#art block has been a real pain in the butt

[recalled11]

Journeys Pt 2!

Part 1

Part three coming soon!

[miracul0us-multishipper]

“You”

A grin spread over Felix' face as he let the charade drop.

“Me.”

The black haired girl he now knew was Marinette rolled her eyes and turned back to her sketch book, a clear dismissal.

“You’re blocking the light. Go bother someone else.”

He sighed and brushed his hair back, decreasing the similarities to his cousin to the necessary minimum.

“Why would I? Everybody else is so boring.”

No one in this entire city had even realized he was back; not their classmates, not the teachers, not even the brunette fashion disaster that obviously had some experience with deception. Of course his little charade would have to end once Adrien had recovered from the cold that kept him at home, but until then Felix would have his fun. Yesterday he'd spend the entire day in the Bourgeois Spa, fooling the entire staff, the Mayor and his clingy brat. Despite the latter being Adriens “best friend”, not even she had realized who she was really inviting. Getting rid of her had been a little harder, but in the end he'd spent a wonderfully relaxing day in a steam bath and his skin was softer than ever. Courtesy of the ridiculously expensive mud bath he hadn’t had to pay a single penny for.

“Looks like you'd fit right in then.”, Marinette commented and drew an especially vigorous line in her book.

“Ouch. You wound me, darling!”

She shrugged and ignored him. Ignored him! That wouldn’t do.

With a last tug at his no longer messy strands he sat down next to her, leaning into her space as far as he could risk without getting slapped. His last few attempts had thought him that lesson.

“Oh, come on, Marinette, you must to tell me!”, he nagged her, happy when her face turned from concentration to annoyance. “What gave me away? Was it the wink? Or no, it was the greeting, wasn't it? Too much enthusiasm.”

“Why do you even care? You got all the others, didn’t you?”

He clicked his tongue.

“I have standards. If there's one person who can tell the difference, my performance is obviously lacking.”

She huffed and added a little bow to the skirt she was working on. Knee-length and plain colored, decorated with small ribbons. Classic and elegant, yet a touch of playfulness. He would have complimented it if he'd thought she might value his opinion.

“If it wasn’t my words or gestures, what was it?”, he asked on, not willing to give up and admit defeat. It was their little routine by now. He'd come up and try to pass as Adrien, she'd see through him and he would try to annoy her until she either gave him her full attention, or snarked him off. Marinette Dupain-Cheng – despite her cute appearance – could be mean, he'd learned.

“I don’t think I want to tell you.”, she shrugged, but he could see the beginning of a smile tugging at her lips. She'd deny it, but secretly she enjoyed their little battles of wits.

“What?”, he gasped and slumped against her in played shock, conveniently knocking the book out of her hands and onto the steps of the Trocadero. “But why?”

Now unable to draw on, she finally gave him her undivided focus.

“Because you, Monsieur Graham de Vanilly, are a major pain in my butt.”

“Oh? I would have thought you above such pettiness.”, he lamented. “To deny a fellow fashion enthusiast your criticism! To dishonor the sacred solidarity between artists! Truly a shame.”

“You? An artist?” She snickered. “Don’t make me laugh.��

“Hey! Deception is as much of an art as these tiny scribbles of yours. And I am a master of my craft, thank you very much.”

She waved her hand and shooed him back a little.

“The questionable status of your craft aside, I'd hardly call you an expert. You were here for a day and already had the entire class plus three akumas after you. Your play didn’t even last an hour before it blew up in your face. Maybe you should ask Lila for a bit of advice! She's been here for months and is still on her unquestioned bullshit.”

He growled at that, drawing out another of these smug little smirks Marinette so rarely wore. After all his visits she knew how to rile him up.

“Do not compare me to that- that klutz! Anybody could spew some fancy tales and name drop, but that doesn’t mean she has skill. There's no finesse, no authenticity beneath that badly styled hair of her.”

“And there is beneath yours?”, Marinette said sweetly. He huffed and raised his chin.

“Of course there is. I don’t run around as Adrien for the fame, but for the fun of it. And I actually put in some effort. I was only found out because my goal required breaking character, and I still had a score to settle with my dear cousin. You think I only depend on my pretty face, because it looks conveniently close to Adrien? Wrong!”

His chest swoll a little as he spoke. With his accomplishments, he'd earned a little pride in himself.

“True, artful deception requires three things Lila Rossi couldn’t fake if her life depended on it: Discretion, Distraction and the right timing. She only ever barges in headfirst, unable to survive even a second outside of the spotlight.”

She hummed.

“My mistake. How could I ever assume you to be alike, since you obviously care so little about getting attention?”

Snarky little minx. Well, she wasn’t wrong, to be fair.

“Enough of that!”, he decided and eagerly turned back to her. “Now tell me what gave me away.”

“Let me see...”, she mused and pursed her lips. “I guess I could tell you that...”

“Yes?”

“...under certain circumstances...”

“Go on!”

“...it might be...”

“Might be?”

“The scent.”

He blinked. This had been his mistake? What kind of cologne did his cousin even wear?

“The... the scent.”

“Uh-huh.”

She moved to get back to her sketching, but he snatched the book before she could even touch it.

“Nah-ah! First you've got to expand on that. What perfume is he wearing?”

She shrugged and leaned back.

“Oh, isn’t it obvious? Adrien always wears “Manners and Class” N° 5. You on the other hand reek of “Wouldn’t know politeness if it hit me in the face”. A poor choice, really.”

She leaned in.

“You stink.”

It took a moment for her words to register, and he couldn't suppress a gasp when they did. With a satisfied smile she tugged her sketchbook out of his hands and crossed her legs, ready to put the finishing touch on her latest design. Felix fell back on the step next to her.

“That's it.”

“Yup.”

“You've won.”

“Fair and square.”

“I am defeated.”

“Annihilated. But to be fair, that opening was too easy.”

“Perfect set-up. Clean execution. Merciless punchline. You have earned your victory, so claim it properly.”

“I will.”

He fell silent after that, acknowledging his defeat. He lasted all but two minutes before his need for attention beat his shame.

“So? What do you want as your prize?”

“Peace and quiet?”, she proposed, gnawing at the end of her pencil.

He shook his head in disbelief.

“You're more ambitious than that, Dupain-Cheng. Here I am, Felix Graham du Vanilly, offering you everything I can give, and you settle for peace and quiet? Tsk, you can do better than that.”

“Maybe I could ask you to clear the area, while I’m already at it. For the entire week.”

He should leave. He wouldn’t get any real feedback out of her today, and now that he had offered her a prize she might develop some common sense and ask him for his connections, or some favors that could get her publicity. He was stretching his luck every time he decided to pester her again.

But he stayed. Whether it was his wounded pride, or his curiosity ever since she'd sent that little love declaration to his cousin... he couldn’t allow the only borderline interesting person in this city to dismiss him like that. Especially not when he hadn’t been able to get a rise out of her yet.

An idea popped into his mind and he spoke before he could think.

“You could ask me for a date.”

Now Marinette did put her book away.

“Excuse me?”

“You heard me.”

She blinked.

“Did you miss the part where I asked you to leave me to my scribbles, as you put it? Because I am sure I mentioned it a few times, now.”

“No, doesn’t ring a bell.”

She groaned and closed her book. He counted that as a victory.

“Well, then maybe you remember the fact that I’m in love with Adrien. Which you already know, since you watched the video clearly addressed to him. And deleted said video. And replied very rudely.”

He hummed and stood up to circle her. An actor had to have a sense of drama, after all.

“The past is the past. And in the present, I look just like Adrien.”

Now he finally seemed to have broken through her cool facade.

“So what?”, she snapped at him, crossing her arms. “Do you think I like him for his looks? Am I that shallow, in your opinion?”

Of course she wasn’t. But he'd finally struck a nerve.

“You're not?”, he provoked slyly.

“No!”

She stomped her pink flats on the ground with more force than should be physically possible.

“I love him because he is kind. And thoughtful. And funny and confident and fair and so classy, and because he loves to make friends, and because he's loyal and caring and-“

“Okay, okay, I get it. He's your little fairy tale prince.”, he interrupted a little harsher than intended. Clearing his throat he continued. “And you'll be relieved to know that I don’t want to date you either. No offense to you, but I am above such mundane things as crushes.”

She rolled her eyes and sat back down.

“Of course you are.”

“Fact is, my dear Marinette,” he lectured smugly, “that you can’t even say two words to your loverboy without seemingly suffering a particularly unflattering stroke.”

“What a flowery statement, Sherlock.”

“Another fact is that you can talk very fluently to me. Far too fluently, in my opinion.”

Marinette's eyes narrowed with suspicion and he smiled.

“What's your point?”

“My point is,” he finished his circling and came to a stand right in front of her. “that you can use me to practice. Here, I'll even mess up my hair again!”

“Wait, I didn’t even agree to-“

“You're welcome. Aren’t I a dashing little dream prince?”

He posed in true Adrien fashion and Marinette pinched the bridge of her nose.

“Please, just don’t.”

“Pah! Ungrateful as always. Anyway, back to business!”

He spun into a dramatic pirouette and kneeled down before her, taking her hand between his.

“Marinette, my fairest!”, he proclaimed with vigor. “Is there something on that bright mind of yours you want to share with me, Adrien Agreste?”

She groaned again, but didn’t pull away.

“If you'll leave me alone after that...”

“I'll do anything my good friend asks of me! I am sunshine personified!”

“Jesus Christ.”

“Close enough.”

He almost regretted looking for Marinette this late. The sun was about to set and most tourists had already left for locations with a better view. If there had been more, one might have captured a snap shot of Adrien Agreste kneeling in front of a random girl about to confess. His cousin would be delighted when he found out about his scandal in the news.

Alas, it was only the two of them who paid attention to each other. But Marinette was about to begin, so he didn’t ponder on the viewers anymore.

“I... I wanted to tell you that...”

He almost winced at that poor display of rhetorical talent, but she wasn’t done yet. Taking a deep breath, Marinette lifted her eyes off of her shoes and looked directly at him. And for a moment it felt as if she were looking into him. He'd seen these bluebell eyes roll in annoyance, glare in anger and sparkle with mirth, but never had he seen them this piercing, this all-consuming.

“Adrien, there's something I haven’t told you yet.”, she said, and it was as if he'd never heard her speak before. This wasn’t the voice that had teased and bantered with him, or the disinterested lull she mumbled in when she tried to ignore him. This was soft, yet firm and confident. Like tugging the strings of a violin: a clear, pleasant sound that offered a first hint of the potential in this slender instrument.

“I didn’t keep this from you because I don’t value our friendship.”, she said and her fingers tightened around his. Felix was suddenly sure that no expensive mudbath could ever make his skin as soft as hers. “It's the furthest thing from it. I didn’t tell you because I value our friendship so much. And I was scared to risk it.”

She took a step closer and he had to swallow.

“Adrien, you are the first person I think of when I wake up, and the only person I see in my dreams. Every morning, when I walk into class and see you, I feel like there's pure sunshine in my chest and springs under my feet. Like gravity is just a loose suggestion and I could float if I jumped. Like... like I could do anything I ever dreamed of.”

She looked down upon their hands. Disentangling their fingers surprised him, but even more surprising was that this time, she took his hands between hers.

“I know you feel trapped sometimes.”, she whispered and he found himself suddenly very insecure. Was she still acting? Was she this deep in their little charade? Or... or was she truly talking to him?

“I know you put up a smile and try to give everybody what they expect. And that you don’t have a lot of chances to just be you, not the heir of a great legacy. But I... I want to be your escape. Your safe haven. What I am trying to say is...”

She looked back up to him, and her smile was radiant.

“I love you.”

...

There was a tightness in his chest.

Because he wasn’t breathing, he realized.

Odd.

He didn’t have time to overthink this little detail, though. For as soon as he opened his mouth to say something – what, he didn’t know – she blinked and took a step back. The spell faded and his mouth fell shut again.

“So,” Marinette cleared her throat and looked away. “How... How was it?”

“Uh...”, he made, which was admittedly not the smartest reply he’d ever given her. The fact that he still hadn’t remembered to breathe in didn’t make things easier.

Marinette shifted her weight from one leg to the other, uncomfortable.

“That bad?”

Ha.

Ha ha.

He shook his head and finally sucked in some much needed air.

“Good”, he croaked out, which was still not much of an improvement from his earlier statement of ‘uh’.

“It was... really good.”

Ah. The simple beauty of a full sentence.

“You think so?”, she asked, voice high with surprise. “It wasn’t... I don’t know, a little too much?”

“No!”, he answered a little too fast. “Uh, no. No, it was really... really good.”

Marinette's eyes went narrow.

“Are you making fun of me? Because I may be small, but if you did this to humiliate me then I swear to god, I will take this pencil and-“

“I was serious. What you said was beautiful.”

They both blinked at his words. He hadn’t meant to say that. This wasn’t how their interactions went. They were snarky. Mean. Teasing from time to time. But not... this. Never this open. Never vulnerable.

“Thank you.”, Marinette gave back, seemingly unsure herself. “I should... you know, it’s late and my parents are waiting.”

He nodded far too eagerly for his earlier efforts to make her stay.

“Yes, of course. I'll... No, you know the way better than me, probably.”

She laughed at that. It wasn’t a snicker, or one of her smug little huffs. It sounded... sweet.

“Yeah, no need to walk me home.”

She eyed him for a a moment, then the emptying place.

“I could walk you home, though. If you want to.”

Yes.

“No.”, he said and something in his chest roared in disappointment. “Thank you, but it would be quite the detour for you.”

She shrugged.

“Alright. Don’t get lost.”

Shouldering her bag she took her sketch book and moved to leave, but stopped mid movement to turn back around.

“Oh, and if you tell anybody – especially Adrien! – about any of this, you'll find out what I was going to do with that pencil! Got it?”

He rolled his eyes, finally in control of himself.

“Yes, oh great master of pencilmanship. Your weapon is as feared as its wielder.”

Satisfied she nodded and turned around, but stopped yet again. With a groan she dropped the bag, stepped in front of him and grabbed his collar. He'd never admit to anybody that the surprised squeal that followed had come from him. Utterly frozen in shock he could only watch as Marinette came closer and...

“There!”, she hummed and combed back his hair with her fingers. “I like you hair better this way.”

A small nod was all he could muster up, but it was enough for her. Waving him goodbye she turned around for good.

“Well then. See you around, Felix!”

He watched her leave, desperately trying to regain his voice.

“Y-Yeah. See you around, Marinette.”

Only when she had completely disappeared in the nearby metro station he allowed himself to sit down, wobbly knees no longer able to support him.

“What...”, he mumbled to himself, “...the entire fuck...”

What did just happen? Nothing made sense, not this stupid idea and certainly not his reaction to it. Sighing he leaned back against the steps and touched his hair. It was still a little messy, but laid back against his head in its usual fashion. If he concentrated he could almost feel the warmth of her fingers trapped between his strands.

He sighed deeply.

...damnit.

- - -

A little one shot because I hadn't written about canon!felix yet.

[mwolf0epsilon]

“Eps’s Notes on The Illusion of Living”

It's taken me nearly three months to get this done due to writer’s block kicking my sorry butt. But, as promised, here are my notes on the "Illusion of Living". Good god has this been painful… But I did have a lot of stuff I initially thought of Joey somewhat confirmed for me, and got a few extra interesting tidbits of info that I feel are very curious...

--{Key}--

Italics are my opinion

--{Key}--

--{Quick retelling of the book’s contents}--

    The Drews were among the more impoverished families in New Jersey, and Joey's father briefly worked in the silk industry to make end's meet before opening his own shoe store (that his mother oversaw profits for as the accountant). As such there were obvious limitations to a lot of Joey’s upbringing (like a lack of toys to entertain him with, and very few family vacations/trips that were memorable).

According to Joey, the shoes sold at his family’s store were primarily designed for people in the working class (clunky shoes and boots that would endure wear and tear rather than be flashy or comfortable to wear, which Joey complained never really fit him right), and had one singular design that was simply improved upon rather than any variety (I suppose the saying here would be “don’t fix it if it ain’t broke” but Joey really seemed to have some sort of issue with this, as he disliked his father’s works).

    Joey's mother was a hardworking housewife and the primary parent when it came to rearing her child. She educated and played with him more than his father, so Joey was much fonder and emotionally close to her than to him and, while Joey’s father wasn’t an absent parent by any means, he was definitely more engrossed in working to sustain the family.

This family dynamic definitely had some impact on Joey, especially since his mother got him interested in the art of storytelling in general, and he seemed to have a lot more respect for her than for his father. In fact he even had a few reservations regarding his father’s mental integrity when he discovered his talent for making voices in a rather odd manner.

It should be noted here that, while Joey's father was strong, he looked deceptively frail and wasn't considered a particularly brave man by any means. He was however regarded as a bit of an entrepreneur, and Joey was very concerned that he may not be sane (which was a bit of taboo at the time, considering treatment for mental health issues hadn’t advanced past lobotomies and other disturbing medical malpractices) because he talked and sang to himself in curious little voices while he worked. Curiously enough, while a patient and loving man, Joey's father wasn't aversed to cursing around his young son (although Joey himself doesn't seem to use crass language, even if it was normalized in the household). Another curious thing to note is that Joey greatly dislikes mud, and especially hated it as a child (alluding to his later obsessive cleanliness as an adult).

    Because of the financial issues his family suffered through, Joey didn't have a radio or many books growing up, and was thus more fond of Vaudevilles (specifically theatrical comedy, tragedy, and bizarre/surreal acts) which were pretty common in his city of birth. This interest for theatrics and third person story perspectives mixed terribly with later events in his life, like how at age 10 he witnessed a potential murder/suicide (Jesus christ...). Through this event he realized that there were different kinds of people in specific situations, especially when faced with the finality of death. Joey goes so far as to describe how theatrical the death was (Almost sounding disconnected from the reality of the situation as he noted that the crowd and even his own father seemed more like characters to him than real people). However, since Joey's neighborhood was ripe with strange people, he wasn't unfamiliar with bizarre events happening around him. Seeing a motorized ambulance was more amazing to a 10 year old him than actually caring for the death of a stranger at the front of his father's store.

    At age 12, Joey went to Coney Island for the first time, and the journey excited him greatly since he didn't get to leave home very often. The trip to Coney Island was magical in a sense, and later in life he hoped to replicate it in Bendyland to a more permanent degree (the trip back home ruptured the magical effect, which he didn't want to happen with Bendyland).

Joey has his own set of rules he plays by which he considers his life’s philosophy that he calls "The Illusion of Living". This was inspired by several events in his life, including his father passing the time by playing make believe (the Shoemaker and the Elves). This unique perception of what illusion and reality are (“the same thing”), seems to point to Joey having developed a dissociative personality disorder from a young age, which got progressively worse as he grew older. This in addition with the ADHD patterns he displays in his confusing rambling writing (and Joey rambles a LOT), and the almost OCD behaviour in regards to cleaning up after himself, indicates Joey lacked impulse control and was more prone to listening to intrusive thoughts.

Joey's view of reality was often confusing to others and he greatly enjoyed poking fun out of slowly getting them to his point of view. Conversations with Joey were thus quite frustrating to some, but no less curious to others that actually tried to understand what the “Illusion of Living” was about (Like Nathan). According to Joey, only a few people ever got close to understanding it.

    Joey enlisted to fight in the first war after he lied about his age (He was 15 years old, a year younger than the required age to enlist at the time). Out of all the positions in the army, he seemed most interested in comms, and considered himself more decent in communicating than actually fighting in the front lines.

It seems like Joey greatly enjoyed how he looked in uniform, and was also particularly finicky about his looks in general despite being in boot camp.

He made friends in the army, Private Donaldson and Private Eckhart, which Nathan (who worked at the tech lab that Joey later worked for) attests to being accurately described in the book. They were slightly older than Joey and were also interested in communication tech and shared his sense of humor. They also influenced Joey's social life, and tried to get him to date some gals that he wasn’t remotely interested in (the first indication that he may not be straight).

    Another close friend Joey had in the army was Lottie (a communications officer) and he used to "chaperone" her whenever the four went out to party. He seemed to have a considerable amount of respect for her (which is likely a result of growing up observing his mother, thus understanding that women were competent in positions where other men would scoff at the idea of them working at all). As such he was quite supportive of the War's “Hello Girls” (comms female officers). Interestingly enough this contradicts Joey's sexist persona that he seems to take on in Dream Come to Life (a mask that seems to be among many others he employs to fit in with the rest of society).

Lottie was his special gal pal in the platonic sense and, while he often ate alone to be left with his thoughts, she usually sought him out to talk to.

Joey only ever empathized with people he was close to, often reserving telling stories to comfort his friends specifically. It was the only way he could brighten their day (which later supposedly helped a disillusioned Lottie when she was sent to serve in London). What one could take away from Joey’s days as a soldier was that he was incredibly perceptive in terms of studying people. He easily recognized people’s handwriting, and was greatly fascinated by others’s personalities.

He could also easily charm people just from reading into what they might be interested in, and liked the thought of subliminally impressing others (which he later incorporated into his cartoons). It’s never mentioned, but Joey was likely honorably discharged since the war ended in 1918 and didn’t need to return to the service of the military when the second world war hit (keeping in mind Joey appears to have mobility issues later in life, he might have not been fit for field duty).

    At age 19 Joey ended up involved in investigating the murder case of Walter Richmond, a signal corps soldier Joey met briefly in his service days. The victim in question was responsible for documenting the war efforts, not being necessarily that great of a photographer, but taking a certain amount of pleasure in capturing the most viscerally gruesome pictures possible for shock value. How Joey got involved was a curious thing in of itself, since he didn’t know the victim all that well, nor cared to get to know him. Detective Adam Sinclair (a tall hulking man wearing the typical trenchcoat and fedora combo, who’s most noticeable features were his aged face and unshaven 5’o’clock shadow) tracked him down to his little minimalistic (and obsessively clean and tidy) apartment to question him. Joey was initially unsurprised that an ex-soldier ended up dead (not from the war, but likely ptsd), and was instead surprised that it was a murder case. He ended up inserting himself into the case as Sinclair’s shadow to help solve it. The reason was mostly out of self-interest, but his perspective did seem useful to the detective in the end. Throughout the investigation Joey displayed a few particular traits that indicate his attentive and peculiar nature, such as the way he reads others (their way of dressing and upkeep of posture), the manner of which he judges a good handshake, his distaste for smoking (which was taught to him via the idea that if something smells bad it’s usually bad for you) and drinking (he tries to be careful with alcohol intake in general, as he’s more accustomed to beer than drinks like champagne which one could over-indulge recklessly without noticing). Joey’s fascination for taboo subjects (war, violence, and death specifically) is also noted when he observes the victim’s photographic works.

This is a prevalent theme in an art gallery event where these particular subjects seemed to linger strongly in his mind, to the point where he noticed when one of the photos he recalls having seen before during his brief meeting with Richmond, appeared to be missing from the display. A detail that appeared to be dismissed by others, but of great interest to Sinclair.

    During this same gallery event, there was an incident set up by the murderer that involved a firecracker and a crowbar that set off a lot of panic. Joey’s work at the signal corps labs saved him from the brutality of the trenches, but he's apparently familiar with the effects of severe PTSD (And ironically notes that reliving the same painful event over and over again is his definition of true horror/personal hell).

It became very apparent to both Joey and Sinclair that the murderer was amongst them, and that this onslaught of panic was a message: That the murder of the frontline photographer was personal.

They did in fact come into contact with the perpetrator and, after a while of radio silence between Joey and Sinclair, the case was solved with...Minimal success. While Sinclair knew who killed Walter Richmond, he unfortunatelly did not have enough proof to convict her (the sister of a casualty of war that could have easily been saved, had Richmond not left him for dead because it fit his narrative of the war just fine), thus allowing her to get away with literal murder. Worse yet, the resolution of the case seemed to further disconnect Joey from reality and consequence. He gained a disdain for Adam Sinclair where once he’d respected him as an authority figure of sorts, finding that he’d accomplished his role and still failed miserably. In the end, the only thing to come out of teaming up with Sinclair was learning a social skill that Joey employed later on, by mirroring back certain aspects of a person so they’d be more comfortable around him. Otherwise the detective became nothing more than a distant memory. Unimportant in Joey’s later narrative.

    Two years later, Joey started working for a bookstore where he began satiating his vast hunger for knowledge, now that he had access to all sorts of books he could never afford as a child. Joey is fairly well read with an interest in various genres, although it was previously noted that during his army service people made fun of him for especially liking fictional novels. Joey being Joey however, wasn’t overly fussed about others’s opinions on what he sought enjoyment from, especially when it came to storytelling. Aside from getting his reading quota filled out, his bookstore job also helped him develop his salesperson skills through reading his customers. Through his experiences with his father’s shop and shadowing Sinclair, he had by now understood that people were highly superficial, and that he could apply whatever knowledge he gathered from them into how he sold his pitch to them. His charisma seemed to lure in customers.

    While working at the store he met Abby Lambert who he immediately noticed had an eye for art. Joey quickly became friends with her and seemed to greatly appreciate her no-nonsense attitude towards life in general, going so far as to respect her capabilities as a working lady where other men would be disdained with her difficult attitude. In fact, he wondered why anyone wouldn’t hire her to do a job she could clearly handle, just because she was a woman (again contradicting his sexist persona). As a connoisseur of the arts, Abby was the one to fully introduce Joey to her favourite craft. He especially took an interest in Impressionism and its influences.

Abby also supposedly introduced Henry to Joey, which the latter insists wasn’t really that remarkable of an event since Henry was “unimaginative” and “lacking in talent” due to his specialty in cartoon caricatures, and not the richer awe inspiring paintings Joey seemed to prefer (basically Joey spends any given time in the book trying to make Henry seem as insignificant as possible out of pure unadulterated pettiness, which physically pains me).

Ironically, in terms of entertainment, Joey later favoured cartoons as the more appealing form of films since most other mediums didn’t really spark his interest, even if the genres were ones he found fascinating (I suppose that despite films being works of fiction most times, Joey likely thought real life actors were far too limited in their acts due to the natural limitations of the human body).

Returning to Abby, her friendship seemed to be more impactful to Joey than most others. Like with how he preferred his mother’s company to his father’s, Abby seemed to be one of few people he actually felt comfortable around, to the point where her criticism didn’t bother him. She was also mindful of him, where she could recognize Joey’s “preferences” and made it a point to clarify to him that their outings were purely platonic so he wouldn’t get uncomfortable in those situations.

    Three years after meeting Abby and Henry, Joey became a manager at the bookstore and Henry began working there as well (by Joey’s suggestion it seems), and only then did they sort of start developing a meek little friendship of sorts (although Joey seems very dismissive about it and focuses primarily on Abby).

During that time, the idea to start his own business came about from two different events that happened that year. The first being his first ever theatrical script that he wrote and performed with Abby at a gallery event. During the performance of this little play (the theme of which was an angel and a demon discussing their role in influencing a mortal’s life), Joey discovered that he greatly enjoyed controlling situations and got way too into it (even considers what he could get away with in the name of entertainment, such as if he could act out actual violent or scandalous behaviours if he proclaimed it a part of the show).

The second event was his father sending him shoes once a year (which, because Joey disliked the make of his father’s shoes, he tried to get him to stop by pretending they weren’t arriving at his address or that they were getting stolen). As a means to ensure he got them, Joey's father started sending the packages to the bookstore. A doodle and writing on the package ended up inspiring Joey to create his own studio as he wanted to take flight in the entertainment industry.

    Having thus decided that he wanted to open up a film studio of some kind, Joey immediately set off to get himself a memorable mascot. He had a vague idea of what he needed and what might be appealing to an audience, but he wasn’t particularly skilled in character design and openly admitted to this. Abby, who was also not particularly good at drawing cartoons, understood that her more realistic style wouldn’t really help (or appeal to) Joey, so she enlisted Henry’s help. Knowing that Joey was a bit picky in regards to how he evaluated art, she thought perhaps she could persuade him to take a liking to Henry’s works (which he wasn’t particularly fond of, due to Henry mostly working with pen-drawings of cartoon characters and caricatures that looked very unremarkable to him) if he could only see him actually work his “magic”. Joey was reluctant to bring Henry into his business plan, but upon actually reaching a design within a few minutes (that took a few tries experimenting with animal and human features in more detailed and then simplified ways) of Joey giving some directions, he seemed to be sold on bringing Henry on board.

Henry designing the company mascot was thus the final push to open up Joey Drew Studios.

The two began their partnership not too long after, and from then on out things got interesting very quickly.

