#can you imagine a truly big big bad showing up and Danny realizing he's just been like a kid playing with the other kids in the sandbox????

[jamiethebee]

Ghost king au is fun and all but I love the comedy of Danny just being some young ghost who doesn't even have to kill his opponents, he just captures and releases them instead like:

Danny: leave Amity alone!

Ghost of the week: You can't tell me what to do!

Danny: Yeah but I can make you >:(

and after a fight montage proceeds to soup them up

Like, he's so strong it doesn't matter if he permanently deals with them because they aren't that big of a deal (obviously we know that's not canonically true but it's a fun idea)

[prismatic-bell]

And, finally, since she's exactly the right age for it, and because she absolutely did not deserve what happened to her in the wake of the originala, may I suggest for Dani:ot familiar, is a movie from 1980 in which a disillusioned artist meets a muse, "Kira" (implied to be Terpsechore), who leads him to a club owner from the 1940s, and they open a roller disco together. The muse similarly inspired the elderly club owner way back in the day, holding romances with both but truly falling in love with the younger one. The plot is a hot mess and the movie actually inspired the Razzie Awards and killed Olivia Newton-John's career, but it's got a cult following these days and it's. Actually not bad? Like if you accept that it was released about five years after its time and that it's absolutely a fever dream of camp and acid, it's a very good time. Also, you get to see Gene Kelly killing it in roller skates and a tuxedo, and tell me that isn't worth it. I feel like I should add that if you're not familiar with dancing on roller skates, it's fucking hard, and the "simple" choreography here is actually pretty technically difficult. Walking in place in skates is a whole different experience.

And yes, yes, this is the movie with that one inexplicable animated scene, I don't know what the fuck it's doing there either, but Don Bluth used the money from this scene to fund The Secret of NIMH which means that without it we also wouldn't have All Dogs Go To Heaven, The Land Before Time, An American Tail, or Anastasia, so shut the fuck up and show it some respect.

So anyway. Zeo suggested a remake should go the Good Omens route, and do a short miniseries rather than a movie, with which I wholeheartedly agree, and that a timeline update would put Danny (the elderly club owner) in the 1980s, which has some intriguing possibilities. It was a relatively short conversation, but it caught my imagination, so I kept on thinking about it and if you've ever seen the movie, I just. I love the idea of updating it from Danny-the-big-band-club-owner to Dani-the-lesbian-queer-disco-owner (in which the themes of intertwined joy and loss come not from WWII but living through the AIDS crisis), and since Sonny's job literally no longer exists in 2022, just making him a generic industrial painter (which is the job 1980!Sonny was trying to do before he went back to Simpson's), and quitting to try to get a start as an EDM musician but finding that Bandcamp doesn't pay the bills.

Actually spend some time with Dani in the 1980s. Give the other muses some screentime not in the weird way the musical did, but like. Maybe the musician who plays during the finale is seen with one of the muses and it's implied they were inspired and guided to this project. The murals in the clubs both old and new are painted by a painter and one of the muses. That kind of thing. Expand the love story from "boy meets girl and it's all very formulaic" to something where we actually see Kira struggling with the concept of goddess versus humanity and Sonny dealing with the realization that Something Isn't Right About Kira. Give us actual time in Olympus with Zeus and Hera having actual legitimate concerns about what's happening, instead of just "oh well, there are rules, which we are then going to break because plot I guess."

And let's be clear. I do not want whatever the fuck the musical did with "let's make fun of the movie because it was SO BAD LOL." I want to see them play the story straight. Lean into the camp, make it silly and poignant and heartfelt, basically tell the story from 1980 but updated and more coherent.

Things I want specifically as nods to the original:

--EDM remixes of the ELO songs. I refuse a world where "The Fall" isn't in Xanadu. And let's be real, "Strange Magic" would be a great new addition to the lineup, and if the timeline is going from 1945/1980 to 1985/2022, having ELO in the 1980s scenes would make perfect sense. The EDM remixes can take the place of "Dancin'."

--Instead of the superfluous animated scene, replace "Suddenly" (originally set in a practical effects studio) with a plot-relevant animated scene where Kira asks Sonny if she can hear his music, asks if he's ever thought of doing a music video, and the animation we see is what that would look like. Don Bluth restarted a new independent hand-drawn animation studio in 2020, so 100% we are getting him to animate this sequence, too.

--There will still be roller-skates. I don't care how the fuck they're explained, there will be roller-skates. And one pair of them will be gold. I also don't care how or why. I was in love with those gold skates as a kid.

--Gene Kelly's filmography should be in a background shot somewhere. I don't care how. Maybe someone's a film buff with a DVD collection. Doesn't matter. It needs to be in there.

--Instead of the "All Over The World" scene where they wreck the department store, they should wreck Dani's attic (because vintage is in, y'know), but all of the outfits from the 1980 sequence should be in there. They're just going through all her old club shit and like yep, there's the red overalls, there's the godawful orange shirt and slacks, somebody pulls out the Kiss of the Spider-Woman costume and she's just like "benefit night." (Dani, of course, has long since been established as a butch lesbian.) The line "it's like 1945 all over again/it is 1945 all over again" is updated to "1985," but it's said over the frilly turquoise dress 1980!Kira wore in that scene, and as it's said Dani hands the dress to remake!modern!Kira and says "you should take it. It'd suit you." This would be particularly great if we see remake!Kira in it in 1985; since the implication in the 1980 scene is that Danny has finally recognized and accepted that yes, somehow, this is his Kira from 1945, it'd be a way of acknowledging that Dani has realized the same.

--Dani, of course, wears one of the suits from the 1980 scene in the finale, rather than the tux.

And, finally, since she's exactly the right age for it, and because she absolutely did not deserve what happened to her in the wake of the original and we already know she can sing, dance, and kill it in roller skates, may I suggest for Dani:

That is all.

[chayacat]

Devil’s Sweet Star (38)

Fandom: Dead by Daylight

Ghostface x Female Reader  

Rated M for Violence, Language and Smut  

***

Soon. Soon, death will strike with its vengeful and saving scythe. Soon the blood will flow, in a golden setting. soon... Danny will kill Hoggins. After tomorrow, in the evening, to be more precise. But before that, the festival. Tomorrow, Danny will have to do everything possible to stay focused for article on the Roseville Festival. Mattew and Melina will be there to support him, but he is the one who will take the pictures. And he will have to take a lot of them. He will not really have time to enjoy it unfortunately. Especially since they will not be the only journalists on the spot, newspapers from other cities will be there too. It will be an opportunity to see new faces... and if possible, to have an exit door. Because if he can impress these journalists, maybe they'll offer Danny to come and work with them? Maybe.

The police will also be present to monitor the central square. Wilhelm too, unless he was too busy with Hoggins. But there will be at least one inspector, that's for sure. It remains to be seen who it will be. And you will be there, holding your stand, selling your pastries with your two employees. Just like Danny, you won't be able to enjoy the festival fully but it doesn't matter, you can always have a little party... in private.

Besides, Danny thinks back to last night. He appreciated that you were more playful, more enterprising with him. It amused him a lot. A sneaky smile stretched on his face; he already imagined all the little "games" that you could both play. But he will start slowly, he would not want to destroy everything. Mattew comes to rest next to him, sighing completely exhausted.

“Did you get up on the wrong foot?” asks Danny.  

“No, the boss wanted to see me for tomorrow... he told me to focus on the festival and not on the stands to eat. But if there is the pastry stand of (Y/N) I will not be able to resist! He knows it! I would like to see him in my place, I am sure he would do the same!” responds Mattew sulking.  

“Haha it's clear, but he's not wrong especially that other journalists will be there as well, we have to look good in front of them. But don't worry, I'm sure (Y/N) will still have a lot of cakes for us. And then you can taste his famous cake. I can't wait to see what it will look like in the end.”

“Besides, how does it work in your new apartment? doesn't that make you weird all this space?” replied Mattew.

“Very well, very well... it’s true that at the beginning it was strange to live together when we used to live each on our own. But we get used to it. And then... we have several opportunities to... test the resistance of the bed, if you know what I mean.” responds Danny, smiling jokingly.

Mattew looked at Danny with big eyes while Melina who was passing by at the same time started laughing. Danny also laughed as he patted the shoulder on his colleague who was still shocked. All three took a coffee break to chat a little, while enjoying the fresh air... of the air conditioner. It was a little hot today and, in the offices, even more. So, the air conditioner was welcome. They meet Nancy, the newcomer of the team. The poor woman was lost, until now she had only done odd cleaning jobs despite her diploma as a journalist. She wore small round glasses, her black hair tied in a ponytail gave her a little schoolgirl side or the cliché of shy and clumsy women. Afterwards, the poor woman was really clumsy. How many times has she dropped her coffee? too many times to remember. And it had only been a week since she was there.

“Have you heard the latest news about Hoggins? Apparently other former collaborators are ready to testify against him if there is ever a trial. From what some have said, Hoggins has been manipulating people for years and years to get them to invest in his business and mysteriously they have all sunk. He even did it with foreign collaborators. What a son of a bitch.” Said Melina.  

“He really fucked the whole world this guy it's not possible. Let him be fucked up in prison once and for all! The prisoners will take care of him! If you see what I mean...” responds Mattew.  

“The famous trick of the soap?”

“I would rather say the famous Swiss army knife trick. It's very easy to get one in without being noticed in prison... I've seen that before.” Replied Danny, sipping his coffee.  

“What? have you ever been to prison?” asks Melina shocked

“Yes. When I started my job as a journalist, me and my superior at the time went to a prison to interview a prisoner who was wrongly accused. And we took the opportunity to write about what was happening in prison. At one point I turned my head towards one of the cells, and I saw one of the prisoners pull out a knife that he had had hidden in a banana bread.”

“A great classic that. I am still amazed to see that the prison guards are not more on their guard than that...”

Danny shrugged his shoulders; he was not surprised. As it did not surprise him if these same prisoners managed to escape. But because they are idiots, they end up in prison again for the same crime. Dumbass. Danny never got caught at least. At the same time, he did everything to never get noticed or arrested. And yet he left from afar! He learned on his own... and he was lucky. And he intends to keep his chance with him... Oh, yes.  

Observing through the window, Danny noticed that the city was adorned with a thousand colours. The last banners were hung, the leaflets distributed, the posters glued. Tomorrow, Roseville would have been in existence for exactly 32 years. And Mayor Tallis is the one who runs this city... This man is truly an impressive person. And respectable. It’s perhaps the only one that is respectable in this city.  After you.

Our trio went back to work, each on their article, Danny on Hoggins' article. So, he's hated all over the world... In a sense it wouldn't be so bad if Hoggins stayed alive. it could be the scoop of the century! the case that could boost his career! Imagine how sensational a trial article could be. Especially if it's Danny who writes it. Even if he is a murderer, this is not a reason to abandon those why he spent his youth and his studies. He has to work hard, very hard even to get to this point! While Danny was working, his phone rang. A hidden number? That's not a good sign... unless it’s still these sellers who are trying to bait you with their stupid products.

“Roseville’s Gazette, Jed Olsen on the phone, what can I do for you?” said Danny.

“Hi..."Olsen".” responds a man voice.

“Hoggins. How did you get my number?”

“I have my sources as well. But you suspect that I am not calling you out of pure courtesy.”

“Gets straight to the point. What do you want?” replied Danny.  

“Leave this girl. Otherwise, you'll regret it bitterly little asshole. You don't realize who you're dealing with...” responds Hoggins.

“No, I think it's YOU who don't know who you're dealing with. And believe me I intend to make you pay for it. The prisoners will take good care of you, when the court will sentence you to jail for fraud, plus a voluntary homicide... You are cooked Hoggins. You can hide, you can lie as much as you want, you will not be able to escape your destiny. If Ghostface does not decide to kill you for copying its modus operandi. Because he attacked poor people for a few days... because of you. He can't stand being robbed of the show. Now if you excuse me... I have a job to do. Oh, and one last thing...” said Danny Before taking on a more menacing tone: “If you dare to threaten MY girlfriend again... it’s not her who will have an accident. But you.”

Danny hung up dryly, leaving Hoggins no time to say anything. This guy doesn't lack grit decidedly... he will have been a strong opponent, Danny must admit. But not enough to survive any longer. He sent an email to Wilhelm where he explained everything that was said in the conversation between him and Hoggins. Like that, it will make one more ball at the foot of this son of a bitch.  

The rest of the day went smoothly. Mr. Hembrook had summoned Danny to set up tomorrow's day. There will be a total of 4 newspapers, including them, at the festival. It will therefore be necessary to look good! It will also be necessary to take good photos, and to transcribe the speech of Mayor Tallis. Unfortunately, not everyone will be able to come tomorrow. The Gazette must therefore allow these poor people to know what the mayor said for this year's festival.

He worked another hour or two before returning to the apartment. It was quite late, and he had sent you a message to warn you to not wait for him to eat if you were too hungry and he apologized. To which you replied that it didn’t matter, and that you would put a plate aside for him. He parked, entered the building, and went up to the apartment. When he opened the front door, it was dark. no sign of life from you... Until he sees something moving on the couch. When he turned on the light, he sighed as he saw you asleep and, in your pyjama, his coat on you.

“Honey? Honey... Wake up... I'm home.” said Danny.  

“Hm... Jed? Sorry I fell asleep... I'm going to make you warm up your plate... I hope you like Udons...” you respond rubbing your eyes.

“You should go to bed instead... you barely stand. You must have had a big day. I'll take care of everything don't worry about it... I join you after eating and after a good shower.”  

You nod by yawning, which made Danny laugh. He placed a kiss on your forehead before letting you go to your room. Poor of you.... you are exhausted. He warmed up his dish of Udons and moved to his office to work. He worked for an hour, then he left his office by locked it, made the dish, took clean clothes and went to shower. He changed, and walked into the room, to find you asleep in bed, Danny's cushion in your arm like a stuffed animal. You're so cute... He gently regained his cushion, putting himself in the place of the latter in your arms. He laughed lightly when he saw your arms tighten around his waist, and he placed a kiss on your cheek before turning and stalling in bed.

He looked at his phone for about ten minutes, just to find sleep, which eventually happened. He thought back to the conversation with Hoggins. If only he knew what awaited him... if only he knew... But that would spoil the surprise. 2 Days... it's going to be a long time. But the most amusing thing will not be hoggins' death. The most fun will be your reaction. And whatever your reaction, he's ready to react. For good and for worse. A little conversation between Danny and Jed is in order.

“Everything is ready for your little massacre?” said Jed calmly.

“You don't seem to object to it this time... Jed.” Responds Danny.

“Don't claim victory too quickly, I'm not for that kind of thing... But here Hoggins touches on something precious. Or rather someone. As much for me as for you. And I'm not going to let him do it.”

“No, it's ME who's not going to let him do it. Believe me... you'll enjoy the show too.”

“What's next? What will happen?” replied Jed.  

“I don’t know. We shall see how things develop. In the meantime, we must prepare... as much for tomorrow. That for the day after tomorrow.” responds Jed.  

Yes... we have to be prepared. Because these next two days are going to be intense.

But really delicious.

***

(Phew! this week has been just as busy as the previous one! But I managed to finish this chapter! As for the RE8 fanfic I'm progressing pretty well! I may do a little teaser post to give you an overview! As for the title... I'm stuck. I have three ideas in mind and I can't make up my mind... Help me XD I hope you’ll like this chapter like the others ones! Well, it's time for my brain to rest! Have a great weekend to you all!  See ya!)

[a-girl-must-have-a-new-name]

When Jon had first met Gendry he had taken an instant liking to him. Maybe it was because Starks and Baratheons were always meant to be friends. Or maybe it was because there was something about being two bastards thrust into roles they never thought they’d have to worry about that brought them close. All Jon knew though was that he wanted Gendry by his side. He trusted him as much as Davos and that meant a great deal.

Still it was hard to remember all of that when you catch the man you’ve been calling a friend sneaking out of your younger sister’s bedroom early in the morning.  Jon could only watch on in complete silence As Arya his sweet wild young sister pulled Gendry back into the doors threshold long enough to place a kiss on his lips quickly before shutting the door on Gendry’s stupid face. Jon moved out of the way not wanting to be seen, as he had to control his conflicted emotions. On one hand Jon wanted to use longclaw right then and there to run through Gendry. On the other hand Jon knew he was being a hypocrite. Hadn’t he done the same with Ygritte? With Danny? The threat of the white walkers loomed over them and no one could say confidently how long they had for this world so who was he to stop his beloved sister from any happiness she could receive?  

Besides he knew Gendry’s worth. He was a good man, a good friend. And he had known of Gendry’s and Aryas’ history. well only a little bit. Neither mentioned much of their time together, only that they wouldn’t have been alive if it wasn’t for the other. But obviously there was more to it than that. 

So Jon began watching them. Watched when Arya, who was so different from the little girl he’d left behind. Who seemed to carry all the darkness and secrets of the world on her shoulders, would smile and joke easily when Gendry was around. Jon was glad to see that, that easy happy nature was still in her. He watched how the sullen look that seemed permanently etched on Gendry’s dirty face would instantly melt away as Arya drew close. The looks of adoration and protectiveness he sent her way told Jon all he needed to know. However that didn’t stop him from needing to hear it for himself. 

“You, I need to talk to you.”  Gendry stiffened for only a minute as he felt the weight of Jon’s hand on his shoulder. Looking around to see the concern etched on his king's face Gendry could only nod in agreement.  Instructing the men working tirelessly in the forge to continue on with making the dragon glass weapons, he followed Jon out into the biting cold. 

Jon was silent for a while instead of speaking out right he opted to walk with Gendry inspecting the on goings of the castle as he did. Pausing now that they were alone overlooking their surroundings at a gate post Jon caught Gendry smiling to himself.  

“What’s got you laughing?” 

“Just how similar you and your sister are.” Gendry watched as Jon’s eyes softened, at the comparison of his beloved sister. However Jon held back his smile as he forced his famous scowl and eyed his friend warily

“I hope not too similar, after all as much as I like you Gendry I don’t want you in my bed.”  At Gendry's sputtering and choking  Jon had to turn away to keep from chuckling. 

“I- Your grace it’s not. I mean” Gendry was panic stricken looking around wildly whether for a trap, or even a possible escape route Jon didn’t know but he held back his smile for a few more moments enjoying his friends' panic. However when it looked like Gendry was contemplating jumping over the wall to get away from him Jon finally gave him mercy.   

“It’s fine Gendry. Am I happy it happened like this? No. but I won’t try to stop you two. Besides it’s clear to me how close you two are.  You said that Arya and I are similar, correct?” at Gendry’s nod Jon continued. 

“Yes we are similar, but it’s always been more than that. Arya’s been the one person that I could always count on, the only one I’ve ever been able to be completely honest with and up until now I thought it was the same for her.” 

“I-” Gendry was struggling to come up with words however Jon continued on knowing he had to get this off his chest. 

“But I know now that it’s not. I can’t begin to imagine what the both of you went through together. Nor what Arya dealt with while she was in Braavos. I know my sister well enough to know that those are things she will keep from Sansa and myself, and won’t dare speak with Bran about. But  She trusts these secrets to you Gendry. So I will trust you with her.” 

