning(s):  None

Translation(s): Athtur I’zig:  Star Gazing

Lulkhs:  Idiots

Zatagbiri ibriz khama asti:  He would melt the sun in his forge for you

~~~~

Several weeks down the road, I finally felt as though I was making some progress.  Thorin had slowly but steadily begun to teach me more words and phrases in Khuzdul and I finally felt as though I could hold a basic conversation in that language.

But it was strange.  Ever since I had talked with Fili and Kili, they seemed intent on making me see Thorin in a different light as well as discovering why I didn't know Khuzdul.  They dropped hints about Thorin to see my reactions--the most memorable being Kili's attempt at romanticizing Thorin's figure.

"But how could you think he wants harm to befall you?"  Kili asked in a whisper as he sat beside me in front of the crackling fire.  "I mean, I would have thought you'd have fallen for him.  Most women gaze forlornly after him whenever we're in a tavern somewhere or out in public."

I saw no need to inform Kili that I had indeed fallen for Thorin, but was trying to push aside those feelings.  "I'm not 'most women' Kili.  I prefer a different sort."  I lied, and Kili grinned at me, scooting closer.

"Oh yeah?  What is your type then?  Obviously not burly Dwarrows with bulging muscles, dark beards and steel blue eyes who like brooding and talk in deep voices."  He said, mimicking Thorin's voice and Fili gave his brother an odd look as he walked by.

I laughed, shaking my head at Kili's description of Thorin.  This just egged Kili on till Thorin walked by, and Kili abruptly stopped, unwilling to invoke the wrath of his uncle.  Once Thorin had passed by, Kili resumed his questions.

"So, what is your type?  Am I attractive to you?"  He asked teasingly, and I shrugged my shoulders, unwilling to verbally answer the question.  "What about Fili?  Do you like him?"

I wrinkled my nose, making Kili laugh.  "I don't like either of you in that way, Kili..."  I said, and Kili grinned at me.

"Good, because I'm a taken Dwarrow."  He said, getting a faraway look in his eyes.  I raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, you are?"  I asked, and Kili nodded, a soft smile replacing his cheeky grin.

"Aye.  I've got a lass waiting back in the Blue Mountains for me to return and bring her to Erebor once we reclaim it."  He said in a quiet voice, and I nodded.

"Is she pretty?"  I questioned, and Kili chuckled, ducking his head as pink began to tinge his stubbled cheeks.

"Oh Mahal, yes.  She's a goddess.  Long brown hair that is as soft as a rabbit pelt and gorgeous green eyes that shine like emeralds."  He said reverently, "Mahal knows how I ever got her to marry me in the first place..."

"Wait, so you're married?"  I said in disbelief, and Kili nodded slowly, the mischievous look reentering his brown eyes.  

"That I am.  We had one glorious year together before I left with the Company...  I miss her more every day."  He said softly, his smile turning morose.

"I'm sure she misses you too."  I murmured, resting a hand on Kili's shoulder.  "It's hard to be away from the ones you love."

After that long and interesting conversation where I had learned more about Kili than I knew about Thorin, I had time to ponder my own relationship with the latter.  Weirdly enough, my interactions with Thorin had become less strained the more time we spent together as he taught me Khuzdul.  It almost gave me hope that one day I would find my feelings reciprocated in him.  Almost.

There were still many times when Thorin was gruff and cold towards me, and although I was able to hide it, I still felt hurt that he didn't like me.

"Miss Estel, if you would remove your head from the clouds, we could continue learning."  Thorin's annoyed voice broke me from my thoughts, and I quickly glanced over at where he leaned against a tree, illuminated by the fire's dancing flames as he cleaned his dagger.

"Sorry, I just got caught up in my thoughts; remembering."  I said quietly, and Thorin nodded tersely.

"So I noticed.  But back to the subject at hand.  Do you remember the colours I was teaching you this morning?"  He asked, and I nodded.

"Yes.  Ziriz, narag, and khagal.  Gold, black and blue."  I said, and Thorin nodded approvingly.

"Galikh.  That means good."  He said, and I thought I saw the barest hint of a smile for a moment.  But then it was gone, as though it had never existed.

Which, knowing Thorin, was probably true.

"Master Thorin, Kili and Fili said something earlier today that has been puzzling me.  I was wondering if you could tell me what it meant."  I began hesitantly, and Thorin raised an eyebrow, glancing up from the knife he had been cleaning.

"Fili and Kili said this, you say?"  He asked, and I nodded.

"Yeah.  I think it was meant in jest, but I cannot be sure."  

"What was it?"  Thorin asked, and I struggled to recall the unfamiliar words Fili and Kili had murmured to me, gesturing towards Thorin as he led us.

"It was something like 'zatagbiri ibriz khama asti'."  I said, sounding out the words slowly.  Thorin's sapphire blue eyes widened, and his grip on the dagger tightened.  

"Did you understand any of it?"  He asked, gaze becoming murderous.  I took a step away as he began to walk towards me, shaking my head.

"Not really, I recognized 'he' and 'forge' and 'you, but that was it."  I said rapidly, but Thorin just shook his head.

"I have no idea what I'm going to do with those two lulkhs..."  He groaned, stroking his chin with a hand.

I was about to ask what the phrase meant when Gloin approached Thorin.  "Thorin, it's your turn on the night watch.  Dwalin's next."  He said, and Thorin nodded to him.

"Alright."

Gloin headed away from us, leaving Thorin and I alone once more.  I turned to look at him only to find his eyes already resting on me.

"Would you mind if I joined you on the watch?"  I asked softly, "you could teach me more."  

Thorin shrugged, his gaze still dark.  "I do not mind.  Just keep in mind that we will be moving on early tomorrow morning."  He said, and the hidden meaning behind his words made me bite my lip.

Of course he had to try and find a flaw somewhere.  If I stayed up late with him, there was no excuse for me being tired tomorrow.

Tossing my hair back, I gave him a look.  "I will be fine."  I said firmly and began to walk out into the forest to scout the perimeter of our camp a bit.

"Miss Estel, you stay here; closer to camp."  Thorin suddenly said, striding after me.  Ignoring his obvious attempt to 'protect' me--the helpless woman--I continued walking onwards.  "Miss Estel!"  Thorin growled, and I sensed his temper rising at my silence.

But then I walked out into a clearing bathed in moonlight and stopped dead.  Tilting my head upwards, I let out a soft gasp as I saw thousands of stars twinkling brightly in the sky.  

"It's so beautiful..."  I whispered, a smile spreading across my face at the wondrous sight.  It had been far too long since I had last taken the time to look up at the stars; something I used to do regularly back in Lothlorien.

"Miss Estel," Thorin's voice came from behind me, and I turned to look at him, smiling brightly.  

"Isn't it beautiful?"  I asked softly, and Thorin's brow furrowed even as I watched his sapphire eyes soften.

"What?"  He asked in a low voice, and I gestured up at the sky.

"The stars.  Aren't they beautiful?"  I asked again, and Thorin turned his gaze skyward for a moment before looking back at me, a strange expression on his face.

"I suppose so...  But we better get back to the camp.  We're supposed to be on watch."  He said, motioning for me to follow him.  But I shook my head.

"It'll be okay for a couple minutes.  I haven't had the chance to properly star-gaze since I joined this Company," I said.  "Have you ever star-gazed?"

Thorin shook his head, and I let out a gasp of surprise.  "How is that even possible?!  Come here!"  I hurried over to him and grabbed his hand in mine, dragging him into the clearing.  Surprisingly, he didn't resist, and I shot a glance back at him to find him staring at me with wide blue eyes, the faintest dusting of pink tinging his cheeks.  How strange.

Really, surprise wasn't that good of a look on him.  I preferred that strong, brooding exterior; if only he would smile more.  I had seen him smile at Fili and Kili as well as Dwalin, and it only made me fall for him more.  His blue eyes would shine as his broad frame shook with laughter; making my heart skip a beat.

Sitting down, I tugged on his hand to get him to join me, which he reluctantly proceeded to do.  "This is a bad idea.  We could be ambushed and--"

"Shh... Lie back and be quiet.  Just forget about all that for a minute."  I said, lying back and staring up at the sky.  "Just look up at the stars."

Thorin let out a sigh as he reclined beside me, our shoulders barely touching.  It was like my dreams had come to life.  

We sat in silence for a long while, just looking up at the sky and taking in all of its beauty.  Then I caught sight of a shooting star.  

"Thorin, look!  A shooting star!  Make a wish!"  I murmured excitedly, closing my eyes as I made mine; wishing that I could see my Naneth again someday.  She was in my thoughts more often the Thorin it seemed at times.  I missed her more than life itself.

Opening my eyes, I turned my head to look at Thorin.  Hearing the grass rustle as I did so, he turned to look at me.  "What did you wish for?"  He asked curiously, and I laughed.  

"I can't tell you...  Then the wish won't come true!"  I laughed, and Thorin nodded slowly, turning his gaze back up at the stars.

"I see then."  He rumbled, and we both became quiet again.

At least, until my curiosity rose within me.  "Thorin?"  I asked quietly, "what's the word for 'star'?"

Thorin was quiet for a moment, "Thatr."  He answered, and I mouthed it once before trying to pronounce it.

"Tha-tur?"  I tried, glancing over at the Dwarrow beside me as he nodded an affirmation.  

"Yes, that's right."

I smiled to myself, watching as another shooting star passed across the night sky.  Another wish; another moment.

"What is your story?  The wizard has never mentioned where he met you, and it puzzles me why a Dwarrowdame such as yourself does not know the language of the Dwarves."  Thorin suddenly spoke, and I took in a deep breath.

I had hoped these questions would never be asked of me.

"As I said before, Master Thorin, it is personal."  I said quietly, trying to shut down this conversation before it could start.

But Thorin refused to let it go.  "Are you an orphan?  Is that why you never learned Khuzdul?"  He asked, sitting up and looking down at me.

I sat up also, looking over at him with a guarded expression.  "That is my own business, Master Thorin.  Now if you'll excuse me, I believe it is time for the next watch to relieve us."  I murmured, rising to my feet and heading towards the camp.

"As the leader of this Company, I believe I have a right to know your backstory.  For all I know you are intent on stealing the gold within Erebor's halls for yourself."  Thorin's deep voice stopped me in my tracks, and I turned slowly to look at him.

Did he really want to tread down this path?  Questioning my integrity and loyalty?  

"Gandalf wouldn't have allowed me to come along if he didn't believe I was trustworthy."  I said coolly, staring at Thorin as I silently dared him to question me more.  If he wanted the truth, he would get it.

But he remained silent, and I turned away from him to continue towards the warmth of the fire, apprehension building in the pit of my stomach.  I knew that someday my past would come to light; it was inevitable, but I feared the day it did.

Eru only knew what Thorin would do to me once he knew of my Elvish upbringing.

[horistans]

Please explain the detective au to us!!! I can’t read Japanese!!!! Thank you!! :)

Alright!! I'll Do My Best! I’ll be translating all the tweets released so far (from Nov. 20-26), but I’m not that fluent, so please be patient with me >.<;; I’ll also be taking some liberties to make it easier to understand in English so these won’t be direct translations. There may be multiple translations, so I welcome anyone else to also try to translate this! Mikoshiba also tweets in very casual speech, with lots of slang, so it’s possible I don’t properly translate some things.

To start, on Nov. 20, 2020, the Mikoshiba twitter surprised everyone by tweeting the following!

Nozaki told me to advertise our company on Twitter. I wonder there’ll be any effect from advertising like this is.

Well, I guess I’ll start next week, so look forward to it!

Employee Mikoshiba 

The same day, Mikoshiba tweeted a photo:

The photo was tweeted with the text:

For today, here’s the doorplate

The Kanji on the door plate read: Nozaki Detective Agency

The twitter then went silent for the next two days to build hype and curiosity to what’s going to come! And on the third day, Tsubaki-sensei finally gave us some context.

We’ve started preparing for Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun’s 10 year anniversary project for next year but... I was soberly shaken, saying,  “What...? 10 years...?“

What.... Wakamatsu hasn’t figured out the Lorelei mystery even after 10 years...?

That’s why the relationships have been slowly moving forward recently!

I’m realizing this after writing this, but Sensei says, “ ローレライのナゾ ”, literally the “Lorelei Mystery” or “riddle”... Maybe the AU will have something to do with that?

After this tweet, she RT’s the original Mikoshiba tweet for more explanation!!

Ah! That’s why, after 4 years (4years!?), Mikoshiba’s twitter is being used again.

This time it’s a Detective Parallel universe, So instead of a “Future Timeline” it’s a “Nozaki, somewhere in a parallel universe” story!

The project hasn’t started yet, so I might move some things around. Please take care of me! (or even Please be patient with me/look forward to it!)

(If you look at the time stamps, Tsubaki-sensei’s tweets were actually posted after the following tweet, Mikoshiba’s third update, but just to prevent confusion, I wanted to include the context here!)

This response is exceptionally long, so I’lll put a Read More here.

Since there’s still a year until the 10 year anniversary project, Sensei will probably continue world building through the Mikoshiba twitter... But there isn’t a set schedule or story line yet.

I was thinking about what to tweet about, but I think first I’ll introduce our employees.

Mikoshiba actually says, “I was thinking about what to advertise”, but I think “promote” or even “tweet” (because that’s more general) makes more sense here.

Either way!! After this, we’re introduced to the Nozaki Detective Agency Employees!! (Which is where that Hori photo came from :D)

First off is Nozaki!!

Representative Nozaki Umetaro.

23 years old. Manga artist-detective. His manga penname is “Yumeno Sakiko”

... Yeah... “Manga artist” and ”detective”. I don’t know what that means.

After reading a detective novel he thought “Detectives are cool!” or something It seems he started this office but still admires novels.

The last half of that was... really hard to translate (lol)... But hopefully it makes sense!

“If I solve a case, maybe someone will write a novel about it,“ he said, glimmering (hopefully/excitedly) No one is going to write it! (That’s not how it works!)

So then he said, “Ah, then I’ll draw it myself!” and started drawing manga. In this month’s issue, the heroine and her boyfriend had a date...

Huh? It’s a RomCom...?

So: Nozaki read a detective novel, thought it was cool and started an agency, then decided he also wanted to draw manga! So in this AU, he’s still a shoujo mangaka, but his day job is a detective (I guess LOL)

The next day!!! Is Hori-senpai!!

Employee 1: Hori Masayuki, age 24

He and Nozaki first met in high school, where he was his senpai. He’s generally really capable so he’s been a huge help after coming to our office!

The last sentence is... too hard for me to translate correctly (primarily cuz of the verb is kinda weird and the sentence subject has kanji I don’t know how to translate aa....) 

But with my shipper heart, I personally read it as:

He often finds himself bickering with the one he likes, one of Nozaki’s guys! Ridiculous!

This may just be my own wishful thinking though, so please don’t take that as accurate lol

**EDIT** I asked someone else, and this is what they said

So a better, more accurate translation:

In Nozaki’s case, he only gets involved if he’s interested in it! Ridiculous!

In a similar fashion to Nozaki’s, he responds to the original tweet with more dialogue!

I’ve recently gotten used to talking with him but Why does he compliment my face so much?

He sometimes tells me, “It’s too bad“ What does that mean...!?

Up next is Waka!!! Here we start to deviate from what could be a potential future timeline, to a parallel universe (like Tsubaki explained)

Part-timer Young Wakamatsu, Age 17

He’s a high schooler living in Nozaki’s neighborhood. It must be fun working part-time at our company.

Seems he recently tried horseback-riding. How bougie! ...I wonder what happened to the flower arranging class I used to attend...

Wakamatsu’s name here is actually written as  “Wakamatsu-shounen” (lit. Wakamatsu-boy) and I just considered removing the last half, but remembered how it’s handled in BNHA lol

Even in this AU, seems like Waka’s a rich boy!!!

also forgive me for translating that as bougie I couldn’t resist

And today’s tweet! Features Mikoshiba!

Employee 2: Mikoshiba Mikoto, Age 22.

This is me. I met Nozaki in college and somehow... it’s become like this. At the agency, Nozaki, Hori-senapi, and I are in charge of different requests.

Thinking about it, they’re all kinda feminine.

Wait, I still attend group dates! Even last week, I met with 3 women!!

Aaaa, Mikoshiba’s casual speech is hard for me to translate, so I apologize if this is wrong as well.

Eh...? What...? I got caught....

It was a game!! A depressing game!!

Employee introductions are now over I’ll tweet if anything else happens!

(Although, if there’s crunch time for Nozaki’s manuscript, I’ll be out of reach)

And so, that’s all the updates we have so far :) I hope it makes enough sense!

for TLDR; In preparation for GSNK’s 10 year anniversary, Tsubaki has started using Mikoshiba’s twitter to run a Detective AU! We haven’t seen any of the girls yet, but so far Nozaki, Mikoshiba, Hori, and Waka have been confirmed as the main characters/the employees at the Nozaki Detective agency.

Given context clues, I’m guessing the “mystery” will be the mystery of Lorelei, but that’s just speculation.

If you want to keep up with the tweets, I recommend following Mikoshiba on twitter (@/mikoshiba0214) and turning on notifications! We’re also talking about it often on the fan discord~ (link in my Updates tab, or you can add me on Discord and I’ll send you the invite directly)

[heartofether]

Episode 14 - Hungry TRANSCRIPT

[You can listen to the show wherever you get your podcasts, or go to our “Listen” page if you’re on desktop.]

VAL

Hey there. I just wanted to say before the episode that you may notice that Phoebe's voice sounds different than it did before. We now have a new voice actor who will be playing Phoebe Wood. We wish her previous voice actor, Nyx King, all the best on all of their future endeavors. Phoebe's new voice actor is going to be Lark Pelletier, who we are delighted to have on our cast.

I just wanted to let you all know so you didn't get confused when Phoebe's voice sounded different, and it was some sort of plot-related Not!Phoebe thing. Other than that, I hope you enjoy the episode, and stay safe out there.

AUTOMATED VOICE

Please state [THE VOICE GLITCHES] your message.

[THEME SONG BEGINS PLAYING.]

VAL

Three-Eyed Frog Presents: The Heart of Ether.

[THEME MUSIC FADES TO A STOP.]

[PHONE BEEP.]

[INT. THE POPPY GARDEN MOTEL, AGENTS MAY AND JUNES’ ROOM, NIGHT.]

[AGENT MAY IS HEARD FLIPPING THROUGH PAPERS.]

AGENT MAY

This is the audio log of Operation Saturn, phase 1.2. This is day one, part two. Conducted by Agents May and June. All recordings are legal property of the Harper—

[HE STOPS, THEN, FRUSTRATED] Goddammit, where did he put that photo?

[HE CONTINUES TO SORT THROUGH PAPERS, THEN, DISGRUNTLED] After our conversation with Irene Gray, Agent June and I had to re-organize the folders she disturbed. Of course, June had no understanding of how the folders were sorted, so he shoved papers wherever he saw fit. [UNDER HIS BREATH] No mind to the effort I put into labeling each folder.

It must be here somewhere.

[THE DOOR SWINGS OPEN AS AGENT JUNE WALKS IN, ARMS FULL OF SNACKS. HE'S HEARD CLOSING IT BEHIND HIM AS HE TALKS.]

AGENT JUNE

You are not going to believe this, my man. Okay, so, this motel is cheap as hell, right? Super dusty, the wallpaper’s peeling off, kinda smells like someone’s dog died in the lobby. Honestly, lowkey hoped the Foundation would have been a little bit more generous with their funds, but also I’m not surprised they stuck us here. I mean, hey, what do I know? Maybe this motel is haunted and they expect us to Ghostbuster the place up.

[AGENT MAY GROANS LOUDLY.]

AGENT JUNE

[CONT.] But! Here’s the kicker! Vending machines downstairs? Jam-packed. They have king-sized candy bars!

[THERE ARE WRAPPER NOISES AS AGENT JUNE SHOWS OFF HIS FINDS.]

AGENT JUNE

Look at this! Man, I haven’t actually eaten candy in so long. The drink machine is all off-brand soda, though, so, sucks to suck, I guess.

[HE DUMPS THE SNACKS ONTO THE BED.]

AGENT JUNE

Oh, and there is a pool. Hot tub, too. Though there were some stray cats in the bushes who were…well, I’ll leave that up to your imagination. Still, if you packed a swimsuit, maybe we could hit that up later?

AGENT MAY

I did not pack a swimsuit. Unlike some of us, I came here to do my job.