    The history behind the studio is...Not an easy one to validate in terms of whether or not Joey is sincere or even really knows certain dates (the more I look into the beginning of the book and the later exposition of information, the more I realized either Joey was starting to trip himself up on dates or his memory was visibly failing him). There are a lot of discrepancies in the dates provided, with some going back on how long Henry remained in the studio (even claiming to have at some point surrounded him with other animators and even a lead artist a year prior to his departure), when Sammy and Jack were hired (He says he hired Sammy in 1929 during the Wallstreet Crash, but later says he hired both him and Jack after the Wallstreet Crash), among other things... Joey Drew Studios was primarily funded by Mrs. Richmond (the mother of Walter Richmond), as Joey had forged friendships with the people involved in the case he’d helped Sinclair investigate (including the murderer whom he had grown to respect).

While other investors aren’t really brought up, it’s implied Nathan also had a hand in helping the studio taking off, as Joey often met up with him at the Russian Tearoom whenever he could. During these private meetings, Nathan would impart advice on Joey. Advice which he seemed to not care for, as he already had his own concerns at the time.

It seemed that his main plan was to acquire a talented and capable team to achieve his dream. A team Joey thought he wouldn’t need to "baby-sit", as he specifically wanted to hire individuals that were as studious and capable as he saw himself (curiously Joey mentions that Henry’s work ethic was exactly what he wanted, as Henry had never held work back or needed to be checked up on, which to Joey was an invaluable attribute).

For at least two years, the Bendy Cartoons were nothing but silence and sound effects (something we actually see in-game in BatIM Chapter One when the projector suddenly turns on and we hear nothing but the clicking of the projector and Joey’s whistling), which put them at a bit of a disadvantage when it came to competing with other animation studios.

This soon changed when Joey came across Sammy Lawrence and Jack Fain at a party he was attending on his 30th birthday (which he wasn’t celebrating, the party was a completely different event so supposedly Joey doesn’t care much for his own birthday).

He was already familiar with Sammy’s musical skills (mostly playing the piano quite masterfully), as he’d seen him perform at the theater when Sammy was still a teenager. Noticing him and Jack at the party was entirely accidental and was mostly due to the fact that, while Sammy was trying to keep out of the spotlight as he played, Jack’s showmanship shone through and caught Joey’s eye with how boisterous he was in their musical performance.

Joey approached them once their act was done and managed to convince them to work for him. Jack seemed to be immediately on board, while Sammy was a little more guarded in his agreement and immediately set up his stipulations for the job. This seemed to lean Joey’s interest towards Sammy (who Joey was unhealthily fascinated with because he was clearly not an easy man to control) more than Jack (who he likely considered too easy a read in terms of character, thus not much of a challenge to sway or condition).

     By 1933 Joey officially bought the entire building the studio was set up in (which up until then was occupied by other people seeking their own ventures). Expansion and new hires likely started a year or so later and continued on despite financial instability, and between 1941 and 1942 Joey was already starting to work out how he’d get Bendyland to be just as perfect and spectacular as he had always envisioned (which was difficult because he never really got it to feel just right in his eyes, and something felt off to him).

In between listing several different projects, vaguely describing an innovative techniques (Sillyvision which seems to be linked with the Golden Ink?), and even setting up his own 7 rules on how to animate to help set up a guide for aspiring animators, Joey slowly drifts away from the studio topic and finalizes his book rather abruptly.

He insinuates there’s a lot more for him to tell but little to no connection with the “Illusion of Living” philosophy and he’d rather focus on his actual physical work with the Studio than sit down and write further, so he finishes off on a rather...Vague note.

--{On Joey Drew}--

Year of Birth - 1901 (Day and month are never mentioned, but it's possible that his favouring of the autumnal season alludes to a fall month) Year of Death - ??? (Supposedly he's died, hence why Nathan claimed the Bendy IP) Birth City: Born and raised in Paterson "Silk City", New Jersey (Joey doesn't seem to have an accent, so he likely masks it, or made an effort to lose it). Physical Characteristics: As a child he used to have curly hair (Considering the era’s general fashion and style, it’s very likely that Joey either cut his hair too short to see the curls, or simply uses too much gel to seem more presentable) Sexual/Romantic Preferences: Homosexual with Demiromantic subtones (Joey seems to be closed off in general, but more appreciative of the male figure. Could be interpreted as demisexual however, since Joey himself doesn't seem to like wasting time around people he doesn't have much of a bond with) Notes: Here are several notes I’ve compiled about Joey and his opinions on certain things and people. There’s a lot to look at as this man rambles like an old lady at a friday night bingo event, and thus I had a lot to take in!

Laughter is important to him.

Seems to be a dog person.

Likes Cheerios (yes this was a super necessary detail I had to jot down).

Considers having his ideas disclosed without permission to be disloyal.

Seems to have some sort of dissociative personality disorder (likely brought on by trauma or another undiagnosed mental disorder).

People-Watcher by nature.

Was taught by his father that the shoe makes the man (aka the art of studying people through their shoes).

Joey believes in the saying "The Truth is in the Pudding", a saying his mother often employed.

Never had enough money to own a pair of nice fitting shoes until he was 26.

Is narcissistically vain. Easily takes insult if people assume he can't look presentable.

His service in the army gave him experience with "experimental tech".

Enjoys music a lot, and he was considered a great dancer.

Finds modern feminine fashion standards appealing.

Disliked the way those with money romanticized lacking material gains. Found it personally disrespectful in a way, since he himself came from a poor family.

Seems appalled by too much color on one's wear (Joey is the goddamn fashion police).

Very picky about the arts.

Apparently disliked Henry's art style(???).

Lets people believe Henry is the creator of the toons, in an act of being holier than thou. (You lying son of a gun, stop lying to everyone and yourself whaddahell).

Joey's analogy of Henry starting a journey but Joey being the one to reap the benefits, is likely the truest thing he's said in this nightmare of a novel (boastful bastard...).

Thinks of Bendy as his firstborn, muse and messenger.

Took an art class with Abby (likely not a full art course, just a simple class to get the gist of it?).

Considers art the doorway to immortality.

Doesn't like post-mortem success (it frightens him, even). He'd rather be successful in his lifetime.

Admits to making mistakes, but not many. He also thinks mistakes don't need to be permanent.

Doesn't know what true rest is like, and is unsure if he'll ever be content enough to rest. On that same note he seems to really hate sitting still and his mind tends to wander, which he notes Nathan recognized with ease, even reserving a specific look for him (It’s the ADHD baby).

His friend Kyle was a lazy person and a gossip, which were traits Joey found annoying.

On their first meeting, Joey described having a desire to shove Sammy off a roof to see a more human reaction from him.

Assumes Jack is jealous of the attention he gives Sammy, or that the duo's relationship is strained, despite him barging into their lives out of the blue and making him feel like a third wheel.

Seems to think of himself as some sort of a messenger (going so far as to akin himself to the god, Mercury). His life’s mission is to help those who don't know they need to be helped (mostly through spreading happiness and laughter in such a dark and dreary era of human history). Bendyland is essentially Joey's means to fulfil this desire, as well as to chase his own need for a properly realized mixture of immersion and illusion.

He wanted Bendyland to be perfect, even the plot of land it might be built in needed to be perfect, so he inspected it himself with Nathan once he bought the deed.

Appears to refuse to call Bertrum by his proper name once he’s corrected the first time. Referring to him instead as either Bertie or Bert (toying with him perhaps? Testing boundaries?)

Doesn't drive. He instead hired a personal driver, Simmons.

For a little while he was living the American Dream, but thought of how he lived as less of a shared goal and more of a personal one (again setting himself apart from others).

His days were quite flexible and he seemed to despise set routines. He also doesn't like sleeping in. He liked to take a walk in central park early in the morning.

Joey used to make his rounds around the studio but the installation of the Ink Machine changed that habit a bit.

Nonchalantly notes that Shawn Flynn got a little defensive if he needed to be corrected on his work (OCD much, Joey? He was painting a lot of dolls by hand, slipups happen...).

He had priority meetings with Sammy, "meetings" with Jack (Sir what are these quotation marks for, are you snogging Jack while no one’s watching???), then met with the art department preceding the writing department, and finally he met with Grant Cohen in accounting to discuss finances and budget.

He had the final say in ALL paperwork regarding studio affairs.

Upon reading about it, found the concept of bringing in real animals to produce Disney's Bambi as funny, and joked about how trying to do so with Bendy and Boris would be chaotic.

Noted that Abby and Sammy were likely the only two people who closely understand the philosophy of the illusion of living, but not quite…

Was terrified of being misunderstood. Joey didn’t want to only be able to show half-truths, like a mirror reflecting the world darkly. Rather ironic considering he was quite deceitful in his adult life.

His desire for the world to love Bendy seems to be a projection of wanting to feel loved himself (quite honestly if one were to apply the theory of the id, ego and superego, it seems to me that Bendy is essentially Joey’s id, while Joey himself could be considered the Superego. The chameleonic social mask he wears is thus the ego. At the end of the day Bendy and Joey are and aren’t the same entity...).

Originally he didn't want to make a memoir (likely because he can't be direct and needs to work around the truth to fit him). It could also be that Joey didn’t want to linger on the past nor in death. He wasn't sure where it fit with his philosophy and thus tried not to explore too deep into it (existential dread?).

He wore custom tailored suits, and as of beginning writing TioL he had recently taken to wearing cravats (ever the vain man I suppose…).

Despite considering revisiting the past unnecessary, he couldn’t deny doing so if the time called for it. In fact, the Archives are Joey's memories of the past and he's sentimental enough to collect mementos of bygone eras.

Joey has trophies at home, the deeply personal things he couldn’t bare part with. Like the first sketch of Bendy, a napkin with the design of Bendyland, a letter from Henry, a ticket from a Vaudeville show, and his set of shoes he wore when he was surveying the plot of land where he planned to build Bendyland.

--{On Bendy}--

Notes: Here are a few notes I’ve compiled about the Little Devil Darling himself, and a few curiosities about his creation and the inspiration behind his character.

Bendy was officially created in 1928. According to Joey he was born of a dream, supposedly out of necessity, and he always had this idea of a little devil character doing mischief.

Bendy started off as a realistic little boy with a tail and horns (Abby’s attempt to bring to life Joey’s vague idea). Then, when Henry got involved, he became a cartoonish goat creature. The concepts were quickly worked out from a toony clothed amalgamation of both previous concepts, to a more intermediate design more closely resembling Bendy, and then finally, after Joey requested a simpler more shapely and less detailed toon, Bendy became the iconic  little imp clad in only gloves and bowtie.

Joey named him upon seeing the completed design. There are two origins for his name: That of Walter Benjamin Richmond, who’s nickname in life was “Bendy” (a rather morbid homage considering what happened to him), and the mere fact that in Joey’s eyes, his little cartoon imp “bent all the rules”. Henry seemed to appreciate the name.

Bendy is meant to be the devil on one’s shoulders, much like the devil in Joey’s first theatrical play. He is however, a lot more like a little kid playing pranks on people. He is also a sort of embodiment of both the population and human morality (society at its most flawed point, but also quite relatable).

Buster Keaton was an inspiration for Bendy’s many shenanigans and movements, which were always meant to be fluid and a bit bouncy.

--{On Henry Stein}--

Year of Birth - ??? (It’s never mentioned how old Henry is, but I assume he’s around the same age group as Abby, since they were friends and likely went to the same art course. It’s likely that he’s younger than Joey, but not likely by much.) Year of Death - 1963 (It’s not really confirmed if Henry died when he was put into the Cycle, as he doesn’t seem to notice anything odd about himself, but it’s safe to assume the process very likely involves human sacrifice). Birth City: ??? (Unknown, it could be that he was born and raised in New York but Henry lacks a noticeable accent) Physical Characteristics: Average looking? (Irrelevant, he could honestly look like anyone really...) Sexual/Romantic Preferences: Presumably Heterosexual (He’s a married man in the 1930s-1960s, he’s either straight or hiding his sexuality, he seems to really like Linda however so could go either way really...) Notes: Here the few notes I could gather of the Henry info we got from TioL. It’s not much but its at least something to work with!

Henry is unremarkable appearance wise (to the point Joey forgot his face easily at first).

The way Henry dressed (mismatched and ill-fitted) indicates he likely grew up in poverty and likely only had hand-me-downs.

He mostly worked with pen-drawn cartoon character designs that were unremarkable but distinctly caricature-like (the Butcher Gang concepts were likely displayed in the gallery Joey attended, as noted by a comment he makes about them). Even if Joey apparently didn’t particularly like his style, Henry’s artwork was one of the final inspirations for the creation of Joey Drew Studios.

He is described as able to draw quite fast, great at taking directions, and as being a good animator. Overall Henry never really had any real need for someone to keep an eye on him which made him an exemplary worker.

According to Joey, Henry used to give pep-talks before he left the studio. This seemed to annoy Joey considerably for some reason (perhaps he was envious that Henry was generally a more likeable person).

Henry is remembered as forgettable, whereas Joey is flashier and more memorable.

Interestingly enough, Henry never claimed to own the design of Bendy, and was more interested in being business partners with Joey than starting a fuss about who owned the rights to Bendy’s creation (It’s very likely that he willingly gave Joey the design because Bendy was his character, and that instead the designs Joey did steal were that of Boris the Wolf, Alice Angel, and the Butcher Gang, the five other more notorious characters in the Bendy franchise).

--{On Abby Lambert}--

Year of Birth - ??? (It’s never mentioned how old Abby is, but I assume she’s around the same age group as Henry, since they were friends and likely went to the same art course. It’s likely that she’s younger than Joey, but not likely by much.) Year of Death - Possibly 1946 (Upon finally losing himself to the ink, Sammy seemed to have been actively hunting the Art Department and any stragglers that he encountered in the studio, so it can be assumed she died in the chaos) Birth City: ??? (Unknown but more likely to be born and raised in New York than Henry) Physical Characteristics: Frizzy hair, even when bobbed. Sexual/Romantic Preferences: Potentially Bisexual (She seemed to be acutely aware of Joey’s “peculiarities” so it’s possible she’s either a member of the LGBTQ community or perhaps an ally. Whatever the case it’s up for debate and interpretation.) Notes: Here are several notes I’ve compiled about Abby and some of her traits and mannerisms. There was surprisingly a lot more to work with than I expected.

She wasn’t really into the typical female fashion of the time. In fact, Abby wasn’t exactly fond of the typical mannerisms associated with women and was both notoriously rude and dressed herself in a “scandalously” modern manner (which is basically code for more practical less femenine clothing).

According to Joey, Abby is a very focused and determined person, which is why he admired her greatly. She didn’t know when to quit, however, and sometimes took things too far or involved others in situations or projects they didn’t want to be involved in.

She wasn’t very good at drawing original cartoon characters, and Joey was apparently not overly fond of her attempts at putting his ideas to paper due to her more realistic art style.

Abby was very insistent on Joey looking at Henry's works, even if he wasn't particularly interested in them (While it’s never said if she enjoys his art herself, it can be assumed she appreciates it enough that she’d want their mutual friend to see the potential Henry had).

She didn’t join the studio as the replacement Director of the Art Department until 1931, as during its founding she was still finishing art school. She and Henry never worked together. Despite this, she and Henry remained in touch even after he left for Pasadena.

--{On Sammy Lawrence}--

Year of Birth - ??? (From how Joey describes him, it can be assume Sammy was a teenager around either Joey’s early or late 20s before they officially met on Joey’s 30th birthday) Year of Death - 1946? (Sammy is one of few people who was turned without being killed first so it’s hard to tell if he’s really dead even within the Cycle since it’s a time loop...) Birth City: ??? (Sammy lacks a noticeable accent so it’s hard to tell where he’s from). Physical Characteristics: Has been described as bird-like and insect-like, with either brown or blond hair that’s kept longer than the typical fashion of the time (Not much more is known about his actual appearance but it can be assumed he’s either average sized or on the tall side considering his in-game height and build) Sexual/Romantic Preferences: Potentially Biromantic with a lot of Demiromantic subtones. Possibly Asexual? (Again this is pure speculation on my part because he did seem interested in Susie but isn’t really a people person in general. Does seem to know how to reign in people tho, so ???) Notes: Here are a few curious notes I’ve compiled about Sammy, the circumstances behind his hiring, and how much control he actually had as the music director.

He has an unusual appearance that, while not necessarily described as ugly, was clearly outstanding enough that some people were put off (Buddy) and others thought him handsome (Susie). His hair is also described as messy.

Sammy is an avid smoker.

He was among a few other musicians employed by the theater to drown out projector sounds and match the mood in silent films. Because he was good at improvising music on the spot, Sammy was excellent at carrying the story presented on screen through his melodies, which was what caught Joey’s eye when he first saw Sammy perform.

Sammy also recognized Joey and didn’t believe his dismissal that he was a “town person”. In fact, Sammy pinpointed the recognition to the fact Joey was that one loner that sat in the front row of the theater he played at.

It becomes very apparent that Sammy is suspicious of people in general. The way he observes others indicates he’s had some sort of struggle growing up. As such, he’s not big on sustaining conversations and he managed to aggravate Joey slightly by the way he addressed him on their first proper meeting.

Sammy had a songbook he shared with Jack, meaning they had a strong trust bond, which is why he only agrees to work for Joey based on Jack’s willingness to also be hired. Even so, he immediately set up professional boundaries for his position. He hired his own people without Joey’s interference, and he only ever indulged him if Joey was being particularly exasperating.

It’s very likely that since Sammy was the one hiring who worked for the music department, that he was the one who hired Norman Polk. This theory is made stronger by the fact he immediately demanded a projector and projectionist booth so he could better do his job.

Despite his surly disposition, Sammy is a no nonsense sort who wants things done and over with, rather than sit around and stall. As such Joey considered him one of the best decisions he made in terms of career.

Funnily enough, because the band seemed to be skittish around Joey, Sammy specifically prohibited his presence in the music department unless they had a scheduled meeting. This likely meant Joey was scarcely ever seen in the music department so as to not aggravate Sammy in person.

Alice Angel’s bigger (and failed) presence in the franchise is likely a consequence of another one of Sammy’s stipulations upon being hired. He had immediately noted that if the studio wanted to go anywhere, they’d need a female character (Perhaps Sammy really believed what he told Susie due to despising Bendy and actually favouring Alice as a character).

--{On Jack Fain}--

Year of Birth - ??? (Possibly around the same age as Sammy or a little older?) Year of Death - ??? (He was gone long before a few other people in the studio, likely in the first few experiments Joey performed) Birth City: ??? (Hard to tell, he doesn’t have an easily identifiable accent). Physical Characteristics: Has been described as an atrocious dresser (This man likes wearing bright colors!) Sexual/Romantic Preferences: Potentially Homosexual subtones (Not enough information provided to tell) Notes: Sadly lacking in the information department for Jack.

Jack is incredibly sociable and trusts easily. He's described as making bad jokes but laughing genuinely at them. His smiles are contagious.

Jack is an optimist sort who sees the good in any situation (even when being led around in a dark creepy room by a peculiar stranger).

--{On Bertrum Piedmont}--

Year of Birth - ??? (He was retired, so it’s likely he was around his 60s or early 70s when Joey first met him) Year of Death - ??? (It’s unknown when exactly he ended up in the Ink Machine but it’s very possible he was killed when all hell broke loose in the studio) Birth City: ??? (No clue). Physical Characteristics: Joey describes him (rather rudely) as a very portly man. Sexual/Romantic Preferences: ??? (No idea, chief...) Notes: Lacking in the information department like Jack, but what we get is a lot more substantial.

Bertrum was actually retired when Joey managed to get a hold of him. It took a bit of detective work on Mrs. Rodriguez's (Joey's secretary) part to actually find him as well, so he was not an easy man to get an appointment with.

His creative vision impressed Joey enough that the latter he ignored his apparent dislike for reminiscing so as to get him on board of the Bendyland project.

While discussing the Bendyland Project, Bertrum confidently jokes about it being quite the catch. He agrees to joining forces with Joey as long as he gets full creative control of the entire project. Although Joey agreed to this, he still managed to fight Bertrum on a few ideas, which annoyed him greatly.

It’s very likely that it didn’t take long for their initially friendly relationship to sour into open hostility on Bertrum’s part.

--{On Wally Franks}--

Year of Birth - ??? (No clue, but he was very likely in his late teens or early adult years when he was first hired as the studio Janitor) Year of Death - Supposedly still alive (I really do hope he got outta there like the letter insinuates...) Birth City: Brooklyn, New York. Physical Characteristics: ??? (All we know is he likely wears overalls and a sport’s cap) Sexual/Romantic Preferences: Possibly Heterosexual (Unless the letter is a forgery, he apparently has a wife, kids and grandkids) Notes: I’ll admit I didn’t expect to get Wally lore, but here we are!

Wally's actually quite skilled with maintenance. He can tinker with the projectors, other machinery and even plumbing. His schedule is a little off however, but Joey turns a blind eye to it because he gets the job done without question.

--{On Allison Pendle}--

Year of Birth - ??? (No idea! But she was relatively well known when she was hired!) Year of Death - ??? (She was likely lured back to the studio after everything went down but before Henry) Birth City: ??? Physical Characteristics: She’s a beautiful tall blonde according to DCTL Sexual/Romantic Preferences: ??? (She and Thomas are married but I honestly have no clue how to feel about her, she’s a mystery to me.) Notes: Extra minimal Allison lore for your Allison Pendle lore needs.

She was a famous Broadway actress before joining the studio. Interestingly enough, Joey was the one to hire her to replace Susie, not only breaking Sammy’s stipulation on the matter but also stirring Susie into becoming resentful towards Sammy and actually trying to recover her former role at all costs (even her own life).

--{On Nathan Arch}--

Year of Birth - ??? (He was likely a little older than Joey since they were in the army at the same time but Joey lied about his age to enlist earlier) Year of Death - N/A (Still alive and kicking) Birth City: ??? Physical Characteristics: ??? (I guess Boswell Lotsabucks is sorta modeled after him so go off on that???) Sexual/Romantic Preferences: Heterosexual (He has a wife and son and doesn’t give me any other vibes besides and overall instinctual distrust) Notes: Oh boy...I do NOT trust this man...

Immediately upon beginning reading TioL you get the impression that Nathan is not only trying to appear friendly and trustworthy by referring to himself as Nate A, but also that he’s trying to cover for Joey and make him appear more personable to the reader. But to what gain exactly?

Nathan is, like Joey, very narcissistically vain, and is also writing a book of his own (an autobiography maybe?)

He’s a smoker and prefers cigars.

When Joey discusses his childhood, Nathan is unable to contradict or confirm anything as he noted that Joey was always very private about his origins.

Nathan seemed truly surprised and impressed with Joey’s ability to make up uncannily believable stories, even suspecting that his accounts of “Lottie” might have been false as he couldn’t find any of the supposed letters Joey sent her when he started working on republishing TioL (it’s likely he could see that Joey often lied to himself just as much as he lied to others).

It seemed to Nathan that Joey was rather oblivious of subtle compliments.

By the manner of which Nathan phrases it, he seems to think of Joey as a professional and kind man, capable of seeing the good in others. That said, Nathan remarks that Henry's departure was a great betrayal for his friend, and that the latter shouldn't have been so "gracious" and "forgiving" towards him…

When the studio began to struggle financially, Nathan worried that Joey might not be aware of the issue at all, or that perhaps he was lying to himself to cope. He also later notes that Joey’s memories seemed to have deteriorated in his old age. He was often mixing up information and seemed rather guilty, which Nathan considering to be very unbecoming of the man he knew Joey to be.

A lot of the deeply philosophical Joey and Nathan interactions seen in the book might actually have occured between Joey and Henry (the "I think therefore I am" conversation is an especially telling one for me), hence why Nathan doesn't recall them. It also seems more likely because they contradict the way Joey portrays Nathan, but seem to fit his portrayal of Henry better.

[ahatintimestorybook]

A Royal Problem Chap. 14-Escaping the Nyakuza Metro

Happy New Year everyone!!!

Here is another interesting chapter for you all! I had fun with this chapter and you guys will too!

Thanks to tusenskona and Saturnouss for being my beta readers!!! Also give a BIG thank you to @erekiosuncreativeideas​ for the fabulous art for the chapter!! Please follow her for all her amazing art and stories!! She’s the BEST!!!

Enjoy!!

Snatcher groaned as he slowly opened his eyes. He was trying to remember what happened, but it was all a blur. The last thing he remembered was…

His eyes widened as he remembered the last thing before blacking out; The Nyakuza tackling Vanessa. Snatcher gasped, and felt a handkerchief covering his mouth. He tried to remove it, but saw he was tied up with Vanessa, who was still knocked unconscious and had a handkerchief covering her mouth as well. He struggled to release himself from the rope binding his hands to his back, but it was no use.

Due to the struggle, Vanessa started to wake up as well. She looked and started to freak out seeing she and Snatcher were tied up. “Mmmph!” Vanessa’s muffled shout was heard through the handkerchief, probably calling Snatcher’s name.

Soon the two of them heard a door open and turned towards it to see the Empress and two Nyakuza members standing by the door. The door gave some light, which showed the royal kids where their exact location was. They were inside the Empress’s jewelry store, in a hidden room where Hat Kid’s Time Pieces were stored.

“I see you two have awakened.” The Empress sneered. Snatcher glared at the cat, while Vanessa looked at her in fear. Snatcher glared and muffled some choice words for the cat. The Empress chuckled and walked closer to them. She leaned over to Snatcher and held one of her claws under Snatcher’s chin, right where his throat was. “You know if my Lazy Paws didn’t shut your mouth up, I would’ve shut it for you.” She warned.

Snatcher shivered, feeling the claw from the Empress on his skin. It felt like someone holding a knife to his face. Quickly, the Empress removed her claws and turned towards the door.

“My client will be thrilled to hear we’ve captured you two!” The Empress exclaimed. Vanessa and Snatcher glances at each other in confusion. Who would want to capture them?

Then it hit them.

Moonjumper!

“I was surprised with you two. He told me everything, as well as gave me the evidence needed to prove that you two were the ones who attacked my crew!” She explained snapping at the kids. Vanessa flinched, whimpering in fear at the Empress. “Aww what’s the matter?” Empress mocked. “Scared? What are you going to do, freeze me?” She laughed, seeing that Vanessa couldn’t do just that due to her being tied up.

Vanessa struggled to freeze the ropes or the Empress herself, but the cat boss tied her and Snatcher up real good to keep them from using their magic.

“Well princess, let me show you what happens when you mess with the Nyakuza!” The Empress raised her paw towards Vanessa, ready to strike. Snatcher let out a muffled yell, trying to tell the cat boss to stop, while Vanessa whimpered in fear.

Before she could lay a claw on Vanessa though, Coal and Sumi barged in. “Boss! We got trouble coming!” Sumi shouted. The Empress lowered her paw and turned her attention towards the two cats. “The kid with the Hat! She’s on her way! And she has company!”

The Empress turned back towards the royal kids. “You two are lucky I’m sparing the two of you.” She glared. “For now.” The Empress turned away from the kids and walked out of the room. “You two,” she snapped at Sumi and Coal. “Keep an eye on them. I’ll handle the hat brat.” The Empress walked away hoping to see how close Hat Kid and Mu were to her jewel business.

Back with Hat Kid and Mu, the two were making their way through the metro to get to the Empress’s store, Le Feline. “So you think Snatcher and Vanessa are at her jewelry store?” Mu asked.

“Yep!”

“I know they’re a crime boss like the Mafia,” Mu said, disgust laced in her words, “But I know my bad guys. Crime groups like that have a hidden hangout where no one would suspect to look first.” She explained.

“True, but I want to beat down the Empress first before finding the kids!” Hat Kid growled, holding her umbrella’s handle tight.

Mu sighed and blocked Hat Kid from walking any further in an attempt to calm down the other. “Okay, I know you're worried about Snatcher and Vanessa, but aren’t you being a bit too rash about this? They have powers! They can take care of themselves no problem!” Mu explained.

“Rash?” Hat Kid asked. She then barked out a laugh, which started to scare Mu. “I’m not rash. I’m just at the point that if that pecking cat boss lays a finger on them, I’m blasting the shop to the GROUND with my umbrella!” She shouted.

Mu blinked as she stood in horror at her friend’s outburst. Hat Kid was still fuming over the royal kids being lost, but started to calm down realizing what she had said.

“Sorry.” Hat Kid apologized. “I don’t know what got over me. I’ve been caring for these kids for a while and…” she paused to let out a sigh.

Before she could finish what she was about to say, Mu put a hand on her shoulder. “You’ve gotten close to them, haven’t you.” It was more of a statement than a question. Hat Kid nodded slowly. “Look, I understand that you’ve come to care for them, but going off the handle and murdering anyone who hurts them is not a good option.” Hat Kid then glanced at her friend and gave a small smile. “Those kids need to be rescued and we’re doing it hero style: the way of justice!” She beamed pumping her fist in the air.

