#especially go kart scene hit hard

[linusbenjamin]

It was never about the money.

[zacharyleartist69]

I wanna get Part 2 out so that I can start drawing out the scenes from this part and Part 1

Cause I needed some inspiration and I’m in my Donkey Kong phase.

Disclaimer: This writing may not be accurate towards the actual movie but it’s kind of a replica of how it went down.

—————————————————————————

It all happened so fast. One minute DK and Mario were with the rest of the gang, then the next thing they know they are falling to who knows where. It was a horrifying sight. A horrible sound even. Especially to Funky Kong, who saw his brother fall right before his eyes.

Funky let out a cry while tears fell down to his hands “DONKEY KONG!”

“DONKEY KONG!”

Funky’s sunglasses fall off of his face and goes down the open area where there was once a road as he cries out for Donkey Kong to come back. Clutching his tank top hard as his vision becomes a blur. He can’t see anything. He can’t hear anything. Everything is circling around him.

Cranky turns his kart hard around “Get back to your Kingdom, Peach, AND DEFEND IT AS MUCH AS YOU CAN!”. Peach and Toad look at each other then at Cranky, nodding, then Peach quickly speeds away. Cranky speeds up to Funky as fast as he can until he spotted some clown propellers flying around the sky, some with the kongs and some still capturing them.

“FUNKY!” Cranky yelled.

Funky lifted his head up as soon as he heard his fathers voice. “Funky if you can hear me get your butt out of here, they are capturing the rest of the-'' before Cranky could finish his sentence, a clown propeller grabs his kart and lifts him up in the sky.

Cranky holds onto his kart “FUNKY!”. But it is too late, Funky has already been taken by the clown propellers. He didn’t pick up a fight against it, he just stood still. Looking down with tearful eyes.

Meanwhile, Mario and DK are still falling to who knows where. DK grabs a piece of the rainbow road and throws it at Mario “THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!”. “ME? WHAT DID I DO!” Mario yelled back as he dodged the piece. “THAT BLUE SHELL WAS GOING AFTER YOU AND I SO HAPPENED TO GET HIT AS WELL!” DK roared with a hint of frustration in his tone.

Before Mario could say anything, he spotted a pair of sunglasses behind DK “hey isn’t that Funky’s?”. DK turned his head around to see what he was talking about and gasped “No no no no those are his favorite pair!”. DK tried to reach for the sunglasses until he landed in the water alongside Mario.

The two began sinking in the water, but it didn’t stop DK trying to reach for the glasses. Mario swims towards DK to try and get him to the surface. However, DK pushed him away and successfully grabbed the sunglasses. He throws his hands up in excitement until a tire hits him on the face hard, causing him to go conscious and sinks some more into the water as he lets go of the sunglasses.

Mario acts fast and pulls DK by the tie to get him up to the surface. While Mario pulls DK up, the sunglasses and the rest of the items that were around them get eaten by a huge mouth and soon its eyes pop open.

Mario made his way to the top of the water as DK slowly woke up from his consciousness and swam to a barrel to float quickly “Mario.. You saved my life”.

“Yeah well I won’t tell anyone” Mario said jokingly.

“Good please don’t” DK said immediately. Mario rolls his eyes at DK “Okay.”

Mario looks away from DK as he searches around the water to see if there's any land. Unfortunately for Mario and DK, a humongous type eel surfaces from the below and stares down at the two. Before they could say or do anything, the eel opened its mouth and swallowed the two whole, then swam down in the deep water to rest.

Back at the surface, A floating lava like island still sails on in the sky and heading towards the mushroom kingdom. Inside of it, there is this one area where prisoners are being held captive in hanging cages under a pool of lava. Luigi happened to be one of them.

Luigi sighs as he sits in his cage bored out of his mind while listening to the blue stars little song that.. dark to listen. Eventually he hears voices coming down. He gets up to check what it was and soon spotted some cages falling down filled with kongs.

“Ohh fresh meat for the meat grinder!” A blue star excitedly said as he swirls around in his cage.

“Oh who is this ray of sunshine?” Cranky said sarcastically. “Someone that has been tormenting us.” the Penguin King answered as he looked at Cranky intensely. Cranky scoffs and looks around searching for Funky.

Kemak soon teleports in the dungeon on his floating broom stick “Congratulations prisoners, you all will be sacrificed at King Bowser’s wedding! To honor his success in marrying the princess of the Mushroom Kingdom, Princess Peach”. The prisoners groaned and gasped in fear, except for the blue star who cheered excitedly at Kemak’s announcement. Kemak smiled at the sight and disappeared into thin air as he took his leave.

Cranky grunted in frustration “well isn’t that just great.”. He leaned his head out of the cage and locked his eyes at Luigi “You!”. Luigi jumps a bit and points to himself “M Me?”. “Yes you, find my son, he has a white tank top, some blue shorts, and a red bandana with white polka dots.”.

Luigi gulped a bit and started searching for the kong Cranky described. He soon spotted the Kong that Cranky described and reached his hand up. He gently taps the cage to move a bit and Funky looks down at Luigi “Oh.. um that monkey wants to talk to you”. Luigi points to Cranky, who looks offended after being called a monkey.

Cranky clears his throat a bit and brushes his beard with his hand “If you didn’t hear.. We are being sacrificed for a wedding”

There was an awkward silence between the two until Funky started to speak out “I heard.. You don’t need to remind me”. Funky turns his back against Cranky, who looks offended “Funky don’t turn your back on me now, how the heck are we going to get out of this situation?”.

“Why ask me, you’re the king after all” Funky replied.

Cranky gasped a bit dramatically “don’t give me that tone young man, you know I am a good king. I give every single kings in my kingdom their wants and proper attention.”.

“Yeah well what about me and Donkey Kong huh? We are your sons, we are supposed to get the same wants and attention as you give to those kongs in our kingdom, but since you are so busy being all ‘royalty’ that you never gave the same recognition to us, making you a hypocrite!” Funky argues as he turns around and grabs the bars to stare down at Cranky. “I ain’t no hypocrite! I do care for you two, but you two don’t see it the way I see it because you think I'M the problem!” Cranky argues back as he waves a finger at him.

Funky grew enraged and yelled back “BECAUSE YOU ARE THE PROBLEM! DK always comes to me when he has a problem, he always comes to me for attention, he always comes to me when he needs affection from a family member, he always comes to me to feel some closure. HE ALWAYS COMES TO ME FOR ATTENTION AND WHERE WERE YOU WHEN HE NEEDED YOU THE MOST HUH!? WHERE WERE YOU!”.

Cranky grew silent as he looked at Funky in disbelief. Funky huffed a bit then moved away from the bars and sat down. He takes the photo out of his pocket and looks at it for condolence.

“Funky I’m-”

“Save it, if you really are sorry then undo the feeling of neglect. It will never happen anyways now that DK is gone.” Funky said as he whips a tear away when it forms.

Luigi looks up at Funky after witnessing the whole situation down between Funky and Cranky. It reminded him of Mario and his own father. All he can do is feel sorry and sit in his cage, listening to their argument.

Back at the water, the eel is sleeping peacefully after having a good meal. Inside of the eel is DK and Mario sitting separately from each other with their backs turned against each other. DK holds a broken piece of the rainbow road as he looks down at it “Now this is how I don’t wanna die. Being stuck inside of an eel's stomach next to an idiot with overalls.”.

“Well at least your brother isn’t gonna die because of you” Mario replied.

“Well at least you're not gonna die with your dad thinking you're a joke” DK said as he threw the piece aside. Mario put his arms against his knees as he looked down “Well my dad thinks I’m a joke too.”. “Yeah well… YOUR DAD’S RIGHT!” DK yelled as he turned around. “You know what! I feel bad enough just- just leave me alone.” Mario argued. “I never met your dad but he sounds brilliant” DK argued back. Mario turned around fully as he grunted in frustration “Why don’t you just go in a corner and smash some stuff you smash monkey!”. DK makes an offensive grumble then gets up as he starts slamming his hands and grabbing some stuff to smash on the floor “I. AM. MORE.THAN. A. GUY. WHO SMASHES THINGS!”.

A grumble sound erupted from the eel, making Mario and DK grow silent. Out of nowhere, a wave of water starts pouring inside of the eel with some sea creatures flying around. DK and Mario hold onto the closest item as long as they can, trying not to go down the deep hole. The water soon stops flowing because of the eel closing its mouth, going back to slumber.

DK and Mario soon crawl themselves back up after getting slashed from the water. DK tears a blooper off of his face while Mario shakes his head a bit to get some of the water off then notices something shiny on the floor. He picked it up and gasped a bit “Well will you look at that, it’s Funky’s sunglasses.”

DK turns his head to Mario quickly and grabs the sunglasses out of his hands “give me that you will break it!”.

“Geez not even a thank you for finding them?” Mario replied as he crossed his arms. DK doesn’t say anything as he checks for any cracks on the sunglasses. Luckily, there weren't any cracks, just smeared dirt on it. DK uses his tie to clean it up then sighs in relief “Perfect.. I thought I lost it.”

Mario leans to the side a bit as he cups his hands together and swirls his thumbs around “So.. How close are you with Funky?”. “Why you need to know.” DK said, annoyed as he glared at Mario. Mario put his hands up quickly “Alright geez I just wanted to know.”

DK huffed a bit then turned his back against Mario, rubbing his thumb against the sunglasses. He slowly starts frowning at the sight then sighs “since I’m gonna die in here. Might as well answer your dumb question.. Yes me and Funky are close.. Really close actually. We practically do everything together; we play, we race, we tell stories, heck we even pull pranks on our dad together. We were inseparable. When I’m with him, I feel safe and happy. I look up to him like some hero in a story book. Heck I even drew a picture of him surfing a huge wave.. He’s a really cool brother. He’s my inspiration to be myself. He always makes sure that I feel good about myself even when my dad looks down at me. But now that I’m separated from him, I feel lost.. Alone.. And scared.. We’ve never been this separated before and I hate it. I hate it so much. I wanna go home and be with my bro.. My big brother..” . Mario stayed silent after hearing DK’s answer. He pats DK’s back but DK shrugs his shoulders to get Mario’s hand off of him. He sighs a bit and looks around the area until he spotted one of the rocket barrels from the broken down kart “Hey I think I have a way to get us out of here”. DK turns his head to see what Mario was talking about and widens his eyes. The two looked at each other and smirked, thinking of the same plan.

The eel is still taking a nap until he feels something rumbling in his stomach, and not in a good way. He quickly swims up and coughs Mario and DK out, flying on a rocket barrel. They cheered and hooted as they flew in the sky.

“Mushroom Kingdom here we come!” Mario yelled. “Never yell in my ear again but okay!” DK yelled back as he put on the sunglasses. “You look exactly like Funky with those sunglasses” Mario commented as he raised an eyebrow. “Yeah but hotter” DK said confidently. Mario rolls his eyes and holds onto DK as they make their way to the Mushroom Kingdom.

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To be Continued.

(Welp there’s gonna be a Part 3 fuck)

[dystini]

Indycar Driver Lore

Indycar Driver Lore Masterlist

Patricio "Pato" O'Ward Junco

Birthdate: May 6, 1999 Hometown: Monterrey, Mexico Residence: Monterrey, Mexico/San Antonio, TX Height/Weight: 5’8”/155lbs

Rookie Year: 2019

Team: Arrow McLaren

Follow him on: Instagram Twitter YouTube

Career Stats

2018: 1 race with Harding Racing - 31st Overall 2019: 8 races with Carlin - 26th Overall 2020: Arrow McLaren SP- 4th Overall 2021: Arrow McLaren SP - 3rd Overall 2022: Arrow McLaren SP - 7th Overall 2023: Arrow McLaren SP - 4th Overall

2018 Indy NXT (formerly Indy Lights) Rookie of the Year and Season Champion 2021 and 2022 several F1 tests with McLaren 2022 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix F1 free practice with McLaren IMSA 2017 Youngest driver ever to win Daytona 24 and Sebring 12 hour in Prototype Challenge (PC) class 2017 Prototype Challenge drivers championship, North American Endurance Cup Championship. 2018 Daytona 24 8th, Sebring 12 hour 13th 2022 Daytona 24 (LMP2 class) 1st.

-Doesn't drink coffee. -Has a list of acceptable restaurants around every track Indycar visits -Although a native of Mexico, attended high school in San Antonio, Texas. -Lists karting, fitness training - especially boxing and weight training - as his hobbies. -He loves Eggo waffles and sushi. -2020 Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year.

Iconic/memorable moments

Pato O'Ward reveals helmet design for Indianapolis 500 to James Hinchcliffe | Motorsports on NBC INSIDE THE RACE // PATO O'WARD AT WEATHERTECH RACEWAY LAGUNA SECA PUSH TO PASS | EP. 1 - "So Close, Yet So Far" This or That with Pato O'Ward and Indy 500 Friends TikTok: Pato Likes Food RACER: Pato O'Ward Texas IndyCar Walk and Talk CHEVY PACE CAR // FELIX ROSENQVIST AND PATO O'WARD Felix and Pato interview Alex Rossi in their own languages: AMSP Unlocked 2020 AMSP Unlocked 2021 AMSP Mic’d Up 2022 Pato O'Ward and Felix Rosenqvist Play-Fighting Then and Now | Pato O'Ward & Felix Rosenqvist - Part 1 Then and Now: Pato O'Ward Part 2 Midnight Snack Chocolate covered Pato Lobster papi.

Happy Valentines Day Love/Hate relationship with pre-race ice baths Guess the song Tiny Cars with James – Pato O’Ward Pato O’Ward sings “Feel This Moment” Felix and Pato wrestling Don’t touch the cones!!! How tall are McLaren drivers? Arrow McLaren: Red Flag Green Flag Arrow McLaren: Red Flag Green Flag Again Measuring noses Wakeboarding Pato Wink and Kiss Pato Barbie Nashville Cowboy hat shopping Indianapolis Motor Speedway Fair Imitate Famous Landmarks Phone Flip - Drivers in the Paddock Part 1 Part 2

Driver Superlatives Part 1 Part 2 Holiday Tree Blindfolded Challenge Holiday Family phototshoot Behind the Scenes Baking Challenge: Part 1 Baking Challenge: Part 2 Rainy day activities Spill your guts game Intro Part 1 Part 2 Off Track with Hinch and Rossi – The Papaya One Area Codes Our cinnamon rolls Go-to Karaoke song

Team Penske hit with penalties over Push to Pass use; O’Ward declared St. Petersburg winner

Excitable and exuberant, Pato wears his emotions on his sleeve. If he’s happy, you’ll know it, and if he’s not, you’ll know that too, just by looking at his face. Full of energy, Pato is hardly ever still, fidgeting if he can’t do anything else. A self-proclaimed foodie, his social media often shows off what he’s eating. And if it’s not pics of his food, it’s pics of him in the gym, puddles of sweat and all. He’s said that he works out to eat the foods he loves. His devoted fanbase has recently has exploded into near rock-star-like proportions with suites and a grandstand at Texas Motor Speedway devoted to his fans through special giveaways and promotions.

Fanfic Lore

Paired with former teammate Felix Rosenqvist

Frequently paired with Colton Herta. The two raced together in IndyNXT (formerly Indy Lights). Ship name O'Herta

Paired with Alex Palou. Ship name O'Palou

Paired with teammate Alex Rossi

[watchtowerindistress]

we are not our demons (17/25) - bruce wayne x batmom

Author’s note: What can I say? Damian is veeeerrry competitive.

Let's see if you can detect the John Mulaney reference. It was pretty subtle, or not.

Writing that Bruce scene was harder than I anticipated - that dialogue and even setting up that scene. I think the theme of grief was hard to grasp because I wanted to do it justice and not like a half-hearted attempt. Damn it, that's what happens when you're watching Aaron Sorkin films and want to stay realistic. [Read more at the end.]

Beta-read by Heidi.

Words: 3.1k

Warning: grief

Please reblog/leave a comment.

Series Masterlist | Want to be tagged? | Read on AO3

You hate to feel like you’re being controlled, oh

Sorry if I squeeze too tight, I really hope you know

The reason I’m so scared to let you go, ooh, is

I’m gonna need something to hold on to

- Something To Hold on To by Emily Warren -

Nope, not in the Batcave.

Ellie shook her head when she encountered only Alfred’s back and a variety of work tools lined up in front of him when he tended to his duties as butler/caretaker/technician extraordinaire. He meant business, judging by the dark-gray work apron he was wearing.

She turned away and walked back to the elevator which would be leading her up to the ground level. There was no real urgency to find Bruce. Ellie was mostly curious about his whereabouts when her contemplative thoughts were enclosed with the non-existing sound from the elevator.

Enthusiastic murmurs extended to her ears as soon as the intended floor was revealed to her. The commotion grew more distinct the closer Ellie tread to the living room.

“I’m gonna kill you, Grayson!”

“Yeah, right. You’re still behind. I’d like to see you try.”

Out of the corner of her eyes, she could see the gaming console switched on, with the colorful and familiar racing environment of Mario Kart 8 running on the flat screen.

Ellie’s eyebrows rose at the moment she was witnessing. Dick and Damian sat on the couch—both furiously pushing the buttons on their control pads—while Tim couldn’t be bothered with their theatrics. He was reading a gray-hued book in the armchair which was located crookedly on the right side of the couch.

Ellie crossed her arms, focusing on Damian’s character throwing a banana peel behind him and hitting Dick off the meadow track.

“Ugh, stop with your … frigging bananas, Damian!”

Damian’s eyes were gleaming with madness. “Never! Just choke on them and despair,” he cackled.

“Having fun, guys?”

Dick’s eyes stared right ahead when he answered, “Eh, Damian’s a cheat. Does that answer your question?”

His youngest brother rolled his eyes, snorting. “You knew what you were in for, Grayson. Why don’t you just lie down and let me drive over your corpse, huh?”

Ellie’s eyes widened at Damian’s idea of trash talk. “Oh my.”

“Oh really? See those cows on the track? You know what I’m gonna do? I’m going to buy a cow, place it in the Batcave and let it grow into a stunning creature. Then when you love it, and you can’t imagine your life without her, I’m going to make her an honorary member of this family, train her as a vigilante and let her take your place as Robin. How about that?”

With her lips pursing in utter bafflement, Ellie’s eyes met Tim who glanced up from his book. He voiced her thoughts. “They’ve been at it for hours.”

“Sounds like a stimulating conversation then,” Ellie mumbled softly.

Or more like an absurd form of trash talking.

“Do you know where Bruce is, by any chance?”

Dick paused the game as hesitation crossed over his face when he sent Damian a long glance. “Uh, why do you ask?”

Ellie’s eyes barely hid her mounting suspicion, especially after noticing Tim listened attentively. The same could be said for Damian tilting his head, although he didn’t give much away, other than the tension building in his shoulders.

Something was definitely in the air, Ellie contemplated, and put her hands on her waist. It looked like she was forced to play baseball. Or hardball. Whatever fitted the context.

Ellie banished that thought away as soon as it came before she turned back to the heart of the matter. “I asked first.”

Dick sputtered, “What can I say? Maybe Bruce is painting the town red. Not literally, of course. I mean, those days are behind him, to some extent. And it’s 10 in the morning—”

Ellie raised her eyebrows admonishingly. “Richard John Grayson—”

“Yes, ma’am?” Dick asked out of reflex and with reverence laced in his voice.

Damian’s game pad was clinging loosely in his left hand while the palm of his other hand shielded his face in utter embarrassment for being associated with his stepbrother in the first place.

“Anyone here willing to spill the beans?” Blinking slowly, Ellie waited patiently for one of them to crack.

Dick’s uncertain eyes roamed around when he spoke up, “Our dad’s … not here?”

Ellie hummed quietly and licked her lips. “I figured. Are you keeping secrets from me?”

“No?”

Damian wasn’t known for taking pity. One of the reasons why it astonished her so much when he replied, “Father is near the burnt-down premises of the old manor.”

“Uh huh,” she phrased it as a question, not yet getting the reason behind this strange secrecy of Bruce’s disappearance and his children backing him up.

Damian resumed, “He’s at the family mausoleum.”

Dick’s head whipped around in utter bafflement, a movement which prompted the younger boy to shrug his shoulders. “What? Father could never kill me. We’re family after all.” Damian was on the receiving end of expecting eyes shifting towards him. “You know what I mean, my blood lineage is flawless. I shouldn’t have to remind you.”

Ellie was still processing that tiny nugget of insight Damian just offered before Dick replied in return, “Sometimes you make it so hard to even like you, Damian.”

He shrugged, like he couldn’t care less about being favored in the emotional sense. An adorable frown twisted on his forehead. “Only sometimes?” he muttered under his breath.

Tim filled in the gaps. “It’s the anniversary of Bruce’s parents’ death.”

Exhaling loudly between her lips, she closed her eyes while throwing her head back. “Thomas and Martha Wayne.” Ellie’s eyes focused on nothing at all when she muttered, “Why didn’t Bruce think to tell me?”

Dick supported his arm on the back end of the couch and leaned towards her. “Usually, he wants to be alone. Don’t take it personally, alright?”

Profound anguish bubbled up inside her at the thought of Bruce having to go through that alone.

He pursed his lips and seemed to have discovered something in her sorrowful eyes, judging by his next words. “But … Bruce could use some company for this day. Who knows, maybe he’s going to appreciate you being there for him?”

Bruce’s insistence on not telling her in the first place came to mind, yet what she said was, “If you say so.” Her open palm hovered between them in an invitation. “Lead the way then.”

Dick walked backwards, keeping the manor in his sights and sustaining a mixed expression of reluctance and wit on his face. His hands were leisurely hidden in the pockets of his jeans. “I don’t know how to feel about leaving Tim with Damian.”

“Afraid he’s going to incite him to chaos and mayhem?” Ellie threw Dick an incredulous glance, willing to have some faith in Damian not to corrupt young Tim.

Dick sighed deeply, like that thought had secretly entered his mind. “More like Damian could corrupt him into experimenting on some pedophiles in that Bat-Lair.”

Ellie pursed her lips in real contemplation. “I’d actually like to see tha—” Dick’s raised eyebrow and brightening eyes made her instantly backtrack. “I mean, horrible. Absolutely bad idea.” She adamantly shook her head, letting wavy hair spin around her.

Dick’s snorting was complemented with a tilt of his lip corner. “Yeah, right. No wonder you two get along so well.”

Ellie shrugged, feeling the corner of her mouth twist into a shrewd and crooked gesture. “Something like that.” Brown eyes furtively roamed over the side of Dick’s face. Not knowing if Ellie should even mention what was going through her head, she still felt trepidation slowly rushing through her once her mouth opened. “I’m sorry about Babs.”

Dick’s head promptly turned at the mention of her name. His eyes barely focused on her, they just fixated on a spot near the ground while he hid his hands in the pockets of his jacket. “Yeah, me too.” A strained smile lingered on his lips as his head turned straight ahead, content not to look at her when he said it.

“You’re taking it pretty well. You barely seem fazed.” Ellie’s voice sounded almost hesitant; she was trying to at least get someone in this family to talk about their feelings.