“I promise I have no intention to ever leave her or hurt her again my king.”

“I believe you Gendry and I am happy that it’s you she’s chosen. But be warned if we all survive this, you two will have to tell Sansa about what you two have been doing and I suspect she will be less accepting than I am. At the very least a wedding will be demanded.” 

“Oh she knows already.” Gendry spoke with such casualty, Jon wondered if he had misheard him.

“She knows?”

“Yes, she uh- she caught us a few weeks ago.” 

“Weeks ago?” Jon wondered just how long he had missed the signs,  He tried to ignore the annoying thought that came to him suddenly along with the memory of Ygritte’s laugh, yes it felt like she was laughing at him even now. 

“Yes, she actually handled it even better than you, I think the only thing she was truly upset about was the fact that she caught us in the grain room. Complained about contaminating the food preserves.” Gendry laughed as he patted Jon on the back walking away from the stunned man.  Not realizing his revelation left Jon mortifyingly paralyzed. It wasn’t until breakfast the next day when Danny questioned why he hadn’t touched his meal, on top of her overall concerns over his general tiredness that Jon  could come out of his stupor. Though only because he could hear the low chuckle of Sansa sitting across from him. 

He blinked blearily at his half sister, trying to ignore the mounting headache he was becoming oh so familiar with when dealing with Sansa. Who for her own part smiled deviously at him as she passed half of her food over to him. 

“Yes Jon eat up, we can't have you losing your strength. Right Arya? It would be horrible for Jon to train today on an empty stomach, yes?” 

Arya, who up until that moment was not so secretly flirting with Gendry from across the hall, turned to look at the two of them studying Sansa’s mischief and Jon’s discomfort before grinning wolfishly herself. 

“Of course, only some one stupid would train on an empty stomach. Also Jon I know for a fact that this meal was made with a little extra love, so you should really try and finish it.” Jon, who had taken a sip of ale in a feeble attempt to deflect began to suddenly choke, gasping for breath as Arya ignored him and continued. “ Wouldn’t want to hurt the cook’s feelings.”

“They’re right Jon.” Danny addressed giving him a stern once over, “You shouldn’t waste this food. Especially with how little everyone has.”  Jon exasperatedly looked around the room. Bran was sitting at the opposite end of the table being of absolutely no help yet looked suspiciously as though he too was in on it and enjoying the show. Looking out into the hall he spotted Gendry, who had clearly been trying to listen in and at least had the decency to blush before shrugging his shoulders as if to say “Eh what can you do?”

 Jon feeling like a petulant child brought the gruel closer towards him as he pushed the food around with his spoon waiting for a chance to toss it to Ghost. As he waited he thought that maybe going up against the Night King wouldn’t be so bad, he’d have to be more merciful than this lot.  

  Arya having had her fun and seeing that Jon was at his limit rose asking Sansa and Danny to join her. Claiming she wanted to train with them for a bit. Both women readily agreed,  all thoughts of food wasting forgotten.  Relief and gratitude flowed through Jon. This was why Arya would always be his favorite. He silently nodded his head in thanks to her. She winked at him before turning away, as they stood to leave Sansa turned to Jon once more. 

“If you must know, I had the bags they were rolling around on removed.”  Jon looked skeptically at the bowl before him before turning to eye Sansa. Jon eyed her searching for deception when he felt secure enough that her words were the truth he took a giant spoonful, then another. It wasn’t good at all but food was food. Sansa, satisfied to see her brother eating, began to leave wanting to catch up with Arya and Danny. Only pausing long enough to say one final thing. Mirth glinting in her tully eyes. 

“Honestly, Jon it’s not that big of a deal, at least you aren’t Bran, imagine he has to tune them out all the time. Why just the other day he caught them in your room.”

“Excuse me?!” Jon spat out gruel flying across the table as he looked accusingly towards Gendry who had suspiciously disappeared right after Arya. Looking towards Bran only to have his brother stare back blankly at him, giving nothing away. Jon cursed, pushing himself out from the table and away from the hall looking for longclaw. Forget what he had said last night. He was going to kill both Gendry and Arya, favorite sister be damned.   

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I did it! didn’t think I’d get it done to be honest.I won’t lie  I’m very happy with the way it turned out. just wanted something light and fun to get me back in the mood again! Hope y’all enjoyed it as well!  

[crazy-loca-blog]

Personal thoughts on Open Heart, Book 2, Chapter 13 (with some glimpses to previous chapters)

Note: As the title says, these are just personal opinions on Choices books and chapters. Of course, you may agree or disagree with them, I only use this platform to express my thoughts on what I read every week and what I’d like to see in the next chapters, because none of my friends play Choices so I have no one to comment the books with.

I’m really sorry because this post ended up being super long, but there is so much I need to write about Open Heart after those incredible chapters that PB has been delivering in the last few weeks that I had to stop for a moment and revisit all that has happened as well as some of my ideas about what might happen in future chapters (this is not intended to be an OH blog but seriously guys, this is the only book that gives me those “I need to write about this” vibes at the moment).

I know some people are quite disappointed for how things developed in Chapter 13… BUT… I think this chapter is actually kind of a “bridge” (just like in the songs) to introduce new plots, so I’d definitely tell you not to get desperate. One of the things that this series has taught me over time is that everything has a reason to be. Except for the cases we solve (that tend to change every chapter), the rest of the plot has its own slow pace and development, so as I’ve said before, with a third book already confirmed and in the works, there is no need to hurry things, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the conflicts are not fully solved by the end of Book 2.

For me, it was always very obvious that the huge amount of unsolved subplots in this book would have their breaking point at the same time at some point of the story. Now I’m guessing that the senator incident was just the tip of the iceberg and that there’s so much more that we still haven’t seen… so I can’t think of a more appropriate title to Chapter 13, because yes, it was a “time bomb”… and I also think this is far from over, so I’m expecting Chapter 14 to kind of follow the same path.

So right when we were waiting for our MC to show some evident PTSD signs after what happened in Chapters 10, 11 and 12, PB throws us Chapter 13 and everything that had been accumulating for a long time already and seemed to have no special meaning for the plot, exploded, which actually scares me because it seems no one is mentally capable to help the rest of the gang at the moment. So while PB dares to give these people a break, let’s try to organize this “mess” and see how I think things will go with our friends:

Aurora Emery: Everything seems to be fine with Aurora now, and that might explain why we didn’t see her in Chapter 13. But sadly, I have a bad feeling. One of the reasons why she left Edenbrook and went to Mass Kenmore was because Tobias apparently didn’t know who she was. But now that we know that June has been sleeping with Tobias for who knows how long… did he really NOT know who Aurora was when we met him at that diner? Bryce Lahela: Another character who seemed to have disappeared this week is the hottest scalpel jockey in town. Do you really think PB forgot about him? Because I’m seriously expecting his parents to arrive in Boston just to try to take Keiki back home with them (maybe during Chapter 14?). If this happens, I can already tell it will be super heartbreaking, because I don’t know if she can actually emancipate from her parents or to stay with Bryce as her legal guardian. The Lahela siblings simply don’t deserve this.

Kyra Santana: Kyra is the first of the characters who seems to have her issues solved, so I’d say she’d finally made it safe to Book 3 (unless something truly unexpected happens). We know that she is getting better (I love you Bryce!) and I can’t wait to see her become the rock of this gang. The girl has already gone through A LOT, and she is enjoying her second chance in life, so there’s plenty of advice that our gang could take from her to deal with difficult times. I’m so waiting for her character to become a central part of the healing process!

Rafael Aveiro: I think the writers are still trying to figure out how to reincorporate Raf to the story, so it’s very predictable to say that we won’t see him soon. However, I don’t know if you guys realize how HUGE this character has become after the incidents in previous chapters, especially when it comes to the relationship with the MC. No matter if you’re romancing him or not, from now on, NO ONE in this series will understand the MC as Raf does and vice versa. And I can’t wait to see how PB exploits this new and unique bound between them!

Elijah Green: Elijah is another character who seem to have solved his main issue in this book (keeping boundaries with Sothy), but it surprised me how affected he was at Danny’s funeral. I’m also expecting to know what happened with Phoebe, as we haven’t seen her in this book… where is she? What happened with that relationship? Anyway, I think it’s safe to say that Elijah has also made it to Book 3.

Sienna Trinh: Finally our BFF had the guts to stand up to Mitch. In the process, we discovered that the guy was a problem not only for Sienna, but also for the nurses and other professionals, given all the support she received. However, I’m still super worried about our dolphin partner. Even though she tries to hide how she truly feels about things, we all know she sucks at it. Danny was her LI and I can’t believe she isn’t a mess now. I think it’s the right moment for her to have a heart to heart conversation with the MC.

Jackie Varma: My feelings towards Jackie are weird. I wasn’t a fan of her “tough love” in Book 1… and I LOVE HER in Book 2 (I think she actually has the best and most underrated character development in this series so far)… but right now I want to punch her… seriously! What the hell are you thinking, girl? I don’t understand a thing of what she did in Chapter 13, but I’m pretty convinced that the presentation was fake, the Gary excuse was fake, but the money that she’s receiving from Panacea is very real. Also, who was this woman that left her so confused? She’ll have lots of explaining to do in future chapters.

Ethan Ramsey: I honestly didn’t see that coming… it was shocking, painful and heartbreaking, and I think not even Ethan knew how huge everything was until he saw his mother dying at the hospital. Now I have so many questions! Was she looking for him because she wanted help to treat her addictions? Was she looking for money to get more drugs? Did his father know about this? Was she already an addict before leaving Alan and Ethan 25 years ago, and Ethan didn’t know about it or did he block that memory of his mind? This is going to be intense, to say the least, and I think this might be some subplot that will be dragged to Book 3.

Farley: Who would have thought a few weeks ago that I would be adding the landlord to this post? Probably no one. But there is something about him that doesn’t add up. His behavior has changed A LOT, all of a sudden, and you can see he has the word “guilt” written all over his face. I personally can’t stop thinking he’s the one who sold the canister to Travis. If we go back a few chapters, Travis said that when he bought that thing he only received an account number. But the person who sold him the canister and received the money probably did see who was paying for it. He was also too reluctant to answer Jackie and the MC’s questions before being admitted… I don’t know guys, despite his case was solved quite fast (I laughed so freaking hard when Ethan said he was a PITA!) I don’t trust him at all.

Esme Ortega: We all were waiting for a chapter focused in our intern… but I don’t think we expected it to go this way. I know a lot of people are talking about an assisted suicide case, but I think there is more than meets the eye. Esme is probably the best intern this year, so I can’t imagine her making the mistake of not adjusting the dose, as well as I can’t imagine her not knowing that assisted suicide is illegal in Massachusetts. You may also think that her emotions and how she felt about Levi blurred her rational thinking, but I’m in denial. There is just something that doesn’t add up here. She doesn’t even seem to remember giving him the wrong dose. Then what went wrong? Will we have to face another trial, this time from the mentor side?

Declan Nash: Another character that I didn’t expect to write about in a post. I’m still disappointed because I would have loved to see Declan in that room instead of Bobby, Danny or Rafael. But now I can see that Esme’s case may help us to finally get rid of this guy (let’s be honest, he hasn’t been a big contribution to the development of the plot in Book 2 so he wouldn’t be missed). I don’t think he just appeared by chance in this chapter. We already know that Panacea trials weren’t working on Levi, so even though he apparently died because of Esme’s mistake, I wouldn’t be surprised if we end up discovering something HUGE about irregularities in the trial processes led by Declan, especially because I can’t remember seeing an informed consent where a patient with a severe adverse event (in this case, a severe kidney damage) caused by a study is allowed to participate in a new similar study (I might be wrong though).

Our MC: Of course I had to include our MC here. There’s so much to be explored about “Casey Valentine” that it would take a full post to analyze their past, their present and their future. But I think one of the biggest lessons that Chapter 13 left them was that life continues and people move on. Our MC is stuck on what happened and they’re making their biggest effort to keep going, but I don’t know how much they’ll be able to handle without collapsing. All of our gang is grieving Danny and Bobby, and at the same time they’re dealing with their own personal issues… and I can bet our MC will reach their breaking point when they realize they can’t do anything to help their friends because “Casey” has reached a point where they can’t even help themselves.

[dragonshoard]

I noticed you know about DP and I had an idea. What if Danny dies at his 20's and somehow, someway, he wakes up as a Demon in Hell because a )someone fucked up big time up in the Pearly Gates and misplaced him, or b) Heaven or someone up there truly believed the ''all ghosts are evil no matter what" thing and yeeted him downstairs regardless of him being a hero. He still keeps all of his ghost powers but how would he fair as a demon? How would Hell and its denizens react to him? The HH crew?

I saved this in my drafts and forgot about it whoops 

OOHHHHH OH NO POOR DANNY 

If he ended up in hell… it probably wasn’t by accident, I hate to break it to you oof. People in hell aren’t there just because they killed someone or did something super awful. We have a ton of other sins that people don’t talk about a lot like sloth, envy, pride, or gluttony. So if Danny ends up in Hell, one reason may be because he becomes overly arrogant and prideful (and doesn’t realize it until he’s died). 

But to be perfectly honest, I think his position in Hell was secured regardless of whether he changed the timeline or not, because of Dark Dan. He straight up destroyed the world. I dunno who in heaven is gonna look at that and say that, yeah, this guy totally belongs in heaven. Not to mention, but if they take into consideration a certain counsel’s dislike of him (one eyed bastards) its a shut in the door type of case. 

Hell doesn’t care much about Danny tbh. Unless he pulls a Radio Demon, things will continue on as they always would. Danny, on the other hand being the person he was and whatnot, is straight up going through culture shock, completely horrified. From the cussing, to the abundance of murder and everything else being accepted. It’s just too much. 

Danny needs legit years to re-evaluate himself, trying to figure what he had done to deserve this. Seriously, you end up in the same boat with murderers and racists, and what’s the worst thing you remember doing? Maybe snatching someone’s water at one point? Or maybe because he accidentally hit someone with his ectoblasts once? 

Because honest to god that is the worst luck and the biggest fuck you I have ever known. In life, he was a standard teenager. In half life, he was a hero. 

Also, is he an adult when he dies? Or is he an actual teenager in Hell. We’ll go with teenager verging on young adult (17-18?)

He’s in serious denial and isolates himself for months before probably finding trouble (or more accurately trouble finds him). Maybe he gets in the middle of a turf war by accident and saves some people on the sidelines. And that results in him making some friends, maybe a few imps/helborne demons who are actually pretty nice when they’re not being all… murdery and slightly insane xD

( I like the idea that his abilities in half-life pass down and become more powerful when he’s a demon. Maybe they would also take longer to heal or regenerate than a normal wound would )

The only people who would know who Danny is (or was) would be the royal or high class population in hell who concern themselves with human matters. 

It scares him to death (again) when he’s approached by Valentino’s goons, for example, and he has to disappear for a year after the incident (in which he vaporized a few groups of his minions and it took longer than normal for them to heal/regenerate - Valentino is still pissed). 

I kind of imagine his social circle is almost exclusive to helbornes (imps, hellhounds, etc) because he can get around the fact that they’re in hell because they were born there instead of earning their place like a human did. 

He does favors and builds up a lot of IOUs without really meaning to. He ends up living in a crummy apartment on good days and on the run/couch surfing from the more powerful overlords on bad ones. Cuz I’m straight up imagining that Danny does still do the hero thing when he is given the opportunity and steps on a lot of toes in the process. 

Appearance hmmm.. 

He’d probs end up using his old ghost color palette to choose clothing. He shows up in hell with black and white streaked hair and his eyes vary between blue and green (or both at the same time sometimes). White, black, and green with the occasional blue if he’s feeling good about it. 

His powers are actually seriously unique from what I’m reading. He could, easily rise to be an overlord if he wanted to. However, he wants none of that and, honestly, just doesn’t use his powers enough to raise public notice. 

I dunno where I’m going with this tbh (looks back at question)

OH THE CREW

Tbh he’d probably have been in Hell for a few years by the time Charlie goes in for the interview. He’s skeptical af because this was the literal Lucifer’s daughter. 

But… she looked genuine with her pitch so he didn’t think it would hurt to check the place out. 

Charlie would be too much in a good way. He’s used to see that manic energy in a more murderous direction, so it’s really nice to see someone so genuinely kind and pure in Hell. 

Alastor is all kinds of wrong and Danny makes it a point to stay as far away from him as possible. Alastor doesn’t know much about Danny to begin with but is very curious. 

Angel would make Danny uncomfortable if he ever hit on him, but otherwise he wouldn’t mind talking or hanging out. Not Danny’s first choice though. Angel, on the other hand, recognizes him because Valentino has been vying for his head for years by that point because Danny took out some of his stronger henchmen for over 3 months. Angel is kind of terrified if I’m being honest and makes it a point not to hit on him. 

Danny really likes Vaggie and, in a lot of respects, she reminds him of Sam. It’s a good type of grief and he likes hanging out with her and would listen to her vent. He tries to give good advice, but sometimes he falls short. Vaggie finds it almost comforting for someone from around her time because he actually understands what she’s talking about in regards to the human world (or references, all the references). 

The others would be a mix of wary and happy in his presence. He’d be one of the milder characters and doesn’t have a tendency to over-exaggerate or take things to the extreme. He’s a bit similar to Charlie in that he likes to play mediator. He doesn’t use his powers much initially because he knows how unique he is in that respect and doesn’t like to talk about the reason he was in Hell (which is a huge red flag). 

Cuz, well, the reality is that he has no actual idea why he’s in hell. He doesn’t know about the observants judgement or anything of the sort. He just woke up there after dying. 

[ryeimagines]

Acceptance - Stiles imagine

Based on this prompt. Note, I’m not a non-binary person myself, so I apologise if there’s something that isn’t quite right, please feel free to correct any inaccuracy you find. b/n = Birth name o/p original pronoun, i.e. before they started to identify as non-binary and using they and them pronouns. I enjoyed writing this, hopefully you enjoy it. 

You didn't expect for there to be a parade or something when you came out, maybe some cake and balloons and a paintball fight. That would've been epic. Or even just an okay, and everyone moving on with their day, nothing different. Except it was, or rather you had changed, the way you understood yourself and finally made sense of the feelings you'd had for a while. About a lot of things. You decided to tell your best friend first, and that totally backfired on you. By the end of the week everyone knew and you were the new butt of their jokes. The jokes you could handle, losing your friends were harder. You realized they hadn't been much of friends anyhow so it didn't hurt as much as you thought it would when you knew you were on your own. The constant bullying however, the graffiti on your locker and in the bathrooms, nasty anonymous comments online because the cowards they are. Not a single person stood up for you, not even the teachers, who continued to call you by your birth name and using your old pronouns. They didn't give a single fuck.