AGENT JUNE

Hey, that’s not fair. Of course I’m doing my job! I just, you know, enjoy having a life outside of work. Know what that’s like?

AGENT MAY

Of course I do. I just don’t intend to do any messing around while we’re here.

AGENT JUNE

Oh, yeah?

[AGENT JUNE CROSSES HIS ARMS.]

AGENT JUNE

What do you do outside of work?

AGENT MAY

I cook. I read, though recently, I haven’t done so as much as I used to. I keep up with the news. I, you know, run errands. [AS THE LIST GOES ON, HE STRUGGLES MORE AND MORE TO COME UP WITH THINGS.]

AGENT JUNE

Okay, only half of those things are potentially fun. Not even guaranteed fun, just the potential for enjoyment.

AGENT MAY

What does it matter to you what I do in my free time, anyways?

AGENT JUNE

Because nobody should be trapped in that miserable cycle where you just do your 9-to-5 until you die, dude! Come on.

Alright, how about this: from here on out, my mission within this mission is to get you to do something fun. Got that? You’re walking away from here with one new hobby or so help me.

AGENT MAY

What about our actual job?

AGENT JUNE

I’ll find time in between! You just watch.

[AGENT JUNE PLOPS DOWN ON HIS BED. HE OPENS THE WRAPPER FOR ONE OF THE CANDY BARS. THERE’S A PAUSE.]

AGENT MAY

Do you think Irene Gray will come back around?

AGENT JUNE

Mm, not sure? She didn’t seem too happy with us.

[AS MAY CONTINUES, JUNE IS HEARD EATING ONE OF HIS CANDY BARS.]

AGENT MAY

I’m just worried she won’t agree to work with us after today. I mean, our mission just started, and we might have just lost what could have been a valuable connection. I mean, you saw how suspicious she was when we entered her house. It’s possible that she knows exactly what it is we’re after—and if she’s familiar with Valencia’s work, well, who knows what she knows?

AGENT JUNE

[THROUGH CHEWING] I get what you mean. [HE SWALLOWS.] Though, to be fair, our method was kind of…

AGENT MAY

[A BEAT.] Pardon?

AGENT JUNE

[HESITANT] Don’t you think it’s kind of cruel? Using Rosemary to lure her in? It’s clearly a sensitive topic for her, and we just kind of, you know, ripped the bandage off a wound that may or may not have healed properly.

AGENT MAY

[STRAINED] You have a point.

[UNCOMFORTABLE] We were following orders, though.

AGENT JUNE

I guess.

[THERE’S A PAUSE, FOLLOWED BY MORE CANDY WRAPPER RUSTLING.]

AGENT JUNE

Speaking of which, what does the Foundation have on the agenda for us next?

AGENT MAY

Plenty to keep us occupied. We are going to be interviewing a woman named Lorelei Foster—

[AGENT JUNE GROANS.]

AGENT MAY

We’re not trying to bait her or anything like that. This is just an interview. She lives on the outskirts of town, but she used to own Moon Cloves, the only metaphysical store in town. She is also one of the only people who was close to Valencia that is still alive.

AGENT JUNE

Gotcha, gotcha.

[AN UNCOMFORTABLE PAUSE AS AGENT JUNE CONTINUES TO EAT HIS CANDY.]

AGENT MAY

Would you mind not eating on the bed?

AGENT JUNE

Mm! Actually, so glad you brought up the uh, singular ‘bed.’

[AGENT JUNE SHIFTS AROUND ON THE SINGULAR BED TO EMPHASIZE HIS POINT.]

AGENT JUNE

What do you plan on doing about that?

AGENT MAY

Haven’t thought about it. Say, do you know what happened to that photo we had of the bicycle?

AGENT JUNE

Oh, no clue.

[AGENT MAY GROANS IN FRUSTRATION.]

AGENT JUNE

[COOING] You’re avoiding the bed situation, aren’t you?

AGENT MAY

[GRUMBLING] You can have it. I’m fine sleeping in the car.

AGENT JUNE

[SURPRISED] Woah, you sure? I mean, I’m used to uncomfortable sleeping arrangements, trust me.

AGENT MAY

I’ll be fine. I prefer the uh, privacy, of the car.

AGENT JUNE

[UNCONVINCED] Sure.

Uh, thank you. For the bed. [HE CHUCKLES.] How did the Foundation manage to mess that one up, anyways?

AGENT MAY

Apparently, there was a mistake in the paperwork.

AGENT JUNE

That sucks.

AGENT MAY

Indeed.

[A PAUSE.]

AGENT MAY

Right. We should probably get some rest soon, anyways.

AGENT JUNE

[HE SCOFFS.] Dude, are you kidding me? It’s like, 8:30! Okay, I refuse to go to bed that early.

AGENT MAY

We have a busy day ahead of us.

AGENT JUNE

Yeah, and I’m used to functioning off of five hours of sleep, so I’ll be fine.

AGENT MAY

My apologies for having a healthy sleep schedule. Anyways, I’m turning this off—

[PHONE BEEP.]

[RECORDING ENDS.]

[ANOTHER PHONE BEEP.]

[INT. “VEIL,” A HIP, MODERN RESTAURANT DOWNTOWN, MIDDAY.]

[THE RESTAURANT IS BUSTLING WITH ACTIVITY. THERE’S FAINT CONVERSATION AND DISH CLANKING IN THE BACKGROUND.]

AVERY

Is it on?

IRENE

[UNEASY] Um, yeah. Say, how did you know I was going to record this?

AVERY

Hm? Oh, it was a lucky guess. I just wanted you to wait until we got done ordering.

IRENE

Right.

[A BEAT.] How long do you think we’ll be here, exactly? I have plans to meet someone back at my house this afternoon.

AVERY

Oh, that’s fine. It shouldn’t be long. You could technically leave whenever you like, since I’m taking the bill.

IRENE

What? No! I’m not letting a teenager pay for my food—

AVERY

How old are you, again? You look college-age. You’re wearing a university t-shirt—say, did you live on campus? Maybe have a meal plan? I mean, you don’t look like your parents have money, but I could be—

IRENE

[CUTTING THEM OFF] Okay, okay, I get it. Thank you for lunch, I guess.

AVERY

Not a problem.

[THERE’S A LONG PAUSE.]

IRENE

[AWKWARDLY] So, are you going to explain it?

AVERY

Explain what?

IRENE

The meat thing.

AVERY

Oh, you want to discuss my eating habits? That’s kinda rude, you know.

IRENE

I mean, you just ordered your burger, quote, “as rare as you’re legally allowed to serve it,” and then offered me your side. Plus, I’ve seen what your mom buys at the store for you.

AVERY

Oh, don’t preach to me about the ethics of eating a living thing or whatever. I’ve heard enough of that. You know, it’s not as black and white as—

IRENE

[OVERLAPPING, WITH A GROAN] Look, I may be vegetarian, but it’s not like that. I’m not talking from a place of judgment or moral high ground, I just—wanna know if there’s a reason for it. Your meat diet.

[SHE TAKES A DRINK OF HER WATER.]

AVERY

I’m not human.

[IRENE PROMPTLY SPITS HER WATER OUT.]

AVERY

Mm, well, I think I’m pretty close to human. And don’t mix this up as some sort of identity thing—I actually had my gender slash identity crisis before my transformation.

[MUTTERS] Actually thought I had myself pretty well figured out before the change. Keyword being ‘thought.’ There was still this part of me that was desperately trying to be something I wasn’t, I think. It led to me becoming something I didn’t want to be in a very literal and permanent sense.

IRENE

So, you weren’t always like this?

AVERY

Nope. I used to be a person just like you. That is, until I got involved with some heavy stuff. Stuff I shouldn’t have messed with, you know?

I did a ritual I shouldn’t have done, and—hey, do you know how it feels for your insides to be rearranged by some otherworldly force? As if your internal organs are a completed puzzle, but somebody decided it didn’t look right, so they just started jamming the pieces together in an attempt to make a new image?

IRENE

[UNCOMFORTABLE] That sounds painful.

AVERY

Obviously! Anyways, I’m doing better now. That was a couple of years ago. The big difference is that now, raw meat is pretty much the only thing my body is good at digesting. I can technically eat other food, but it doesn’t take much before I start getting sick.

IRENE

That sounds…jeez, I’m sorry.

AVERY

Hey, there are perks to it. I mean, my canines are super sharp, so I kinda look like a vampire if you look hard enough. Oh, I’m also super strong. Like, not “pick up your car” strong, but I could probably lift this table up.

IRENE

[SLOWLY BECOMING INCREASINGLY OVERWHELMED] Right.

AVERY

Does that answer your question?

IRENE

Yeah, but it spawned, like, five more, uh—

[IRENE STRUGGLES TO COLLECT HERSELF FOR A MOMENT.]

AVERY

You’re not going to figure this all out in one day, so don’t try to. Seriously. You look really overwhelmed. It’s not about making out the whole bigger picture right away, just focus on like, the upper right-hand corner of it.

IRENE

[CALMING DOWN] Right. Right, okay.

AVERY

I’ll let you ask a couple more questions, though.

IRENE

So, you did a ritual that shifted your organs around and made you something…slightly to the left of human?

AVERY

That’s correct.

IRENE

Where did that power come from? What made that happen to you?

AVERY

[THEY THINK FOR A MOMENT.] That’s a more complicated answer than I think you’re ready for. I mean, if you don’t even know what Ether is—

IRENE

[CUTTING THEM OFF, IN REALIZATION] Ether! God, Valencia had that written somewhere, I think—when I went up to the attic during the—

AVERY

So you do know Valencia.

IRENE

Well, yeah. I’m living in his old house.

AVERY

I know. That house has a reputation, you know. Almost as much as the man himself. [WARNING] People take note of things like that.

IRENE

So, Ether is the source of your power?

AVERY

Mm, sort of? It’s complicated. Ether is the source behind a whole lot of things, but I’m not sure it has any sort of agenda.

IRENE

Is it linked to the mold at all? Or, wait, do you even know what the mold is?

AVERY

You mean the Spread? Yellow, infects people upon touch, kind of has a mind of its own?

IRENE

…the Spread?

AVERY

That’s what Dorothy and Valencia called it. They had all sorts of weird names for things.

IRENE

That explains the Folk.

Did they have a name for what you are?

AVERY

Yeah. [MUTTERS] I don’t like it, though.

IRENE

What is it?

AVERY

[WITH DISTASTE] The Hungry.

[A BEAT.] That’s really the only name there is, though, so, I kinda have to just suck it up.

IRENE

How did you find all of that out? From what I’ve seen of their research, it’s mostly blank—

AVERY

[WHISPERING] Might want to keep your voice down about the research. People could be listening.

[A PAUSE.]

IRENE

[WHISPERING] What the fuck.

AVERY

[AT NORMAL VOLUME, TRYING TO PLAY IT OFF] The naming conventions are the only part of their research that sort of became common knowledge over time. At least, among those who knew what Ether was. I think even that stupid Foundation picked up on the names after a while. Dorothy and Valencia never really agreed on how exactly the names should be determined, and they died before they could finally stop having petty arguments over it.

I knew Dorothy, though, before she died. She helped me figure out my whole [UNSEEN VAGUE GESTURE] situation. She was a much kinder person than Valencia, you know.

IRENE

I’ve gathered that much. Damn, that means you know more about this than even her own granddaughter.

AVERY

Phoebe Wood? I don’t know her that well. I only saw her around the bookstore once or twice—well, and at Dorothy’s funeral, obviously.

IRENE

I see.

AVERY

Any other questions?

[A PAUSE.]

IRENE

Why did you invite me here?

AVERY

…hm?

IRENE

I mean, why did you invite me to lunch? This—whatever you’re involved in—is clearly far bigger than me. Why would you want to talk to me, of all people?

AVERY

[THROUGH A SMILE] You’re clever, Irene. Nosy, too. That might cause you some problems later.

Anyways, this whole lunch was a test.

[A BEAT.] Oh, why do you look so shocked? What did you think this was about, anyways? Leisurely conversation with some random kid who came to your house?

Anyways, I’ve been involved in this business for, mm, two years? After a while, you get really good at reading people, you know? Most people who choose to get involved in this are just flat-out stupid, but you, Irene, are a special breed of stupid.

Like, you’re not pretentious or egotistical like some of them are, but you’re stubborn, you know? You don’t go down easy. Take that as a compliment. Or don’t. I barely know you, what does my word count for?

[IRENE STUTTERS SOMETHING INCOHERENT.]

AVERY

[CONT.] What I’m saying is that you might just be stupid enough to accidentally do something smart. That’s the kind of behavior that can save you from getting killed. Am I making sense?

IRENE

Um, maybe?

AVERY

Great. Anyways, I hate to be the one to break it to you, but you’re in too deep at this point. You were already kind of cursed the moment you were naive enough to move into Valencia’s house. There’s a reason it was empty for so long, you know. Again, reputation, or whatever.

If you’ve already encountered the Spread, however, well, that’s kind of the final nail in the coffin. You’re in this game, whether you like it or not.

IRENE

Calling it a game implies that it’s fun.

AVERY

[THINKING] For some of them, it is.

IRENE

And who are they?

AVERY

If you learn to shut your mouth, you may never have to find out, but you’re not very good at that.

IRENE

[OFFENDED] Hey—!

AVERY

[OVERLAPPING] Anyways, you clearly need some help getting your footing in all of this. Wouldn’t it be nice to have someone on your side who isn’t out of their mind or a murderer? I pride myself in that.

IRENE

[WARILY] You said this was a test.

AVERY

That I did.

IRENE

…did I pass?

AVERY

Yep.

[HESITANT] The test wasn’t to see whether or not I would help you, though. I planned on offering my assistance regardless—well, unless you were a complete jerk, but you’re not.

The test was to see…well, to see if you could help me.

IRENE

You need my help?

AVERY

[TRYING TO HIDE THEIR WORRY] I think the waiter has our food. You should probably turn off the recording.

IRENE

[REALIZING] Oh. Okay.

[PHONE BEEP.]

[RECORDING ENDS.]

[ANOTHER PHONE BEEP.]

[INT. IRENE’S ATTIC, THE SAME DAY, MIDDAY.]

[THERE IS THE SOUND OF PHOEBE AND HOLLY CLIMBING UP THE LADDER AND INTO THE ATTIC.]

IRENE

[TO PHOEBE] Can you climb up over the—

PHOEBE

[OVERLAPPING] Yup, yup, just um, please—

[IRENE HELPS PHOEBE UP ONTO THE ATTIC FLOOR.]

PHOEBE

Sorry. Thank you.

IRENE

It’s not a problem. Will you be able to get down?

PHOEBE

That should be easier, I think. My legs just hurt a lot if I move too much. It’s fine. I’ll be fine.

[HOLLY CLIMBS UP INTO THE ATTIC.]

HOLLY

Here’s your cane.

PHOEBE

Thank you.

HOLLY

Of course.

PHOEBE

Oh, Irene, I hope you don’t mind I brought someone else. Holly is, uh—

HOLLY

[OVERLAPPING] We’re dating.

IRENE

Oh. Oh! Right, I didn’t know you were dating someone, Phoebe.

PHOEBE

[FLUSTERED] We just started recently—I mean, like, very recent.

IRENE

Well, congratulations.

PHOEBE

Thank you.

[FOOTSTEPS AS HOLLY LOOKS AROUND THE ATTIC.]

HOLLY

So, this is it?

IRENE

Unless he has something hidden beneath the floorboards, then, this is all of it.

HOLLY

[SHE CHUCKLES.] At this point, that wouldn’t surprise me.

IRENE

Good point. [A BEAT.] We’re not ripping up my floors, though. This house may have belonged to Valencia, but it’s mine now.

[PHOEBE IS HEARD FLIPPING THROUGH SOME PAPERS.]

PHOEBE

This looks just like what Grandma Doe has.

IRENE

There’s more than just that.

[IRENE HANDS PHOEBE ONE OF THE BOOKS.]

PHOEBE

[READING THE COVER.] Daughtler: The Heart of Ether.

[SHE FANS THROUGH IT.]

PHOEBE

[SURPRISED] None of this is written in code. Irene, have you read any of this?

IRENE

Not yet. I haven’t had the time. We found these books when we got cornered.

[PHOEBE CONTINUES FLIPPING THROUGH PAGES.]

PHOEBE

It never got finished. He must have died before he could get around to it.

[HOLLY'S FOOTSTEPS ARE HEARD IN THE BACKGROUND.]

IRENE

What do you think he planned on doing with these?

PHOEBE

I’m not sure? Maybe he wanted to make the knowledge more accessible?

[HOLLY IS HEARD OPENING A CARDBOARD BOX.]

HOLLY

Hey, have you looked in this box?

IRENE

Um, no. I haven’t sorted through everything yet. Why?

[AS IRENE TALKS, SHE WALKS OVER TO WHERE HOLLY IS.]

HOLLY

There’s a bunch of undeveloped film in here.

IRENE

What do you think is on it?

HOLLY

Hell if I know. Do you have a place to develop film?

IRENE

No. Do you know anyone, Phoebe?

PHOEBE

Um, no. Sorry.

HOLLY

We can try putting an advert out. There’s a bulletin board outside of the Open Eyes Bookstore. Maybe if we post something, someone will reach out?

IRENE

That’s a good idea. I can put my number on it, too.

PHOEBE

[NERVOUS] Are you sure that’s a good idea?

IRENE

We don’t have to say what the film is for, right? It wouldn’t hurt to try. I mean, what if Valencia took a photo of something really important? Until we figure out how to read the other research, this may be the only tangible evidence we have.

[A BEAT.]

PHOEBE

Yeah, um, about that—

HOLLY

We figured out how to read the research. Well, correction, Phoebe did.

IRENE

[SURPRISED] Actually? That’s great news, Phoebe! How are you going to do it?

PHOEBE

[NERVOUS] Well, you see, it’s er, um, complicated. You might want to sit down?

IRENE

Oh, I guarantee you, nothing can surprise me after the conversation I had earlier. Try me.

PHOEBE

Well, the reason why the papers look blank is because they’re written in a way the human eye can’t read. Everything the two of them researched, it all stemmed from this thing called Ether, though I’m not sure entirely what that means yet other than it’s something like a power source.

My grandmother and Valencia had, um, special abilities? That allowed them to read and write in ways nobody else could understand, as well as do other stuff. So, if I want to be able to properly continue their work, I have to do the same thing they did. Acquire those same powers.

IRENE

So, is there, like, a ritual you have to do?

PHOEBE

You’re not freaking out?

IRENE

[DEADPAN] What did I say? I’ll accept anything at this point.

HOLLY

It is a ritual, yeah. We haven’t done it yet, because there’s a specific way to do it, and the consequences of fucking it up can be pretty bad. Dorothy left instructions on how to do it.

Phoebe’s going to be the only one trying to—how do I say this, ascend? Obtain the magic, or whatever it is? I’m going to be there to help in case anything goes wrong, though.

IRENE

That’s your plan, then? You’re gonna try to get supernatural powers to continue your grandmother’s work?

PHOEBE

It sounds kind of surreal when you put it that way, but, yes.

IRENE

Are you sure that’s what you want, Phoebe? I mean, I’m not saying you shouldn’t—it would definitely be helpful to have someone who can understand all this stuff, but… [SHE TRAILS OFF.]

PHOEBE

But?

IRENE

It’s your life. You don’t have to do what your grandmother did. This sounds like a really big deal. I mean, is there any way to reverse it once it’s done?

PHOEBE

Not as far as I know.

HOLLY

Trust me, we had this conversation. [HOLDING SOMETHING BACK] I have my worries too, but—

PHOEBE

But it’s not really a choice. For me, at least. I’ve thought really hard about it, and I’ve decided that if Grandma Doe thought I could handle it, then I trust her. I know there’s no turning back, but, I’m willing to accept the responsibility.