Hat Kid cheered as well, feeling a bit better. “Thanks Mu. I guess I was too overprotective.”

“Apology accepted, Hat Kid.” Mu replied. “Now, are you ready to take down some cats!?” She asked.

“I’m psyched!” Hat Kid replied. The two girls were ready to continue their rescue mission, but before they could take a step Hat Kid noticed something ready to hit them. “Look out!” She shouted, pushing Mu out of the way.

Suddenly a rocket zoomed by and hit where Mu and Hat Kid were standing. If they stood there for much longer, they would’ve been blown to bits.

The Empress chuckled as she loomed over the girls with a rocket launcher in her paws. “Why hello there kiddo.” The Empress sneered. “Did you miss me?” The girls were ready to fight till they saw a few Nyakuza cats surrounding them.

While the Empress was going after Hat Kid and Mu, Vanessa and Snatcher struggled to break free from the ropes. As they struggled, the Nyakuza members watching over them laughed seeing the kids struggle. After failing to break free, Vanessa and Snatcher fell down on their butts, which caused their mouth coverings to fall off.

“Well this is entertaining.” Coal said.

Sumi sighed. “I wish we were out there hunting for the kid with the boss, but seeing kids fail is better.”

Snatcher glared at the cats, and with the mouth covering off he could now talk. “Got any other ideas?” Snatcher asked Vanessa.

Vanessa nodded. “I do, but it’s a bit silly.”

“Silly or not, if it works, do it!”

As the Nyakuza were talking and sharing a laugh they heard Vanessa struggle. “Aww is the wittle pwincess stuck?” Sumi mocked.

“Yeah! I command you to loosen these ropes on me!” Vanessa commanded. Sumi and Coal looked at one another before bursting into laughter.

“Yeah, right!” Coal replied.

“We only respond to the boss!” Sumi added, giving a chuckle.

Vanessa snuggled, “B-but the ropes are so tight!” She whined. “My wrists are aching!”

Snatcher turned to Vanessa in shock. That was her plan!? Vanessa turned to Snatcher and gave him a wink to let her know she is acting it. Snatcher winked back and let the princess do her thing.

From there, Vanessa continued to whine. “Can you please loosen the ropes? They hurt!” She whined.

Sumi and Coal looked at one another once again, just making sure they were hearing the same thing. “Yeah right!” Coal yelled. “We know what you're doing. You’re saying the ropes are too tight,” Coal started by mocking Vanessa, “and we loosen them and you break free.” He paused and crossed his arm.

Vanessa sniffled “starting” to cry. “B-but it hurts!” She cried. “It’s making my wrists ache, and I might bleed!.”

“Shut up!” Sumi shouted.

Soon Vanessa started to whine and fake cry, kicking her legs to exaggerate her faked pain. Then Snatcher decided to jump in on the whining phase. “Please just do what she says! Her whining is annoying and I’m going to scream if she continues!”

The kids continued to howl their woes about being tied up, which made Sumi and Coal’s eyes twitch after a while. The taller cat put his paws over his ears in hopes of blocking out the noise. “Make it stop! Make it stop!” Sumi cried out.

“Then loosen the ropes! It's burning my skin!” Vanessa wailed.

Sumi was about to go untie the ropes, letting their request be fulfilled so his ears would finally rest, but Coal held him back. “No, it's a trick! She’ll tire herself out eventually.” Coal reminded his partner. Sumi nodded and attempted to stay as still and emotionless to the kids' supposed breakdown.

“Please! Loosen the ropes! I’m bleeding!” Vanessa yowled.

“Please just loosen the ropes! I can’t handle her crying!” Snatcher wailed in tandem.

The two continued to caterwaul back and forth to the point that the two Nyakuza cats were about to snap. No longer taking the kid’s whining, Sumi gave up and quickly untied the ropes, letting Vanessa free. “THERE!” He snapped. “I loosened the ropes, are you happy now?! Because I can’t deal with this crying!” He shrieked.

Vanessa sniffled, giving a nod before she punched Sumi in the face. She quickly untied Snatcher and grabbed his hand before running off. “Hurry!” She yelled. Before they excited the hiding place, Snatcher spotted the gift bag that he bought for Vanessa. He detoured from his escape and grabbed it before continuing to run.

Sumi groaned, rubbing his face where Vanessa had punched him. Coal went towards him to help him up on his feet. “I told you.” Coal reprimanded him.

The taller cat glared and smacked the smaller cat upside the head. “Don’t even think of mocking me! Now let’s grab the kids before the boss finds out!” Sumi barked out. He grabbed a bat and so the two of them l went after their escaped hostages.

Said hostage escapees sprinted as fast as they could, leaving the shop. The brightness of the Metros artificial lights made it almost impossible for them to orient themselves around, much less finding a way to get to Hat Kid. “Where do we go?” Vanessa asked.

Snatcher had no time to think as Sumi and Coal were right behind them, and grasped Vanessa’s hand, leading her to the left. The two passed through a few stations before seeing a large opening in the ground and jumped through it.

From there it led to the train tracks, with the occasional train running past. Quickly, Vanessa and Snatcher ran across the tracks, dodging every cat train that was about to run over them before finding an opening to dash out.

“I think we lost them.” Vanessa was breathless from the running. They both looked back, making sure the two cats were not behind them.

“You sure?” Sumi asked. Vanessa and Snatcher turned right back around and gasped seeing the two Nyakuza cats right in front of them. “We knew the route you're taking, so we took a little short cut.” He explained. Sumi and Coal slowly approached the two, who were now trapped thanks to the Nyakuza and the cat trains.

“Nowhere to run now!” Sumi sniggered. He then jumped on the kids, but instead of successfully attacking them he slammed his body into a wall of ice.

Upon opening his eyes, Snatcher gasped when he was met with the sight of Venessa using her powers to protect the both of them. Vanessa gawked, surprised by her own strength. “I knew you had it in you!” He cheered.

Vanessa blushed at the compliment, but looking at the ice made her worry. Snatcher took Vanessa’s hand and they continued to run from the Nyakuza. Sumi slid down from the ice and growled at the kids.

“No more Mr. Nice Kitty.” He hissed.

Back with Hat Kid and Mu battling the Empress and her Nyakuza cats, the girls were covered in scratches and tired from fighting all the cats, though they still had an advantage over the gang leader and her goons. Hat Kid kneeled down, exhausted from all the fighting. “Can’t...fight...anymore.”

“Aww, looks like the child is tired.” The Empress sneered, pointing her launcher at Hat Kid’s head. The kid gasped, believing this was the end; she failed saving Snatcher and Vanessa. She wished she could fight the Empress, but with how tired she was she couldn’t even lift a finger.

Before Empress could blast Hat Kid, another blast came between them. The Empress flinched, while quickly Hat Kid was swooped up and taken out of harm’s way. Once the smoke cleared the Empress growled, not seeing Hat Kid in her sight.

Hat kid’s eyes fluttered open, finding herself in an alleyway with Mu, who was standing over her with a concerned look on her face. “You alright, Hat kid?” Mu asked her as she checked herself over. “I’m fine.” Hat Kid gasped out. “But how did I-” Mu then cut her off. “I saved you.”

Before Hat Kid could ask for an explanation, Mu continued. “After the entire Time Piece and turning the world into lava debacle came and went, I realized I still have the powers I received because of it.”

Hat Kid understood now that that’s how she was able to escape, but was a bit mad that Mu didn’t use that power during the fight. “How come you never used it during our fight?”

“I was saving it for the right time. Plus, that fight wasn’t too hard.” Mu shrugged like what she said was no big deal. Hat Kid sighed, understanding why Mu didn’t use her powers before, even though it could’ve helped big time. She gave a smile to her friend.

“Thanks.”

“You’re welcome!” The pair peered outside of the alleyway, making sure the coast was clear of Nyakuza cats before they ran off in search of Snatcher and Venessa.

Hours had passed before Snatcher and Vanessa were finally a safe distance away from the Nyakuza. However, Hat Kid and Mu were nowhere to be found. Snatcher noticed Vanessa was starting to get tired from all the walking. He was lucky to find a nearby bench, which he directed her towards. “Here, let’s sit down for a bit.” He suggested.

“W-wouldn’t the Nyakuza find us?” Vanessa asked, looking right behind her shoulder, checking to see if the cats were still following them.

Snatcher looked behind his shoulder as well before sitting down. “We should be fine. If they are still following after us we’ll continue running.” He pet the seat next to him, inviting her to sit down with him. Vanessa sat down next to him, and then leaned on his shoulder. Snatcher put his arm around Vanessa, pulling her close to comfort her.

It was quiet between the two, the background noises of the Metro’s sounds being more than enough for them.. Seeing how they could finally relax, Snatcher looked at the bag that carried the hair clip. He figured that now is a good time as any to give Vanessa her gift.

“Vanessa.” Snatcher spoke up. The princess turned to him. “This is for you.” He held up the gift bag he had held in front of her way back at the fast food stand. . She slowly grabbed the bag, reaching inside and pulling the hair clip out.

Vanessa’s eyes widened as she examined the crown hair clip. . “L-Lucas, Is this for me?” She asked.

Snatcher nodded. He leaned in close, took the hair clip and placed it on her hair. Vanessa blushed seeing the accessory placed in her hair. “Perfect.” He commented.

Vanessa giggled and gave a lovely smile to her friend. With a sheepish chuckle, Snatcher blushed and rubbed the back of his head. “Lucas,” Vanessa spoke up, “Do you still like me?”

The young prince blushed heavily, his eyes looking around, trying to find just anything else to look at. She was asking this now? This felt surprising, all this time together he just saw Vanessa as a friend, a partner in crime, but seeing her as a girlfriend again had never crossed his mind. “Is something the matter?” Vanessa asked, tilting her head.

Snatcher snapped back to reality. “N-no nothing is wrong.” He lied, “It’s just,” he paused, trying to find the right words to tell her the truth without hurting her. . He didn’t want to upset her, or better yet her running away and end up being stuck trying to find her again in the busy Metro. “Here it goes.” He said to himself. “Vanessa, I-“ he paused seeing Sumi and Coal running towards them. “We got to go!” He shouted, grabbing her hand and running off again.

“Wait, Lucas!” Vanessa shouted.

Sumi and Coal finally had caught up to where they thought Vanessa and Snatcher were, and in a split second caught a glimpse of Vanessa’s blonde hair in the crowd of cats. “There!” Sumi shouted, pointing towards the spot. Coal and Sumi dashed off and started to chase after the two children.

Sumi and Coal pushed some Metro cats away trying to get to the royal kids faster, while it seemed Vanessa and Snatcher pirouetted and jumped over everything with less problems.. Vanessa turned back and saw Sumi and Coal gaining on them. “Don’t look back at them, Vanessa!” Snatcher shouted. She listened and returned to keep her gaze right ahead.

Once they got away from the crowd it was easier to run away, since there were no other people to make their escape slower.. However, thinking of where to go from here was hard. Snatcher looked left and right and decided on the less crowded option, which meant he would turn right. “This way!” He shouted, and led Vanessa onward. They continued running and climbing a bunch of stairs to escape.

Vanessa lost her balance on the steps, and had attempted to stand again before something had a tight grip on her leg. . “Lucas!” Vanessa screamed. Lucas turned and quickly ran back down, his hands emitting a purple glow as a flame appeared. He directed the flame towards Sumi, burning the cat and causing him to loosen his grip on Vanessa. He helped her get back up onto her feet, and the two continued their escape. . Sumi growled seeing he got injured from the burn.

They froze in their tracks at the sight of the Empress and a few Nyakuza goons up ahead. They were ready to sprint off in the other direction, but they were noticed. “Get back here!” Coal shouted. His shout caused the Empress to turn and notice her hostages escape. Before the kids could utter a single word, they were surrounded by the Nyakuza’s sea of goons.

“So, you thought you could escape from us.” The Empress sneered. Vanessa held on to Snatcher and whimpered in fear. Snatcher held his hand out, ready to use his fire magic on the cats if he needed to.

“Thank you so much for your help.” Snatcher, Vanessa and the Empress looked around for who spoke up and Moonjumper magically appeared out of nowhere.

“Moonjumper.” Snatcher snarled. Moonjumper chuckled as he made his way towards the children.

“It’s so nice to see you again, Snatcher!” He teased, getting close to the kids. Vanessa whimpered, hugging Snatcher tight. Moonjumper chuckled at the sight before him. “So, you’ve decided to protect this ice witch after all.”

Snatcher glared. How dare he call her that! “She is not an ice witch! She’s my friend!” He snarled.

Moonjumper replied with a chortle. “Are you sure you two are friends?” He asked.

“Yes!”

“I mean, she has done awful things to you, and you're still telling me you want to be her friend once more?”

Snatcher growled over what Moonjumper was saying to him. “Shut up!” He yelled as his left hand started to flare up. Before he could launch a fire attack on him, the Empress pointed her launcher at the prince.

“Now, now prince. One little flame, and both of you will be blown to bits.” Moonjumper warned. With a scowl, Snatcher lowered his hand. “Good boy.” Moonjumper then turned to face the Empress.

“Well, now that we have them, I’ll let you decide should they be given to you alive or dead?” The Empress asked. Tears welled in Vanessa's eyes upon hearing the word dead.

Moonjumper smirked, turning to the royal kids. “Whatever makes you happy, dear Empress. I’ll be thrilled either way.”

“Well then, dead it is.” The Empress chuckled, aiming her launcher at them. Snatcher was ready to burn them down, but before he could even recite a spell, he heard a loud thud.

Everyone looked around to where the thud came from and saw it came from the Empress, whose eyes rolled back before she passed out.

“Don’t touch the kids.” Hat Kid warned. The Nyakuza looked down at their boss, and back at Hat Kid. Mu showed up holding her bat, and tapped it with a smirk.

Snatcher and Vanessa gasped in joy seeing Hat Kid and Mu again. “Hat Kid!” They cheered, lunging towards her and pulling her into a hug. Hat Kid stumbled as she hugged the young prince and princess back.

The Nyakuza looked down at their knocked out boss, before dispersing in different directions.. “See ya losers!” Mu taunted, grinning at seeing the previously unfeared Nyakuza goons running away like a bunch of pansies.

“Are you two okay?” Hat Kid asked.

“We’re fine.” Snatcher curtly replied. “How did you find us?” Hat Kid removed her hat, the nonverbal communication being all that was needed to tell Snatcher that she was able to find them with her hat’s locating powers.

“So we finally meet again, Hat Kid.” Moonjumper spoke up. “I’m impressed with your power to locate them.” The ghost’s glare narrowed towards Snatcher and Venessa. Hat Kid then grabbed them, holding them close and away from him while Mu stood in front of her, prepared to use her bat against Moonjumper if needed. Moonjumper chuckled seeing the sight in front of him. “How cute.”

Moonjumper glared and soon released red strings towards Mu’s bat and broke it in half. “Hey!” She yelped. Moonjumper laughed and launched more red strings at the kids, who took this as a sign to start running off. With them running off, the red strings only tied up the Empress. Moonjumper growled and started to go after the kids.

While they ran, Hat Kid was preparing everything to teleport back onto the ship. However, holding two kids in her arms was hard for her to turn on the teleporter. Mu turned towards her friend, reached for the teleporter herself and clicked on it, sending them away from the Metro back to Hat Kid’s ship. Moonjumper was a little bit late in catching up to them, all that he saw was the kids being teleported away..

“So, that’s where they go?” He thought out loud.

Finally the kids were back on the ship. They could finally breathe after the wild chase they had. “Did we lose him?” Hat Kid asked.

Snatcher and Vanessa looked around the ship for any hint of Moonjumper following them, but the only other passenger on the ship was Rumbi.“I think we did.” Vanessa replied, relief evident in her voice.

Hat Kid felt her limbs slack from the lack of adrenaline in her body. “Why did you two run off like that when we specifically told you not to?”

Snatcher then went on to explain what happened; The Nyakuza stealing the gift for Vanessa, being captured by said cats and them escaping trying to find them again.

Hat Kid’s frustrated expression loosened.. “Next time something goes wrong, tell me first so we can help.”

“Promise.” Vanessa and Snatcher replied simultaneously. Hat Kid chuckled and pulled the two into another hug.

Later, while Hat Kid and Mu treated their injuries, Vanessa and Snatcher were asleep in Hat Kid’s bedroom. As they slept, a figure crept into the room, quiet as a mouse. They looked over at the sleeping kids before their gaze traveled to the cruise ship tickets that laid on the table beside them. ,. The figure let out a chuckle, before hearing someone coming back into the room.

Hat Kid stopped in her tracks, a smile on her face seeing Vanessa and Snatcher were fast asleep. She was about to get some sleep too, but paused to look around the room, feeling as if something was out of place. She then shrugged it off, turned off the lights and went to sleep.

The figure, Moonjumper, who hid above Hat Kid’s bed, floated back down and gave one final glance at the child before teleporting back to Subcon with a new plan.

[bashful-otaku]

The Flower and The Honeybee | 1 (Jasper Hale fanfiction)

♥️♥️♥️ Authors Note: Hiya this is my first post of a big book I’ve been working on, please tell me what you think. I still feel like this is hella rough draft but maybe it isn’t and I’m overreacting cause I’m nervous, if there is any mistakes please point them out. I hope you enjoy. *nervous energy*. Wishing you all happiness and safety in this butt of a time. ♥️♥️♥️

The world is full of judgement. It’s something I am used to but not something I can handle. A chronological of moments wash over me and I sit there waiting for the haze to ease. I can't reflect on those thoughts, as I fade back seamlessly into the crowd. I depend on the crowd or it seems that I do, as I follow behind the masses, I again blend in with the people in the classroom. Not sparing a look to students as I place myself on the seat. The frenzy of the words in this room feel like they’re being drowned out. I rest my face in my hand and scan over the foreign words on the wall.

Italian isn’t that different from English, and the words are even more angelic than English. Which reminds me of the meagre knowledge that I posses when it comes to artful languages like Latin. I take in words after word, writing everything that I can down. I detest using this pen, but alas it must be done.

Then class ends, which means the start of lunch, where the real frenzy will begin. I grab everything and again blend away, withholding the nervousness I feel at the proximity.

“Sorry, I needed a candid for the feature” utters Angela as I arrive at the table. I ponder at the words and sit down.

“The Feature's dead Angela, don't bring it up again! And hey Poppy” says Eric with such heated passion. I give him a smile and a wave because I notice that the new girl is trying to talk.

“It's okay, I just...”.

“I-I got your back baby” Eric says then rushes off.

“Don’t worry about it Angela, you’ll think of something else” I say to her with a small smile.

“I guess we'll just run another editorial on... Teen Drinking...” she says sounding deflated.

“You know, you could always go for... eating disorders? Speedo padding on the swim team” suggests the new girl. Before I can suggest some more Angela responds in agreement, and the other girls start talking about Kirk and his nether regions.

“Who are you?” I ask the new girl, she looks almost surprised that I don’t know.

“I’m Bella Swan, I just moved here from Arizona” She says with a hint of shyness.

“Oh?” I say to her and her smile widens.

“Have you been?” She asks and I don’t show how my heart hurts, at the fact that I could probably never go even if I wanted to.

“I wish to, oh and I’m Poppy Green. Enjoy the nature hippy name, what were my parents thinking?” is all I say and chuckles fill the table. I hold back from saying more, already pushing my luck with that sentence.

“Who are they?” Bella says to the people behind me, but I don’t turn around.

“The Cullens” says Angela with a dreamy tone and I withhold my chuckle at her actions. I let my eyes wonder to my watch almost dreamily when I notice that lunch is almost over, freedom will be soon. I tune into the girls explanation.

“Uh, the blonde girl, that's Rosalie, and the big dark-haired guy, Emmett, they're like a thing. I'm not even sure that's legal” Jess says in response to them keeping to themselves.


“Jess, they're not actually related” says Angela. I quietly steam, but let Angela correct her.

“Yeah, but they live together. It's gross and, okay, the little dark-haired girl is Alice. She's really weird, and thats Jasper, the blonde one who looks like he's in pain all the time, you shouldn’t even try talking to them. I mean, Dr. Cullen's like this foster dad slash freak collector” describes Jess and I wait for Angela’s rebut. She says nothing and I can feel my self start to fume, before I can stand up and say anything Bella has another question.


“Who’s he?” Bella wonders out loud.

“That’s Edward Cullen; he’s totally gorgeous, obviously. But apparently, no one here is good enough for him. Like I care. Anyway, don't waste your time” Jess explained


“I wasn’t planning on it” says Bella sounding offended. I let out a cough bringing attention to me,

“Really Jess, you know how I feel about people judging based on appearance, you know what I’ve been through, is that how you describe me too when I’m not around?” I inquire.

I feel my anger wash over me in waves, and before I know it I have pushed my seat out, the metal scratching horrendously against the stone floor and I’m striding towards the door my back aches with it being stretched out in fury.

I regret doing so when reality sets in, as it feels like thousands of eyes are staring at me as I leave. I walk down the hall into my last class of the day, and take a random seat in the back not wanting to fake niceties.

I feel the shudders and I can feel the cold memories call for me, i ignore then and bring out my favourite book.

A leather one, with sparkling white paper and five calligraphy pens are held in place on the inside cover. I pour emotions into the pages not wanting anything unsaid and I feel relieved when it’s all over. All the pent up anger and sadness dwindles as I rest my face in my arms in tiredness, ten minutes til class and then after the day will finally be over.

I hear footsteps enter the room and I don’t bother looking up, I just rest more into my arms and before I know it I’m lulled into sleep.

I stitch up and pull the skin together ignoring the scream all around me, I don’t focus on anything else just making sure that the person in front of me is alright.

“You really have to be more careful” I say and it sounds like a strangers voice has taken over.

“Hmm” is a male’s hum, I look up and see nothing, all I see is the stitched up wound and then whiteness blocking everything else.

I wake up with a start and look up to see Jess looking over at me slightly, I look down at the rubber and chuckle silently at the many sorry’s on it. I nod my head as thanks to her and hold it for her after class. No one seems to notice and I sigh in relief. Looking around I see that I’m at the back of the classroom and on the furtherest right side. I curse my angered self and resist looking again to my left.

I can’t believe I sat next to him of all people. I feel completely embarrassed, ashamed and a bit happy. In the middle of the lecture when I’ve calmed down and I risk a glance through my uneasy peripheral vision my heart sores. I notice first the fluffy hair, then the air of maturity and finally the quietness of movement. He’s focused and attentive in this history class and I glance away as I notice the beginning of a head turn. Shyness falls completely over me as I determinedly look at the board.

I don’t look at him again throughout the class and when it ends I grab my stuff at a normal pass and follow Jess back. Not looking back at Jasper behind me even though I desperately want to.

[kevin-coleman]

Shed Story #2

Prompt: The air turned black all around me.

I showed up at the apartment on Gilmore right on time at 3:30. Outside were the usual hoods, smoking cigarettes and telling dirty jokes to pass the time. When they saw me coming up the block, they tossed their butts and descended to the sidewalk. They were well dressed in suits with shoes as slick and polished as their greased back hair.

"Look who's here," Donato said.

"I'm lookin'," Georgio said. "I'm lookin' but I can't quite believe it. Never thought this shit would turn up again."

"Yeah, figured he'd have caught the next bus outta town after the ass-whup Mario laid on him."

"It was bad. Severe. And yet, here he is."

I waited, one hand in my pocket, the other lugging a leather case, for Frick and Frack to finish their little act. They loved to act tough. My problem was, they were tough. It's how they could afford to act like arrogant kings among commoners. I fucking hated every second of it, but I took it patiently. They worked themselves into hilarity and as they were yucking it up about how pathetic I was, I took the gap in the traffic.

"You two lovers finished?" I asked. "I got business with your boss and you're making me late."

Donato sobered up first and stepped into me, grabbed my arm and hauled me up the concrete steps. Georgio followed close behind.

"We ain't done, bitch," he growled. "Not by a long shot. My day goes according to plan, the boss feeds you to me an' Georgie and we'll have some fun."

"I can't wait," I said. If things didn't go my way, fun would be more brass knuckles, steel pipes, and then a bullet to the head if I was lucky, but those two psychos liked to play with their food, so I could expect sharp knives were in store for me. My stomach tightened as we climbed the stairs to Luciano's court.

Luciano Moretti ruled his little kingdom from a fifth floor apartment that took up the entire floor. He had purchased the building outright with the spoils of his criminal enterprise and took the fifth floor for himself, knocking down walls to make bigger rooms, and filling the place with the best of everything money could buy. The apartments below him he rented out to his best captain and his most loyal soldiers. As far as crime went, this was the safest block in the city. Not even the cops went there without a written invitation.

We stopped outside the door and Donato signalled me to stop and raise my arms. I set down the leather case and he started to frisk me.

"Is this really necessary?" I asked. "Do you think I'd be stupid enough to bring a gun into lion's den?"

Donato finished his very thorough examination and straightened up. He patted my cheek with a beefy hand.

"Our job to be cautious," he said. "Can't be too careful with shifty creeps like you." He glanced down at the case.

"Pick that up," he said. I picked it up.

"Open it," he said. I rolled the combination lock towards me to 444 and heard the latch click. I pulled the latch toward me and opened the top and presented it to Donato. He leaned over and looked inside.

"What's he got in there?" Georgio asked.

Donato stared into the case and snorted.

"Fucking book," he said. He glared at me, clearly disappointed we wouldn't get to have anymore fun together. "Lucky you. You might just get out of this thing in one piece."

He reached inside but I snapped the case shut.

"No touchie for you," I said.

"You know who you're fucking dealing with?" he growled.

"A greaseball Italian who has no business pawing at Mr. Moretti's property," I said. "This is a fucking antique, you moron. It was old when your great-grandfather was in diapers. Do you know what your oily fingers would do to this book? Not to mention what I went through to get it? You want Moretti to find out you ruined this piece of art?"

Donato glared at me, his heavy jaw working side to side. He wasn't used to anybody--much less me-- talking back to him and he wanted desperately to take me apart right there in the hallway. Instead, he signalled Georgio who opened the door and the three of us walked in.

"You'll get what's coming," he whispered. "You'll see your own insides before I let you die."

"Vai a cagare," I said.

Donato jerked me by the arm through the apartment, past elegant furniture, a glossy black Steinway piano, and into an office at the front of the building. Moretti was standing at the window drinking whisky and smoking a cigarette, his pear-shaped body a silhouette against the white sheer that diffused the sunlight streaming through the open window. He turned at the sound of our approach and closed the distance between us a few paces.

"I'm sorry I'm late, Mr. Moretti," I said.

"It's all right," he said softly. "I saw my men having a few words with you on the street."

"Mr. Moretti, he's been real disrepectufl," Donato said.

"Enough," Moretti said. "You're no gentleman yourself." He glanced at them and with a small gesture they vacated the room and closed the door behind them as they left.

When we were alone, he asked, "Drink?"

"No, thank you, sir," I said. "It doesn't agree with my pain medication."

"Yes. You look like you've been in a tussle or two. No broken bones?"

"Very nearly."

He nodded. "Learned your lesson?"

"Yes, sir."

"I've learned as much, sir."

More nodding. "Then you'll give me no more trouble. Some people need to learn the hard way that when I ask them to do a thing, it's best for their health if they do that thing. I'm not a violent man, Mr. Burback, but I can employ violence. I have it at my disposal. I'm a general who commands an army and they are very, very loyal."

He set down his glass, took a final drag on his cigarette, then crushed it out in a crystal ashtray.

"You have what I asked you do bring?" he asked, glancing at the leather case. "The Sutton Manuscript?"

"I do."

"Let me see it," he said.

I crossed to his massive desk, set the leather case in the middle, then turned the combination away from me to 999 then pushed the latch away form me and stepped back. Moretti grinned at me, rounded his desk and stood over the leather case. He pulled a pair of white cotton gloves from his desk drawer, slid his manicured fingers into them, and opened the case. He reached inside and lifted out the book but before he could admire his prize, there was a loud click.

"What was--?" but he didn't have time to finish. I sucked in a deep breath and turned away just the smoke grenade hidden in the bottom of the case exploded in his face. Moretti staggered backward, coughing and within seconds the air turned black all around me.

Copyright 2021 Kevin M. Coleman

[inventors-fair]

Let’s Talk Flavor: Commentary

I would say overall that most of these cards were fantastic and a great number of the story ideas were good. There will be parts where I suggest edits, and the thing about story edits is, well, it doesn’t impact game design. That’s the thing about the Fair and the thing about Magic in general: the whole thing could be replicated with number systems and program lines and it would be the exact same. It’s the fact that a creature has Flying, or that a spell is made of Lightning that makes the game exciting. This was an interesting experiment. 

Let’s talk about cards!