You almost cried with relief when you were transferred to Beacon Hills High. This was a chance for a fresh start, no one knew you here, there was no history you could be who you wanted. You kept telling yourself that it would be fine. And it started out okay, you met a really nice guy with doe eyes and moles all over who showed you around and babbled on about everything and anything, sometimes going off on a bit of a tangent before catching himself and asking questions here and there. What the hell is a Stiles? Was the first thing you said when he introduced himself again at the end of the tour, giving you a number if you had any more questions, coaxing a genuine laugh from the boy. “You're going to fit in just fine. This is your stop. Good luck.” It was awkward as always the first day of school, you were the lone outsider and you could feel everyone's eyes on you as you hurried  your way through one introduction after another. The only one who didn't make you introduce yourself was Coach Finstock, just gesturing for you to sit down, which you gladly did.

It lasted  until last period, Mr Harris that asshole, read your birth name out loud to the class, you promptly froze in your seat next to a friendly looking guy you had another class name, Danny maybe?

“It's Y/n. It should be on the list.”You managed, gripping on to the desk so tightly your knuckles were turning white. It was over, your secret was out. You just about made it through class, rushing out the door to get to your locker hurrying to get out of there. You weren't quick enough. A body came up beside you, the locker suddenly slamming shut in front of your face and you startled to see one of the jocks looking at you expectingly.

“Hey, b/n. You don't seem to bad, maybe a little bit of a make over,  you could be attractive. Maybe even date a lacrosse player.”

“You-” You were so mad, you couldn't form sentences right now. You'd had it with these ignorant jerks who think they know better, like that would be a compliment right there.

“Hey Jackass, shut up.” A voice spoke up, stepping in between the two of you, the plaid shirt seemed familiar. Right, it was the guy from before. Stiles.

“I'm just talking to o/p. It's a free country Stilinski. Mind your own business.”

“They have a name. It's Y/n. Even an ignorant asshole like yourself could wrap your hand around remembering something so simple as a name, right? It's a combination of sounds you make to refer to someone or get their attention.”

“Oh, that does it.” The next thing you knew, Stiles was on the floor getting himself a beatdown, people cheering in the background. You felt sick to your stomach, but you couldn't bring yourself to move, or even look away. This was all your fault.

“Hey, what the hell is going on here?” Coach Finstock broke through the crowd of spectators who had gathered to watch the interaction, pausing briefly to take in the scene of Stiles' bloody nose and the jerk currently pinning him to the ground dealing out punches. The two of them hadn't noticed his arrival, not breaking apart until two guys wearing lacrosse shirts showed up and lifted him off, if you didn't know better you'd sworn they practically threw him off, judging by their interaction they were friends of Stiles, the shorter one sending a concerned look your way. The light was probably just playing a trick on you, it had been a long first day. Week. Month. Year. You were tired, drained really. A show like this was the last thing you wanted, drawing more attention towards yourself.

“Alright principal's office now, both of you.” Stiles threw you an assuring smile over his shoulder as he was being led of. Jackson didn't even look back at you and you were thankful for that. The bell rang and the crowd was disbanded, the hallway empty once again and you finally breathed out, not realizing you'd been holding your breath the entire time. You were confused, not sure why this person, a stranger practically, would stick up for you like that like not even the people you thought were your closest friends would. You had barely had a conversation with the guy and he showed you more respect and decency than most people you knew. But why, that was a question you couldn't shake. You held on as long as you could, finally blurting it out the next day in the middle of the cafeteria, stopping all conversation when you walked up and continued without waiting for any kind of invitation.

“Why did you do that? I don't need you to defend me, I can handle myself.”

“I never doubted that. It was more for myself than anything. And because he was a jackass who needed to be brought down a notch. It was a long time coming, you just happened to be the last straw.” He shrugged, taking another bite of his pasta like it was no big deal. You weren't sure how to respond to that. You were used to condescending people, always asking for something in return. No one was ever just nice. Except for him, apparently. Maybe things would be different here after all.

“Stiles, aren't you going to invite them to join us?” A girl with light hair spoke up, directing a sweet smile your way. “I'm sorry about him, we're still working on his manners. Join us. I want to know everything about you.” You had a feeling you just walked into the lion's den, the theory confirmed when your gaze locked with Stiles' amber pools.

It was strange, and a bit overwhelming, but for the first time you didn't hate lunch period. It was an interesting mixture of people, so different you couldn't quite see how they got to be friends in the first place because they were so different. You realized you were enjoying yourself, getting to know them all and observing the way they interacted with each other. It was more than just friends, they acted like a family. It was equally beautiful and heartbreaking to see. A reminder of what you didn't have.

“Hey, you okay?” Stiles’ shoulder bumped against yours, you didn't realise he'd been paying attention to you. You willed yourself to meet his gaze, feeling a little uncomfortable at the intensity of it.

“Yeah, it's nothing.” You mumbled, the lie falling off your tongue easily. He and Scott exchanged a meaningful gaze, it was as if he knew what you were thinking. But that was crazy. You were a damned good liar, you'd had plenty of practice perfecting the craft. Thankfully, he dropped it.

“Anyway, I have a truly important question for you, you must answer it correctly or we can no longer be friends.” He paused for dramatic effect, taking a sip from his juice box. “Marvel or DC?”

“Marvel, of course.” Duh.

“Good answer, finally someone else who understands what I'm taking about. Scott doesn't think there's a difference.”

“Was he raised by wolves or something?” You blurted before you could stop yourself. Beside you Stiles bursted out in laughter, racking throughout his entire body.

“Oh my god.” He breathed, finally collecting himself, ignoring a glare from Lydia.

“Okay.” You continued, oblivious to what was going on. It's possible your new friends were all crazy.

He took a second to absorb this new information, before turning to the curly haired boy, a serious expression on his face.

“Scotty, I'm sorry dude but Y/n is replacing you as my best friend effective immediately.” He ignored the low whine coming from the boy in question, it was almost animalistic, fixing you with a grin you couldn't help but to return.

Things were starting to look up for you. Finally.

[artificialqueens]

Say You Won't Let Go Part 1 (Biadore) - Fucking Awful

A/N: Hey Qweens! Fucking Awful again, back with another song-based Biadore fic.

Summary: A song inspires Danny to think back on his relationship with Roy, from their first meetings to present.

Song: This one is based on “Say You Won’t Let Go” by James Arthur, linked here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yW7w8F2TVA

Structure: This one will be somewhere between 7-8 parts, if you guys are down to stick it out! Each part is associated with a couplet or verse from the song. Song lyrics are in bold and just there to set the tone; if they come into play in the story/dialogue you’ll see them again. Internal monologue/thoughts are in italics.

 Danny was laid out on his tiny couch, feet propped up on the arm rest and his laptop balanced on his stomach. It was a gray, rainy day in Seattle, which he took as the universe’s cue that he should just hibernate for a bit. He’d just finished watching Amy Schumer’s latest comedy special on Netflix, and needed something else to do for a few hours until he was supposed to go out with Johnny. 

It had been a minute since he found any new music he was really into, so Danny decided to go hunting through Spotify. Not feeling particularly adventurous, and curious as to what exactly was getting radio play right now, he went straight for the Global Top 50 playlist. He put it on shuffle and sat up to pack another baby bowl for himself.

He lit up and listened to the first few songs that played. He dug a couple of them – he was always into whatever Kendrick and Lorde were putting out, and was slowly being one over by those little fuck faces The Chainsmokers – but he was disappointed with how little variety there was. Everything sounded overproduced and more than a little electronic, which were not inherently bad qualities to Danny…just bad when they all started to sound the same.

He was just about to change playlists when he was surprised – the sound of an actual acoustic guitar, not a synth or an drum kit. Danny decided to give the song a shot, and was again pleasantly surprised by the guy’s voice. He listened to the song once and really enjoyed it – enough that when the playlist rolled into a Post Malone song, he clicked back to listen again.

Before Danny knew it, he’d listened to the song 8 times and had almost burned through his whole bowl. The melody, the voice – it was all great. But he couldn’t bring himself to turn the song off because it kept making him think of one thing, a person really: Roy.

Some combination of weed, the music and thoughts of Roy was giving him an unbelievable high. He felt warm, happy, and totally relaxed. As he let the song continue to play, Danny started to think back about spending time with Roy…

—

I met you in the dark, you lit me up You made me feel as though I was enough

They’d been in the competition for about 10 days at this point, together as a group for less than a week. Danny felt lucky that he’d come into Drag Race with his friend Jay – at first. He was quickly disappointed to find out that his homie was more concerned about selling a packaged Laganja personality than being an ally and confidante in what was turning out to be a really brutal experience.  Danny found himself feeling closer to Gia and Dela, strangers to him only a few days before, than to the person he’d known for years.

That Jay was not going to be the support system he hoped for became crystal clear the night before, when Michelle had called him out for his lack of corseting. Danny had been totally crushed by her comment. He knew that he absolutely killed the Rusical challenge, but got the distinct sense his lack of cinching cost him the win. Coming off 2 straight weeks of almost going home, he had been so close to the validation he desperately wanted; he knew it was spoiled of him to think this way, but 2nd place for something so stupid and superficial felt as bad as lip-syncing for his life – again.

He’d gone to talk to Jay about it after the elimination, hoping for a friendly face to spend a few minutes venting before flipping the situation. Jay was always good for laughs and distractions, and had frequently drug him out of the dumps before. But when Danny bounded up calling him “Ganj Ganj,” he was met with another pre-prepared round of drama.

Jay went on about his parents coming up on the Untucked screen and how the other girls – led by Roy/Bianca – had been mean or rude or something that he interpreted as less than empathetic to his situation…whatever it was, Danny couldn’t follow the story. In the years he had known Jay, his parents had been nothing but supportive. Not unlike Danny’s mom, they took a little while to come around at first. But, after a few months of their son death dropping across West Hollywood, they’d become his biggest fans. Hell, Danny had met them on several occasions and they’d proven to be heavy tippers with enough tequila in them. So why Jay was making a big deal about his parents “finally” accepting him after 20-something years, Danny could not understand.  

What he did understand was that, like himself, Jay understood how this show worked. Ever perceptive – they were both ESFPs after all – Jay and Danny knew how the camera guys worked. Their lenses were trained to catch drama, and it was so transparent that the insecure and victimized Laganja was on display to get airtime.

And so the next day after Snatch Game, Danny chose to take his emotional needs elsewhere. Just like in the Rusical, he knew he fucking killed this challenge. He’d been low-key doing Anna Nicole as a part of his Adore act for years, so when the opportunity presented itself to bring her (back to) life he slayed.

But today on the runway he was supposed to look like RuPaul, a challenge where he once again felt set up for failure. The polished, Glamazon aesthetic was so far away from what Danny was equipped to do. He saw zero opportunity to go out on stage and have Michelle do anything but wag a rhinestoned talon in his face.

Danny knew without question he was going to be read for two things: his dress being too short, and his waist not being cinched. The first he knew was his fault, but was ready to defend it – he preferred shorter things that didn’t sop up the spilled beer on a club stage, fuck hemlines that hit the floor. But the second he felt was both personal and petty. The body stuff, it dinged his self-esteem more than he wanted to admit. He was starting to wonder if he was misshapen for real, not just misshapen for a man dressing as a woman.

So when he needed to voice his fears out loud – Bonnie always taught him that insecurities lose their power when you talk about them – he brought it up at the mirror with Ben. Shane happened to be there as well, but Danny felt a weird kinship with his fellow Idol and wasn’t too shy about bringing up his issues in front of the Aussie.

“Am I the only one that’s, like, having a problem with, like, my body?” Danny put the question out there, expecting the empathetic Ben to jump in immediately. He was surprised when Shane engaged him first.

“Well maybe you do, and so what?” Shane replied – not what Danny expected him to say. For someone who presented so beautifully – Courtney was un-clockable as a woman, and really could’ve won America’s Next Top Model in a heartbeat – he sure did have a lot to say about body acceptance and self love.

The conversation opened up into a broader discussion about weight and body issues, as Ben spoke about his struggles with weight as a child. Hearing him talk about his own obesity and bullying gave Danny some much-needed perspective on the situation. He started to feel really stupid for bringing up “hog body” when he knew damn well he was actually pretty slim and had nothing to complain about.

Now he was feeling insecure on 2 fronts – about his body, and about whether or not his concerns about his shape came off as bratty in comparison to Ben’s very real story.  Again, he knew about how the cameramen worked. He could only imagine people twisting his words into fat shaming, fishing for compliments, self pity…He walked away from the mirror, lost in his own worries.

When Roy piped up from the work table behind him, Danny was shocked. “Adore!”

Damn, he’s so good at remembering to use people’s drag names. “Yes baby?” Holy fuck, why did I just call this old ass dude ‘baby’? Danny walked over to Roy’s station. I like that newsboy hat, I should get one of my own. But in black. And leather.

And then the moment that would no doubt prove to be the biggest surprise of his Drag Race experience happened. Funny how 30 seconds can change the course of 5 weeks, 3 years, forever…

With no apparent ulterior motive, Roy offered to lend Danny his extra waist cincher – not only to lend it to him, but to lace him in it so he didn’t go out there looking like a fucking idiot wearing a corset for the first time.

To say this confused Danny was an understatement. He knew he had been dismissive of Roy from the first day they’d combined the premiere groups, but in his defense he thought it was totally justified. From his perspective, everything Roy had said to and about Laganja, Gia, himself – and even some of the less vocal queens under 25 – was rude and condescending. Roy presented himself as someone who would treat Danny and his art just like any other “seasoned” queen had in the past – as if it was a joke, and not worth his time or appreciation.

That had changed a bit in the last 24 hours, when he started to see that maybe Roy was just there to call people out on their bullshit. He was basically right about the Laganja situation, though maybe a little harsh with his delivery. Danny had to appreciate that the older man seemed to at least be honest to the drag personality he’d built over (so many!) years – even if Bianca del Rio was truly a hateful cunt.

All this was processing in Danny’s mind as Roy made the offer, and he realized he was standing there with his mouth half open and subconsciously licking his lips. Why am I doing that?  

“I’m down!” How could Danny possibly turn down the offer? Here was someone giving him a golden ticket into Michelle’s good graces – or at least spotting him some of the bus fare to get there – and goddammit he was going to say yes. The fact that it was Roy of all people, though, was still a shocker.

Roy said he would lace him in as soon as he got dressed, and that was that. Danny started to walk away, but then turned around to linger at the table for a few seconds afterwards. He noticed more than a few things in those moments – again he was perceptive one, for a Libra at least.  

First, he noticed that Roy had a little self-satisfied smile when he thought Danny had walked away. It was close-lipped and just barely noticeable as he took off his hat, but his eyes betrayed the grin independent of the curve of his lips that showed Danny he was pretty happy about something.

Second, he noticed what Roy looked like. Danny had spent so long looking at – and kind of hating – Bianca del Rio that he’d never taken the time to look at Roy. Roy was undeniably handsome, with a youthful face that never revealed his age and dimples that you could take a shot of Fireball out of. His olive skin gave off a perma-tanned glow, and his deep brown eyes projected a kindness that even his most cutting words and facial expressions couldn’t over power. Danny found himself quickly wondering about what he couldn’t see; Roy was an inch or two shorter than him, but from what he could tell it was made up of mostly muscle and would certainly feel nice and strong up against…

Danny cut off his own thoughts. He had to, knowing that the hands he had momentarily been fantasizing about were soon going to be touching his bare skin and lacing him into what was one-part body shaper and one-part sex toy.

Too late. When Roy was done transforming himself into Bianca-as-Ru, he came over to help Danny.

“Alright Delano, strip down so I can see what I’m working with.”

“What-“ Danny almost had to bite his own tongue to not finish the sentence as he removed his shirt. You were honestly about to say ‘Whatever you want, Daddy.’ Jesus! Get it together. Roy slipped the corset over his head and began tightening from the back.

“It’s got to be tight, but you should still feel like you can breathe even if your heart is in your throat. I can’t be responsible for the death of yet another drag queen.” Danny laughed, and so did Roy.  

“Ok, now lean over and grab table, it’ll give me some more leverage to pull from and you’ll be a little more comfortable. Does that feel okay, the way I’m pulling? Is it too hard?”

Danny honestly couldn’t tell if Roy was doing this on purpose.

“Usually a guy buys me a pizza or at least a few beers before he’s bending me over and asking about how hard he’s going.”

He could literally feel Roy rolling his eyes behind him.

“Oh please, kid. In your dreams.”

Danny wasn’t sure, but he thought he could also feel Roy smile. How can I feel someone smile when I can’t even see their face?

Roy wasn’t wrong about the dreams, though. Danny already knew that he was going to have all kinds of fucked up sex dreams about Roy-as-Bianca-as-Ru and Roy-as-Bianca-as-Judge Judy and Roy-as-sexy AF Roy himself…good thing he wasn’t hung up on defining his own sexuality.

But what surprised Danny was when, later that night during the judge’s panel and his second time coming in second, he wasn’t upset like the day before. For the first time this whole competition, he felt truly proud of everything he’d done in the challenge AND on the runway.

The latter was in no small part due to Roy, who Danny got the distinct sense was proud of him, too. Danny could feel his smile – that smile he could some how sense even without seeing it – during all his critiques, and it helped him carry his confidence through Michelle’s comments about his dress length and wig. He stood a little bit taller and beamed a little bit brighter knowing Roy was even a little bit impressed with him.

Why do I care so much about what Roy thinks of me? This would remain a mystery to Danny for longer than he was proud to admit.

When the top and bottom queens walked back into the Untucked lounge, Danny stole a second away from the cameras to grab Roy and pull him aside. He hugged Roy tightly – did I hug him too tight? – and thanked him for his help.

“You just saved me from getting ripped a new asshole by Michelle, thank you so much B.” Stopping his impulse to say “baby” again, “B” seemed like a good catch-all that he could always say stood for Bianca.

“Please, you wish I would rip you a new asshole.” Roy broke out of the hug, and gave Danny a peck on the cheek. “You’ve got a lot going for you, Danny. You’re so talented and really very special. I’m glad I could help them see it, now it’s your job to remind them every time.”

Roy walked away while Danny hung back to savor the words for a minute. The most judgmental, honest person he’d ever met just told him he was talented and special. It took him a few seconds of head-in-the-clouds awe before he wandered into the Interior Illusions lounge and leaned himself onto a chair – Fuck, sitting in a corset is hard.

His buzz was quickly killed by the latest episode of Ganja drama, another round of accusations hurled equally at him and Roy from an incredibly insecure Jay. It actually distressed Danny to see Jay so upset, but at the same time he knew it was at least 50% bullshit and totally at his expense.

That Roy practically leaped to his defense (at least Danny saw it that way) only added to the mind-fuck of the day. The stranger he thought would be his biggest detractor was instead acting as more of a support system than the friend he usually counted on.

After the night’s cluster-fucked Untucked session – during which Danny allowed himself to really enjoy Roy’s humor for the first time, but was also accused of being heartless and cruel – and elimination, Danny was feeling pretty shitty. “Did you or did you not come for me?”-gate drained him completely, and he was genuinely sad to see Gia leave. Yes, had Gia spent the last few days rallying around Jay, but Danny knew that was just because G was incredibly empathetic and trying to help a girl out when no one else would. They had become good friends, and Danny was bummed to see someone he started to feel close to go home.