IRENE

Okay, then. That’s good. I hope it didn’t seem like I was trying to scold you, I just—

PHOEBE

No, you’re fine, don’t worry! I know you’re just looking out for me. I appreciate it. [SHE SAYS THIS WITH SLIGHT DISCOMFORT, SINCE SHE ISN’T USED TO PEOPLE CARING.]

IRENE

Of course.

[A BRIEF PAUSE.]

HOLLY

Well, should we get back to the shop and post that ad?

PHOEBE

That would be a good idea, yeah.

[PHOEBE CLOSES THE BOOK.]

PHOEBE

Um, do you mind if I bring this book with me, Irene?

IRENE

Go right ahead.

PHOEBE

Thanks again.

IRENE

Yup. Let me know how it goes.

[HOLLY HELPS PHOEBE GET ONTO THE LADDER.]

HOLLY

Are you good?

PHOEBE

Yup, yup. Thank you.

HOLLY

Unless you need my help, you can head to the car. I’ll be down in a minute.

PHOEBE

I’ll be okay, thanks.

[A LONG PAUSE WHILE PHOEBE CLIMBS DOWN AND LEAVES.]

HOLLY

Irene?

IRENE

Yeah?

HOLLY

What’s your endgame here?

IRENE

[TAKEN ABACK] Um, what?

HOLLY

I mean, why are you doing this?

IRENE

I didn’t have a choice. The mold attacked me first.

HOLLY

But you didn’t just move to a different place. You didn’t try to run away.

[A TENSE PAUSE.]

IRENE

[WARILY] You know what they say. Curiosity killed the cat.

HOLLY

Oh, come on, it’s not just that.

IRENE

[A BEAT.] No. No, it’s not.

HOLLY

Whatever it is, could you promise me one thing?

IRENE

I can try.

HOLLY

Don’t get too close. You’re already in dangerous territory. Not long until you’re gonna get burned.

IRENE

[SHE SCOFFS.] Not the first time I’ve heard that today.

HOLLY

[DEFENSIVE] And no matter what it is, you don’t put Phoebe at risk, in any way. You don’t touch a hair on her head, got that?

IRENE

I’d never dream of it.

HOLLY

Good. Take care.

IRENE

You, too.

[HOLLY LEAVES. THERE’S A LONG MOMENT WHILE IRENE LINGERS, WAITING UNTIL THEY’VE LEFT THE HOUSE.]

IRENE

There’s one more thing I need to tell you, Rose.

When Avery asked me to turn off the recording, it wasn’t just because our food had arrived. They said they needed my help with something.

You know how they said they were part of a wider, I guess, subcategory of weird? The Hungry? They know other people who are like that, and apparently, the Hungry are starting to go missing. It’s been most prevalent in the Washington area over the past month, but it’s been going on across the country for a long time.

Avery thinks someone’s killing them. One by one. Hunting them down.

They asked if I could help figure out what’s happening. I agreed. Not sure why. I have no clue how I’m supposed to catch a killer. Guess I’ll have to figure it out.

I should get going. I have a lot of thinking to do.

Talk to you soon.

[PHONE BEEP.]

[RECORDING ENDS.]

[ANOTHER PHONE BEEP.]

[INT. IRENE’S BEDROOM, NIGHT.]

[THERE IS THE SOUND OF CRICKETS FROM OUTSIDE.]

IRENE

[SOFTLY, TINGED WITH SLEEPINESS] Hey. I know it’s late. Trust me, I’ve tried sleeping, but it just isn’t happening. I have too much on my mind. Avery’s problem, Phoebe’s plan…Ether. Whatever that means.

But, above all of that—above the chaos my life is slowly dissolving into—I’ve realized something: I might see you again. For years, the thought of being with you has been a passive daydream. Now, for the first time in ages, it’s a real and tangible thing in my hands. It’s not just a hope, but a possible future.

I’ve thought about how I might react. Hell, I’ve thought about that ever since you first went missing. Will I start sobbing? Will I scream? I have no idea. I might not do anything. Might just stand there and stare at you, dumbfounded.

[TENDER] I can be sure of one thing: if I find you, I promise not to let go. Whatever is chasing you, whatever tries to hurt you, I won’t let it. You’ve run for so long. You must be so tired.

If—no, when—when I find you, I’ll…I’ll give you anything, okay? A hundred flowers. A thousand paper cranes. Easy mornings, trips to the bakery, that domestic life you used to romanticize so much, but never got. My flesh, my blood, my bones, my whole entire being. I’ll give it all to you. Of course I will.

Goodnight, my dove.

[PHONE BEEP.]

[RECORDING ENDS.]

AUTOMATED VOICE

Today's quote is: “I will take the sun in my mouth

and leap into the ripe air

Alive

with closed eyes

to dash against darkness.”

E.E. Cummings in Crepuscule, 1917.

We are all there is here. That which we harbor will not spoil you with rotten words. There is no cause for concern. There is no cause for concern. [THEN, SLOWER] There is no—

[THE VOICE IS CUT OFF BY A GLITCHING NOISE.]

[OUTRO MUSIC & CREDITS PLAY.]

ELI ESDI

The Station Arcadia podcast tells stories from a dystopian world where dieselpunk, steampunk, cyberpunk and solarpunk societies all exist side by side. These diverse stories are told through a radio station on a shifting island, and given voice by the Station's Host - Kassandra.

KASS

Did that man just try to offer jerky as a consolation prize for someone’s daughter?

ELI

Woven through each stand-alone story are threads that come together to tell the story of a revolution, and hope in the face of a dying world. MEMORIE

I understand enough. The revolution still has hope and I want to help.

ELI Breaks in the narration bring us on-site to each society, where we hear four unique and powerful stories.

[ALICE GRUNTS]

TEDDY

Stop squirming!

ALICE

I can lift myself through the window let me just-!

[DULL THUD FROM BEHIND A WALL.]

ALICE

[MUFFLED] Ow.

ELI

Station Arcadia broadcasts Fridays at 9 am Pacific Time. Transcripts and additional information are available at stationarcadia.com.

Remember listeners; Stay Safe, Stay Moving, and Stick Close. You’ve been listening to Station Arcadia, the promo.

[ivemetyouathousandways]

Pandora was an ass-crack of a shit hole but it had its charms, in some regards, but I wasn't here to admire the landscape. I was here to gather Intel and prepare a comeback for the Atlas corporation. They specialized in rebuilding wrecks into state of the art beauty of human tech and architecture.

More importantly, I was here because it got complicated on Promethea. Not that many were in the known of the subtly crucial details. In my contact's eyes, it was a simple question of sending a good agent to the next location to prepare the terrain. COV still infested the Borderlands, and as if those zealot bandits were not enough, Maliwan coveted the frigging galaxy due to some egomaniac trip the next in line thought was in the best for the company, after their CEO Katagawa Jr. had tragically passed away - a few bullets in the head, courtesy of a Vault Hunter.

So here I was, enjoying local fauna and flora. Can't say I enjoyed the local cuisine, living off skag meat and whatever I could conjure up when cleaning COV ghettos. I could have settled in a bigger location, like their previous Holy Broadcast Center but that would have been slacking on the job. I needed to be on the road, making notes, assessing weak and strong points of valleys, mountains, rocky formations, bug infestations - of which I had my fair share of cleanup!

I was atop of those treacherous false amalgamation of soft dirt circling formations, looking for cacti fruits, having emptied a few bullets on skag headshots - was worth having a few tongue whiplashes for a clear single bullet brain splattering moment and spare some ammunition. I could find spare here and there in previously left behind corporate souvenirs ammo buckets, or go back to Marcus' vending machine but if I wanted to cover max terrain superficy, I needed to ration the bullets and shoot wisely.

And as much as skags and bugs were on the easier side of aim and shoot, the raaks on the other hand, were a bloody nightmare and I found myself painfully running out of swear words in my infuriated misery to rid the Pandorian skies of them flying bastards! I was also slowly but surely running out of ammo as these sons of wankers kept on flying and required to shoot in the predicted direction and not at the precise location where they were at when the bullet exited the gun's mouth. From the vicious attacks right back at me, to the missed shots which, I, by some miracle, managed to keep in the lower percentile. But I was running out of the gold of the trade : ammunition, and there was the Mother Monster, spiraling around me, taunting me, darting her spikey tail at me so swiftly I couldn't always miss it. Let's just say that she was undeniably running the round and I was managing my best from not being speared. I aimed, counted, prayed the guardian of the Great Vault, shot a bullet. Missed the expected brain splatter but I managed quite handsomely to blind her!

"Ha! Take that, you flying bloody shit wanker!"

Like I mentioned previously, I was running out of decent creative swearing. Being alone and deprived of conversation wasn't helping either.

Lorelei kept me updated with the Maliwan situation on Promethea but it's not like we were having coffee and chit chatting about the latest boy drama, of which, on my end, I absolutely couldn't open heartedly share. I mean, I wasn't bedding Katagawa, but it wasn't better in terms of not being a complicated situation.

But back to the present at hand. The Mother Monster flying in stationary in front of me, one eye bleeding, with appreciable consistency and profusion from my perspective, one eye burning with rage - less appreciable from my perspective. I checked my gun : one bullet in the chamber. My last bullet. I was quite fucked. Unless I made a dash and slide under her and hoped for the best, a spikey end tail spear in my spine in the worse case scenario. I wondered for a second which of the two was the worse : being killed by a faceless Maliwanker - my pet name for them - or being brochetted by a flying dinosaur bird.

Glorious prospects.

Mother Monster had her good eye locked on me.

What if I shoot her other eye out?

What if you go bang the Vault Monster and ask him you're to his liking?

My chances were short of a miracle and miracles weren't Pandora's main currency.

I aimed and waited, my finger on the trigger, studying her every wing flap , every reptilian blink of her good eye. Tension was building up between us. Whose life was about to rejoin the stars in the sky?

I swallowed. I had to blink. I had consciously kept my eyes open as long as I could. I needed to blink. My eyes were dry.

Blessed second of refreshing darkness against the blinding clarity. Cursed welcome instant of darkness. Pain screamed and burned my left shoulder. I felt the soft viscous oozing of blood. I felt light headed. I wanted to keep the darkness a moment longer. I was dead anyway, might as well embrace the black horizon.

My finger pressed the trigger. I wasn't aiming. It wasn't about trying to get a killing blow, though I knew that my gun was pretty good at it, even when I, the owner, failed by a few millimeters, Maggie had my back, front and center.

A second shrieking wave in my left shoulder made my knees weak. I growled a muted protest against the burning pain. I swallowed dry. No more bullets. I was done for.

But I wouldn't let the beast get a free meal that easily. I blindly threw a grenade and at the sound of the fireworks exploding, let myself slip off the edge of the rocky cliff.

Normally, I would have muttered, under my breath, "not today", but today, I had found solace in the end of my journey and I was happy not dying by the gun of a Maliwanker but rather by a primal beast of the prehistoric age of an ass crack of a planet.

The fall was smooth, considering the situation. The wind caressed my cheeks, pressed oddly against my body, messed up my hair. Why was I thinking abouty hair? Ah! Right. My uncle had always completed me on my beautiful hair. Au-revoir uncle Wainwright. Keep on fighting!

I had thought for my mother. If it was true that we met our deceased family upon our death, I was dying happy, finally being able to hug and embrace my mother. Maybe I could finally ask her who my father was.

I landed.

Nicely. Softly.

In open arms.

The pain in my shoulder electrocuted me with pain. I grimaced and a tear escaped my eye.

"You alright, lass?"

A dry boulder rolled down the dry gorge of my throat.

I attempted to croak out a positive incentive but all I could conjure up was "Let me touch the soil please."

A moment of silence passed. The wind howled softly. A raak shrieked somewhere in the distance. A skag's growl echoed in the plains.

I was gently let down, something hard made contact with the ground and sand crackled softly. I let my left hand fall down, tearing out another tear of pain from my eye, and my heart leaped and bounced in mixed emotions. It was it. The harsh sandy dirt soil of Pandora; gritty with shards, but melting away in your hand like beach sand, scorching burning hot, (étouffant même au toucher). I grabber a handful, hugged in tight in my palm, let it elegantly flow free between my fingers, rejoining it's wholeness underneath us.

Who ever the voice was.

"So, I'm not dead." I assessed the situation.

"Not today!" The voice answered joyously.

I opened my eyes. He was against the sun and because of this had a sort of en aura around him. How uncanny.

"Name's Zane. Zane Flynt."

He answered before I asked.

"Ma..." I paused "Maggie."

"You're in a pretty bloody mess, Maggie."

The pain reminded me of its undeniable presence in my shoulder. I grimaced again and another tear escaped me.

"You were hunting raks?"

Was cleaning territory called a hunting party?

I breathed in the harsh, scorching dry hot air, letting it replenish me and burn my lungs dry.

I caressed the coarse soil once more, finding an ambiguous comfort in being still alive. I was so ready to move on to the next step - what ever it was.

"Thank you for saving my life."

He squeezed my side.

"Don't mention it."

I wanted to savour this moment a little while longer; it was comforting and comfortable being in this stranger's arms. I wanted to record his grip, his brace, his strength, but I knew better to get back on my feet. For starters I needed to scoot (look for) medical supplies in the nearest COV ghetto, hope they'd have left some behind. I dreamed of water too. I could have killed for a shower.

I groaned, croaked and cried as I managed to fall on my knees. Zane immediately wrapped an arm around me and helped me stand up.

"My vehicle is not too far away if you can walk, if you can't, I'll just hop you over me shoulder and carry you there."

I appreciated the weight of my body on my two feet.

"I can walk, thank you" I smiled "It's just my shoulder..."

As I mentioned the rascal screamed in silent fury, making me wince with a wave of burning pain.

[cruddyborderlandstheories]

i walk in 20 hours late sipping a starbucks hot cocoa

i don’t like coffee

promethea!!! 

awwwwww yis

tl;dr: uhh wow i talked a lot today, sorry. Mostly about whatever the fuck that thing Rhys is handing us is, how it ties into the dig site we see like maybe it’s a piece to activate it, maybe the dig site isn’t a Vault but instead a teleporter or something and needs multiple pieces to activate. so i guess kinda like a Vault but not that kind of Vault. Also if said dig site is actually on Promethea because that’s, like, DEFINITELY Elpis behind it. and like, okay, maybe we used the giant space gun to destroy the asteroid fields and make room for elpis and teleport elpis there, or maybe we teleported the dig site to pandora because it needs to be opened since Moon = Key and maybe Promethea’s moon was destroyed by the giant space gun (TM) and turned into asteroid belt, or maybe the dig site was always ON pandora and it’s not actually a Vault (because the Map would have pointed it out), but still. lots of possibilities here. oh and i go over the Battleborn easter egg and talk about Tannis is Not What She Seems (and pray she won’t end up being evil bc I love her) and I wanna believe the Eridians sent that message, not the cult ‘cause fuck those guys they probably can’t see the future they probably just adopted the name. also I ramble about how gorgeous this planet is for like... 30 minutes. but damn it really is pretty.

man this was a fun thing to wake up to and then have to wait like 8 hours to actually fully take a look at lmao

“Home to the Atlas corporation headquarters, Promethea is a metropolitan world covered in futuristic towers of chrome and glass. A recent siege by Maliwan has turned the urban environment into a warzone; their mechanized infantry patrol the streets, rodent/insect hybrids known as Ratches infest the sewers and back-alleys, and the Children of the Vault are seizing the opportunity to recruit displaced and disgruntled citizens. Atlas CEO Rhys Strongfork is getting desperate.“

“... Children of the Vault are seizing the opportunity to recruit displaced and disgruntled citizens”.

yeah that’s the most important part of this description for me. I really really like the idea of that, and it could tie into the whole Mayhem is Coming tagline for the game as, like many people have speculated, the Mayhem we hear about is the spreading of the cult/the psychos across the universe. A very interesting tie-in to the marketing campaign, as it’s clear we’re now the target of this cult propaganda, like the citizens of Promethea are (were? this is all past-tense since marcus is telling this story, isn’t it?)... like the citizens of Promethea were.

And we know that Atlas is trying to protect the citizens in the tunnels, so it’d be really interesting to see the two get into a direct conflict over a group of citizens. Like Lorelei tells us it's a hostage situation or whatever and we run in and it’s more of a brainwashing situation. Worse if the citizens decided to switch over without any brainwashing. oof.

im also curious about the number of hexagons we see on Promethea. The shapes look identical to the ones on Pandora’s page, so I’m curious if this is an accurate representation of how many areas will be on each planet.

just sayin’.

We do know that Pandora has more than those 3 listed areas (from Supmatto’s new video! can’t believe i missed the stream. ah well.)

“Covenant Pass”. I wanna believe this is near the area where we go find Sanctuary-III, at the very least that one tunnel-y area?

you know the one

this one, it’s right next to Sanc-III afterall.

Also thinking it may not be the name of a huge area, but instead the name of one of the smaller areas within that area? like the ones where when you discover it you get experience points? yeah.

the name makes me think this is someway related to the CoV cause of the word ‘covenant’, an agreement. We also know this area is directly near this one bandit camp which I’ve theorized before is a sun smasher camp

(you can see the back of sanctuary-III near both areas) 

so it’s possible there was an agreement made and both could pass freely through that one tunnel, or the twins were able to build that wall close to this camp. idk, just spitballing ideas.

So then it is possible there’s only 3ish areas on Pandora, but I really hope not unless they are BIG areas. There are most likely more than 3.

oh but we’re here to discuss Promethea

sorry i forgot.

For Promethea we got the Titan Skyway, the Atlas Campus, and the Meridian Seaport.

Titan Skyway reads to me like that giant road we keep seeing in the trailers 

like this one, which is giving me huge Bloodshot Stronghold (Damtop) vibes. Which is one of my favorite levels to play as melee Zer0 with execute and many must fall so... please let this be what i think it is. i may end up running that map just for funsies at the end of the game. mm if it didn’t take running the actual bloodshot stronghold every time i wanted to play the damtop level, i’d be running it all the time. sigh.

Atlas Campus immediately made me think of the Meridian Metroplex, but that’s definitely not it. In the instagram trailer we see Rhys on the ‘Atlas HQ rooftop’ with Zer0, so I’m gonna imagine Rhys is somewhere in the Atlas Campus.

Now if this is like an actual college campus, which i don’t think gearbox would do due to the implications, that’d be wild. I heard they had a mall designed for somewhere in the meridian metroplex, but we’re probably not actually allowed inside. which makes me sad, but also it probably holds no significance on the story. but then again... neither did caustic caverns. hmmmmmmmmm

oh also rhys is holding

whatever the fuck this is

uhhhhhhh... huhhhhh...

tbh i legitimately thought this was their attempt at macgyvering a vault key at first lmao

i know it’s a mission object because it has those glitteries, but... it reminds me a bit of Gortys’s core but i really don’t think that’s it. maybe another Atlas project to try and open a Vault? It just doesn’t look Eridian to me.

then again

this appears to be at the eridian dig site so... maybe it actually is Eridian. Definitely new to me.

some way to get inside the Vault area maybe? I can’t imagine that’s the actual Vault Key, because the one we see in the We Are Mayhem trailer doesn’t match.

you know i’ve been thinking more about vault colors

this one appears pink which... alright. maybe something to do with seraphs/seraph crystals.

The bl1 Vault was blue, the bl2 Vault was purple, the Vault of the Sentinel was... purple? blue? pink? all of the above? ... bisexual? tbqh there was a LOT going on there lol. wasn’t the Vault of the traveler yellow? either way

the big question here is: does each Vault have its own color scheme?

I wonder what that means since the Vault Mey has turned red now... it’s probably leading us to the big boy. the Vault to end all Vaults. 

now wouldn’t that be fun

right back to Promethea sorry

final listed area we get is called the Meridian Seaport. Which, if you know me, has got me all like 👀👀👀👀👀👀

water area? why yes PLEASE

i was actually talking to someone on reddit about said ‘seaport’ and it got me wondering if maybe this area is where we’ll find that one car from the Mask of Mayhem trailer. 

i can’t imagine what else those wing-like things on the side would be for. but i am definitely not a car person, like the closest i get is being a fan of Transformers, so maybe someone can enlighten me.

I am wondering if this area is the one we see in the instagram trailer with Moze

here

also i know we see water near where we find Zer0 in the demo, but that’s not really a dock area, more just a viewpoint. this has me thinking it’s an actual dock because the buildings are all off in the distance. It reminds me a lot of NYC actually lol

and interestingly enough i write about an assassination mission at a port on Promethea in one of my fanfics, but tbh i wasn’t actually expecting anything like it to be in-game. That was kind of an assumption I made since the area with Zer0 had water and I can’t believe I’m going to have to go back and edit it to be canon-compliant, cause I legitimately didn’t...