Dick’s shoulders haphazardly rose and revealed some sort of indifference to how he was perceived. “Looks can be deceiving,” Dick said, with a casual air. They were walking for some time when out of nowhere, his body stepped in front of her. “What I don’t get is why she didn’t tell me.”

His outburst stunned her into unnerved silence. Dick’s blue-eyed stare was glowing fervently when waves of frustration rolled off of him. A crow cawing in the distance slightly added humor to the tense awkwardness she found herself in.

“Uh, probably too awkward for her. I think she used the word ‘complicated’.”

Dick snorted loudly and rolled his eyes. “So what? Why not add a dose of more complicated? Jesus, dude.” And with that, he shook his head and tread forward.

At the mention of Dick’s love-afflicted misery, Ellie smiled fondly at him. Feeling like they were kindred spirits in need of guidance in all questions of love. “We’re kind of a mess, aren’t we?” Her elbow playfully nudged his side—this tall child be damned.

Dick’s warm breath ghosted over her scalp when he hardly needed to lean down to reach her. Ellie felt touched at the sensation of his arm interlacing with hers, like she was his Victorian companion. Their bleak environment of the high grass and the trees, which had lost their leaves halfway, surrounded their path, like they were truly just taking a walk in the countryside. Ellie was filled with gratitude as she leaned against his side.

“Oh please, your Bruce-related issues don’t even count as issues. Not by a long shot.”

She was begging to differ, since their initial issues had been spurred by their emotional mentality. In the end, she believed that all she needed was time to move past her obstacles of trust. Ellie craned her head back to gaze up at him. “Ditto. Try not to be too hard on yourself, Dick.”

He sighed deeply. “Easy for you to say. I messed it up with her years ago.”

A lop-sided smirk formed on her lips. “You know what they say, acceptance is one phase on the way to recovery.”

Ellie would associate the soft emotion in his eyes when they wandered into the distance with homesickness. “Maybe. One day.”

His pace slowed once the illustrious mausoleum appeared in the distance—a grim construction under the gray-blue skies and sitting next to the marble statues of weeping angels. The ‘Wayne’ name was inscribed underneath the roof, a scripture that seemed almost illegible with the moss growing on the rooftop and extending further.

Ellie exhaled, barely noticing how her fingers clenched on the cuff of Dick’s dark blue—almost black—wool overcoat to ward off the autumn breeze that rustled the trees and swept through her hair.

After coughing nervously, she brushed the strands away which had gone astray on her forehead. Ellie felt the raven-haired man’s concerned gaze on her face, kindling the side of her face.

“You okay?” Dick whispered with a barely audible voice.

Ellie’s wordless nod was coupled with her hand caressing his shoulder. “Thanks for showing me.”

His hands curled into the pockets of his jacket, already moving back. Dick’s thumb pointed in the direction of the path they just wandered on. “You know where to find me.”

Ellie tilted her head, sending Dick a teasing look. “At home? Ensuring that the boys haven’t flooded the place by now?”

His eyes widened at the mere idea before they narrowed again. “Please don’t make jokes about that. Ever.”

Taking pity on the guy, Ellie pressed her lips together to quench her budding smile. “Noted.” With a wave goodbye, she turned around and only heard Dick’s receding steps as he left her to her own quest.

It wasn’t really nervous energy rushing through her, with her stomach tensing or anything like that. To be honest, it felt like anticipation. Bruce seemed to do that every year—mourning his parents on his own, feeling content with it even. But that didn’t mean that he didn’t need someone to lessen the burden of grief.

Without knocking or notifying him of her presence, she twisted the handle and pushed against the heavy hardwood door. The squeaky noise echoing through the vast space made Ellie wince.

Especially when she heard Bruce’s haggard voice before she even saw him. “Not now, Dick, please. I’d rather be alone today.”

Ellie’s head careened around the corner, finally seeing him for the first time. Bruce was lingering in the shadows and stood between two graves. Bouquets of wildflowers adorned the inside of the jars by the engraved stones.

Dismay rose in her at the fact that she wasn’t wearing her glasses to decipher the inscription. She felt her eyebrows furrow when Bruce’s bowed head shielded his expression from her.

“Mind some company?”

Bruce whipped his head around at hearing Ellie’s cautious voice. His wide eyes only emphasized the shock he was experiencing from seeing her at his parents’ resting place.

“Maybe you shouldn’t be alone right now,” Ellie admitted in a whisper.

Bruce furrowed his eyebrows in deep contemplation as his body faced her head-on. “Who told—?” A frustrated sigh left him before he threw his head back with a low groan. “Ugh, Dick.” His hand brushed over the side of his face and exhaled loudly once he realized the person responsible who had babbled his secret.

Ellie closed the door behind her with finality, shrouding the crypt in dreary surroundings, except for the natural daylight streaming through the small arching windows. Ellie’s steps were guarded when she advanced into the sacred crypt. “I thought misery loved company?” She phrased as a question, hoping that her attempt at humor wasn’t that out of place. If anything, her sarcastic nature only intensified in situations where she didn’t know what else to say.

Bruce’s rigid shoulders tensed even further with his next inhaling breath. “I wouldn’t know. Maybe you should ask Kent.”

A confused frown scurried over her forehead. “Are we still talking about happy-go-lucky Clark Kent?” Her feet nudged forward until she was standing on Bruce’s right side, studying him with rapt eyes.

His hands hid in the pockets of his wool coat and his shoulders shrugged morosely. “You should see him when he’s not … celebrating Independence Day.”

Ellie’s befuddlement over the pause was pushed to the edge of her mind. “Okay.”

Her eyes met the inscription on the graves of Martha and Thomas Wayne—the year of 1981 marked as their death caught her eye.

Of course, anyone who grew up in Gotham and called it their home, knew of the infamous day when the golden couple was brutally murdered in Park Row—now dubbed Crime Alley. An event that only amplified the already prevalent criminality rate and extinguished any remnant of hope with their murder.

Her eyes met Bruce’s empty expression and hanging head. “You do this every year? Mourn the death of your parents all alone and without the presence of the others?”

Licking his lips, Bruce replied, “After a while I got used to the solitude I inflicted upon myself. Besides, I’m not the kind to ask for company.”

Ellie gnawed on her lower lip once she heard his confirmation. “If you want me to leave, you can tell me, you know?”

Bruce’s expression of incredulity made her heart swell. At least his loyalty, the need for her comradeship towards her always remained.

“We don’t even have to talk. I just want you to know that I’m here for you. I mean, I thought it’d be nice to talk about your parents. What were they like?”

Bruce’s long silence gave off the impression that he was going to keep quiet before he whispered with an almost unintelligible voice, “I barely remember their faces. It’s been over 30 years and my memory of them is getting hazier little by little.”

Ellie was listening intently while Bruce spoke wistfully, not wanting to interrupt him when he was so deeply engrossed.

“I recall my mother’s hair tumbling over her shoulders. The color of her eyes.” His jaw clenched at the mention when he reluctantly paused. “Martha Wayne was an elegant woman. Had a kind heart for being a socialite. My father was the polar opposite.”

His humored words brought a soft smile on both of their faces. “Rough around the edges.”

“How surprising for a Wayne,” Ellie retorted and tilted her head playfully until the waves of her hair fell like a cascade over her left shoulder.

The corner of his mouth tipped slightly. “He adored her. Loved her relentlessly.” His eyes softened as nostalgia settled over his features. His soft expression focusing on her stunned her into silence. Just imagining their love sounded like a dream.

“They were perfect.”

The fond memories Bruce had of his family reinforced the sentimental feelings Ellie felt rising in her. Being labeled as orphans never felt clearer than now. No wonder they seemed like kindred spirits.

In retrospect, she didn’t know if she would call the marriage of her parents a perfect union. If anything, she could only recall their screaming fests behind closed doors.

The total opposite of her Aunt Mallory and Uncle Nolan which was an appreciative relief to not having to walk on eggshells in the safety of their family. In the end, they were more her family than she could have ever hoped for, and she wanted Bruce to remember the worthwhile moments he shared with his parents.

Ellie turned her body until her eyes gazed up at his scruff. “Hold onto that memory. You may think your memory of them is waning, but it’s the little things that are important. The Wayne legacy won’t die with them. Remember,” her fingers carefully sneaked on the inside of the palm of his hand before they interlaced with his. His skin felt callused against hers, a sensation which awakened her senses.

Bruce’s eyes didn’t even glance down between them, instead they kept on dwelling on her with that piercing yet molten stare. One of his soul-searching abilities Ellie should have gotten used to by now.

“You’ve got a whole litter of Bat-kids at home. Without question, they’d stand behind you, no matter what.”

Despite the dreary mood, Ellie lips curled from witnessing Bruce’s wince at the mere mention of so-called Bat-kids.

He tolerated her playful acknowledgment, but chose to tighten his hold on her, exhaling deeply. His warm breath blew over her scalp and ruffled her fine hair. Content to merely bask in their shared silence.

A/N: Yay, first mention of Bat-Cow. I don't even even know if I'm going to include her, I just wanted to bring some easter egg/nostalgia. As I researched, I realized that Damian became a vegetarian the moment he met Bat-Cow, unlike my series, but I appreciate how he secretly adored animals and that's why he chose that eating lifestyle.

Dick's idea of trash talk was kinda inspired by Jane Lynch in Glee who didn't want to stoop to a cat-killing joke. Well, same here. I don't want to hurt Bat-Cow.

Tagging: @mellowstatesmanhandsempath​ @ravenmoore14​ @alwayshave-faith​ @ikranfuad​ @daydreaming-gemini​ @bluegalaxyprime​ @liadamerondjarin​ @steph21369 @andrewswifes-blog​  @yanna-banana​  @blackmagicwoman

[radellama]

Games I played in 2020 (Reupload)

This post somehow got deleted when I removed it from my pinned, which is strange, cause all my other ex-pinned still exist... Anyway, good thing I kept a personal archive, so here it is again, unedited!

Excluding games like mario kart/just dance/jackbox games ect that are kinda just.. You play them, thats it; this is a (hopefully) comprehensive list of the games I played in this shitty year. Its a bunch of my thoughts and rambles, with somewhat of a rundown of what the games actually are. These are vaguely in the order I played them in this year, and I have another whole post on just the Resident Evil games I played that I’ll keep seperate, cause this got out of hand lmao.

Under the cut so I don’t clog you all up.

---

Owlboy

Owlboy… This game is so fantastic, I got it twice. Literally, I have the digital version on switch and bought physical for ps4. What can I say? I really love this game. The soundtrack, visuals and story are just incredible, and it feels right at home alongside other games I hold close to my heart.

You play as Otus, a shy and mute owl who tries to help out but often gets the short end of the stick. Things start to get serious when the threat of a pirate attack looms over his small and unassuming town, as he tries to help figure out how to help and stop the pirates. With the help of friends he makes along the way, Otus and pals start to discover that there’s something more sinister beneath everything going wrong.

Playing this handheld on switch feels just as nice playing console on ps4 (yes i know i can put my switch in the dock, but at the start of the year playing this i had no internet and my tv was packed in a box ready to move :P) I think I have a pretty strong resonance with this game due to the fact that I played it at a strange time in my life. Bushfires were burning up the country, the smoke from them was thickly hanging over my town as I tried to pack up all my belongings and move to the city, and no one could come help me due to the severity of the smoke. The stress of trying to move and start up at university all within a few days was getting to me and reflected in slightly more insomnia than usual, so this game kept me good company. There are a lot of really good emotional beats within the game, and it was well worth being a thorough player and dicking around to exhaust all npc dialogue; I believe some of the best emotional scenes are optional and could be missed if you don’t go searching for them. That said, even if you may miss one or two of the hard hitting feely stuff, there’s plenty of really nice moments in the main story that you can’t miss. I especially liked the way it touched on how to approach and deal with your friends when grieving through tragedies, and that there are moments where the characters tell each other how much they mean to each other. Overall its just such a gorgeous story about a young owl trying to help, and how far of a journey that takes him. I’ve played it probably 5-6 times this year across both platforms, I feel like I can’t get enough of it. While a shorter game, it doesn’t feel like it’s missing anything, and has a fairly satisfying end, even though it is rather open ended. 

Love this game, and would encourage you to play/watch a playthrough if you get the chance. (Also big fat win for this game being set on a bunch of floating islands!! Fuck yesssss)

Some songs I really liked were: 

Strato https://youtu.be/_JHq-jJZUlw

Such Perfect Peace https://youtu.be/aW1vcLi6IOI

Tropos By Night https://youtu.be/LUY7_Q600LM

~~~

Aragami

Oh boy, how do I start. I really liked playing this game, it was the first time I’ve really delved into stealth games, and I had a great time. It took me a while to get used to the controls, I feel like this is probably better to play on ps4 or pc, but it was still great on switch. While I do enjoy games set in Japan, that wasn’t the main draw for me to play this game. The idea of being a shadow assassin infiltrating the light clans during the night, it was so interesting and beautifully executed!

You play as an undead, malevolent spirit of the shadows, summoned by the young girl Yamiko to help break her free from the imprisonment of the light clan. While the story isn’t particularly deep or enthralling, it is enough to keep an interesting motive to continue playing. As you collect Yamiko’s belongings that are guarded, you slowly release the shackles of her imprisonment and share her memories that are attached. One thing of note here, not only do you have the option to choose which style of play you want, its actually encouraged to shake up how you go about each level! I plan on replaying soon and challenging myself to play differently, I tried to simply not be spotted by any enemies, and killed whoever was a nuisance. There are achievements to be had for complete stealth and never being spotted by an enemy, or killing every enemy in the map; every time you do well and receive points for excelling at a certain play style, you can buy weapon and attack upgrades. These were very fun to save up and collect, from adding more ways to attack and distract enemies for a much more thought out attack strategy, or sending out decoy shadows and having shadowy hands consume enemies in an insta-death. 

Not only did I thoroughly enjoy my time playing this game, I also felt like it was just well designed. I honestly can’t remember a time playing where I felt I was unfairly frustrated at a death, it usually felt like my own error and something that I could figure out myself. Perhaps a few of the boss fights were a bit mediocre in that aspect, but I can remember most the boss fights clearly enough to say I thought they were clever and creative ways for light and shadow to clash. It has been a while since I have played, and looking nostalgically to a game I played in Feb/March needs to be taken into consideration. However, if you wanna give stealth games a go, this is a great action-adventure stealth to play, and has a gorgeous aesthetic with a soundtrack to match! Well worth playing if this sounds interesting to you.

Notable songs for me were:

House of the Raven https://youtu.be/AAd9cm1nFfE

Trapped! https://youtu.be/vH7ehpPUIwI 

Main Theme https://youtu.be/m09et2hlLMk

~~~

Stardew Valley

Ahh Stardew. Honestly I played it more last year, it was a great way for me to relax AND rest my back to play this on my switch in bed after work. I still played it enough this year that it warrants being on my list, and I’ll say it’ll be on next years as well since the new update will be coming to consoles early next year, and I’ll bet this will be what I inevitably come back to playing to give my brain a break once uni starts up again.

Fairly simple game, you’re a newly appointed farmer taking over your grandpa’s old estate, you can farm… thats about it. Just kidding, there’s actually quite a lot to do so I always come back to this (also the ease of repetitive rituals make the autism go wheeeee!) It’s really nice getting to know the townsfolk, even date ones that catch your fancy. I’ve got like 3 or 4 files on the go, one of which is me playing as Captain Jean-Luc Picard of Enterprise Farm, just trying to grow a massive vineyard with a few animals and other plants just for fun. What can I say? The brainrot goes deep.

I’m very excited to see what the updates will hold, I had a lot of fun with the previous update that lets you befriend the sewer monster and move into your house. And also that you can get a movie theatre if you go the right path. This game has so much love poured into it, and it is genuinely one of, if not the best farming sims out there.

Not much more to really say except I love this game a lot, so here are some songs I really like. 

Fall (Raven’s Descent) https://youtu.be/idOmc35hlhU

Spirit’s Eve Festival https://youtu.be/gI3c4_K3smY

Winter (Ancient) https://youtu.be/Zr-PHm_qLgg

~~~

Cave Story+

I love Cave Story, it hits a certain sweet spot of nostalgia as I had it on wiiware growing up. It fascinated me as a kid but I think most of it kinda went over my head, so it was really nice to see it put on Switch! I played this a lot at the start of the year, but I also did a playthrough with my friend to show her what its all about. You can ask Nika, I did final cave (hidden) with joycon drift and somehow made it! /after like 20 tries lmao

You wake as a robot soldier with amnesia, and come across the mimigma village where you find that a girl mimigma named Sue has gone missing. As you try to search for her, you come in contact with her brother, and find out more about why they went missing. The further you investigate, the more dangerous it becomes, as it is made apparent that you are in fact meddling with a plan The Doctor has to take over the world or something, so you gotta fight a big toaster and a cute witch a bunch. Its a very charming and charismatic game, the wit of the old translations has pretty much been carried over, and this game is a pretty important part of the history of indie games. Well worth looking into how this game was created as its very interesting!

Definitely recommend playing, I love this game cause holy shit cute robot protags (and a floating island!!) I believe the original version of the game is still free to play on pc, otherwise cs+ is probably the best and definitive version to play, the main reason being you can stack a bunch of dogs on your head :P

Good songs:

Balrog’s Theme https://youtu.be/pcxw5QuqwZw

Plantation (Main Theme) https://youtu.be/td-evNdOvts

Safety https://youtu.be/l9Fk1e41_aA

~~~

Animal Crossing: New Horizons

What an interesting game in the series. Honestly I feel a bit conflicted with this one.

While I did enjoy the early days, and can see that its got some of the best gameplay/mechanics in the series yet, it feels a little soulless. 

I’m really not a fan of the way they were drip feeding updates out to us, the content should all be there from the beginning. Special events like holidays, I can understand them being free updates that are patched in, but things like Redd and the art section of the gallery? What the hell, why wasn’t that there from the beginning? I remember being very disappointed at the lack of art gallery, and not feeling all that satisfied when we eventually got it, because it should’ve been there? I know that I’m sounding a bit like a broken record with it, but while there is so many new things, like being able to terraform and having the most control over your town, I mean island, we’ve ever seen in an ac game - even the fact that we can put furniture outside now; that stuff is awesome. I won’t change my mind on that. But the taste is soured by the fact that theres so much stuff that feels like it’s missing. Brewster wasn’t a part of any museum update as far as I’m aware, it’d be awesome to set up his cafe on the island somewhere! There isn’t much expansion in the way of Nook’s store, and THE LACK OF FURNITURE SERIES. Collecting furniture series was one of my favourite things about ac, and I was so excited going from wild world to new leaf, finding that there were even more fancy furniture sets to collect. To have them all taken away.. I think there’s the cabana set still, but bruh I want to collect the sets I loved collecting as a kid, seeing what new additions to the sets will be added, seeing if Gracie will have any more expensive shit to buy. Gracie isn’t here :( There are a lot of the older npcs that just aren’t here and it feels pretty empty without them tbh. I know that the idea is that this is literally the next gen of ac as a series, and some of the npcs are the children/grandchildren of the old npcs we know and love, but I dunno it’d be nice to see them sometimes too. 

The text is also pretty bland tbh. I remember enjoying chatting for hours with villagers in wild world, I got tired out quicker with new leaf but it was still pretty fun chatting with everyone; but here they all have like 4 things to say and its a bit sad. It doesn’t feel like there's extra dialogue for when you get close with a villager, there aren’t as many games to play with them, even at festivals they’ve been pretty bland. It just sucks because I was so looking forward to it, and the intro to the game really hit home cause it really played into the whole ‘starting a new life in a new land’ kind of deal, and I got the keys to my apartment on the same day, so it was a pretty cool moment. 

I dunno, this is mostly complaining, there are things I like about the game, but theres a lot thats just pretty shit tbh. I expected better, especially because they pushed back the release from 2019 to 2020. Also oh my god fuck the flower breeding, I don’t want to spend hours crawling through various strategy guides trying to figure out the exact genetic makeup of my flowers just because I want a blue rose. I have put this game down and not played for quite a while cause of all my grievances, I also had a lot of trouble getting to my friend’s villages online so I only really did local play with my sister lol. I’m probably going to pick it up again soon, I plan on gifting a copy to my youngest sister so we can play online together when she gets her switch, so I’ll see all the updates that have happened over the second half of the year in one go and hopefully have a bit more fun than my first impression. 

To try tl;dr this; I’m not a fan of the way this feels like the mobile game, with drip fed content and kinda bare minimum stuff to do when previous games feel way more fun. I’ve felt more nostalgic to play ww or nl on my ds instead of picking up nh on switch, so I feel like something’s gone a bit wrong here lol. Still a pretty decent game and looks nice, but unless you’re really into these kinds of boring games, and maybe if you don’t care as much as I clearly do, it’s still worth playing. 

Some of the songs are pretty nice too, though wild world soundtrack will always and forever be the best one :P

12 PM https://youtu.be/xs4FJOvLPC8

5 PM https://youtu.be/uLtJIPu-Cns

Phase 6 (Rain) https://youtu.be/9JzOGqWbpmE

~~~

Paper Mario: Sticker Star

Let me preface this by saying, I knew it was this shitty one when I bought it. It was on sale and I was cautious about Origami King coming out, so I thought, fuck it, I’ll play the shitty one and then I’ll at least be pleasantly surprised at worst when I play the new one. 

It’s a pretty bland setup; bowser bad, stole something, use stickers, toads are everywhere. I really felt the lack of storyline, it was a little sad but honestly I expected it so I wasn’t that disappointed. There was still a few really fun and witty dialogues from the toads, so I’m glad that’s an important enough staple to still carry that humour. I only cleared like two or three worlds I think, before origami king came out and I played it instead. I might go back and continue playing cause I’ll admit, I’m curious as to how it pans out, but I’m also honestly not that invested.

Oh, I should also mention in the Egyptian level there are like. Human toads and human koopas. As enemies and murals on the wall. They were deeply unsettling and the cause of a lot of yelling at friends and forcing them to see that shit. Like, look at this. What the fuck

Overall, just a lame spin off feeling game, I wouldn’t really class it as a main entry cause it is so lackluster, but tbh it wasn’t as miserable as I thought it’d be to play. It just feels a bit empty, but it is also on ds lol. So.. it’s fine. I also enjoyed the soundtrack, it has moments where it sounds clearly inspired by pm64 and superpm. It’s not so bad, so if anything I’d be interested to hear the rest of the soundtrack in context too. 4/10 would not recommend, just read a wiki on it if you’re genuinely interested. I’m taking this bullet for all of us.

Decalburg https://youtu.be/tUpbaJePhLo

Intermission https://youtu.be/c9HJTxl15VQ

A Thousand Miles Away https://youtu.be/q4hC7X-fu4g

~~~

Paper Mario: Origami King

I preordered this game and got a cute origami set to actually fold myself. I like folding origami, so it was really fun to fold the characters while I finished up my last online uni class of the day before I was able to boot up and play for myself. I wanted to go in playing with an open mind, and feeling ready to appreciate anything that even vaguely resembled what I wanted (esp after playing sticker star lmao) 

Honestly? Not disappointed at all! This was a genuinely enjoyable game to play, had quite a few nice emotional beats and it was a gorgeous world to explore. It definitely feels more action-adventure than rpg, but I think that’s just the style paper mario is going in whether I like it or not. The turn based battle system (haha get it, cause its turn based, and you base your attacks on how you turn the staghea heahaa funnyyyy) it was a fun lil gimmick but it made me yearn for the battle stages of the first two games (haheheeee cauhsse yureee on a stagggheee) Honestly I think this battle system shines with the boss battles the most, having to turn the stage around to navigate it more akin to a snakes and ladders setup in order to land an attack on the boss was actually really fun once I got the hang of it. There is a training stage to get good at both regular and boss battles, but tbh trying to figure out the best methods to hit enemies in normal battles just became a brain-tired and I didn’t feel like solving the puzzle. I always gave it a genuine shot for the first few times encountering enemies, but honestly in late game I just paid the toads to kick their asses for me lol. 