He was last on the van back to the hotel, and ended up sitting alone towards the front. He popped in his headphones and turned on some upbeat music, trying to drown out the negativity in his head: Even when you do well, you’re going to lose friends. This is like the fucking Hunger Games, you win or you die. Or is that Game of Thrones? Whatever, either way it sucks. Gia was rad. Oh god, things are only going to get worse with Jay. Now that he’s –

“You ok, kid?”

Danny’s spiraling thoughts were cut off by Roy, who had sat down next to him and plucked out one of his ear phones. He had a genuine look of concern on his face, but tried to mask it with an exaggerated eyebrow raise.

“Yeah, yeah totally fine.” Danny could feel his own expressionless face and quiet voice giving him away; as someone who was naturally so animated and loud, he knew he was transparent.

“Liar.” Roy scoffed and elbowed him in the side. “Hey, don’t let Jay get to you. He’s playing a game, not a very good one, but it’s just a game. I hope he figures out it won’t work before he self-implodes, it’s driving me out of my goddamn mind. And he’s going to lose a good friend in the process.”

Roy paused, and Danny could feel that he was waiting for a response. Danny wasn’t really sure what to say; Roy was right, but he didn’t want to talk about it anymore.

“Look, just keep doing what you’ve been doing the last two weeks.” Roy had grabbed his knee when he started the sentence, and Danny could’ve sworn he felt actual bolts of lightning shoot from that hand out through the rest of his body. “I meant what I said in the hallway – you’re unique and so fucking talented I can’t stand it. Get out of your own way – and if you forget how great you are, I’ll just keep reminding you.”

There was a squeeze of his knee and a genuine smile to punctuate the sentence.  Danny felt the lighting strike twice. Roy handed him back his headphone and stood up to take his old seat –

“Wait, stay up here.” What are you doing? Before he could stop his words or his actions, Danny grabbed Roy’s wrist and pulled him back down.

Roy obliged, and that was that. For the rest of the season it was always he and Danny in the front of the van together. Sometimes Greg and Shane would join them, but no matter what it was always Adore and Bianca riding together on the way back to the hotel – laughing, stressing, supporting, falling asleep on each other. He never told anyone, but those van rides were his favorite part about Drag Race. 

—

We danced the night away, we drank too much I held your hair back when You were throwing up

If the first 10 days felt like a millennium, the rest of the competition flew by in a heartbeat. At least that’s how it felt to Danny, but he suspected that was because every day was such a rollercoaster ride. From Snatch Game to Glitter Ball it was a total blur, a super stressful mix of his massive victories and equally massive failures. By the time they got down to the Final 4 and shooting the “Sissy That Walk” video, Danny felt like he had aged at least 15 years in the span of about 15 minutes.

But through it all Roy was his constant. He never quite ceased to be surprised by this fact. It gave him confidence (and something else) to know that he had a cheerleader in someone so discerning and masterful at the artistry of drag. Roy was always there with either a corset, a joke, a sewing kit or a hug –

Those hugs, man those hugs became like heroin to Danny. Anytime it was getting to be too much he could just sidle up to Roy, who would almost instinctively open his arms and wrap himself around Danny. It made him feel so safe and protected, but also built him back up; the Bianca Del Rio was willing to break her hard shell to comfort him, messy little Adore Delano, and that made him feel like he was special again.

So when Danny was the one hugging Roy, rubbing his back as he crouched over a toilet in Shane’s hotel room, it was a strange reversal of roles.

It all started after Greg’s elimination, which solidified Adore, Bianca and Courtney as the top 3 of Season 6. They were all devastated to see Darienne Lake sashay away, but Danny assumed that, like him, Roy and Shane were just so happy to make it to the finale.

“Guys, we need to celebrate. I know it sucks that Greg is gone, but holy shit we made it!” Danny tried to lighten the mood in the van. “Come on, we need to do something special. It’s our last night in the hotel, we have to make it special.” His knew his face was a-light with excitement, all a part of the Danny Noriega sure-fire pump-up experience.

“Ok you little party animal, what did you have in mind?” Shane got a mischievous look on his face, and Danny was instantly thankful that the Aussie was so down.

“It’s seriously our last night in sequester or whatever they call it. We should be able to do something, go out back in WeHo or –“

“I doubt they’ll let us go out, but maybe they’ll let us hang out together for once.” Roy, ever the practical one, joined in the scheming. “Danny, think you can charm the PA’s into letting us all bunk up in Shane’s room tonight?”

Roy thinks I’m charming? Danny’s thoughts were quickly interrupted.

“Ooh, a threesome? I never took you for a kinky one, Haylock.” Danny nearly spit out his water laughing at Shane’s comment. Roy in a threesome, yeah right.

“Don’t knock in ‘til you’ve tried it, kanga.” Roy winked at Shane, which shot a strange jolt through Danny that felt something like jealousy. “Danny, if you can get them to let us all crash together then we can use the Post-Its to order some Fireball – “

“And tequila!” Shane wasn’t going to let a night pass without tequila.

And it was tequila that led the holy trinity into several games of Never Have I Ever.

They decided from the outset that they’d play with 10 fingers to start – as Shane said, “More fingers are always better, and let’s face it we’ve all probably done everything.” They had made it through 2 rounds – Shane lost the first, and Roy the second – before changing the rules to include a shot for every finger they put down.

“You realize that means the loser is taking 10 shots, right? They teach math in Australia?” Danny could feel himself slurring his words a little bit.

“We’re pouring, like, half shots, you pussy! Not even half shots. Third shots, even. Fourths or eighths – I dunno, I can’t remember the stupid fractions. Point is they’re tiny and you need to just suck it up.” Shane laid out a stack of small tequila shots for them all.

“If you kill my chola I will murder you dead, Shane.” Roy, who was slurring the most at this point, draped an arm across Danny. “I’m from New Orleans, I know some dark Cajun mafia shit. Voodoo.” He hiccupped. “Don’t worry baby, I’ll take care of you.” Danny felt Roy moving closer to his face, whispering the last sentence into his ear.

15 questions into what would be the final game, and Roy and Danny were in a dead heat. Shane had lost total interest around question 5 – maybe not so much lost interest as passed out, Danny thought. But he and Roy were tied, each with only one digit left in their hands.

It was Roy’s turn to ask a question, and Danny could see the wheels in his head turning – slowly, drunkenly. There’s a reason you don’t operate heavy machinery while drunk.

In a flash, Roy sat up a little straighter. He let out a clearly self-satisfied huff and locked eyes with Danny.

“Alright, Danny. Daniel, if that even is your name. My question to you –“

“You don’t ask questions, idiot. You make a statement. Never have you ever –“

“No one likes a know-it-all, shut up. Ok, never have I ever – “ Roy suddenly dropped the snarky voice he’d been using to taunt Danny – “been with an older man.”

Danny was confused: one, he was pretty sure that was a lie, and two, Roy was staring at him really intensely when he said it. He was watching Danny closely, almost studying him while he waited for an answer.

“Well, I guess the game continues. Neither have I!” Danny was feeling triumphant – happy anytime he got to win in a game – but that quickly went away when he saw Roy. The normally bright, dimpled face he’d grown to adore had fallen completely. He couldn’t be sure, but he thought maybe Roy looked sad. That wasn’t quite right – Disappointed? Hurt? Danny was trying to figure it out when –

“Whatever, I lied. I’m out of fingers. Game over.” Roy grabbed the remaining baby shots – all 10 of them, which easily made 4 or 5 real ones – and slammed them down.

 "Jesus Roy, that’s straight tequila.” Danny didn’t know if he should be concerned or impressed.

The answer came not 10 minutes later, when Roy was hunched over that toilet. Danny sat next to him on the hotel bathroom floor, rhythmically stroking his back and humming absentmindedly while Roy wretched. Danny got lost in the motion, starting to trace abstract patterns into the fabric of Roy’s t-shirt. As he started to learn the layout of the taught muscles that made up his friend’s back…

Danny was snapped out of his little drawing session when he felt Roy humming under his touch. He didn’t notice at first, because of the vomiting that he was trying to ignore, but as the older man started to relax he began to almost purr every time Danny’s hands would cross certain places. Danny began to focus on those places, telling himself it was to comfort a friend and definitely NOT because he liked hearing Roy make those sounds…

“I’m sorry, kiddo. Sorry you have to take care of me, I can’t imagine this is how you wanted this night to go.” Roy got words out for the first time since he got sick, and of course they were kind and thoughtful.

“B, spending time with you is the best any night can go. Even if it means sitting here to make sure you don’t cough up a lung or break a hip.”

Roy chuckled, leaning himself away from the toilet and against the bathtub. Danny caught his eyes, trying to read them. It was a combination of exhaustion, affection, fear, and something else that Danny had never seen before.

“Are you ok, Roy? Seriously, are you?”

“Come on, I drink more than that on most Monday nights. Just exhausted from all of this.” Roy gestured to the nearly empty bottles.

“No, I know we’re basically murdering our own livers by mixing Fireball and Patron” – Danny was surprised by his own level of articulation with so much liquor coursing through his body – “but something else is up.”

“Well aren’t you a perceptive bitch? Don’t worry about it, it’s just…I….look, it’s nothing for you to worry about.”

“Why not? Shane’s passed the fuck out, it’s just me. You know you can tell me anything, I told you about the time I –“

“Don’t need reminding, Danny, but thanks. No, I just can’t…specifically…” Roy was staring to slur more, and his sentences were losing structure. “I can’t tell you, because…”

Danny thought he got it. Roy’s worried about the competition, he’s stressed about what’s going to happen next. That’s why he can’t tell me, because he thinks I’m burnt out enough myself and doesn’t want to add on. Or he because he wants to beat me.

“I get it, I do. You’re stressed about top 3. It’s a lot of pressure, or whatever. Look, Roy, we all know you’re going to win and take over the world, become something really amazing. Whatever you’re feeling, forget about it. It doesn’t matter, because you now what? You’re gonna be America’s Next Goddamn Drag Superstar.” 

Danny tried to read the expression on Roy’s face after his drunken attempt at a pep talk. There was a clear – and clearly faked – layer of happiness and appreciation trying to cover one of total disappointment and confusion.

“You’re right. I am gonna win, just like Laganja’s parents always said I would.”

And with that, Roy hoisted himself up off the bathroom floor and then lent Danny a hand to do the same. “We should probably go to sleep, since we all have to leave early tomorrow. Walk you back to your room?”

Danny saw those same wheels turning in Roy’s head, some drunk guy still running the machine. 

“If you’re sure you’ll be ok, then yeah. I think we leave Shane to handle the mess we made in the morning.”

Danny walked with Roy back to his own room. It was all of 50 steps, but Roy held his hand while they walked anyway. It might’ve seem strange to anyone else, but they were drunk and both known to be touchy-feely at any level of inebriation. 

Danny slid the keycard in the lock and opened the door. As he backed into his room, he felt Roy hover in the doorway. He looked up to see his friend staring at him, his sharp and deep eyes focusing with a burning intensity he had never seen before and couldn’t really define. It almost seemed like he wanted to pounce on Danny, to –

“Look, about tonight…” Roy slowly started into a commentary on how he should’ve taken the shots slower, how he hadn’t eaten, how bad he felt that Danny had to take care of him. “And I guess what I really wanted to say to you tonight was – “

“I know, you’re proud of me. Thank you for that, you changed my life and I changed yours. All that kumbaya shit.” Danny thought he knew exactly what Roy was going to say, and wanted to spare his Bianca façade the indignity of once again being kind. He wrapped his friend in a hug and kissed him on the cheek.

When Danny let go, he expected to see a relieved and ready-to-joke Roy. Instead he saw that same face from earlier – a little fake happiness haphazardly spread across something sad.

“Yeah, that’s it. I just wanted to say that I – I’m proud of you.” Roy grabbed both of Danny’s hands. “I really am.” He leaned in to kiss Danny on the cheek. He lingered longer than usual, but Danny wrote it off on the alcohol again.

Danny smiled. “Well thanks, Dad. Goodnight!” He meant it as a joke, but he got the distinct feeling Roy didn’t take it that way. Roy squeezed his hands – just like he had with his knee, all those weeks ago – and went back to his room.

Laying in bed and trying to sleep, Danny found himself confused. Why was Roy so weird at the end of the night, almost like he was sad or in a bad mood?

Again, this would remain a mystery to Danny for longer than he was proud to admit. He was never as perceptive as he thought he was.

[sage-nebula]

Keith: 14, 19, 22

14.) Physical abnormalities? (Both visible and not, including injuries/disabilities, long-term illnesses, food-intolerances, etc.)

Likely due to his Galra heritage, Keith pretty much never gets sick—and when something does actually manage to make him sick, it makes him severely ill, to the point of “he’s going to need an emergency room stay for at least a few days, if not longer” desperation.

This is a result of his body’s natural response to the bacteria and viruses that live on Earth. Again, this is likely due to his Galra heritage; most of the viruses and bacteria just don’t have an effect on him, at least not to a degree that his body’s natural immune system can’t fight off, and so he just doesn’t get sick. When there was a bad case of strep throat going around the Garrison when he was twelve, he was one of the very few not affected by it. Shiro came down with it; Shiro could barely talk his throat was so sore, had a fever and was wheezing a little, and tried to urge Keith to go back to his own room or he’d get sick, too. Keith refused, because he was worried about Shiro and wanted to help him get better, and it didn’t matter anyway because despite spending an entire weekend in Shiro’s “disease-infested hovel” (as Shiro was calling his dorm at the Garrison), Keith didn’t get sick. He wasn’t infected. And Shiro was grateful for this, if more than a little bemused.

“Maybe I just have an immunity to strep?” Keith suggested.

“Maybe so,” Shiro said.

And this continued over the year with most illnesses, big and small. Keith doesn’t really know what it’s like to have the common cold because he’s never had it. He never got chicken pox, or ever had to suffer through something similar. Usually when people hear this they warn him it’s just going to hit him later in life, but he just shrugs and says, “That’s fine. It can if it wants.”

That said, as I mentioned, when he does get sick, he gets really sick. One time when he was fourteen he didn’t show up for his and Shiro’s regularly scheduled sparring session, and when Shiro went to find him, he found him in his room vomiting blood. So, you know. That happened. (Shiro had to carry him to the emergency medical wing of the Garrison. It wasn’t pretty.)

Aside from that, I like to imagine that when he gets angry, his eyes get brighter. And for a long while this is something that people don’t truly notice; his eyes are an odd color anyway (he calls them grey, but they’re really kind of a greyish-purple), so the fact that they look a little brighter when he’s feeling a strong emotion—well, that’s a trick of the light, isn’t it? It’s not anything real. But it is real, though, and when he gets truly furious—if he was ever pushed to a point where rage and fury consumed him—his eyes would truly glow.

And that one is definitely due to his Galra heritage.

(That said, it is like I said above, however—it’s not truly just anger that does it, it’s very strong emotion. Anger, joy, sadness, shock—any strong emotion like that makes his eyes look brighter, the color stand out stronger. So if he was as exponentially euphoric as he was infuriated, his eyes could glow all the same. He just has to reach that level of emotional overlimit, one way or the other. It’s just that, the circumstances being what they are given that they’re in a war, rage (or grief, or both) are more likely to trigger this. At which point Lotor can mock him with, “Ooh, the scary eyes~” a la Vlad Masters from Danny Phantom. =P)

19.) What do they think about before falling asleep at night?

It depends on where he is in his life—what he’s going through at the moment.

Keith tends to think very much about the here and now. He does think about the future sometimes, in some contexts (e.g. part of his motivation for going after Zarkon at the end of S1, aside from protecting Shiro and the Black Lion, was because he wanted to end the war once and for all, which would affect the future), but for the most part he doesn’t. He doesn’t consider the future because he’s not always sure if he’ll have one, or if he does have one what it’ll be like. We even see this at the end of S2; Shiro says that once they defeat Zarkon, the war will be over and the universe won’t need Voltron anymore. While Lance sounds pretty definitive about going home to Earth, and while Pidge sounds definitive about finding her family, Keith’s response is, “I guess I could look for mine.” The word guess doesn’t make this definitive, and neither does Keith’s delivery. He hasn’t really thought about it, he’s not sure if he wants to do that. He’s not going to commit to a future that, for him, isn’t really certain, that he isn’t even really sure that he wants. He’s more focused on—and it’s easier for him to focus on—the here and now.

So for Keith, what he thinks about as he falls asleep at night is really dependent on what’s going on in his life. As a child at the Garrison, he probably thought a lot about his father—about how his father had left him behind, about why that was, about whether or not he was ever coming back. He might have thought about his mother, how he never knew and didn’t remember her, what she might have been like or if she was alive (and if, perhaps, his father had gone to find her, and if that was the case, why he couldn’t bring Keith along). He might have thought about his classes there at the Garrison, might have thought about the cool older kid (teenager), Shiro, who had befriended him. Things like that were probably on his mind each night, and as he grew older he thought about his parents less and less.

After the Kerberos fiasco, that was all that was on his mind. Keith fell into a pretty bad depression after the Kerberos mission was determined to be a failure and Shiro was declared dead. He stopped going to his classes, aside from the times he was spotted by a teacher and forced to attend. He started eating far less (before binging on junk food in rare moments of hunger). He started sleeping until late into the afternoon and then staying up until ungodly hours in the morning. Showers became irregular because he couldn’t bring himself to care enough to shower as he should. He started being incredibly reckless on his hoverbike, because it occurred to him—and he felt this, knew this, believed this to be true—that even if he crashed and died, it wouldn’t matter and no one would notice or care. So he didn’t wear his helmet (something Shiro would have scolded him over, but if Shiro was so upset about it then he could come back and make Keith wear it), started driving at speeds upwards of 100mph. Because he could die right then and it wouldn’t matter and no one would care, so why not? And when he made it back to the Garrison and collapsed, fully clothed, onto his bed, he got dust and dirt and grime from the desert all over his sheets. And at some point after waking he stripped his bed because that was gross, and he thought that maybe there were clean sheets in the closet—but he couldn’t be bothered to go get them. He didn’t care enough. He just didn’t care.

Grief drove him through an unpredictable cycle of denial, anger, bargaining, depression—all the usual suspects, alternating between them as he went from apathy that led him to skip classes and training simulations for three days straight as he just laid in bed and did nothing, to bottled fury that had him driving his hoverbike at 120mph off a cliff (which is how he knew he could make that jump—it wasn’t the first time, after all, even if it was the first time with that many passengers), back to apathy as some girl with reddish-brown hair and a green shirt asked him if he knew where Iverson’s office was, and he just shrugged and pointed down a hall as she ran past him and told him to not tell anyone she was ever there. (He didn’t even know her name, so he just shrugged again. He could tell she wasn’t a student—knew that’s why she froze like she did when she saw that he saw her entering the Garrison—but he also honestly didn’t give a fuck. He didn’t care about anything anymore, or so he felt. Of course, he cared a hell of a lot days later when Iverson was lecturing him about all his skipped classes and training simulations and told him to “shape up or you’ll end up a failure like Shirogane”—cared a helluva lot then when he jumped from his seat to tackle Iverson to the floor and beat the ever-loving shit out of him for ever talking about Shiro like that, and it took three other officers to pull him off before he was dishonorably discharged from the Garrison for all of his “disciplinary issues”—but right there, in that moment, when a girl he would only realize months and months later in the midst of a war was Pidge was telling him not to tell anyone she was there, he really didn’t care who she was, what she was doing, why she was doing, or what the effects would be of her doing it. It just didn’t matter to him.)