anyway.

Should i go over the instagram stuff now? I feel like i should go over the instagram stuff now.

see here is my problem with this

no moon

you’ll understand why once i compile my evidence

no moon

no moon!!

no moon

i even watched both time lapses during the amd stream and there was no hint of the moon (i understand promethea is in a state of perpetual twilight, but i thought maybe it would show up somewhere. it doesn’t. in fact it only shows the sun and this asteroid belt).

where is my moon, randy?

well let me tell you what i’m thinking here so you’re not even more confused

let’s go through that instagram video showcasing Promethea again

you should recognize this!

this is from that one video i reblogged like 4 times because i kept debating whether or not it was on promethea or pandora. now we can assume it’s on promethea but let me ask u something

if promethea doesn’t have a moon...

what the everloving fuck is that?

in fact, let me ask something

what does elpis look like in bl3?

look familiar?

hell yeah it does

now...

is this actually promethea?

I can’t imagine gearbox would be using footage that ISN’T from the planet they’re showcasing in a video about said planet. because that’s naughty. Plus, Rhys is shown giving us something that looks very similar to the tech in that area, and I can’t imagine we’d go through all that trouble just to get that tech then immediately go back to Pandora with whatever it is. whatever happened to the Promethean Vault Key we see in the We Are Mayhem trailer?

so there’s 2 options here if we’re under the assumption that dig site is/was on Promethea.

This dig site was moved from Promethea to Pandora

OR

Elpis was moved from Pandora to Promethea

Now i went over ALL of this in an old post. (seriously, give this a read if you haven't already, i go into this in a lot more detail than i will here). but we kinda got some new information.

My first instinct is that this dig site is on (or moved to) Pandora. just, 100% Pandora. the moon, the spiky rocks in the background, what look like Rakk near the back, there’s no asteroid belt in the sky. etc. etc.

do the blue sparkles have anything to do with it? maybe!

Also again, im not 100% certain this is actually a Vault. It just... doesn’t feel right to me. If this was actually on Pandora the entire time, then we’d have known about it through the Vault Map. We would have gone to open the 3rd Vault on Pandora before bl3 even began. If this really has been on Pandora the whole time, I do believe this isn’t actually a Vault. I go over this in that previous post I’ve made and I’m still standing by it. I think this is just an Eridian ruin and the Vault shape is just a statue or whatever. I could be 100% wrong, but that’s my first instinct if we’re being lead to believe this is on Pandora. 

Now I’m curious why this dig site was never mentioned in bl2 if it WAS on Pandora this whole time. And, again, if it actually does end up being a Vault, there’d be a huge plot hole with the whole Vault Map thing if it was on Pandora all along.

So was it moved here? Yeah... probably. For what reason? I... have no idea. How? similar answer. Lily couldnt’ve done it, she doesn’t have her powers anymore. Maybe activating it with whatever Rhys gives us makes it teleport to Pandora. For... reasons.

If it is a Vault, maybe it requires Elpis to open it. for some reason. We know Moon equals Key, so it could play into that. It definitely looks like it’s positioned directly in line with elpis.

but why would a Vault built on Promethea need a moon from a totally different planet to open it?

Because Promethea’s moon was destroyed.

That asteroid belt? I don’t think that’s there just for funsies (okay maybe the artists had funsies but the actual writing? yeah). And that big gun looking thing we see in both concept art and in the trailer? i think that thing fucked up Promethea’s moon to the point it shattered. So they couldn’t open that Vault.

alright, we all cool on this version of the theory?

let’s flip it on its head.

let’s consider:

Elpis was moved from Pandora to Promethea

NOT possible i hear you say

but hear me out.

what’s our reasons for saying this is Pandora?

“the moon, the spiky rocks in the background, what look like Rakk near the back, there’s no asteroid belt in the sky. etc. etc.”

Elpis? teleported! bah!

Spiky rocks? Well! We hear typhon mention a quarry, don’t we? one with brittle rock. This very well could be the quazmarian quarry he talked about where he found that very first Vault (and Vault Key). After all, if he fell into a hole and found it, it makes sense that there would be a shitload of dig teams trying to clear it out for easy access.

Rakk? We see those on Athenas, too, during the Happy Together trailer. Plus, they’re super chubby on the bottoms compared to what we see of the Rakk in the Claptrap Presents Pandora video. Maybe they’re not even Rakk.

Finally. Ah. The asteroid belt.

Well, if you believe that that giant gun could’ve obliterated Promethea’s moon, then is it so hard to turn around and believe that it’s actually obliterated the asteroids surrounding Promethea?

in fact, if we really ARE moving Elpis to Promethea, wouldn’t it make sense that we can’t have asteroids hitting Elpis for fear of worsening the Crackening and breaking our own moon?

In FACT, do we even SEE any asteroids above Promethea in that trailer shot of the bigass gun?

I THINK NOT.

There’s more to this theory, though.

from claptrap presents pandora

from the we are mayhem trailer

yeah, they COULD be celebrating the destruction of Elpis (because i would not be surprised if those are both near the same area)

lets think of something new, though. Elpis being blown up was totally 2015, with Zarpedon. That’s SO last season, Calypsos.

Plus, why would the calypsos even want the moon destroyed? is that not the home of a Vault that would allow them to see the future? how fucking powerful would that be, being able to see the future??? Jack knew what he had to do to win the Pandora games (even if he uhhh didn’t get to see that last bit because of Lilith), so why wouldn’t the Calypsos want to see their own futures?

There is the argument that they’ve already gone to Elpis and didn’t like what the Vault showed them, but I kinda assumed that they’d have gotten the funky eye things like Zarpedon did if they really did see what the Vault showed them. Given that Jack’s was interrupted by Lilith, we don’t really know if that’s truly the case.

I’m 100% down to blow up the moon cause Good Riddance, but also it needs to make sense WHY the calypsos want it blown up other than like shits and giggles? which... fine, but the story..? Elpis has to be important somehow. They have to want it blown up for some reason. A show of power? awesome, maybe they got that giant space gun. Moon = Key, so maybe they think if we can’t get this Vault, nobody can? sure why not. Destroying Pandora? Sure, but why blow up elpis when u could just also blow up pandora? 

either way, if the game gives us an actual reason as to why the twins are blowing up the moon, we’re all fine and dandy. if they’re going it just because then yeah, im gonna get kinda testy. 

anyway my point IS

The effect around elpis here looks strikingly familiar to the effect that appears around Lilith (and the cultists) when they’re teleported.

so it would be much cooler if, instead of blowing up Elpis, they were actually celebrating its movement. 

And it would be very interesting then, if this tied into that Easter Egg we got.

You know the one:

Because yeah im still iffy on the implication that this is from the Calypso twins. Why wouldn’t they want the Vaults opened? isn’t that the grand plan?

maybe this could be from the Eridians or the Guardians on Elpis. If Elpis was teleported from Pandora to Elpis, maybe the translation from Eridian -> English is slightly off, or simplified for the message. (on vs orbiting for example)

Visit Promethea -> Where we are right now, or where we’re going to go. We need you there.

Children of the Vault -> Yes, it could be the CoV cult that’s being referenced, but the way this is broadcasted, through morse code, spoken like an actual cryptic message and not, you know, with that Calypso flair... me thinks the cult simply adopted the name “Children of the Vault”. I think this may either be referencing Sirens, or the Vault Hunters/Crimson Raiders. Maybe the twins picked up this broadcast and that’s why they immediately head to Promethea after they steal Lilith’s powers.

We are not on Pandora anymore -> shit dudes we got yeeted to Promethea, help us. Or... we’ve moved elsewhere. We’re not nearby, we escaped, we fled, come find us on Promethea. 

Tannis is not what she seems -> this one... I don’t believe the Calypsos actually know anything about Tannis. If they do, then she was possibly the one to rescue/experiment on them, turning them into artificial Sirens or whatever, but then... isn’t Tannis exactly what she seems? She’s crazy, she totally would experiment on the twins. That is EXACTLY what she seems like. 

The people who would know about Tannis not being what she seems... the people who can see the future? The Guardians of the Sentinel’s Vault (maybe just the Guardians/Eridians in general). The Watcher can speak (speak? she uses telepathy, doesn’t she? that’s why Brick asks Lilith what she says) eloquently, I imagine there has to be more than one Watcher-like Guardian. Or this is the Watcher herself sending the message. 

Either way, if, later on in the game, Tannis starts showing signs of not being what she seems, then... wouldn’t it make sense that the only characters who knew this were the ones who could see the future? And given the new info, it makes sense that the Guardians/Eridians/yougetthegist would know her by name, because she could be the one who turned herself into an artificial Siren.  Or figured out how to create artificial Sirens. Whichever (both?). Which is kinda big news in the Eridian world, I’m sure. Plus, the wording using ‘What’ instead of ‘Who’ is kinda a big pointer. I’m almost leaning towards the idea that Tannis tried to give herself Angel’s phaseshifting abilities. I can’t see Tannis with actual offensive abilities... It wouldn’t really fit her character. But I can 100% see her with mad computer hacking skills, to the point she could ruin anything with a flick of her wrist. Yeah, I can see that. 

And I really hope Tannis doesn’t end up being a villain. She could do so much good with her intelligence and newfound powers and tbh it’s really nice seeing a character with autism not treated like Sheldon from the Big Bang Theory (the butt of every joke). She feels real to me (as someone with autism)- she’s got her obsession (Eridians/Sirens/the Vaults), her crazy intelligence, the social phobia/unawareness. I really like her as a character (going from betraying us in bl1 to realizing her mistake and immediately trying to help and assisting the Crimson Raiders) and I’d really hate for her to become the villain just for... idk a shock twist? The shock twist should be that she’s a Siren or whatever, not that she’s going to betray us. I like Tannis :( And all the message says is Tannis is Not What She Seems, not that we shouldn’t trust her or that she’s going to betray us.

Do Not Open the Vaults -> well this is the whole thing, isn’t it? this is why I think this message has some sort of Eridian origin, instead of the Calypsos cult. The Calypsos WANT the Vaults open. They want that ‘universe-destroying’ power. They want to absorb the powers of the Vault monsters. Shit, even we Vault Hunters want to open the Vaults for some of that sweet, sweet loot. But who doesn’t want the Vaults opened? The Eridians.

oh yeah we were talking about Promethea. how the fuck did i get here?

oh the moon

yeah it could have just been a shot in the Instagram trailer they used to show off the ‘Eridian alien technology’. that’s not fun to talk about tho lmfao. plus the thingie Rhys holds matches up so well with the cool technology we get

anyway

the instagram trailer. we’re not even like halfway done with this post btw. still gotta do those beautiful screenshots

oh

trailer

sorry it’s like 1am im starting to lose focus im shifting into sleepy mode

i just love the aesthetic of this city.

also. that one building with the 0 on it? you can’t convince me Rhys didn’t give Zer0 their own skyscraper.

oh, you want an entire building to store all your loot and trophy kills? OF COURSE ZER0 ANYTHING FOR YOU

yes....... Eridian log.

im really excited to see it glowing. especially since it’s glowing red, like the Vault Map/key/you know. I hope that has some significance. 

i did boost the brightness and noticed it was part of a wall, not just one slab found elsewhere. makes me think this is part of a Temple. maybe part of the dig site below? we know that one is connected to some sort of building. and if it glows red, that’d be a really neat tie in to why Atlas always has that glowing red aesthetic going on in their bases.

still not done talking about this shot. yeah the stuff on the right looks similar to the thing Rhys hands us. NOT why i brought it back up tho. The guardian statues in the back seem very ‘low poly’. VERY different to the guardian statues we have on Pandora. they’re also holding staffs which is new. 

compare

these ones also seem much buffer than the guardians we see. with shorter necks, as well.

Maybe these are statues of ACTUAL Eridians? not just Guardians or any other construct (further proof for my theory Pandora was a Guardian production planet lol) but like what Eridians actually look like.

shorter necks, thicker limbs (because why would the constructs NEED muscles?), actual bodies that aren’t thin as twigs. I think we found it boys

this is the ideal Eridian body

no cause, seriously, if they ARE guardians, why are they so BUFF?? i don’t GET IT

also weird  this atlas gun isn’t wrist mounted. Atlas sniper confirmarinoed? or just an Old Atlas gun. sure. that too.

Moze on a turret near what i assume is the Meridian Seaport. She has what i think is an Atlas pistol equipped. There’s a dead guy leaning up against some cinder blocks, all cozy-like. 

better shot of the area. We talked about this earlier, so moving on!

Okay... so is THIS the New Atlas sniper? it looks like nigel thornberry’s nose

smashing.

we saw this before, too. im actually really excited to look out over the Promethea skyline from the top of a skyscraper. also, idk, rhys’s hand looks like a yaoi hand to me. like his fingers are above the F in strongfork, right? look how far away his thumb is. YEESH.

it’s actually ONLY rhys lol

An Atlas soldier at work! I like that their gear has the crimson lance logo on it. And the new Atlas symbol. I feel like if we have to fight these guys, the crit spot is gonna be that backpack.

maliwan robo!!!

a big boy. one of the flying ones too iirc from the We Are Mayhem trailer. 

Atlassss in the back. it’s weird that the second A in Atlas is the logo, not the first one. the first one is a triangle. that’s weird is it supposed to be signalling something else? a triangle with a circle around it. i don’t even know what that might be a logo for. hm.

oh also police bots i guess, but we see these dudes a lot.

im more interested in this thingie in the back. wonder what happened to it/what it is

ratches. blegh.

i hate these things jfc. they’re so gross.

i like that maliwan is just claiming things by throwing their flag up on it. that’s not how this works! that’s not how any of this works!

anyway.

how are those screenshots lookin

pretty good.

im pretty sure i’ve mentioned this before, but i love that they named this part of the city Meridian and then kept the Eridian logo in the spelling. it’s so fuckin dorky to me.

also i know we’re supposed to hate these robos, but at least they’re getting some characterization as enemies. the loaderbots in bl2 do this but not to a degree that they get their own interactions (LB being the exception of course). I like this.

also i love that parts of the city are color coded. like red and blue parts are different areas. It’s such a neat way to help people not get lost (cough, me) and it fits great into the design of the city with the neon lights and bright colors. I noticed this in the gameplay demo as well, tho i don’t remember if it was followed. Also I’m pretty sure that symbol up there

is what the blue area is called. could be wrong. but i think i saw this during the demo as well.

i think this is going to be my favorite area to visit on Promethea, hands down. I love this little living area. It feels so unlike anywhere we’ve visited in previous games, like it feels like somewhere Gaige could be from. Actually, iirc Roland was from Promethea, wasn’t he? Be wild if we visited his house here. Anyway, I’m also excited about the trees. Fucking! Trees!

and cars!!! holy shit yeah on Pandora we only ever saw like light runners or bandit technicals and the occasional bus. all the cars were broken down and stripped for parts! It’s really cool to see actual full cars here.

wow i am excited over the most mundane shit lol

wait till you guys hear about the PARKING LOT

OHHHH YEAH

CROSSWALKS TOO

lol im actually- i just love this area. i love it so much. this is lovely. i love the giant glowing reactor in the background too, i 100% hope we get to interact with that (posssssibly blow it up. maybe just a little.) I can see this area being the area we have to run through to reach the entrance of that thing. I mean, it’s just RIGHT THERE.

Also would not be surprised if this KV fellow is waiting for us there. “Who wants to BANG a billionaire indeed”. He’s totally gonna be a boss fight. BANG i imagine means more shooty shooty than innuendo... innuendo...

it sounded better in my head.

the symbol for the red area possibly on that tower in the back?

I’m like, 60% sure this isn’t the area we explore with Lorelei, so maybe this is the Titan Skyway? also maybe the bridge Moze and Fl4k drop off of in the Happy Together trailer.

hate. i would quote AM here but im tired so just imagine the entire ‘Hate’ quote here because i HATE these things.

there’s also a big skelly in the back, i wonder just how big these fuckin things can grow. hopefully uhhh like a cow died here or smth. cuz fuck man.

this area is also super green and watery so i wonder if this is a sewer or smth. that’d be wild lol

Another shot of the city. It’s so fucking beautiful. I really love how they went all out for this. Opportunity was great, but it wasn’t nice to look at. Promethea is fucking STUNNING. I love this place way too much. Never even been here before.

also i love the fog coming up from the bottom. Maybe this shot is taken from the water? god if we get to go on the water and then it starts fogging up i might actually start crying lol.

this building is my favorite by far i think. I love the way the middle turns in. I have no idea how that’d work like... from an inside standpoint, cause the ground would just be slanted under you but im sure they made it work somehow.

anyway. im gonna go cry myself to sleep over how beautiful this game is. sorry i talked like... WAY too much during this one lol.

also i just thought of this while writing the tl;dr but maybe that item rhys gives us is after all the Promethea stuff is over, even the Vault(s), maybe we need it to activate something in that vault statue area on Pandora and that’s our way to like some important Vault or the Eridian homeworld or smth and we gotta collect all the pieces to activate it. like it’s a teleporter. Maybe Rhys had a piece because that’s what was in the Vault of the Traveller. I mean it would make sense because if you didn’t want someone to have something, you fuckin hide it in a box that’s teleporting across the galaxy at random intervals. That might be our way to the Eridian Homeworld. Now wouldn’t that be neato...

[moderatelysociallymaladjusted]

Okay. Gonna finally type up that thing about Borderlands and Altered Carbon. Okay so we know the concept of the new u stations apparently can like. change your sex/gender whatever as per Lorelei’s echo log. Which is so cool but like how? We know they mention new u stations basically have your dna stored so when you die or whatever you can come back. And I’ve always kind of side eyed the thing because usually in games the concept of dying and coming back is only for player convenience. Obviously. But I was thinking about Altered Carbon today and like. They have a technology that I can see being kind of how Borderlands works so at this point I’m gonna sort of blend those things for like, fan ficy, brain story purposes. Cause it makes sense.

For those who don’t know the show (its really good you should watch it but like. There’s a lot of sex and naked people. But it’s still good and Joel Kinnaman is hot and amazing and next season Anthony Mackie is taking over the lead role I’m stoked) But in the show pretty much from like a year old you’re implanted with basically a memory chip thing. Called a stack. It keeps all your memories and shit stored in like a little tiny hardrive thing. Which can be removed and placed in another body. Rich people have cream of the crop. They can be pretty much immortal. They can afford to either clone their own bodies or like, have top stock choice of a body they want that’s created however they want kind of thing. Whatever their ideal beauty standard is. Now rich people also can have whats like a cloud storage. Cause normally, for anyone else, if you die, and like. The stack was damaged, (head cut off, blown up etc) thats it. You’re permanently dead. But rich people have access to again like a cloud. They can back up their memory files regularly and they’re all cool and set up. Now, also poor or regular people don’t have access to fancy clones and high priced bodies. If you die, you get whatever is available. Like main dude, was in prison. Prison in this is literally you’re stack is taken out and like. Put up somewhere. Like storage type shit. Bodies are kept. Given out to the poor who need a new body. In the beginning when main guy was being taken out of prison after he got his new body and was released there was a family there picking up their daughter who’d been killed in a hit and run. She was 7 and granted by the government a free body. Well. It’s free and doesn’t mean shes gonna get something amazing or new. She was put into the body of a middle aged woman. “You get whatevers in inventory” Is what the family was told. 

There was even a bit where main guy cloned himself, and put a copy of his memory file into it. So...to blend in a way with borderlands. I don’t know per say how like, the concept of memory back ups work. But new u stations work with your dna already stored to well. Clone you. That one chick who worked with Vaughn got a new body in that one mission you do where you get her head back and like, digistruct her a new body and she still has her memories thing. Obviously the concept thats in altered carbon and borderlands is highly similar and like. All I’m saying is thinking about altered carbon and how it works and stuff sort of helped me get my head around the idea of how shit works in borderlands. I still feel like, theres limits. Cause obviously the bandits aren’t dying and coming back to life. You kill the big bads they don’t come back to life. Aside from Jack having that memory back up which I haven’t played Tales yet but like, even that concept fits with the altered carbon thing. But still Jack didn’t get a new body and like, come back permanently. Obviously more because they didn’t let him. I feel like some aspect of reviving after you die as a player is still convenience, but I’m of the opinion there’s probably some kind of like, limit to how things work. And like even coming back after you die you lose money. You are paying to be cloned. So the same idea works. If you are too poor you die, that’s it. You don’t come back. And like if you haven’t had your dna sample taken and placed in a dna bank of sorts, you’re also screwed. And in the case of the bad guys, like if they don’t have people to clone them or whatever and put their “brains” into, then they too, do not come back. Idk. Either way, I think for any future reference to my own shit, I’ll be finding a way to blend the concept of altered carbon with borderlands cause they are super compatible and work together and so yea. 