Speaking of the toads, you have to rescue like, a fuck tonne of them. They’re literally everywhere. Its great tbh. They all had something to say and it often made me chuckle, so it was always well worth saving them to return them to their homes. 

Like most the pm games, theres a big baddie that get a big cool thing/powers that control everything, and you go through various worlds to undo the damage done until you confront the baddie at the end. One thing I really liked about this was that, with Boswer not being the enemy, you get to interact with the normal mario enemies we know and love, and get to love them more. It was really nice finding the hidden cafes and ordering a drink to chat with the minions, as every good pm game should be, it was just delightful chatting with all the npcs. I love that the classic dry wit and often sarcastic humour bled through into this game so thoroughly, it really gives life to the whole thing and eased my worries about being a cranky old gamer with a nostalgia boner for the classics. It feels like a pm game despite being a very different and unique game in the series, and despite it not really retaining as much of the rpg elements as I would’ve liked, it was a really nice game to play.

There are actually characters that join your party in this game! I was in such shock and delight that they’d brought that back; albeit not fully. Without spoiling too much, the party members are kinda limited to their chapters/sections, so while it would’ve been awesome to have permanent party members to swap out depending on how you want to navigate, it was nice that they added them at all when they’d been steadily phased out of the series. The only thing I will be a bit cranky about is that they’re pretty much useless in battle, they seem to have what feels like a 75% chance of fumbling their attack and missing, so its not worth relying on them to help out really. Other than that, the party members added some great depth to the game and helped really add character. They’re not as iconic as some of the party members in the first two games, but they’re still very loveable and I enjoyed having them join me on this journey.

Have I mentioned that the game is gorgeous? Cause it really is. While its not really the pop-up-storybook aesthetic the early games had, and really focuses on the whole paper thing, this game feels as though it utilised the origami aspect and the sets feel like paper mache dioramas, so it still has a strong visual charm which is lovely! The places you go to as well… I really loved the autumn mountain and shogun studios, and the desert+sniff city at night were really pretty. The music is awesome too, I enjoyed the full effect of my nice tv speakers I saved up for to get when I got my tv, everything sounds fantastic! Well worth getting your favourite headphones and listening to them. 

Before I go on and ramble on and on about how pleasantly surprised I was at this game, I’ll just leave it at that. I was pleasantly surprised, and will definitely replay at least a few times when I have that paper mario itch. 

Here’s some bangers:

Toad Town in Trouble https://youtu.be/kGv-4THIwjg

Autumn Mountain https://youtu.be/h-xnSuonaZw

Sniff City https://youtu.be/BZxhlRLjlOY

~~~

Everbody’s Golf (PS2)

I’m not a sporty person in general, I don’t even really enjoy playing sporty video games. But this? This was an iconic part of my childhood. And I’ve been playing it a lot recently. As I kid I didn’t understand how to unlock more characters and courses to play, but now that I’m not a stupid kid anymore, I’ve been steadily playing to unlock all the characters and shit cause I genuienly adore this game. Apart from farming sims like stardew and harvest moon, THIS is my go-to game for relaxing. 

The early stages, soundtracks and characters are so ingrained into my memory, that even when I found a second hand copy online last year and bought it, I still remembered everything, and it’s just as fun as it was back then. My roommate knows that I’m not sporty at all, and she told me she was thinking ‘Wow, Rads playing a sporting golf game? That feels a bit out of character, but it he likes it…” - and then she saw what it was, and described it perfectly. It’s a dumb anime golf game. And it’s the best.

I put this here because it’s awesome and I have been playing it a lot recently while in lockdown, and because I actually found someone on youtube that had the soundtrack. They’re all the extended versions, but here are some of the themes that I could probably hum by memory if prompted.

Mt Sakura C.C. https://youtu.be/izbThUSB8W8

Mini Golf 1 https://youtu.be/BwcCGW2rSvA

Character Select https://youtu.be/Gk90vCnuWJc

~~~

Everybody’s Golf (PS4)

Well, it’s the newest iteration of the game I loved as a kid, and it was really cheap if I bought the disc only online since it wasn’t the VR version, so ofc I got it. 

I was literally speechless when I boot up the game and hear Owl City first thing, I fucking love Owl City and I know I don’t really check up on the music as much as I should but I didn’t know this was a thing lmao?? https://youtu.be/TEfCCPEX8oY

/for context, this is the ps2 intro… really makes you wanna play anime golf mmmm https://youtu.be/MUPhWQ3fe38

Tbh this was a bit of a lame golf game… I mean its a golf game they’re all kinda lame, but I dunno, on PS2 it had a certain charm with all the characters you could select and play as, along with the courses all having some kind of uniqueness. Also, PS2 had not one but two mini golf courses, and a nice lil par3 course of fun and short holes. This one? Nothing of the sort.

It just kinda.. Is that you play really long courses and rack up points lol. It feels a bit sad without minigolf and shit, it is fun making your own character to play as, but I dunno I feel like it’d be better to have that create-a-characer ALONGSIDE the classic golf characters we know and love. 

Also, honestly the soundtrack is nothing special. It’s nice enough, but I would mute it and put on podcasts or albums I wanted to listen to instead. Just listen to Owl City

Eagle City G.C. https://youtu.be/OkSwUweo7cM

~~~

Flower

Another game played out of nostalgia. My dad got a PS3 when our DVD player died, and really we only used it as DVD/Netflix on the TV, but one of the games he did get on there was the Journey Collectors Edition, which had Flower. 

It’s a very simple game, you are a single flower petal flowing in the wind, blowing over other flowers in the hope that they bloom. Its very relaxing and simple, and I played it when I was really not doing well with the pandemic and living alone during the worst of the lockdowns. Doing creative works that require some form of portfolio work when I can’t even leave my apartment to see my family, that really sucked ass. But, as much as I wanted to play Resident Evil, I held off to have it as a congratulatory game when I finished Uni for the year. Which is why I played the shit out of flower while I got to the final assessments of the year.

I don’t really have much more to say about this, other than its a very nice and relaxing game, and it was nice and relaxing during a time when I felt incredibly shitty and stressed. 

Life as a Flower https://youtu.be/uL1zvhZzxeM 

Sailing on the Wind https://youtu.be/4n-UpQJ6gRI

Peaceful Repose https://youtu.be/WN5jRb2ADto

~~~

Chrono Trigger: Crimson Echoes

...I should’ve just played normal trigger. This rom hack is a nightmare. Ok it’s not that bad, there have been a lot of things that I genuinely (want to) enjoy. 

I don’t really know where to begin with this one. I started playing in my discord just to see the extent of what this is, with the sole goal of getting further than where I got as a kid. I got further, I’m almost done in fact, but I have to do so much grinding cause there is no way to beat the boss without seemingly maxing out everyone because the battles are so ridiculously unbalanced. 

Tbh, I have a whole lot to say about this rom hack, and although I didn’t really like it, I still liked it? I have a whole essay of incoherent thoughts stored in my brain, and one day I’ll talk about this more in depth. Without being too disrespectful, don’t play this game. I took the bullet for you all again, and I will continue shooting myself in the foot as I plan on recording footage of it again to make a video essay on it eventually, please wish me luck, I’ll genuinely need it lmao.