But the point is—over the course of that year, he very often was thinking about Shiro before he fell asleep, if he fell asleep at all. He wondered if maybe he could have stopped him from going on the Kerberos mission (though he knew he couldn’t have). He wondered if there really was a pilot error (though he knew there wasn’t, because Shiro was one of the best pilots there was). He wondered if Shiro was somehow still alive, and this he didn’t know if he believed or not, but it was easier to think that he was still alive somehow, somewhere out there, than it was to believe and truly accept that he was dead.

After he was expelled and he went out to that abandoned shack in the desert that he had discovered during his late night hoverbike rides while still at the Garrison, he still thought about Shiro a lot—but he also thought about that weird pull he felt coming from the canyon, thought about the symbols and sigils he was discovering. Again, he tends to focus on the present, and that was a very present (and welcome) distraction from his grief. He was thankful to whatever the weird energy was, because if he could focus on that, it helped ease the ever-present, raw ache that Shiro’s apparent death had left him with.

With all of that said, Shiro does eventually come back, they find the Blue Lion, and they get taken to the Castle of Lions. After becoming a Paladin of Voltron, Keith often thinks about the war they’re in, about his fellow Paladins, and things of that nature before falling asleep. Sometimes he thinks about training plans for the next day. After Ulaz breaks into the Castle of Lions and he sees Ulaz’s sword, however, he starts thinking about his own knife, about his heritage … and those nights, thoughts and fears that he may be Galra creep into his mind before he falls asleep. He wonders who—wonders what he is. He wonders if Zarkon is tracking him. He wonders if he’s going to lose this family, too, because of something far beyond his control, because he’s going to put them in danger and get them killed just by being around him. He wonders if maybe this is why his dad abandoned him—and then feels angry, because if anything, it’s his dad’s fault he’s like this. He didn’t choose to be born. His dad chose to fuck a Galra. How is that his fault? How is that any justification for his dad leaving him behind?

He finds out the truth, and it’s still on his mind given Allura’s obvious dislike of him now, but she and the others come around and, in any case, there’s no real time to dwell on it anymore given the impending final battle with Zarkon. And that succeeds—that goes well, but then Shiro disappears again, Shiro might be dead again, and part of Keith wants to scream because he doesn’t understand why this keeps happening, doesn’t understand why the universe can’t just let them win one once, can’t just let them rest for once, why is it always something.

So, that said, I imagine that Shiro will be occupying his thoughts again at night, at least until Keith finds and brings him home again (and he’s nothing if not determined to do that, and you know how he is when he’s determined to do something—boy does not give up).

22.) Given a blank piece of paper, a pencil, and nothing to do, what would happen?

Lots of doodles and scribbles.

Keith doesn’t think of himself as much of an artist, but this doesn’t change the fact that his notes and assignments throughout all his years at the Garrison always ended up covered in various doodles and little drawings: animals, vehicles, comic book characters—you name it, he’s drawn it. Various interpretations of what he thinks aliens might look like, too (hilariously off based on what he’s seen so far, but he had some creative designs). Keith likes to draw; it’s a nice way to relax and unwind, and anyway, it made some of his more boring classes easier to tolerate. (Plus, it wasn’t as if he ignored his professors. Rather, it was actually easier for him to focus if he was drawing, because then he could have some attention on the lesson and some on his drawing, rather than zoning out completely by just staring off into space.) He’s actually a pretty good artist by now, given all the in-class drawings and doodles he has produced over the years, even if he doesn’t think much of his art or consider it a serious hobby. Practice might not make perfect, but it does make damn good, and Keith has had more than enough practice over the years.

So yeah—give him a blank piece of paper, a pencil, and some time, and you’re going to have drawings all over that page, of all sorts of things. (In canon, the Red Lion would probably feature in a lot of them, heh.) It’s inevitable.

[thepainlessmoustache]

Peppermint Plane Rides

Hey there! A little later than I wanted but I couldn’t breathe for a few days so I’m excusing myself. This is based on a prompt @queerlyalex gave me for Niall distracting Bressie’s kid on a plane ride. It’s a little backwards but I still think it’s cute

Niall's least favorite part of any plane ride—besides the claustrophobia and turbulence and the feeling of impending doom—is when he has to sit near a kid. And sitting next to a kid? That's even worse. But this kid isn't so bad. She's wearing little overalls and has her hair braided loosely and seems content to play with a Gameboy Niall's pretty sure he had when he was a kid.

The familiar noises are a bit comforting, but when the wind catches the plane and makes it jump a little even the most familiar of noises isn't going to keep his mind from screaming death at him.

"You get nervous on planes?" the little girl pipes in, looking up from her game from the first time. She's got gray eyes that seem far too smart for her age. Especially considering that Niall's about to piss himself.

"A bit."

"My da told me it helps to if you've got candy." She nods to the giant snoring gently next to her, and Niall startles to realize he hadn't even looked to see who else was in his row. He'd been too busy checking his buckle a dozen or so times. "He takes the window so I can't look down. You want a peppermint? I've got some."

"Uh, sure." Niall agrees weakly, and she doubles over to pluck a Merida backpack from under her seat. She shoves two peppermint candies into his palm. "Thanks."

"Da thinks she's the best princess." she says, points to the redhead.

"She's a good one." Niall agrees, even if he knows next to nothing about Disney princesses.

"I like her horse."

Niall pops a candy into his mouth and nods.

"You've never watched Brave, have ya?" Niall shakes his head nervously, and she sighs. He can't believe how judged he feels by this seven year old. "Da's got it on his phone, I think."

Before he can tell her not to bother, she's reaching over and digging in the sleeping man's pockets. He grumbles weakly, but moves to allow his daughter access and Niall feels a bit dirty for thinking her dad is handsome, especially with his kid sitting right next to him.

She expertly pulls up the movie and holds it between them. Niall can't really tell her no, so he settles in to watch.

She points out her horse when they get to that part, and by then Niall is...kind of intrigued. She asks if he wants to keep watching and he says yes, so she pulls out another handful of peppermints to go on his lap tray and together they watch the movie and suck on candies.

They're nearly done with the film when Niall hears a gruff voice say "That was always my favorite part." and he looks up to see her dad watching them with a small smile.

"Oh, um."

"Shh." the girl hisses, smacking Niall's arm. "Pay attention."

It's hard to, but he tries. He keeps glancing at her dad, at the soft way he watches her and maybe also Niall himself. He feels sweat starting to build up on the back of his neck again, anxiety ratcheting for an entirely different reason.

She shoves a peppermint at him, which he takes sheepishly.

At the end of the movie she hands the phone to her dad, who is well awake now. He shoves it back in his pocket and rubs a hand over her hair. "So who's your friend, Shiny?"

She looks at Niall with wide eyes. "I forgot to ask."

"Niall. Horan." He adds his last name for the father.

Her head swings to look at her dad. "That's your name, Da!"

"That's right, Shiny. Niall Breslin, Bressie for short. This is my daughter, Danny."

"What are the chances?" Niall laughs nervously. "Two Nialls in the same row."

"About the same chances as my daughter making friends twenty thousand feet in the air."

"He gets nervous on planes, too." Danny explains. "I told him what you told me, about the peppermints, and then he didn't know who Angus was so I had to show him."

"Of course." Bressie nods seriously.

The plane jumps again and Niall's hand shoots out to grab the headrest in front of him. Danny pats his leg. "It's just, uh—it's hot in here, isn't it?" he offers, sucking on the peppermint to keep his mouth from going dry.

"Is it a heights thing?" Bressie wonders.

"Tight spaces and...um...speed..." He's getting dizzy, needs a cold drink or a tranquilizer. The plane shudders again.

"Do you play Tetris?"

Niall looks incredulously at the other man. "Tetris?"

"I've got Tetris." Danny says, waving her bulky Gameboy.

Niall breathes a little easier looking at her, like it's easier to forget how to be scared when looking at a child. "Right. Tetris. I'm pretty good, if, uh..."

She shoves it into his hands before he even finishes asking. It takes a bit of effort to get a game started up, especially with his hands shaking, but once he's in the familiar rhythm of it—left, down, right right, down, hold, left, down—he finds himself breathing.

"Da, he's not even halfway up!" Danny says. "He gets all his rows!"

"This was a game when I was your age." Niall says. "I had one of these myself."

"This was mine." Bressie explains. "She gets more out of it than I do, now."

Niall gets himself caught looking into his eyes for a moment before Danny squeals "Niall, you're going to miss!"

The few minutes roll by easily with conversation and no turbulence. The landing is a little rough, but he's surprised into calmness by Danny squeezing her hand along with her dad's. Once they're in line to get off the plane, Niall's almost a little sad.

"Da, is this the last time we'll see Niall?" Danny asks as they're crossing the dumb rickety tube that connects the plane to the terminal.

"Well," her dad says slowly. "Kind of up to Niall, innit?"

"Me?" Niall turns even though he'd really rather be anywhere than in this accordion accident waiting to happen.

Bressie smirks slowly. "Well, if you're in Dublin for a bit..." He shrugs. "Wouldn't be opposed to offering you lunch."

Niall stumbles the last few feet out into the terminal, onto solid ground. He feels his shoulders release for the first time in nearly two hours. "I guess I wouldn't be opposed to getting lunch." he agrees.

"Can we have hot dogs?" Danny asks. "Mum won't let me have hot dogs."

Niall's heart skips a little, and either it shows on his face or Bressie has super hearing because he says "Her mum's in London. We, ah...when she was a baby. We weren't married." He shrug stiffly and sets a big hand on Danny's head. "Little miracles, huh?"

Niall nods slowly, thinks of his own parents and looks down to Danny. Her face is innocent, but he's given that look to dozens of people in his own lifetime. He's never known differently, but that doesn't mean it doesn't feel different. "Hot dogs, huh? You like onions on them?"

"Ew," Danny crinkles her nose. "Why would I eat onions?"

"Why wouldn't you?" Niall counters and looks up at Bressie. He's worrying the inside of his cheek. "Alright, well, clearly I have to have lunch with you now. You haven't taught her the value of onions."

Bressie's smile is bitten back but still full. "Truly, I've been lacking as a father."

"Can't imagine what else I'll have to teach her." Niall throws out flippantly before he realizes he's sort of implying he'd like to be in their lives longer than just a lunch. Which he would, of course, but it's a bit early to be admitting that.

Bressie just smiles though. "Yeah, we'll see."

[recentanimenews]

THE GREAT CRUNCHYROLL NARUTO REWATCH Arrives Just in Time for Episodes 57-63!

  Welcome to THE GREAT CRUNCHYROLL NARUTO REWATCH! I'm Danni Wilmoth, and I'll be your host this week as we make our way through all 220 episodes of the original Naruto. Last week, we covered episodes 50-56, and we continue this week with episodes 57-63. This week we see the conclusion of Naruto’s training under Jiraiya and move onto what we’ve all been waiting for: the Third and Final Exam. The main event this time pits genius versus failure as Naruto seeks vengeance for Hinata and Lee against Neji in round one. It’s a raging battle of ideals that leaves everyone asking, “Where the hell is Sasuke?” Before we discuss these episodes, let's take a look at a question WiseJake237 had about summoning: Maybe I'm misunderstanding the Summoning Jutsu, but if Jiraiya is such a horn toad, why doesn't he just use the jutsu to summon attractive women? It seems like one of the Three Legendary Ninjas shouldn't have to go to the lengths that this guy does. Danni: First of all, that pun had me simply croaking with laughter. Second, my understanding of summoning is that a contract has to be formed between the summoner and the one being summoned. I imagine that Jiraiya could theoretically summon women to him, but they’d have to give prior consent first. Exactly the way it should be!!! Now, let's see what the Crunchyroll Features team thought of this week's episodes! So this week’s batch of episodes began with us meeting Gamabunta, my big grumpy frog dad whom I love. I had always assumed summoning animals basically teleports them to your position to assist you, but he mentions something about it being his first time free in awhile. This begs the question, are summoning animals in Naruto basically Pokémon? And since Gamabunta can talk does that make him Detective Pikachu?

Kevin: Whether the Summoning Animals are from another world or just a different place but on the same world seems to be inconsistent. Gamabunta indicated that the Toad Realm and the Village Hidden in the Leaves are two different worlds, but if I remember correctly, when Kakashi introduced his dogs he said that they get teleported from a distant place, and the accompanying visual implied that it was just somewhere far away, but you could theoretically walk there. So in short: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Peter: Boruto gets into some weird spirit world stuff when they consult the Snake sages about Mitsuki’s location. I’m not sure if super late Shippuden gets into it. Pretty sure they’re all hanging out in some spirit world as shadows against a cave wall or something. Noelle: If I remember correctly, I think the summoned animals are from another dimension or other realm, as we never see them in the regular ninja world. Not a lot of detail is put into that, but it’s always fun to see what new summons pop up next. I never thought about frog Ryan Reynolds before, but I’m sure thinking about it now. Carolyn: I have no idea how to answer this question, honestly. But if the frog were Ryan Reynolds and/or Danny DeVito I would be here for it. Paul: I believe that ninja summons are merely a manifestation of the individual summoner's will, i.e. that there is no separate, extra-dimensional “Toad Realm” or “Dog Realm,” but that these creatures are temporarily called into being and given form and personality by the magic of Ninjutsu. I think it's closer to the Shadow Clone technique that Naruto employs. Also, Gamabunta is clearly a yakuza, whereas Detective Pikachu is a cop. Joseph: From what I recall there’s definitely another realm. Doesn’t Naruto end up there at some point? I’m going off my memory of the manga so gotta do a big shrug here, but I love the frogs in general. David: I definitely feel bad for Gamabunta in the same way I feel bad for Pokémon, who mostly get let out to fight or do jobs. He spends who knows how long locked away in some vague spirit world, only to get summoned by some brat who literally won’t get off his back. Give the poor guy a break! Kara: Too early for me to speculate. The world of Naruto has a lot of weird rules to it and I’m still trying to figure out the whole “raising children to fight to the death” thing before I go any further. That said, I am glad I’m not a summonable animal of any sort. I can’t imagine being in the middle of a nap or a conversation or whatever and just BOOM. Sorry, you’re here to fight now. Both last week’s and this week’s episodes have contained allusions to a connection between Naruto and the Fourth Hokage, and the Fourth Hokage’s portrait last week makes it pretty clear what that connection is. Did anyone else happen to see that coming before now?

  Kevin: I think that literally everyone knows the “secret” before it gets revealed in the show. Make no mistake though, as we go in to Shippuden and more is revealed, the writing will be beating you with a lead pipe of exposition to make sure that you understand every single detail. Peter: During my first readthrough I think I knew as early as Zabuza since Minato appears in some photos and he has the same hair. I knew enough about shonen to know that the main character always has an important dad. Noelle: Same as Peter, I figured it out pretty early on in my original readthrough--if two characters look uncannily similar in anime, they’re probably related. Carolyn: I thought that was always kind of implied. I have seen the show before, but seem to remember making that assumption pretty early the first time around, too. Paul: I assumed that the Fourth Hokage was Naruto's Dad (a.k.a. Boruto's Granddad) from the brief glimpse of him that we got during the flashback of him sealing away the Nine-Tailed Fox way back in the first episode. No real surprises there. The bigger question is who is Naruto's Mom, a.k.a. Boruto's Grandma? Joseph: This is such a poorly-kept secret I forgot it hadn’t been revealed. David: The ‘mystery’ may lie more in why he would choose to doom his own kid to societal ostracization than if he is Naruto’s dad or not. Kara: I mean, between the resemblance, Naruto’s obsession with becoming Hokage, and the way pretty much any references to the Fourth Hokage are framed, it isn’t so much foreshadowing as a brick to the head. You’re telling me it gets more obvious? A good way to tell when a series has settled into a comfortable position is when it begins experimenting in other genres. We saw that this week in episode 58 when Naruto dabbles in horror aesthetics to flesh out Gaara’s backstory a bit. It broke its own mold both visually and thematically. Do you think this change managed to accomplish anything a normal exposition episode wouldn’t have?

  Kevin: I always appreciate any work of art being taken in a new direction, so I liked seeing episode 58 do something different, and the exposition where Naruto starts to understand how similar he and Gaara are was definitely one of the more effective moments. That being said, most of the rest of the episode didn’t really work. From Shikamaru’s magically disappearing shogi board to Ino somehow just having the fruit basket to Gaara actually being as stealthy as a ninja for the first time in his life to AN ENTIRE HOSPITAL BEING COMPLETELY EMPTY, a lot of stuff just didn’t add up outside of just needing to be that way to be creepy. Peter: My second run through I was kinda flabbergasted Gaara suddenly got so verbose out of the context of writing goth poetry. That said Naruto’s response where he realized he completely understood the logic that brought Gaara to being a homicidal maniac was *chefs kiss*. Noelle: Horror always requires some suspension of disbelief in order to be functional, so even though there were quite a few things off about the scene, I enjoyed it more so for the mood it evoked. On that end, I think it succeeded-- I’m always here for series being flexible with the genres they try out. Naruto’s dawning realization that had things been a little different, he could have easily turned out like Gaara, mmm, that was good stuff. Carolyn: Ah, thank you for bringing this up. When we first started rewatching I was waiting to figure out why I used to like Gaara so much. Now I remember. Paul: While I enjoyed the way they framed Gaara as if he were the antagonist of a slasher film, what resonated with me the most was when they dug into his back-story, demonstrating how truly emotionally damaged Gaara is. Prior to that, I couldn't take him seriously as a villain, but once I got a taste of the tragedy at the heart of his character, Gaara became much more palatable. It also re-contextualizes the Kanji character 愛 (“love”) that he has tattooed on his forehead. Joseph: I also love Naruto’s reaction here. It’s one of those moments that goes a long way toward making a character more three-dimensional, and is leagues beyond the typical shonen “he’s bad so I gotta beat ‘im up!” attitude. David: I honestly thought it was a little overwrought, but I very much appreciated the attempt to use a different style to bring some weight to a backstory that might have come across as sort of absurd if played completely straight. Kara: I really like Gaara, but up ‘til now it’s been in the same way that I like horror movies: enjoying the spectacle. But the combination of his back story with (as others have said) Naruto’s reaction to it was just wonderful. I actually busted out laughing when Gaara said “You can’t understand what it’s like” because oh boy. Of all the people he could have said that to. And this scene was a reminder that in spite of his occasional annoying spans, Nart’s a good kid.   The main event this time around was obviously the fight between Naruto and Neji. It seems like every fight in Naruto gets overshadowed by Gaara vs. Rock Lee, but I think I might actually prefer Naruto vs. Neji between the two. In your eyes, how do they compare with one another?