[hekate1308]

Customer

Since I’ve had a very succesfull week, I decided to reward myself with more siren!Cas universe. Enjoy! 

Dean has gotten used to strange things happening, especially since he opened his own shop with the help of the demon who has somehow become his and Cas’ best friend.

Still, this is a bit much. As soon as Cas picks up his phone, he asks, “What do you know about ghosts?”

A pause. Then his boyfriend answers, “They exist.”

“I know that. I am staring at one right now.”

“Oh.” This time, Cas replies faster. “Does it want anything? Is it threatening you?”

“I don’t know. Don’t think he has the guts, considering I can see right through him” Dean jokes.

“Dean –“

“You have to admit it was too good an opportunity to miss.”

He sighs. “Alright so you are probably not being haunted. But why would it –“

“That’s the craziest thing of them all” Dean admits. “He rolled into my shop in a ghost car.”

As a matter of fact, there it is, standing in front of him, as large as nature and twice as natural. An old Jag, by the looks of it, if as transparent as its owner.

“A ghost car?” Now Cas sounds incredulous.

“I know.”

They are both silent for a moment then Dean says, “I am going to call Crowley. He’s bound to have picked up on a few things considering how long he’s been around.”

“That would probably be for the best. And please, my love, be careful.”

“Don’t worry, sunshine, I always have the salt ready.”

Dean hangs up. The ghost has patiently waited for him to finish his talk and is now gesticulating towards the car again.

Yep. Calling Crowley it is.

The demon immediately picks up but as usual they act like he didn’t. “What is it?”

“Could use your help, your Majesty. There is a ghost in my shop.”

Crowley appears in front of him before he can blink. That demon may pretend all he wants, but Dean has come to the conclusion that he’s a rather big softie underneath it all quite some time ago. “Where?”

Dean points.

Crowley turns around and narrows his eyes. “Huh. There were quite a few ghosts around in the dark ages, of course; I remember that very well; but why…” he trails off and suddenly looks oddly self-conscious. It doesn’t take long for Dean to figure it out.

“That another part of this part of the city having become something like a safe haven for monsters?”

“Most likely” Crowley, who has already recovered, answers smoothly. “Moreover, I firmly believe this is the ghost of a race car driver from quite some time ago who… needs help with his ghost car.”

“His ghost car!? But shouldn’t it run efficiently – it’s a ghost car.”

“Oh yes, but you see, there are – there were quite a few ghosts who never really understood that they were dead to begin with. I am rather sure this is one of them.”

“How do they cope with being all see-through then and people running away screaming –“

“I never really wondered about the specifics. I was a little preoccupied at the time – do you know how difficult it is to live in a world without electronics –“

“Crowley” Dean says tiredly. “You are a demon.”

He blinks. “Yes?”

Giving that discussion up as lost, he asks, “What am I supposed to do now?”

“If I am being honest… and I rarely am…” That’s probably the biggest lie he has told Dean in months, but they don’t mention it “Then I would say you should treat him like any other customer.”

“But…” Dean stops talking when he realizes that he has no idea what to say against it apart from the fact that this is a ghost in his ghost car and he doesn’t know what to do. “Alright. But you stick around for a bit – might be I need help with an old model like that.”

“You won’t” Crowley says confidently, sitting down and snapping his fingers in order to conjure up a glass of Craig, “but if you insist…”

As if they don’t know that he’d stay anyway simply because Dean asked.

And so he works on the Jag. It’s not as difficult as he first thought it would be, although it takes a lot of concentration, or his screwdriver will just slither through the motor.

“A little bit more to the right” Crowley advises him on some point.

Dean grits his teeth. “In case you haven’t noticed I am busy –“

The demon’s arms appears next to him and takes hold of the screw that’s been giving him the slip, making it far easier for him to do something. “Thanks.”

“Don’t mention it.” Crowley sits down again and Dean wonders if he has had indeed so few friends in his life that he and Cas are that special to him.

At some point, his phone starts ringing, and of course Crowley picks up. “Ah, Cassie. No – what are you talking about, everything went as well as could be expected, I am staring at his bloody corpse right now – jeez, it was a joke. He is doing well. Like I said, as could be expected. Yes, he is fine. No, I am not going to leave until the ghost does. Pinkie promise. Love you, too.”

“Did he actually say that?” Dean asks lightly as Crowley returns his phone to his pocket.

“No, I am supposed to tell you he loves you, but that wouldn’t have been as much fun. Now do you think you’ll be done any time soon?”

“Why, you got somewhere to be?”

“No, just thought we and your Loreley could have lunch.”

Dean can’t argue with that. “Alright, I think I’m about done. Would you please try, sir?”

The ghost apparently understands, since he gets in the car (Dean will admit that the sight is a little unorthodox considering he can see through both) and starts it.

Dean doesn’t hear anything but the ghost appears satisfied. To his surprise, he pulls out a wallet and hands him a small sum of money. Transparent money, of course.  “Thank you” he says politely because that seems to be the only thing to do, and the ghost nods at him before getting back into his car and driving off.

“Well” he says, “That was something…”

The door opens and Cas comes in. “Was that the ghost driver?”

“I don’t know Cassie, how many ghost cars have you seen lately?”

He rolls his eyes at Crowley and steps up to Dean, taking him in with his eyes. “So everything is fine?”

“Yes. You didn’t have to come running.”

For that, it is clear, is what Cas did. His tie is once again askew – granted, that’s nothing new, but still – and he looks generally more dishevelled than he usually does. “I was worried.”

Dean kisses him. “You didn’t have to; I had our friendly neighbourhood demon looking out for me.”

“I will let you know that there I nothing friendly about me –“

“What about lunch?” Dean interrupts what is sure to become a monologue if he’s not careful.

At his question, Cas looks somewhat sheepish. “I think I left my briefcase at work…”

“Alright” Crowley sighs. “Looks like it’s going to be my treat once again.”

That would sound far more resigned if Dean didn’t know for a fact that Crowley never lets them pay when they go out, and they spend quite a lot of time together, did even before he bought him the shop. “Well, then… who’s up for burgers?”

The food in the small diner near his shop is excellent, plus the staff has no problems with serving monsters, and both Cas and Crowley don’t keep as firm a hold on their powers anymore as they did when Dean first met them. He thinks it’s got something to do with trust and relaxation, at least in Cas’ case; there is every reason to believe that Crowley just likes making people feel uncomfortable now and then so they don’t forget he’s a demon.

Today though he seems pretty amenable, and it takes Dean a bit to figure it out. It’s when he tells the waitress “Three burgers for me and my friends” that he realizes – Dean calling him immediately about the ghost is another proof of trust he is not yet used to.

“How’s work?” he asks Cas.

“It’s been quiet today.”

“Same with the shop.”

Cas looks decidedly unimpressed.

“Hey, the ghost was quiet! Didn’t say a word, did he, Crowley?”

Cas sighs. “When I leave you two alone…”

“Anyway, so do you think it means anything? A ghost showing up?” Dean asks.

Crowley hesitates; there is something like confusion and something almost like nostalgia in his expression as he replies, “I think it’s entirely possible that this is just another example of how you draw magic towards yourself, these days. Or… maybe magic is growing stronger again.”

“Stronger? You mean stronger than your mother hexing people who annoy her?” Dean jokes.

Crowley’s eyes turn red, and there is absolutely no mirth in his voice as he answers, “Exactly. You shouldn’t underestimate magic.”

Oh. It’s serious, then. Well… “Whatever, I am sure we can weather anything thrown our way.” He takes Cas’ hand. “After all, we’ve made it this far, haven’t we?”

Cas beams at him, and Dean only realizes what’s going on when Crowley clears his throat. “Boys, how about you save all of this for when you are alone?”

He turns his head to find the waitress with their food staring dreamily at Cas. Belatedly he becomes aware that “Cas beaming at him” includes his snare being out if full flare. “Hey” he says, kissing him, “tone it down, sunshine. I don’t want to have to beat the competition of with a tire hose”.

Cas blinks, then realizes. “Oh.” His snare fades. “I am so sorry” he tells the waitress, who hastily puts their burgers on the table, blushing furiously.

“No, it’s no problem – I mean – it’s alright – I –“ and she hurries away, her face still scarlet.

Dean laughs. He can’t help it.

“Dean” Cas says.

“What?” he grins. “I’m just happy you picked me of all people.”

Cas kisses him again at that, even though Crowley complains about their “obnoxious PDAs” in a half-hearted manner.

Yes, Dean decides, they will indeed weather anything that’s thrown at them, ghost cars driving into his shop or not.

[lyssala]

Let Your Heart Be Light

Pairings: Terra/Aqua, Kingdom Hearts

Setting: Pre Canon; The winter before the exam

Rating: K

Notes: HAPPY DECEMBER IT’S TIME FOR SOME HOLIDAY FLUFF cause I cannot resist the call. This one though was written with two people in mind! While I’m beyond thankful to everyone who sends their support in any way, both @mimiplaysgames and @lorelei-melodei are always there with reblogs and kind words on almost every story I have written. I cannot begin to express how much it means to me ;-; It’s encouraged me so much from the brink of giving up many a time, the least I can do is write you something sweet haha You both are wonderful people and artists! I’m so happy to know you, I hope you guys have wonderful holidays <3

AO3

Terra didn’t often wake up suspicious but when he felt the sunshine hitting his closed eyes he couldn’t help but feel a jolt through his body, nearly making him sit up immediately. He blinked his eyes open instead, wincing slightly at how bright his room was. He reached up to rub at his eyes before he rolled over under the warmth of his blankets. Even his door was still closed which was also…unusual.

Normally he was woken up before the sun even came out either by Ven full on tackling Terra while he was still trying to sleep or Aqua was nagging him in his doorway till he finally got out of bed. The fact neither were present this late in the day….

The clock on his wall was nearly eight thirty already. Not that he thought anyone was in danger, he knew they were always safe here but something was definitely up.

With a yawn he kicked his legs out from under the blankets, feet hitting the carpeted floor. He knew if no one woke him up yet he probably could get away with still sleeping but Terra was more curious as to why no one did wake him up to even be able to fall back asleep. He cracked his door open, looking up and down the otherwise empty hallway. Aqua and Ven’s doors were open, meaning they were more than likely awake somewhere; it was quiet in the hall.

For a moment he wondered if they all left somewhere without him, but the castle was vast, they could’ve been anywhere. He thought about getting dressed before leaving his room but figured it could wait till he knew what was going on. Terra stretched his arms over his head as he walked down the hallway, stopping by the bathroom to brush his teeth incase breakfast was still out and headed to the staircase. They could be in the library studying or down at the indoor training grounds since it was too cold to be outside or even still lingering around the kitchen.

His stomach growled at the thought of food so he figured that was the best place to start, though once he was down the main staircase he paused. The kitchen wasn’t too far away but there was a rustling coming from the main receiving room off to the side of the hall. Terra walked over to poke his head in the doorway but the sight surprised him more than he thought it would.

Aqua was sitting up on the couch, fireplace crackling in front of her as she held a mug up to her lips. The fact she was doing something other than using all her free time for practicing or studying was surprising in itself let alone that she was still in her pajamas too.

“Good morning, sunshine,” she said, a smile on as she turned to look at him.

“Morning,” he said, trying not to yawn again but it didn’t work very well. He walked into the room, only then getting a whiff of the sweet smell of what looked like a stack of biscuits with eggs and bacon from a serving plate on the coffee table. He knew his stomach audibly growled at that point when Aqua tried to hide her chuckle behind her tea. “What’s going on?”

“Nothing,” Aqua shrugged, blowing the steam lightly from her mug. “Sit down and eat something before it gets cold.”

Terra wasn’t going to say no. “Nothing?” he asked as he reached for a sandwich, sitting down on the other side of the couch. He noticed there was another steaming mug in front of him on the table which he assumed was his considering the only other cup on the table was half empty and next to a plate with crumbs sprinkled everywhere; so Ven was around here somewhere too. “Where’s Master?”

“He got a call to take a mission this morning,” Aqua said, leaning back on the armrest of the couch so she could face Terra more. “And said we could have the day off to do what we wanted.”

Terra stared at her for a second mid bit into his food. “Is he sick?” he mumbled slightly due to the sandwich in his mouth.

“I don’t think so,” she laughed. “Maybe he was feeling the holiday spirit a little. That’s why we let you sleep in. I figured you don’t get the chance very often.”

“It was a little weird not getting woken up by physical violence honestly.”

“That’s because you taught Ven to rough house with you too much,” she tutted but she was still smiling. It was really nice to not see her stressed out for once. She barely gave herself a break anymore, not that he didn’t understand. The exam was only a few months off now but still, if anyone needed some downtime it was Aqua. He was glad she was actually taking it and actually looked a little more like herself.

Terra cleared his throat as he reached for his tea. “It was you before it was him.”

“How else was I going to wake you up? You sleep through everything.”

He snorted into his mug; that was probably true. While Ven was more apt to nearly body slam Terra in the morning, Aqua had always just tugged on his arms or shook his shoulders, sometimes sitting on him till he reluctantly opened his eyes. He missed those days, like he missed these mornings. As much as he loved Ven, sometimes Terra missed not having to share Aqua with someone else; when it was just the two of them and everything was less…complicated. Though he supposed his feelings for her still would’ve been complicated with or without Ven.  

Terra leaned back into the couch, sighing as he brought his tea back up to his lips. “What’s the plan then?”

“What plan?” Aqua stretched her legs out, tucking her toes carefully under his leg.

It made him jump slightly, not just because they were unusually cold. He arched an eyebrow over at her as she tried to hide her laughter in her drink. She really was in a good mood today. Terra wasn’t sure when it happened, but he found himself hyper aware of where she was at all times when she was near him, every touch careful, calculated. He sometimes wished he could go back to how it was when they were kids, but he knew he couldn’t, not when he was well aware how she made him feel.

“What plan, she says,” he rolled his eyes, reaching for another sandwich. “I’m sure you have our day off perfectly calculated.”

“Maybe,” she hummed. “You’ll see.”

It made his stomach feel a little light that she didn’t deny it, that she wanted to spend her day off with him too. He had to eat a few bites of his sandwich just to try and ignore her toes wiggling under his thigh. “Where’s the runt then?”

“I’m not a runt,” Ven’s voice grunted, though it seemed a little distant. “You’re just abnormally tall.”

Terra looked over expecting to see blond hair and blue eyes but all he saw were legs and hands, the rest of Ven was covered by boxes piled up over his head.

“Ven,” Aqua said as she reached forward to place her mug on the table. “I told you not to get all of them at once.”

“I could do it,” he argued but judging by the strain in his voice it probably wasn’t completely true.

Aqua looked like she was going to get up to help him but Terra shoved the rest of the sandwich in his mouth and beat her to it. He walked over to grab most of the boxes from Ven’s arms, where Terra could see the blond’s flushed, and relieved, face.

“Thanks, Ter,” he breathed.

“No problem,” Terra said, moving to place the boxes down by the couch but by then it was clear what Aqua had in mind for the day. He grabbed the end of the piece of garland that was sticking up from the top box. “And here I was thinking Aqua wanted to spend the day not doing more work. Clearly I should’ve known better.”

“Stop,” she laughed. “This is fun work, it’s not the same.”

“Say’s you.”

“I think it’s fun,” Ven said, dropping the last box next to Terra’s feet.

“Thank you, Ven,” Aqua said making a point to smile victoriously at Terra.

“Suck up,” he said, reaching over to wrap his arm around Ven’s head, rubbing down on his head.

“It is fun,” he laughed, trying in vain to pull out of Terra’s grip before he did let go. Ven flopped himself down right in front of the boxes, clearly ready to dive into the decorations while Terra moved himself back to the couch to grab his tea from the table.

“I remember this from last year,” Ven said, pulling the garland out of the box. “For the fireplace, yeah?”

“You bet.” Aqua leaned over, pulling out some brass candle holders before a handful of thin red candles. “Then we can light these on the mantel too.”

“This box is labeled ornaments and lights, so we have to get the tree.” Ven looked up to Aqua. “Can we get the tree today?”  

“Why do you think we needed to get Terra first?”

“I’m so glad I’m just here to be the muscle,” Terra said, but it’s not like he’d ever say no to the either pairs of blue eyes watching him.

“And to place the tree topper,” Aqua said, waving a star she pulled from the box at him.

“What did you do when you were younger then?” Ven asked, already accidentally wrapped up in the garland he was still tugging from the box.

“Master used to pick one of us up to reach the top.” Her tone was soft, fond; it made it easy to remember trying to decorate the tree as kids, placing the ornaments as high as they could reach, how Terra would try and pick her up so she could reach higher but it always almost ended with them nearly knocking the tree over.

“What’s this?” Ven was pulling something out from the box; clearly his attention span was all over the place today.

Terra looked over to see what it was, but the sight of the small green plant with red berries made him cough to avoid choking. He never remembered having that in any holiday decorations before.

Aqua hummed, gesturing for Ven to pass her the mistletoe. “You hang it up, like so,” she said, holding it over her head. “And then whoever ends up underneath it with you…” She leaned in to Ven, pressing a quick kiss to his cheek.

Ven laughed like he wasn’t quite expecting that, reaching a hand up to rub at his cheek. “Why?”

“I don’t know,” she said, placing the plant in her lap. “It’s just one of those things. I didn’t even know we had one.”

“Okay, well, it’s Terra’s turn then.”

That time he did choke on his tea.

If Aqua was surprised by Ven’s request she didn’t show it, only reaching up to pinch Ven’s cheek. “It doesn’t work like that. I just told you, you have to get caught under the mistletoe with someone, not just because it’s sitting around.”

Ven would get distracted and move on, Terra knew that well enough, but it didn’t stop the way his breath was caught in his throat just at the thought. “Well, yeah,” Ven said. “But if I had to do it, he does to.”

Like it was a punishment. Maybe it was, but not in the same way Ven would’ve thought so.

Terra glanced up to Aqua, who was shrugging looking so unbothered by the whole situation it almost hurt; that the thought didn’t seem as serious to her as it did to him. He supposed it really didn’t matter, it’s not like she’d never kissed him on the cheek before, it wasn’t like they had never even really kissed before. Granted, Terra wasn’t sure how much he could count when he was fourteen and she was twelve doing it just because they wanted to know what it felt like.

“He’s got a point,” she said, gesturing for Terra to lean to her. “Fair is fair.”

“I never should’ve got up this morning all you two have done is harassed me,” he grunted but if only to make sure he kept his voice steady. He still leaned a little towards her.

“You’re such a drama queen,” she said, rolling her eyes but held the mistletoe up and pressed her lips to his cheek.

Even in the split second it happened, it still felt longer, her breath and lips warm against his skin. Even when she sat back down in her spot he had to resist reaching his hand up to his cheek where he could still feel her lips.

“Alright,” Aqua said, tossing the plant on the table and kicking her legs over the couch. “Let’s go get our tree.”

Ven cheered but Terra was trying to shake the feeling of her being so close to him and how he missed it already. He very well knew why he put that distance between them, even if he had to look at her hurt face, like she did something wrong when he put up those boundaries but it was for his own sake. He couldn’t let it ruin their friendship or almost as bad, ruin the exam in a few months; maybe he could face her after that, but not before then.

“Go put on your boots and jacket,” she said, ushering Ven up towards the door.

“And real clothes?” Terra cleared his throat, pushing himself up to his feet.

Aqua turned to face him. “We won’t be out there for that long, it’s okay.”

“Okay, who are you and what had you done with Aqua?”

She stuck her tongue out at him, but didn’t say anything else, just gestured for him to follow her. She always really did love this time of year; maybe that’s what had her in such a carefree mode. He reached a hand up to run though his hair, smile pulling at his lips even if she wasn’t looking anymore. He was happy to see her like this.

“Are you coming?” Ven asked, popping his head back in the doorway as he tugged his jacket on over his pajamas.

“I’m coming, relax.”

The hardest part about getting their tree was not finding a tree in the woods, or even the cold, or even cutting down the tree. No, it was carrying the tree with Aqua and not being able to see a thing just relying on Ven’s instructions on where to walk. It was a miracle neither of them didn’t twist an ankle or worse on the way back to the castle. They made it through, with a tree almost too big for the space (at Ven’s request) standing up in the tree stand Terra set up.