For songs… just go listen to the entire chrono trigger soundtrack, yasunori mitsuda will always and forever be a personal hero of mine and he did an amazing job on this soundtrack. You can hear the passion and hard work he put into it, which surprisingly is something this rom hack has in common. As much as I dislike a lot of the decisions made in this game, I have the utmost respect for the team that just sat down and made what they wanted to. There are some genuinely cool things that really show the passion these guys had, like making entire new animated sprites to put in the game. I will grumble and moan and try to be respectful in the same breath about this another time, so just go play normal chrono trigger. 

~~~

Harvest Moon: Tale of Two Towns

Well. You saw my Stardew review. This is another farming game I like to play because it’s cute and I don’t have to use my brain. I’ve been playing this on my DS during summer cause I’m exhausted from moving house for the third time this year, and just wanna marry pretty boy Cam again. He likes flowers and cats and wears a purple hat and I fucking LOVE him. 

That is all I care to say, this is a really cute hm game so fuck yeah. 

Bluebell Town https://youtu.be/Zm0skaRnpeA

Konohana Town https://youtu.be/bDjOTuveJ8U

Music Festival https://youtu.be/QLAfmB7T-jE

[lou-struck]

Bumper to Bumper

Katsuki Bakugou x Reader

~ The explosion hero acts a little villainous on his favorite Theme Park ride.

Bumper Cars

This is yet another part of my 300 followers event which you could find HERE.

Although it took a lot of begging, pleading, and promises of affection, you finally managed to convince your boyfriend to go to the amusement park with you.

(Although you did have an inkling that he secretly wanted to go all along.)

It’s amazing how civilian wear can disguise even the most popular pro heroes when walking through a crowd. If Katsuki doesn't have a hero suit he can make it a whole day without being recognized. Especially when he is surrounded by so many sights and sounds that compete for their attention.

You happily go through your day of playing games and riding rides not getting interrupted by any ‘Extras’.

You can tell he has been enjoying himself as well but it's frustrating that Katsuki doesn't tell you what he wants to do. You may not be a telepath but you have gotten pretty good at guessing what he wants to do.

As of right now, you can tell that he wants to go in the bumper cars but isn't going to tell you. This makes you want to tease him just a bit. Leaning against his broad frame you hum. “Suki, what do you want to do next?”

“I dunno,” he shrugs “it all seems to be the same to me.” His seemingly indifferent attitude slightly infuriates you because you know he’s trying not to seem overly eager.

“You have to answer, Suki” you tease “Or else ill choose something that you really won't like.”

Clearing his throat he stares at you and clenches his fist, “You don't mean-”

“I do, if you don't pick a ride then we get to go on that one boat ride with the singing dolls.” 

Your threat reaches his ears and he clenched his jaw in defeat “Fine let's go in the bumper cars.” Happy that you have finally gotten a straight answer from your boyfriend you take his warm hand in yours and walk to the start of the line. 

You are able to see others enjoying themselves playing crashing into one another with the safety of the bumper cars. Some people are aggressive, and some people are downright brutal. You guess that’s why Bakugou likes them so much, pummeling villains during patrol is one thing, but he cant pummel a law-abiding citizen for inconveniencing him in public, not legally anyway.

The loophole that the attraction allows makes for the perfect outlet for his rage. He can hit people as hard as he wants to without consequence.

Suddenly something hard crashes into your shoulder. Turning your head you see that it is the group of rowdy teens behind you. They keep shoving eachother and just causing a scene that makes everyone around them uncomfortable.

“Hey, save the bumping for the cars.” you joke rubbing the spot on your arm. The teens continue to ignore you and one of them gets solved and steps on your foot hard. 

“Oi, watch it. Don’t ya see you’re bumping into people.” your boyfriend scolds coming to your defense. They roll their eyes and completely ignore him choosing instead to continue roughhousing. 

In response to the delinquent rudeness, He clenched his fist and is about to tell them off but you stop him. “Hey, let's ignore them for now. We’re next.”

With a shaky exhale he lets the tension out of his body but he still has a look of murder in his eyes. “Fine, they’re not worth it, but are you okay?”

“I’m fine, those little shits just need to be taught a lesson,” you grumble

With a nod, you step to the platform ready to get strapped into your car. Yours is an angry red color while Katsuki gets into an orange and black one that screams danger and destruction. 

You can feel the protective blood lust radiating off of him as he scans his regulated battleground spotting the teens from earlier getting into their own karts. When the gate closes and the buzzer sounds the car springs to life.

Katsuki speeds away on a warpath bashing into anyone and everyone in the way of his revenge, He crashes into the first car hard. It spins away as he continues on his destructive path grinning like a madman enjoying the fact he’s able to let out all of his aggression without actually hurting anyone.

For a moment you forget that you’re actually sitting in a bumper car yourself until someone rams into yours and causes you to spin into the edge. Play full blood list closet your vision as you two join your boyfriend on a destructive warpath.

You hit person after person watching them satisfyingly spin off into another group with a maniacal smirk on your face. You always keep an eye on Katsuki who still keeps targeting the teenagers laughing the ugliest chuckle you’ve ever heard. 

‘That’s my idiot’ you think to yourself as he once again crashes into the teens. you have a feeling they are so discombobulated they don’t know who or what is hitting them.

The ride ends and the cars come to a stop. Stretching your legs outside of a cramped car you see that some people don’t yet have their sea legs, they sway and clutch at the fence for balance like baby deer.

The group from earlier certainly is worse for wear, an attendant hast to physically help each of them out of the car as they stumbled to the gate. 

“I got ‘em,” your boyfriend's gruff voice declares behind you. Turning around you see him slightly swaying back-and-forth no doubt a result of his aggressive actions.

“ That wasn’t very heroic Suki.” You tease bumping into him slightly. He stumbles but recovers with a giddy expression on his face.

“Nah, I was just toughening them up a bit,” he mumbles, his cheeks a shade pinker than normal. Grabbing your hand in his larger one, he pulls you back towards the start of the line that's cleared out a bit after your display of goodnatured violence “Let’s go again!”

[baeshijima]

𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐫!𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫!𝐲/𝐧

MASTERLIST

now, childe as a general streamer,,, he’s a whale in every sense of the word 

…

poggers—

so childe as a streamer in general would be one word ;

✨chaotic✨

he would definitely be a variety streamer, but more so for games !!

especially pvp and/or pve games

competitive meta mf—

probably plays LoL, overwatch, apex legends, valorant and minecraft

don’t question the minecraft 

he likes mining but has a personal vendetta against the creepers bc once they blew up his mansion 

yes, a mansion

ask any of his community and they’ll tell u he spent a full-blown month and a half playing just minecraft to build it, only for it to go down just like that ;-; 

his chat loved it tho <//3

he’s played honkai too !! mainly for the pve and grinding bc he’s a whale but uh,,, shhh

his community,,, his community are just a bunch of trolls at this point i cant even lie

they just KEKW, SADGE & COPIUM spam everything and the newer viewers get intimidated until they realise he deserves them all HJGKJHF

especially when he starts getting annoyed by the game,,, his reactions are too good to pass up on gn

typically when he does mario kart streams 👩‍🦯 that shit’s wild when it happens oh my

when he falls in rainbow road 🤡 

and especially bc he has his webcam on, his viewers just see him internally dying or wanting to scream

also gets passive aggressive 

shit talks everything and everyone when in that mood <//3

for what’s left of his dignity i won’t disclose what happens

definitely gets jebaited a lot too <//3 unfortunately he’s too easy for his chat ;-;

another mf with a massive community except he has a lot of friends (sorry not sorry albedo)

ppl have a love-hate relationship with him tbh; u either love him or hate him

no inbetween

unless u show ur love through bullying him then go off ig

his discord server, twt + yt are also really big too !! also verified on insta 

also !!

he has lots of plushies :(( esp whale plushies from his community bc he’s the biggest whale they know <//3

but if u look at his setup, there’s a mini whale plushie on the top of his main monitor (he has 3), one big one (like,,, up to his chin) behind him, a smol on the top of his chair so u can see it above his head, and just more off screen HKJSDHL

they asked for a room tour once and half of it was just whale plushies

the rest were LED lights + shelves of merch & gifts from his community !!

he even has some fanmail (actual wholesome ones that aren’t cursed) pinned on a board too 🥺

also has an ensuite—

when he was eating on stream one time, his chat was sent into an absolute outrage

u know why?

bc he was eating noodles with a fork

bby ;-;

so sometimes he’ll get sent those beginner chopsticks with the finger guides to help him 👩‍🦯

he’s actually made sure to eat with them on stream tho bc he was sent one with a narwhal on top and he thinks it’s cute JHGJKH

nOW ONTO THIS MAN BEING WHIPPED FOR U AS A GENSHIN STREAMER !!!!

herkekle

now, his (also) AR56 ass has been playing since genshin first came out

an og if u will

this man,,, he’s been in love with u even before the game’s official release 🐥

not only were u in the promotional art and trailers, but he was also one of the beta testers so he got to try out ur character first hand in the early stages !!

and when i say he fell hard for u,

i mean it 

when the game wasn’t released publicly yet, he wasn’t allowed to disclose any information and ngl, it killed him that he couldn’t talk abt u :((

so all he could do was say this upcoming was really nice so far and subtly brag abt u to everyone JHGKJSDFHLK

when the official ads & promotional art were finally released 🥺🥺 when i tell u he immediately went live talking abt the game and u HKGJHFDK

he didn’t care that he streamed at an ungodly hour bc he’s been waiting for the reveal for so long he needs to let everyone know </3

he retweeted everything from their official twt straightaway, made a yt video based off his spontaneous stream promoting the game + pinged his entire server abt it

yes

his nearly 200k server all got pinged abt this one game bc he’s in love with a character from it

and he has no regrets abt it <33

the day the game was available for download, he stREAMED THE ENTIRE DOWNLOAD PROCESS

while he and his chat were waiting, they decided to watch the trailers and character showcases to get a feel for the game, and played some mario kart to pass the time !!

as soon as the game loaded, he threw mario kart behind him and went on 🐥

he typed his name (ajax) for the when he chose aether and literally everyone was appreciating the aesthetics HKJFS

but childe,,, he was waiting for it to be over so he could see u ;-;

he appreciated the aesthetics, fighting mechanics & voice acting a lot tho !!

now he had gotten through all the tutorials, got all the chests he could he was finally in mond

and there u were 🥺 after the dvalin encounter u arrived before kaeya did

and boy did he show u off sm to his viewers HKJHKLF

they knew he was down bad before but now?? they know it’s hopeless to save him and if he ever falls out of love that’s when the world ends

luckily that’ll never happen tho <33

but he took !! so many !! screenshots !!

oh, and did i mention he changed his wallpapers to u? and his twt + discord pfps are also some very aesthetic screenshots of u from that first scene ;-;

he just appreciates u sm okay 🥺

he even clutched his chest where his heart is and sunk down his chair when he heard u speak 😩

his chat just spammed his downbad + y/nlove + SHRIMP emotes and he accepted them all with grace <33

now when he unlocks the wishing feature,,, u already know he’s wishing for u as soon as possible

ur in the standard banner so ur always there which he appreciates but he would’ve wanted u to be limited so he can rub it in ppl’s faces ;-;

and since it was the first release rewards, he had tons of wishes right off the bat !!

he was gonna roll for venti after he gets u bc,,, well does he need a reason??

also he doesn’t do well with archer characters in general ;;; but if ur an archer then ur obv an exception sooo

bUT he got a 5 star in his first 20 pulls !!

tho it was diluc 👩‍🦯

while he was happy bc he got an incredibly meta character right off the bat,

he wasn’t interested in diluc,,, (even now his diluc is barely looked after, and only used for spiral abyss, *sweats*)

the next 5 star he got was around the 60 mark, and he got a weapon,,,

i mean,,, he got the weapon that was most suited for u so that’s smth at least (ˉ▽ˉ；)

after he used all his remaining primos and fates, he finally got u 🥺

he just went “fuck the storyline” and immediately put u in his party and just

admired u as a whole 

went through all the voice lines available, ur character story, ur idle animations (he had a heart attack from u and his chat clipped it) and took many, many screenshots 

his favourite voice lines would have to be the night + about us + (y/n)’s hobbies

and then he equipped u with ur weapon and damnnn did u look so good with it 😩

he changed u to be his avatar, with his signature as :

“(y/n)’s whale <3”

and now the whaling process begins 👩‍🦯

after at least £2k, he got u to c6, along with at least 1 copy of all the standard 5 stars,,

then he went for venti’s banner—

his chat were just too focused on how he’s gonna play u to even think of anything else tbh HKJAH

with ur kit, u were honestly seen to be a dps or even a sub dps if ppl don’t want u on the field all the time

so definitely a perfect character for mr meta strimmer tartaglia (his twitch name btw ;;; childe is just smth he prefers his community to call him as but they also call him ajax too HKJSD) here

so he went through the archon quests with u as his carry and i won’t lie, ur name card is smth he has printed and framed behind him after he got it 🥺

he later finds out ur part of the fatui in the liyue archon quest tho and has to fight u with,,,

well, u ;;;

he finds it hot tho so it’s okay—

i won’t lie tho, his zhongli after he got him is his second strongest after u

he just builds all his characters in the most broken way he can so he can show his viewers that everyone can be a dps in their own right, not just the ones meant to be since there’s no right or wrong in this game !!

but now ur weapon is r5, ur lvl 90 and u have lvl 20 5 star artifacts that make u the most broken (y/n) seen

ppl who co op with him are honestly baffled,,, especially when the feature of them being able to view other players’ character stats become available,,,

u with ur nearly 3k atk,,,

he’s hit over 600k with u tho and he’ll always flex that

no one can top him as a (y/n) main and that’s honestly just a fact at this point 😩

when he saw that the dating sim hangouts was official, his immediate and iconic response was simply ;

“so when will (y/n) become a dateable, huh 🤨”

to this day he’s still waiting to be able to date u in-game <//3

[internalsealpanic]

Camp Crystal What?

summary: Camp Crystal Lake is a fine and dandy place to spend your summer, said no one ever. You are inclined to agree with that and so are Damian and Jon. 

a/n: I am back from retirement with a REEEEEEAAAAALLLLY long crack fic. (This is long as shit by my standards. Leave me alone.) This  was co written and edited by my wife @littleredwing89. She was also the biggest enabler for this. I tried to give reader some executive dysfuction but I don’t think it worked out well. We’ll see. This is my first super sons fic please feel free to roast it. 

warnings: This really self indulgent and really long. You would think I would have more gore in a slasher film based fic. No. Apparently not. 

masterlist

Jon cackles, his chin lifting only slightly from its perch on your shoulder just enough for you to fully hear the petty sound. You tilt your switch, sticking out your tongue in a vain attempt to avoid Damian’s blue shell. You cry out, throwing your arms up in exasperation as the shell hits you just as you were about to cross the finish line. Your outstretched prosthetic arm nearly hitting Jon in the process, not that you felt too bad about that considering…

 “Yeah! Got ‘em, Dami!” Jon says, high fiving a smug-looking Damian beside you.  You glare at Jon, who was still leaning against you like you weren’t about to bite his head off. “Whose side are you on?”

 “Justice!” This draws a snort out of both Tim and Jason who were both sitting in the back. 

 “No, you’re not!”

 “Yes, I am!”

 “He is, (l/n). You needed to be cut down to size," Damian declares, subtly brandishing his screen showing Rozalina doing a little victory lap in her kart as her little star guy floated around her. You pout at him, puffing your cheeks like an unruly chipmunk as you cross your arms over your chest. This only serves to make Damian all the smugger and Jon all the more gleeful at your loss. 

 You turn the full force of your ire on Jon who was smiling innocently at you, big blue eyes sparkling reminding you of your husky, Yoohoo. You’re about to say something scathing but stop instead deciding to stew in your loss and sulk as you hand Jon your Switch. You’d think he would be more prepared since he was the one who insisted on coming with you to this camp. Now that you think about it, why were they here? All you remember is telling Jon that you couldn’t go visit him over the summer because your parents were sticking you in a summer camp while they go abroad for something and the next thing you know is that you’re in an SUV with Jon, Damian, Damian’s older brother’s, and their friend(?). Whatever she was to them Damiam never adequately explained like everything else. Though you suspect she was Dick’s wife judging from how little they cared whether the other invaded their space. The lack of a wedding ring made you unsure. 

 You let out a little huff, melting into your oversized Gotham U hoodie, letting Jon lean on you despite your sour mood and touch aversion. You lean against him in return and watch as Yoshi zips past Rosalina in mild petty satisfaction. 

You all file out of the car, drowsy and irritable. You muss Jon’s bed head into an even more tangled mess. Neither of you tells Damian about the streak of drool on his face. Tim shuffles the three of you towards the convenience store while Jason politely explains to the mechanic that he’s wrong, Dick orders lunch at the diner and makes a call back to Gotham presumably to make sure Wayne industries isn’t burning down. 

Over your shoulder, you can see Jason’s form working hard not to look threatening. It’s not working or maybe the mechanic was shaking because Faust isn’t even trying to hide the irritation wicking off of her. 

 “He wha-” Tim pinches the bridge of his nose muttering something about Mr.Wayne. He looks pained. Tim hands you a wad of one-dollar bills as his voice takes Timothy Wayne's public speaker pitch. All of the Wayne’s seem to have three voices. Their Wayne voice, their vigilante voice, and their normal voice. Mr. Wayne has the most distinct voice. Dick’s was honestly really hard to distinguish.  

 You count the wad of cash in your hand as Jon grabs a basket from the pile. You note, with amusement, that at least five of the bills had variations of ‘don’t buy cereal’ written on them in distinct handwriting. 

 “Kent, are you planning to put the entire store in the basket?”

 “Nah, just the good stuff.”

 You marvel at the amount of food Jon managed stockpile in your basket while you were distracted. 

 “Uh, Jon, we don’t need that much.” Plus, I don’t think we can eat all of that. 

 “They’re right,” Damian chides, making Jon pout. 

 After a healthy amount of debate, two almost food fights, a near fistfight, and your attempt at puppy dog eyes, you finally narrow the snacks down and even have enough money left for slushies. You shrug at her, adding more blue than necessary. There weren’t rules against this. Plus, it was tastier this way. 

 “Dami,  what flavor do you want?” Jon shouts from the slushie machine.  Beside him, you swirl a mix of red, green, pink, and blue slushies. The lady at the counter was wrinkling her nose at you the way Dami is wrinkling his nose at Jon.

 Jon’s big cup of neon blue smoothie dropped to the floor in a loud clatter. 

 “You’re all doomed! He’s coming. He’s coming! That place is cursed!” The scraggly man screams as he shakes Jon. Damian’s lip tries not to curl in amusement as you both watch the scene unfold. Out of context, this was horrifying. In context, it was hilarious especially considering how badly Jon is acting. The clerk at the counter looks appropriately horrified. You look at Jon, feeling a twinge of worry. He’s not in danger. You know that but you can’t help it.

 Your concoction flies into the man’s face in no time flat and Jon scrambles to your side as soon as the man drops him. You step in front of him bracing for further confrontation but the man simply walks off muttering about something you couldn’t hear over the beating of your heart. 

“Exactly, why am I in the back?” Jason whines, unfolding and refolding himself, not quite sure where to place what limb in the cramped back row of the SUV. You let out a giggle which earns you a rather harsh glare from an already irate Jason. Damian glares back at him for you, in an oddly protective gesture, and you can’t help but feel strangely smug about it. 

 They glower at each other for a few minutes. Jason, probably knowing this was a stalemate, turns his attention towards the front of the vehicle, sharp green eyes narrowing at the rearview mirror. “Shouldn’t Faust’s short ass be in the back with Timbo and the Three Tiny Terrors?” 

 You hear an amused huff from the front along with the loud crinkling and shuffling of the map. Faust glances over her shoulder, the bright mischief in her eyes contrasting with the rich brown of her skin. You wonder if everyone in Damian and Jon’s lives were all this pretty. An almost smile quirks on the edges of her lips as she says “You didn’t call shotgun~”

 Jason hisses something colorful behind you. Tim, beside him, is chuckling either from Jason’s misery or, based on the defeated cry coming from Jon, having just nailed Yoshi with lightning. Could be both. It was likely. 

 Jason, looking positively annoyed, unfolds himself and violently settles his feet on Tim’s lap. Tim yelps then says something close to a swear word. Jason grins lazily looking more like a cat as he leans back. This time Jon cries out in joy, the victory music blaring from your switch. Again, Tim hisses something edging towards a curse word. Jon wriggles out of his seat and fist bumps Jason who returns the gesture enthusiastically. In the reflection on the windshield, you can clearly see the amusement in Dick’s smile. Even to your right, Damian seems amused if not outright gleeful at seeing Tim’s misery.  You couldn’t quite tell. You weren’t a master of reading Waynes yet. You would turn to Jon but he wasn't fluent either. Faust told you that it would take a while which just meant that you would never master it. Reading people was hard enough as it was. There was always something difficult about interpreting social signals. It was so easy to get them wrong and when you add in the complication of being a vigilante you just found yourself frustrated. You slump into the seat feeling the frustration writhing under your skin. Jon noticing your frustration eases up and gives you a little more space. 

 "So, what's with the map?" Tim asks, throwing Jason's feet back at him and handing you his switch. Faust wrinkles her nose at the offending piece of paper. "Well, Dicktopus here insisted on the authentic road trip atmosphere complete with bad cell signal, a map, and oh right, getting lost." Dick gives her a look which Faust just shrugs it off. 

 "Like what? The Goofy movie?" Tim asks incredulously, his brows wrinkling in the rearview mirror as he gives Dick a withering look. 

 Faust snorts in confirmation. Jon’s face crumples in confusion. You make a small hiccupping noise mimicking the noise that passes for Goofy's laugh and you see as the bleary memory clicks into place. "You mean the old movie we watched last night?"

 "It's old but gold," Dick defends fervently, earning him an indulgent smile from Faust and a withering look from Damian. Damian shrinks into his seat unwilling to expend too much effort defending his mentor's taste in movies despite him enjoying the movie. You did too but you wanted to see how this would play out. Behind you, Jason shifts, a shark-like grin plastered across his face. " Just because that's the movie you modeled your life after, Big Bird, doesn't mean it's good."

 Dick makes this affronted noise that makes him sound a little like he's squawking. "It's a good movie and you know it!" Dick says earnestly, scowling at a still cocky Jason through the reflection in the windshield. You see Damian, Jason, Faust, and Tim's eyes meet in the rearview mirror, all shining conspiratorially. You and Jon give each other a look, each looking like you're bracing for disaster. 

 "Dunno, Dick, I think the second one was soooo much better," Tim pipes up finally. It sounds like the spark lighting a trail of gunpowder towards a powder keg. 

 "I have to agree with Drake," Damian says honestly sounding pained. 

 Faust rewards him with a conspiratorial smile which makes Damian ease a little. The gesture from what you understood roughly translated to 'it was for the greater good.' "So much for your taste in movies, Dickens," Faust teases, poking a finger at Dick’s shoulder. 

 "You're one to talk!" Dick says, rolling his eyes childishly. 

 Faust twists her body to look at all 5 of you, winking at you and Jon as if she was about to perform a magic trick, which wasn't off the table since she could actually pull weapons from her tattooed skin. "You guys loved Lake Placid, right?" 

 Playing along, you each gave varying sounds of agreement til Dick finally threw his hands up in exasperation. "HEATHENS!" Faust looks pleased as punch at this reaction. You giggle as Dick groans into the steering wheel as you slow to a stop in front of a cross-section. 

 "Traitors all of you," Dick says, resting his arm on the back of his seat and giving all of you a halfhearted scowl. He kind of looked like Yoohoo when you refused to give him treats. 

 You all bask in Dick’s misery. You even catch Jon giggling at Dick’s frown despite himself. The rest were completely unrepentant. They don't even bother to hide the self-satisfied smiles on their faces, least of all Damian who vehemently protested to being subjected to such drivel. This is, of course, ignoring the fact that he had watched the movie with the same rapt attention as you and Jon. You all enjoyed the movie just as much as Dick did but it was much funnier to gang up on him. 

 Dick continues to argue his point as all of you offer, frankly, bogus arguments that you say with as much conviction as Dick levels against you. The banter continues in a rather jaunty rhythm until a fallen tree forces the car into a rather abrupt stop. 

 "Shit!" Jason hisses at full volume as his knees hit the back of Damian’s seat which draws out a soft 'oof' from Damian which quickly reshapes into a snarl. Tim and Damian give Jason a look of mock sympathy. Jason raises his middle finger in a vaguely familiar gesture. 

 "Jason!" Dick says, cutting off your train of thought much to your frustration. You contemplate hissing some colorful words yourself. 

 Jason grunts, probably rubbing his shins. "They've heard, said, and done worse." You hear Jon protest beside you but it's quickly cut off by a 'not you' from somewhere. 

 Then it hits you. "Oh yeah! Dami did that hand thingy when he drop-kicked someone during lunch," you admit conversationally. 

 "Dami!" 

 Damian gives you an absolutely betrayed look. You shrug at him not entirely sure what was wrong. You shrink a little and Damian pulls back a little but still glares. 

 "Didn't you hear him say the F-word?" Jon adds. You blink at him, running through your memory like a film reel and turning up nothing. "Some of us don't have super hearing," you supply with no real anger behind it. 

 "Ope, sorry, (y/n)." You shrug at him congenially as he smiles sheepishly at you. No harm no foul. 

 "Kent!"

 "Oh- Uh, sorry, Dami." 

 Damian doesn't look appeased at all by this. 

 “Ok, so we’re just gonna skip over the fact that he drop-kicked someone?” Tim asks, raising a brow and you find yourself thinking, “Well, yeah. He’s Robin. That’s kinda his thing.”

 Jason snorts beside him, seemingly less irritable now that Dick’s attention was directed elsewhere. “He didn’t get caught soooo..”

 “Jason!”

 “Jason, we’re not supposed to be obvious about being terrible influences.” Faust jokes, now redirecting Dick’s ire to her. You can’t tell if that was intentional or not but either way she seems to be enjoying how Dick’s expression makes him look like a carp gasping for air.