  Kevin: I still prefer Lee versus Gaara, mainly because the exposition was significantly better handled. Lee has a few cutaway scenes to show his progress and one or two moments to blatantly stating what he was trying to do, while Neji pretty much had an entire episode where he just explained his backstory to Naruto (and every single onlooker, but I guess no one actually cares that the Hyuga side family are basically slaves). Comparing the fighting is tougher, since Lee’s fight was much more bombastic and over the top, while Neji’s was more technical and strategic, so I can see the merits of both. Peter: I have some more complex feelings in retrospect knowing Naruto’s actual place in the world. Even without the benefit of that knowledge the idea of hard work and never giving up allowing even failures to rise above geniuses felt a little stale given that Naruto had a chakra demon in his corner. All the emotional beats really hit hard as well. Shame Hinata didn’t get to see Naruto win. Noelle: Still on the side of Rock Lee vs Gaara, since it’s hard to beat the pure energy that comes from that fight. Admittedly, I’m not as terribly attached to this fight, but putting my biases aside, I do think the two fights serve as something completely different. One has more bombast, and the other is more melancholy and introspective. It’s a little hard to compare the two, since they accomplish two different things. Carolyn: Yeah, I also have to say Rock Lee and Gaara. A big part of which is just the fact I like those characters much more. Though, I did really appreciate Naruto echoing Hinata in his fight. He can be a very good friend sometimes. Paul: Naruto vs. Neji is important because it's not just a clash of skills, but of ideals. Naruto triumphs not just because he's tougher and / or sneakier, but because he's got a more flexible perspective and because his desire to actively shape his own destiny is stronger than Neji's fatalism. They also frame it as the catalyst for Neji to grow and change, and I'm a sucker for that kind of character development. Rock Lee vs. Gaara is much more one-sided, in that it only really highlights Lee’s determination. Joseph: I prefer Lee vs. Gaara, but this is a good and important fight in its own right. I did think it was hilarious when Neji stopped everything to laboriously explain his backstory to Naruto and the packed stadium. Hey, the ref said no arguing, he didn’t say anything about no expatiating! David: Naruto vs. Neji is a pretty bad ‘fight’ - Naruto doesn’t do anything particularly special with his skillset that we haven’t seen before, Neji has him overpowered the whole time until Naruto turns on his fox chakra cheat code, and they spend essentially two straight episode on exposition. Lee vs. Gaara wins on that front. However, it is a very good ‘conflict’, with Neji’s worldview nagging at Naruto’s core beliefs in a way that feels natural for both the world they live in and how the series has characterized Naruto so far. In that sense, this Neji battle wins out. It’s also worth noting that with Naruto’s line “I’ll change Hyuga,” he’s officially made his first Hokage campaign promise. Kara: For me, Gaara vs. Lee still takes it for the fight itself. It’s the end result of the Naruto vs. Neji fight that resonates for me more than the actual combat. The whole “gonna be the Hokage” thing, despite it becoming enough of a running gag that we track it every week, is at its core about acceptance and recognition. The fact that we see people applauding Naruto after the fight — even a few people going “Hey, that fox kid’s pretty dang good” — is so important. We’ve seen the results of Naruto’s hard work and training so far, but that’s a reward in his own language, in a way. That’s him being applauded where he was laughed at and shunned. So for that, I at least give it a nod. Sasuke managed to take center stage for most of the Chunin Exams, but in the past few weeks his presence in the show has decreased more and more. In his absence Naruto has stepped back into the limelight to finally show us what he’s capable of. How do you feel about Naruto now compared to the beginning of this rewatch?

  Kevin: I definitely enjoy him more now than at the beginning of the series. I get that his character is supposed to start as someone annoying who doesn’t listen to people, but having him be more focused, competent and actually able to hold his own in a fight and so show people that he isn’t just a screw up is much easier to watch than the kid from the first few episodes who couldn’t even transform. Peter: Naruto’s fights still don’t get the same animation quality so there’s definitely some favoritism going on. Always felt that Naruto was the funnest to root for narratively but Sasuke was the funnest to watch fight. Noelle: I think more focus on Naruto is a good thing- the series is named after him, and we need to see him grow. As well-animated as Sasuke is, he’s already reached the point where he’s highly capable (even if he still has his own struggles), and there’s a kind of effortlessness in his fights. Shonen always features the underdog rising to the top, and that’s Naruto, not Sasuke. Carolyn: Kind of touched on this earlier, but for me, what makes a Naruto fight is the emotion he puts behind it. He cares very much about those around him and that comes through in his performance. Paul: I'm still not completely sold on Naruto as the protagonist. Comparing it to One Piece, I can think of probably a dozen moments where Luffy's heroism crystallizes the themes of the series, where we can see why so many people love and support him, and why he loves and supports so many people in return. I haven't yet experienced that same kind of “come to Jesus” moment with Naruto yet. Joseph: Naruto is still kind of whiny, especially when he wants Jiraiya to watch over his training, but I like the way he’s developing and getting more time to come into his own as the protagonist. David: Between his realized connection with Gaara and righteous anger with Neji’s story, I am actually coming to appreciate the sort of empathy that could make Naruto a good leader in the future - it already goes beyond him being able to Punch Good. Kara: I think what recent episodes have done for me is contextualize what annoyed me about him originally. His actions and feelings make more sense, and we’re seeing that he actually has the motivation to back up his ambitions. As always, what were the high and low points of this week’s batch?

  Kevin: As odd as it might sound, Gaara telling Shikamaru and Naruto about his past is both the high and low point for me this week. I love the slow reveal about how similar Naruto and Gaara are, and the scene is effectively creepy, but at the same time Naruto is frozen with fear… which is something that he swore he would never let happen again and so is somewhat out of character for him. Peter: As above, I wish Gaara had been a bit less transparent with his exposition dump. Maybe explaining his logic without also throwing out his entire life story. Could have done that in flashback without him explaining it so that we know even if others don’t. Just getting a bit of insight into Gaara’s perspective allowing Naruto to realize their connection would have made it even more impactful. My favorite moment was Naruto running into Hinata before the exam. Noelle: High point would be the Gaara reveal. While its execution would be a low point technically, I’ve gotten so immune to shonen having lengthy flashbacks or exposition dumps that I’m more surprised when a series doesn’t do that. Carolyn: Surprisingly, as much as I loved the creepy goth Gaara exposition, my high point was Sakura buying more flowers for Rock Lee because she thought the old ones would have wilted. When this show really wants to get emotional, they know how to do it right. Low point … honestly kind of getting burnt out on how many kids have marks and bad dads. Paul: The high point for me was how they dug deeper into the behind-the-scenes politics with the secret schemes of the Kazekage, who is at odds with the peace-promoting plans of his daimyo. I really dig the ninja intrigue. The low point was all of the screen time they squandered on speculating about whether Sasuke had been murdered by Gaara prior to The Final Test. I don't think anyone was buying what they were trying to sell there. Joseph: I wasn’t that high on the attempt at horror and suspense in the Gaara ep. The boarding and execution seemed kind of sloppy and haphazard. The high point was Naruto vs. Neji and the quote of the week was Kabuto behind the Anbu mask saying, "I'm not suspicious or anything." David: Surprised no one has pointed out the almost entire episode spent on Naruto trying to get to the exam on time as a low point, because I was bored to tears. High point is Neji in the hospital after his fight. Kara: Gotta agree on Naruto’s meeting with Hinata being the high point of the week. I like seeing them encourage each other, be it actively or passively. Low point is probably the drawn-out Sasuke non-mystery. Alright, lightning round. You’re nine years old, and it’s time for recess. You and your friends are all about to play pretend as your favorite Naruto characters. Which one is nine year old you picking? Personally, I’m Shikamaru.

  Kevin: Me nowadays would pick Shikamaru, pretty much no question. If I’m thinking back to when I was nine though, I’m pretty sure I would’ve picked Sasuke. Not because the girls all have crushes on him or because he’s “an Avenger” with a tragic backstory, I honestly just love all of the jutsus, especially finding interesting ways to combo them together, and he has access to more than most of the other Genin. I also remember that as a kid, the attack he’ll show off next week was one of my favorite techniques in the show, along with the Eight Inner Gates, which is why Lee is the only other person I might’ve gone for. Peter: At 9 I’d definitely want to be Sasuke, at least in this point in the story. I think at that age fighting style would take precedence over any kind of characterization or narrative. If we hit Shippuden already though, 9-year-old Peter would prefer Sasori 100%. Noelle: Young me preferred Gaara and one other character that hasn’t appeared yet and current me feels… the exact same way. My taste in characters has always been consistent, I guess! Nate: Lee or Guy. I'd have paper bags filled with rocks so I could "drop the weights" and then run around faster. Carolyn: Probably Gaara, as 9-year-old me. But now, most likely Shikamaru or Rock Lee. Paul: Believe it or not, nine year old me would go with Sakura. As a kid, I generally identified with the girl characters in male-dominated cartoons, such as Princess Allura in Voltron and Arcee in the animated Transformers movie. What can I say? I like pink. Joseph: I’d be Kankuro, running around shouting “PUPPET POWER!” at all my annoyed friends. David: Back in the day I started growing my hair out just to be more like Sasuke, so definitely him. Kara: Probably Kiba while trying to convince my childhood dog to be my Akamaru. I had a border collie, so it would either have gone perfectly or terribly. COUNTERS: "I'm gonna be Hokage!" count: 23 Bowls of ramen consumed: 29 bowls, 3 cups Shadow Clones created: 258 And that's everything for this week! Remember that you're always welcome to join us for this rewatch, especially if you haven't watched the original Naruto! Here's our upcoming schedule! -Next week, on MARCH 22nd, the Chunin Exams give way to an even greater conflict in EPISODES 64-70 as NICOLE MEJIAS hosts! -Then, on MARCH 29th, DANIEL DOCKERY returns as the Third Hokage springs into action in EPISODES 71-77! -On APRIL 5th, CAYLA COATES stops by just in time to introduce us to a mysterious new shinobi in EPISODES 78-84! Thank you for joining us for the Great Crunchyroll Naruto Rewatch! Have a great weekend, and we'll see you all next time! Have any thoughts on our thoughts on Episodes 57-63? Let us know in the comments below! We’re also accepting questions and comments for next week, so feel free to ask away!!! ----- Danni Wilmoth is a Features and Social Videos writer for Crunchyroll and also co-hosts the video game podcast Indiecent. You can find more words from her on Twitter @NanamisEgg.   Do you love writing? Do you love anime? If you have an idea for a features story, pitch it to Crunchyroll Features!

By: news+feed@crunchyroll.com

[ofstarsandserpents-blog]

Diary 4  | February 13

What a day.

It was the sort of day that was a bit of a roller coaster ride from the beginning to end. To really talk about the full breadth of it, I have to start with last night.

The night before the house show. I’m getting home from work and I’m stressed out. I’ve exhausted all of my emotional energy from pushing myself to give my best customer service. My interview was scheduled for the following afternoon, so I was worried about that, tired from work, and was preparing myself mentally for the task of cleaning the house for the show the following day. I drive up to the house and notice someone has not only parked in my spot, but in the space between two spots, preventing me from parking in front of the house at all. I have to get out, check my park job, get in, adjust, get out, check my park job, get in, and finally decide to park somewhere else. 

I found out it was Dan who had parked in the spot. I know that it’s a ridiculous thing to be upset about--even then, in the moment, I thought to myself, this really isn’t a big deal. Nonetheless I was instantly, silently furious. I wanted to yell, “Don’t you know how to park? Haven’t you lived in a city long enough to know to leave room for people?” Dan and June were cleaning in the basement, but I couldn’t conjure up the energy to actually say anything. And by ‘anything’, I mean anything. I saw them downstairs, hard at work and innocently joking around, and I immediately set back up the stairs before either could notice me.

I watched a video course talking about how to “Get Things Done” in a professional setting. The set of 3 to 5 minute segments amounted to instructions on making an effective to-do list. In this vein, I seized upon my list as soon as I got to my room in some futile attempt to channel my rage into productivity. Ultimately I went to bed without doing anything. 

And there’s today . . .

I woke up at 4 am from something halfway between sleep and a long nap. I got up. I scarfed down some instant mashed potatoes and instant granola, as I hadn’t had anything to eat after work the day before. Actually, I’d had just one meal. As I made my food, I heard Minnie barking in the basement. My brain wasn’t entirely awake, so it took me a good while to realize: if Minnie is barking, where’s Ashton? It’s 4 in the morning!

I went back to bed, thinking he must have went out for a few hours, but when I got back up at 10, he still wasn’t home. And Minnie was still barking.

Today was the day of my interview. Today was the day of the house show. I had work today. Important things were happening. So when I finally went downstairs to check on Minnie, I wasn’t prepared for the smell of feces. I was not mentally or logistically prepared to see the little puppy in her crate with nothing inside--no blankets, toys, anything--with the exception of her own shit. She’d probably been in it for hours. It was smeared on the floor of her cage and her paws were covered in it. 

She was ecstatic to finally have her cries answered. I felt like I was rescuing someone from a deserted island. 

I let her out of the crate, being careful to carry her up and out without getting myself covered in filth. I let her outside, and luckily that took care of her paws for the most part. Danny cleaned the crate. I am incredibly grateful for that, because the room smelled awful. The smear of shit must have been a pain in the ass to clean. Plus, according to him, there was caked-in shit that seemed to be there from previous incidents. Lovely.

After she could pass as clean (from a distance), we decided to let her roam while we all went to work. I had to take June to work because their car is in the shop. My car’s history has been spotty to say the least, so the extra trip (on the day of my interview) added another stress to the equation. Hope I don’t break down today! Needless to say, I felt sure that I would be late. I ended up having enough time to stop at Panera Bread to eat. There was traffic on I-65 just as I was about to exit for Lebanon Junction, but I still managed to be 15 minutes early.

The interview itself went well. I was trying to keep in mind all of the tips I’d learned the day previously: tips on how to create good impressions. It was a strange balance to strike; I would listen to a question and try to anticipate a good answer while checking my posture, where my hands were placed, etc. It took a little over an hour, but by the end of it I was starting to really feel comfortable talking to Tobee and Jenn. My performance was solid, but they gave the impression that everyone did well. At this point, it’s a complete guessing game.

The rest of my day wasn’t quite so stressful. There was work, which brought a few patron-brand tensions, but it wasn’t a particularly crazy day. I got home after work to find that the house show hadn’t started; the headliner was late. He arrived soon after me, though, and the show was good. Greg tried knew jokes, which was weird, and Nathaniel went well over his time. The vibe of the show felt particularly loose, but I don’t think it ended up being a bad thing. The headliner was great. His material was thoughtful, slow, and magnetic. I found him to be attractive in a literal sense. When he told stories from his life, I felt a transparency that was intoxicating. My lonely brain immediately started imagining scenarios between me and him, only to have a similar idea presented in his set. He’d had a woman try and DM him after one of his shows, and he pointed out how he knew nothing about her. He didn’t want to be her friend. He didn’t want to know her. She wasn’t part of his natural trajectory. And after he discussed this, I felt that I understood in a deeply personal way.

Right now I’m reading “Are u okay?” by Kati Morton. In it she talks about the special therapist-client relationship that happens in therapy: the idea that one person knows so much more about the other, and how that creates a power imbalance. I’m also listening to “Bad Feminist” by Roxane Gay. One of her essays touches on privacy in the lives of celebrities and how people feel entitled to the fine details of a celebrity’s identity.

Reflecting on it now, the three threads come together easily. There are people who you will see--performers, celebrities, clients, patrons, etc.--who you will know so much about and who you may feel so close to. You may begin to feel you love them or want to love them. They can become an institution in your mind. But you don’t truly know them until you’ve had a true relationship with them. And more importantly, even if you did know them, that isn’t enough to form a relationship on its own. They have to know you and want to know you. You have to be part of their trajectory. You have to share that trajectory, at least long enough to decide if this person is worth altering your course for.

I’m hoping to find the trajectory that will bring me closer to love and support.

[lifeisacinemahall]

On the face of it, they couldn’t be further apart in exposition, scope, or even their target audience. If I wasn’t constrained by the anomaly of the expression – for, I’ve tasted both, but never attempted to write with one of them – they’d be legends of chalk-and-cheese. And yet both arrived circa 2017, and both in their own ways, shook up the watching audience.

Wonder Woman, directed by Patty Jenkins and written by Allan Heinberg, as we all know now, shattered the DC world and that of superheroes forever. It was, by Zeus, helmed by a woman, and that wasn’t the reason it re-pressed box-office records worldwide. It carried with it, a hitherto unseen and unfelt emotional space in caped crusades, that brought a whiff of genuine romance even as it split wide open global issues, that though it keenly observed during the flagging days of World War I, are more relevant than ever. Opening in a flashback to the wondrous and stunning locales of the mystical and hidden island of Themyscira, the inhabitants being the all-women Amazonian warriors, created by Zeus to save mankind – the only scenes where the director and cinematographer Matthew Jensen paint the screen with mind-bogglingly breathtaking colors and hues – we see  the relationship between ruling Queen Hippolyta (Connie Nielsen, all power and caring mother at once) and her only daughter – also the only child on the island – Diana, wanting to pick up the battle cloak and dagger from an early age; to her mother’s vehement and vigorous denial, the child is trained by her aunt, Antiope (Robin Wright, masterfully intense) to become even a more whiplash of a warrior than herself. And once the Queen mother realizes there’s no stopping her defiant daughter and sister, she lets you into a tantalizing line that tells you there’s more to revealed about Diana. But that’s later for you to discover in the movie. The lives of the amazing Amazonian women are upended when a fighter plane crashes near their island, and a grown-up Diana (Gal Gadot) rescuing its sole pilot, American pilot Captain Steve Trevor (Chris Pine). That’s also when, in perhaps one of the most invigorating and eye-widening action sequences in the movie, that Diana realizes that Zeus’ son, Ares, is out there in the world unknown to her tribe, and is somehow behind the catastrophic war; she also realizes, as the island is attacked by a German unit in pursuit of Trevor, of how hopeless her island’s weaponry can be, against the modern blitzkrieg of hot lead and powerful thermodynamics. Her adventure takes her out to the big, bad world with Trevor, and she runs in with the German psychopath-cum-General  Erich Ludendorff (a marvelous Danny Huston) and his chemical-mania of a chemist Dr. Isabel Maru (a superbly evil turn by Elena Anaya) also known as Dr. Poison, which so nicely fills in her job description as well. There’s other characters who support Diana/Wonder Woman as she, with Trevor takes on the evil forces, with a little help from friends including the British cabinet minister, Sir Patrick Morgan (David Thewlis, shining as always), Trevor’s secretary Etta Candy (Lucy Davis), and a band of fighters that Trevor gets together for the mission.

Gal Gadot: bows to no one.