“Can we decorate it now?” Ven asked, dropping his coat on the couch as he kicked off his boots.

“It still has snow on it,” Aqua said, grabbing his boots with hers and gesturing for Terra to pass his over too. “We have to wait till it dries or we could risk a fire.”

Ven’s shoulders sank a little but Terra grabbed the pile of garland on the ground, dumping it over Ven as Aqua stepped out in the hall to leave their wet boots. He laughed as he was suddenly covered in decorations.

“We can set up everything else, and then the tree will be dry, okay?” Terra said, moving some garland from Ven’s face.

“Okay, that sounds good.”

“Or we could just decorate you,” Aqua said, coming back in the room to pinch Ven’s cheeks.

“Nah,” he laughed, swatting her hands away. “Terra would be the better tree, he’s taller.”

“That’s a good point,” she said, tapping her finger on her chin like she was considering it.

“Stop,” he snorted, reaching for the end of the garland. “Are you going to help me or what?”

Aqua started to detangle Ven who dove into another box for more decorations before she moved to help Terra hang the garland over the hooks around the fireplace and the walls.

It went a lot quicker than Terra remembered it even with Eraqus, maybe it was because Ven had more energy than all of them combined. He set out to swap out every “normal” room decoration with holiday ones, while Terra helped Aqua reach the high spots she was too short for. It was nice, relaxing almost, to see the room come together just like it used to when he was a kid. Aqua was right, this was a good idea.

When he finally stepped back from placing the last stocking over the fireplace, the one with his name embroidered on it in-between Eraqus’ and Aqua’s, Ven was pushing his on the end which meant all that was left was the tree.

Terra went to reach for the ornament box but the grandfather clock in the main hall started to ring.

“Wow,” Aqua breathed. “Lunchtime already?”

Maybe time went by faster than Terra thought it did.

“Are you boys hungry?” Aqua wiped the remains of the garland off her hands on her shirt.

“You two go on,” Ven said. “I just want to make sure the tree is all that’s left.”

“Alright, don’t be too long,” Terra said, reaching down to ruffle Ven’s hair.

“Okay, I won’t.”

Terra followed Aqua to the doorway, with every intention to eat everything he found in the kitchen; he didn’t even realize he was hungry again.

“Wait!” Ven called, making Terra stop so suddenly that Aqua ran into him in the doorway.

“What, Ven?” she asked, turning back to him.

He had this look on his face, both amused and that something was really funny. “Look up.”

Terra had a sneaking suspicion he knew what he was about to find. Sure enough, Ven somehow managed to hang the mistletoe right in the doorway. He glanced down to Aqua, her fingers over her lips as she looked up at the plant in surprise.

“You probably should’ve have told him,” Terra said.

“He’s a teenager, I thought he’d think it was gross,” she hushed.

“For real this time,” Ven called, though Terra couldn’t quite figure out why Ven was doing this aside from making the two of them squirm. Okay, that was probably the reason why.

“Hey, you know, it’s just a dumb plant, you don’t have to,” Terra said as her eyes hadn’t left his; the absolute last thing he ever wanted was for her to feel forced.

“Ah, no, it’s fine,” she said and though her face looked calm he didn’t miss the waver in her voice. “Unless you don’t…you know…”

“I mean, fair is fair,” he said, aware that didn’t even make sense in this context but he admittedly was having a hard time thinking with her so warm and so close. He was going to give her another chance to back out but she leaned up, her lips pressing to his.

When they were kids it was a quick peck pulling away in slight confusion as to why it was such a big deal but now she lingered against him and he thought his heart would beat out of his chest. He reached a hand to her face as her hands fell to his chest, fingers curling into his shirt and he kissed her back. If he thought she was warm against him, it was nothing like the warmth through his body. There was nothing like how she could make him feel, how even though he should be nervous over the fact he really never had kissed anyone like this before she still made him feel safe, like everything was right in the world.

Even though he didn’t want to stop, it was hard to breathe and he had to pull away from her. Her eyes fluttered open and even though her hair was messy from the work they did this morning, the flush to her face, the fact she was still in her pajamas, she was beautiful. She looked up at him, like she was unsure what she should say.

He understood, he had no idea either, but he couldn’t move from where he was.

“Okay,” Ven said, and Terra could almost hear the way Ven must’ve had his face scrunched up. “That was grosser than I imagined. It was kinda like seeing parents kiss.”

“Ah, should we, um, lunch?” Terra fumbled, though he was still reluctant to move his hand from the soft skin of her face.

“Oh, yeah, right, lunch,” she said. Aqua let her hand linger for a moment more, like maybe she didn’t want to move either, before turning to Ven. “Are you coming now, you little trickster?”

“Yeah,” Ven snickered as he ran up to them.

“C’mon, Terra,” she said, tapping him on the chest gently as she slipped by, Ven quickly following behind her.

Terra stood there for a second, watching them go, still feeling her lingering touch. He reached his fingers to his lips.

“Are you coming?” Aqua asked, poking her head back from the kitchen door. Her face was still a little red but she was smiling and he knew there would never be anyone else like her in his life. He didn’t want there to be anyone else but her.

“Yeah,” he said, walking to where she was holding the door out for him. He’d tell her, when the time was right he would.

[flimflamfandom]

Night Shift

Being a detective isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Sometimes, a night can be drastically boring...and other times, it can read like a horror movie. 

Words:1727 Summary: Dom goes on a...bizarre call.  Warnings: depictions of mental illness, depictions of domestic violence

10:52 PM. Dominic Drago sat in his home office, reading the papers. Nothing out of the ordinary today...at least, not that had been reported. It was late...very late, but he promised himself he’d go until midnight tonight, to make up for not being available this morning. He’d seen Lorelei off at the station today on the way to her Uncle’s. The kids were fast asleep. He heard his phone ring, and leaned over to pick it up. “Dominic Drago, private detective, who is i-”

“I need to talk to you.” The voice was young. It sounded strained, parched, and scared. “I gotta be quiet...34 prince street-” the phone cut out.

It was gonna be one of those nights. He fought on his coat and wrote down the address, as well as the estimated duration of the call and the time it came in, and put everything in his pocket. He grabbed his revolver and hat, and walked out the door, walking into the night. He had to cut through the harsh side of town to get to this place, but that wouldn’t be too eventf-

“Alright, lemme have all you’ve got!” A scraggly white cat came out of the alley way, armed with the rustiest can opener he’d ever seen. Dominic laughed. “Virgil, c’mon now, you’ll give yerself tetanus with that thing. I doubt you’ve had your shots.”

“I’ve had plenty of shot, mister, I-”

“Not THOSE shots.” He shook his head. “Gun beats can opener anyhow.”

“Aww, fine…” Dominic, who had a deadline, rushed him back to his hole in the wall apartment and made sure he locked the door, and then thought to ask him a question.

“Hey, you know anything about 34 Prince Street?” Couldn’t hurt to ask...Virgil knew quite a bit about the most bizarre things. You wouldn’t think he’d be able to recite Avogadro’s constant, but it was a party trick of his…

“Oh, that place? I….it’s kinda spooky. Weird lady lives there, way too religious, says her daughter hears god…”

“Hmm. Alright, thank you.” He shut the door behind him and walked a little quicker, making it to the house. The house looked...unkempt. There was a light on in an upstairs window, and someone with one ear seemed to be peeking out. He didn’t have time to think about what that was, he just wanted to know what was happening. He knocked on the door. No answer. He knocked again. “Coming!” came from somewhere within the house. He waited patiently, and then the door swung open.

She was a black cat with a nightgown on, and she looked just a tad taller than Lorelei. “Evening, Ma’am, my name’s Dominic Drago, I’m responding to a call?”

“...call?”

“Yes, ma’am, I was called on the phone by someone in this house...I’m a Private Detective, I-”

“No one from this house called.”

“Ma’am, I have it in my records that someone called from this house, 34 prince street, at 10:52 PM. That’s a half hour ago. Are you implying you can’t remember a half hour ago or are you what I was called to deal with?”

“Don’t threaten me, boy, I-”

“Ma’am. Is there another person in the house?” He asked.

“No, sir.”

“Then who’s light is on upstairs?” The woman hesitated. “...mine.”

“Couldn’t be, unless you attached that ear before we started speaking.” He quipped.

“No one else is in here!” She said. “No one but the lord!” Dominic thought this line was...strange. He looked around and saw crosses all over the place. Pictures of a christ figure were hung near each of them, and every wall had at least one.

“Ma’am, I got a call saying that someone needed to talk to me from this house. There was someone in the top window peeking at me. I need answ-”

“THERE’S NO ONE ELSE HERE!” She shouted, as if she was trying to wake up the neighbors. He shook his head. “Alright, now, do you want me to get the police involved?”

“What?”

“I could do it. I have a close relationship with the police department, we could come to an arrangement.”

Dominic was frustrated, but he was still remaining calm. After all, would you rather have a bunch of loud, tired policemen comb your house, or a single detective who had a level head?

“If this was a prank call, I wanna talk to you about who could have done it...and I’d like to do that sitting down.”

“...fine.” The woman caved, and sat in her living room. Dominic sat across from her. “May I ask your name?”

“Hannah Farmer.” She said. “I work odd jobs and such.” Dominic noticed a sort of knife on the woman. “Is that yours?”

“Yes.” It was somewhat cross shaped, and more of a dagger than a knife.

“I see.” He nodded and wrote some things down. He knew what his angle had to be to make this work. “Now...you get people prank calling a lot?”

“Oh, lots. The police are over here all the time.” She rolled her eyes...maybe this was a crank call after all. She seemed used to it. “Oh, we got a call that someone was screaming, or hat someone was hurt…” This turned Dom off the idea that he’d been wrong. “Calls that someone who happens to be upstairs is missing an ear?” “NO.” She said sternly. “NO ONE lives upstairs.” He wrote something down, and crossed his legs. “So, tell me, what did I see? Because I saw something...is th-”

The conversation stopped.

They heard footsteps coming down the stairs. Dominic stood up.

“I-it isn’t anyone, it’s just-”

“Were you lying to me, Miss Farmer?” He stepped over to the staircase, careful to beat Hannah to it. He saw a scared looking girl with long hair and one ear walking down...she looked horrified, but determined. She was wearing a nightgown and had a crooked tail and fresh scratch marks. Hannah rushed over.

“Bridgette, I TOLD you to STAY IN BED!” She grabbed for that knife, but Dominic forced her back. His cool demeanor was gone as he gnashed his teeth, trying to intimidate Hannah back. It worked. “Hey!” He snarled. “Next time you’d better not lie ‘bout a thing, y’hear?”

The girl was cowering over on the staircase as the two scuffled. When Hannah saw his gun, she decided it’d be a good time to back down. He kept it pointed at her. “Don’t you move.” He walked to the staircase and sat on it. His calmness was coming back. “...Bridgette?”

“...You’re...you’re Mister Drago?” She asked. He nodded. “Yes, yes I am Mister Drago.” He said. He ran a thumb across her cheek. “You’re gonna be just fine, promise. Can you tell me what’s going on?”

“Well...I…” She was reluctant to speak. Dom kept looking back and forth, making sure that Hannah didn’t decide to strike. “...I hear things.”

“What is it you hear?”

“....voices.” She said. She looked up. “They tell me nice things, but some are scary.” He wrote something down. “...is one of ‘em god?”

“They’re ALL god, but now she only hears THE DEVIL!” Hannah proclaimed. Bridgette teared up. “M-mama, please don’t, I-” Dom controlled the situation by making one small movement of his wrist to his pistol. Hannah sat back down, but palmed the knife. “You’re only hearing scary ones now, huh?”

“...yes.” She said. “Mama is trying to...get them out of me.” He furrowed a brow. “Sweetie, nothin’s comin’ out if she’s beating you, that’s probably making it all worse.” He said. Bridgette nodded. “Worse...and worse.”

“It’s darkest before the sun rise, Drago, you know that!” Hannah said.

“I also know that child abuse is a federal offense.” Bridgette gasped, and huffed. “N-no….” She shook her head quickly, her long hair whipping into Dom’s face. She seemed to be hearing one. “No!” She heaved in air and got herself under control. Hannah headed over.

“You see that? It was satan! Right there, you heard it!” She put a cross up to her. Bridgette looked up. “Please don’t…” Dominic stood up.

“Hannah, do that again and the last thing you’ll see before waking up in the morning’s my fist, yeah?” He said, cooly, and calmly. She shook her head. “You have NO IDEA how to raise this girl. She has a gift! She’s a prophet!”

“She’s got a disease of the brain. It’s not as if she chose this, you have no right to punish her for it.”

“Well, I have PLENTY of right, I’m the mother! What I say goes!” Dominic reached for his pistol and shook his head. “Ma’am, you don’t wanna get in a scuffle with me.” She hissed and drew the knife. Dom shot once, but they got too close to each other. He forced her to the ground and grabbed her knife, and as she clawed at him he had to do something. The knife was in his hand.

He stabbed her. A few times. “YOU WORK FOR THE DEVIL! You work for...dev…” She fought, but ultimately died, curled up in a bloody heap. Drago stood. Bridgette sat on the stairs, her one ear flickering. She just broke down and cried. Dominic called the police, and headed over to her. “Bridgette...I did what I had to do, I know it was wr-”

“You saved me…!” She hugged him close and cried loudly, an ugly, messy cry. She held on for dear life. “T-the police...y-you-”

“I did it in self defence, that much is obvious.” He pointed to a scratch on his sleeve. “Are you gonna be okay?” She nodded and just held on until the police came.

Bridgette had some sort of disorder where she heard voices, and her mother, a devout woman, believed it was god. When the voices got slightly scarier, she believed they were the devil. That was the common thinking, at least when Dom hashed it out with the police chief. Bridgette went to an asylum, but was moved to an orphanage after Dominic ‘vouched for her release’, his euphemism for ‘bribed the head of the asylum.

Eventually, she did end up being adopted, and lived a quiet life. But Dom would never forget that night.

He still heard her crying in his nightmares.

[fire-emblem-drabbles]

hhhhhh,,,, fluffy centaur Quan x summoner pls and thank u. Maybe he teaches them not to be afraid of horses?

I actually thought about writing this like, all day yesterday, so catch me finally getting to this!!! The real mood is thinking about writing but never doing it hahah. me reading this: oh fluffy?? I’ll… I’ll get there. 

OKAY SO THIS IS ABOUT 2500 WORDS AND I WAS PLANNING ON WRITING MOREE BUT THAT CAN BE FOR A PART 2!

In other words, as of putting this in my queue, I’m free form the grasp of this fic and hopefully, halfway through November, I can add something to the “November Mastlist” post that has sat in my drafts. 

You couldn’t see yourself without an animal by your side;  you adored dogs and cats or birds and fish, honestly, most animals warmed your heart. You had even met a few mythical creatures in your time, there was a sweet river nymph who lived very close to your property, and you had once nursed a wisp when it was weak during the winter months. Yes, you adored all animals; alas, horses terrified you.

There was an incident from when you were a child that you hated to recall; you had traveled to town with your mother to pick up some things from the market, and your curious little nature brought you up to a caravan horse. The man had warned you that his horse was a feisty one, but you were young and stupid and must have done something to upset it-your memory got fuzzy around here- because I next moment you could recall was having the wind knocked out of you and feeling tears fall down your face.

The horse had bucked, and hit you square in the chest; you broke 3 of your lower ribs and sported an ugly purple bruise. You then had to be bedridden for a few weeks while they healed. And while you were older now, you still had some hesitance towards the creatures. You would like to get to know one but your fear held you back.

Today was a normal day, though you chest ached at the old memory. You were going to collect fruit at the fringes of your property, and you had your basket already. It was a short walk over, but the day was peaceful and the sun was welcoming. It wasn’t long before you got to your cherry trees, but before you could begin picking them, you froze. Was… was that a horse, somehow lost amongst your trees?

The horse moved, and to your absolute horror, your met eyes with a person. Well, obviously not a person, a centaur. You would have screamed, but really you were too shocked to even speak. Weren’t centaurs nomadic? What was one even doing near here?

“Hello? I-is someone there?” he moved towards you, and you got view of the gash along his side. “I fear I can’t see well...” He stepped closer to you, and you stumbled back. He was obviously injured, but still, fear paralyzed you. “Please, I… I need help...”

“I-I,” Somehow you found your voice. Despite how scared you were, you knew he needed help. You had the proper training, if you could get him back to your house you could treat him but… getting back to your home would be the hardest part. “I’m, I’m here.” You stepped more into his view, and his hazy eyes focused on you. “Can you, I mean… oh...” You took a deep breath. “I can help you but you have to come back to my house. Do you think you can make it that far?” You stared pointedly at the ground as you spoke, unable to meet his gaze or look at his bleeding side.

“If you err, lead the way, I should be able to make it...” He moved closer, holding his hand out to you. “Please...” You started at his outstretched hand. You took a deep breath, and clasped your hand with his, and began leading the way; if you didn’t think about it, you could make yourself believe you were leading another human away. But the pit in your stomach would not leave, and the way your house came much too soon. You always wondered why the doors were so tall, and why the ceiling was so high, perhaps this was it. Once inside your cabin-esqe home, he collapsed to the floor in a panting mess.

“O-okay, try to stay awake, I’ll um, get my things.” You moved quickly to your kitchen, relieved when he let out a little groan to tell you he was still with you. You were glad to have wood floors for once, you didn’t want to think about getting blood out of carpet.

“It’s… getting a little harder to stay awake...” His voice was faint but cut through the otherwise quiet of your home.

“You have to stay with me, okay?” Once finding what you need, you took a deep breath and returned to him. “I’m right here with you so… there’s nothing to fear.” Swallowing your own fear, you sat near to him with shaking hands and pounding heart; this was no time to panic, though, you merely had to focus on what your job was now. Once you had this wound cleaned and stitched, you could hide in your room while he slept to regain his energy. After that, who knows but for now you had a job to do.

~*~

How could one person… centaur… person… well, how could he sleep so long? As soon as you were done with his wound, you took a long bath and hid in your room but you felt bad that he was just alone curled up on your floor… so you made sure he was leaning against the couch and had a few pillows, a blanket even. You always tiptoed around him when you had to be inside, though you tried your best to stay outside. It wasn’t until the night of the third day he stirred, waking slowly to the smell of slow cooking stew.

“Hello?” His voice was quiet and thick with sleep. Slow hands came to rub at tired brown eyes, and push back wild bangs from his eyes. “Uh, is anyone there? Where am I?”

“You’re in my house.” Your voice came as a quick quip from somewhere in front of him, he had to wait for his eyes to focus. Finally, across the room he could see you before a warm stove, stirring something that smelt delicious.

“Ah, I thought I saw a fairy but I figured it was just my dreams.” A warm chuckle left him, and as he removed the blankets from himself he saw that his side was properly cleaned and bandaged. “Were you the one to heal me, little fairy?” You didn’t like how casual he sounded, how playful he seemed to be, when you were still on edge.

“Yes, that was me.” You didn’t mean to make your replies scarce, it really just happened. You didn’t know what to say to him without telling him how your heart was beating erratically. He seemed to pick up on this, despite still being a little tired, and hummed.

“Could I get my fairy’s name, then? I’m Quan.” He offered you a smile and stood to his full height, stretching his human limbs as he did so.

“Please don’t call me fairy… my name is um, _____.” You said softly, unwilling to look at him.  “Dinner won’t be ready until a little while longer, so why don’t you bathe? I err, don’t think my bathroom could fit you, but if you leave the house and head west a bit, you’ll find a river.” You just wanted him out for a bit so you could collect your thoughts.

“Oh, um, alright?” Quan laughed a little. “I’ll take you up on that offer, then.” He was just about to leave before you spoke again.

“Oh but, um, make sure you ask Lorelei first, okay? She doesn’t like people barging into her water without asking.”

“Lorelei?” he asked, glancing over to you.

“She’s a water nymph who makes the river around my property her home.” Was all you said. Quan nodded, opening the door and leaving your home after that. Perhaps this Lorelei could tell him why you were acting so strange around him. Quan knew you had to be kind; it's not every day a stranger takes you in, stitches your wounds, and offers to feed you. Still, you refused to meet his gaze, and hardly had a reply for him. Perhaps you were just shy? But it felt like so much more than that…

It wasn’t long before Quan found his way to the river, as you said he would, but he didn’t see anyone there, nymph or otherwise. So tentatively, he called out “Um, Lorelei?” It was silent a moment, and Quan felt silly for having called out when no one was there, but mischievous laughter filled his ears soon enough.