@ace-hobo​ — Captain’s Wrench

This is a perfectly fine card. I like the “fixed” Voltaic Key style, the moderate power level. It’s a card that someone would probably be middling in artifact decks but fine in budget builds. I’m sort of feeling an Ixalan vibe, maybe with a little steampunkishness. I get that the wrench belongs to De, but it’s a little confusing regarding why they have the wrench. If they’re the captain and they’re not in the engine room, why is the card depicting a tool that would suit them better if they never left the engine room? Maybe the story should be about how DESPITE their captain status, they spend time in the engine room. It’s an easy enough tweak.

@cas-420 — Boiling Blood

The card is pretty good. It’s very aggressive and has synergistic potential. I really don’t see where the flavor is tying into it. I am favorably inclined towards your text, in concept. I can see where you were making the pun on “execution.” The wording is clunky with the repeated syntax, and could have just used the execution line. But what does that have to do with the card? The flavor evokes dissent, protest, retaliation. The flavor of the card evokes speed, purpose, initiative. It’s not a perfect tonal match. I would save the text for a different card with a clearer purpose

@dabudder​ — Wisdom of the Tides

In terms of card wording, I believe you’d be looking for something like Mysteries of the Deep, where you have an “instead” wording — unless you’re supposed to draw an additional card after? It’s a little confusing how you have it now. Still, Flourish is a fine mechanic, executed well. This was pretty close to being a runner-up. I like the nod towards crabs. We’ve been having a crab mood lately. Overall, not bad. Might need to be four mana, but that’s me being cautious.

@deafeningsandwichpeach​ — Jyska, Artificer Overlord

The name is probably the best thing about this card, and it’s fair enough for a legendary creature. Considering that this is essentially the Nim ability from original Mirrodin and that it’s a vanilla creature otherwise, I would contest that you’re severely overestimating the power level of this card. It’s not as strong as it seems. In terms of flavor text, this is basically exposition. I won’t dissuade you from story-rich cards, but there’s too much information presented in a manner that overloads the reader. Simplify, punch, beat, punctuate. In terms of presentation, the whole block should be in quotes, and you don’t need to attribute the quote if the character’s on the card itself.

@demimonde-semigoddess​ — Thaw

Great name, great snow flavor. I can see this in the tundra wastes, something emerging from the snow, bursting out. I had to do some digging. As it turns out, “gelid” is a real English word I had no idea about! I thought from the shackles and your flavor text that it was some Coldsnap lore. In terms of the text itself, it’s not bad. It’s just that the two statements are somewhat disconnected. They work both on their own, but together, they don’t gel well. Still, bonus points to mechanical flavor for an anti-ice feel.

@dimestoretajic​ — Phytotemple

The card is pretty funky for an uncommon, pushed but not busted. I’d call it a pain in the butt but no more than Wayfaring Temple. Ah, I see, the wayfarers, an homage. But there’s a lot I don’t understand. Who lost the wayfarers? Who’s saying this quote? Why did the phytotemples start appearing in general? Did the original wayfaring temples break into them? What does Selesnya have to do with construction crews? How is that related to the phytotemple’s physiology and motivation? Most importantly, why is there a street named after a Selesnya dissident? I think you should have focused on one specific area of the card’s backstory.

@emmypupcake — Bloom Nurturer

I was really surprised that there wasn’t a card already named this. In terms of card wording, look at High Tide or Bubbling Muck; I think it would read “Until end of turn, whenever you tap a Forest for mana, add an additional G.” The quote doesn’t light my world on fire, but it fits well and reads well. Just remember to indent the attribution with shift+enter. Overall? Good enough.

@fractured-infinity​ — Shara, Skalla Vengeant

I had to do a little digging, but I like how you incorporated Vivien’s lore in here. That said, Skalla is also, well, destroyed, presumably forever. Where did the spirit come from? Is it wandering around Skalla? In that case, did Vivien go back? Why? That raises a couple questions. In terms of this card, it’s broken. In anything but the most pushed Commander formats, it’s three mana to deal seven damage to any creature you want with minimal repercussions. Any prevention makes her impossible to deal with. In limited, she would sweep unfairly.

@ghost31415926535 — Man-Eater Wurm

Firstly, I would like to apologize for the flavor bar being in the middle of the line. That’s my bad. Let’s talk about the rest of the card. In concept, it shouldn’t be too overpowered. But deathtouch and trample together create complex rules baggage that many casual players simply don’t understand. Nine times out of ten, they’ll never be printed together. Seeing that this is exactly how you submitted it, consider for next time: Only the first keyword needs to be capitalized in a string. Something like Unearth needs its own line. The flavor text is standard enough. Just remember that quote attribution also needs its own line.

@gollumni​ — Gives You Hell

I love the name here. I got that All-American Rejects song stuck in my head now. Remember that one? Anyway. Firstly, you don’t need to put “target” there; “Enchant creature” implies it. Secondly, and least importantly, don’t forget you can add watermarks in MSE! Thirdly, the flavor text. I get it, but it doesn’t flow great. If there was some wordplay to be done on fire-spitting and whatever turn of phrase you used, like, “spitting poison” in the literal sense — I don’t know, I just expect something a little more concise. It’s a great concept and has the potential to be very funny, so points there. Also, the card itself? Fantastic.

@greensunzenith​ — Decorated Demon

Liking the name. I don’t like how this card has to be a rare. It’s more of an annoyance than anything. It feels like a card that prevents decisions. It’s not aggressive, nor is it particularly interactive. Conceptually it works, but I’m not in favor. The flavor text is a bit of a head-scratcher. The real question is: who is giving demons sigils? How do they become redeemed? On what world CAN demons become redeemed? This isn’t a Bant thing, is it? I’m a little lost as to the specifics, since it doesn’t play into any tropes and doesn’t inform the world in a recognizable way.

@i-am-the-one-who-wololoes​ — Goblin Decorator

If the flavor text had simply been, in quotes, “Earwigs would go so well with that wallpaper!”, then this card could have been a runner-up. Also, this should definitely be an uncommon. The effect is awesome and powerful and annoying and plays into a variety of strategies. Still, the flavor text is just...too much. It’s a lot of text that tells a story that doesn’t really need to be told. We get enough from the name and that last sentence, combined with a fun ability that matches the card. That’s all we need! Gotta simplify.

@ignorantturtlegaming​ — Dust, Revenant Force

For future cards, I would highly recommend reading up on design philosophy, what Magic’s colors are about, and how cards come into being. There are a lot of questions that this card raises, and a lot of things that need to be edited.

Green doesn’t get first strike, certainly not mono-green.

Why does this card cost five green mana? What does it provide for the limited/constructed environment?

It should be “Fox Warrior.”

The first thing about the flavor text is that there is far too much of it. It’s exposition for exposition’s sake. Fine in a high fantasy short story, but not on a Magic card.

The second thing about the flavor text is that Dust appears to be a white-aligned character through their actions and themes. I don’t feel anything green about them.

@juggernaut-is-a-metalhead — Devil’s Payment

I’m going easy on card art attribution since, well, it’s Disney and they are indeed evil, but in the future, please attribute it to the show itself and/or the director/copyright holder. So, the card itself. Is it supposed to be a common? Is it an homage to Cruel Bargain and Infernal Contract? This certainly isn’t a common effect, and for one mana, well, I don’t know what to say about this card. In terms of the flavor text, why is everything separated in lines like a poem? It’s way too long to fit into a card with three lines of rules text already. I don’t really understand what it’s even trying to say. The devil asked for the MAN’S youth. What does that has to do with his own? And why is it only sometimes capitalized? I don’t really understand this at all.

@koth-of-the-hammerpants — Hidden Bombardier

Great name. For the card text, it’s powerful, arguably fine in the right format, but very strong regardless. It also needs to say “It deals 3 damage” instead of just “Deal.” Gotta get past the 90′s, erryone. So now, the flavor text... I kinda get it? I just don’t understand what makes this card a shapeshifter. I don’t understand the world in which shapeshifters exist. This card feels like a Goblin. It’s an interesting kamikaze take, if a little too flowery and on-the-nose. It doesn’t exactly inform me, and it doesn’t exactly excite me.

@mardu-lesbian​ — Ballynock Adoptee

I had to look up to make sure that there were dwarfs on Lorwyn, and by golly, you’re right, there are! In RW hybrid in Eventide, anyway. And that brings up to a major story problem. By the introduction of dwarfs, the world has already plunged into Shadowmoor, and the thoughtweft has already been replaced with the mindweft. I’m stealing this from the wiki, so berate me if I’m wrong, but I always got the sense that the kithkin were highly xenophobic regardless of where the Great Aurora was. The jarring question that remains is: how does a non-kithkin creature become part of the thoughtweft/mindweft? It goes against what we know about the Kithkin and the world in general. If there’s a good explanation, I’m all ears, but I’m not convinced at this point in time.

@mistershinyobject​ — Phenax’s Messenger

Bonus judge trivia time: I studied Latin in high school and a little in college. From what I can tell about The Callapheia from other cards bearing it’s flavor text, it is meant to evoke classical poetry from Greek and Latin epics. The lines are written four at a time, indented carefully. HERE is a link to all cards with “Callapheia” in the flavor text. The gist is, this card does NOT evoke that. There’s a lot of text, a lot of quotes, a lot of forced story that could have been way punchier if you just had stuff about a snake eating a prophet. I love the card as a limited filler. But yeah, gotta do more research into what it means to have certain aspects on your cards.

@nicolbolas96​ — Unpredictable Betrayal

You know, it’s hard to evoke Nicol Bolas well in flavor text. He’s one of Magic’s major villains, a huge face of many sets, with years behind him. And honestly? You didn’t do a half-bad job in this flavor text. Props! That said, this card is way busted. For one, double strike doesn’t affect fighting at all, so that’s...something. For two, it would need to be three sentences; you did a run-on for that last one. For three, mechanically? This is a two-mana spell that eight times out of ten will absolutely destroy two creatures you don’t control. In limited, that’s insanely powerful. In any format that plays creatures, that’s usually amazingly good. There’s a reason spells like Blood Feud and Clash of Titans cost what they cost. Getting two creatures you don’t control to fight is powerful.

@nine-effing-hells​ — Cairn to Athusis

Actually, this card was one of my favorites from the contest. I’m a heavy Gruul player when I’m not playing cruel control, and I think the gist of this card is super interesting. You made it an enchantment artifact AND a shrine, giving flavor there as well to your new world. The only thing I would have changed is erasing that first sentence from your flavor text entirely. The second is so powerful that it stands on its own. It’s poetic without being overwrought, specific to the world and building off of known tropes. Also, it tells us that “orcs are RG in this world” which is a great mechanical touch. Just needed that little bit of trimming.

@real-aspen-hours​ — Deflect Consequences

Now this is an interesting card!... What practical use does it have? I’m curious what this has on something like Harmless Offering. I don’t believe that cast triggers will be affected. Maybe it would specifically go against things like “counter target spell you don’t control” or something, but if control changes... I’m uncertain of this card’s applications past the gimmick point. That said, it would be fun to cast a Leveler and have it enter the battlefield under an opponent’s control. I’m not in love with the flavor text. It’s fine. Doesn’t light my world on fire. A touch wordy. But it’s fine. Fits the name and the ability well, so that’s nice.

@reaperfromtheabyss​ — Inconquerable Alseid

Besides the fact that “Hope” should be lowercase and separated by a colon, the flavor text is really cool! I don’t like this card much. It’s honestly fine, and it’s an interesting commander card that could lead to some cool consequences, but there’s a reason Undaunted has reminder text. It doesn’t look good floating there by itself. There are some abilities that just need reminder text all the time, and Undaunted is on so few cards that it significantly needs this. I think I was a little too harsh on this card on my first go-around, but I haven’t warmed up to it yet. I think the great flavor could have been used on a simpler, more protective card.

@scavenger98​ — Kadalla the Scornful

I’m 99% sure it should go “First strike, deathtouch, haste.” Order of keywords is weird sometimes. So are creature types. I don’t really understand the world on which an Elf can be Mardu colors. It’s a stretch of the imagination to say the least. The card itself is...fine? I’d honestly make her an uncommon in today’s world. Yeah, she’s powerful, but she’s a 2/1 for three with all different mana symbols. Regarding the flavor, it’s well-worded, but it’s lengthy and doesn’t actually tell us anything about the character or the world. It doesn’t inform the card, and that’s its major misstep. Again, though, good writing.

@shandylamb​ — Multani’s Offspring

A fine card, a funny flavor. Just so you know, though, “Saproling” is pretty much only relegated to the token, and this card would probably see print as a plant or fungus. And additionally, as nice as the pun is... What’s this card even trying to say in the story? Multani’s only known child is Muldrotha, and that’s deep lore as-is. As funny as this card might be, it really doesn’t mesh with a Magic feel.

@starch255​ — Unscrupulous Horpske 

There are only two things I’m concerned about. Firstly: what about this creature makes it “unscrupulous?” What scruples does it have normally in its species? Secondly, this card is trying to make potato salad canon in the multiverse, and I don’t know if such a travesty would be allowed to happen. Potato salad is an affront to taste, no offense to the horpske.

Literally everything else about this card is a 10/10. I would also encourage you to work on a set symbol. Everyone should!

@teaxch​ — Hidden Seers

Interesting. So what timeline is this? Is this supposed to be, like, a return to Tarkir? Cool concept, I think, although I’m not entirely sold. After hearing the shaman’s whispers, why is Surrak’s first instinct to assume that without dragons a human would lead the clan? Wouldn’t the thought of a world without dragons evoke other thoughts and fears first? That’s my main hand-iffy-motion reason. This is also a supremely petty nitpick, probably the pettiest thing I’ve ever said about a card, but if this is the Dragon timeline then wouldn’t the watermark be the Atarka one instead of the Temur one?

@tmstage​ — Apostasy

Everything about this card is good...individually. Great name, but what does that have to do with the ability? What is it trying to depict? What does shuffling your library have to do with religious dogma? And the flavor text feels overbearing. Nykita as a character is someone I’d like to know more about, but this card doesn’t tell me much about her. It’s mostly that the mechanics and the flavor don’t mesh in the least, and, well, it’s not a good mechanic. Shuffling is time-consuming, game-prolonging, and has no discernible benefit to the game outside of incredibly niche cards that mostly don’t affect you as the player. And the more I read the flavor text, the less it makes sense. “Allow the world to deform your flawed notions?” It sounds awesome, but what does it mean?

~

Thank you all for your submissions. New contest tomorrow. 

[beardycarrot]

I fully recommend buying any game for the nine cents (well, nine Club Nintendo gold points) I paid for Elliot Quest. Any game, that is... except Elliot Quest.

This game feels like it should be a home run. It’s an indie metroidvania with an overworld inspired by The Adventure of Link, complete with several distinct areas, a couple of towns, and roaming enemies that lead you to little battle stages. Elliot Quest feels like it was specifically designed for Zelda 2 fans, expanding on basically all of the elements in that game and adding a more in-depth RPG-style progression system. Unfortunately, just like something from the NES era, it’s tough as nails... and suffers because of it.

Well. I suffered because of it, anyway.

As you defeat enemies, you earn experience points, and once you’ve leveled up you earn a skill point that you can put into one of five attributes. These unlock things like the ability to fire arrows (your standard attack) farther or more quickly, the chance for a heart to replenish twice as much health, and automatic regeneration of your magic meter. This is all incredibly helpful... but you earn XP painfully slowly, and when you die or fall down a bottomless pit, you lose a big chunk of it. You can never go down a level, but it’s disheartening to find yourself locked into a difficult platforming section, failing over and over, and seeing your XP bar being completely depleted.

I feel like I’m not properly conveying how frustrating this is... every time you die, you lose several dozen enemies’ worth of experience, and when you respawn at the last save point you passed, it’s re-activated and saves automatically. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve died, quit to the Switch home screen, then closed and re-opened the game just to prevent myself from losing experience. I’d be shocked if it was under fifty. That’s how severe of a punishment this is.

Ahem. The spells and items you collect are well-utilized, for the most part... but a fireball that can light torches, an ice ball that can freeze enemies, and literally just a rock that you throw and bounces around a bit aren’t exactly the pinnacle of innovation. I do like the tornado spell, though... You can use it to draw items towards you, suck in small flying enemies and projectiles, and, for some reason... quickly travel across hedgerows that are floating in mid-air? Yeah, I dunno man.

The game does have a few things going for it. The art is okay, if a bit static (for some reason, all of the screenshots I took happen to be some shade of brown), and the level layouts aren’t terrible. You’ll occasionally find areas that connect to an area you’ve been through before, allowing you to create shortcuts... but the only points of reference any of the area maps give are your current location and the location of the boss room, so it’s easy to get lost. It’s also a huge pain in the butt just to get around the world map, even with shortcuts, as the only fast travel is an expensive item that warps you to one of the towns.

The game has a couple references to the games that inspired it, which is always a nice touch. In the screenshot above, you can (kinda) see a Chozo statue from Super Metroid, and at one point there’s a lone statue in a long room full of columns right at the start of a dungeon. I shot the statue in the head, because I’m kind of a nerd and you get a free potion by doing the same thing in a similar section of Zelda 2... and wouldn’t you know it, the statue dropped a potion.

The story is... eh?  Throughout the game you’ll get a handful of flashbacks to Elliot mourning his wife, who was killed by some kind of entity called the Satar... you’re never really given specifics. It’s also revealed that Elliot tried to kill himself but can’t die, resurrected by the last blue-eyed statue (save point) to see him. He also talks to Rasa, a character implied to be important but who I only ever saw in these flackbacks. Aside from a hooded rogue trying to get you to join sides with him a few times, that’s pretty much all there is to the story... nothing ever really happens in real time, you just get flashbacks to this one scene where Elliot mourned his wife, jumped off a cliff, and talked to Rasa.

There seems to be a morality system in the game... presumably you can be considered to be good or evil, but in my playthrough, it never moved from Neutral. It feels like there are a few things you could do to affect it... for example, early on you have the choice to keep a useful item or return it to its owner... I returned it, but you could also just never talk to them, and the moral dilemma would never present itself. Joining forces with the rogue or disobeying the wishes of a goddess would probably affect it as well, and maybe there are different endings depending on your alignment, but as far as I can tell this feature doesn’t really add anything to the game.

The final boss was an... interesting, experience for me. On my first attempt, he executed a well-telegraphed move that would obviously kill me instantly, but I flubbed a jump and ended up smooshed between two huge stone blocks. On my second attempt, I started the fight by jumping and firing off two arrows, both of which missed the target... and the boss just immediately collapsed. I was wary, unsure what kind of attack this was, and inched towards him... only to find that he was defeated after taking zero damage, and I had beaten the game. Huh.

I really have no idea what happened there. Did I happen to pull off the correct series of button presses to enter a debug cheat to instantly kill the boss? Did I shoot an arrow into the perfect spot at the perfect time while his hitbox was spawning and it built up enough damage that he went down in under a second? Really, nothing I can think of makes much sense... but hey, I just wanted to check the game off of my Backloggery and be done with it as quickly and frustration-free as possible, so I’m not complaining.

Also, I just realized... the enemy from this official art for the game? Which I’ve seen dozens and dozens of times as I’ve tried to avoid draining my XP bar because the artwork is used as the home screen image for the game? Yeah, that enemy isn’t the Satar. I’ve always assumed it was, but now that I’ve finished the game, I recognize it as... just a normal enemy from a couple late-game areas. Not an important character, not a boss or mini-boss, not even a common enemy you see all throughout the game... just a random spear-throwing knight you see four or five times. Weird.

[mysticsparklewings]

Fire Flower

Note: I originally made this painting and typed most of the description towards the end of March. I meant to upload this sooner, but things happened it obviously got pushed way back. Oh gee, would you look at that. It has somehow been 8-9 months since I last made a full acrylic painting... But! I have a video for this one to make up for it! Link: youtu.be/8IgVvgTiZjM I promise I've been trying (and failing) to come up with ideas to do more with this medium. Acrylic paint just isn't my thing. I swear I said this somewhere before, but I have no idea where; It's just hard for me to commit to an acrylic painting when I know I can get the look I want usually much faster and much more easily with other supplies. Acrylic painting just takes so much more time, set up, and patience. This very painting I know I probably could've had done in half the time using primarily watercolor instead, for example. So why is this an acrylic painting instead of something quicker and easier? Because my dear Sparklers, I made this painting and filmed it as a bit of a blending demo for a friend. They tried their hand at an acrylic painting with a sky going from red to yellow...except they lost most of the yellow in the process, and even they weren't really sure how it happened. So since I'm in sort of an art teaching/mentoring position to them, I decided I'd pull out my paints and take a shot at a similar look. Now, to be fair, my end result is very different from their's intentionally. They painted a boat on the water during sunset, I wanted something different and more me, so after some browsing around on Pinterest, I settled on this flower silhouette. I made my own job harder because the reference image had a blue and orange background with lots of black, almost like a vignette, so once I got past the stage of putting the base background colors down, I had a lot more work cut out for myself in trying to replicate that. Speaking of which, you can see most of my process in the video, but a recap just in case: I started by picking out my paint colors, and to be fair I could've gotten away with less or slightly different colors, but I got extravagant and picked a total of nine colors from my Liquitex Basics set (also known as currently the only decent acrylic paints I have):

• Mars Black • Ivory Black • Titanium White • Cadmium Red Deep Hue • Cadmium Red Light Hue • Portrait Pink • Naples Yellow Hue • Cadmium Yellow Medium Hue • Primary Yellow Why the two blacks? Mars Black is a "denser" black so to speak, it's more opaque (less transparent/see-through). The Ivory Black is less opaque, and it's a bit warmer in color than the Mars black. I used the Mars black in areas where I wanted a total and complete black and the Ivory black where I wanted some of the colors from the background to leak through a bit. It's subtle, more of a "feeling" to the eye than something you can clearly see. Also, I used the Portrait Pink, which like the name implies is a very pink flesh tone, and the Naples Yellow Hue (think a shade similar to Yellow Ochre...or fancy Mustard if "yellow ochre" doesn't help you visualize) primarily for blending and not so much for the colors themselves. And the Cadmium Red Light Hue is much more of a reddish-orange in person than it is red, which is why I picked it. It's also pretty transparent (yellows and oranges often are in acrylic paints, especially more student grade ones like the Liquitex Basics) so it also got lost in the mix fairly easily and I had to build it up a lot. In the video, you can definitely see as I start that I do indeed do a lot of back and forth with the paints, blending and layering to my heart's content to try and get the right color balance while also getting a smooth transition. And this goes on for quite a while; the background was definitely the part that took the longest. Initially, I did sketch in a couple of lines as markers for roughly where I needed certain parts of the gradient to begin and end, and with the paints, I went in and got down the base of red and yellows so I could then start working on marrying the two together. And I have to admit, even I let my yellows get a bit lost/pushed down more so than I would've liked. It's a difficult balance to strike; red is already a strong color that easily overpowers yellow. It's even easier when the yellow and your transition colors are more transparent while the red is more opaque. And even more so when your painting has a vignette feel to it. But once I finally had something I was comfortable with and blocked in most of the black (which was a pain in the butt to blend out, by the way, as I'm sure is obvious by how much I go back and forth with it in the video, misusing a fluffy watercolor brush as a mop brush to blend), I then took my outline for the silhouette that I'd already prepared on another piece of paper and used a Faber Castell Gelato (first a gray, then later I'd use a black) on the back to be able to transfer it on the canvas by tracing it with a mechanical pencil with the point pushed in. Personally, I really do think the Gelatos are the best method I've tried for making faux-transfer paper. They're soft so they transfer the color without much fuss without making a powder smudge-y mess (like charcoal, chalk, or pastels might), and they're also water-soluble so they play nicely with the wetness of the acrylic paints, especially if you've thinned them with a bit of water. Then I got the lovely challenge of trying to paint and blend out a nice bright setting sun on top of the blackish mess I'd made.  (It actually wasn't that bad; the Titanium White is pretty opaque so once it mixed with the yellow and I got a couple of layers on it really didn't have any problem covering the darkness that it had to.) After that, I transferred again some of my lines I'd covered up and then got to work on the black silhouette parts. I did have to alter the look slightly because I wasn't quite as careful with lining up the placement of my "transfer paper" that second time and also because the brush had different ideas about how much black should be in some places than I did, but it wasn't too much of a hassle. And then, of course, the real challenge of blending the black up to meet the silhouettes without completely covering up my sun or messing up my other blending. Although, this also wasn't as tricky as I had thought it would be. Ironically, I think by the time I got this far I was finally starting to get a handle on the acrylics after having been away from them for so long.   Believe it or not, this tiny 4"x6"  painting took well over two hours to complete. I had at least two hours of footage that I trimmed down and sped up like four times, and that doesn't include the dry time in between two background layers, the background and the sun, and then the sun and the silhouette. I'd say it was probably closer to 3 and 1/2 hours total, although technically longer because I kept getting interrupted by things and I had to figure out how to set up the camera and everything before I actually started painting. Once I was done with the painting, I also had to actually edit the thing together, which took many more hours than I bothered to document or care to admit. (P.S. Whoever decided all free video editors that don't come pre-installed on a computer either must have stupidly low export limits and/or super obnoxious watermarks, I hate you.) Yeah, there's a reason it's been almost a year since I last posted an actual video of me making art... It just takes so long to edit everything together and I also have to make an extra effort to get stuff set up before and after for filming...Like, maybe it would be different if I had the space and resources to have an area where I could just leave everything and have a camera set up that doesn't move, but right now when my space is limited and my phone is my camera it's just so much easier to...well, to not. At any rate, here's one. One acrylic painting, and one video. A two-for-one special! Sort of! And I think both turned out pretty okay in the end, at least for someone that 1. Doesn't acrylic paint and 2. Doesn't make videos regularly. I call that a win, wouldn't you? Although, I have a few canvases stockpiled. I really should work on trying to squeeze more acrylic paintings into my art regimen somewhere to use those up, if nothing else... ____ Artwork © me, MysticSparkleWings ____ Where to find me & my artwork: My Website | Commission Info + Prices | Ko-Fi | dA Print Shop | RedBubble |   Twitter | Tumblr | Instagram

[wazjunz]

Cult of the Mongoose  (Chapter 1)

“Dude… is he talking to his sandwich!?”

Raymond stole a glance at the boy beside him. Sam was small, even for a Year Eight. He had pale, sandy, nothing-coloured hair, mousey features, bony shoulders and tiny arms. And yes. As the older kid across the walkway has just pointed out, it did look a lot like he was whispering to his lunch. The older boy and his friend were only a few metres away, sitting on a bench on the other side of the concrete walkway connecting the Art department from English, but Sam seemed not to hear the comment. The small boy continued chewing; his cheese sandwich held close to his face. He chewed with his lips slightly open, and kept his eyes locked firmly on the sandwich, his eyebrows would raise and fall as he chewed.

“Oh my God, I think he is,” the older boy continued.

His friend shook his head and laughed. Raymond felt very vulnerable, dreading that the older boys would turn their attention to him next. Raymond put a lot of effort into being invisible, and he suddenly felt more exposed than usual. After waiting long enough that it wouldn’t seem like he had been scared off by the older boys’ comments, Raymond mumbled a goodbye to Sam and walked quickly away. Sam didn’t look up from his sandwich.

Raymond checked his watch. Damn it. He’d planned on spending longer with Sam before moving on. Sam sat alone in a quieter area, and was happy with almost no conversation, so Raymond could kill almost 20 minutes with Sam sometimes before he got too nervous and moved on. There was still forty minutes before Lunch ended. Most days Raymond could secure his favourite spot in the library before anyone else got there. There was a small corner with a low armchair, hidden between shelves, where he could hide out completely alone for an entire recess or lunch if he got there first, but today was a Wednesday. On Wednesdays before lunch he had Drama. Drama was in a demountable way out the back of the school and as far from the library as you could get. Today, by the time he got to his safe chair a couple of Year Tens were crammed into it, giggling and poking one-another while their Group slumped on the floor in the surrounding aisles, smirking knowingly, rolling their eyes at one another.

As he passed the Library doors Raymond considered checking his spot again, but he couldn’t risk it. If the Group hadn’t moved on they might spot him lurking again and call him a stalker, or worse, a Nigel. As in ‘Nigel-no friends’. Raymond put his head down and walked quickly through the crowd in the main quadrangle, past the snaking canteen lines, and out a side gate towards the basketball courts. Raymond didn’t like going near the basketball courts. That was where the second most intimidating group of Year Nines hung out. It was their Area. All the Groups had an Area. The basketball court was the sporty/ tough Year Nine’s Area. They were the biggest Group in Year Nine. The group consisted of two Sub-Groups. The sporty kids (identified more by their running shoes and Adidas track pants than actual sporting ability) and the tough kids, who liked to cultivate an air of delinquency, without ever actually getting into much trouble. The more affluent sporty kids enjoyed the danger and protection of the tougher sub-group, while the tougher sub-group used the prestige of the sporty kids to keep them from being identified with the socially undesirable ‘Dero’ group- who got in actual trouble.