 “Why did you tell them?” Damian hisses, albeit softer than he normally does. You frown at him confused. You thought it was spectacular and you really don’t know what was wrong. You really wish they’d explain it. Maybe you should speak up but would that be rude? You stare at Damian trying your hardest to convey your confusion but you’re having trouble shaping your face into the correct one. You try to keep in mind the face Jon makes when Damian tried to explain quantum physics to both of you. 

 Turning away from her argument with Dick, Faust looks at you pityingly before speaking and putting her hand up to Dick’s face lightly pushing him back. “Relax, Baby Vamp, I would’ve gotten it out of them sooner or later,” Faust says, looking at you with the same stern look Mr. Pennyworth gives you when you try to steal cookies. It kind of reminds you of the Penance Stare from Ghost Riders but with less flaming skulls and more implied disappointment. 

 “Tim was the one who ate the last few pieces of the brownies Mr. Pennyworth made for Jason.” The words flow out of you like water from a cataract. Faust waves her hand theatrically as if she had just demonstrated a magic trick. Again, you’re pretty sure this was one. You wince fully expecting Tim to have the same caustic reaction as Damian. But when you turn to look at him to apologize, Tim already had his hands up in front of him defensively. On the other side, not far enough away for Tim’s liking, Jason looks livid, steam coming out of his ears. 

 “Those were mine, asshole!”

 “You eat them every time you’re at the Manor!”

 “When I’m at the Manor! Which is what? Once every three months?”

 “Two,” Tim deadpans, holding up two fingers. 

 That was the wrong thing to say, you realize. From the way they’re staring at each other, you’re a little afraid they’d come to blows as Jason surges forward. 

 “Tim, Jay, I will turn this car around if you two don’t stop.”

 “Please, continue.” Dick shoots Damian a ‘you are not helping’ glare but Damian simply answers with a warning one. They all look ready for a brawl and all you want to do is curl up into your oversized hoodie. You play with the frayed edges of your hoodie hoping you’re radiating your discomfort.

 And like an angel of mercy, Faust clears her throat. “(Y/n), Jon, help me clear the road.” The statement leaves no room for argument and you and Jon breathe a collective sigh of relief. 

Jon lifts the tree with ease. It was an oddly healthy tree, freshly cut. Something about it made your stomach turn. “Jon could have done it alone. Why bring me?” You ask, distracting yourself from the strange feeling by fiddling with the joints of your metal hand which only made you more conscious of how pointless it was to bring you along. Faust glances towards the car. The boys are still bickering. She then glances down at you with a wry smile. “Waynes bickering is really funny from a distance.” Your eyes glance at the light scar on her running down her clavicle, disappearing into the line of her shirt.  You doubt it’s from any of them. You really doubt it. The Wayne kids were chaotic, especially the girls, but they’re never- Well, they can be hurtful but not that way. Not that you’ve seen anyway.   You shake your head and glance at the car and watch them argue. Their gestures are animated and loud enough that you could almost hear the bickering going on. This liveliness settles your stomach. 

 You spend a few minutes out there waiting for them to settle down. It was long enough for you and Jon to start debating the existence of Gummy Bear shaped aliens and for Faust to weigh in with her humble opinion. Dick honks at the three of you to tell you it was, relatively, safe to come back. Tim, Damian, and Jason were all sulking in their respective corners while Dick gives you and Jon an apologetic look. Jon simply shrugs as if to say it was normal for brothers to argue but you found it hard to picture Conner ever being that mean to Jon or vice versa for that matter. Faust rolls her eyes at the sulking birds, a fond smile quirking on her lips.  Dick gives her a look that was usually followed by the words ‘I miss not being the adult’ which she graciously answers with a smile that plainly says ‘me too.’

 In the corner of your eye, you see something- a shadow- move in the woods as you drive off, Dick’s story about space aliens falling away into the background. You turn to Jon who looks at you confused and a little concerned. It was clear he didn’t see it, whatever it was. You turn to Damian but see he’s still stewing. You blin and the shadow is gone. A sticky feeling of dread settles in your stomach. 

 There's pressure in the car. 

The camp is, well, loud. 

 Louder than you were expecting and full of rowdier children than promised. You wince slightly, ears ringing. You and Damian sigh already knowing that you were both going to be absolutely exhausted by the end of this. You turn to Jon, shoulder slumping, only to find him beaming as he watched the other kids run around. There were alot of days you envied Jon and this was one of them. Damian looks at Jon with utter disbelief. You shrug at him as he wrinkles his nose at both Jon and the hooligans running around. Your lip quirks into a scraggly smile fully understanding.

 “This is going to be repulsive,” Damian hisses.  

 “Lighten up, Dami.”

 “Nah, he’s gotta practice being dark and brooding, so when he gets to be the big bad bat he can do the whole brooding thing all-natural,” you joke, using your finger to mimic the ears of Batman’s cowl. 

 “Please, say that louder. I don’t think the supervillains heard you,” says Damian sarcastically, nose upturned.  

 Jon grins at you in a challenge. You raise a brow, crossing your arms. Your brain cell takes a vacation. 

 “HE’S GOTTA-” Damian clamps a hand on your mouth. You glare at him. His eye flicks to Jon who is sucking in a breath. Damian is throwing his other hand over Jon’s mouth when one of the counselors waves you over. All three of you blanch at the color of the shirt. 

 You all stand in an odd misshapen circle. Damian looks incredulously at the tacky camp T-shirt he’s been forced into while Jon does not contain his laughter. You joke about how a bowtie would definitely class it up which earns you a rude gesture that just makes you laugh harder. 

 “Alright kiddos, it’s time to introduce ourselves!”

 Damian froze under the weight of their collective gazes, the hint of a smile on his face fading. Sometimes being around you and Jon made him forget. Well, not really forget. It was just easier not to think about it when you two were around. Damian feels himself shifting, realigning himself to 5’ 2” of cold arrogance.

 It should have scared you just how easily the warm fondness on his face smoothed out giving way to this cold calculating face. It did on some level; on some level, the efficiency of Damian’s face muscles scared you. Sometimes you had to wonder if it was just him or if his brothers had the same knee-jerk reaction. 

 You roll your eyes as if nothing worrying had happened and bump your shoulder against his. A smile twitches on his lip and the ramrod shape of his spine curves a bit.  Jon snickers, not trying too hard to hide it, which earns him the full force of Damian’s ire but you and Jon know all too well that Damian’s just being prickly.  You step forward, shoulders broadening, nudging a glaring Damian behind you redirecting everyone’s stares towards you. It’s uncomfortable but you don’t mind. Damian huff behind you but doesn’t protest any more than that. You smile amicably or as amicably as you can. You need to remember the correct shape.  

Introductions go off without a hitch. 

 Jon, like always, has no trouble stirring the crowd. 

  You make an impression when your introduction careens into a tangent about angelfish.

 Behind you, Damian scoffs and  crosses his arms over his chest. Contrary to popular belief, Damian did have a tendency to be nervous, especially around new people. This is compounded by the fact that Damian wasn’t really versed in dealing with people his own age which just put him on edge. 

 Thankfully, all three of you get sorted into the same cabin. The cabin is chaotic in a familiar, childish sort of way with pillows flying everywhere and kids jumping up and down their bed. Jon immediately jumps into the fray. Damian follows soon after Jon hits him with a pillow square in the face. 

 “Woman up and face me, Kent!”

 You look up to the sky and smile in amusement.  This is going to be an interesting summer.

The room is solid. 

 Your eyes incandescent in the darkness. The air crackles in anticipation of the storm.  

 A silver streak of lightning tears down through the heavens and crashes down into the lake. 

 A strange dislocation in the universe has emerged.

 Your eyes shut. 

 Your ears pop. 

 You do not hear as something mangled rises from the water. 

You wanted to say this was a horrible idea. Though, you’re not sure how to phrase that without implying they’re idiots. You’ve been hanging out with Damian too much. He’s starting to rub off on you and you’re mildly concerned. 

 You’d told them that the whole fight was your fault. Ok, not entirely. You simply told the kid off when he was making fun of Jon and you were not gonna stand for that. The kid shoved you, Damian 'accidentally' broke his nose, and the next thing you know is that you’ve been shoved into a random group of campers.It’s been a week but you still weren’t familiar with a lot of the people in the camp. The man with kind eyes said this would be good for you.  You really would have preferred staying at the campgrounds, cleaning and doing whatever with the people in your cabin. 

 “Alright, kiddos, you guys can go swim while me and Jos go check something out in the woods.”

 “Don’t do anything we wouldn’t!”

 You sniff and bite your tongue, playing with the hem of your shirt. 

 "You sure they're gonna be ok?"

 "What you think they're gonna disappear like Cat?"

 Your ears perk up at this. 

 "Well, I mean-"

 "She probably just ran off with one of the town boys." 

 This was probably the best time to bring up child endangerment protocols or the fact that you’re not even dressed for swimming. By the time you string the correct combination of words,  they’re gone. You sigh and huddle yourself into a tree. It’s not like you’re dressed to swim anyway even if you wanted to. 

 You hug your knees as you flatten yourself against the tree, making sure your prosthetic limb is tucked beneath your normal one. You watch the others as they horse around looking like they’re really enjoying themselves. They probably didn’t realize you were there or did they even notice you join the group. Doesn’t matter really. Right now you would prefer to sit under the tree than risking your arm. Mr. Fox had explained that since it was still a prototype it was delicate. 

 “HEY!”

 You jump. Your skin feeling very confined. You turn to the voice. Jesse, you think. 

 “Sorry. Could you- can you say that again?”

 She rolls her eyes at you and you suddenly doubt the politeness of your speech but no you were pretty sure that was the correct way to say it. 

 “I said ‘can your arm go in the water?’.”

 Oh.

 “No?” You were half sure it couldn’t. You haven’t really tested it since it was easier to bathe without it. She gives you a skeptical look and yanks your arm towards her. You yelp. “Hey! What are you-” Your throat tightens when you find yourself at the dock. It’s shaky. The slightest shifting made it move. 

 You turn your heel mumbling an apology but your arm is yanked back. The grip is stronger now. You look back and see two people holding on to it. “Let go!” you say, trying to wrench yourself free. “It’s- it’s not a toy,” you add but they don’t budge.

 “You’re being a baby!”

 “C’mon (y/n)!”

 “Let’s see how well robots can swim!”

 You scream as they throw you into the water. 

 You thrash your limbs around, grasping for something, anything but all you can feel is the viscous emptiness deforming and reforming with every splash. 

 You cry out. 

 The water muffles your screams along with the distant sound of laughter and heckling. 

 Your mouth is filling with water.

 Your lungs. Your lungs are burning. 

 Your chest aches. 

 You can’t breathe. 

 Help!

 Help!

 Please!

 Someone!

 It hurts. 

 Your vision is pulsing. The edges are going dark. 

 Your limbs are going numb and falling to pieces. 

 The world is sinking. 

It’s so dark. 

 It’s too cold. 

 Why are you alone?

 Where are they?

 You don’t want to die like this. 

 .

.

.

.

.

.

You feel a large hand fish you out by the scruff of your shirt. It tosses you onto the shore; the force as you hit the ground knocks the air (water?) out of your lungs. You heave, gasping like a fish. A large silhouette hangs over you, cold dread licks up your spine but you note a lack of panic. Maybe it was the lack of oxygen. 

 Your vision comes back in pieces and by the time the world puzzles back together, you’re alone. You’re alone and shivering like a wet rat. You look around, brushing wet hair out of your eyes and you realize you’re not entirely sure of the way back. You curl in on yourself. It does nothing to warm you but you were desperate to feel whole and safe and ok. 

 You aren’t entirely sure how long it is before Jon and Damian find you or just how they managed it but you’re thankful when someone drapes a heavy towel over your head, muffling the scattered sounds around you. Shakily, you pull the towel over your face. It hides the tears well enough. Your loose hanging limbs tighten around you. You want to shrink, small enough to smooth over the trembling in your body. You know they’ve saved people from drowning before. They’ve saved people from far worse. Heck, they’ve been through far worse. You desperately don’t want them to think of you as weak, as less but here you were trembling. You’re unable to steady your own breathing. Frustration rises in the back of your throat. It is a welcome change from the nonstop medley of panic that’s been shoved on you. 

 A hand settles itself on your head, the movement stiff, light, and controlled. The pressure increases a touch when you don’t protest. Damian radiates awkwardness as he attempts to ruffle your still-damp hair. You smile up at him through damp hair. Damian simply grunts as he continues to avoid eye contact by staring out at the empty lake. 

 Jon plops down next to you kicking his feet out in front of him. He gives your space but he’s just close enough for you to lean against if you wanted to. On his shoulder was your ratty oversized hoodie. You tug at his sleeve to ask for it. He hands it to you. You slip it on, not caring that you were still soggy. The familiar, loose weight of fabric against your skin made you feel whole and safe and marginally ok. 

 Jon presses a hand onto your back mimicking the experimental way Damian had patted your damp hair. He listens to the steadying rhythm of your heart, his own easing back into a calmer rhythm. Damian raises a brow at him and he gives him a thumbs up. Damian’s shoulders loosen and Jon can’t help the snort that comes out of him. You look at him startled and Damian gives him the ol’ Damian glare which makes him laugh out loud. Your eyes flicker to Damian and then roll your eyes, crow's feet wrinkling in the corners of your eyes. You twist your mouth into a weird squiggly line in an attempt to smother a laugh in fear of incurring Damian’s wrath. Jon highly doubts you’d be able to. Damian was, in fact, a big old softie. Sure, he acts grumpy all the time but spending so much time with both Dick and Faust has made him pretty mushy by bat standards but Jon wouldn’t dare say that out loud, at least, not when Damian looked this close to throwing him into the water. 

 You spend a long time soaking up the quiet before heading back. Jon slings an arm around you but pulls it back when he hears your heart stutter. You pinch and tug at his sleeve and mumble an apology.  You see Damian shoot Jon his version of the Pennyworth look. 

 “Sorry, (y/n).”

 “‘S ok,” you rasp quietly. 

 You three walk along the shore towards the cap. You feel too tired to even blanch at the odd feeling of wet socks as you pad along the path. You walk in silence which is interrupted by a bird call here and there with either you or Jon occasionally asking Damian to translate. He does but for some reason some odd reason, they keep calling you idiot or imbeciles. You watch Damian’s eyes flick here and there. You know he feels it too. The odd feeling of being watched. The rustle of leaves echoes eerily in the stillness. 

 The counselors, mercifully, let you skip out on the rest of the afternoon’s activities. You curl up in your cabin, warm and very comfortable in the pool of fabric created by one of Mr. Kent’s hoodies which Jon ‘accidentally’ packed. You rolled your eyes at him but accepted it gratefully. You make a mental note to thank him with the mill house cookies you ‘accidentally’ bought at one of the rest stops. 

 You flip through the yellowing pages of the book in your hand. You aren’t quite sure how to describe how inappropriate it is to give a drowning victim a book on the complete works of H.P. Lovecraft. Then again, it was better than reading Moby Dick. Plus, you’re enjoying yourself trying to find a man who is about as stealthy as a Green Lantern. You’ll have to ask Damian or Jon. Damian’s more likely to have met a Green Lantern but he’s also more likely to give you a boring and entirely inaccurate answer. 

 You go back to the fish people. Do Atlanteans walk like that? Maybe.  It feels odd somehow moving around without your prosthetic limb. Lighter but infinitely more unstable.  

 “Do you think they’ll find Cat?”

 Your ears perk up. Your eyes flick to the window and you see two counselors leaning against another cabin. You shuffle awkwardly somehow moving the mass of cloth quietly. You squish against the wall making sure they can’t see you. 

 “Cat just ran off. You know how she is.”

 “That’s what Raz said.”

 “Yeah, where is he?”

 “Who knows he’s probably just fucking around in the woods. Doing Bear Grylls shit or something.”

 “Hope he comes back soon.”

 “Do you really wanna deal with that horny jackass?”

 “No but he’s the only decent cook. Do you really wanna taste what awful concoction Ratty has for us?”

 Your stomach curdles remembering Ratty’s terrible improvisation of Doro Wat. Ratty said it was their grandmother’s recipe but you doubted it. Unlike the one Jason made for you one time, it was bland. It wasn’t even close to spicy. The vegetables were overcooked while the chicken was somehow undercooked. In short, you had nearly died twice since you got here. 

 “Nope. I’d rather starve. Isn’t their cooking like a human rights violation?”

 Starvation would be a kinder death. 

 “Yeah. Anyway, I tried asking Jos. Apparently, Raz and a bunch of the other Lil shits have been fucking around in town.”

 “Is that where Jackie disappeared to?”

 “Probably.”

 Ok, so the counselors have been dropping like flies and you have yet to notice. You should probably tell Damian and Jon. Something about this seems wrong. 

“Are you ever gonna stop glaring at them?” you ask, plopping on to the log letting your empty sleeve hang loosely off to your side. 

 “Depends, have they apologized?”

 “Ye-”

 “Sincerely?”

 “Well-”

 “Then no.”

 “Ok, but does Jon have to pout at them?”

 “I’m not pouting!”

 “Wait… That’s your glare?”

 “Yeah?” Jons says furrowing his brow. 

 “Batcow’s given me better glares!”

 “Again, (l/n) is right.”

 “Thank you!”

 “Dami, who’s side are you on?”

 Damian’s lips curl into a cat-like smile, the kind you saw on Selina. “Justice.”

 Jon throws his hands up defeated. You give Damian a low five as he settles beside you. Jon takes the seat on your other side still pouting. 

 "Do you kids know the rules to surviving a horror movie?" 

 The chattering dies down and you all fall silent, turning your full attention to the counselor. Your counselor lets out an absolutely delighted squeal, clapping their hands. You don’t miss the absolute dread on your other counselor’s face. 

 “Ok so, rule 1: Be a virgin-”

 “Ratty!” Dawes, the counselor with dread on her face, squeaks elbowing Ratty, Ratchet. “Couldn’t you have worded it differently or you know, not at all?!” Ratty, the horror enthusiast counselor, rubs their arm and sticks their tongue out at Dawes who looks like she’s going to age ten years during this conversation. 

 If you thought Dawes was pale before, she nearly turns transparent with the next few words that leave your mouth. “What’s a virgin?” you blurt out. You desperately want to curl in on yourself. It wasn’t that you didn’t know. It was just your mouth runs faster than your mind.  The kids around you snicker and one of the boys behind you claps you on the shoulder, laughing loudly. You lean on Damian, hiding behind him slightly. Damian shifts so he’s shielding you more.

 Dawes sputters out her answer.  It’s hard to understand. You watch the others searching for clues for an appropriate reaction. 

 “It’s a person who’s never had intercourse,” Damian deadpans and you nod quietly. 

 Dawes’ face lights up like a Christmas tree while Ratty’s twists into pure joy. Damian rolls his eyes as the other kids laugh even louder. It takes a moment but your cheeks heat up realizing the gap in your reaction must have given them the wrong idea. You pinch the bridge of your nose and you sigh. You see Jon snort at you and you stick your tongue out at him. 

 “See, Dawes, they know.”

 “What about keeping them innocent?!” 

  “I’m not getting paid to do that,” Dawes drags her hand over her face as Ratty shrugs,” ’sides, this is life skills.” Dawes slaps Ratty on the shoulder again making them whine at the impact.  “Ok. Ok. Fine. Fine. Jeez, you hit like a son of a- Oh wait, have any of you heard about Camp Blood?”

 This gets you all to quiet down. 

 “Camp Blood? Isn’t that like a video game?”  

 “It’s like a local ghost story isn’t it?”

 “Wasn’t that the one with the fish-”

 “It’s not the fish people.”

 “Let me tell the story!”

 “Ratty, you never tell the story well. You keep making weird voices and you can’t even keep a straight face.”

 “SLANDER,” Ratty shouts, throwing up their hands. 

 “Pffft, you also gonna tell us you can cook a 5-star meal?”

 “Ok. Ok. Fine. I’ll just tell it to them straight.”

 “What? As straight as Dawes?”

 “Pffft, we’d go in circles.”

 “Hey!”

 “It’s true!”

 “You don’t have to say it.”

 “What’s the thing about Camp Blood?” Jon pipes, putting a hand over Damian’s mouth probably sensing the sharp remark he’s about to say. Damian licks his hand and Jon pulls away waving his hand like he’s been burned.  You snort then blanch when Jon rubs the spit on to your hoodie. 

 “Gather round children-”

 “Ratty, they’re in a circle get on with it.”

 “I AM TRYING TO SET THE MOOD.”

 “Jesus, ok. So, a looong time ago there was this kid named Jason Voorhes. When two counselors were fu- OW! Jeez, Dawes- Ow! Ok, fine. While two counselors were distracted, he drowned-”

 “Sounds familiar,” snipes Damian. An apologetic look crosses Dawes’ face, a confused one on Ratty’s, and sheepish one on Jos’. You squeeze his and Jon’s shoulders. 

 Ratty shakes their head. “Anyway, they never find the body so his mom comes back and hacks the new counselors into pieces as some soft of demented justice for her kid.”

 “That’s a bit of an overreaction,” Jos laughs awkwardly. The glares on them do not waver. You elbow Damian and kick Jon’s foot. Damian ignores you while Jon gives you a look of mock hurt.  You roll your eyes at him and attempt to elbow Damian a second time. Again, nothing.

 “The thing is one of the counselors actually manages to decapitate Mrs. Voorhees. She disappeared two months after though. Legend has it that Jason still roams the grounds of Camp Blood seeking revenge for his mother.”

 The air is humming, thick with the roll of thunder and  the premonition of a storm. 

 There is a dislocation in the universe. 

 Your ears pop. 

 You look at Jon who looks vaguely like his mother when she’s sniffed out a story. You look at Damian who is already sussing out every detail of the story. Your eyes meet and you all nod. 

“It has to be someone using the urban legend as some sort of cover. Or! Or maybe they’re using the urban legend to mythologize their killings,” you say, through a mouth full of contraband chocolate chip cookies. 

 Damian snatches the package from you taking a piece.“(l/n), that’s ridiculous-”

 “Yeah, we don’t even know if they’re dead yet,” Jon protests, snatching the bag from a scowling Damian. 

 “What are the odds they’re still alive?” 

 You all fall silent. “We assume they’re still alive until we see proof of the contrary,” Damian says firmly. You and Jon nod. The movement feels heavy.  

 “But what if the Jason ghost is a real thing?”

 “Possible.”

 “(l/n), don’t indulge him.”

 “Jon is literally part alien,” you protest

 “Jason has come back from the dead and Faust literally has moving tattoos,” Jon adds.

 “YOUR DAD IS LITERALLY BEST FRIENDS WITH A 5000-YEAR-OLD AMAZONIAN AND A DUDE WHO CAN LIFT BUILDINGS.”

 “Ok, fine but we should eliminate the more mundane explanations first,” Damian concedes accepting another cookie. 

 “I think we have. It’s too rapid and obvious to be a human trafficking operation.”

 “We should find the counselors first.”

 “Yeah, that’s a start.”

 “Where should we start?”

 “Abandoned cabins would be a good start,” you suggest trying not to perk up. 

 Damian glares at you and you wither. “(l/n), you’re not coming with us.”

 “You say this like (y/n)’s gonna listen,” Jon laughs. 

 “ET has a point,” you say, grinning and opening another packet. You offer Jon the first cookie as thanks. 

 “Can’t I at least be a cool alien?”

 “Nope.”

 “Will you two focus?”

 “Yeah. No.”

 Damian pinches his nose. You completely understand why people think Damian makes a convincing fifty year old. “(l/n)...”

 “Ok, fiiiine. I’ll stay out of it.”

 “Don’t even think about sneaking out.”

 You frown and nod. 

 You tiptoe through the brush, one metallic arm wrapped around you, the other hanging limply to your side flashlight clasped tight in your metallic hand.  Camp Blood isn’t too far. You silently survey a few cabins finding nothing particularly interesting aside from cobwebs and potentially dead animals. The air is musty and decayed. You sniff and rub your nose as you walk through the camp guided only by strips of moonlight. If you were to run into a murderer now, you would only have your flashlight to defend you. You didn’t like those odds. 

 You’re a deer in headlights. 

 Dry mouth. 

 Skin going cold. 

 A scream burbling in the back of your throat. 

 The lumbering figure is coming closer. 

 You know he can see you. 

 Your feet are fused to the ground. 

 The light of the machete winking at you from a distance. 

 The world turns into a blur when your back hits the rotting wood of the abandoned cabin. 

 “What did I say about sneaking out?” Damian hisses, arm pressed on your neck. You blink. A flood of relief crowds your chest. 

 You sling your arms around him and he stiffens. You explain away the surprised little yelp as something animal and not something from your friend. “I didn’t sneak out. I went to the bathroom then I wandered off,” you mumble. 

 “How exactly is that different?” 

 “Less tiptoeing.” 

 "Funny."

 "It is."

 "Have you seen Kent?"

 "Sadly no."

 "Shit- Don't tell Grayson."

 "The fact that you swore or the fact that you somehow lost Superman's kid" 

 He glares at you and you can't help but shrug. 

 "Both." 

 "Fair," you say, pausing for half a breath.”Did you find the hostages?”

 Damian’s face falls then hardens then you know better than to ask him.  

 “We should find Jon,” Damian says finally. You flick your eyes and shake your head pushing down the urge to make fun of his slip. You’ll tell Jon later. 

 You two walk together, shoes in hand. It was easier. Maybe after this, you’ll ask Tim to teach you how to sneak around. 

 The sound of crashing wood fills the still night air. You and Damian freeze. 

 “JON.” Damian is the first to launch himself towards a cabin. You shamble behind him, plodding through the muddy earth as fat droplets of rain splashing down.   You would have blanched at the squishing but all you could think about was Jon.  

“Jon!”

 “Dami! (y/n)!”

 “Are you ok?”

 “I’m in a hole. What do you think?”

 You look him over as best you can in the dark. Damian seems to be having a better time. “You’re not in pain, so yeah.”

 Jon huffs, shifting around in the pile of clothes. His nose wrinkles.“This jumper smells like something died in it," he says holding up a particularly old looking sweater. It's blotchy with various stains around the neck. 

 “Check for a pulse!” you shout, earning a sharp jab to the rib from Damian. You glare and rub your chest.

“Guys, I don’t wanna alarm you but I’m pretty sure there’s a decapitated head down here”

 “I’m sorry, can you repeat that?” Damian asks incredulously. Your skin drains of all color and warmth. 

 “Do you want the good news or bad news?”

 “That’s not-”

 “Where in that pile of bloody clothes did you get good news?”

 “Good news is he’s not here,” Jon says, eyes sweeping around.”Bad news, he’s actually real.”

 “Stop messing around and get out of there, Kent!”

 “Jon, come on! Fly or something!”

 “My powers are going-” Jon jumps. But only manage to just fall back down. “I can’t fly.”

 Damian groans. He pinches his nose and goes off to look for something to pull Jon up with.

 “Why do you think your powers aren’t working?”

 Jon shrugs. “Magic?” This place is cursed. 

 “We are dealing with a ghost,” you shrug back. You all freeze. The sound of distant footsteps making your heart race.

 “Dami!” you hiss, over your shoulder. 

 “I can’t find anything!”   

 “Wait,” you say, unfastening your arm and reaching down to Jon. Damian grabs hold of it with both hands and you two start pulling Jon up. 

 The footsteps are getting louder, closer. 

 "Hurry!" you hiss quietly. 

 Your hearts are racing. 

 You pull, Jon getting closer. 

 He’s almost in arm’s reach. 

 The man is getting closer. 

 You can hear his breathing. 

