#everlasting trio about to fuck shit up

[phantoms-world-and-more]

Super villain everlasting trio idea

So danny, sam and tucker are all reaching their breaking points,

Danny with his parents hunting phantom, the rouge gallery still coning in and the looming responsibility of being ghost king

Sam is getting tired of the neverending expectations and criticism from her parents and the lack of support from anyone not danny of tucker

And tucker from the frustration of not being able to fight back against bullying without making more problems

Their all reaching their breaking points

So during one of dannys ghost king classes he discovers that alternate universes exist and that gave him an idea

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After taking to sam and tucker about his brilliant idea the only thing he needs to do is convince clockwork to let him

It was easier than he thought it would, all he needed to say is that its a non-timeline-altering way to piss of the observents and he had to the ahead

When he told sam and tucker they had to green light they spent the next 2 months planning

Danny was about to show sam and tucker the WONDERFULL thing that misplaced aggression is

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Everything was set up

Danny had all his equipment, experments and fun new things to use. the fenton outfit redo was beautiful even if a bit reminiscent of his parents The necklace that stopped his powers was tightly around his neck and he tucker and sam had already mapped out the drop locations

Sam had convinced overgrowth to lend her his powers and had redesign the outfit so now she looked like an angel(literaly), she had given danny and tucker some behaviour tips to get the right effect they wanted

Tucker was holding the Pharaoh staff he convinced frostbite to give him, he also redesign his outfit to a more brute punk look, with his transforming the staff into a bat, he and danny designed the perfect uncrackable coms that they all had and made sure they knew that plan, even though they might not follow it, this was about having fun remenber

And jazz had made the perfect excuse to get time alone, and had and com that she could use to cheak in ton them

With everything set clockwork opened 3 portals

Danny went though the one to gothem

Tucker went through the one to star city

Sam went trough the one to metropolis

This was going to be fun

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This was inspired by

This

This

This aswell

And This for fun

[little-pondhead]

So, for the Supervillain Danny and Everlast Trio Villains Au's....

What about Jazz?

Since I understand everyone's villain alter ego is based around their trauma and becoming their own antithesis and what not, I'd like to think that Jazz's alter ego would be a bad girl, kinda like Ember and Kitty (the former who mind controlled her twice and the latter who almost took her place while slowly corrupting her), maybe with a hint of Spectra (the school councilor thing, the hospital thing, and that one time with all three of them).

Instead of being the nice, normal girl who tries to be perfect, she's a loose cannon who does all the wild teen stuff, doesn't care about anyone accept for those who are in her 'gang', and will absolutely resort to violence the first chance she gets. Maybe she also has some kind of mind control powers, given how these incidents relate to her being under someone else's control.

Maybe she doesn't come around as often, because she has college and the like, but once she does, things get messy as she takes the chance to let out all her school related stress.

you have read my m i n d

Jazz had almost no childhood since she helped raise Danny from a very young age. She's intelligent and respectful and really wants to be an excellent example for Danny, so she acts as such. Therefore, Jazz never got to go through her 'teenage rebellion' phase. She wears modest clothes and upholds a pretty solid moral code. So here I present Nightingale, the punk-rock social justice warrior who comes and goes like a hurricane. She takes on the name Nightingale to avoid confusion, but once the JL realizes she and Fenton are related, some of the members consider going on a very long vacation to another world so they don't have to deal with this shit.

Now for her powerset, I'm not entirely sure if she should play meta or not. It's a common trope in fics that Jazz has been ecto-contaminated from her parent's experiments, thus giving her some sort of body enhancement. I played on that to give her a set of ears and teeth that match Danny's. She may not have ghost powers, but if she's fighting alongside Team Phantom, she must have some freaky abilities, right? (I love the mind control idea, btw) I feel like Jazz would be the Exception, where she's obviously enhanced in some way, but it's not an obvious power she can consciously separate herself from. It's like trying to tell your body to stop using your eyes. Unless other outside forces are preventing it, Jazz can't really not use her enhanced strength or speed. It drives the JL nuts because either Nightingale is a very weak meta or just an Olympic-level teenage athlete, and no one will spill the beans.