Raymond was equally terrified by both basketball court Sub-Groups, so before he got too close to the courts he jogged down a slight hill to two demountables on the edge of the oval. The eroded, grassless patch of dirt between the demountables was one of his emergency, temporary back up havens when his spot in the library got taken. This was Gumbum’s Area.

Gumbum’s real name wasn’t Gumbum, but it was what everyone called him. Gumbum was bigger and louder than the most confident Year 12, but not for any reason that anyone could figure out. He was shaped like a giant bowling pin, and moved like a T-rex. He had a meaty butt and legs, but stood with a slouch that made his shoulders look disproportionately small. The entire Year thought he was an idiot, and not without justification. Gumbum found himself very funny, and cracked jokes and laughed loudly at himself during class. Often the jokes were references to some wierd Japanese animation series that no one else had seen. Every single one fell flat. Gumbum was permanently unfazed though, and either didn’t mind or didn’t notice that his company was seen as social suicide by his entire year group. Without friends his own age, Gumbum simply found like-minded weirdos from younger Years, and cavorted with them joyously in this strange Area between the demountables. Gumbum was a semi-safe ally for Raymond for two reasons. Firstly, because most other Year Nines gave him a wide berth, Raymond was usualy safe from bumping into anyone scary while in Gumbum’s proximity. Secondly, Gumbum was so big and loud, and unashamedly dorky, that Raymond felt that if he was spotted with him he might look vaguely normal in comparison.

Raymond heard Gumbum laughing like an excitable fog horn before he rounded the corner of the first demountable. The man-sized 14-year-old had two Year Seven boys clinging onto each of his legs, and one on each arm, while a weasly-looking Year 8 threw popcorn into his open, guffawing mouth. It was unclear what exactly the game was or how it hard started, but it was exactly the sort of thing Gumbum and his tiny friends seemed to be doing all the time. Raymond leaned awkwardly against the side of the demountable out of the way of the action. He tried not to smile, but the sight was pretty great. Gumbum had stumbled under the weight of the tiny Year Sevens and had one smooshed up agianst the demoutnable wall squealing, while the rest still clung on giddily. The Year Eight continued hocking handfuls of popcorn into Gumbum’s snapping jaws. Suddenly Gumbum threw his head back, spraying popcorn kernels into the air. “THIS. ENDS. NOOOOOOW!”, he yelled to the sky. Year sevens were suddenly flying off his thrashing limbs, crashing to the rocky ground, gasping with pain and laughter. Gumbum turned and saw Raymond standing awkwardly near the corner of the demountable.

“Oh, Hello Raymond,” he said.

Gumbum made a point of knowing the name of every Year Nine, and a good smattering of the older and younger students’ names. He would use everyone’s names like they were close friends, much to the discomfort of his peers, who didn’t like the implication that they were on speaking terms with the most obvious weirdo in the year. Another reason Raymond sometimes sought out Gumbum in a pinch was that, just like Sam, hanging out with Gumbum meant Raymond barely had to say a word, although (very much unlike Sam) this was because Gumbum never shut up. Gumbum had figured out at some point that Raymond watched Dragon Ball Z, so whenever they crossed paths he would launch quickly into long monologues about hypothetical fights between characters and intricate plot points he had important thoughts about. Having a loud conversation outing him as a Dragon Ball Z watching type was not something that appealed to Raymond at all in the hallways and classrooms generally, but in the near-panic of a library-less lunch time, and in the relative safety between the demountables next to the oval it was a trusty way to eat up some time. Today even that fallback was ruined though. Gumbum had barely started ramping up when a basketball slammed into the wall above their heads and flumped to the dirt near his feet. Gumbum jumped to pick it up and walked out from between the buildings to hand it to an exercise flushed Year nine girl chasing it down the hill.

“Here you go Kellie!,” he said.

Raymond looked at his feet and slid his back along the wall, trying to blend in to the shadows as the girl approached, but he saw her see him, her eyes flicking momentarily between him and Gumbum. She took the ball quickly, forcing a polite smile from the corners of her mouth, before sprinting back up the hill to her friends.

“See you Kellie!” Gumbum called after her.

Spooked, Raymond half raised his hand to Gumbum in a tiny wave, and mumbled “OK, seeya man,” before striding quickly back toward the main school buildings.

Raymond checked his watch again. Only ten minutes had passed since he left Sam. He still had 30 minutes to kill. There was nowhere to sit and hide on his own without it being obvious he was alone, but he could only do so many laps of the school without that looking weird. He had one more option, but it wasn’t one he liked. He took the longest path he could to stairwell near the Art block, walking as slowly as possible without it looking like he was walking slower than a non-weird person would walk.

The entire school, (with the exception a couple of newer buildings) was carpeted in old frayed astroturf coloured carpet. The strairway leading up to the Art classrooms had the added affect of being speckled with droplets of old paint and stomped bits of clay that couldn’t be cleaned out, making it look like a slime clogged waterfall. The stairway changed directions half-way up, where a wobbly old table lived in the corner next to a window peeling with year’s old red and black paint. The table was Ryan’s spot. The corridor at the top of the stairwell was claimed by another large group of Year Nines, somewhere around the middle of the social ladder, running a distant third behind the Populars and the Sport/Tough Groups. Ryan was probably technically part of that group, but his arrogance and moodiness meant that as often as not he put himself in self-imposed, attention seeking exile on the wobbly desk in the stairwell, rather than deigning to hang out with lower life forms. This set up worked well enough for Raymond as Ryan’s volatile moods kept others away, and made him ill-disposed to making jokes and small talk, which Raymond’s panic stricken brain struggled to keep up with.

The other good thing about Ryan was his MP3 player. He had the only one in school. It was white with a greenish backlight and circular touch dial that let you scroll through songs, and the songs were good. Sometimes, rarely, Ryan would let Raymond take an ear bud and listen to half a song. Once he let him have both headphones and scroll through the tracks himself. Ryan was smart and he had cool and interesting taste in music. Unfortunately he was also pretty much one hundred percent not a nice person. Ryan had something mean to say about everyone and everything. He wore a permanent scowl and was always picking at his fingernails like he was punishing them for something. He was also incredibly moody, and could switch from having an interesting conversation to insulting your mum without warning or reason. Raymond found the fact that Ryan already acted like he hated him oddly comforting, but spending more than a few minutes with Ryan always felt odd and uncomfortable. Raymond approached Ryan and leaned on the window with his shoulder. Ryan looked up and pulled out one of his earbuds.

“What.” He said.

“Nah, nothing,” Raymond mumbled. “What you listening to?” Ryan sighed dramatically.

“The Swerves” he said.

“Oh cool. I haven’t heard of them.” Raymond replied.

“Why did you say they’re cool then?”

“Oh, I dunno. The name sounds cool…”

“Uh-huh.”

Ryan stared at Raymond with his ice blue eyes, eyebrows raised.

“How many songs can you get on there?,” Raymond asked.

Ryan rolled his eyes and looked at the ceiling.

“Maybe like 50. I dunno, depends on the songs.”

“Cool. That’s pretty cool. That’s like three or four full albums.”

“Yep. I guess.”

Another awkward silence ensued.

“Is that all?” Ryan said abruptlky. “Like, did you want something or did you just come up here to stand there like a weirdo and tell me you like my MP3 player?”

“Oh, yeah. No. Anyway. Seeya.” Raymond replied, starting to move away back down the stairs.

“Ok. bye. Die in fire,” Ryan said in pretend cheerfulness to Raymonds back.

Ryan said that to everyone. It was like his stand in for any normal phrase he didn’t feel like saying, and he seemed to drop it almost without realizing. Once he said it to a teacher, almost certainly by accident, but he got in big trouble. By Ryan standards the conversation had been a mild success, but it hadn’t taken much time. Raymond checked his watch again. With 15 long minutes still to kill and no other loner allies to visit Raymond did the only thing he could think of and headed back towards the library.

Recently Raymond had started to feel as though he could sense when his Spot was taken and when it was free. As he neared the library he got a hopeful feeling in his stomach and tentatively started to believe that he might get 15 minutes of safe time in his spot with a pile of books before the bell rang for fifth period. He dodged a screaming group of Year Sevens and slipped through the heavy swinging door into the relative quiet. The library was split into three levels. The ground floor was shaped like a big square with the middle cut out. To Raymond’s right and behind him was the borrowing counter, and staff area. The rest of the square was ringed with clumps of desks with four or five chairs grouped around them, and the walls were covered with laminated posters that looked like they’d gone up when she school was built 30 years before. A few groups of students sat at some of the tables. This area was brightly lit by fluorescent lights. In the centre of this square the floor dropped downa couple of metres, making a sort of sunken area ringed by large steps that could double as a sort of in door ampitheatre for classes or presentations. Technically book-wise this was the Young Adult section. One low shelf in the sunken square had a jumble of crappy graphic novels and busted up surfing magazines thrown in it. Most of them were terrible old Asterix comics, and similar things, so Raymond rarely ventured down to look.  In two corners those round stand-up spinning book stands held piles of thin paperback novels in bright colours. No one really seemed to ever read or borrow any of them, but Raymond had learned from the giggles and not-very-covert whispers of groups of students that two or three has nudity or sex scenes in them. It was easy to tell which ones they were because they were very beat up. Especially a yellow one, that apparently had a part about two guys doing something in it, and bore the scars of being dropped into the laps of unsuspecting young male victims, and subsequently hurled across the room while their friends cackled.

Raymond’s spot was in the ‘mezzanine’, which was the same shape as the ground floor, but up a flight of stairs in front of the borrowing desk, and with a balcony looking down over the Young Adult section. The mezzanine was where most of the books were. Dirty skylights gave the whole area an otherworldly, hazy, gloaming glow. Two rows of massive beige metal shelves ran down each side of the square. Raymond had the sections highlighted in his brain. Right at the top of the stairs was Sport (gross), which morphed into science (meh), and turned into religion (shrug) in the back right corner. Turning down the back side of the square took you through Art and Design (cool), then history (rad), and finally, Raymond’s favourite, the weird stuff.

Raymond’s spot was a low, cushioned armchair with heavy black metal legs covered in squeaky off-white vinyl, tucked in an alcove, and nearly completely out of view until you walked right past it. The chair faced directly onto Raymond’s favourite shelf. Althought he would often grab a couple of massive art and history books (he especially liked the gigantic Encycolpedia of Modern Military Uniforms), the vast majority of his attention always went to the metre-and-a-half bottom shelf across from his Spot. An old yellow sticker on the shelf at this section read “Paranormal/ unexplained/ horror.” It was a treasure trove of off-putting descrioptions, heart-pounding eyewitness accounts and creepy illustrations.  Fifty minutes outside of the library was an age, but a lunchtime spent in his Spot seemed to Raymond like a fleeting moment. He always pulled out way more books that he had time to look through in one sitting. He’d stack the big ones near his feet, balance the smallest on the arms of the chair, and pack the hefty medium sixed hard covers next to his thighs. He loved the books for their stories and ideas and pictures, and their ability to transport him to another world, and raise the hairs on the back of his neck, but he also loved the feel of them. The weight in his hand. The way the thick plastic p[rotecting the covers gave a moved under his fingers as he swung the tomes in his hand down the aisle. The books were his real allies.

About half way up the steps to the mezzanine, a glimpsed view under the shelves showed Raymond that his feeling was correct. The entire floor seemed deserted now. He jogged the last few steps and set off towards his spot. With 15 minutes left he could still flick through a couple of his favourite books. He was rounding the Religion corner, and mentally shortlisting which books he would pull down, when he nearly walked into a Year Ten coming the other way. The boy was tall, a little pudgy, and smiling over his shoulder as he joked with a Year ten girl walking just behind him. Both he and Raymond stopped abruptly to avoid a collision. Raymond froze, and the tall boy did a short double take as he recognised that he recongised Raymond.

“Oh, hey Ray,” the Year Ten said.

“Hey man,” Raymond replied, not knowing where to look.

“How you been dude? You sort of disappeared on us hey.”

Raymond knew he needed to reply quickly but his brain was doing what it always did in this kind of situation. He felt like his mind had turned into spaghetti, and his thoughts were going too slow and too fast at once.

The tall boy was Cameron. He and Raymond were best friends from the start of primary school until the middle of Year 6, when Raymond moved away for a few years. When he came back to his home town, Raymonds mum had decided that it was time to make up for a mistake she felt she had made in sending him to school too early, when he was just a little kid. Raymond was smart, but he had alwaus been a little immature and social stilted compared to others in his year, so when his family moved back to town after being away, Raymonds mum told him he would be doing Year 9 again. Raymond didn’t kick up a stink. Raymond never did that. He did worry that people who remembered him from primary school would be at this high school though. There were only two big public high schools in town, and he felt sick about having to explain to people who recognized him from primary school why he was now in the shameful category of people who had to repeat a year. Cameron’s family lived just around the corner from Raymond’s family home, which they’d moved back to when they came back to town. He’d caught up with Cameron once before school went back (Raymond’s mum had called Cameron’s and set it up without telling Raymond). It was a little awkward at first, but Raymond had always liked Cameron, and even found his mum and his older brother Kim easier to talk to than most people. That day they ate Cameron’s mum’s ‘Specialty’ pizza (plain wraps with melted cheese and tomato paste) in front of the TV and pretty soon things seemed more or less like they’d been years ago. Raymond didn’t tell Cameron he was repeating. On the first day of school Cameron and his brother came out of their house as Raymond was walking past. It was about a half hour walk to school. Raymond was nervous but Cameron and Kim were both super funny and smart. The brothers talked about big ideas and local urban legends and people they knew. Cameron almost never stopped talking, Kim chimed in when he could with a dark joke or a witty comment, and Raymond followed along not saying much, but grinning and laughing along.

When they got to the school gates (massive spiked things swung open from a tall barbed-wire-topped fence) Raymond hesitiated. Cameron grabbed the handle of Raymond’s school bag and playfully tugged it as he strode towards his group’s Area.

“Come on man, you can sit with us,” he said.

The cracks started to show even on that first day though. Cameron’s group were really nice, and interesting. They were basically six boys who sat on the big steps outside Food Tech, but they had a sort of mirror group across from them which was mostly girls, and the two sort of orbited one another, coming together and drifting apart like a tidal inlet. Cameron introduced Raymond around. One of the other boys remembered Raymond from primary school, and for a while Raymond was able to blend happily into the background of the conversation. Predictably the talk soon went to subjects and timetables and who had which teachers this year. Someone asked Raymond what class he was in for Maths and his brain went to mush. Cameron noticed Raymond struggling to explain and intervned.

“Nah Ray’s actually Year 9, so he’s going to have his own hell to figure out haha.”

Raymond noticed a confused look brush over the face of the guy who he’s gone to school with previously. And them moments later a look of shrewd understanding. Raymond was outed as a repeater. No one said anything, and Raymond kept hanging out with Cameron’s group, in that Area for the first two weeks of school, but he was constantly worried that someone would say something about him being a Year 9 hanging out with Year 10s. Inter-year hanging out wasn’t really done. People mostly stuck with their own year group, and Raymond felt like other Year Nines were starting to notice that he sat with Year Tens as well, which made him worried that he would have to explain to more people that he had to repeat. He wasn’t connecting with anyone in his classes either (except for weird, co-loner interactions with Sam, Gumbum and Ryan). He wondered whether the other Year Nine’s thought he was weird- and that hanging out with Cameron’s group was adding to it. Slowly, Raymond started to spend some lunch times in the library. In the fourth week of term he found his Spot, and the shelf of awesome books. He started sneaking to the library right after class, every other lunch time and recess. The more time he spent way from the group the more awkward he felt when he did show up, so by the sixth week of term he started going to the library whenever he could, and avoiding Cameron’s group all together. He never spoke to Cameron about it, and started leaving for school as late as possible, to avoid being on the same schedule as Cameron and Kim. He just didn’t know how to explain, and was worried about offending Cameron, so he pulled his usual move and avoided anything scary or hard.

Now, about three months after he’d weirdly dropped out of Cameron’s fold, they’d come face to face, mere metres from Raymond’s hiding place. Raymond realised with horror that he hadn’t replied to Cameron’s question yet. He laughed nervously and looked at his feet.

Cameron gave him a slightly confused look. His friend walked around the pair.

“You coming Cam?” she said.

“Yep,” Cam replied, still looking at Raymond. “Come hang out again some time man. If you want. I’ve got some books you’d like. Crazy shit. You can borrow them… OK, seeya man.”

Cameron caught up with his friend and disappeared down the stairs. Raymond dragged the pads of his fingers on his right hand down the right side of his face, in a hard repetitive motion. It was a sort of tick he had when he really felt like he’d stuffed up, which was a lot of the time.

He walked to his spot, grabbed as big a handful of books as he could from his favourite shelf and dumped them on his lap as he sunk into the squawking vinyl. Suddenly he found he couldn’t muster the energy to open any of them. He sat, staring at nothing for the remaining ten minutes until the bell.

He caught a glimpse of himself in the windows in the library doors as he left and noticed that the right hand side of his face was all red.  

[day-writingdaydreams]

Who Knew I Was Crossing A Line

Summary: Natsu returns to Magnolia after having left for over a year. He goes to an open mic night and sees that his ex, Lucy, is performing. Songfic, A.U. Fairy Tail and its characters are owned by Hiro Mashima. Who Knew is by P!nk. Crossing a Line is owned by Mike Shinoda.

This was my first fanfic and was written for the #BigBangEvent for @nalugruviaevents. The art is by the amazing @bakugyou with a ton of help from my awesome beta reader @doginshoe. Thanks, you guys! I love ya to bits!

The Magnolia train station was a hub of activity when a rosy haired young man stumbled off of his train. He took a moment to quell the queasiness in his stomach before going in search of a familiar face. Glancing about, he noticed a placard with the words ‘Flame Brain’ being held up by a young man with black hair.

“Hey Popsicle, thanks for being my welcome wagon,” the rosette greeted.

“Nice to have you back, Fire Breath,” The noirette replied, helping him with his luggage. “ you back for good this time?” He asked as he led the boy to his Dodge Avenger.

“Yeah,” Natsu sighed as he settled in the passenger seat after placing a guitar case in the back of the car. “I’m back for good, Gray.” He sighed again before muttering, “I found him.”

Gray’s eyes went wide as he settled behind the wheel, whipping his head to face Natsu. “You did?!” He exclaimed.

“Yeah,” said a somber Natsu, averting his attention to the view out of his window.  “Could we go to Fairy Tail and grab some food? I need ta talk to Gramps, see if I could get a job and a place to stay,” Natsu rambled, keeping his gaze out of his window.

‘Besides, I don’t think she would want me staying at her place’ his heart ached at the errant thought.

“Sure man,” said Gray, giving Natsu a concerned look. He’d never seen the usually boisterous guy in such a state, but he knew better than to question it. “You know, I’d let you stay at my place, but Juvia just moved in.” Casting another glance, Gray started the ignition, and pointed the car to its destination.

“Thanks for the offer, but I really wouldn’t like to butt in anyways,” Natsu said with a small grin. “Besides, I’d like to have my own space again.”

Fairy Tail Bar and Grill was a hole-in-the-wall local watering hole that was a Magnolia institution. There were quite a few regular customers who would stop in, as well as the occasional tourist group or three. People gathered there for the great food, the friendly service, and even for the random chaos that comes about in waves. There was always a friendly brawl going on or a reason to throw a party.

The two boys considered it their second home, as they practically grew up there. The rowdy pub regulars taught them more about life than they had ever wanted to learn, as most of those regulars were perverts.

The drive didn’t take long at all, and soon Gray parked the car and started to get out when he realized something and froze. The sign on the window made him think twice, but Natsu was already halfway out of the vehicle.

“Shit,” Gray muttered, thinking as quickly as he could. “Hey Flame Brain, I don’t think tonight’s a good night for this. It looks really crowded in there.”

Natsu looked at his best friend incredulously “What are talking about? Unless a lot has changed since I left, this looks like a normal crowd!”

‘Man, you have no idea how much has changed,’ Gray thought bitterly. ‘Maybe if you kept in touch better you would have realized that before now.’

Natsu pulled open the heavy wood and glass doors and stepped into the organized chaos that was Fairy Tail. To his chagrin, it was a little more crowded than he remembered. There were also the sounds of instruments being tuned, which was a very uncommon noise for the rowdy bar. Natsu also noticed that the stage in the back of the bar was being set up with more musical instruments by a blonde female with a figure to die for. He felt drawn to her for some reason, but squashed that thought quickly, his heart still longing for the girl he had left behind.

Tearing his gaze from the scene, Natsu glanced around to locate any more familiar faces and was immediately rewarded with the person behind the bar. He walked towards the side of the establishment, a small smile tugging on the corners of his lips.

“Hey Mira, could I get some fire chicken and a cola?” Natsu asked cheekily as he approached the bar.

The white haired barmaid spun around abruptly, catching herself on the bar top to steady herself as her eyes widened with shock and surprise.

“Natsu!” Mirajane squealed, practically throwing herself across the bar top to give him a hard hug. “Where have you been? You up and leave without any warning, and don’t tell anyone! We were so worried about you!” she chastised as she moved away after nearly smothering the male.

“I know. I’m sorry Mira,” Natsu said regretfully. “I had a lead and needed to follow it.”

Mira cupped his face gently in her palm with a soft look in her eyes. “At least you’re here and you’re alive,” she stated. “That’s all that’s really matters.”

She turned to go place his order in the kitchen as Gray walked up to the bar.

“Figured you two would want to catch up,” Gray stated.

Natsu closed his eyes and rubbed his face as he replied, “I really fucked up, didn’t I?”

“Maybe if you had kept in touch better, you wouldn’t’ve,” Gray sighed, struggling to not start an argument. “Why didn’t you?”

“It’s kind of hard to when you’re out of the country with no service, your phone gets stolen and you’re broke as fuck,” retorted the rosy haired man, annoyed. “I had to resort to more than just busking to make enough money for food and to save up to come back.”

“That sounds incredibly harsh,” interjected the snowy haired barmaid as she made her way over to the almost arguing males with Natsu’s order. “You could have written to us, Natsu. We would’ve helped.”

Natsu looked down at his food sheepishly, “I wasn’t really thinking clearly to do that at the time.”

A loud sound followed by a string of curse words came from the stage, drawing attention from the little group at the bar.

“Lucy,” Mira called, “try to keep it clean tonight!”

‘Shit!’ Natsu thought frantically, eyes quickly scanning the area. ‘Lucy’s here?!  

The sexy blonde on the stage looked up as she repositioned a fallen piece of the drum kit and shot a furious glance at the group by the bar. “I make no promises, Mira,” she called back as she finished her setup.

Natsu’s eyes widened to the size of dinner plates once he focused his sights on her. ‘Holy shit! She’s even more beautiful than I remembered!’

Mira looked back at the stunned male with a small, sad smile. “Lucy’s started an Open Mic night here once a week with Master’s permission,” she explained.  

“It’s been really popular,” added Gray. “I give real props to her.”

Natsu could only nod dumbly as he continued to stare in awe at his ex-girlfriend, his plate of food forgotten.

Lucy was a vision in her bootcut dark wash jeans, red peasant shirt and brown low heeled clogs. Her long golden tresses were in a loose braid over her shoulder. She slipped on her cedar topped Greg Bennett electric acoustic guitar with her Starry Night guitar strap, making sure that it was tuned and plugged into her amp and pedals as she perched on the barstool on stage.

Her mocha colored eyes scanned the room, landing on a familiar head of pink spiked hair. A gasp left her lips as she nearly fell off her seat.

‘This can’t be real. I’m imagining things. He’s not really here,” Lucy thought, quickly composing herself while closing her eyes and shaking her head with a sad smile. ‘I’ve finally cracked up. Maybe it’s time to finally play that one song.”

With a resolute sigh, she introduced herself and welcomed everyone to the Open Mic. After stating that she had a new song for everyone, she placed her nimble fingers on the strings and began to play the familiar  chords, closing her eyes as she hit her drum pedal and began to sing.

You took my hand You showed me how You promised me you'd be around Uh huh That's right

She slowly opened her eyes, glancing once again to what she believed to be her pink haired delusion. They had so much history together, childhood best friends for years before they became lovers. She hit the loop pedal to keep her chords going.

Natsu felt a piercing pain in his heart. He did make that promise, didn’t he? Yet he had quickly packed his bags and ran out the door, never looking back. Not once. He was such a moron for not keeping it.

I took your words And I believed In everything You said to me Yeah huh That's right

She saw him staring at her, a look of pain and sorrow on his face. That wasn’t right. He always smiled in her visions. His grin being the one he used to give her every day where his dark green eyes would close with how big it was. So why was he sad? She stop this train of thought as she switched up the sound of her guitar with an overdrive pedal to make her guitar sound more like an electric guitar.

If someone said three years from now You'd be long gone I'd stand up and punch them out 'Cause they're all wrong I know better 'Cause you said forever And ever Who knew

She closed her eyes from the pain caused by her memories, feeling her broken heart starting to crack a little once more as she poured herself into the mic. It had been too long since she had felt this strongly about, well, anything. She gave a broken chuckle at the thought.

The ache in his chest continued to spread, causing his breath to catch in his throat. His head spun with thoughts of coulda, woulda, shoulda. He couldn’t believe that this was how he had left her. He shouldn’t have left the way that he did. He felt lower than slime.

Remember when we were such fools And so convinced and just too cool Oh no No no

Swamped in memory, she could almost feel his touch on her face, his heat as they kissed.  Oh how she missed him! Months spent trying to block this feeling nearly killed her, but what could she do? He left without saying a word, without saying goodbye.

Without saying he loved her.

And that destroyed her soul.

I wish I could touch you again I wish I could still call you friend I'd give anything

‘Oh Luce, I’d give anything for that as well,’ the heartbroken pink haired idiot just stared at the love of his life, his mouth left agape. He had been a complete and utter fool. The whole time he was gone all he could think of was her, but she wouldn’t forgive him - how could she?

She opened her eyes once again, believing this to be her strongest delusion yet. He was still there! And he looked as just heartbroken as she felt.

It took everything she had to keep her voice steady and strong. She couldn’t let it break just yet.

When someone said count your blessings now For they're long gone I guess I just didn't know how I was all wrong They knew better Still you said forever And ever Who knew Yeah yeah

Her gaze shifted to her fretboard, making certain that she hit all the right chords.

I'll keep you locked in my head Until we meet again

Her gaze shifted once more back to him. It was always back to him.

He couldn’t take his eyes off of her. He was a magnet, and she was true North.

Until we Until we meet again And I won't forget you my friend What happened

She started to sing with her whole heart, trying to exorcise her demons with her voice, pouring her feelings into every word. Who cares if the whole world knows now? She had always loved him, and now she was singing to a figment of her imagination.

If someone said three years from now You'd be long gone I'd stand up and punch them out 'Cause they're all wrong and

She roared in tune and melody, sounding like an avenging angel. Her guitar strings echoing strongly with her emotions, her heartbreak, her grief.

That last kiss I'll cherish Until we meet again And time makes It harder I wish I could remember But I keep Your memory You visit me in my sleep My darling Who knew

She took gasping breaths, trying to reel in her raging emotions once again, and switched off her overdrive pedal and loop pedal.

My darling My darling Who knew

Her voice came out as a breathy whisper; a little broken sounding as her tears threatened to fall. She closed her eyes against them and forced her voice to become stronger as she almost effortlessly picked up her beginning chords once more.

Natsu was starting to feel confused. He understood that the song was about them, but did she think that he was dead? This was way worse than he thought. He really did screw up this time.

How the hell was he going to fix this?!

My darling I miss you My darling Who knew

Memories of pink hair, kind eyes, and a wide fanged grin assaulted her. She opened her mahogany orbs and locked eyes with his olivine gaze.

Who knew

‘Natsu,” she thought as she stopped her drum pedal and ended the song with a final dampened chord.

“Lucy,” Natsu whispered reverently under his breath, calloused fingers itching to reach out to her. To hold her in his arms to comfort her from her pain he caused her, to breathe in her addictive scent of sweet almonds and honey.

A pregnant pause followed by a deafening sound broke her concentration as the bar patrons applauded Lucy’s performance. She had honestly forgotten where she was and who was listening. She blushed and stood to make her bow, relinquishing the stage for the next performer

Mira turned to Natsu, noting the heartbreak plain on his face. “You know,” she started slowly, “Lucy missed you the most out of all of us. I don’t think that she realizes that you’re actually even here.”