 You pull Jon up, feet kicking. You wrestle him into a hug with one arm, making a little happy squeal into his hair low enough that only they can hear. Damian nudges you with your arm. 

 “Well that was scary,” Jon whispers into your shoulder. Damian smacks him upside the head. You laugh but cut yourself off when you see Damian stiffen. “RUN!”

 You all scramble up and begin to dash away. You look back over your shoulder, machete winking at you, hockey mask visible in the dim light. 

 You stumble, feet getting tangled in roots. You yelp,  bracing for impact and possibly dying.  You feel arms scoop you up. You squeak. “No one gets left behind, soldier,” Jon says grinning. 

 “How are you still a goof when we’re about to die?” you laugh incredulously. 

 “He clearly gets it from his father.”

 “ Pfffft, probably or maybe it's an alien thing.”

 “Are you really gonna make fun of me, right now?” Jon protests, shouting over the rain. 

 “You two! This way!” Damian points to a small hole in the hillside.

 “I’m too tall for that!” Damian glares.

 You snort. “Just duck.” Jon scowls at you then sighed. 

 You all slide into a small crevice and hunched together. 

 “What’s the plan?”

 “Jon, are your powers working?”

 “Kind of?”

 “Ok, that’s one thing we have going for us,” Damian hands you a phone. "You call while we distract him." 

 "Why do you have to distract him?" 

 "Ask him yourself, (l/n)."

 Your eyes sweep up to the tall figure. Your mouth goes completely dry. 

 "Fuck." 

 Jason brings his machete down in a swift arc light. You grab Damian by the scruff of his shirt. The machete embeds itself into the wall, getting caught in the process. Your moment of relief doesn’t last long when Jason lunges for you.  You scream as he catches your arm. With a soft click it detaches and you scramble away and out the hole into the pouring rain. He’s hot on your heels. You hear a loud thud. You look over your shoulder. Jon’s resting against the wall, head slumped. You see him throw Damian to the ground. You call 9-11 as you hurl your shoe at him. The dial tone is ringing. When you look up again, Jason is heading towards you. You stumble barefoot trying to get away. Predictably, you fall, foot catching on another tangle of roots.  

  “Hello? Hello? Is anyone out there?”

 “Please help,” you whisper as Jason raises your arm to the sky. Your life flashes through like a film reel. Your breath is caught. Lightning flashes. 

 You watch the lightning cut through the heavens. The silver streak of light connecting might your arm and by extension Jason.  The arm explodes. Shrapnel flies everywhere. Jason bursts into flames. The smell of burning flesh cutting through the air. You watch in open-mouthed horror as another bolt of lightning hits. He falls body fried to a crisp. You wretch the smell still strong. 

 "Kid! Kid! Are you ok?" 

 "No…" you gasp, bile lining the back of your throat, "please,hurry. We're at Camp Blood." 

You’re cold and wet and forced to huddle into one blanket since the officer who responded only had one on hand.  Damian is talking on the phone. It’s hard to make out amidst the pouring rain, so you settle in letting Jon rest his head on your shoulder as he drifts to sleep. The officer said the rest of the force is coming to collect the bodies. The camp is most likely gonna be shut down for the summer. You weren’t keen on spending the entire summer with your cousins. 

 “I’ve informed father that you’re staying with us for the rest of the summer.”

 “Informed?” you laugh, relieved, ”good luck telling Jon that.”

 You both eye him. Jon snores into your ear and you can’t help but smile. “He’ll be fine.”

   Bonus

 The map in Jon’s hands crinkles loudly as he shuffles through it trying to find the correct route. You know the route. You memorized it before you even set off. You did it instead of studying for finals. It was certainly more entertaining than studying for a US history final when you already knew it was just gonna be about the American Revolution, World War II, and probably the Vietnam war. You hold back the snicker threatening to spill from your lips when, with each crinkle of the Dollar Store map, Damian’s brow twitched. Yes, this was the purpose of the map. It was most certainly doing its job well. 

 “You think they’ll still have the same dumb camp activities?”

 “You say this like you weren’t squealing to try all of them.”

 “Was not!”

 “Dunno,  Jon,  Dami has a pretty good memory.”

 Your car rolls to a stop in front of a cross-section. You drum your fingers against the steering wheel before you let curiosity override your self-preservation. 

 “How did you convince Dami to come along?”

 Jon tilts his head at you in question. “I didn’t,” he says slowly, “I thought you did.”

 Your passenger goes deadly silent. You both twist your bodies to look at him. Jon gives him a knowing smile while you give him a reassuring one that says ‘it’s ok you can tell us’. Damian avoids all eye contact like the plague, glaring at the window like there’s a particularly interesting speck of dust on it.  

 His eyes narrow. And you have the odd urge to follow his gaze. 

 The trees shift. 

 The pressure in the car builds. 

 Jon’s laughter stalls. 

 A shape flickers in the distance. 

 Your ears pop. 

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

a/n: THANKS FOR READING! Yes, reader has a prosthetic limb because I was reading 3 birds. Also, this can be treated as pre-slash. Epilogue is up for interpretation. Probably. Also fun fact, Faust is the basis for merc reader. I could not resist putting her in. 

Tag list:  @batarella, @anothertimdrakestan, @lucy-roo, @multifandomgirl-us, @idkmanicantenglish,@birdy-bat-writes,  @boosyboo9206, @americasmarauders , @l-inkage, @arestorationofbalance , @cloudie-skay, @wunderstell @hyp-oh-critical

[sneezyminniejo]

can u pls do one where txt go to an award show and an senior idol( you can just make on up) starts harrasing taehyun or something but tae dosent say anything to the members but later they find out…

ty for this

Hear it is hope you enjoy.

TW, bullying

You're Not the Weakest

The members of TXT were absolutely ecstatic. They had just won two MAMA's. It was super exciting for them because it was their first time winning a major annual award, and they won two of them.

At some point Taehyun got a bit overwhelmed with the excitement of two wins, so he excused himself to the bathroom for a moment of solitude.

Taehyun was splashing some water on his face, when an idol he didn't really recognize entered the bathroom. "Hello sunbaenim." Taehyun gave a slight bow to the idol. He didn't really know this other idol, but knew he was from a group and had been in the industry longer than he had.

"Congratulations on your wins I guess. Especially since you didn't deserve it." Taehyun didn't initially respond to the comment and grabbed a paper towel when the other continued.

"Your group is far too you to really have achieved anything. Not to mention no one in your group can sing, dance, or rap. Least of all you. You were extremely sloppy on stage." The other idol finished what he was doing, pushed Taehyun into the bathroom sink harshly and left the bathroom. Leaving Taehyun to digest the words that were just said to him.

It took Taehyun a moment to also realize he had been shoved rather hard into the counter. He lifted his shirt to see a welt beginning to form in his side. He did his best to shrug off what had just happened, then left the bathroom to rejoin his members in their dressing room.

The others were still very much celebrating their wins and Taehyun did his best to be just as enthusiastic, although he was now questioning his own abilities, wondering if they truly had deserved to win both awards.

About an hour later the group arrived back at the dorm and wanted to continue celebrating. Taehyn wasn't feeling it and decided to hit the hay. He bid the others good night and went to his and Kai's shared room, got changed, then cried himself to sleep.

The next day Taehyun wasn't feeling particularly great. He knew it was because he let what the other idol said get to him, but he couldn't bring himself to ignore it. He left his room and went to make breakfast for the group, even though he didn't feel like eating himself.

It didn't take long at all for the others to pick up on Taehyun's bad mood. “Taehyun, are you feeling okay? You seem off.” Soobin asked and Taehyun nodded. “I feel fine, hyung. I’m just not super hungry. I might be coming down with something.” Taehyun kept his eye on his phone, so he missed the looks of his members not fully believing him, but they didn’t press any further.

Dance practice was a mess to say the least. Taehyun kept missing his cues and he eventually tripped over his own two feet. Once Yeonjun helped the younger up, he put his hand on his forehead. "You don't have a fever Taehyun, but I don't think you're in any condition to continue practice today. Go to one of the other studios where it'll be quiet and lie down for a while." Taehyun nodded and gathered his things, not noticing the concerned looks from the others as he left the room.

Taehyun made his way to the studio he normally does his vlives in, and immediately got himself situated on the couch. He winced at the pain on his side as he lay down and began crying. It was obvious that what the idol from the previous night had said was true seeing as dance practice had been such a disaster. A few minutes later, while in the middle of crying Taehyun fell asleep.

Back in the dance studio, the other four only managed to get through another half hour before they decided to call it quits for the day. “Taehyunnie’s been very off today. Far more than he usually is even when sick.” Beomgyu said. The other three nodded in agreement, and decided to make a plan to try and cheer the second youngest up.

Since they decided to call it quits for the day, the four members decided to arrange a fun afternoon for Taehyun in order to hopefully bring him out of his funk. They decided that Taehyun would get to pick where they were going to eat lunch and then they had a list of fun activities planned that he could choose from. Kai went to the studio to grab Taehyun.

When Kai arrived at the studio he heard what sounded like muffled whimpers. He gently knocked on the door and opened it up preparing to engulf his hyung in a hug. However, when he opened the door, the scene before him shattered him even more.

Taehyun was curled up on the couch seemingly asleep, but crying. At some point, his shirt rode up. Thus, exposing the giant bruise in the middle of his side. Kai quickly texted the others to come to the studio, as Taehyun appeared to be in pain, and he wasn’t quite sure how to proceed.

The others arrived quickly and were equally heartbroken at the sight before them. Yeonjun approached the younger and began running his fingers through his hair to gently coax to wakefulness.

It didn’t take too long for Yeonjun to wake up Taehyun. “Hey sleepy head. We decided to end practice early today and let you plan the rest of the afternoon, but first I think we need to talk.” Yeonjun gently told Taehyun, who started crying.

Yeonjun engulfed the younger in a hug. “It’s okay Hyunnie. You’re not in trouble. Kai saw the bruise on your side and we wanted to ask how you got it.” The gentle and comforting words from Yeonjun seemingly calmed Taehyun down. Beomgyu handed him a bottle of water, then the group waited for Taehyun to speak.

Taehyun was reluctant to tell everyone what happened, but knew that they weren’t going to just let it go, so he began to speak. “I got the bruise last night at the award show. There was another idol in the bathroom who said that we didn’t deserve the win and that I’m the weakest link in the group. He then shoved me really hard into the counter before he left.” The others were shocked to hear that he had been bullied by another idol and Soobin began prodding for more details on who it was.

Taehyun told him, and then Soobin texted Namjoon asking for more details on the idol and his group. When he got a response he spoke. “Taehyun, Namjoon told me that the idol that bullied you is from a group that debuted around the same time as them and only ever won one award when they were rookies and that it was by a fairly narrow margin. He was probably just jealous that we won two awards and took it out on you cause you were there. Namjoon said that he will contact the group and have a talk with them about his behavior.”

Taehyun only looked somewhat placated before Beomgyu added. “Also Hyunnie, there’s no way you’re the weakest link. Remember last fall when we were on Kiss the Radio? Soobin had that bad cold and you agreed to cover his part so he could rest his voice. You went as far as writing the lyrics on your cast so you would know the lyrics exactly.” Everybody laughed a little at the memory before telling Taehyun their own reasons for why he couldn’t possibly be the weakest link

“Thanks guys. I’m feeling better now. I was thinking maybe we could spend the afternoon at the dorm and have a Mario Kart tournament followed by Mario Party?” The others were quick to agree. They all left the company building in higher spirits than before, arguing over who was going to crush who in the video game tournament.

[softliebgott]

Hello! I'd like to ask a dvd commentary about this part☺️. This is one of my favorites Speirs fic (and probably one of the best I have ever read) and this is definitely me favorite part. I'd really like to read your thoughts about it💕

He was tired. He could not feel himself. It was all someone else’s skin. Images of wounded or dead comrades were woven into the patchwork quilt of his mind, and he knew it pained you to see him like this. He existed in a thousand agonies, but he tried to pretend he was alright and that he would be, not only for you, but for the men that followed him.

In ordinary life, a man would never see his buddy’s limbs blown off into the trees, or a person explode into thin air, nothing left of him. It was something he could not ever forget, or put into words. Just thinking about it sickened him. All of the men out there saw the same damn thing, but if you couldn’t handle it, you couldn’t be a soldier. He had no choice but to ignore it.

At night, when a battle was over and all was abnormally quiet, he thought of who got hit, who got killed. Who he killed. The silence trapped him like a bug in tree sap, heavy and cloying, and he was so tired of fighting what it allowed to invade his mind. To feel anything deranged him. To be seen feeling anything stripped him naked. He didn’t let anyone see him. He couldn’t let his guard down. He had men to lead. There was a war to be won. He gulped pain to avoid making others taste it.

But you saw how he was, and he knew it. He saw how you were, and you knew it. You both wanted to protect each other, both knowing each of you were tougher than you let on. You had almost three years worth of ghosts living in you; their blood staining your vision like sun spots, and their dead eyes always trying to capture yours. Yet, you managed to stay soft, like a flower enduring a storm, and he admired you for it. Loved you for it. He loved you as fire loved innocence. He loved you in spite of the deep fears that this war would divide both of you.

He knew he was allowed to be vulnerable around you; to be held by you as if he were a fragile, faded rose, but he wanted to stay strong for you. To protect you. But this time he couldn’t.

A single, lukewarm tear escaped his eye and cut a clean line through the dirt and cam cream on his cheek.

CHRIST this is the angstiest shit i’ve ever written. speirs just…hits different with me. there’s so many layers to him ✨layers he prolly built up in self defense for his trauma✨

i’m about to go Feral i love this man

basically this short ficlet was like a character analysis, almost. i dove really deep into what i thought his mind could be like. i remember i also did some research on other vets’ darker stories to kind of shimmy more comfortably into his mindset (once i knew what i was in for it was just mario kart’s 3, 2, 1 🟢go🟢)

i remember i chose that certain gif of him for the fic because That Scene is a perfect example of him…kind of openly showing his trauma almost without meaning to - like he didn’t realize. i mean everything that he has seen and done, he’s having to hold it in like putting tape over the holes in an aquarium. but eventually there will be leaks…and then full on Floods of Emotional Disaster

everything i wrote in that passage came from me just studying his eyes in that gif - what he was probably thinking. especially the first paragraph in what you sent me

this man was immortalized by his fearless actions. i don’t think i’ll ever perfectly capture or understand How he was so courageous and didn’t hesitate to do like anything???? of course it could be he just wanted to get his comrades through the day but in the end i wonder how did he get like that??? something in the way he grew up?? he was so open to doing every brutal thing (especially the stories that made him a legend) and i’m like sir are you okay do you have a wish to endlessly flirt with and tease death?

i also loved to explore the concept of him only being soft around the love of his life and feeling safe enough to cry in front of them. the amount of Trust you’d have to have from this man. he can’t be easy to get to know because of all the defensive walls he built. like if you get this man to open up you might as well have access to the damn universe. plus he’d be so fiercely overprotective (like we saw with grant) that it’s scary but also like 😏Hey There😏

he’s been so strong for everyone around him?? he became the definition of a “perfect soldier.” that’s a hard reputation to keep up with, but he did it. he kept his struggles hidden so well that it’s sad 😔 so if this man ever breaks down around you, he basically trusts you with his life ✨don’t ever take that for granted, you have his heart and soul and every fiber of his being✨

also i’m so soft for the fact that winters had to convince speirs to come to a reunion despite his ✨war crimes✨ because speirs was scared of getting arrested

i could go on and this was probably a Mess but Anon i loved answering this and i hope it’s what you were looking for!! please come back and visit 🤙🏻💖💖💖💖💖

pick a passage from any fic i’ve ever written and i’ll give some dvd-like commentary! 😃

[pinnochiro]

pinn reviews - final fantasy xv

a long ramble about final fantasy fifteen that sort of looks like a review, as written by someone who finished the game fifteen minutes ago and needs to get these words out of his head. spoilers inbound.

i'm a pretty big fan of video games. i don't know what my first was, but it was probably either banjo and kazooie or mario kart 64, at my cousin's house when i was very small. i think that video games as a medium are so interesting, since the fact that video games are inherently interactive changes the way that they tell any story. it's a shame that despite loving video games so much, i'm absolutely terrible at them.

i'm absolute dogshit at video games. whenever i boot up something new, i always play on easy mode because. i'm that bad. unfortunately, this means that a lot of video games are simply. impossible for me to beat. that's fine, as at the moment i live with my good friend lizz, who is certifiably Good at Video Games, and so we've been playing video games together for a little bit now. typically this means that she will actually play the majority of the game while i sit with her and watch, but occasionally i'll have a go, but she'll end up with the controller as soon as a boss fight or puzzle or a mechanic i just can't seem to grasp shows up. we recently played through the entirety of the kingdom hearts series together, and this was an absolute blast of a time. i'm glad to say that i adore kingdom hearts now, and it's become one of my hyperfixations, which you might be able to tell from my icon. but we'd finished the kingdom hearts series, and we were left to move onto something else. we'd also played final fantasy 7 remake, so in my wisdom, i suggested that we play another final fantasy game.

we looked through the ff games that were already purchased on our consoles thanks to lizz's uncle, and eventually, we decided that we should play. all of them. however to start, we were going to play final fantasy xv, 15, and work our way backwards through the mainline, single-player games.

i'd heard that xv wasn't very good, but honestly, i was still quite curious. one person who i'd been following on twitter for years was pretty obsessed with the main party members, to the point where i knew their names and what-not even though i didn't have much of an idea what the game itself was about. i remember watching a video by supereyepatchwolf a few years ago about how the game sucked, but i couldn't remember much of the details, and i knew, based on my obsession with kingdom hearts, that xv had started as a different game called final fantasy versus xiiv. i don't know all the details about versus thirteen, but i do know that it was originally helmed by the creator of my beloved kingdom hearts, mr tetsuya nomura, and that after many years, the vast majority of the game was thrown out, nomura wasn't in charge any more, and the whole thing was rewritten and reworked, which sounds like a fairly rough development cycle. but so what, i don't care about gameplay. i want to play the video game with those cute guys that i see fanart of on twitter, and lizz seemed happy enough to play through it with me.

and so we started final fantasy xv. i've been told that since the game was practically dead on arrival, they threw in a bunch of new content and reworked a lot of the early game before i got my hands on it. so my gameplay started with a scene of the four guys fighting some demon dude on fire and they're all old and grotty. whatever, that cutscene ends and we're put into a combat tutorial. that's over and we're on the road in what looks to be central america, pushing a car.

our four leading lads are noctis, the prince of the lucis empire, his best friend prompto, his bodyguard, gladio, and his chef and other things, ignis. i do quite like the main four members of the party in xv. prompto is quite easily my favourite, voiced by robbie daymond of goro akechi fame and with a bunch of fun little animations and quips that make him very likeable. he gets extremely excited at the idea of riding chocobos and has what i considered the best scene of the game, where he and noctis meet on a motel rooftop and discuss prompto's imposter syndrome, since he's only part of noctis' official retinue as his best friend. noctis is a fairly typical main protagonist, he's in love with a woman he hasn't seen in eight years and needs to go marry her or something, i don't care. gladio is a tough macho man with a mullet who wears leather jackets and wields a greatsword, and is apparently only 22, which is at least 10 years younger than i assumed. ignis is a strategist and chef, who takes on the most authoritative role and constantly tells noctis to not drive his car at night. i was not a fan of ignis at the start, but he grew on me, especially with how hard the game hit me with his personal arc. the four boys are off, driving to noctis' wedding in a different country across the desert when their car breaks down. we then run into the first issue of the game.

cindy is a mechanic. she also has her ass and tits out constantly, like your sleazy uncle's shirt with a naked woman was instead semi-alive as a video game person. she fixes your car and acts fairly sexual and it's just like. why do we have to do this. aren't we over overtly sexualised women in video games who have no reason for the way they dress other than the character designer was horny? whatever, i like women as much as the next guy, but cindy's design just. makes me feel so uncomfortable.

anyways you get to do a little driving around with the boys, until you stay the night before catching the boat to your fiance. overnight, you find out that noctis' kingdom has been basically destroyed by an invading empire called niflheim, and practically everyone noctis knows, including his father, are dead. you learn that noctis and his bride to be are also assumed dead, with noctis hearing his own death announcement on the radio. the game has a bunch of added cutscenes that are actually footage from the three-hour-long prequel movie that came out after the game, are extremely hard to follow and honestly i had no idea what i was looking at. anyways, noctis' family is dead, so it's time to do some hunting sidequests.

that brings us to the combat, i suppose. rather than the turn-based or even active turn-based combat that the series is known for, xv opts for more modern action rpg-styled combat. i was, naturally, terrible at this, but i managed to get around it with the fact that. it is almost impossible to die in this video game, provided you have enough items. the game allows you so much time to heal yourself that there's practically no way to have your entire party wipe unless you're doing absolutely terrible, and even then, your party members will probably try and heal you themselves before that happens. lizz tells me that the combat is boring, you just push the same button over and over and then you win. i do appreciate that, for someone like me who is terrible at reading enemy movements, there is a giant button that pops up on screen that tells you when to push the block button, but even then i was prone to fucking it up. whether that's the bad game design or my terrible gaming abilities is up to you to decide. anyways, the game is fairly easy but has annoying combat, your teammates limit breaks will only land about 50% of the time (or never, if you are gladio) and i was still bad at it, so i didn't have all that much fun.

instead of an active levelling system, the game will only tally your character's level ups when you either make camp or visit a hotel. camping is, in my opinion, the only saving grace of this game. each time you make camp, you get to see the characters doing fun little camping activities together and just hanging out, ignis will cook up a new meal in a dramatic fashion and everyone will compliment him and eat it off their coleman's branded plates, it's just very fun. you also get to see what pictures prompto has taken, which is one of my favourite gameplay features. prompto's passion is photography, and while i support him in this wholeheartedly, his picture taking skills are, quite frankly, awful. the game will randomly take shots while you're on the move, which leaves you with a delightful selection of awkward poses, characters hidden behind bushes, pictures taken while someone is half-dead in combat, and snaps where the natural lighting absolutely makes it impossible to tell what's going on. it's hilarious and going through prompto's collection of photos each night is honestly the best part of the game. we managed to wind up with a few shots that, even despite being scripted events, turned out absolutely terrible, and i will cherish those forever.

anyways, since noctis' father and fiance are dead, that leaves him the king of lucis. the only important person to make it out of the capital alive tells you to drive to the middle of nowhere, where he randomly springs on you. hey. go into a bunch of these dungeons and absorb a bunch of swords, this is your destiny as king and how you will defeat the empire. noctis goes, uh, alright i guess, and you're set loose again to wander around for a bit collecting the 'royal arms'. this plot point wasn't explained well but hey, whatever, we're collecting the glowy swords and that's fine.

you're introduced at some point to ardyn, the main antagonist. he's old, kind of groady and wears a fedora. he's a dick to you and talks about his automobeeel. apparently my friend miri thinks he's hot, she is wrong.

i can't remember what happens specifically but you're told that your fiance is still alive and in fantasy venice, and she's talking to the gods on your behalf to borrow their powers. there's a mission where you follow some purple trees that are electric, and you do that i guess. i enjoyed riding the chocobos around, but couldn't care much for the plot at this point. ardyn leads you to a volcano, where you fight a giant lava god. he tries to step on you and i, a denizen of the internet and with an active fear of foot fetishists, was extremely uncomfortable. noctis becomes friends with foot man and a lightning god who lived in those trees, and ardyn steals your car.

very upset by this, noctis and his gang risk everything to sneak into a military base and steal it back. because this is a video game, this works out fine.

there's a little mining city which is all about Girl Power, because all the Women run the Mining Industry like Girl Bosses, and you hang around there for a bit. because all the women are so Empowered, they wear bikinis all the time with overalls over the top. gladio decides he needs to fuck off for a bit, i have no idea what he does since i haven't played the dlc, and then he comes back with another scar. you hang out with his sixteen year old sister, who has a crush on the engaged and 20-year old noctis, and then you drive her to a lighthouse. when she's in your party, she can't really fight, but she gets a pink chocobo and i thought that was very cute. we turned out own chocobo white and lizz named him 'jones' after a mount she has in ffxiv.

eventually, you have a long boat ride over to fantasy venice. this is the part where the game stops being 'fun with a few issues in combat and a rushed and poorly told story.' the open world, which was a main feature with a bunch of little areas to find where noctis can fish, little hunting sidequests and random photo spots where prompto takes touristy photos, is now gone, and it will not return for the entire rest of the game. you can 'go back in time', but the open world was the most enjoyable part of the game, and it kind of really sucks that the main story doesn't let you have any more freedom like that.