In Aruvi (Waterfalls), the titular lead character, played by Aditi Balan, has no such luck with regards to friends or kin. This story is told in flashback too, but keeps cutting to the ominous present, where she and perhaps her only thick-and-thin friend Emily (Anjali Varadhan, singeingly fantastic) are being interrogated by police officer Shakeel Waqaab (Mohammed Ali Baig, very suave, extremely believable, but inflecting at times as if he’d rather be on an episode of CSI), and as you hear Aruvi’s story, you realize that much like Diana, she’s had a sheltered childhood, but not one of fantasy, but an everyday life, where she’s the apple of her father’s eye  – Thirunavukkarasu in a magnificently etched and enacted supporting role – and has a regular love-and-tiff relationship with her younger brother. All this changes, and as far as you’re concerned, it happens in a scene that stuns, as you see Aruvi’s life upend, as you did Diana’s – only here, there’s no Trevor to lend a helping hand nor a mother to lend a supportive farewell, and a sullied Aruvi is kicked out of the house, despite her pained protestations. Director Arun Prabu Purushothaman doesn’t have the big bucks backing for this project, nor does he require the green bundles to tell the story he wrote – it’s in the turning of the  blunt knife that he enjoys your discomfiture, not in the anesthetized comfort of a newly forged blade. In between cutting from a swift montage of the ever-burgeoning intrigue of the present and an increasingly chilling look at the past that got his lead character here, the director spares no wound and cut, and just as suddenly, the movie parkours from a social drama to black comedy to a visceral look at society’s unstoppable spinning of hypocrisy and exploitation. Backed by an ensemble of character actors who do wonders onscreen (as they do in Wonder Woman) – here, Arnold Mathew (playing Aruvi’s brother), Lakshmi Gopalswami (the TV host of Solvathellam Sathyam), Pradeep Anthony, Bala and others – Aruvi works best when it’s ripping off the skin of societal hypocrisy, zipping into a TED-like talk of happiness, and a cathartic revelation for a character in the TV studio. Where it does get weak is when the director spins the bottle of story much too long, giving himself and his  Aruvi this indulgence that both might never get again. As in Wonder Woman, where the bar scenes and comedy tend to act as a plateau for the main mission.

Aditi Balan: water-falling in love.

Both movies also look, in their own lens-mounted ways, of the troubling times we live in. The focal point of these projects is women. And both of them are Wonder Women in the way they grittily pack a punch back at the world. Both characters step out into these worlds they haven’t seen earlier, much less prepared to take head on. But both realize very quickly that taking the bullshit by the horns is a much more messier and complex affair than they could have imagined or planned for. In a world designed by men, for men, and of men, in a sense both Diana and Aruvi are Amazonian warriors, their battles very cleanly defined by themselves even if circumstances have forced them to do so, their weapon of choice the best possible that their times have to offer. In Wonder Woman does Diana realize that the world’s such a big truckload of mess that even superheroes can’t quite resolve the mosaic of power struggles and the manic ambition of a few, or just one. Aruvi on the other hand does her best to take control of these very manipulative and destructive forces of reality shows and news mites that feed into speculation, metastasizing into false news, triggering meaningless late-night TV debates, making experts of all who care to appear on TV and indulge in shouting matches.

Thirunavukkarasu is all father’s pain in Aruvi.…

Both women succeed, if you can call it that, but pay a very heavy price for their success. If there ever was Pyrrhic victory, it is these two who bear the burden of it. From the principles of naiveté to steely determination for justice, these super women bear crosses that they’re forever nailed to. Aruvi also makes you think of palliative care, of how important it is for everyone, without fail, to have loved ones around them, as they make that one final journey, however painful the director makes it for you to watch.

..while Gal Gadot and Danny Huston play some deadly maneuvers in Wonder Woman.

And both movies work superbly well within the ground rules of engagement they lay for themselves – Wonder Woman is eventually a commercial explosion of entertainment, not pretending to be otherwise; Aruvi is more than a waterfall – it’s a flood of a wincing, progressively-tough-to-watch indie, not attempting to be anything else. And yet, both have power that they grant their women to achieve, and for that, both are extremely gratifying cinematic experiences.

The movies boast of fine lead performances – Gal Gadot is impeccable, walking the line of a radiant, magical superwoman, stumbling along to find the magic of love and the callousness of mankind, even while executing some truly fine action pieces. Aditi Balan as Aruvi is astoundingly splenetic, clawing at your soul with what has to be one of the finest debut performances ever. She’s magical too, in her own way, but more the dark, haunting variety.

The music score for Wonder Woman by Rupert Gregson-Williams is a typical blockbuster music sheet, and there, you won’t find anything alluring, except maybe for Hans Zimmer’s grungy theme. Composers Bindhu Malini and Vedanth Bharadwaj, however, aren’t bound any such considerations for Aruvi. Much like the break-out woman the movie portrays, their background score, especially, is a winner. Utterly unpredictable, rocking between Carnatic music and the unexpected pleasure of a bass, using trumpets to segue into hip-hop jazz, the musicians add their own layer of pleasurable unpredictability to the story.

And there’s another difference between the two movies. Wonder Woman, despite all the losses, gets a sequel. Aruvi, despite winning at life and because of it, doesn’t. But it is the pyrotechnics of the fantasy of one that make it easier to watch the inevitable poignancy of the other. And it is in the balancing out and propelling of these two stories, not in their canceling each other, that makes movie watching such a beautiful, uplifting, and powerful experience.

Aruvi Movie data powered by IMDb

Aruvi Director Arun Prabhu Purushothaman Running Time 2h 10 min Writer Arun Prabhu Purushothaman Stars  Aditi Balan, Pradeep Anthony, Arnold, Mohammed Ali Baig, Thirunavukkarasu Genres Drama

Wonder Woman data powered by IMDb

Wonder Woman Director Patty Jenkins Running Time 2h 21 min Writer Allan Heinberg Stars  Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Robin Wright, Danny Huston Genres Action, Adventure, Fantasy

  ‘Aruvi’ and ‘Wonder Woman’ reviews: A Flood and an Explosion On the face of it, they couldn’t be further apart in exposition, scope, or even their target audience.

[junker-town]

These Celtics are so damn fun after such a crushing start

After Gordon Hayward’s horrifying injury in the first game, this team has given fans a reason to hope.

On Monday night I found myself pacing back and forth in my apartment as I plowed through a box of not-that-good almond-flour crackers I’d fished out from the back of my cabinet. I was watching the Celtics play the Hawks, and seeing as I usually only stress-eat during close playoffs, I was approximately 70 games and five months ahead of my Sports Nerves schedule. The Game Anxiety usually only kicks in when there’s a title at stake.

This match-up wasn’t particularly important, but there was something more than just the 11th game of Boston’s season on the line.

For one, the Celtics were on a eight-game winning streak, and the Hawks were keeping them on their toes as they traded off the lead deep into the fourth quarter. There was also electricity, excitement, charm. Kyrie Irving was performing magic tricks on the court, dribbling between his legs, casually tossing rockets with one hand. Jayson Tatum was sinking threes. Jaylen Brown was rebounding.

It was so enjoyable to watch these guys jam. They were turning basketball into the graceful dance it becomes when players are so in step with each other that it looks like they’re moving to music only they can hear.

What I’m trying to say is: There was hope.

Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

I didn’t feel any of this hope on the NBA season’s opening night when I received a terrible text message from one of my editors. In fact, I felt the opposite of hope (is that dread? Defeat? Doom? Gloom?) as I read the blue bubble on my phone. “Don’t watch the Hayward footage.”

I was on my way back to the bar of my hotel after reporting a story all day. I’d been eager to settle onto one of the leather stools that was slightly cracked from the rotation of transient butts and watch the Celtics play the Cavaliers.

My hometown team’s season was thrilling to think about. I’d loved watching Gordon Hayward, Kyrie, and Tatum when they were in different cities or still in college. After enduring heartbreak when Danny Ainge traded the beloved Isaiah Thomas to Cleveland for Kyrie (even though I was excited to have my favorite flat-earth truther join the squad), I could hardly believe I’d get to see this group of guys play together, all wearing green.

Except that I wouldn’t. As soon as I read that text, I knew something awful had happened. But it was far worse than I imagined; as we all know now, Hayward fractured his tibia in perhaps the most gruesome way possible. (Or so I hear: I took my editor’s advice and still haven’t watched the footage). In mere seconds, the Celtics went from being a promising whole to missing their offseason prize of Hayward, a guy Isaiah helped recruit before he was ripped out of Boston.

I watched the rest of the totally shaken team hold their own and lose in a nail-biter as I ate my sad Ceasar salad. They kept the score close, but there was a cloud of horror hanging over the court for all four quarters. Boston then lost, predictably, the next night to the Bucks.

But then Kyrie put up 21 points and Al Horford had nine rebounds to beat the Sixers. In the next game, Brown scored 23 points and Kyrie had seven assists to beat the Knicks. The Celtics went on to wipe the Bucks’ special home floor with the Bucks themselves, then snag another W against the Heat. After that, they preceded to take down the Spurs, Kings, Thunder, and Magic.

In Hayward’s absence, team leaders have changed from game to game — it hasn’t always been Kyrie who scores the most points (though he often does) or gets the most assists. The top spots rotate between him, Brown, Horford, Marcus Smart. Terry Rozier, Aron Baynes, and Daniel Theis have all been doing work. Tatum has been impressive, already drawing comparisons to Paul Pierce on local broadcasts (take that with a grain of salt: it’s early, and Boston media has been known to, shall we say, get ahead of itself). A group of guys who haven’t played together much, including a very talented rookie, are finding a rhythm.

The point is that these guys are not only cookin’, they’re cookin’ with gas. Gas that seemed to be in short supply on that dark night in Cleveland a month ago.

And as I ate far too many weird, barbecue flavored crackers on Monday, I realized that the reason I was so invested, the reason an early season game against the Hawks had me wearing down my floorboards, was because I had let myself hope. And then the Celtics won, and my hope once again wasn’t dashed.

Do you know how fun that is? It’s so fun! It’s beyond fun! It’s the definition of fun! I found myself thinking in all-caps, “THESE GUYS COULD WIN IT ALL!!!”

Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

Optimism is a lovely thing. It’s also in short supply these days. I’m not used to having something outside of my control in the big wide world actually go the way I want it to when things seem bad. Even if it’s in the form of a sports team, I’m enjoying drinking from a glass that recently seemed less than half empty (shattered, even), only to find that it actually might be more than half full.

Who knows what will happen in the future. Players are humans, and humans, as Hayward’s injury so cruelly illustrated, are breakable. We learned before the Wednesday night game against the Lakers, for example, that Al Horford won’t play because he’s entered concussion protocol. Even if everyone stays healthy, there are some who think the Celts are outperforming. That this run is all a blip.

It could be. Momentum can come to a screeching halt in sports and in life as quickly as it builds. You can break your leg in the first six minutes of a game. Your pets heads can fall off.

But you know what? You can also watch your favorite team put on a beautiful show and win nine in a row. You can pray that this is a sign of what’s to come for the rest of the season. Sometimes it pans out, sometimes it doesn’t.

No matter what, feeling truly hopeful after you thought you’d entered a hopeless vacuum — even if it’s short-lived — is such a damn delight.

[relationshipsattherefinnest]

This is my story of a beautiful relationship gone horribly wrong.

CHAPTER 1 HOW IT ALL STARTED So I was going into my junior year of high school and I realized that I was ready to have something real with someone worth it but I didn't have any young men in mind. also, I wanted to stay on top o my grades because the most important thing to me at this point in my life is being something and making my parents proud. Then I was in my Homeroom the next couple weeks after the first day of school and I was watching our morning announcements and I saw this handsome young man that I had noticed from previous years because he had this unique hairstyle that always caught my attention. So at this point, I really wanted to talk to him and get to know him because he seemed like a fun chilled guy that I could really relate to. I was really horrified to just walk up to him and say hi to him. for weeks I was going around school trying not to make eye contact but take the closet look as possible. So then I went to New York city with my cousin Danny for her sweet 16th birthday and New York is such an amazing place and it really got me thinking and I realized that is was time for me to be my own person and stand up and say what I wanted and make it known no more hiding how I feel. And I made a promise to my cousin my little sister mary and my friend June he would be mind. mary told me not to waste my time she knew because he lived in her neighborhood and for some reason, she thought he was weird. Most people do because how he's so introverted he is, it's kinda upsetting how bad he is about that. But, anyways then one of my friends that I called “my wife” her name is jewel  She was fun and cool crazy girl she was a senior at the time and she was one of my closest friends at the time and she was somewhat friends with the young man she kept saying his name was Kyle so I was running around talking about how I think kyle is so cute. So then I go to my other friend named sean. Sean was that guy friend that you have known for years then you fell off but you never stopped loving him. Anyways, He told me there was no guy by the description I was giving the guy But there was a guy named joe that he was friends with and balled with from time to time in gym class that I was probably talking about so the next class I came to class with a picture of the kyle/joe on my phone and he started laughing so hard and was like yeah his name is joe he a senior you think he cute? I told him yes very do u think you could help me get to know him he said I don't know he not really looking for anything right now but I will try and see what I can do. so a week or so went by nothing had come back from sam he just said “hey I showed him a picture of you, he thinks your cute so that's a good sign right?’ in my head I just thought he probably lied or thinks I'm a catfish because he kept telling sean that he never see’s me at school. Let me tell you a little something about me. I never ever really try to be cute when going to school once I became upper classmen I had given upon being cute for school. there was no one left for me to get cute for anymore. I'm a yoga pants hoodie type of girl with a sloppy bun to top it off. When I went out with my friends or went to church on the weekend I would do me makeup and get super cute because my mom always told me you never know who you might run into in the street. I really felt like I had nothing to prove to anyone in my school so why to try every day they can see my beauty every once in a while just in case they forget. Never sleep on the hoodie and sweatpants girl. So then another few days went by I thought enough is enough I'm just texting this boy and be bold. so I made a group chat with a few of my friends at the time Sean, Jewel, Jessica, Kayla and RJ and I told them hey you guys who ever gets me some type of contact information for Joe first gets a 10.00 chipotle gift card. so I swear to you, not within 10 minutes Jewel had come up with his kik. KIK was a personal messenger app that we used a lot back in the day before everyone had iPhones just because it was a free app and we could group chat. Anyways it took me a while to come up with the right message that I would want to say to him to start off the conversation without seeming like a weirdo. CHAPTER 2 MAKING IT HAPPEN So finally got my message together and I said “ hey I'm Kristin the girl sam has been telling you about and I just thought I should text you and stop being a creep around school because I find you very attractive and I didn't know how to approach you……so yea. So he responded hey thank you but I'm not really looking for anything serious right now so can we just be friends for the time being I told him it was fine so we began our friendship talking every day we found out we had a few things in common. Like we were born literally a day apart from each other His birthday was November 12, my birthday was November 13 the same exact year we had the same favorite colors we both had a deep love of music tv and movies. We both liked J. cole drake school boy Q and a lot more. We first starting talking in September if I wanted to be exact I would have to say the 14 because I got my iPhone 10 days later and he was the first person I ever faced timed. So first real bonding then we had I went to a lock in at my ex-best friends church and I got there and one of my exes’s were there and this girl that hates my cousin but it was a pretty big church so I was fine but at first I was freaking out and I texted him the whole time he claimed me down he even talked to me on the phone promising everything would be ok. I knew that he cared and he was a keeper just from that night alone. Then within those ten days I had to stay after school to work on a commercial for yearbook and I asked him if he wanted to stay after school to help with it, of course, he said sure so I met up with him at the lockers that day and went to the yearbook room no one was there which was very strange, but he didn't feel well anyway so he ended up laying on my chest as I played with his hair and looked out the window and held him and kissed all over his face thinking about life also took some pictures together I would do anything to go back to that day but can't reverse time. so in the evenings We would be on face time listening to music singing together and I mine like the cutest songs my favorite song to sing with him was Mine Feat drake by Beyonce it was so cute. But I never told him this but I planned on singing that song to him on our wedding day if we made it there while I walked down the aisle. All of that but the crazy thing is we just loved talking to each other so much we would stay up till like 5 am just talking knowing we had to get up at 6 Am for school but neither of us wanted to hang it just felt so good to wake up to his voice. He was a great person to tell my problems to and express how I was feeling. We would face time every day and we would always talk about our days and anything really exciting that happen that day. We would even gossip together about stuff that we heard about other people. I had no problem ever telling him anything because one thing I can tell you about joe is he would never tell your secrets or anything too crazy. He keeps to himself a lot anyways so it wasn't hard but any how He really became my right hand my best friend because of my best friend at that the time was one of the most negative people you could ever meet. She did have my back in a lot of cases but she ended up stabbing me right in it. He was the only person I wanted to talk to at night. A day without talking to him felt like a decade. I know that truly was in loved with him but by the end of this story I realized he didn't deserve all my love.By November we were closer than you could ever imagine we both felt like we had known each other for years.

CHAPTER 3 THE BIRTHDAYS So for his birthday I did something I thought he would like a lot. I made a picture collage with pictures of me and him and our longest face time we had ever done which was like 11 hours and some change that was a great weekend I had a yearbook deadline coming up and I was in charged of senior ads so I was up very very very late that night pushing to get a certain amount done for this first deadline and I also had to hope on a few other people pages and finish up stuff so we could meet the deadline. Deadlines are super important in yearbook world for one if a page is late it costs us money every day that it's late the more money we put out on late stuff the less food we get and less likely we are to get food in yearbook and I love free food who doesn't but I also have I love for yearbook I don't know why but I do. But, I put that picture collage on his locker day of his birthday so everyone could see. At first, I thought he wasn't going to it or he was going take it down but he left it up all day and it made me so very happy. Also, I went and bought him a pair of graphic socks but I put a twist to it. I bought a pack of individual skittle packs put a song quote on each pack of skittles and stuffed them in the socks because he loved skittles and he said all he wanted for his birthday was some graphic socks. But if you know me I don't just do regular gifts I have to make it deep and sentimental. So I put the skittles in the socks also gave him card wrote a nice message about how grateful I was to meet a guy like him and that we would forever be friends I also mention that he was definitely brought into my life for a reason and not a damn season. The man was I wrong or what but we get to that latter. Then I went and got him a chance the rapper phone case because he has he-man crush on that guy. When I tell you he has the biggest man crush on that man that you could ever imagine he really does he would do anything for that man. The phone case thing happens I hated the fact that he had a pink phone case. Like, let me give you an example you have a nice somewhat sexy picture from your boo and then they have a rainbow cast because they sprained their hand playing basketball and then the other hand their holding pink phone case so not sexy. So I thought he would like this. so he took the bag and just looked in and was like “Omg you got me socks thanks”. I was just yeah no problem. Then I had to stay after school for the yearbook that day so he faces timed me while I was still there like omg I didn't know all this was inside the socks and the phone case thank you so much I really appreciate this. what really touched me is when he told me no one had ever done anything like this for him before so I felt special.Then he showed his parents what did for him while I was still on the phone with him so I could hear all their nice comments it was so nice. But I kinda felt bad because the skittles were going down in his cast but that's not really my fault he sprained his hand after I had already got his gift together. he's somewhat aggressive when he plays basketball so feel like somehow it was his fault when he first did it I was worried sick. I was just sitting in my math class then I get a text saying I'm at the hospital didn't find out for hours why he was there. When he told me I could have killed him I was worried for what a thumb.