Dumbfounded, Natsu turned back to the barmaid with a quizzical look. “What do you mean?”

“She means,” interrupted a sour looking Gray, “that Lucy had such a hard time about you leaving that she thinks you’re a figment of her imagination! She’s been to therapy and everything because you couldn’t have bothered to tell her that you were going or if you’d be back!” The boy seethed quietly.

“Gray!” Mira hissed, giving him a deadly glare as he cowered from her in fear. “That’s not our truth to share! How dare you!”

Ignoring the seething barmaid and the cowering dark haired idiot, Natsu became lost in thought. He needed to fix this, he needed her to know. After some time, he came up with a plan.

“Hey Mira, do you think you can get me a performance spot for tonight?” Natsu asked quite suddenly, wiping his palms nervously on the thighs of his work worn jeans. “I have an idea…”

He got up from the barstool as Mira gave a hesitant nod and threw Gray a pointed look.

“Ice breath, I need to get some stuff from the car,” he growled.

As they left arguing for the car, Lucy approached the bar.

“Hey Mira, can I get an iced strawberry mint tea with honey?” the blonde requested as she wearily slid onto the barstool, leaning her elbows onto the bar and propping her jaw with the palm of her hand

With a smile, the barmaid answered as she picked up the forgotten food to place it someplace safe, “Sure thing Lucy! By the way, your performance tonight was amazing!”

“Thank you,” Lucy replied tiredly, coming down from her performance high. That song always drained her both physically and emotionally, even in practice.

‘I guess that’s what exorcising your demons does to you.’ she thought derisively.

“It sounded like you were singing that song for a certain someone…” Mira teased as she quickly served the younger girl.

“More like to a ghost than anyone, Mira,” the blonde answered sadly as she closed her eyes. “The person I was singing to wasn’t even here.”

“Oh? Are you sure about that?” The older female inquired with a twinkle in her eye.

“I haven’t seen or heard from him in over a year,” Lucy said despondently, opening her eyes to focused on her drink, not noticing the pair of boys walking back into the bar, or the pink haired boy focusing all of his attention on her. “I highly doubt that he’s going to just waltz into Fairy Tail just in time to hear my song… and if I did happen to see him, it’s probably all in my head anyways. Stupid dragon,” she pouted, her attention still on her beverage.

Glancing at the stunned Natsu while grabbing a glass to clean, Mira exclaimed, “Oh, that reminds me! Someone requested a spot for tonight, if possible. It’s someone who hasn’t played here before.” She said that last part with a secretive smile.

This request piqued the blonde’s interest. Raising a brow, Lucy lifted her gaze to the barmaid in question.

“I’ll double check with Levy,” she said slowly. “She’s got my clipboard with the available spots, but I think I saw one open.”

“That’s great!” Mira beamed. “I’ll let them know once you confirm.”

Lucy smiled as she got off of the barstool, turning and spotting Gray and her supposed pink haired apparition as she did. She greeted Gray, trying her best to ignore who she believed to be the figment of her imagination that was standing right next to him as she asked after Juvia. Even though her skin had tingled from being so near to him as she passed by him on her way back to the stage, she still did her best to not acknowledge him.

She felt as if she were crazy enough as it was.

Natsu scowled slightly as he watched her leave. He kept quiet during the exchange, hoping that she’d notice him, but it seemed that Grays words rang true. She really didn’t believe that he was actually in front of her.

‘This is gonna be harder than I thought…’

He set down his guitar case gingerly on the floor, and turned to face Mira with a pensive look. “She really doesn’t think that I’m here,” he said quietly, pushing a hand through his hair to rub at the back of his neck. “How am I supposed to win her back if she still thinks that I’m gone?”

Giving him a look of understanding, Mira said, “Don’t give up just yet, Natsu. I’m sure you can do it.” She brought back out his food and made a gesture to it. “In the meantime, eat up. You’ll need the energy to perform.”

He quirked his lips in a small smile and settled down onto the barstool to eat. “You got it, Mira,” he said as he dug in.

“Hey Mira!” a blue haired fairy called as she came up to the bar a little while later. “Lucy mentioned that you had someone asking for a performance spot?”

Mira turned to her direction, “Levy! Yes, I had someone ask for a spot. It’s for a very good cause,” she emphasized as she directed the girl’s attention to the pink haired man chowing down in front of her.

Levy’s eyes nearly popped out of her head. “Natsu?! What the hell are you doing here?” she asked in disbelief, moving in to give him a warm hug. “Where the hell have you been?  Has Lucy seen you yet? It’s so great that you’re back! Are you back for -”

“Whoa Levy! Slow down! You’re firing off those questions faster than I can form an answer!” He chuckled as he awkwardly returned her hug. “I was in Alvarez following a lead. I’m back for good. As for Lucy…” he trailed off as he let go of her, unable to formulate an answer.

Levy looked at him quizzically for a moment before it dawned on her. “She doesn’t believe that you’re physically here, does she?” she asked quietly.

Natsu eyed her sadly before answering. “No, I don’t think that she does,” he said in a breath. “That’s why I need the spot. I think it’s the only way to convince her.”

She looked at him in kindness, patting his hand. “You may be right,” she conceded as she tucked a loose strand of her blue hair behind her ear. “There’s a spot open after Gajeel. He’s the guitar player in the suit who’s got the long black hair and multiple piercings.” She turned to the stage as she pointed out the man in a white suit and fedora to the pink haired boy. “He’s about to go on next, so you better get ready. I gotta get back to help Lucy. Break a leg, Natsu!”

“Thanks Levy!” He said with a smile as she got up to leave, watching her interact with Lucy and helping the intimidatingly pierced male with his setup.

As he finished his meal, Gray made himself comfortable on the barstool beside him.

“You should watch this Fire Breath,” he said whilst pointing to the stage where Gajeel was strumming his Fender Custom Stratocaster electric guitar. “He’s the Iron Dragon of Fairy Tail, and for good reason.”

Natsu lifted a brow at that, as he was once well known as Fairy Tail’s Fire Dragon. “What has he done to earn that title?”

“You’ll see,” Gray smirked with a laugh.

The man onstage let out his grizzly voice in a greeting to the audience, tilting his white fedora in salute. “This is… Shoo Bee Doo Da.”

As his gravelly bass voice begun his song a few notes offkey and several decibels too high, Natsu turned his wide disbelieving eyes onto a smirking Gray before the pair doubled over in silent laughter

“Oh man! He’s the absolute worst!” Natsu chuckled as he tried to regain his breath. He desperately wanted to cover his ears, as Gajeel’s voice really did sound like iron nails on a chalkboard when he hit yet another wrong note.

“I know, right?” Gray snickered.

“Is that supposed to be jazz? Or rockabilly blues?” Natsu asked incredulously, laughter still ringing in his voice.

“Who cares? Either way, it sounds like something dying!” Gray howled quietly, trying not to disturb the other bar patrons.

After their laughter died down, Natsu started to get off of his seat with a sigh. “I better start getting ready before they boo Bolts for Brains off of the stage,” he said as he grabbed his guitar case and backpack.

Gray grunted in agreement before turning to the pink haired male. “Hey man,” he began, running his finger through his hair, “I might not have agreed with how you had handled everything before, but I hope that you straighten your shit out soon. You deserve it … and so does Lucy.”

Natsu looked up wide eyed from pulling his laptop and cords from his backpack to the dark haired male before him. He stared at him before a smile creeped up on his face.

“Thanks Gray.”

“You better not fuck this up,” Gray’s dark eyes turned icy as he scowled at his childhood friend. Natsu’s own eyes narrowed, all vestiges of their former camaraderie gone. “I hate seeing Lucy get hurt. She’s like my sister, and if I find out that you did something on this level again…”

“I get the point,” he growled as he stuffed his tech back into his backpack in annoyance. “It ain’t gonna happen again. I swear my life on it, Ice Prick, so back the fuck off!”

Before the raven haired male could get out another word, Natsu was already off, dragging his gear to the stage. He shook off his negative energy as quickly as he could, knowing that it would affect his performance if he didn’t. ‘God, I hope this works,’ he thought desperately as he threw a quick grin to an encouraging Levy on his way. He noticed Lucy heading back to the bar and taking his vacated seat, ordering herself another drink. ‘For both of our sakes.’

Natsu quickly unpacked his Apple MacBook Air and hooked it up to the bar’s sound system, logged in and opened up his GarageBand app. Selecting the right file, he quickly tuned his Paul Reed Smith A15AL SE Angelus acoustic/electric guitar and plugged it into the amp as he waited for the file to load.

Slinging his guitar on his shoulder, the rose haired man walked over to the microphone, took it off of the mic stand and cleared his throat. “Hello, my name is Natsu,” he started as he walked back to the MacBook. “I’m going to do an unconventional song for you today. It’s unconventional in the way it’s performed, and it’s dedicated to the girl I loved whom I left behind.” He said this while directing his gaze to Lucy.

Lucy’s breath caught as her attention was drawn to him. ‘It couldn’t be…’ she thought as she blinked owlishly. ‘Since when do my delusions get up on stage and perform?!’ Her mind whirled as she watched him move lithely on the stage, completely missing his song dedication.

Pressing play on his laptop, Natsu let the opening of the song wash over him with his eyes half closed as he made his way back to the microphone stand to secure the mic, his guitar swinging from his back.

He took a deep breath after singing the opening line and dug deep to find his courage, pushing aside his nerves. He looked up to see his friends staring at him in awe. Especially Lucy.

With that, Natsu was ready to set aside his reservations and lay his heart bare.

They'll tell you I don’t care anymore

And I hope you'll know that's a lie

'Cause I've found what I have been waiting for But to get there means crossing a line

He set his eyes downcast, almost lost in thought as the words clawed their way out of his throat.

I don't know how to warn you For what I'm gonna say

The drum line started, a beat that instantly caught on with the audience. Heads and shoulders bopping, all the signs telling Natsu that he’s got them hooked, if he had looked up to see.

'Cause you're holding so tight to What I'm taking away I got demons inside me So I'm faced with a choice

He smirked sadly at that last last line. Oh how true that felt.

Either try to ignore them Or I give them a voice

At that, Natsu lifted his gaze. Lucy was already staring up at him, however, her doe eyes wide as she tried to process what was happening. Natsu was gone… wasn’t he?

‘Is he really here?’ she thought as she made a move to pinch herself. Feeling the slight sting of her nails against her flesh, her eyes widened even further. ‘Holy sh-!’

And it's keeping me up at night Worried it's not alright Holding back things you don't know

His husky baritone voice interrupted her thoughts, the lyrics forcing her focus back to him.

Natsu glanced at Gray, Mira, Levy and Lucy in turn. He couldn’t help but linger his stare at Lucy. He yearned for her to understand that though he had hurt her by leaving, he had to find out the truth.

He had to find where his father was, and what happened to him.

And it's keeping me up at night Worried it's not alright You're not gonna like where this goes

He shook his head and closed his eyes at that line. He adjusted his guitar, securing the flame embroidered strap firmly onto his shoulder and gripping the neck, curling his fingers over the fretboard as he poured himself into the chorus.

And they'll tell you I don't care anymore And I hope you'll know that's a lie

Natsu resolved that he would tell her everything later, after he convinced her of his presence.

'Cause I've found what I have been waiting for But to get there means crossing a line So I'm crossing a line

He played a riff on his guitar, the look on his face showing that he was clearly enjoying losing himself in the music while he directed his next verse to the blonde.

Lucy couldn’t help but stare, watching Natsu’s powerful biceps bunch and flow under the rolled up sleeves of his black button down shirt, his fingers flying as he played the stringed instrument.

It's not about status We know it never was

He let go of the guitar’s neck at this point, but slid his malachite eyes to his girl, noticing her stunned mocha stare.

‘So, it looks like she’s starting to believe that I’m real,” he thought with a smirk.

'Cause what good is the kingdom When you're missing the love?

Lucy covered her mouth with her right hand as her coffee colored eyes went wide at those words. ‘Is that supposed to mean… ? Does he still love me?’ Her heart started to beat a little faster, making her chest feel warm with sensation.

She ignored the small squeak that came from Mirajane.

This is not a goodbye now I'm not going away

He smiled at her as he sang that line, putting a hand to his heart, a not so silent vow.

No, I don't have the answers But I do have the faith

Oh, and it's keeping me up at night Worried it's not alright Holding back things you don't know

Natsu ran a hand through his now slightly dampened hair, in a vain attempt to keep his sweaty bangs out of his eyes.

Lucy thought it was the hottest thing she’d ever seen.

And it's keeping me up at night Worried it's not alright You're not gonna like where this goes, no

His voice rang out as the chorus came to a head.

And they'll tell you I don't care anymore

He sent a glare to Gray, full of fire and fury. A silent challenge to the man who held what couldn’t be understood against him.

And I hope you'll know that's a lie

He softened his gaze as he shifted to Mirajane, letting the fire die down and dropping the fury completely.

She sent him a smile back with a subtle thumbs up, letting him know that his plan was working.

'Cause I've found what I have been waiting for

He slow blinked as he moved on to Lucy, the love and longing he felt for her piercing into her soul as she stared back at him. Her lower lip trembled behind her hand, tears gathered in the corners of her eyes. He really was… He was...

But to get there means crossing a line So I'm crossing a line

The drum line died down and Natsu started to clap his hands to the beat, encouraging the audience to do so as well, never once taking his eyes off of Lucy. Once that beat was established, he once more readjusted his grip on the guitar, readying himself in anticipation for what came next with a grin.

Lucy waited with baited breath, eyes shimmering as she desperately tried to blink them back into focus.

She was not about to lose sight of him again, tears be damned!

And they'll tell you I don't care anymore And I hope you'll know that's a lie

The drum line kicked in full force once again, with an electronic echo of the last few words, shocking the audience and picking up the energy Natsu was giving off with his riff.

Laughing behind her hand, she allowed one happy tear escape. It was such a Natsu thing for him to do.

And God she loved him for that.

'Cause I've found what I have been waiting for

Natsu sent a heartfelt smile to Lucy, once again hoping that she understood that he loved her, and that he was back for good.

But to get there means crossing a line So I'm crossing a line

He picked up his riff again, eyes never leaving his favorite blonde.

Lucy lowered her hand to smile back with no more tears in her eyes. She understood, and felt the shattered pieces of her heart start to come back together. He was home.

So I’m crossing a line

‘I love you Luce. I’m home.’ Smiling even wider, fangs showing, Natsu ended his song.

So I’m crossing a line

The audience went wild with their cheers, causing the pink haired male to tear his attention away from his intended target for a moment to take his bow. But when he turned his focus back to her, he realized that she was no longer in her seat.

Lucy met him halfway between the stage and the bar, arms crossed over her generous bosom and a passive expression on her angelic face.

Natsu knew he was in trouble. Deep trouble.

“Hey,” Natsu greeted, scratching the back of his head nervously.

“Hi,” she answered

“I guess we have a lot to talk about.”

“We most certainly do,” she said as she motioned for him to join her in a private booth.

After settling in, with eyes downcast, Natsu said with a sigh, “I am so sorry. I-I should’ve told you everything from the start.” His breath hitched just a little, tear gathering in the corners of his eyes. “I should’ve found a way to get in touch with you. I should’ve -”

She reached across the distance between them and placed her fingertips to his lips, effectively cutting him off from his babbling. He finally brought his gaze to hers, his wet jade getting lost in the deep brown of her eyes.

It was the first time that Lucy had actually physically touched him since this whole misunderstanding began. The feel of his lips against her skin set fire to her veins, causing her breath to catch as the intense heat raced up her arm to pool in her chest.

“Don’t,” she said with a shuddering breath, desperate to keep her emotions in check. “...d-did you find him?” She asked gently as she moved her fingers from his lips to his cheek.

With a wince that drew his eyes away from hers once more, he nodded, nuzzling against her fingers and swallowing harshly.

“I did,” he said in an almost broken whisper as he grabbed at the hand that she still held to his cheek and pressed it closer to his skin.

Sensing his pain, she drew him in close, resting her forehead to his with her eyes closed, holding onto her tears. His pain now becoming hers as understanding filtered through her.

She loved his father as her own, after all.

Natsu’s eyes went wide at the gesture, his words lost in utter disbelief. He never imagined being able to touch her this intimately again. A few moments later, he lowered his own dark eyelashes to his cheekbones and let out a quiet sigh, taking the moment for what it was.

It was a moment of grief for what had happened in the past; of the level of trust that they still had in each other.

A moment for the love that they both still shared.

“I missed you,” he spoke softly, his breath fluttering gently across her face. “I thought of you every single day that I was gone.”

“I missed y-you too,” she choked out, tears beginning to fall from her closed eyelids, dusting her eyelashes like diamonds. “I-I thought I was going crazy. I kept seeing you everywhere I went, even when I knew…”

“There were times when I thought I saw you too,” he confided as he slowly opened his eyes.

Lucy opened her eyes in awe. “Really?” She asked, amazed that the boy in front of her might just still reciprocate her feelings.

“Really,” Natsu answered as he caressed her cheekbone with his thumb, wiping away her tears. His love shone brilliantly from his eyes, nearly illuminating them. “And after all of this, I’ve finally found what I have been waiting for,” he said as he leaned in close.

Lucy smirked. “And that is…?” she asked coyly.

“You,” he said simply, taking her breath away as he edged in even closer.

“Natsu …” her voice was lost as he finally, finally closed the distance between them. The feel of his slightly chapped lips against her glossed ones soothed her soul as it simultaneously heated her core. His hand slipped from her face to her golden strands, tangling his fingers in the base of her braid. Her hand had similar ideas, engulfing itself in the pink hairs on the back of his neck.

It was like the missing piece to the puzzle of their hearts.

It felt like finally coming home.

When they finally breathlessly pulled apart, Natsu grinned sheepishly. “So….does this mean I can crash at your place now?”

Lucy laughed lightly, a bubbly feeling in her chest that hadn’t been felt for so long. “Don’t you think that you’re crossing a line?”

“Aren’t I always?” he grinned as he crashed his lips onto hers again

[infinityasph]

some of my favorite quotes from ‘malibu rescue (movie)’ out of context.

“there’s nothing kids enjoy more on the last day of school than a clean campus.”

“sasha, stop speaking for me.”

“dad loves mountable, collectible memory.”

“yes roger. a summer at the beach is exactly what i deserve.”

“vooch, don’t make it weird.”

“wait, no, wish me a water emergency. something with sharks.”

“are you choking?” (gina burps)

(the ‘cake by the ocean’ song playing over a bus ride)

“whatever it is, bro, it’s not from malibu.”

“i’m gonna--eh, you don’t care what i’m gonna do.”

“rode... bike... from... valley... i’m... eric.”

“am i dead?”

“beach rats.”

“right now we’re just fish turds.”

“we’re from the valley.”

“didn’t put on deodorant this morning because we’re gonna get in the water anyways!”

“get these sea slugs out of my sight.”

“this is so hardcore. (laughs)”

“it’s only a half-mile.”

“put your back into it, valley.”

“if anyone gets stung by a jellyfish, i call peeing on the sting!”

“i’m in pain.”

“malibu represent!”

“do you want to get some froyo?” “you should leave.”

“MOM HACK!”

“taco every other tuesday.”

“where’s that tortilla receipt?”

“you want to get kicked out of an omelet, sometimes you have to bite a few eggs.”

“shark farts.”

“bro. dee. brody.”

“what am i preparing you for?”

“i’ve got a belt i can make into a tourniquet.”

“you’ve got to stop saying things under your breath. it’s super confusing,”

“are you trying to get kicked out?” “thought that was obvious.”

“JEFFEY!”

(the butt-lookin’ thing cross was shining)

“we lost a good one.” “he’s not dead.”

“a gift from poseidon himself.”

“we’ll do some endurance training.”

“i’ll go get my notecards.”

“i’ll go get help.” “we are the help.” “yeah we are.”

“i’ve been waiting for someone’s life to be in danger since i got here.”

“the light is not your friend.”

“relax, i can fix it. just give me twenty minutes. (smoke poofs) thirty minutes.”

“i came here to make friends. also because my dad says the couch is starting to dent and it looks like my butt.”

“i could drop a cinder block on your knee!”

“be sure to close up the pee-pee hole or you’ll lose all your change.”

“eric’s... really supportive.”

“not without the key, smart guy.”

“this isn’t gonna end well.”

“flounder’s gonna go up in flames. and the mayor will be here to see it happen.”

“were’d this trash come from?” “i put it out. wouldn’t want you to get bored.”

“that’s eric business. you don’t need to know.”

“not true! tyler’s got great arm’s!”

“you have a real future in the custodial arts.”

“also because you’re a hot mess.”

“santa monica.” “yes.” “santa monica” “yes.” “san-ha. mon-hi-ca.”

“vooch found a loophole.”

“just meeting the mayor.”

“actually, you kicked me out for something that happened in santa monica. that’s out of your jurisdiction.”

“let me just find my cards.”

“let’s murder him! ... in the race.”

“i was in junior high.”

“you can’t be the team screw up.” “why not?” “because that’s my job.”

“first aid challenge is mine.”

“you better not drop me.”

“dogish are falling behind.”

“want to borrow my notecards?”

“eriC.”

“and the flounders are up.”

“it’s jeffey!”

“i’m in a booooooat.”

“let’s go gina!”

“are you barking?” “you’re darn right i am.”

“i put a crab in his shorts.”

“he’s not a troublemaker. he’s a hero.”

“they saved jeffey.”

“jeffey, get your finger out of your nose.”

“they rescued at junior at malibu beach. it checks all my boxes.”

“(meek) okay.”

“i can’t believe it’s ours.”

“not bad for a bunch of fish turds from the valley.”

“you guys thinkin’ what i’m thinkin’? (slow-mo running)”

[brieannakeogh]

Dog Days of Summer- Ch 2

Dog Days of Summer- Chris Evans X plus sized reader. Dog days of summer are usually defined as the hottest of the year, some define it as lazy days. This year ‘hottest’ has nothing to do with the outside temp. You meet Chris and Dodger Evans while taking your own dog to the park.

Previous Chapter / Master List

Warnings: Cursing, tiny bit of angst if you squint

Chapter 2

The clock on the mantel reads 2pm and you were still trying to decide what to wear. Yesterday at your chance meeting with the hunky Chris Evans, you were dressed as a slob. Jeans, baggy tee shirt you had gotten for free from some event or the other, and ratty sneakers, you were just going to go walk your dog after all. Today you knew, well hoped, that he would be there at the given time and you wanted to show a more presentable version of yourself, but your fashion sense just wouldn’t corporate.

The struggle was real. You were also worried that if you dressed up too much that he would see right through you and knew it would be for him. That would make him uncomfortable, right? He seemed to like your company just fine in shitty ass clothes yesterday, so maybe just newish sneakers and a top that didn’t have holes in it. Hey you were supposed to be on vacation and relaxing, who cares about your wardrobe?

At 2:30 you scooped up Popcorn from the little box he tended to nest in, the soft grumble growl from his chest told you he didn’t want to be disturbed from his sleep, but tough. Harness and leash attached, only a minor fight getting it on as he kept trying to lay back down, and you were ready to leave. Popcorn bouncing in your arms as you made your way the little five minute walk down a few blocks, little doggy poop bags stuffed in your pockets.

You didn’t see Chris as you got there but you were still a few minutes early. Going over to the bench you had sat at the day before, you finally put your dog down in the grass where he immediately laid down. It’s a pretty fall day, not too hot and not too cold. The breeze can be chilly but sitting in the sun is nice and warm. You watch the other owners and dogs while you wait.

There’s only one other woman there with a big old mastiff that looks to be as lazy as your dog. The rest are all guy owners with typical dogs, lab, golden retriever, and one other small dog, a cute little corgi, that seemed to be giving its owner a hard time. You giggle as you watch the man try to chase down the short legged dog. The corgi is having a blast and has it’s little butt wiggling, just staying out of reach.

You’re pulled from the show by your name being called by a deep voice. The sight that greets you when you turn your head is spectacular, it make you feel like you’re in a movie. Chris is standing there, with Dodger at his side, in jeans and a thin long sleeved shirt with the sleeves pushed up. He kneels down when he’s got your attention to unhook Dodger’s leash and you can faintly hear his instructions to “Go get her.”, which Dodger takes off for you jumping up in your lap on the bench and getting a tongue in your face.

As you struggle with the dog slobber you can hear the laughs from the man that is walking up. “He really missed you.”

“I can see and feel that. He must think I need a bath.” You stutter out as you try to push his head away from your face. “But he’s a good boy.” You say fondly as he finally settles into your lap. Popcorn has now perked up and is watching you from shin level. “Fine, you are too.” You tell your dog, and he puts his paws on your knees asking to be let up too. You comply and shift around so both of them are taking up space on your thighs. You look up at Chris that has been just watching the interaction with a smile. “I’m not exactly sure where you are going to sit, but there is no more room in my lap. Sorry.”

Chris laughs and picks up the back end of his dog to sit down on the bench, placing Dodgers back half in his own lap. He lets out a long relaxing sigh, as he stretches his arms over the back of the bench, tilting his head back to soak in the sun, smile on his face. “It’s nice to not have to worry about something to do and just relax sometimes.”

“Agreed.” You tell him, each hand petting a dog head.

The two of you sit in comfortable silence. You listen to the world around you. The dogs and other owners, the cars on the road passing by, some kids laughter a couple of blocks away echoing around the buildings. It’s a peaceful sort of calm.

“I think I could fall asleep here.” He comments without opening his eyes.

“Sounds like you could use a nap more than Dodger needs a walk.” You look over at him and see his smile grow tight a bit. “Not sleeping well?”

“Sometimes.” He sighs out, sitting his head up and looking around the park. “I stay so busy that when I’ve got a long break it’s hard to get back into a normal sleeping routine.”

“Mmmm.” You hum. “I could see that. If you need any help just let me know. I’m a big old bore and would put you right to sleep.” He snorts at you, unconvinced. “Or chloroform works well. The headache after is a pain though.” You side eye him and smirk, before you both crack up into giggles.

“This was a good idea.” He said when the giggles stopped.

“What was?”

“Coming out here again. I wasn’t sure about it this morning.” He told you honestly.

“What? Do I put off stranger danger vibes or something?”

“Heh, no, nothing like that.” He shakes his head. “It just can be hard….with fans. People see celebrity as a status and can treat you subhuman or like something to worship.” He looked over to you, clearly expecting you to make a comment.

“I’m sorry that’s happened Chris. People are people. Big groups of them can be influential or toxic. The individual however can be influenced or stand on their own.” You shrug. “I admit I’m a fan. A kinda big marvel fangirl to boot, and I’ve seen most of your movies. I saw ‘Not another teen movie’ in theaters. ‘Snowpiercer’ was the last one I watched. I hadn’t even heard of it until I went through your filmography, but the art direction was just beautiful. It’s one of those movies that didn’t get the attention it deserves and you just want to shove it in people’s faces like ‘GO WATCH THIS NOW!’, like ‘But I’m a Cheerleader.’ Not that those movies are similar in story or tone at all but you know what I mean.”

You look over to him and see him sitting back smiling at you. “‘But I’m a Cheerleader’ huh?”

“After all I said to you, that’s your take away?” You sit up and cross your arms.

“What? It’s a good movie.” He smirks at you while you shake your head.

“Look, I can’t tell you what you probably want to hear, because I am a fan, but I don’t think one of those crazy ones. You also don’t seem like someone that likes compliments, so I won’t tell you how amazing you are at your job, or how good you look. I’ll leave that to those rabid fangirls, but I will tell you how nice of a time I had yesterday getting to know you, the person. If that counts for anything?”

His smile goes a little sad. “Yeah, I think that counts, but I think…” He licks his lips. “I’ve said since I took the marvel gig that I didn’t want to mix my professional and personal life. I wanted to keep private as much as possible.”

You nod your head, looking at the dogs in your lap. “I understand. I don’t blame you for wanting that. It just would have been nice having a friend in the city, especially one that had lived here most of his life.” He winces a little at that. “No, no I didn’t mean it like that, not trying to make you feel guilty. It’s really ok. Hey, I’m just grateful I could not tell you how great an actor you are.” You smirk at him. “Lets just sit and enjoy the dogs today. After that we can let luck decide if we see each other at the park again.”

You settle back in, keeping your eyes trained to the dogs you were petting, trying not to look at the man beside you. After a few minutes of silence, you feel him shift beside you and you can see him stand up out of the corner of your eye. Dodger gets up and hops down too, to stand by his master.

“Nah, I don’t like that idea.” He tells you, and you look up at him in confusion. He’s got a grin on his face.

“Chris you’re giving me emotional whiplash here. Can you make up your mind? I thought that was what you wanted?”