“Oo are you the one _____ brought back?” Quan looked to the other shore, and there a woman with short hair sat, eyeing him up and down. “I see, no wonder she sounded so scared...” Lorelei, he assumed, spoke under her breath and nodded to herself, smirking then. “What can I do for you, handsome?” She sat up fully, grinning all the while.

“Uh, Quan. Call me Quan.” Lorelei nodded, though he felt she wouldn’t call him by name. “_____ said I could bathe here. That is if I asked. So may I?” Quan asked, smile on his face. Lorelei smiled a little wider.

“Why do I feel that’s not all?” Her voice was sing-song, and she giggled after. “What else did you want to ask Mr. Centaur?” Lorelei winked, and Quan wondered how she could read him so easily, but perhaps it was simply written all over his face.

“____… they… for whatever reason, they seem standoffish with me.” Quan frowned a little. Did he say or do something to hurt you before he fell unconscious?

“Oh, that? It’s nothing you did, poor dear can’t help it.” Lorelei tutted softly, shaking her head. “When they were young, they got into a terrible accident with a horse that ended up hurting them a lot. They’ve been scared of horses ever since, so that could be why they’re wary of you love.” She smiled, sending a wink his way as well. “But you didn’t hear that from me, okay? You have a nice wash, dear, I’ll try not to stare too much.” And as quick as she came, Lorelei was gone. Quan was left to ponder how he should go about speaking with you now; as well as look warily over his shoulder for any peeping nymphs.

Soon enough, you were finished making the stew. You hadn’t cleared your head much, but you had come to the conclusion that you shouldn’t be mean to Quan just because you were scared of him. You didn’t want to come off as rude, but you were debating telling him why you acted in such a way… You absentmindedly filled two bowls and cut some bread to eat as well. Just as you were wondering where Quan was, a knock came at the door.

“C-come in!” You kept your back to him, after all, you still had bread to cut. You didn’t want to eat the whole loaf this evening but if you kept ignoring him too pointedly it would all end up cut.

“Lorelei was… not what I expected.” You chanced a glance at Quan, who was still a little wet from the river's water. Water stuck to his hair and face and he wasn’t wearing the clothing he was before; he probably washed that too, but you quickly turned back to the food. You didn’t want to acknowledge the blush on your face.

“She… yeah, that happens.” You shook your head, stifling a laugh that would be far too awkward. “Dinner is ready, I’m sure your starving.” You picked up a bowl for him, and two pieces of bread and carefully walked over to him. “I guess the table is too small for you so...” You trailed off, but Quan happily took the offered treats. “That’s no problem at all.” He smiled down at you but you couldn’t meet his gaze and were quick to retreat from him and grab your own food. You were tempted to sit at the table facing away from him, but again you didn’t want to be rude. So you sat at the table, and Quan stood, and the two of you ate in an awkward silence that you weren’t sure how to end. You mostly picked at your food, but you noticed how hungry Quan was; it was kinda cute though, he was still trying his best to be polite in your presence.

You stared down at your food, picking at the meat and playing with the broth. You rested your hand under your chin, and your elbow on the table. Before you could help it, a large sigh left you; one that caught Quan’s attention from his food (you noted he was nearly done anyway) and left him staring wide-eyed at you.

“Is… everything alright?” His words were soft, hesitant as you were. You stared at him a moment; in his haste to eat, he made a bit of a mess, and a bit of broth trailed down his bare chest. You looked away but somehow found it in you to reply.

“It’s… not you, as much as you may feel it is.” You looked to him again, this time searching his eyes. “I just… well...” Another sigh left you, and you closed your eyes a moment.

“You don’t need to say another word; Lorelei told me.” You opened your eyes now, lips set in a pout.

“That little jerk...” You muttered shaking your head. “She just can’t keep her mouth shut, huh?” You would have sighed again, but decided against it. “So I… guess now you know, huh?” You looked away again, even though you could feel your heated gaze on you.

“Don’t worry, I understand completely. It’s natural to feel some fear and hesitance after an experience like that.” You could hear the smile in his voice, and you disliked admitting how comforting he really sounded. “I don’t know what I can do, but I’m willing to help in any way I can.”

“Well… It’s been odd having you around, but I admit I...” You shook your head. “What am I saying….”

“No, go on. Tell me.”

“It’s going to sound stupid...”

“I doubt that sincerely, _____. I want to hear what you have to say.”

“It’s just… It’s been nice having you here? Even when you were, well, you know, just sleeping… It helped me a lot seeing you so peaceful. N-not like I watched you sleep or whatever, you were just, you know, in the middle of my living room so like...” Quan’s laughter met your ears, and you finally looked back to him. He was grinning wide with a look of mirth.

“I don’t think I’ve heard you say that much to me in our brief time together.” You blinked a moment as he still laughed, and thought about it. Perhaps that was the most you said to him-- and was it really so hard?

“I… guess so...” You smiled a little yourself, shaking your head. “Well… your stitches still need another week before I can take them out.” You said.

“During that week?” Quan asked, finished with his food now.

“Well… it’s going to sound silly but… maybe you could, well, you know… help me be… like, not so afraid of horses? And centaurs too, I guess...” You looked up to him with wide, hopeful eyes.

“It would be my honor, _____.” His smile was so charming, for a moment you lost yourself in it; perhaps the next week would be great, and you would get over your fears. Looking into his eyes, you could believe that.

[junkpoetic]

Six

The next morning, Elliot was a bit ornery about what we should do for the day. He didn’t seem to want to get out of bed and grab breakfast, so I met Juno in Quincy Market at a place called Neptune’s Café. The walls were painted cold blue; however the atmosphere was warm. I left

“Why are you so intrigued by my name?” She asked.

“I don’t know, it’s a good name, I like it.”

“You’ve never asked me where I am from.”

“Yes, I did, Winnipeg.” I replied.

“No, I was born there, I am from Jersey, I am actually going there soon.”

“How soon?” I asked accidentally.

“How soon is now?” she smirked.

“I love that song! But aren’t you from where you are born?”

“Not necessarily.” She arranged her thoughts in her head before continuing. “I live in Boston. I am from Jersey. I was born in Winnipeg.”

“Okay, so where you’re from, is where you grew up?”

“I guess it changes. If I were on vacation and a stranger asked me where I am from, I would say Boston, because Jersey is irrelevant to them.”

“So… if you asked me where I am from, I should tell you where I live now, not where I am from?” I teased.

“I haven’t asked where you are from?”

I thought about it. “I don’t believe so.”

“Am I a stranger?” She asked.

“You are not.” I replied.

“Where are you from?”

I laughed. “I don’t know anymore; I am so fucking confused.”

“Places are just places right?” She smiled.

“What’re you going to do in Jersey?”

“I planned a surf weekend with friends. They might come here instead though. It depends on the weather.”

“Surfing in October?” I thought she was kidding.

“Prominent breaks man, the best waves all year. Not to mention the ocean is empty, so all the waves are mine.”

Curiouser. “So, you’re a surfer?”

She slowly inhaled a sip of coffee. “I don’t know, I like to surf. What constitutes being a surfer?” She said coyishly.

“I always assumed the act of surfing?” I replied.

She raised the question. “So… if you kill one person, you’re a murderer?”

“It depends on if it was murder…” I replied.

“If you kill three people and by pure happenstance all of the killings are done the same way to people with the same profile, are you automatically a serial killer?” She was on a roll. There was no stopping her.

“Hmmm, I am not sure. I guess it depends on the connotation.”

“So, if my intent is to become a serial killer when I grow up, the first few kills would be in training? Then once I hit a number, I get my serial killer certificate… however, if I just happen to accidentally kill three similar looking people, the kills are considered null, and I am not a serial killer?”

I tented my hands and stabbed my chin with my fingers lightly. “Yes, I think we’ve nailed it down.”

She laughed. “Yes, I am a surfer.”

“Epic.” I smiled.

I learned a lot more about Juno Rafferty that morning. Eventually Elliot met up with us, and then Madeline did too. It’s funny I have known of Madeline for such a long time, yet I know nothing about her other than her nickname she acquired somewhere in her youth from being known for enjoying a cocaine high. She may have only done it once and I have defined her by it. She seemed to be very successful, she owned her own internet clothing company, and lived in a large flat on Newbury. It goes along with what Juno said about one thing defining you being untrue. Imagine if our youth defined our entire lives? Imagine if we could never climb out of it? I had to laugh though, here I was with Juno, who’s name literally means youth, and here she was defining me. There are some days I like being inside my head, stuck, like we were on the rooftop, today was one of those days.

Elliot was very intrigued by surfing in October. So much so that he was looking for spots nearby. He’d never even surfed but always wanted to at least try it. All the years we’d been coming here, it was always summer, the beaches were overcrowded, and the waves sucked. Juno explained that if you can surf the north Atlantic coast, you can surf anywhere.

We had two days left on trip and things felt a little awkward now knowing Elliot’s fate, and though he was vague when I asked what kind of cancer, it was still very sobering knowledge. Like anyone, I held out hope that maybe a mistake was made somewhere. Maybe they mixed up his chart. Maybe he was just too dehydrated and out of shape on marathon day. I kept putting all these thoughts in a blender and spinning them around my head. Adding to it with every new thought, or glimmer of hope.

After breakfast Juno and Madeline went about their separate ways. Elliot was fixated on his phone searching for surf spots. Whenever he got something in his head, he had to live it out. I loved that about him. He had the confidence to do really anything. If I mentioned skydiving, we would probably be on a plane this afternoon. Instead, we spent the afternoon in a surf shop that Juno recommended called Motion Surf.

Lorelei Zimmerman had the curliest blonde hair. She was named after Marilyn Monroe’s character in the fifties movie “Gentleman Prefer Blondes”. She had never seen the movie, but she liked that the origin of her name derived from Marilyn Monroe. She was in her early thirties, probably the same age as Juno, or close to it. She had a welcoming soul, and she took the time to explain surfing to Elliot and I, two guys amid their forties, who had absolutely zero clue about it. She spent her youth surfing in Australia, it was in her blood, she studied abroad in Boston where she met her now husband Rami and they put their roots down in here. The way she spoke of Australia, I could tell she missed it dearly.

“Catching an unbroken wave is one of the most difficult things to learn as a novice.” She explained that patience and persistence would pay off because the feeling of dropping in on a green wave for the first time is an out of body experience. She reflected on her first green wave as if she had just ridden it into shore. Elliot handed her his credit card and told her to get us everything we’d need to surf and since we were leaving in a few days, he told her to teach us as fast as she could. She laughed and began talking about the four stages of waves and how to approach them.

“The first stage is a lump in the water, and basically impossible to catch. The second stage is the delicate sweet spot and hitting it right is essential. This is where you begin paddling into it. In the third stage is when the wave breaks onto your back. The wave is broken in the last stage and now white water. Positioning is everything when trying to predict when the wave will break.”

Elliot was listening so intently as she spoke. Her accented words were becoming glued to the inside of his mind.

“You want to be about five meters out from where the waves are breaking. Look for the lumps in the horizon that look like stage A waves. Once you pick a wave paddle with it matching the speed of the wave. Matching the speed is difficult because there is no force pulling you forward. Once you have proper paddling strokes and your body is centered on the board, gravity arrives. Keep your head down low over the nose of the board as you’re lifting up on the wave. Gravity becomes your best friend once you’re in position. When you feel confident on the wave, you’ll know when you feel it, that’s when you pop up. Never hesitate to pop up.”

She popped up on a surfboard on the carpet showing us the proper ways.

“Don’t go out too far, it’s such a common mistake new surfers make. See where other surfers are and follow their lead.”

She helped us pick out surfboards, and then even waxed them for us. Elliot’s board had a drawing of a guy on it that looked like he was vomiting a rainbow. It looks much better than it sounds. He said that specific board spoke to him as if it were the chosen one. I just nodded my head and said OKAY. My board had a skull on it with a snake crawling through the mouth and up through the eye of it. It was colored with the most beautiful blues and greens. The first wetsuit Elliot tried on was too tight leaving little to the imagination. It was hilarious watching Lorelei try not to look down at his forty-six-year-old package. He was almost flaunting it, but he kept a straight face.

 Lorelei said she’d be happy to meet up this weekend at Nauset Beach to help us get our feet wet, no pun intended. Her words not mine. We agreed to stay through the weekend, because well, Elliot was now obsessed with wanting to surf… in Boston, in October. It’s also weird how long ago the marathon felt … fucking time.

We kept it pretty low key later that night. We went to an Italian restaurant called Giacomo’s on the north end and ordered the works. It was our favorite spot to eat whenever we came into town. Italian food tastes worlds better in October than it does in June. Maybe we’ve been doing it wrong the entire time. Elliot ordered as if it were his last meal. King prawns, calamari, manicotti, some sort of pasta with scallops too. He ate every god damn bite and then washed it down with a five-hundred-dollar bottle of Amarone. I was full just watching him eat as I snacked on bruschetta drizzled in the freshest olive oil. I also had the caprese salad with pesto along with a seafood linguini. Everything tasted so damn good I almost wished it was our last meal.

“You really think we can pull off surfing?” I said tossing my napkin onto my plate.

“We’re going to god damn try.” He said still chewing whatever it was he was chewing.

“Always an adventure.” I said feeling a bit sentimental.

“Still can’t believe I couldn’t finish the marathon…”

“But you did…”

“In a way.” He said modestly. “I wasn’t going to tell you by the way.”

“Tell me what?”

“That I am dying.”

“Oh, sorry.”

“I haven’t even told Louise.”

“Are you kidding?” I almost choked on a cherry tomato.

The waitress interrupted and Elliot ordered us an entire key lime pie for dessert, and I must be honest, I didn’t think I could fit another calorie in my body. When they put it in front of us it was still smoking from the freezer and God dammit when I sunk my teeth into that tangy ice cold vanilla and key lime pie all down to that glazed graham cracker crust I saw my life flash before me in a montage both bittersweet and beautiful from the time Elliot and I were kids in the street playing baseball and drinking lemonade, all the way up to the rooftop last night with Juno Rafferty and attempting to feel up every single one of the shiver bumps on her tight cold skin. All the good, the bad, and the ugly, in that same fucking blender that I call my mind that just spins constantly like a cyclone vomiting rainbows among other things less attractive.

After dinner we walked out into the rainy night and up and down the streets in the north end. We bought cigars and smoked them on a sidewalk outside of an all-night café before catching a cab back to the hotel and calling it a night.

“Today was a good day.” Elliot said before we parted ways for the night.

[suallenparker]

Philinda Fanfic: Behind the Scenes, Chapter 15

RATING: T

SPOILER: This is set in a Universe where Phil quit his Tony Stark babysitting duties after the first gig and returned to active field work. So, basically their backstories stay the same until after the first Iron Man Movie.

SUMMARY: After her former partner Phil Coulson almost got killed in action, the traumatized SHIELD agent Melinda May returns to duty. She and Phil  go undercover as contestants of the celebrated TV show “Forever Love” to catch a stalker and to trip a traitor.

NOTES: See Chapter 1. DOUBLE FEATURE! Biggest thanks to @firedragon1109 for helping me push through this. And thank you to everyone who just commented on chapter 14! I read your comments as I wrote on this and it really helped me push myself to give you the finale today! WHOHOOO! I had such fun this last chapter, I hope you all enjoy it too!

Read this on AO3

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o0o

Chapter 15: Proposal in which Eric reads a letter.

She hadn't worn heels for a week now. Usually that wouldn't be anything to be excited over. - She hadn't worn heels when Phil had been on his dates with Lorelei and Audrey, but now it was her romantic date with Eric, and still, no heels!

It was a TV miracle!

This morning Diane and Eric flew to a tiny island in the Caribbean. They drank cocktails, took a snorkeling class, walked alongside the beach holding hands. - and they had done all that bare foot!

Then he had grilled her the perfect steak on an outside barbecue that belonged to a small one room cottage, while she sat at a little seating area,  drawing circles in the sand with her right foot.

And now? Now they lay on the big bed in that small cottage, their arms and legs wrapped around the other, kissing each other as if there was no one else in the world.

But of course there was someone else. There was a whole film crew. They had set the mood accordingly, just enough light so the camera would have no trouble seeing them, buckets of fresh flowers on each side of the bed, some strategically placed candles, some soft music in the backround.

Phil rolled them around so Melinda landed half on top of them and Nat moved around the bed to shoot them from another angle.

Melinda was sure, Javier was pointing directions with his hands because both Nat and Jess from sound kept adjusting their positions. And she kept close attention to her surroundings. Otherwise Phil and his hands and his mouth – oh god, that mouth – were the only thing to focus on and she was playing with fire as it is.

God, that man could kiss! He ran his hands up and down her sides with just slightly too little pressure. She wanted him to really touch her. She wanted him to move his hands under her shirt and -

“That's a wrap!” Javiar said. “We're outta here, enjoy the night, guys.”

Phil broke their kiss. “Thanks, Javier,” he mumbled before he nibbled on her lower lip. His hands caressed her lower back.

It was best to just stay in role. What else could she do? So she just kept kissing him. And felt guilty.

Then he pulled away. “They're gone,” he said.

She sat up and moved away from him. Her heart was racing, her face felt hot and she could still taste him on her lips.

Phil leaned against the headboard and tilted his head. “Is Javier a bit too invested into this relationship or is that's just me?”

“No, it's definitely him.” She smiled at him, grateful for his humor. She moved to the other side of the bed and made herself comfortable, crossing her legs underneath her.

“Have you talked to Hill, lately?” he asked.

“Yesterday. They're still searching for dickface.” She couldn't believe that asshat was still on the run!

Phil raised a brow. “Dickface?”

“Hill's codename for Garrett.”

“Figures.” He snorted and grinned. “Did you notice anything weird lately?”

She snorted. “This whole experience is weird.”

“I'm sorry.”

“Not your fault. At least I didn't have to wear heels today.”

“You're very welcome.” He sounded so pleased with himself, she wanted to kiss him again. But then his expression changed, he drew his brows together and looked down. “I sent Audrey home yesterday,” he said. “I didn't wait until after the date. I just sent her home.”

Oh. Melinda's stomach tightened.

“She cried.” Phil pulled his shoulders up and crossed his arms. “And I'm really the worst person for the job because as soon as I came in she knew I wanted to break up.” He snorted and glanced at her. “So much for pokerface.”

She hated this. “I'm sorry, I know you care about her.” She licked her lips.  Maybe you could call her after this is over?” She didn't want him to ever speak to Audrey again which was selfish and stupid, but … But he deserved better. “I'm sure you could fix this,” she added.

He just pressed his lips together and shook his head. Relaxing his shoulders and arms, he pulled his legs up to his chest. “Do you think we'll be able to catch whoever is stalking us tomorrow?”

“God, I hope so.”

He smiled at her. “You really want to punch someone, don't you?”

Punching someone would be so great right now!

“Maybe after that we could take a mission together that involves more punching,” he said lightly.

She stared at him, her heart was racing. There could be more. There could be another mission with him.

“I don't mean to pressure you. I just …” He sighed. “I missed you.”

“I missed you too.” She really, really had missed him. And this felt different than she thought it would. She wasn't terrified. This felt good. - Well, the moments that felt like a normal mission felt good. Being in the field with him felt good. Not the undercover stuff. She pulled her brows together. “ But I'll pick the mission.”

“Sounds great.” His face lit up and she wanted to tell him she loved him so badly, she had to bite her tongue.

o0o

The sun was rising over the ocean when he brought her to the beach the next morning. She had thrown on a light blue sundress, he wore jeans and a shirt and their feet were still beautifully bare so she could feel the warm sand underneath her.

A camera on a tripod already awaited them, Javier, Maggie, Jess and a cameraman named Mike followed after them. Quite a crowd.

It should calm her. It should make it obvious that this was all for show. But he held her hand and he looked so nervous and cute and her heart felt all fluttery.

After they were perfectly positioned to the ocean and the sun and Maggie gave them an ok sign, Phil pulled a piece of paper out of the back pocket of his jeans.

They stood an arms' length apart now. She wished, he'd still touch her.

He pulled in a shaky breath and looked at her. “I know you aren't a fan of many words and I tried to keep with as short as possible, and -”

This was too much. She reached out and squeezed his arm. “Just start,” she said quietly.

He unfolded the paper. “I wrote you a letter. The first draft was five pages, but I got it down to one.”

She smiled and he smiled back. Her hand wandered from his arm to his hand and grabbed it. He had one hand to hold the letter, he didn't need two!