[artificialqueens]

Life and Death {Biadore} Chapter 2 -C*NT

A/N: Hi all! It’s been a little since I’ve wrote, this is chapter 2 of Life and Death since people really wanted me to continue it! Again, this does not necessarily reflect upon my personal beliefs as far as religion goes, so please dont bite my head off for naming “the big guy” God. Enjoy this somewhat beefy chapter. No tws so thats always a plus. ❤️

They left the room, which Danny was relieved about because honestly he felt a little creeped out. Basically, the grim reaper was his soulmate, according to the device. Maybe he wont be so bad, he thought. But his nerves weren’t put at bay just yet, because Death led Danny into an equally as dreary hallway.

“Where are we?” Danny asked as he tried to study his surroundings. There was a sleek looking elevator at the end of the hall, which looked very out of place compared to the out of date decor on the walls. There were no windows to give any hint to where they were at either, Danny thought glumly. There was an old maroon paisley printed rug lining the length of the passageway, adorned with lamps decorated with red velvet lampshades at each end. They cast an ugly yellow light throughout the room, as if the lightbulbs were obnoxiously yellow on purpose. It even smelled old and musty, similar to the room they were just sitting in. He felt like he was back in the 1970’s.

“Limbo.” Death muttered as they made their way to the elevator. They pressed the button and the doors immediately opened, exposing a very plain but high tech elevator. Danny was rattled by how quickly the doors opened, and they stepped inside.

“So Limbo is real?” Danny asked. He had imagined Limbo would be similar to Earth, but instead it reminded him of a vintage motel. He felt like he was in a completely different era, and maybe that was the point. You weren’t supposed to feel clear abouf where you were in Limbo, all you were supposed to know was that you are somewhere in between Heaven and Hell.

“Yep.” Death pressed a large gold button that was clearly labeled ‘Heaven’, ultimately shutting the doors.

Danny’s heart raced as the elevator started shooting up towards Heaven. He was going to see Heaven, he realized with a surge of excitement. He wondered what it was going to be like, as he studied the large gold button curiously. He noticed there was also one for Earth. Then he realized the elevator had buttons for all sorts of different places, times, and dimensions. The last one in the long row of buttons was the biggest and most ominous looking of all, it was black and said ‘Hell’ in bright red letters. He shuddered at the thought of having to go down there. He hoped that wasn’t his final destination after all of this was said and done.

Death snorted to themself and Danny glared at them. He had about enough of Death’s antics. He was a know it all, literally and was not being sympathetic to how he was feeling and frankly it was pissing him off.

“You know, not everyone knows everything there is to know about the universe.” Danny snapped.

“Fair.” Death shrugged. “But Satan is literally just a big jokester. Even if you did end up in Hell, it wouldn’t be as terrible as you thought.”

“So would the same be said about Heaven?”

“You’re about to find out now, aren’t you?”

The doors opened, greeting them with a blinding white light. When Danny’s eyes adjusted, the first thing he noticed that he was rather underdressed. It was just as he pictured, almost everyone was dressed in long grecian looking gowns. Except no one had huge angel wings like he was always told about on Earth. His eyes were wide as he took in all of the sights. Everyone was drop dead gorgeous and looked incredibly happy. There were dogs, cats, small children, teenagers, people of every age group and color. Everyone smiled at them, he noticed they were directed more at Danny then Death.

The second thing he noticed was how beautiful Heaven really was. The sky was bright blue with small puffy white clouds decorating it, and a small brisk breeze, but nothing too chilly or too disturbing to be considered uncomfortable. There was a courtyard with the biggest fountain he had ever seen, made of big slabs of white marble with bright gold flakes decorating each tier. The water spurting out of it was a brilliant teal, the kind of crystal clear water you’d see in the caribbean. Brick paths weaved in and out of what appeared to be a town square, where there were shops and buildings of all shapes and sizes. There was every restaurant you could think of, and beyond that were houses that were all of different shapes and sizes. Some people’s version of their dream house was small and cozy, while others were grand with huge gardens and trees. It was incredible.

None of those houses compared to the big white mansion that was situated at the end of what appeared to be Main Street though. The word mansion was an understatement for what it was, but Danny didn’t know a bigger word to describe the building. Castle? Palace? Palace was probably more accurate, seeing as the building was so tall you couldn’t see the top of it. There were huge roman columns supporting it, rose gardens on either side of the yard, and the pathway near it seemed to sparkle - it was all solid gold bricks lining the road the closer they got to the palace.

Death smiled at Danny, who looked like a little kid in a candy store for the first time. Heaven was truly a beautiful place, especially for someone who had never seen it before. But they were here for answers, not to gawk. Death wanted to know once and for all whether or not this young man was truly his soulmate.

“Come on.” Death urged Danny and grabbed his hand. To Danny’s surprise, Death was incredibly warm and had very soft hands.

They made their way towards the palace at the end of the block and Death knocked lightly on the door. It was the biggest door Danny had ever seen, reaching so high up he couldn’t see the top of it.

“Don’t be nervous.” Death warned.

Danny nodded. This would be the first time he would be meeting “the big guy”. He hoped he wouldn’t damn him to hell.

The large doors finally opened slowly, and the big guy finally appeared; only he was not big at all. In fact, he just looked like an average guy to Danny as far as height went. However, it was very hard to look at him because he was so striking. He was how he had always pictured him, tan muscular and blonde with bright blue eyes. He had a glow of light around him, it was faint but it still hurt his eyes if he stared for too long. Danny fixated his eyes on the decorations around him to ensure he wouldnt harm his vision.

“Roy! I see you brought Daniel with you.” He smiled widely. His teeth were so white it was blinding.

Danny burst out laughing and if he could see Roy underneath his hood, he would’ve saw the literal death glare he was shooting him.

“Your real name is Roy? Why didn’t you tell me?” Danny grinned.

“That’s actually classified information, Daniel. No one knew his real name but me.” God stated.

“So wait, you’re a guy?” Danny asked Roy confused.

He looked at Roy and tried to determine if he could see some sort of manly shape, but the cloak hid his body well. It was useless, he wouldn’t know until he took it off.

“It’s complicated.” God admitted and stepped aside to let them in.

“So it’s true then.” Roy murmured.

“Roy, yes it’s true.” God rolled his eyes and Danny fought back a snicker.

“I wouldn’t be laughing if I were you, Danny.” He shot him a serious look. His piercing blue eyes made his face go cold as he nodded his head in understanding.

“I’m sorry sir.” Danny stammered. When he was nervous, his natural reaction was to laugh things off. The fact that Roy being his soulmate was now confirmed, just made it even more nerve wracking. He knew Roy probably thought he was just an inexperienced fucktard for lack of a better word, so he didn’t know how well things were about to play out. His anxiety was through the roof, and being yelled at by God was not how he wanted to start the day out.

Roy chuckled, sticking his tongue out at the young man. God glared at him, and he cleared his throat loudly trying to ease the tense energy in the room.

“He can’t see you, idiot.” God grinned.

Danny looked between the two men confused and saw Roy visibly sigh.

“Roy, can you just take off your dang hood already? Danny already knows you’re his. Show him who he’ll be spending eternity with.”

Danny stared at Roy with suspense, realizing that he literally had no idea who his soulmate really was. He couldn’t even put a face to a name, just a black abyss underneath a dark cloak.

“Hang on. Why him? After all of this time being alone, why now?” Roy asked.

“Come.” God motioned.

They made their way over to the sofa in the corner of the living room, which was a small word for how grand the room really was. There was a large couch that was upholstered with a beautiful soft ivory suede, and a giant crystal chandelier hung above the fragile looking glass coffee table. A marble fireplace sat against the wall, the flames crackling loudly. Danny’s shoes squeaked against the marble floors as the three of them sat down.

It was the most comfortable couch Danny had ever sat on. He sank into it, resting his head against it as he listened to the two of them talk.

“Roy, you’ve been miserable and frankly, a pain in my rear if I do say so myself. Especially over the last millennium. I’ve been waiting for the right person for you to be ready, and finally he’s here. I think it’s time you retire.”

“He’s 24 years old. He’s a baby!”

“He’s also right here.” Danny waved his hand annoyed.

“I can’t retire, what am I supposed to do with my free time?”Roy said, ignoring Danny.

“Make out with me.” Danny winked.

“In your dreams, queen.” Roy scoffed.

Danny glared at him and crossed his arms, sliding even further away from Roy. At least he was trying to find something to like about him. Roy wasn’t even trying to be his friend, let alone accept that he was his soulmate.

“He’s also the complete opposite of you.” God interrupted the tense exchange. “You’re death; grim, sarcastic, and cold hearted - or so you claim. He’s your life: positive, upbeat, but you share similar qualities as well. You’ll see Roy.”

Roy rolled his eyes underneath his cloak and sighed. He looked over at Danny, who was actually pretty attractive for his age. His dark hair and light eyes really complemented his fair skin, however he still had a hispanic background like him. He supposed that was their only thing in common, despite so many years separating them.

Danny grew up in a time where it was okay to be a drag queen, and to dress as a woman, and be whoever it was that you wanted to be. Roy didn’t have that same experience. How were they supposed to find any common ground other then being physically attracted to each other?

Who was even to say that Danny would find him attractive to begin with?

“So it’s okay to be gay?” Danny blurted out.

God’s face changed from pure confusion to amusement before he bursted out into laughter. Roy laughed along, it was pretty sweet that he was asking all of these innocent questions.

“Yes, it’s fine.”

Roy facepalmed and Danny smiled excitedly.

“So I’m not going to hell?”

“No of course not. You lived a very nice life, and now you’ll live here with Roy and hopefully make him not as bitter.” God smirked.

“So who’s taking my job?” Roy asked annoyed, choosing to ignore the bitter comment.

“That is something for me to worry about, and me only. So, am I going to have to forcibly remove your hood, or are you going to take it off already?”

Roy hesitated. It looked as if he was shaking as he grabbed the edges of the dark fabric.

What if Danny found him unattractive? He didn’t know what his type was, and he would be crushed if his soulmate was disgusted by his appearance. Even if they hadn’t hit it off yet.

“Trust me, you don’t look like Death anymore. Especially to him.” God encouraged, placing a hand on his shoulder.

“It’s just- I’ve worn this garment for such a long time and have never taken it completely off. It’s throwing me for a loop here.” Roy hesitated.

God raised an eyebrow at him with a knowing look and Roy sighed.

Please don’t tell him, Roy thought.

God smiled sadly at him and nodded in understanding.

“Take your time. It doesn’t have to happen today.” Danny encouraged, breaking the silence.

Roy smiled at him sincerely, but then realized Danny couldn’t see him yet so it was useless. He sighed as his hands shook at the edge of the cloak, finally removing them from the hood and placing them by his sides again.

“You have to realize Daniel, that it has been many many many millennia since Roy has not worn a hood. This is a big deal for him.” God explained sternly.

Thank you, Roy thought. He was thankful he hadn’t given anything away about his insecurities. It may have seemed stupid to Danny for all he knew.

Danny nodded in understanding, and then pondered over whether or not he should ask what he had been wondering about. He had a lot of questions.

“What is it Danny?” God asked curiously.

Danny bit his lip nervously and clasped his hands together.

“So since Roy is my soulmate, and that was my last wish to find out who exactly that was; what happens now?”

“Well, you were actually supposed to be reincarnated again-”

“Again?” Danny asked dumbfounded.

“Yes again. You see, you had been reincarnated over many, many, many millenniums in order for me to make Roy the perfect soulmate. I had to have you go through many different lives to shape who you died as this time.” God beamed and then shot a look at Roy. “So even though you are 24 in your final stage Daniel, you are actually only a few years younger than Roy. Not that age matters, and anyway time is something created by humans; but that’s a completely different discussion that you will have plenty of time to engage in.”

This was a lot for Danny to wrap his head around. Reincarnation, soulmates, being gay was okay, the fact that he was many millenniums old and not just 24. He had so much on his mind, and didn’t even know where to begin asking anymore questions. He was utterly overwhelmed.

“Now, I’m sensing Roy would like to remove his cloak in private, and I need to get back to work so I’m afraid I’m going to have to dismiss you two. I have a feeling you’ll like what you see underneath it Danny. I’ve set up your dream house near the edge of town, by a river for Roy and big and eccentric for Daniel.” God snapped his fingers and two shiny gold skeleton keys appeared in their hands. “Those are your keys. It is literally impossible to lose them, as they will always find a way into your pockets when you change or what not. So enjoy. I’ll walk you out.”

God walked them to the front steps, and Danny noticed he heard a clicking sound as they walked across the marble floor. He looked down at God’s feet and realized it wasn’t his shoes, as he was barefoot. Danny was decked out in his black converse so it definitely wasn’t him. The sound was distinctive, and oddly familiar.

It was the final click before they hit the outdoors that made him realize it could only be one thing.

“Are you wearing heels?” Danny asked Roy incredulously. How had he not noticed that before?

God chuckled as he opened the large billowing doors for them.

“Like I said, you have more in common then you realize. Enjoy your time together. And for the last time Roy, this is not a prank!” God groaned.

“Thank you sir.” Danny said, and then hesitating. “Um, can I hug you?”

God snickered and brought Danny in for a squeeze.

“You are such a delight! Oh Roy you are in for a treat. Daniel, if you have any questions about anything please know that my doors are always open.” God said. “By the way Roy, since you are no longer the reaper, you won’t be able to read minds. You’ll have to learn about Daniel the old fashioned way. Anyway, I must go now, so farewell!”

Danny heard the doors close behind them and both men sighed in unison. Now Danny had to walk to his new home, where he would be spending eternity with someone who didn’t even want to be his soulmate.

They walked in silence back through the town square, lost in their thoughts and started towards the edge of town. Danny was admiring all of the scenery and people, some in regular clothes he noticed, others in the grecian gowns that he had seen when they first arrived. That was a good sign, he could wear whatever he desired.

“Which one do you think is ours?” Danny asked, as Roy’s heels clicked on the brick road. He never realized it, but Roy walked very elegantly; almost in a regal manner.

“I don’t know, I haven’t lived in a house in a very long time so I have no idea what we’re even looking for.” Roy shrugged.

“Where did you live as the reaper?”

“Remember Limbo?” Roy asked dryly.

“Ew you lived in that musty ass apartment?” Danny asked. He then clasped his hands over his mouth and looked around frantically. “Oh no, I wasn’t supposed to say that, I’m so sorry please don’t deport me!”

Roy cackled with laughter, his laugh so high pitched that Danny jumped; but then he laughed along with him in amusement. Roys laugh was very melodic, in a way that he hadn’t noticed before. It was actually pretty cute.

“You’re not going to get deported! Just don’t curse in front of God.”

Danny sighed in relief and realized they had reached the end of the road. He got a warm feeling in his stomach, as if he was close to home.

“There.” Roy breathed.

Nestled at the top of a small hill, was their house. It was an off white color, victorian style with a wrap around porch. There was bright pink trim around the roof, a porch swing and a blue mandala tapestry on one side of to shield the bright sun from reaching the patio. The door was painted a bright mustard yellow color, and the windows were all brand new, but still looked vintage enough to match the style of the house. Wildflowers surrounded it, in splashes of purple, orange, blue and red, and there was a field of sunflowers on one side of the house of all different colors. A river sparkled a few feet in front of it, with crystal clear water and what appeared to be a brand new wooden dock.

They were speechless, and didn’t even realize they had grabbed each other’s hands as they stared at their forever home.

“You know I don’t hate you right?” Roy finally said, rubbing his fingers over Danny’s hand. He was so warm, it was comforting. Very different than what Roy was used to.

“I know I’m not what you envisioned but at least give me a chance.” Danny snapped.

“Oh, no it’s not that. You are very attractive.” Roy stammered. “It’s just - I’ve been alone for so long, I don’t know how to do this whole soulmate thing yet. Just give me time please?”

Danny felt his cheeks warming up at the tender words. He hadn’t known him very long, but he could tell he wasn’t a very emotional person so it probably took a lot for him to say that.

“We have all the time in the world.” Danny murmured.

He knew Danny couldn’t see him, but he was losing himself in his green eyes. They were so bright and happy, he could stare into them for all eternity.

On the other hand, Danny felt himself drawing closer to Roy as he stared into the dark abyss underneath his hood trying to find the hint of his face. He didn’t know what it was, but he just wanted to be close to him in this moment. He put one arm around his shoulder and sort of side hugged him, throwing the other arm across his stomach.

Roy sighed into the touch and felt himself squeezing back. This felt like home, something he hadn’t known in a very long time.

They held each other for a few minutes as they gazed at the house, taking in the experience, and enjoying each other’s warmth.

What broke them out of their trance was a small meow and a shy bark.

The two men looked down, and Danny squealed in delight. A small golden chihuahua and an orange cat with black stripes had greeted them. The cat rubbed against Danny and meowed again, and the dog woofed at Roy as they stared incredulously at the ground.

“We have pets!” Danny exclaimed, picking up the cat with delight and holding it close.

“Hi Angel, aren’t you just the cutest.” Roy cooed to the small dog. Dogs were his weakness, and Danny giggled at the invulnerability that he was showing for the first time.

“That should be his name. Angel!” Danny grinned.

“How do you know it’s a boy?” Roy challenged.

Danny shrugged. “Dunno. Because you act macho, so I’d assume you’d end up with an equally as macho pet, so obviously it’d have to be a boy.”

Roy scoffed and picked up the dog flipping it over to see if it was a girl or a boy.

“Ugh, you’re right.” Roy groaned. Danny squealed and picked up his new cat.

“I’m gonna name you Halloween, Weenie for short.” Danny cuddled Weenie close to him and set the cat down on the ground. He untied his black converse and held them by the laces in one hand, as he felt the soft grass inbetween his toes for the first time. The air was fragrant with the scent of wildflowers, and he sighed as he looked at his new home from the top of the knoll one last time.

“Let’s go!” Danny exclaimed as he started running down the hill.

Roy watched the young man run and jump down the hill as the sun illuminated his pale skin. He had to admit, he was pretty cute in an innocent sort of way. He could feel himself start to grow fond of Danny, and how happy and positive of a person he was. He could tell that Danny was a hippie, enjoying every moment in nature that he could as he ran through the grass barefoot.

He sighed in relief as he realized he would no longer be escorting sick and confused humans and animals from earth to either heaven, hell, or limbo. He didn’t know what he was supposed to do with all of this free time that he now had. He didn’t know anything other than what he had been doing for the last part of the millenia.

How did God expect him to just fall in love with Danny like it was nothing? He was the complete opposite of everything he thought he’d have in a soulmate. Danny was rambunkshus, ditzy, and completely over the top. He had named his cat Weenie, for fucks sake.

Roy had been under the impression that he would be paired off with a man of sophistication.

But that would just be too easy, he thought.

He gazed down at his soulmate, who was stomping around the porch of their house, grinning and pointing at the front door excitedly to Halloween.

Roy had decided he refused to call the cat Weenie. Why name the cat a badass name like Halloween, and then ruin it with something as stupid as Weenie?

“Oh my god I love this!” Danny exclaimed, as he sat back on the porch swing, kicking his bare feet up excitedly.

“Maybe this won’t be so bad Angel.” Roy smiled and picked up his new dog, following after Danny