He shrugs. “I changed it. I don’t like either of the choices. You’re funny and interesting so I wanna hang out with you, but you’re a fan, a massive one from what it sounds like, so not sure I can trust you. I don’t like either of the options.” He motions for you to stand up.

“I wouldn’t say ‘massive’” You mumble as you comply.

“You started watching films based solely on if I was in them. What would you call that?”

“That’s not exactly what I said. I said I looked at your filmography. What got me to watch Snowpiercer was the youtube video that compared it to willy wonka.” You see the protest coming. “And it was on my recommended feed long before you tweeted about it.” He still gives you a skeptical look. You throw your hands in the air. “Fine, whatever, have it your way.”

“Good, now come along.” He looks smug.

“Where are we going?” You ask, picking up Popcorn.

“You were right, I’m tired so we are going to get coffee.”

You hurry to the gate as he’s already started walking. “Please tell me you know a good place for coffee. I’ve got a Starbucks and a local place in my area that I’ve found and they both suck.” You tell him, falling into step by his side.

He chuckles. “I know the best coffee place.” He wiggles his eyebrows. A happy little squeal is released from you. “You a coffee addict too?” He asks.

“Yes, very much so. Love the stuff. I would say I’m a bit of a coffee snob but really it’s like alcohol, I have standards until you put a free cup of the stuff in front of me, than I’ll drink anything.”

“I may have to test that theory one night.” He tells you with a smirk.

“You may be a big dude, but I’m a big girl. I’m sure I could handle whatever you throw at me.”

“That sounds like a challenge.”

“I do have a pretty high tolerance.” Smug look on your face, which turns to a pinched up expression. “But no beer. Yuck, can’t stand the stuff.”

“And that’s where you lost me. Frat boy remember?”

“The last time I enjoyed beer was before I was legal and it was the only thing at the party. It was desperate times man.” You sigh.

He continues chuckling as you walk down the sidewalk. It’s been about four blocks from the dog park and you hadn’t really been paying much attention to where you are going, more to the conversation. Chris points out a little shop up the street that looks almost as if it is closed, the windows are tinted so much. The bell rings out as the two of you go in. The smell of roasted coffee and sweet pastries hit your nose and it’s like you stepped into heaven. There is a blackboard on the wall behind the counter that shows the shops specials. Chris goes for regular drip while you get an iced americano, extra shot.

“You don’t play do you? I’m gonna have to restrain you if you start bouncing off the walls.” He says with a smirk, while waiting for the coffee.

“Kinky.” You raise an eyebrow to him. He looks to be speechless for once, but before he can get too shocked you continue. “No, it doesn’t affect me that much. I could drink a cup and be sleepy a few minutes later. Plus this is a new place, I want to try it as straight as possible, no fillers. That way I can determine if its good or not.”

“How is it that you are not affected by caffeine?”

“Told ya, high tolerance. In all things apparently.” You shrug. Your order is called so the two of you go sit at a little table in the back.

He studies your face as you take your first sip. “Well, does it pass?”

“Not bad, not bad.” You nod. “I could see myself coming here a lot to overpay for coffee that I could just make at home.”

He chuckles and continues to sip his coffee. It’s actually really good, so you pull out your phone to GPS where you are and how far from home it is. Looking at the little map you let out bark of laughter.

“What has you so excited over there?” Again giving you a look that puts into question your sanity.

“It’s a block away from my house!” Picking up the phone and shoving the GPS in his face. “I must have passed by it before, I just didn’t notice it with the tinted windows.” He smiles over his cup. “Is that why you like it?” He shrugs. You look out the window and notice landmarks that you recognize but didn’t see on the way in. “I know exactly where we are.” Sitting back in your chair, slumping. “How did I miss this? It’s so good!” You whine.

“Maybe you should be a bit more observant.” He says pointedly. The glare you send his way, just makes him shrug again.

“I’m gonna have to rethink this whole month off thing. If I come here for coffee, and possibly one of those yummy looking pastries every morning, I’m only going to have enough to last another week. Tops.”

He snorts. “That would be a shame.”

“I’m still surprised they let us bring the dogs in here.” Looking at Popcorn, still in your arms and Dodger laying at Chris’s feet.

Chris does that little high pitched thing with his voice. “Well technically....” His head shakes back and forth. “They know me and Dodger, so they put up with us. And you are holding your rat so he can’t get in trouble.”

“What is this I hear? Chris Evans using his fame card to get his dog in places he shouldn’t be?” Your hand over your heart and a mocking shocked tone in your voice.

“Hey it’s the only good use of the fame card I could find.” He defends, which makes you giggle.

Finishing up your coffee you exit the shop.

“So you feeling better? Not wanting an afternoon nap anymore?”

“It definitely helped, but I need to get back home. Dinner plans tonight.”

Looking at the time on your phone, you are surprised it shows 5pm. It didn’t feel like two hours had passed. “Oooo hot date tonight?” You tease as you slide your phone back into your pocket.

“My sister and her kids.”

“Kinky?” You joke and his eyes roll. “Hope you have fun.” For the first time today, it gets awkward in his company. He told you, he didn’t want to be friends with a fan, but then changed his mind, but you still had no idea where you stood. He seemed to be thinking along the same lines, and he shuffled his feet and absentmindedly watched the few cars pass by. “Sooooo, I’m this way.” You point down the street, not able to take just standing there.

“Really?” He looked relieved. “Me too. Walk you?”

“Sure!” And the uncomfortable silence was back. Each trying to come up with something to say. You didn’t want to push, but you also didn’t want to get to your apartment and never have the luck to see him again.

The steps to your apartment building are in front of you before you know it, and not a word had been said. “This is you?” He breaks the silence with an obvious question.

“Yep.” More awkward standing. Popcorn is squirming in your arms since he knows where he is, so you put him down, pulling on his leash a bit to go up the stairs. “Ok fine!” You let out a little too loudly.

“What?” The outburst surprises him.

“I just can’t take this anymore. We’re both being weird and awkward and both of us are thinking the same thing, and I don’t want it to be weird. I want the last of my time with you to be joking and fun, not…” You move your hand between you. “This.” Huffing out the last of it.

His snort turns into a giggle, that turns into a loud middle-of-the-chest barrel laugh. “Ok…” He says as he starts to calm down. “Ok, no more weird. Although, I always thought that was the best part.” He smirked.

“You know what I mean. Weird weird, not just normal weird.” You tell him pointedly.

“So there are levels of weird now?” He teases.

“Chris…” You whine exasperated, stomping your foot a little.

“Oh my god, do that again!” He laughs at you, enjoying watching you get irritated at him.

Hanging your head, you sigh out a breath. “That’s it. I give up.” Throwing your hands up, you turn to go up the steps to the entrance.

“Come on, don’t be like that.” He reaches out and tugs on the sleeve of your shirt which halts you in your tracks, turning back to him. Cocking an eyebrow, waiting for him to say something. He lets go of your sleeve and drops his hand limply at his side. “I don’t know, what do you want me to say?”

“Just tell me the truth. Do you actually want to make a plan to see me on purpose and be friends or not?” You watch as he bites the inside of his cheek, thinking. “Ok, it’s fine. I understand, I really and truly do. No jokes, no games, I’m not mad. Fan forever I promise. Chris, you’re a really good guy and I’ve had a lot of fun getting to know you, and Dodger,” You reach down to ruffle his head. “these last couple days. Plus, I now have a great coffee shop I know about really close to my place.” You amp up the excitement in your voice for that. “Acquaintances?” You hold out your hand to him to shake. He takes yours and it’s warm, big and softer than you would think. His grip firm and sure, you squeeze a bit tighter before you pull away and walk up the steps. Stopping at the doorway you turn. “I’ll see ya around and if not, good luck with the next project. I’m sure you’ll be great.”

He watches you without a word as you walk into the building. A small wave, before you shut the door, that he can’t bring himself to return. Walking down the road to his own place, he reassures himself he did the right thing. That he put these rules into place a long time ago for a reason, it was a good reason. He had been burnt before and he just wasn’t going to do it again.

You throw the keys onto the side table, bending down to take the leash and harness off Popcorn. “Well buddy, that didn’t turn out like I hoped.” You sigh and go to the couch to sit. Popcorn uses the little step stool beside the couch to jump up into your lap for an ear scratch. “It was still nice. Who would have thought I would hang out with Captain America, huh?” The smile is a bit sad that you sport, scooping up your dog and cuddling him up to your face. He protests a little and jumps down completely, going into the bedroom for a nap. “Fine, leave me too.” You grumble.

Just as you were about to get up to start figuring out what you would have for dinner, the buzzer goes off. There isn’t anyone that you are expecting, and you didn’t order anything yet, unless they start employing mind readers. Hitting the intercom button. “Hello?”

“It’s me.” You would recognize that voice anywhere. “Can I come up?”

“Uh...yeah..sure.” You buzz him through and pace nervously in front of the door, but you’re still startled when he knocks.

“Hey.”

“Hey.”

The two of you stand in the doorway. “Can I come in?” He points into the apartment. You nod and open the door further.

“What’s up? Forget something?”

“Yeah...” He’s looking around wildly. “Hey, you got a pen and paper?” Your brows furrow but go hunting up what he asks for. Handing it off he scribbles down a number and hands it back to you.

“Is this…?”

“If that ends up on the internet I’ll know who leaked it.” He teases, but you take it seriously.

“Of course not! You don’t think I would do that, do you?”

“If I did, I wouldn’t be here right now.”

The smile you give him has his heart jump and stutter. He is so glad he turned around and made his way back to your door. “Did you want to have a seat?” You ask him, noticing Dodger already took up residence on your couch.

“Love to, but I really have to get going.” He pats his leg and Dodger gets up off the couch and goes to his side.

“Ah yes. Almost forgot about the dinner date.”

“With my sister and her kids.” He emphasizes.

You lift your hands in the air. “Hey whatever floats your boat, I don’t judge.”

He scoffs and as he walks past he pats and rubs your head, sort of like what you do to Dodger when you pet him.

“Text me in the morning?” He asks you at the door.

“Sure, I can do that, but I’ll warn you, what I call morning most people call lunch.”

“Lazy.” He chides.

“It’s my vacation and I’ll do what I want to, do what I want to…” You sing out in the tune of ‘It’s my party’

“Night crazy lady.”

“Night Dorito man.”

“You know it, baby!” He says over his shoulder, walking down the hall with Dodger following him obediently.

Next Chapter

I’m posting this now and will be posting the angsty Bucky chapter later tonight. This one is fun to write but the other I think is actually a good read lol. 

Anyway tags are open if you want and let me know what you think. 

@spidey-babe-parker, @ultrasilentwhispers, @stevieang, @albinotigerpython, @paintballkid711, @katykyll, @avengersrulez1536, @ultrafreespirit, @wantingtobekorra,   @i-had-a-life-once,  @boyfriendsarebetterinbooks, @ghostssss​, @babybeluuga​, @bodhi-black​,  @kanupps06​, @hatterripper31, @grandloser, @reniescarlett, @kjidhzyx, @normanreedus5150, @ilovethings-somuch, @spiderman-2013, @bloodyvalentine93, @xx-raven, @passionghost, @r-avenclaws, @prettybubblesintheair, @averyrogers83,  @ria132love, @patzammit, @whom-the-fack, @pooslie, @3dsaunt, @kristiedwyer, @janeyboo, @theonelittleone

[yv-sketches]

I JUST SAW HTTYD 3 TODAY

Un. Follow. Me now, this is going to be the only thing I post about for weeks.

Please, please do not read this if you haven’t been a lucky bastard of an Australian. Do not click read more on pc, go back to your blog and block the tag httyd 3 spoilers on mobile, unfollow me if you want to.

There was no assigned seat system so I sat in front of the door to go in first and get a good one, but two guys (as in, fandom age) beat me. I wonder if they have tumblr...

Things I loved (prepare for a long list):

THAT OPENING SCENE

Hiccup boards a ship to free dragons and swordfights this guard dude. Guard knocks over a lamp, setting the deck on fire and Hiccup and a blue glowing Toothless deadass walk through it. Boi that was awesome

This is Berk.

Lots of action scenes in general. Hiccup with a sword is my new aesthetic. I did not pay a lot of attention, but I think he fought left handed.

The visuals.

Hot.

Damn.

Thought httyd 2 Berk was impressive? I think not.

THAT NEW BERK ISLAND

THE CAMP

THE WATERFALL

THE CLOUDS

SNOWY NEW BERK ISLAND

THE SAND

Oh boy the sand. Because there are no places like that waterfall or new Berk island it is obviously fake, but the clouds and sand... If you took a screenshot and said it was a photo I’m pretty sure 99% of the people would believe you.

All the decors. Dreamworks made So. Many. Environments. I don’t think I’ve ever seen an animated movie with this level and amount of sets and details. This beats Finding Dory, Big Hero 6, httyd 2 by far. Maybe Zootopia and Moana reached this level, but never on this scale.

The composition. Whoever did the cinematography, kudos to you. The fight scenes were awesome, actually, most of the shots were.

The music. John Powell amirite??? When Hiccup sits there with his map. When they introduce Grimmel’s fort. When they go into the waterfall. Test flight when Light Fury saves Hiccup...

Drago’s fleet was cool, but Grimmel has a freaking aircraft/helicopter thing. Who does this guy think he is? Norbert the Nutjob?

Speaking of Grimmel HE SAID IT HE SAID IT WHEN HE BROKE INTO HICCUP’S HOUSE

“You wish for a world where humans and dragons live as equals? That will be the end of civilization.” Or something like that. Can you hear my book fandom heart beating faster? There was even a faintly recognizable ‘history repeats itself’.

The entirety of Berk on the move. Dragons carrying bags, entire ships with stuff and lots and lots of citizens. I don’t know when Hiccup acquired all this power to make people listen to him immediately, but he’s owning it.

The gang, minus Snotlout, had an actual part in the plot, unlike httyd 1 and 2 where they were mainly background characters. Gobber had a running gag with funny round dragons. I LOVE THEM OK they are so round.

TINY HICCUP IN THE FLASHBACKS Stoick was so sweet on him, and the way he speaks about Valka.... Take notes Disney, that’s a declaration of love.

No hate on Light Fury. She was the amazing ball of feral sass that I hoped she would be. She noped out when Toothless tried to flirt and yeeted Hiccup off his back. You go girl.

Toothless being a Skrill.

Toothless being da king. I got chills. Toothless my baby you are so amazing

That scene where Grimmel symbolically rips off Hiccup’s dragon-y wings, night fury pauldron and leg... Cressida Cowell would be proud of that.

“The world if not ready for dragons. Yet”

HICCUP TRULY SAID IT CAN I GET ALL BOOK FANS TO SAY IT WITH ME?

At the last hand thing where Hiccup slowly takes his hand off Toothless, I swear I heard someone cry softly. I don’t blame them.

Have I mentioned the visuals yet?

Things that I thought were very good, but not True Perfection My Life Is Complete 10/10 level good:

The ending was kind of sudden. Grimmel is defeated and then Hiccup decides to let Toothless go free? And then the entirety of Berk unsaddles their dragons to let them go? Yes, I understand, but I thought it would have taken an ENTIRE movie for him to do that. It WAS there throughout the movie, but it was never the main focus (the way Tadashi’s death was in BH6). The attention was always on either Grimmel or the Light Fury.

This in general. The emotions were the subplots instead of the main ones.

The whole “What is Hiccup without Toothless?” was a most perfect plot that kind of.... was resolved far easier than I hoped. It was still good, just not “hero the hard way”-level good.

“Hiccup makes Toothless a self-flying tail fin while that was a major point of their soulmate-ness” was missing some emotional weight. Hiccup was clearly super distressed, it was just not addressed a lot.

The Hiccstrid wedding plot was nice and I suspect lots of shippers will have their funerals in theatre, however, I think that too was not “companions of the Dragonmark”-level good. BUT THEY ARE SO CUTE! THEY ARE SUCH A REALISTIC AND GOOD COUPLE LIKE THEY WERE IN HTTYD 2. No mushy romance, just two badass Vikings who are so comfortable around each other it can only be true love.

Random stuff:

Eret might be gay for Gobber.

Snotlout might have slapped Hiccup’s butt.

Valka beat Spitelout (voiced by David Tennant despite not having any real lines) in arm wrestling.

Ruffnut annoying Grimmel the way only she can.

Valka has bits of grey in her hair, but her face still looks super young.

The whole gang has flight suits

Things I did not like:

Toothless fell in love too fast. He ditched Hiccup’s flirting tactics and made her a drawing. Cool. He got mad when she stepped on the lines. Cool. But then she got mad as well and Toothless just.... left it at that. Apparently he was so lovestruck he let Light Fury trample his art. No.

Things I hated with every inch of my being (that is not a lot of inches by the way):

Snotlout flirting with a Valka.

Gods... He is younger than Hiccup. Valka is Hiccup’s mom. Blergh.

Things I understand and fit the movie verse but annoyed me because it killed the entire meaning of Cressida Cowell’s conclusion (yes this is very specific):

The ending.

The dragons leave. Hiccup smiles through his tears because he knows this is the best thing to do. Toothless becomes king of the dragon world. Light Fury is his queen. Hiccup and Astrid marry and have cute children. Hiccup grows a beard. So far so good. Very good ending.

But then. Then Toothless reappears and meets Hiccup’s son and daughter. -_-

I don’t know about you, but wasn’t the whole point that dragons went into the hidden world to hide from humans? Wasn’t the whole point that ‘great things are only made out of love and pain’ and that doing the good thing also meant letting Toothless go? I wanted a heartbreaking ending. The bittersweet one from book 12. And this just felt like a fairytale that was too good to be true.

Yet at the same time, I like this ending. Toothless has his own life. Hiccup is his own person without Toothless. He’s a good chief and everyone is generally happy. The world does not believe dragons exist. Except for Berk.

Berk is this special place that dragons sometimes visit before returning back to the hidden world because Berlin’s do love dragons.

And come on. Kids and parents would riot if Hiccup and Toothless did separate for good.

Things that whacked me in the face like

"There were dragons when I was a boy"

BUT HE DID NOT ONLY SAY THAT HE SAID THE ENTIRE THING

THE ENTIRE THING from ‘There were dragons when I was a boy’ TO ‘leaving not a bone, not a fang, in the earth for the men of the future to remember them by.’

I died.

[transboygenius]

SE4SON: Chapter 18

[*Meanwhile, in the modern world*]

A sleep deprived, messy Judy Neutron was screaming at the RPD (Retroville Police Department) through the phone, accompanied by a sane, and frightened, Mrs. Dean.

"What do you mean there's still no lead?! I don't care how early in the morning it is! Shouldn't you boys be doing your job?! Whatever happened to serve and protect?! It's been a week since I've lost my Jamie!" "Jimmy." Mrs. Dean corrected. "Jimmy, I mean! My son Jimmy! For being gone that long, who knows what has happened to him?! He's got a gourd shaped head, and an ice cream cowlick hairdo! How is that hard for you to miss?! Yeah? Well then, search around the globe if you have to-"

The RPD then hung up. Poor Judy. It was 5:00 in the morning. She literally won't rest until she finds her son in one piece. She hasn't bathed in five days, and tried using perfume instead. Sleep meant nothing to her no more, so she drinks at least three cups of coffee a day. Possibly more. She hasn't cooked in awhile, either. Just ordering takeout and reheating frozen foods. It isn't like Judy to not prepare a home cooked meal for more than one day. She's been pulling all nighters, circling the whole town, or country, in her car, stapling posters everywhere, and searching for her Jimmy. She's like a detective on a stakeout. All this lack of rest has turned her mind loopy. For some unknown reason, she keeps accidentally addressing "Jimmy" as "Jamie." Apart from the fact that Nick is gone too, Mrs. Dean is also there as Judy's emotional support.

"Judy, you need to calm down. Here, have some warm tea." "Calm down? Calm down! There's no time to calm down, now that I know that the RPD isn't any help!" "There's always time to calm down. Wherever your son is, he's probably fine for now! He's smart enough to take care of himself." "How would you know?! Your son isn't lost!" "Technically, he is." "Oh... But are you even making an effort to find him?" "I'm doing what I can to find him! The reason I came up to you to begin with was to figure out what my son has in connection with yours!" "Shouldn't you be able to know that yourself? You are his mother, right? A mother always knows her child best!" "If I could! Nick is easy to read as a closed book. We don't communicate so often. I think it has something to do with his father being so unpleasant." "You can save me the sob story for later! I gotta phone the next police department!" "No! Stop!" "I must find Jamie!" "Jimmy!" "My name is Judy, dammit!"

................................

[*That morning*]

Jimmy fell asleep with the diary laying on his face. While both him and Nick usually wake up by the rooster's cry, Nick removed the diary and shook him awake.

"Nick? Is it breakfast time?" "No, not yet. You gotta help me." "*Looks at the broom in his hands* You need help cleaning?" "I need you to help me from HER."

Nick was then surprised by a hard smack on the back, by a mop. Sally was trying to fight with him, in hopes to help the "Silver Knight" regain his memory. All Nick has done so far was block out her attacks. Not that he would make a lousy swordsman, he just can't bring himself to hit someone much younger than him. Instead of actual swords, their using cleaning implements. The battle begun when Sally woke Nick up with a smack on the chest. No matter what he told her, she just wouldn't believe him.

"Fight back, Nick! Trying knocking the weapon out of my hand! It might give you some nostalgia!" "Little girl, we're not a pair of enchanted cartoon characters! We're just two lost boys from the future! I'll prove it to you! Cageflix! Ramen Bowl! Internet!" "Stop making up excuses to back out and fight me!" "You're four years younger than me!"

Jimmy then broke up the fight.

"Hey, Sally?" Asked Jimmy. "Yes?" Replied Sally. "Wouldn't you like to meet our friends? You know, the ones who illegally inherit this ranch?" "But we're in the middle of something!" "You must meet them now, cuz if you don't, they might think we're holding a hostage captive." "Yeah. And we already have this mean Christian fanatic who thinks we're the devil's spawns." Said Nick.

Rolling her eyes, Sally then put down her mop, and decided to let Jimmy and Nick lead her into the hut. To make a good impression for keeping a stranger, Nick began to make breakfast: Moose sandwiches, blueberry strudels, and freshly squeezed orange juice. He also put on some coffee. Sally began to drool from looking at Nick's fine art.

"It looks great! Guess you learned something while under amnesia! Although, it'd really be fun to see Jimmy, here, turn a morsel of meat into a whole cured ham before my eyes." Said Sally, clutching a knife and fork.

Jimmy got annoyed by her comment, since he doesn't exactly believe in magic. Just in time, a weary Diana, Rodent Girl, and Benson entered the kitchen. Sally was intrigued by Diana's appearance. She has never seen a woman that large before. Rodent Girl went over to the cupboard to fetch her coffee mug. Being so drowsy, she spoke in her usual, monotone morning voice, and greeted Sally like she was a regular to them. Diana and Benson were both shocked to see a little girl, they've never seen before, in their kitchen. The two stood in silence for a few seconds, and frankly so did Jimmy, Nick, and Sally.

"Morning, Jimmy. Morning, Nick. Morning, kid I don't even know." Greeted a tired Rodent Girl. "Uhhhhhh, Miss Oona... Aren't you the slightest surprised at the unexpected guest?" Asked Benson. "I'm too tired to emote."

Diana looked Sally straight in the eye. Sally was frozen from the buff lady's eye contact, despite that she didn't look ominous.

"Hello?" Asked Diana. "H-hi?" Replied Sally. "HOLY, MACARONI! THERE'S A KID WE DON'T KNOW SITTING RIGHT HERE IN OUR KITCHEN!" Screamed Rodent Girl, after drinking her coffee.

Jimmy then decided to explain the whole thing, and Nick served as his second voice. The two boys told them about how this little girl followed them due to some misidentification for a Wise Wizard and Silver Knight ("It's not a misidentification! It's true!"), how they welcomed her into their hospitality since her parents were caught victim of a penalty, and how she's under no one's care because it's illustrated by king's law that orphans must serve their entire youth in laborism. Diana was so moved by Sally's backstory. She started sobbing, her eyes watered, and she swept the little girl off the ground.

"*Weeping* How can any man be so cruel, as to separate a child away from their family?! They may never experience the warm embrace of a mother or father ever again! That is so INHUMAN!" Said Diana. "I'm terribly sorry for your loss, young lady." Benson spoke casually. "I second that." And so did Rodent Girl. "That's it?! What on Earth is wrong with you two?! This child's parents have been hanged, all for the greater good! Could you try showing at least a small dose of your sympathy?!" "I find that very difficult, since my parents have always neglected me." Benson replied casually. "And I was abandoned at birth." And SO did Rodent Girl. "You heartless brutes!"

Diana then put Sally down.

"Little girl...!" Said Diana. "This little girl has a name, you know." Replied Sally. "...I don't care if I have to steal overtime to feed another mouth around here! Consider us your new family!" "Uhh, thanks! Very much! (That's neat! A buff mom, a mousy older sister, and a girly uncle!)" "Let me introduce everyone! I'm Diana! This is Rodent Girl, Benson, *Points out the window* Butterscotch, and there's Mitzi, but she's currently at work right now. You can meet her later! She's real nice! She may be even nicer to you. You've already met Jimmy and Nick!" "The legendary Wise Wizard and Silver Knight!" "What now?" Asked Rodent Girl. "No, we're not! It's just a coincidence! I don't even believe in magic!" Exclaimed Jimmy. "The Wise Wizard and Silver Knight. I thought their warm, loving relationship reminded me of some pair." Quote Benson. "HA! See?" Bragged Sally. "Wait a minute. You mean to tell me they were real?" Asked Nick. "Mm! I was just a tiny lad at that time. Although I've never really met them, I did follow them around among tall crowds, trying to get their autograph, since they were quite popular to the youngsters. I had no success, however. But witnessing the Silver Knight in battle, and the Wise Wizard with his gifted sorcery, that was about the happiest memory of my childhood." "You can meet them officially when I help them regain their memories back!" Suggested Sally. "Oh, these two young gentlemen can't possibly be them!" "I know it's hard to believe by first glance, but trust me! What you see here is a spell gone wrong! Heck, it's probably the cause of their amnesia!" "Nonsense! Besides, if that were them, why would they want to return here?" "They're here to rid us of our pain once again! Although they can't remember anything, they still hold their heroic instincts within their hearts, and their brains!" "We're not here to relieve anyone of their pain! Just Diana and her crew! (Minus Mitzi)" Said Jimmy. "And the reason we're risking our butts out there is because they were kind enough to offer us food and a roof to sleep under while other Middle Age folks just wanted to burn us at the stake!" Nick spoke through gritted teeth.

.............................

[*Back in the modern ages*]

Carl looked through his magic supplies one last time. He doesn't feel like performing again since Jimmy is still gone. Jimmy would've been the only person who would sit down to watch him, since he wasn't a very good magician. At all. He hasn't even found that darn rabbit yet. The guys on TV sure make it look easy. Suddenly, he heard the doorbell ring. As Carl went to answer it, he found it was Sheen, holding a pink paper box, with a grin on his face. Sheen was just about the second last person he wanted to see right now.

"What do you want?" Carl asked in displease. "Well, I just happened to walk by a local bakery downtown, and my sweet tooth just urged me to walk right in! While looking through the selections, I started thinking about you. So, I picked up your favorite pastry!" Replied Sheen. "Goat milk matcha pound cake?" "Nope! Cwaaaaaaaasonts!"

Sheen opened the box to reveal a baker's dozen of golden croissants. Carl was still unamused, and just decided to close the door. Sheen, however, stopped the door by sticking his foot out!

"Wait, Carl! I've spent $30.95 for the baker's dozen! I was gonna use that money to purchase a VespaGirl body pillow online!" "You think you can just buy my friendship back with some baked, buttery, crispy, delectable... *Mouth starts to water* But you can't! What you had said broke my heart! Jimmy is important to my life just as you were!" "I am important to your life?" "I said 'were!' Now get off my doorstep!"

Carl then went to close the door again, but with all strength this time to keep Sheen from getting in, since he was holding a box. Sheen had to drop the croissants to force the door open.

"Carl! Carl! At least let me tell you something!" "I've heard about enough from you!" "But I came here to say I'm sorry!" "What?"

Carl opened the door wide.

"I'm sorry. Taking back everything I've ever said to you. I didn't know Jimmy meant that much to your life. You two were very close together more than any pair I knew. Possibly even the romantic ones. Also, I miss you, buddy. I'm lonely. I have Libby, but I can't be disgusting and foolish around her now, can't I? Look; Just because Jimmy can't be my friend, doesn't mean he can't be yours. We could still hang as pals, even with Jimmy around. I mean, we never liked Cindy, but we still tolerated her presence. *Gets down on his knees* Please, take me back. All those degrading words were just my invalid opinion. Nothing I say is even true."