“Before I met you,” he said, his gaze focused on the paper, “I didn't believe in love at first sight, but the moment I laid eyes on you, something inside me just clicked. I'm usually a practical man so of course I doubted my own feelings and tried to rationalize my emotions to something more plausible like physical attraction.” He looked up. “I'm very attracted to you. That's not in the letter but I thought you should know.”

She laughed softly and squeezed his hand.

He squeezed back and continued to read, “I started to test myself and focused on everything else to gain some distance and perspective. So I dated all these other women just to realize that even a minute with you – even when it's eating cold pizza, even when you roll your eyes at my amazing puns - gives me more happiness than the most romantic date spent with anybody else. Over time it became more and more clear that once I'd get to be with you, I wouldn't want to date anybody else.”

“Which is why I got the last one on one.”

“I told you there's an explanation.” He smiled at her. “I'm sorry, there's still more.”

“Don't – just.” No need for apologies. “I'm listening.”

This time he didn't look at the note. He just looked at her. “I want you to know that however this ends, whatever you decide to do, that I love you. You're the most wonderful person I've met, you make me feel calm, you make me laugh and you're just …” He shrugged slightly. “I love you. I just love you.”

“I love you too.” God, she loved him so much!

He moved away and let go of her hand, so she grabbed his shoulders with both hands.

“What are you doing?” she asked and held on to him.

“Getting down one knee.”

“No.” She tucked at him as she moved towards him until she could wrap her arms around his neck.

“Just ask me,” she said and nodded. “Just ask right now so I can say yes.”

His whole expression softened. The way he looked at her melted her heart.

He placed his hands on her hips. “But the ring -”

“I don't care.” She wouldn't let go of him. “Just ask.”

“Me-”

A gun shoot shattered the moment.

Then everything and nothing happened at once. Everybody ran, Phil and Melinda ran towards the shoot, Maggie and the rest sought for cover. Nat and Hand screamed somewhere, another gun was fired and they ran and ran until they found Nat sitting on top of Peter, who had his face in the dirt and his hands turned on his back. Hand stood next to them, holding a gun in one hand, a phone in the other. There was more yelling. Mostly Peter yelled, about how Maggie had ruined him, how she had bought his love to lie on the show and about they all deserved to die.

And Maggie yelled because this was crazy. Peter was crazy! And how could he do that to her? To the crew? Their show?

But Melinda could only think of what Phil had said. What he had wanted to say.

Because Diane and Melinda are very different words.

Her heart was racing and there was no one to punch and there was nowhere to run.

Nat pulled Peter up from the ground. Hand tried to calm Maggie.

“You've got this?” Melinda asked. Her voice sounded strange in her ears.

“Of course.” Hand nodded.

“Good, then Coulson and I can talk.”

Phil swallowed hard. “Talk?”

Melinda looked at Maggie. “If a camera team follows us, I will hurt you personally.” Maybe that was too much. Maybe that was unnecessary. But God, she needed a moment with him alone. Just with him. No crew, no Eric. No Diane.

Maggie just stared at her, mouth open. She looked so much like her sister now. Hand raised a brow.

Javier pulled at his hair. “Who's Coulson?” He looked at Hand for help. He looked at Maggie. “What the hell is going on?”

But Melinda took Phil's hand and he followed her lead.

She stopped when they had reached a more secluded area. Palm trees surrounded them, granting them some shadow from the brightly shining sun. They could no longer see the ocean.

“What name were you about to say?” she asked. She probably squeezed his hand too tightly, so she let go.

He cleared his throat. “Name?”

“When you wanted to propose. What name?”

He swallowed once, twice.

“Because Melinda and Diane are very different names,” she said.

His eyes were widened. She could see sweat on his forehead.

“And I'm pretty sure you started with M before the gun shoot. And I was looking at your mouth. D and M look very different on the lips.”

He was panicking now, she could see. So this was something. This must mean something, because he was freaking out and he wouldn't freak out over nothing. This was good.

“Phil, please.” She reached for his hands again. This time she took both of them in hers. “Was that letter for me?”

His palms were sweaty and so were hers, but she didn't care. “Yes,” he said.

Yes. Thank you. Thank you! She tiptoed and kissed him. Their noses almost collided, but he finally understood and tilted his head. So she kissed him some more and more until holding his hands wasn't enough and she had to let go to wrap her arms around his neck, which was perfect, because he wrapped his arms around her waist and they kissed each other.

She had kissed him so many times during the last few weeks. They've been better at this before, more graceful, less sloppy, with more tenderness and finesse, but this. This was real!

She broke the kiss and buried her face in the dip of his shoulder. “What you wrote about something clicking -”

“First sight,” he said and kissed the side of her head. His hands smoothed over her back.

“I love you too.” She kissed his throat and pressed herself against him. “I love you so much.”

“Really?”

“Yes.” She felt his heart beat against her chest. “Really.”

“Uhm, guys?” Hand asked to her left.

“Hand!” Phil almost jumped back and she missed his touch.

“Hill just called.” Hand grinned at them. “They caught Garrett, thought you might like to know.”

“Yes, thank you, Hand,” Phil said. “We were just …”

“I have eyes, Coulson. Good for you.”

“So, uhm. Garrett?” He hid his hands behind his back. At least he could speak. Melinda could just stare and try to progress Hand's information.

“They're bringing him to operations, so there is no rush for us to get back.” Hand turned around and looked at them over her shoulder. “Or for you.” She grinned. “See you guys later.”

“So.” Phil sighed and ran a hand through his hair as he looked at her. “That's all wrapped up neatly.”

She couldn't believe they had caught Dickface without her!

“Are you mad because Hand knows?”

“No!” How could he think that?

For a moment he looked at her. Then he smiled. “You're mad because you didn't get to beat anybody up.”

“I really hate him.” And she really, really wanted to punch him.

“Wanna go and punch his face for interrogative purposes?” His smile widened and he reached out his hand.

She took it. “It's a date.”

For some reason that made him frown.

“What?” Did she say something wrong?

“Do you really love me?” he asked.

She nodded and pulled him closer. “Very much.”

“Are you sure it's not just Eric and the romance and all that?”

“First off,” She wrapped her arm back around his neck. “you're not that great of an actor, there isn't much difference between you and Eric. And I loved you before.” She kissed him quickly. “I've loved you for years.”

“You don't have to say -”

“When Hill told me you were shot, I -” She shook her head. “I couldn't breathe until I was with you in that hospital room. If you would've … If you … You can't die. You can't.”

“Okay.” He kissed her. “Okay.” He tilted his head and smiled. “That was quite a speech for you.”

She nudged his side with her elbow and he laughed before he kissed her again. For a while she was content with that, but then she remembered something. “I want that letter,” she mumbled against his lips.

“Hm?”

“The letter you wrote. I want it.”

“It's all yours.”

That was exactly what she had wanted to hear.

o0o

Two days later Hill had to visit her sister with some official documents and some bad news. But she would forgive her. She had to, right? They were sisters? Already hating the fight she was about to have, Maria knocked on the open door of the editor room, before she entered.

Maggie sat in front of a big computer screen, surrounded by three more screens. Each screen showed Diane and Eric. There was the moment where Diane had shattered the piece of concrete, one showed them jumping off a cliff, one showed them kissing at a beach …

“Hi!” Maggie looked at her briefly before she returned to the screen. Her fingers moved quickly on the cutting board in front of her. “Now tell me these two aren't in love,” she said, her voice filled with pride. “I have an eye for that sort of thing and I knew these two were meant to be.”

“I can't answer that.” Maria placed the envelope with the documents in front of Maggie.

“In your language, that means yes.” Maggie grinned as she opened the envelope. Then that grin faded and she sprang up from her chair.

“You're gonna confiscate all my footage?!”

THE END

o0o

LAST NOTES: It’s finally complete, can you believe it? Did you enjoy it? I got all teary eyed writing their love confessions, what about you? Too cheesy? Just cheesy enough? Please let me know I’m not the only sap here! :D

[gentlegranolavibes]

“Gilmore Girls;” The Sounds of Starry Hollow

“Gilmore Girls,” an iconic (and my personal favorite) feel-good television series, follows the story of mother/daughter duo Lorelei and Rory Gilmore navigating life in Starry Hollow. This blog discusses how “Gilmore Girls” uses music and sound to tell its charming story. From diegetic and non-diegetic transition music, down to the soundscape of Luke’s Diner, “Gilmore Girls” explores how sound can be effectively used in television. Today, let's look at S1, EP3 as an example.

Season one, episode three (Kill Me Know) begins with one of the Gilmore's weekly dinners at Emily and Richard’s house. At this dinner, it comes to Emily’s attention that Rory needs to choose a sport to play at Chilton, and she effectively forces Richard and Rory to schedule a round of golf the next day. Lorelai makes a valiant attempt to stop it, getting into a heated argument with her mother doing so, but her efforts are to no avail. The round of golf is begrudgingly on. The next day, while Rory is struggling to learn golf and connect with her grandfather, Lorelai is setting up for a huge wedding happening at the Independence Inn. From dealing with an overworked mother of the bride, two sets of twins, and Sookie’s bickering with the vegetable man, she’s got a lot on her plate. Yet all the while, she remains steady in her opinion that Rory must be having a horrible time golfing, and can’t wait to spill all the gossip later that night. However, Rory actually ended up having “quiet a nice time,” to use her own words. Her and Richard connected over their shared love of reading, which makes Lorelai feel incredibly jealous and insecure. So much so, that the women get into a heated argument themselves, and strom off to lick their respective wounds. At the wedding the next day, the Gilmore girls talk it out and eventually come to a mutual understanding, after watching how horrible the mother/daughter relationship is between the twin brides and their mother. Finally, the episode concludes where it began, at yet another Friday dinner with Richard and Emily. However, this dinner goes much more smoothly, which is a bittersweet pill for Lorelai and the audience to swallow.

Now that you’re caught up on what happened in the episode, let's take a deeper look into how diegetic music helps define relationships in “Gilmore Girls.” Starting with an instance of diegetic music at the beginning of the episode (minutes 4-6), when Lorelai and Emily (her mother) are arguing in the kitchen. There is the faint sound of a classical tune being played somewhere in the home. This song is used as an underscore to the intense argument, and becomes a sort of auditory symbol in the episode, representing tension in the mother/daughter relationship. The sweet hum of a simple classical melody is somewhat ironic, given that we only ever hear it when there is a fight to be picked. This contrast between the musical sound and episodic content only serves to emphasize the conflict between Lorelai and Emily more, pulling the audience into the different character perspectives and dramatic tension of the episode.

But wait! There’s more: If you thought this would be the only instance of classical music being used to define the mother/daughter relationship, think again. From minutes 32-34, we see Lorelai and Rory sitting on their porch and progressing into an argument about nothing and everything at the same time. The women argue about the unpermitted borrowing of a sweater, but in reality, this argument is about Lorelai being upset by the fact that Rory had a nice time with her grandparents, whom she dislikes. And while the women argue, there is none other than a simple, classical tune being played on the piano by a neighbor, heard through an open window. This is a moment of incredible specificity within the soundscape, as we’ve established that classical music signifies tension within the episode. The use of another classical song allows the audience to subconsciously compare Lorelai to Emily (her mother) in that moment, and allows Lorelai to have a similar realization. She discovers that maybe her and her mom aren’t so different, and she doesn't like this part of herself. The repeated use of classical music helps to make connections between different characters, on top of increasing dramatic tension.

What about when classical music isn’t used? If classical music isn’t your thing, don’t worry, there are also powerful moments in “Gilmore Girls” that explore the mother/daughter relationship, without a classical tune! For example, at minutes 38-40, we see Lorelai and Rory make up from their previous argument on their porch. This productive and apologetic conversation is not underscored by classical music, but by its counterpart, modern pop. There is a fun, upbeat, pop song being played by the wedding band in the background. The intentional non-usage of classical music indicates a different kind of mother/daughter relationship at this moment. We see a pair of women who are driven to talk to eachother out of a need for healing and mutual respect.  On top of this, the use of the musical opposite, pop music, indicates that this mother/daughter relationship is different than that of Lorelai and Emily. This only makes the audience fall in love with Lorelai and Rory’s story even more, and serves to create a heartwarming moment of women supporting women, instead of succumbing to jealousy and competition.

All in all, season 1, episode 3 (Kill Me Now) of “Gilmore Girls” intentionally uses diegetic, classical music as a means of exploring the mother/daughter relationship. This intentional usage (or non-usage) allows the audience to make connections between different mother/daughter pairs, and further audience investment in the characters and stories. As Lorelai says, “Life’s short, talk fast” and feel free to leave comments, questions, ideas, and thoughts below. Stay tuned for more!

[discord-of-laughter]

How they say “I love you.”

Allete: All shy whispered words, her lips either ghosting over the cheek or neck or her partner, alone, in their arms. Or carried away by the wind when they both know they have to leave and might not see each other again… “Je t’aime…”

 Bel: Either grumpy when they did something wonderful or with a laughter when they did something crazy, either way it just slips out of her mouth and even surprises herself… “Gotta love you, idiot!”  

Cardia: The classic confession of love… all shy… all while she tried to hide it and push it away forever. Her cheeks read when she finally whispers unable to fight against it anymore, with her head lowered, avoiding eye contact when she finally says… “I… I love you… you know…”

 Jo: With a laugh… them having fun is the best moment to say it… but she says it a lot. To a lot of people… no doubt she means it though… but even when she is serious and for real she would still have a smile on her face… feeling all the weight falling off her shoulders when she finally tells them… “I love you – only you.”

 Damian: Burying his face in the crook of his partners shoulder. It would take him forever to say it… whispered words on the skin of his sleeping lover… hoping they don’t hear it because he nearly cries… he shouldn’t be so happy… it could all be over and he could be dead in a minute… so even saying it is unfair to the person he loves… so very much… too much that he wants to see them getting hurt. Quiet words, spoken with a quivering voice “I… love you…”

 Deicida: She wanted to say it before… but was not sure if she even got the meaning of those human words right… or if she was just mistaken… or mistaking her attraction… affection… when she finally does say them though the insecurity in her words can be felt… “I love you… I think…”

 Gabriele: She didn’t mean to say it… those words just left her mouth somewhere between the climax and the afterglow… or when she was falling asleep on the sofa, half on her partner… depending on which it is they either burst out from breathless lips or leave her mouth mumbled, as if she wants to hide them… as a realisation nevertheless “Oh god… I love you…”

 Jennifer: She felt those words on the tip of her tongue for so long… years probably… years of acting professional. Years of being an agent first… a human later… a woman last. And it’s hard for her to say it without feeling it’s meaning slipping… without feeling like it becomes less big as she feels it is and more of… just a phrase. But eventually she will say it… her tone melancholic, the situation either unusually comfortable or desperate “You know… I never stopped loving you…”

 Ophelia: Saying things like this is not what she usually does… not to anyone… definitely not before she is sure… she’d rather take advantage of the moment and probably alcohol, seducing her partner… maybe getting seduced. The next morning, if her partner thinks sex was all it was… that she is not capable for it to be more… she argues, slightly vexed… “You never even thought this could be because I like you, don’t you?!”

 Aquila: Saying it is not hard for her… finding someone she would want to say it to has proofed to be. She in generally wouldn’t say it often. If she did she would want to be sure they are alone and that she has her partner’s attention. Before directly but classically declaring… “I love you.”

 Kayleigh: She never used this word before… she never felt this word before… it had no meaning until her partner came along. She didn’t know it at first that this was what she felt… this was the emotion, the word she would eventually say. When she did she tried to smile… it was supposed to be such a happy thing to say, right? But she couldn’t say it until her partner died and then the words would come out, tainted with tears… “No… no… I love you!!”

 Loreley: She wouldn’t say it until the current trouble were over… long over… only wanting to say it in a time of peace… a time where she might have a chance on love… praying that this one wasn’t like the last and would be… faithful. She has a hard time trying it again… shyly letting him know “Even now that this is over… I want to stay with you.”  

 Lou: It isn’t that he is really shy or anything… it just takes him a while to realise the person he is seeing so often is actually someone he wouldn’t want to let go anymore. And once he finally realised that and said it there is no stopping him anymore. His partner might get to hear it daily… said in the morning, said before bed… sad when he just feels it that much again. A small smirk and then their name and without hestitation… “…I love you.”

 Phionee: She didn’t say it often in her life, not even to the boy she treated like a son… not enough to the one she loved… breathless whispers in the dead of the night or words said with a smirk after something especially reckless or dumb was done… “I don’t even know why I love you.”

 Rachel: Never. She never said it until it was too late, always shuffling out of situations when she would have to say it… say it back… acknowledge it… and then the person she cared about was no longer… himself an she whispered… “I loved you, you know.”

 Daniel: He said it… whispered it, nearly yelled it thrice… said it for the first time when he was 7 years old… and he still does, even though he hasn’t been himself in a long time… even though he changed this never changed… “Because I love you.”

 Skadi: In the dead of night she leans her head on their shoulder to faintly hear their heart beat. Her hand searching for theirs, softly squeezing it… once… twice… thrice… and then she smiles slightly, not even at them just in general, receiving a kiss on the forehead in return. They understand… it is what they do all while the silence between them isn’t broken… “…”

 Mariana: It comes easy from her lips, in lots of variations. But the one she prefers is always, no matter because she is short or breath or in a hurry yet accompanied by a kiss… “…love you.”

 Jason: Saying it, hearing it… he doesn’t know if he wants that. And he rarely expresses an emotion like that… usually running from it his whole life. For reasons he would call no particular reasons if someone asks him. And yet he says it, with his own words, either coming out as… “Stay with me.” or… “I’ll protect you.”  

 Vanessa: To find her way and someone she really wanted to say this to wasn’t easy… the words never really came to her. For month, maybe years she wasn’t quite sure what they were. But there was this fuzzy feeling they both shared, whenever she said… “I think you might be crazy.”

 Cain: He feels so much… so very much… the first love, the disappointment… more of it before he would finally find someone else he wanted to say it too. But it was hard… and so his words transformed in his mouth. With the most important person to him instead usually hearing… “Trust me... please.”

 Robin: This was not what she wanted to say… it wasn’t anything she ever heard and therefore something she felt she couldn’t say… feeling… did she even feel it… maybe… yes… yes she at least thought she did. And yet whenever she opened her mouth to let them know it sounded so much more like “Be quiet, stupid.”

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 Fear: This was such a human thing to do… declare your love… not something it would really be good at or have done before. But it is true with the right person it becomes easy… well as easy as it could get, the words still a bit different and often said with a smirk or a laughter… but they would understand it when it said… “And I like you too.”

 Nine: He had used the phrase for his work before so often. But never meant it… more than a convenient excuse for a liar… this was different, he felt he couldn’t even say it truthfully if he wanted to… so instead he played them a song to remind them… sometimes even sang it but it got harder and harder the more he meant it… and then he needed to let them know but couldn’t so all he could hope for was them understanding nevertheless when he said… “I hate you.”

 Maia: She didn’t feel it like that… maybe that was fine… maybe it was her lacking. Maybe it didn’t matter because she still said it so often with a smile to all the people close and important to her and it was always good when she told them… “Take care, will you.”

 Floris: Glowing red cheeks, lips that had been nibble blood. They wouldn’t take him seriously if he simply said it straight… no one ever did, even when it were just things less… important and serious to him than this. But after a while he finally pulled himself together enough to mumble with still bright red cheeks “You aren’t half bad, you know that?”

 Septa: It was hard to push their anger away to feel something else… anything else really… but when they find the person to make this possible it would still take them forever to realise that something that might be even more powerful than their anger might have been taking over their mind until they finally say… “Fine… I love you… don’t look at me like that… I’m surprised too.”

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 Kaoru: When she said it the first time she was so afraid… unsure if he would want to deal with her situation, her troublesome ability that wouldn’t go away… the fact that she might have taken advantage of what he could do for so long… before catching feelings. Her heart was beating so fast, but she wanted him to know… and even today – 12 years later – her heart still beats a little faster whenever she assures him “I wouldn’t want it any other way… or anybody else.”

 Miyo: She has never heard it nor said it to anybody outside of her family… this was a first this was… different. Throughout most of her life she only had one enemy… and without knowing it… that was who she fell for. She hated it… whenever she stopped to think about. And yet the way she justified her decision was still very much a confession of love… “It’s your fault that I fell for you.”

 Miharu: It had been a while… they had been a lot… the longest time of it friends. And while she would have always trusted him with her life, she never did with her feelings before. Never dared to question anything about their friendship… the comfort she found in it. Kissing him felt… electrifying… took hr breath away… and yet she managed to whisper those words she had carried around in her heart for so long… “I love you… always have.”