after arriving in fantasy venice, you have a talk with fantasy hillary clinton and beg her to let your girlfriend summon a god into the middle of her city. hillary agrees, and you don't get to meet up with your fiance, because even if the game is constantly telling you how much noctis loves her, there is. barely any interactions between the two in the entire game. from what i can tell, they met when noctis was a child and they haven't seen each other in ten years but are still fantasy dog pen-pals. noctis marrying her was supposed to make an alliance or something like that, but her brother has betrayed her to the army. noctis' girlfriend is also an oracle, which means she can heal people, i guess? everyone talks about how important she is and she's constantly telling people that she needs to use her powers to help noctis but she's practically a non-entity.

as can be expected of most female love interests in a game primarily focused on men, noctis' fiance is killed while summoning a god for noctis to befriend. noct gets very mad about this, and turns super saiyan and kills the god back, but his girlfriend is dead and that's super sad you guys. there's a beautiful prerendered cutscene where she says goodbye to noctis but since we barely know her, and we've only been told over and over that they're in love without anything to actually well, show this, it didn't have much of an impact. fantasy venice is destroyed, and ignis is blinded while trying to help calm the giant raging god.

iggy's blindness and how the game makes you account for this and grow to care for him was one of the highlights, in my opinion, as well as crushingly depressing. while i'm not disabled and have no right to say if this was 'good disabled representation' or anything like that, i believe that the game handles it decently enough. the group falls apart as noctis is upset about his girlfriend, gladio is extremely mad that noctis won't care for ignis, and prompto just wants everyone to get along. there's a mission where gladio constantly yells at you passive aggressive things to noctis about how he's a cunt for running, which is obnoxious, but the character arc itself is fairly strong. when you make camp, ignis can't cook anymore, so everyone eats cup noodles in a depressing ass cutscene. ignis remains in your party for the rest of the game despite his disability, and he doesn't magically regain his sight like other fantasy media would do, which at the very least i think is good. i'm not sure what the opinion of actual disabled people is of the character, considering how often disabled characters are either turned into misery porn to make the abled audience be glad that isn't them and if ignis' arc falls into this trap, but i hope that it wasn't handled too poorly, as that would just be another terrible mark in this game's list of bad moves.

the characters eventually make it to the evil empire's capital, which is abandoned and filled with daemons. the characters learn that ardyn is super evil and taught the king of the empire how to turn humans into daemons, which has now happened to the entire city. the 'magitek suits', presumed to be enchanted armour that fights as the empire's infantry, actually house the souls of the human-turned daemons. honestly i like this as a plot point but the game handles it pretty terribly. there could have been more lead up to this, the explanation is pretty lacking, and prompto's Big Plot Twist is. terribly handled. turns out that prompto was born in the empire and was going to be one of those empty soldier daemons, but he was rescued by people belonging to noctis' empire. not that the game tells you that. instead, prompto goes 'turns out i'm one of ... them' and Does Not Elaborate. The game doesn't tell you shit, not about prompto's past, not about how he feels about this, not about how anyone else feels about this either because the other party members just go 'oh that sucks, good thing you're not evil' and the scene ends. robbie daymond tries so hard to sell these terrible, terrible lines, and it almost entirely fails, i'm so sorry prompto. fortunately because i'm a nosy ass, i read prompto's wikia page and knew the plot twist ahead of time, because i don't think i would have even registered it if i didn't.

anyways everyone in the evil empire is dead and ardyn starts talking about how he's immortal and an ancient king of noctis' country but the gods thought he sucked because he's too evil. i missed most of this because the cats got the zoomies and were dashing across the couch right in the middle of his speech so i can't tell you anything else. noctis tries to get a big magic crystal to fight him and instead. gets schlorped inside.

TEN YEARS LATER

yes then ten years actually pass while noctis is asleep. the game shows this by switching the head on noctis' character model to have a beard, but that's it, no changes in animations or whatever. the sky is permanently night and only one human civilisation remains, the rest destroyed by daemons. as a plot point, this ends up feeling. extremely worthless. why was noctis asleep for ten whole goddamn years? so we can wake up and go 'damn it sucks out here'. but it's barely even a like, incentive to fix everything, because you have a long talk with a former child you were friends with where he talks about how humanity is still going fine and everyone's okay and the world has moved on without you. it feels. pointless. when you meet up with your party members, they are exactly as you left them, only with slightly different character models. there is no change in the voice performance, the character's movements or how they talk to show that they've been without you for ten years. they barely mention it. i'm just. so confused as to why they decided that a ten year timeskip was the way to go? since nothing really changes, couldn't you have made it like, two years? one year? six months?? have the characters react a little more? something??? at least if it was only a year or so i wouldn't have to deal with the fact that noctis looks like norman reedus with his shitty facial hair now.

anyways after that there's a bunch of long and boring boss fights. you fight some dead kings for some reason, your party members get a little bit to talk about how cool they are and how much they love noctis, and then you meet up with ardyn. there's another boring boss fight and god this was only a few hours ago but it's already gone from my head. you summon the gods and the old kings to beat the shit out of him after you both go super saiyan again? there's incredible music but it feels barely earned and just kind of eh. anyways, noctis dies, which was the price of using the crystal of light or whatever the fuck. his ghost marries his fiance's ghost finally, and they smile as they look at one of prompto's pictures. you can pick any picture you want to go here, and then the credits roll, showing all of the pictures you saved of prompto's shots. showing me all the pictures at the end is honestly lovely, but it really only served to remind me of how much more fun the game was in the first half. and that's the end, of final fantasy xv.

so what did i think of the story? it's terribly cobbled together and struggles to get you to feel anything and play out all the plot beats. you feel awful for the countless employees who spent years working on the beautiful cutscenes only to have them be in this game, which sucks and the story barely gets through. there were parts that i enjoyed, mostly the thing about the daemons being people, but honestly the rest of it is a mess. it's hard to follow at the best of times and just awkward and terribly written at the worst. the ending is cheap, and it doesn't feel like you've actually accomplished anything. i left that game feeling numb and empty, sad that i'd wasted so much time to end up with such a colossal failure of a conclusion.

i had fun with the game when it was my four little guys running around doing sidequests and camping together. after the midway point of the game, there's none of that, and you're bogged down into a plot that just pushes you from point a to point b and boring overlong bossfight to boring overlong bossfight. the character moments between your party are a lot of fun, but the second you hit fantasy venice, everything is pretty much on rails and you can't do anything except what the game tells you explicitly to do.

should you play this game? no lol. if anything i've mentioned about the story interests you, you'll be better off watching a lore video or reading the wiki. if you do want to play it after all that, just don't proceed after the myrthril refining quest, it's pretty much all downhill from there. will i play the dlc? unlikely, i think lizz and i will just watch a cutscene movie of those.

this game left me feeling empty and numb and not in a fun way. i wanted, so, so hard to like this game, and it all crashed around me in a beautifully overproduced and confusingly written cascade. i love you prompto, but even your cute little freckly face and terrible photography can't save this trainwreck of a game.

tl;dr - final fantasy xv sucks. i hope that 13, our next ff game, will be better.

[honeym4rk]

station (jjh)

college! jaehyun x reader word count: 3.0k summary: four times you find yourself alone with jaehyun at a bus station.

There is comfort in the silence.

With every step you take, there is a crunch of fallen, juniper leaves at your feet. Your canvas tote bag is looped around your shoulder, your fingers clinging to the straps like it would shield you from the awkwardness of the current circumstances.

He’s got his hands hidden in the cavity of his hoodie. His knuckle cracking is sporadic, and you cringe at just how many times they’ve made an encore in the past two minutes.

You really should have begged Mark to tag along and leave the shindig so that this wouldn’t have happened- but alas, the boy was still hooked by the prospect of winning the next round of Mario Kart against Donghyuck. ‘It does some good to my self-esteem,’ he’d said. 

So here you are, sauntering bashfully to the bus stop with Jaehyun.

“So, uh- what bus are you taking?” You muster up the courage to speak up after a few minutes of painful reticence. 

“I’d have to take 922 or 153 from the opposite stop to get back to hall,” he sighs. It’s clear that he reciprocates the weird, distinctive tension here.

“And you?” He faces you with his raised eyebrows and you’re baffled by the sudden eye contact made. Your eyes dart elsewhere.

“Oh, I’m taking 922 from here.” You nod your head imperceptibly at the bus stop ahead of you.

A few metres away, there’s a zebra crossing, and you thank your lucky stars that you’re finally about to part ways. Oh, you’re sure Jaehyun is a nice person and all, but that doesn’t change the fact that the unspoken, kind enmity in the air is capable of being taut so hard around your neck that you asphyxiate. 

Ten more steps. Come on.

Five steps. 

Three steps.

“I’ll see you next ti-” 

Yet he doesn’t stop at the crossing. Instead, he continues his stride in tandem with yours towards the station. You stop in your tracks, slowly gesturing towards the beaconing street light with the hand you raised to bid adieu. 

“Aren’t you going to, you know..?” Eyes hinting at the yellow streaks of light, at the bus stop across the road, anywhere away from his own. Jaehyun notices your halt and follows suit.

“Well, I mean, Mark did ask me to see that you got home safe....”

You immediately wrack your brain for an appropriate response to his chivalry. It’s unclear how you should react; he really caught you by surprise. And from the way he’s gnawing at his inner lip and raising a hand to scratch the nape of his neck, you infer that he’s abashed too. All you manage is a small, “Oh,” as more silence ensues, before you start to blabber,

“No, no, thanks, Jaehyun, but it’s really fine, you don’t have to.”

His lips are taut into a firm, straight line and he lets out a surreptitious hum.

“Let me just wait ‘til you board your bus. Is that okay? It’s getting pretty late.”

You want to vehemently object. 

And you’re about to, but you let out a consenting “Yeah, alright.”

He’s invading your desiderated solace- yet something about his offer seems so genuine and saccharine that you comply out of curiosity. You’d heard things about Jaehyun around in school before, good things, especially seeing that he was well acquainted with your friends like Mark, but you’d never really encountered him until tonight, thanks to Donghyuck’s birthday celebration. Being a Linguistics student, fate hadn’t really presented many opportunities for him to meet someone majoring in Pharmacy. 

Therefore- you think to yourself- it wouldn’t be so bad. It’s unlikely that you’ll actually talk to him again, since you’ll probably never be within a radius of at least ten metres from him again. It’s alright, it’s okay. You decide to let him be a gentleman.

So you bask in the quietude shrouding the two of you, as you sit on the metal form, awaiting the arrival of a yearned 922. 

After all, there is the slightest hint of comfort in the silence.

There is also comfort in the familiarity.

You’re sure there’s a sense of déjà vu. It’s a similar scene to what had ensued a few weeks ago, at least, and you’re definitely surprised to be here again, with him . However, you’ve both abandoned the multi-layered cake of unease. It’s almost been completely devoured now. Fortunately.

Jaehyun’s chuckling relentlessly- nearly doubled over laughing- as you recount the earlier occurrences of the Friday night. 

“Yeah, no, but I’d give anything to see the look on Donghyuck’s face again.” His eyes crinkle into small crescents as he runs a hand through his silver hair.

“He looked so confident that it was going to work and I’d already told him otherwise, but I really don’t know what he expected.” 

Tonight, there had been an effort to study in Donghyuck’s apartment; considering the looming exam season. This purpose was indeed fulfilled, to some extent. 

Then Donghyuck, feeling rather ravenous, decided that he wanted to indulge in a quick and easy two-ingredient Oreo mug cake. The video tutorial truly looked too good to be true- you’d seen multiple YouTubers debunk the content-farm produced recipes. 

The wide-eyed boy was too desperate, however, as he credulously decided to fill his mug with crushed oreos and milk to the brim. He swore that it looked and sounded promising until a loud Pop! reverberated in the kitchen 30 seconds into heating.

Everyone gathered around to watch Donghyuck cry over his spilt milk, literally, as his appliance perpetually emitted smoke, its glass door burst open. Burnt mounds of moist black and white cookies were thrown at the white, metal walls of the microwave. Donghyuck fanned the plumes of smoke hastily.

“It looks like a volcano erupted.” Mark added, coughing, as he tried to swallow the chuckle bubbling at the back of his throat.

“Dude- I don’t want to say I told you so but,” You began to implore, before Donghyuck interjected.

“Maybe I should just try again, I think the microwave setting just wasn’t right.” 

And so he did- but to no avail.

The two of you approach the tiny station side by side, and you relish the warm, fuzzy feeling establishing in your stomach. Not quite butterflies, but maybe more like a tiny sprout popping out of the ground.

“To be fair, though, it didn’t taste half as bad as it looked.”

You snort. “Sure, because it’s literally sugar and milk with a dash of hidden carcinogens.” 

He lets out a low chortle. Jaehyun nails the bellowing dad laugh right down to a T, and some part of you finds this endearing.

A flash of bright light emerges as you look up from your feet. 922 has arrived and you’re rummaging through your bag for your bus card. 

“I feel like I left my card at Donghyuck’s, shit,”

The bus halts. 

“Here, use mine, I’ve got a spare.” Jaehyun offers without a second thought, pulling his card from the pocket of his denim jeans. 

“Go on, the bus driver’s waiting.”

You would have thought this through for a little while longer, but he was right. A scowl that said ‘Stop wasting my damn time,’ is plastered on the driver’s face, and it urges you to carefully pick the card slotted between his fingers. 

“Thanks so much- I’ll return it tomorrow, or something.” Your eyebrows furrow together and you clench your teeth together in a grimace.

“Yeah! Yeah, whenever. Good night, Y/N. Get home safe,”

“You too, thanks again!”

Boarding the bus hastily, you wave at him through the glass door as the bus sets off. He doesn’t leave until you’re out of sight.

You can’t help but grin as you examine the portrait on his student pass. He’s handsome, skin clear and glossy, hair parted such that there are a bunch of strands obstructing his forehead. It’s black in this image. You wonder how many colours it's been dyed. His dimples replicate the poked slime in the myriad of videos you’ve seen, and his cheekbones are incredibly prominent. 

It dawns on you that you don’t have his number, or follow him on Instagram, or have any means to contact him at all. You guess that you’ll have to fish something from Mark, but Jaehyun seems to beat you to it.

Unknown, [2340]: hey this is jaehyun lol hope you get back safe :-)

A sudden flash of the many possible outcomes this could entail breezes past your mind. You’re quite uncertain about how this will play out, and you unlock your phone to reply.

Y/N, [2341]: hii hahah thanks again! i can return your card tomorrow, just lmk where i can drop by

Jaehyun, [2341]: yeah sure, i think i’ll be cooped up in starbucks doing work w my friends lol 

Jaehyun, [2341]: u can join if ud like :o

There is comfort in the unknown.

There is comfort in the noise.

Your whole herd of boisterous friends are walking uphill from yet another study session at Donghyuck’s- there’s been quite a number of them since the first. You’re honestly amused by how many people can fit in his apartment. The study group has expanded from a mere four to a whopping seven people in total.

Thankfully, there haven’t been any microwave oven explosions since then, but you’ve had your good share of fun and company, and more importantly, productivity. 

The pack of young adults currently divulging the extensive, latest gossip and hall horror stories, you and Jaehyun stray further behind. You’re trying to listen in and pick apart information, but you’ve joined the conversation a bit too late for context. 

“Oh my god, Lia, you’re going to hate hearing this, but…” Jungwoo begins, his voice entering a decrescendo.

“But Jeno has a girlfriend? Yeah, I figured.” Lia wails. “I saw them together in the library the other day, being all cute and shit. My heart shattered .” She emphasises this by hitting Jungwoo’s shoulder out of pure frustration. 

“How long have they been together, though?” Ryujin quips, to which she gets a reply, but you try to drown out the rest of their conversation.

You tug at the arm of Jaehyun’s sweatshirt, and he leans closer to you as you query, “Who’s Jeno, again?”

“Cute dude that she keeps bumping into at hall, I think,” he mumbles. His words are semi-intelligible, because of the commotion right in front of you.

“Sorry? I didn’t catch that.” The infinite frequencies are hard to tune out, and it gets increasingly arduous to do so when Ryujin gasps.

“Oh shit, the bus is here!” Your friends are immediately ready to break into a sprint, but Jaehyun’s feet seem heavy as he continues to meander with you. 

“Jae, aren’t you coming? The next one’s in thirty minutes!” Jungwoo shouts as they begin to dash across the road.

“It’s fine, go on! I’m just a little lazy. See you!” Jaehyun dismisses him with the wave of his extended hand, and receives an incredulous look. The lame excuse confuses you, bamboozles you, but you wave goodbye to your friends anyway.

It’s been long since you’ve been caught alone here at the bus stop with Jaehyun- you usually head home with Mark every Friday. He’s not here, though. He’s crashed at Donghyuck’s for tonight.

“Uhm, what was that ?” You chuckle nervously, the little sprout in your belly magically reappearing. Truth be told, after the many lighthearted, late-night messages exchanged over the past few weeks, and after unravelling Jaehyun bit by bit, the sprout has grown into a pocket-sized garden. It brings its own butterflies, but you don’t quite have the audacity to admit this. There’s a different kind of trickiness lingering in the air tonight.

“Well, you know- Mark…and it’s- it’s getting late, kinda.” He’s timorous tonight. Under the luminescence of the bus station’s lamps, you see the pink tint land on the tips of his ears, something you’ve learnt happens when he’s rather shy. 

“I wanted to ask you something, too, though.”

“Okay, shoot.” You take a seat. He sits a modest distance away from you, cracking his knuckles instinctively.

“Well, I uhm, I’m not quite sure how you’ll react to this but,” he licks his lips.

“But?” You encourage him to carry on, staring as you await his continuation.

He looks as if he’s got the words at the tip of his tongue, the sea of sentences about to overflow from his mouth, and they’re spilling when he starts speaking again.

“Would you-” You listen intently, attempting to read his lips. However, he’s cut off by the booming wails of a velocious ambulance. You whip your head around to watch the vehicle pass by. 

Jaehyun breathes sharply, exhaling in frustration. The cries subside, so he tries again. 

“Y/N,” he clears his throat, and you face him once more.

“Yeah, sorry.”

“I was wondering if-” 

A fire truck zooms past the bus stop, and your attention is grabbed by the monotonous siren that raids your ears. Jaehyun notices your bus approaching, and he panics. The air-raid isn’t becoming distant; the truck’s obstructed by the imposing red-light flashing. There’s only so much time left to ask what he’s been dying to- and he can’t believe he’s getting cockblocked by the emergency services right now. 

You’re hearing Jaehyun spill a string of words but they’re incoherent- all you can seem to comprehend is the blaring repetitions that are relentless.

“What?!” You shout, fighting past the cacophony. “I can’t hear you!” You’re signing this to him, pointing to your ear and shaking your hand vigorously.

Your bus halts before you. Jaehyun’s in an absolute frenzy now. He doesn’t want to do this online. Something about hiding behind his screen sounds so ingenuine to him, and you’re already standing, shit, but he can’t win against the absolute pandemonium and doesn’t want to embarrass himself in front of the small crowd that’s alighted the bus, but he’s also not sure when he’ll get to talk to you in private like this again, 

So he clamours.

“Do You! Want To Go Out! With Me!” He’s cupping his large hands around his mouth, screaming into the makeshift amplifier with all his might, as you walk towards the front doors of the bus.

You look like a deer caught in headlights, eyes wide open in disbelief as you gawk at the boy who’s sheepishly glancing at everyone and using his hand to defend himself from their stares. The butterflies that have erupted in you are merciless.

And then you burst into a fit of laughter- Jaehyun curses the sirens for piercing through such a pleasant sound- and you nod profusely, one foot already boarding the bus.

The glass doors shut close, and you’re enthusiastically gesturing to your handphone, waving at him. The bus whizzes away.

He’s shell-shocked, and he’s unable to will his hands in drawing his phone from his pocket. The sudden series of vibrations brings him back to his senses.

Y/N (⸝⸝ᵕᴗᵕ⸝⸝),[2257]: WAIT ask me again

Y/N (⸝⸝ᵕᴗᵕ⸝⸝), [2257]: idk if i heard u right

Jaehyun, [2258]: k

Y/N (⸝⸝ᵕᴗᵕ⸝⸝), [2258]: dude come back </3

Y/N (⸝⸝ᵕᴗᵕ⸝⸝), [2258]: YES lol

Y/N (⸝⸝ᵕᴗᵕ⸝⸝), [2257]: yeeeeeeees

It heavily hinders Jaehyun that night, but there is comfort in the noise.

There is comfort in the isolation.

It’s only the blinding fluorescent lights and the cool breeze presenting company at the bus stop- you’re grateful that the occasional cars speeding by are helping you break down the very last walls of tension between the two of you, if there are any.

Whoosh. 

“I really enjoyed today.” He smiles and steals a quick glance at you. You’re at a different bus stop now- a month later and you’re amazed that you’ve gone out with Jaehyun at least three times now.

You catch the slight twinkle in his eyes as he scoots a whole foot nearer towards you on the cool metal bench. The distance between the two of you is closing slowly yet your heart rate is augmenting. It’s accelerating now- faster than any of the rambunctious vehicles that race down the road, their engines revving dirtily.

Whoosh. A black BMW zooms past you both and you take the opportunity to reciprocate the cheeky glimpse.

“Me too.”

There’s fumbling of fingers and twiddling of your thumbs before you notice the sudden influx of light and buzzing and realise that your bus has arrived. Pure languish rushes through every vein in your body- you don’t want this night to end.

Jaehyun begins to stand and shoots a quizzical expression when you don’t follow suit. 

“Let’s wait for the next one,” you grin, your legs swinging back and forth as you continue to glue yourself on the elevated seat.

The sound of his chuckle envelopes you into a warm hug- it’s deep, and strong, yet soft at the same time- and then you’re pulled to your feet by your wrists before he embraces you with confident hesitation too.

“Is this- it’s okay, right?” He just wants to be sure.

“Yeah- very.” You breathe, and his boyish smell fills your lungs. There is difficulty in naming what scented cologne he’s used today; but you devote no more attention. You just wallow in the tangy, mellow fragrance that has permeated your senses.

He’s got his arms coiled around your waist, his palm extended to press your back closer to him. You’re playing with the sharp, freshly cut hairs on the back of his neck. You run your fingers through them and he dives his head further into the crook of your neck. Jaehyun’s muffled voice is tickling your shoulder-

“Your hair smells really nice.” The corners of your lips edge upwards into an unrelenting grin.

“Thank God.”

There is comfort in Jaehyun.

[argentdandelion]

How To Get Your Number Down to Zero (Part 3 of 3)

How to Achieve Emotional Growth

Emotional Vulnerability

In contrast, Simon and, initially, Amelia are limited in their emotional expressions around others, especially in their sadness. Amelia seems to disapprove of crying: she mockingly tells Tulip to not cry. When Simon cries in the “We won’t tell Simon” memory reveal scene, he cries silently while everyone is asleep. Though deeply upset in Le Chat Chalet, he doesn’t cry; his responses are largely anger and obvious frustration. The one time he cries when others might be able to see him is after he seemingly kills Grace. He laughs evilly, cries within seconds, and tries to laugh it off while pressing his hands over his ears, as if trying to block something out (a conscience, perhaps). Indeed, though Simon was baffled, frustrated, and angered at Grace’s sudden changes in behavior, he didn’t confront her about it with anything but bafflement, frustration, and anger, when he confronted her at all.

Later in “Vulnerability: The Key to Better Relationships”, Mark Manson states: “And it’s a shining example of vulnerability because you’re saying “I have a problem. I’m not perfect, but that’s okay. I can deal with it, and I will deal with it.” In a scene set seven months after she either enters or leaves the train, Tulip says she’s “ready for anything”, suggesting Mark Manson’s words characterize a successful passenger. In contrast, Mark Manson’s words certainly do not describe Simon; he rarely admitted he had a “problem”.

Discarding of Concepts, Desires, or Motives

It seems passengers can get their numbers to 0 by letting go, giving up, moving on, or otherwise no longer caring about or being badly affected by a particular issue the memory tapes suggest is highly important. Passengers who could do that eventually got their numbers to zero, while those who didn’t, Amelia and Simon, ended up, respectively, still trapped and maxed-out (and dead).

However, it’s hard to determine letting go, giving up, moving on, or otherwise no longer caring about an issue is the cause for all instances of numbers going down. Indeed, if one thinks of Jesse’s issue as “caring too much about what others think of him/trying to be friends with everyone”, he got his number to zero by caring: actions motivated by caring about Lake. When Jesse confidently, even aggressively, rejects Simon's attempt to soothe him and downplay what was happening, shows a spine in the face of peer pressure from the “cool kids”, and tells Lake “I got you. We’re getting out of here”, his number goes from 22 to 0, and it’s unclear which action did this or how much of an effect each action had.

Re-Evaluation

Successful passengers re-evaluate their beliefs, values, perspectives, perceptions, or behavior. Tulip had the self-awareness to realize she had distorted her own memories to show her life pre-divorce as entirely happy, Jesse re-evaluated the cool kids that put his brother in a dangerous man test, and Grace came to realize that denizens were people, causing much of her Apex beliefs to collapse.

Amelia apparently got her number so high by repeating the same maladaptive coping mechanism over and over for 33 years: she “ran away” from adapting to a life without Alrick. She says “there’s a hole in the universe where Alrick used to be”, but it seems that for 33 years, she didn’t try to patch over that hole with anything but a perfect recreation of her life before the train.

In contrast to Tulip, who realized she was wrong about how she thought about her parents’ divorce, Simon never admitted he was wrong. (Him telling Grace “You were right not to trust [Amelia]!” aside) He did not even quietly re-evaluate or discard his Apex beliefs and beliefs about numbers, despite repeatedly facing evidence it was wrong and seeing all the harm it had accomplished. In a way, he “ran away” from his problems and denied most of his problems even existed, with the notable exception of his relationship problems with Grace. Furthermore, the rarity of him confronting his trauma, turmoil or insecurities trapped Simon in a dogmatic and aggressive spiral until his number maxed out and he, briefly, became unhinged from the weight of his actions until he was killed.