Carl hesitated for a bit, while Sheen looked up at him, sweating. The allergy boy just closed the door. Sheen, being so heartbroken, hung his head down. Way before Jimmy came into their lives, him and Carl were the best of friends. Although Carl didn't like Ultralord, and Sheen thought llamas were too weak and soft, they both spoke to each other on the same mindset. The two were goofy and idiotic. Carl became friends with Jimmy after feeling sorry for the big haired misfit. A few months later, Sheen also became Jimmy's friend after he helped him pass the math test his grade depended on. The boy genius was more generous and considerate back then. Also, he discovered the cool gadgets he built. As they officially formed a trio, Carl and Sheen were more closer than ever. Jimmy was a bonus addition. That didn't mean he loved Jimmy less. Except maybe right now.

What's he gonna do without Carl in his life? He loves Libby, but he feels he doesn't have that much in common with her. She dedicates her life to fashion and music. Sheen dedicates his life to Ultralord and gross stuff. Around Carl, he feels that he can truly be himself with. Who else could want Sheen as a friend? Sheen seems to annoy everyone. That kid with the shades kinda admires him? Nah! He was probably just being polite. There's his dad. Awww, who is he kidding? You can't have your own father as a friend! Just then, Sheen heard the door reopen. Carl was back, but now clutching an old llama plush, that's missing an eye.

"If you're truly sorry, then how 'bout apologizing to Lucy the Llama as well?" "C'mon, Carl! That was five years ago!" "Well. I guess you're not sorry at all-" "Wait! I was only kidding! I love Lucy!"

Sheen then seized the plush toy out of Carl's hand.

"Lucy; I'm sorry for ripping your left eye out. My Triclops figurine needed it so badly, and it would've been embarrassing to face off Ultralord with only two eyes."

Then, Sheen planted a kiss on the toy's forehead. Carl was quite astounded. He didn't think Sheen would go that far. Sheen hates Lucy the Llama. As Sheen gave Carl his plush back, the allergy boy embraced his friend into a hug. Sheen returned it by folding his arms around him.

"Apology accepted. But you can't say anything mean about Jimmy no more!" "Promise! Now let's go find that whippy dip head son of a gun together! Sorry, that wasn't suppose to sound mean." "Right on!"

Just as they were about to leave the Wheezer doorstep, Carl picked up as many croissants he could hold. Even though they've been on the dirty ground, Carl didn't mind taking a bite out of them. He thought they were still good. Sheen cringed in disgust. A kid named Creg suddenly rolls by on his skateboard, gets himself into an accident, then breaks his leg.

"Why are so many of these kids breaking their legs?!" Screamed Sheen. "Probably because Nick's not here to do it?" Replied Carl.

.............................

[*At the Neutron household*]

Mrs. Dean finally got Judy to calm down. All she had to do was request her to tell her stories about her son, as many as she wants. She figured she would get Judy to relax with anything Jimmy related. She even managed to get her to drink the tea she made. For the last two hours, Mrs. Dean grew bored listening to Judy's stories all day, about Jimmy's tangled situations. If she listens to any more, she fears she'll also go insane in this mad house.

"So on that Sunday, I was there doing my weekend cleaning. Jimmy was watching his favorite philosophy program. He suddenly got hungry, and asked me, a woman with her hands full at that moment, to fetch him a snack. I said, 'Well, there must be something wrong with your arms if you can't get it yourself.' He then pulled out one of his wacky inventions from under the sofa, a robotic arm of some sort, and attempted to reach for his needed snack. Unfortunately for him, the controls were infirm, resulting in reckless steering. He knocked down potted plants, china, Hugh's duck collection, etc. My perfectly clean house. Then there was this night, that happened two years ago. Mr. Vortex, I know his forename I just don't care, delivered me my son, wrapped in a toilet paper cocoon. His daughter also brought back one of his invention, some cannon that launches TP rolls, and she claimed he used it to foil her slumber party. I can't believe I punished him for it. I never even liked that Cindy. Jimmy sure had the right idea breaking things off with her. What did he even see in that ungrateful witch anyways? Why were they even dating at such a young age?! They're not even in middle school yet!" "There was this other time-" "Hugh, get back down!" "Okay!"

Mrs. Dean was finally put into relieve as Libby ran straight into the house, with news. Carl and Sheen were behind her.

"MRS. NEUTRON! MRS. NEUTRON! Hello, Mrs. Dean. MRS. NEUTRON!" Libby came in screaming. "Not now, Libby. Can't you see the grown ups are talking?" Said Judy. "It's about Jimmy!" "MY JIMMY?!" "And Nick!" "HUH-?!" Mrs. Dean fell off from her seat. "I can't take the credit though! I owe it to these two companions! Especially you, Sheen. *Blows kiss*" "What did we ever do? We see the famous pop star, Rioona, pull up in her limo to cut the ribbon for the new RnB themed cafe. Libby starts getting jumpy, squealing 'OH MY GOSH! OH MY GOSH! OH MY GOSH! IT'S RIOONA! PULLING UP JUST WHEN WE WERE IN THE MIDDLE OF AN IMPORTANT INVESTIGATION! I DON'T WANNA LEAVE! I WANNA STAY FOR A MINUTE! MAYBE A FEW HOURS!' And then I said, 'Why not just take a picture? It lasts longer.'" Said Carl. "By just those words alone, that gave me a brain blast of my own! (Oooooooh, I just rhymed) By the way, I've got about 164 shots of Rioona opening the cafe! I even got myself in some of the shots! Look!"

Judy just slapped the phone out of Libby's hand. Everyone was intimidated, except Carl, who was in love with her more. What a woman.

"Just tell me where my baby is!" "Okay... You see, by just the sheer mention of 'picture,' that's when it hit me! I forgot, we all forgot, Jimmy had his security cams activated, and they were still working by the time I revisited the lab! ...which looked like either a tornado hit it or Cindy got her revenge again. I managed to extract the footage onto my hard drive! Look!"

Libby opened up her laptop, then inserted the hard drive. The footage began to play on media player. There was Jimmy and Nick, handcuffed together, trying to find a solution to undo the chain. Nick touched the keyboard, despite Jimmy's warning. The security breach got triggered, weapons engaged, and the two boys ran into a police box, which is supposedly the boy genius's time machine. The machine vanished, and all was history. We searched all around Retroville for nothing?

"So... It was your son's fault that my Jimmy is gone." Said Judy. "What?! I'm pretty sure Nick didn't know about this installed security system! If only Jimmy took the liberty to tell him!" Replied Mrs. Dean. "Oh, so you're saying it is Jimmy's fault?!" "WHO CARES ABOUT WHOSE FAULT IT IS?! We've lost them both and there's possibly no way to get them back. None of us is a secondary Einstein, and it's not like you could purchase a time machine on the web!" "Apparently, yes you can." Said Libby. "What?!" Both mothers.

While Judy and Mrs. Dean were arguing, Libby pulled up Cbae.com on her laptop and searched "time machine." You can surprisingly buy anything off of Cbae. But, just their luck, it costs $500,000,000, plus $100,000 for shipping. No use in trying to search a cheaper deal, because that's the only one available.

"But none of us have that kind of money!" Said Judy. "Maybe if we put together all of our money, we could make it work! *Starts digging into his pockets* I have $16, 42¢, a wrapper from a Chuckles bar, some bobby pins, lint, hey, it's the key to the handcuffs!" Spoke Carl, trying to help. "Oh, like that's gonna help us now!" Whined Sheen. "Calm down, y'all. I know where we can get that money. But, it may involve something we're going to regret." Said Libby. "*Gasp* You don't mean..."

............................

[*Elsewhere, in Eustace Strych's living room*]

"So you want me, formal enemy of Jimmy Neutron, to lend you a total amount of $500,100,000?" Said Eustace. "So none of us is selling our bodies? What a relief!" Sheen blurted. "I think you should stay off the internet for awhile." Libby suggested. "What's the catch?" Eustace continued to question the adults. "You see, it's for a very, very, important cause, young man." Judy answered. "And how important may that be? Hmmmmmm?" "Well-" "My son, Nick, needs an operation! He's broken his legs numerous times, but eventually both of them have ripped out from their sockets! Gruesomely! Blood everywhere! The hospital is charging me that much to reattach his legs back, plus to get him out of his coma! The prices are so high because of the evil greediness of capitalism! They don't even care about children! Please have a heart! He's Jimmy's friend, too!" Mrs. Dean butted in. "Ha-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho, what makes you think I'd even care to support a charity cause for some washed up has-been? Like anybody would care anymore. I don't support any charity cause, for that matter. Giving to the needy means less for me. Besides, me and Neutron don't exactly have the best history together. On second thought, if you want that money so badly, you're gonna have to bring Neutron right here, have him beg to me, and apologize for underestimating my superiority to his genius!" "We can't!" "Why not?" "Because, h-he's trying to invent a new life saving device!" "Well, No Neutron, no money! Guess I'll have to buy myself a third water park!"

The squad then went to the hall to talk.

"What are we gonna do now?" Asked Judy. "Does he know Jimmy is missing?" Also, asked Mrs. Dean. "Frankly, not. But if he ever does, we may never get that money." Replied Libby. "We're not gonna get that cash anyways. How are we gonna bring Jimmy out here?" Carl whined. "WAIT! There was something useful Jimmy actually taught me, a long time ago!" Sheen had an idea.

He then requested Goddard to project a life-like hologram of Jimmy, just like what happened at his tenth birthday party. Judy felt like crying, seeing that the hologram looks exactly like her son. She even wanted to touch it. Sheen then told her to stay focused, and handed her a voice moduling microphone. Goddard ejected a hand sized camera drone and displayed his teleprompter. He then got the hologram to march to Eustace's location. It then met with him in the living room.

"Ah, Neutron! I thought you'd show here eventually. What's wrong? Did that lifesaver of yours turn out to be a failure?" "Yes, indeed. I don't know what could've happen, but maybe I'm not as smart as I used to." "Like you ever were." "You're right. And I'm here to say I am sorry for getting in the way of your plans. I'm sorry for looking through your integrity. You have showed me that it's not about the brains. It's about what you can buy. I am selfish. I'm a loser. I suck and you rule." "The sweet sound of music!" "I'm not worthy of friends and that's probably why Cindy broke up with me for." "Didn't know you two were actually dating. You don't strike me as a boy who has a way with the ladies." "You're absolutely right! Now, will you please, please, lend me the money, so I can help my poor, hurt, dying reject of a friend?" "Well, I suppose you have amused me enough." "*Judy accidentally whispers into the microphone* What a spoiled little brat." "Excuse me?!" "I said I soiled my pants cuz I'm a brat." "Oh. Hurry up and take your money before you start leaking onto my carpet!"

Eustace ordered his butler to fetch the money. He then came back with a huge sack of cash. The hologram wouldn't be able to hold it, so Judy and Mrs. Dean quickly entered the scene to grab the sack.

"Thank you very much, kind sir! *Looks at the hologram* Jimmy, I am both proud and disappointed in you, my son! C'mon, we have a has-been to save!" Said Judy, then they took a run for it.

[flynn-science]

Ryan Reacts to Kingdom Hearts 3

Okay, so this is a mix of live reactions and post-world reactions. Lot of live reactions in the beginning and end, more sporadic in between. You can probably guess what I’m reacting to most of the time from the sequence of events.

Mmm dat orchestral Don’t Think Twice Needed a minute on the menu. Finally seeing it say KH3 was A Lot. HOLY FUCK WHAT A COOL INTRO The speed is the same as 0.2, with that sprint that kicks in. Will take some getting used to. The stained glass looks gorgeous though Nice touch of KH1 Sora’s jump animation changing to KH2 Sora’s Making choices again like the original. Vitality is probably health, Wisdom is probably magic, and Balance is, well, balanced. I’ll go balanced. (I’m on Proud, btw) Guardian, Warrior, Mystic. Same as the weapons in KH1. In that case, I’ll make the same choice I do there: Guardian. SORA HAS AN IDLE ANIMATION OH MY GOD BLOCK AND DODGE FROM THE START! Also this sky place is new for a Dive to the Heart (AND THOSE HOOOORNS, LISTEN TO THEM) The water looks great A four-hit combo instead of the usual three? Huh Scan from the start too Nice detail of Sora’s head angling towards the locked on target All this music sounds SO GOOD I’MMA NEED THIS SOUNDTRACK ONCE I’M DONE Ahhh that little soft version of Sora’s theme WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS KINGDOM HEARTS II.9 SHIT These Instagram-style posts on loading screens are adorable Oh damn, we get a LOT of abilities from the start. And this is on Proud! Dodge Roll, Air Slide, Aerial Dodge (formerly a Master Form ability), plus all the Flowmotion stuff Wow, THREE shortcut menus! 12 total! Wow, and a LOT more control over how allies use items. That can be very useful! Sweet, synthesis materials are back! Water is an interesting new spell. And being able to reorder the Magic menu is nice (though I only use shortcuts). Kinda glad the item art has stayed the same. Also hey, Wellspring is from BBS. And first AP Boost of course goes into Sora, as will they all. WOW USING THOSE IS WAY FASTER NOW Yooo that Underworld music with the Titans’ appearance Take a shot every time someone says “Sora, Donald, Goofy” Sora, Donald, Goofy counter: 1 HERCULES HAS JOINED THE PARTY “Team Effort: Always start battles with a team attack command.” Damn, what are those that this ability is FIFTY AP?! (Are team attacks that move we saw Sora and Goofy do in a trailer? The throw?) I like that tutorials are playable at any time Also I was worried Save Points might not return with that auto save message at the start ALSO THIS IS NIGHT OF FATE PLAYING IN THE COMBAT TUTORIAL Ooh, Panacea art is nice. (Panacea has only appeared as a command in games like BBS and re:coded, so it hasn’t had art before) *reads Ability Ring* Damn, if 10 AP is a SMALL boost, I can’t imagine how expensive abilities are gonna get (well, Herc does have that one 50 AP ability) Ultima Weapon returns, looks like Synthesis recipes are based more on collector’s goals than finding them. Looks like there’s 60 synthesis materials, sounds about right. Ooh, synthesis item rarities, types: soothing and pulsing are from BBS, writhing, betwixt, sinister are new. Looks like everything goes in Shards, Stones, and Gems. Ooh that’s a lot of Heartless. Hey when is Jiminy gonna show up? Gonna need to complete that Journal again. Oooh battle music has bits of the old Coliseum battle music. Sora, Donald, Goofy counter: 2 Environmental fire damage followed by Sora’s butt on fire limiting my actions. Neat. Okay, these have been live reactions so far, but I’m gonna stop doing that because it’s slowing my progress. “What the heck is Rage Form?” “OH. OH THAT’S A THING.” I keep seeing hidden Mickeys, I bet those are gonna be a thing with the camera once I get it. Also damn are they giving me a lot of ingredients for the cooking minigame I can’t play yet. So the biggest thing I’ve noticed about the new combat is that because they give you so many really powerful abilities (grand magic at higher levels, formchanges, attractions, team attacks) that are all basically free (are you hitting things with your keyblade or magic? Can you hit this specific enemy once? Can you wait for your teammate to give you a prompt?), the number of enemies in each fight seems to have SIGNIFICANTLY increased from previous entries. KH2’s level design this is NOT. Lots more nooks and crannies to search. Me approaching the gates of Olympus: “Is this Anor Londo?” Yay nostalgic Coliseum music! And oooh little environmental puzzles are back! Like from KH1! I forged Goofy a new shield! Aaaand playable Riku. I have no idea why they were so dodgy about the second playable character. This is only the third time Riku’s been playable. Anyway, gotta fight the Demon Tower again. Damn, Riku is WAY stronger than Sora right now. Wish I could have read his abilities (and moved shortcuts). Nice emulation of the death screen. Also hot damn, is that Repliku talking??? I guess Riku’s “other me” really could be Repliku. Awwwww yeah, Lea’s getting new clothes too! YEAH JIMINY! “Dream Heartbinder” So Heartbinders must be this game’s summon gems, and this one lets me use Dream Eaters. SORA’S THEME IS THE RINGTONE!!! Ienzo’s here, with a bit of OrgXIII music from CoM. HOLY SHIT THE GUMMI SHIP IS THE BEST IT’S EVER BEEN UPGRADEABLE KEYBLADES?! I guess that makes sense, considering they all have different formchanges. They want all of them to stay viable throughout the game. OH MY GOD, DEMON TIDE HAS SO MUCH HEALTH I guess the bosses have to with all these powerful attacks I have Does Hayner have a new voice? Olette sounds different too. Checked the wiki, all three have different actors. Pence sounds closest to his original though. So judging by the Dusks and Snipers, no more enemy-specific reaction commands. The Ducklings sell Gummi blocks now?? Huh. Whoa wait, the road out of Twilight Town’s Tram Common leads back to the world map? Can I NOT go to the clock tower in this game?? Man, Twilight Town felt really small. Hope the remaining worlds don’t, though they’ve certainly seemed significantly larger than the two I’ve been to so far. Also, totally called the Lucky Emblems, though I’m gonna keep calling them hidden Mickeys. I think Tou Story is my favorite world. Granted, I’ve only been to three, but still. The Gigas are super fun, Woody and Buzz look amazing, and I can’t stop whistling/humming along! AHHH CREEPY DOLL Lol, the Verum Nox poster even has a Square Enix logo. First death, the Gigas battle in the video game. GOD DAMN! WOODY dropping an amazing “The Reason You Suck” speech to Xehanort! “Unless you’re in the ~real~ Organization too? Good for you!” Damn, Sora! Also love hearing that music from Chain of Memories every so often Glad flowmotion’s jump isn’t as level-breaking as it was in DDD. Same goes for the attacks. Wow, so Rapunzel permanently leaves the party. Was wondering they’d just give her a different moveset like with Mulan/“Ping”. This is the first time a character permanently leaves your party. And of course, Marluxia. Who I didn’t think could or would return. And Vexen who rejoined willingly, which is, man. Not something I’d have done. Both Norted of course. And was Saïx missing his scar? Maybe he’s just Isa now. I could tell it was Unversed, and Flood specifically, in that first Monstropolis cutscene just from the sound of them spawning. That’s how I know I’ve put a lot of hours into this series. Monstropolis feels the most linear so far. Arendelle’s ice labyrinth is awesome, the level design gives me some light Dark Souls vibes. I like how there’s zero explanation for Sora, Donald, and Goofy being able to breathe underwater in The Caribbean. And by that I mean I would have liked even just one line to explain it. The ship combat isn’t as good as AC3’s and AC4’s, but it’s still pretty good for a one-world mechanic! The ship is a LOT more responsive than the AC ones. And damn, is this world open. Okay, San Fransokyo is gonna be a pain to search for chests and Mickeys. PRESS TRIANGLE TO SORA IS THE BEST REACTION COMMAND I HAVE EVER SEEN Jiminy telling people about summaries on the gummiphone is Square Enix saying “IF YOU DIDN’T PLAY THE GAMES, READ THE FUCKING SUMMARIES” Giant battle at the start of Keyblade Graveyard was cool, but hurt the frames, especially on the fake shadows. And just as I was getting hyped at the possibility of having Riku and Aqua as party members. Oh hey, just realized Riku’s keyblade has a Mickey keychain now too. “And so, as legend foretold, darkness prevailed and light expired...” “Your hearts will be torn from your bodies” “To move through time, you must leave your body behind.” THE FINAL WORLD?! Wait, Sora’s been here MULTIPLE times?? Okay, so the star talking about the person who’d miss them, whose heart has been taken by another’s? Strelitzia? Talking about Lauriam? Love and hate? Going back for fight after fight? Hm. Cloud or Sephiroth maybe? (Longshot, but it doesn’t sound like a khux character, or anyone else) Identical pair? There’s no twins in this series. Like walking alongside a mirror... maybe it’s not an literal identical nature? Same clothes, same food, maybe Xion?? “Nothing left to teach you”? Damn, that’s not much to go on. Maybe Eraqus’ and Xehanort’s master?? “Just friends... stepped back” Skuld maybe? “I’m gone... they’ve added another member” Could that be Xion? Wait, no, how could Xion be here, she’s still within Sora’s heart. Are these actual named characters we’ve met before? Or not? The one who was defeated and supposed to fade... Repliku?? But he’s with Riku now... Someone searching for their Papa??? Most of the characters in this series don’t have parents at all, so my only guess here is Pinocchio?? No way a Disney character ends up here though. I don’t think all of these are characters we know. Someone holding onto a sliver of memory, and a servant?? Yeah, these could all just have been ordinary people. Naminé?! What happened to Kairi??? Okay, so the darkness split them. KAIRI IS KEEPING SORA FROM FADING AWAY OH MY HEART “GO TO HER” SHE SAYS "That's not the official thank-you!" Lol Damn, this area is fuckin huge, why is it so huge?? A PORTAL?! A DDD PORTAL HERE?! Well this place is rad. I better see that weird Darkside at some point here OOOOOHHHHHHHHHHH OH IT ROTATES THAT'S FUCKIN SICK God damn, this game's got some of the best level design of the series! Is... is this OUR Chirithy? “He doesn’t remember the past”? Although I guess it could be Marluxia/Luxord/Demyx’s too. Or Ven’s. My bet is that it’s Ven’s. DID SORA JUST TIME JUMP BACK A FEW MINUTES??? Aaaand did nothing different. So now we’re world-hopping like we did back in End of the World. OH WHAT IS THIS DIVING INTO STATIONS TO PICK A WORLD?!?! YOOOOOOOO Just Kairi and Lea are left. Haven’t hit San Fransokyo or Twilight Town yet. Guess they must be in those two. Last one is San Fransokyo. Lea must be here. Kairi’s probably gonna be the last. “Traversing hearts to reach worlds” That must be what I’ve been doing here. Not jumping between worlds, jumping between HEARTS. Was Sora just considering telling her he loves her? He should have. Wait, am I back in time? This already happened... OH SHIT! THE LINGERING WILL IS HERE! EPHEMER! OHHHHHHH HO HO WOW! OHHHHHH FUCK! YOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Congrats to all the lucky people who got their names in the game! PRESS TRIANGLE TO UNION X GIANT SHADOW MASTER XEHANORT IS TERRIFYING I like how Axel is holding his keyblade by the guard instead of the handle OH SHIT MASTER YEN SID! YOOOOOO! Okay KH3, I want to fight thirteen bosses now, you hear me? DAMN that Ancient Light finisher on Starlight’s Second Form is STRONG YOOOOOOO THREE BOSSES AT ONCE??? (I really hope this is as tough as they were before, but seeing as Xemnas was harder in 1 than in 2, doubt it) Went to help Mickey first, so I’m taking on Marluxia, Luxord, and Larxene Oh come ooooon, I barely got to fight them! Luxord’s out, 12 to go OH SHIT THE OTHER TWO Larxene’s done, 11 to go. With XI conveniently up next. Marluxia’s defeated once again. 10 left. Hey whatever happened with that comment of their ancient keyblade legacy...? Xigbar... might be gone? So maybe 9 left. Dark Repliku is defeated, and light Repliku gave himself up so the Replica could be used for Namine. That’s sweet. 8 left. YO actual time of day change! I like the door switches. Nice having little environmental things like this. Hm, Kairi and Lea one way, Aqua and Ven the other. Well that’s no contest, gotta go back up my girl Kairi! Mysterious new hooded figure??? Oh. Oh no. I think it’s Xion. D: Yeah. It’s her. *Xion stops Xemnas “YEYEYEYEYEYEYEYEYEYYE YEEEEEAAAAAAHHHHH” *Roxas shows up “OOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHH FUCK” THE WHOLE GANG’S HERE YOOOOOOOOOOO Shout outs to Ienzo, Ansem, Vexen, and Demyx for helping Roxas return! WHY THE FUCK IS KAIRI GETTING KIDNAPPED A-FUCKING-GAIN, NOMURA WHY WAS SHE EVEN TRAINING, FUCK Okay, so Kairi and Lea/Axel are out, BUT ROXAS AND XION ARE IN OH HOLY SHIT, SORA SQUAD FORM UP!!!! I HAD TO STOP AND LISTEN TO THE MUSIC FOR A MINUTE It’s all three of their themes! (Plus a bit of Another Side) THIS IS THE HYPEST SHIT Aww, Saix’s death mirrors Xion’s. AND THE SEA-SALT TRIO REUNITE! Saix is out, 7 left. Xion turned, 6 left. Vanitas fades again, 5 left. I know some people had hoped for a heel-face turn, but I knew it wasn’t likely. WHAT TERRA’S HEART WAS IN ANSEM’S GUARDIAN THIS WHOLE TIME. THAT THEORY WAS RIGHT! Terra-nort’s back to just Terra. 4 left. Just wanna say, I love that it’s Sora who gets to turn the tides of all these fights. Who’s dull and ordinary NOW, huh?? AND he’s still going! Oh boy, time for a triple Xehanort fight! UMMM NINE KEYS (but why are they No Name and not the X-blade?) OOOOOOOHHHHHHH THIS BLEND OF ANSEM, XEMNAS, AND YOUNG XEHANORT'S THEMES Guardando Nel Buio, Darkness of the Unknown, and Impeto l’Oscurito 1V3 ME, I'LL TAKE YOU ALL ON Young Xehanort returns to his time. 3 left. I like how we all agree to pause the fight whenever someone falls. Xemnas fades. 2 left. Ansem as well. Just 1 darkness left. WHAT THE FUCK, KAIRI NOOOOOOOOOOOO AH SHIT HE’S GOT THE X-BLADE AH SHIT HE’S GOT KINGDOM HEARTS Oh hey, everyone’s caught up. Donald: “You can’t do anything without us, Sora.” Me: “Donald, shut the FUCK UP.” Xion: “Kairi will be alright.” Me: “OH THANK GOD” Scala ad Caelum. Stairway to Heaven. It looks like a proto-Land of Departure. But the music is Case of the Foretellers from X Back Cover. Could this place and Land of Departure once have been Daybreak Town? Damn, Dark Kingdom Hearts is over the ENTIRE Keyblade Graveyard now Spooky twelve figures are spooky Why do they have the Organization’s weapons?! I love this return of Destati though They all had a shared HP bar? Scala ad Caelum’s world icon is kinda shaped like a heart Oh wow, full Inception Weird hearing Rage Awakened without the Lingering Will here “There is one sky, one destiny!” “DEEEESTAAAATI!” Ohhhhh shit Shout out to the heart in the floor design though And the figure in the middle has 7 points Classic Xehanort pose from the KH2 secret ending Aaaaand now he’s got ANOTHER Kingdom Hearts! GREAT WHOA HE FORCED ME INTO RAGE FORM DESTATI IN FULL FORCE WHAT A RAD FINISHING BLOW! The canon death screen, the heartbeat, Donald and Goofy calling from my controller! ONE BIG BLAST! So Xehanort sees himself as some sort of white knight? A templar to guide the masses with an iron fist? Yeah, no dice dude. Sora’s right, not your choice to make, and destiny is beyond your control. So Eraqus really WAS with Terra all this time. MARK HAMILL IS BACK!!! Xehanort just hands it over, huh? Wow, closure between Eraqus and his apprentices after all these years Eraqus and Xehanort mimic Sora and Riku from KH2, and pass on. Go get her, Sora. HIKARI ORCHESTRAL Ven met his Chirithy! Lea’s finally wearing his new outfit. Aw, Xion looks good too! And Isa’s here! Naminé is back too! And I bet the Namine/Riku shippers are happy! AWWW They’re all hanging out at Destiny Islands! Look at them all being friends!!! THERE THEY ARE! WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT

Epilogue: XIGBAR HAS BEEN LUXU THIS WHOLE TIME?! WHAT WHAAAAAAAAAAAT?! You know while watching Back Cover I was like “Man, the Master of Masters really talks like Xigbar for some reason.” BOY DOES THAT MAKE SENSE NOW So what was it about Ava’s role with the Dandelions that led to her absence here? AND WHAT’S IN THE GODDAMN BOX Is it a Book of Prophecies? Something else entirely? In any case, I doubt Maleficent and Pete would be able to get it away from them all. Secret Ending, “Yozora”: Ooh, “Another Side, Another Story” vibes right off the bat. SORA! And... Riku? Well this is just Japan. Wait, the guy from Verum Rex? And a black coat, who’s probably Xigbar/Luxu or the Master of Masters? After watching, a friend informed me that Riku is in Verum Rex. And Sora’s dead. Cause he’s in TWEWY’s version of Shibuya, since that one building said “104.” But which one is the black coat in? It could be the Master of Masters dead, in Sora’s world. Or Xigbar/Luxu, still watching things.

I have no idea what comes next. But I am excited.