Specific Actions

It’s hard to tell if there are any standardized actions of getting one’s number down by a certain value or percentage of the whole, even for the same passenger.

Although “kicking the toad” (in The Toad Car) clearly has a value of 5 for Jesse (29 changes to 34), his number seems to go up by 2 (29 to 31) when Alan Dracula strongly kicks the toad, and it seems to go up by only 1 when he halfheartedly kicks a cube in “The Mall Car”. It’s possible “letting the toad go free” brought Jesse’s number down by 17, or by more than half its original number. But the preceding sequence wasn’t just letting the toad go free: Jesse freed the toad to ensure he, M.T., and Alan Dracula could escape the Flecs, since The Toad Car required kicking the toad to leave the car. The real number-lowering reason could have been “stick with Lake and help her out, even knowing she broke Mirror Law and has been lying about her history”, letting the toad go free to ensure he and his friends could escape was just the particular way he carried that out.

Tulip’s journey also supports the idea the amount a number drops is context-specific or largely unpredictable. Tulip’s number goes down when she recalls a happy memory with her dad, but being in her tape, which was full of happy memories with her parents (both true and false ones) didn’t bring her number down until she confronted the false memories. Notably, she had tweaked the particulars of the happy memory of fixing go-karts with her dad to support her idea of "work first, play later", and her number only goes down when she acknowledges parts of her memories which don't fit that idea."

People's numbers might be dependent on other people, in the sense of close relationships with others. Certainly, passenger-denizen interaction can lower a number (see Grace with Hazel and Tuba), but so can passenger-passenger interaction. For example, in the “Hey Ho Whoa” car, when Amelia said she didn’t really want to ask for help, but really appreciated Grace’s cooperation, her number went down by at least three digits.

Complicating things, there are times when number responses seem to have a time delay. When the freed toad leaves Jesse in “The Toad Car”, Jesse’s number goes from 31 to 14 instantly. Jesse’s number goes from 22 to 0 after a sequence where he confidently (even aggressively) rejects Simon's attempt to soothe him and downplay what was happening, shows a spine in the face of peer pressure from the “cool kids”, and tells M.T. “I got you. We’re getting out of here.” It’s possible he did several number-lowering things that could have been counted separately, or a single very number-lowering thing with a time delay.

It’s possible a number only goes down if an action, thought or belief “sinks in” or if passengers are aware of what they’re doing. When Tulip tells Amelia she can still bring her number down, Amelia's number goes down before she even speaks, therefore suggesting even thinking in the right direction can get someone's number down.

[thekarmancollection]

Welcome!

Kartik Singh and Aman Tripathi.

When I first watched the trailer for Shubh Mangal Zyaada Saavdhan, I was immensely excited. It was going to be the first mainstream same sex love story to be depicted on the big screen after all. Who wouldn’t be excited for it? What I didn’t count on was to be moved by their story so much.

Living in Canada, I have been exposed to LGBTQ+ stories for so many years. Whether it was in literature, TV shows, films, cartoons, anime - I have seen them all. But it has always been in the Western context. It always happened to people who were drastically different to me in so many ways. I may empathize with them, but I was never able to connect with them.

Until Shubh Mangal Zyaada Saavdhan that is.

Kartik and Aman are two gay men, while I’m a bisexual woman. Yet, I identify more with them because of some fundamental things like being able to understand their language. Being able to know the heavy pressure that comes with not wanting to be a huge disappointment to the family. Of knowing that even though you may not be in constant connection with your chacha/chachi, massar/massi, pua/puphar, mama/mami - on some level, knowing that they’re gossiping about you as if you’re a bad seed, it hurts.

Then there are other elements that make them so familiar. Like the gaaliyan that get thrown around each other (saale), the sarcastic comments (hum kuthe hai kya?), or the pop cultural references (ban paye ga tu Roadies?). There have been so many heterosexual movies that replicated iconic Bollywood moments, like DDLJ’s train scene, as a way of propping up their own romantic couples. I always understood what they were trying to but it still never made me care. They’re the main leads, a man and a woman, of course they will get their happy ending. But to see Kartik and Aman in that same context, it hit me so hard. The only different thing about Kartik and Aman is that they’re both men. Other than that, their love is just the same and just as valid as all the heterosexual pairings the audience has been made to see thus far.

If the film wasn’t enough, the songs captured my whole heart. Ooh La La is the crack song that lifts up my head any time of the day. Pyaar Tenu Karda Hai Gabru makes me want to dance no matter where I am, and I’m super insecure about my dancing. Mere Liye Tum Kaafi Ho makes me want to stare out the window, and wonder where my future partner is so that I can tell them the same one day. Aisi Taisi reminds me of how hypocritical society is and it’s best to just do what you want to, while Kya Karte The Sajna makes me want to wear a bi cape and shout things at people from the rooftop. And finally Raakh owns my soul. If I were to ever name a song that describes me than it will hands down be this one. Death and the LGBTQ+ community share a very long history. Yet, this history never got in the way of keeping hope alive for a better tomorrow. Yesterday may have been bad, but we can’t let it cloud the future. After all, zidd jad mein hai kya karenge.

Seeing Kartik and Aman’s story made me realize just how ignorant I have been of the LGBTQ+ lives, and issues within my own desi community. Because I had felt so culturally removed from seeing all the predominantly non-Brown stories, for some reason I had gotten it in my head that we don’t exist. Our stories don’t exist. As such, I did a huge disservice to my own self, because I am one. I am that face that we don’t get to see on the screens. I have that story that doesn’t get told often. I am that person who others may connect to.

I had accepted my bisexuality a long time ago, but have only recently chosen to connect with others in an active manner. Especially with those who are from the desi community. I’m not here to do anything radical, or be the answer to a lot of questions, or even be a leading voice in a particular cause. There’s still so much that I have to learn myself after all.

What I will be doing is what I do best: write stories. I’m still learning how to craft original stories, and characters, so I will stick to writing pieces on Kartik and Aman for now. It’ll help me greatly to learn how to write out different voices, our cultural context etc. Apart from that, I’ll occasionally write some meta pieces about the movie as well. There’s simply so much going on both on the surface, as well as subtext, and I would like to write out my two cents on it.

Lastly, this blog is an absolute safe space for everyone, regardless of who they are. Like I had mentioned, I am not an expert on everything that pertains to sexuality, so I will always refrain from making generalized comments as I know they’re not applicable to everyone. If I ever make a mistake, do me a kind favor, and politely point out my mistake. Don’t immediately jump down my throat and demonize me for not knowing everything under the sun.

Let’s engage in healthy conversations where we all help educate one another. Let’s pick each other up when we make mistakes, comfort one another for our losses, and celebrate our successes.

Without any further ado, welcome to thekarmancollection. 💜

[ahtohallan-calling]

chapter 5 of don’t read the last page is here!

[kristanna / m / multichap / modern au with actress!anna and vetstudent!kristoff]

He’d put the phone down on the counter while he made breakfast, but now that his hands were free again he still didn’t pick it up; after their initial awkward phone call, they’d started FaceTiming instead, and as much as he loved seeing her face, he was really glad she couldn’t see his right now.

“And I was soo confused, so I started telling her, like, ‘Seriously, Honey, he’s got this amazing blond hair that you just like, want to touch all the time and these big brown eyes and little freckles and plus I’m pretty sure he’s kind of ripped and I—‘ Kristoff, I heard the microwave go off already. Are you hiding from me?”

“No,” he muttered, his face turning even redder.

chapter 5

day 1

Sven was just stumbling into the kitchen when Kristoff came in. He frowned, narrowing his eyes suspiciously.

“You look really happy for someone who just dropped off their girlfriend at the airport for a six-week trip,” he said, pouring a glass of chocolate milk. 

“Not my girlfriend.”

“Not the important part of that sentence.”

Kristoff snagged the bottle and poured himself a cup. “This is mine, by the way, so you owe me.”

“Fine, I’ll buy toilet paper l-- no, I know you, Bjorgman, you’re trying to distract me.”

Sven narrowed his eyes further, fixing Kristoff with a hard stare. He tried to look as innocent as possible as he went to rummage through the fridge, but then he remembered the way Anna had clung to him, the feel of her little hands in his hair, the press of her lips against--

“Oh my god! You kissed her!”

Kristoff stood, not bothering to hide his smile anymore. “Well, technically, she kissed me.”

“I fucking called it, man, I knew you wouldn’t be able to hold off that much longer.”

“We really did try.”

“You didn’t even make it a week, my guy,” Sven said amiably, meandering into the living room. “You tried harder at Mario Kart the other night. Which, by the way, I know you lost on purpose so Anna could win.”

Kristoff considered arguing, but then his phone lit up with a text from Anna, so instead he grinned and walked away to the sound of Sven sighing dramatically. “I heard that buzz! I know it’s her! Jesus, I’d say get a room, but--”

Kristoff didn’t hear the rest as he shut his bedroom door.

kris!! theres wifi i can text you

Im in first class look 

..

That’s crazy

They gave you champagne this early in the morning?

..

supposed to be for mimosas

but it’s like 5 o clock somewhere

specifically romania so

..

That jet lag is going to be rough.

How long is your flight?

..

10 hrs to london then 3 to bucharest💀

but i think my seat turns into a bed so ill try to sleep

theres sooooo many movies tho!

omg theyre bringing more snacks….i feel like a movie star already

..

You kind of are.

..

havent made the movie yet!!

oh the director is here he wants to talk ttyl

..

:)

---

day 4

For some reason, her hands were shaking as they hovered over the green button. “Just do it, Anna,” she muttered to herself. “It’s just Kristoff. He told you to call.”

Thanks to the time difference and long flights, it had taken most of two days to even get here, and on her first full day in Romania she’d been so overwhelmed with the film set and meeting her co-star Adam and talking to the directors and producers and costumers and cameramen that she’d completely crashed the moment she’d gotten back to her hotel room. She’d woken up in the middle of the night and sent Kristoff a quick text apologizing for not calling; he’d responded almost immediately, reassuring her that it was fine and to just call him the next day. At a reasonable hour, he’d made sure to add, not at 2 A.M. Go back to sleep.

She had, and then she’d nearly missed her alarm and hadn’t had time to call him in the morning, and then she’d been filming her first scene and been so overwhelmed by all of that that now it was nearly six o’clock, and it was the first time she’d gotten to look at her phone all day.

He’d texted her once at around 9 A.M. her time. Good luck today! You’ll kill it. Her heart had done a funny little flip at the message, simple as it was; every time she thought of Kristoff, it didn’t feel quite real, like it was just a daydream she would wake up from, but here it was, concrete proof that even literally halfway around the world-- more than halfway, actually-- he was still thinking of her, still caring about her.

The remembrance of that was what finally gave her the courage to hit call. She felt too nervous to FaceTime him, especially considering she was already in sweatpants and halfway through eating a bowl of pasta on her bed. He picked up on the third ring, sounding breathless for some reason.

“Hey! Anna! How are you?”

“I’m, um, I’m good! How are you? You sound kind of...out of breath?”

“Oh, yeah, you caught me at the gym, so I--”

“Oh! I’m so sorry, let me hang up and--”

“No, don’t! I’m almost done, just--”

There was a quick beep in the background, and a whirring noise she hadn’t noticed until now stopped. “Okay, sorry, we’re good.”

She couldn’t help but imagine what he looked like right now, with his hair hanging in his eyes and sweat dripping down his very well-muscled--

“Anna? You there?”

He’d just asked her something, but she’d been too busy daydreaming to catch it. Maybe it really was for the best she hadn’t gone for FaceTime; she probably would have been struck speechless at the sight of him. “Sorry, I was just-- sorry. Um. What did you say?”

He laughed softly. “I asked how your first day of filming went.”

“Oh! It was good, really good, actually. We filmed that scene I auditioned with, actually. They changed the bit about the cowboy boots.”

“Thank god. I don’t know anything about movies, but I know that was awful.”

“Oh, yeah, Adam-- that’s who’s playing Jesse-- he said they’d have to double his paycheck if they wanted him to say shit like that, and then we kind of improv-ed something else and it went really well.”

“That’s awesome!”

Anna felt herself blushing, just barely, at the sound of the genuine pride in his voice. “It was, um, it was nothing, really.”

“So how’s all of it going? Are the...um...honestly, I don’t know who all is involved in making movies. But are the other people nice?”

“Yeah! I really like the girl who does my hair and makeup, her name’s Honey. Isn’t that cute?”

Kristoff laughed; she could hear him starting the car in the background. Anna bit her lip. “Oh-- did you get to shower?”

“I will at home, don’t worry. Anyway--”

“You need to focus on driving? Yeah, I totally get it, seriously. Bye!”

She hit the red button and quickly dropped her phone. Her heart had been pounding the whole time; god, she was really out of practice with this whole thing. Embarrassment swept over her, and she buried her face in her knees; how the hell was this going to work when she was too self-conscious to talk to him for more than five minutes? God, she’d be lucky if he ever bothered to call her again after this.

To her surprise, the phone buzzed only a moment later. She debated picking it up for a long moment, then decided to go ahead and rip the bandaid off and snatched it up.

Just FYI, I was feeling really nervous, too. Want me to call you back after I get home and shower?

For some reason, tears started to fill her eyes as she typed a response. 

yes please :)

She showered, too, taking her time as she let the hot water work its magic on the tension in her shoulders, drawing in slow, deep breaths to steady herself. It wasn’t that every guy she’d ever dated had been bad, per se, just that it had been quite a long time since she’d been with someone who made her feel this nervous and excited and terrified and joyful all at once-- actually, now that she thought about it, she didn’t know if she’d ever liked someone else this much right off the bat. Since coming to L.A. almost two years ago, she’d had a string of bad luck with men, and it was strange readjusting to the notion that one would want to talk to her as much as she wanted to talk to him, that he actually wanted to hear about her day, that he saw right through all her embarrassing little defense mechanisms and somehow knew just what to say to make her feel better. Of course they knew each other, but this was something different, something more, as if she didn’t even have to say something for him to understand.

Her phone buzzed again ten minutes after she got out of the shower; with a smile, she picked it up.

“Hey, Kris.”

“Hey, Anna.”

“Ready to try again?”

“With you? Always.”

---

day 9

“So I was telling her, like, ‘I wish I had a recent picture of him to show you because he’s like, super super hot.’ And she kind of made this face and was like ‘that won’t make a difference.’”

He’d put the phone down on the counter while he made breakfast, but now that his hands were free again he still didn’t pick it up; after their initial awkward phone call, they’d started FaceTiming instead, and as much as he loved seeing her face, he was really glad she couldn’t see his right now. 

“And I was soo confused, so I started telling her, like, ‘Seriously, Honey, he’s got this amazing blond hair that you just like, want to touch all the time and these big brown eyes and little freckles and plus I’m pretty sure he’s kind of ripped and I—‘ Kristoff, I heard the microwave go off already. Are you hiding from me?”

“No,” he muttered, his face turning even redder. 

Anna giggled. “Then show me your face.”

He did so reluctantly; to his surprise, she didn’t laugh. “Kris, you know you are, like, super handsome, right? Seriously.”

“I’m, um, I’m just gonna—“

“I mean it. Like I get why you’re feeling shy about it and stuff but just know that, okay?”

He only nodded, feeling a little better, although his face was still heated. Anna, knowing when to leave well enough alone, smiled at him and continued her story. “Anyway, I told her all that and she just started laughing, and finally when I was done she was like ‘Anna, I’m gay’. And so then I showed her a picture of my sister, and I’m just saying, when we’re back in LA, we’re definitely doing a double date.”

—-

day 15

She didn’t know why she felt so nervous about telling him about it. She’d already texted him that morning telling him what scenes they were filming, and it wasn’t like it had meant anything; it was just part of the movie, and Adam was married anyway— but then again, it wasn’t that part that had really been bothering her. She still wasn’t sure until she was explaining it all to Kristoff, forcing herself to maintain eye contact as she held up her phone inside the blanket nest she’d constructed on her bed. 

“And like, he and I are good friends now, so that at least made it easier. And we were all in character and stuff, so, you know, it felt right, and then they started the fake snow going and we just did it, you know?”

“Uh-huh,” Kristoff said, his voice neutral. 

“That like— this doesn’t bother you, right?” she asked quickly. “Because seriously, it didn’t mean—“

“Anna, I know. This is literally your job, I’m not jealous or anything. But please tell me if I ever make you feel like I’m mad or something, because I’m seriously not.”

She let out the breath she’d been holding. “I— I know. I just...wanted to make sure. Because it still, like...still felt weird to me, you know? And I can’t figure out why.”

He nodded thoughtfully. “Have you done this before? Like, stage kissing and stuff?”

“Oh, yeah, lots of times. But this time felt kind of different. I just don’t know why.”

He considered it for a moment, looking so thoughtful she couldn’t help but smile, feeling a little flutter in her chest at the thought that he really and truly cared about helping her figure this out. “Enough about me, though, tell me about that crazy to-go order you texted me about. Did you end up getting to see the person who’d ordered it?”

They talked for so long Anna lost track of time, until she yawned so widely Kristoff stopped talking mid-sentence. 

“Anna, what time is it there?”

“Um...close to eleven?”

“What time did you get up this morning?”

“...four.”

He laughed softly. “Get some sleep. I’ll talk to you again tomorrow morning, okay?”

She wanted to argue, but honestly she’d been fighting to keep her eyes open for the last half hour. “Night, Kris.”

“Night, Anna. Sweet dreams.”

He said that every night, but the way he’d smiled tonight— she was thinking about it until long after she’d hung up her phone and closed her eyes. Then, suddenly, she sat upright and snatched it up again, typing furiously. 

figured it out...before, there’s never been someone i ACTUALLY wanted to kiss instead 

..

:)

I wish it had been me, too. 

—

day 21

hey kris!!! sorry i know it’s the middle of the night there so i hope this doesn’t wake you up but i set an alarm on my phone for the exact time and as of like 10 seconds ago we’re halfway there!!!!!!! 😊😊😊

To her surprise, a response came just a few minutes later. 

:) Knew we could do this.

—

day 23

“I got my class schedule today.”

“Yeah? Show me!”

He held it up awkwardly to the camera, and she squinted at it. “Oh, wow, that’s a lot of blocks. Are you still going to work at Starbucks?”

“Yeah, I’ve been there the whole time I’ve been in school. Just work less hours on weekdays, usually pick up some early morning weekend shifts.”

“Oh, that sucks.”

He shrugged. “It works out. I, uh, I’ve got some scholarships that cover most of my tuition, so then it’s, y’know. Rent money and stuff.”

Anna frowned, feeling suddenly acutely aware of how much money she was making for a lot less work. “Will you have, like...any free time?”

“Oh, yeah, of course,” he said quickly, suddenly sounding nervous. “I promise I’ll still have time to hang out with you and stuff, just--”

“No, no that’s like-- shit, that’s not what I meant, Kris, I mean I kind of did but like-- I’m not trying to like, pressure you or--”

“No, I get it, I--”

“No, I mean like school is way important and you like--”

“Seriously, when I say we can--”

Anna took a deep breath. “Okay. You talk first.”

“I, um. I don’t want you to think, like, I won’t make time for you or something, though. Um-- that was all.”

She smiled, wishing she could be there in person; it was so much easier to reassure him when she could just squeeze his hand. “Seriously, that’s not what I meant. I was just worried about you, ‘cause that’s, like, a lot of stress. So if there’s anything I can do to like, help or whatever, just...just let me know. Like...with anything.”

“Seriously, I think it’ll help a ton to just have a pretty girl keeping me company while I study.”

She felt her cheeks turn pink. “What if I end up wanting to distract you?”

Now she wasn’t the only one blushing.

---

day 30

“Miss you.”

“Miss you, too.”

Tonight, there wasn’t really anything else to say.

—- 

day 34

He’d stopped leaving his phone on silent overnight; it was silly, really, but he always had a tiny fear that maybe something would happen over in Romania while he was asleep, and maybe Anna would need to reach him, and there probably wouldn’t be anything he could actually do...but still.

Despite that, though, it still took a lot to wake him, so when his phone went off one night close to three in the morning, he nearly missed the call. “Hello?” he mumbled sleepily, putting it to his ear.

He heard a familiar little giggle. “It’s FaceTime, Kris. I’m sorry to wake you up, I just-- I really wanted you to see this.”

“Oh-- hang on.” He fumbled for his glasses on the nightstand, sliding them on and blinking blearily at the screen. “Um...where are you? I just see, like...the ceiling?”

“Oh-- that’s cause I gave my phone to Honey, just a second, and she’ll show you.”

The phone was lifted up suddenly by a pretty woman with bronze skin and dark hair thrown up into a bun. “Nice to meet you, Anna’s boyfriend.”

He wondered if she could see him blush even in the dark room. “Nice to meet you, too.”

“Okay, okay, I’m ready!” he heard Anna chirp from somewhere. “Turn the camera!”

Honey did with a laugh, and Kristoff sat upright, his eyes wide. Anna was in a deep blue ballgown that fit perfectly to her torso before flaring out into a long, shimmery skirt. Her hair was down, set in curls that shone especially bright against the dark color of the gown, and she was smiling so brightly he thought his heart was going to burst.

“You look beautiful, baby,” he said, half-convinced he was still dreaming.

She was quiet for a moment, and then he realized she was blushing bright red. He heard Honey giggle, and then the phone was being handed back over to Anna. “You’ve never called me that before.”

“What, beautiful? I definitely--”

“No, I--” Her blush deepened. “Kris, are you wearing a shirt?”

He glanced down. “Oh-- uh, no, I’m not. Sorry, I didn’t think you’d be able to see without the lights--”

A mischievous glint was twinkling in her eye. “Trust me, Bjorgman, there’s nothing to apologize for.”

Now he was blushing, too. “Um-- so you’ve got to be filming something special today, right?”

“Yeah, the big ballroom scene. I just...I really love this dress, and the way Honey did my hair and stuff, and I, um...I wanted you to see.”

He smiled softly. “I’m glad. You really do look so, so beautiful.”

She opened her mouth to say something else, but then he heard Honey call, “Hey, Anna, say bye to the boyfriend, they want you on set in five.”

Anna turned back to the camera, looking suddenly nervous. “Kris, are you my boyfriend?”

“Do you want me to be?”

“Yeah.”

He grinned, no longer sleepy. “Okay.”

Anna laughed. “Okay?”

“Hey, it’s still the middle of the night, and I’m still kind of speechless after seeing you in that dress. Cut me some slack.”

“Go back to bed. Sorry I woke you up.”

He yawned. “I’m not.”

---

day 40

“Look! All packed!” She grinned, turning her phone quickly around the room to show off her only slightly overstuffed suitcases. “And ready to come home!”

“Do you think you’ll miss it?”

“No, I mean...it’s beautiful and all here, but it’s still not home.”

Kristoff grinned at that. “You still want me to pick you up from the airport?”

“Um, is that even a question?”

He laughed. “Just making sure! I mean, six weeks is a long time, don’t know if you got tired of me.”

“Kristoff, the second I get back to LA, I’m like, jumping on you again and kissing the fuck out of you.”

He waggled his eyebrows. “And then?”

She could tease him, too. “And then you’d better hurry the hell up and take me back to your apartment so I can show you how much I missed you.”

“....Jesus Christ. Why does waiting two more days suddenly feel so much longer than the other forty?”

[electronicnightpolice]

RUN BTS 100!

In celebration of Run BTS’ 100th episode, I wanted to list my top 15 favorite Run episodes! (It was gonna be top 5, then a top 10, but I just like Run too much and am way too indecisive) 

This is in no order based on favoritism because I only did it to show my appreciation for the episodes... and because I just can’t decide lol 

Ep. 11

Of course, episode 11 is a classic! But I just loved the way the guys had to play around with stereotypical classroom characters and see what kind of ridiculous gags they had to come up with on the fly. And, of course, even if it wasn’t for that, Yoongi’s alter ego Yoonji is an obvious reason in itself.

Ep. 12

This episode was just good and honest fun. Honestly BTS roleplaying will probably always make it onto my favorites list. 

Eps. 13-15 (Do parts count as one? No? Well, I’m making them count as one.)

This one was actually my first favorite Run episode. While the other two were good, this one just hit different for me and I clung on hard. I just couldn’t bring myself to not put it in. Also, I always love when they have to sniff out spies. 

Eps. 17, 18

It was just a day at the arcade and the fact that they just looked so young and carefree really made me enjoy it even more. Also, every single game they played had its own iconic scene, some of my favorites was definitely during air hockey.

Ep. 26

BTS as secret agents? Then Go-Karting afterwards? And Jimin actually winning something? It stole my heart. 

Ep. 28

Fun. Fun. FUN.

Ep. 29 

The episode of pure fashion statements. Also, the runway bit was put in to kill.

Eps. 30, 31

Retro outfits. Good games, and the NURSERY RHYME. Jungkook’s dancing and toppling over his sleeping bean bag in his sleep will be just as etched into my memory as that Tomato song is so that’s also a plus. 

Ep. 47, 48

A mix of roleplay and constant trickery and betrayal. 

Eps. 53-56

That just seemed like an extremely tiring, but good and fun day for them. It was extremely fun to watch too!

Eps. 61, 62

I really loved the sauna episode, especially the second part. That water game they played was absolutely hilarious to watch.

Eps. 69-71

(If you know me than this choice might be for obvious reasons) But also, I think back to Taehyung being tricked about his room and laugh more than I probably should in my daily life. 

Eps. 73-76

I just love this sort of thing. It also reminded me of BTS Gayo when they had to go through the process of making a music video for Spine Breaker. I love seeing the work they put in before the final product! They worked so hard :’)

Eps. 83-85

Absolute watery chaos. 

Eps. 95, 96

I always like hearing about their childhoods and this was full of it. Also, the pajama party was chaos and I couldn’t stop laughing while watching this episode. 

I definitely have enjoyed all of their run episodes in some way or another, but these are the ones I think of often. (Though, I do also have beloved moments from episodes I’ve left out. But it’s alright!)

What have been your favorites?