Also, this is personal preference, honestly, but I think it'd be really fucking funny if the DC universe is where Jazz and Danny have all their sibling fights. At home, they have to put up a united front so their parents don't get suspicious and the house doesn't kill them. (Also so none of the rogues takes advantage of their anger at each other) But they're siblings. Even if Jazz and Danny are the best of friends, they have to have arguments over the stupidest stuff. That's practically rule number one of having a sibling. So they go there to blow off steam and duke it out like they've always wanted to. It's mostly to release tension and stress, but each fight is getting more and more elaborate, and this whole thing is ridiculous. None of the heroes get paid enough for this. They're just gonna sit back and watch the show.

[g4rg0y1e]

I’ve been thinking about Damian leaving his life in Gotham to become a bookstore owner in Amity Park, Illinois, like he met Danny in the league and they had an arranged marriage that the Batfam did not know about and Damian didn’t want them to know anyway so he just flat out left and made a new life for himself near his beloved.

Damian owns a bookstore/coffee shop (obviously) and they live in this apartment above the building and the Everlasting Trio find out about this new place in town called The Bird’s Nest and they decide to try it out but as soon as they walk in Danny hears Damian, in this customer service voice say, “Welcome to The Bird’s Nest, make yourself at home.” and he runs to the cashier and sees his lover and breaks down. Damian hears his ugly sobs and looks up in concern.

Upon seeing Danny he rushes over to comfort him and Danny immediately latches onto him and saying things like “I thought i’d never see you again” and “please be real, please” and Damian is like “i’m here, it's me, i’m so so sorry, Beloved.” and Tucker and Sam are like freaking out a little but seeing Damian hold Danny like that they decided to just hang back for a little bit while Danny calms down, and once he can breathe without stuttering and can speak without feeling like the world is ending they all sit down in a booth together and they explaining to Tucker and Sam how they know each other.

Tucker and Sam are like a little concerned about it but they’re like “it’s fine we knew each other since we were toddlers and we got to know each other pretty well in the 15 years before our marriage.”  and so Damian and the Everlasting Trio start hanging out together a lot and they all start to fall in love :]

Meanwhile in Gotham

The Batfam are freaking the fuck out.

They’re frantically searching for Damian everywhere. They call Talia and ask her but she says she hasn’t seen him since his wedding which makes the Batfam panic even more because what wedding??  But she doesn’t say anything and they are confused but that’s not their concern so they contact the Justice League and get them involved like Robin is missing and we don’t know where he could be.  

So the JL are like searching and they come up with nothing and they decide to get Justice League Dark involved like Robin’s missing what do we do?  and JLD is like searching until they run out of other options and decide to summon the Ghost King Phantom and his Knight and Consorts

but they don’t know that the king has multiple consorts… Or that one of them is Damian… SO they summon them and the king looms over his knight as he covers his consorts with his cloak and Batman is like “please.. please, Great King Phantom… I need to find my child..” and the JL and JLD (that dont know their identities) are like omg does batsy think of rob as his child  and the King is like “Who are you looking for?” and Batman is like “Robin…Damian Wayne.” and the king tilts his head then opens his cape and Damian walks out slowly like “oh shit I forgot to tell them that I was gonna make a whole new life for myself in an entirely different state.”  and just goes “…heyyy.” and the Batfam starts freaking out like “Where have you been?!?” and Damian just goes “I was with my Beloveds.” 

and the batfam is like

“…”

“BELOVEDS, MULTIPLE???” 

[domain-of-revelation]

Herrscher of Origin 2.0: The Purposeless of Mei’s Growth

Spoilers for 6.3 and 6.4. Talks of Anti-Elysium Everlasting & (anti) Elymei.

Well, here we are I guess. Welcome to the culmination of the disappointment and decline of the Honkai universe’s writing and execution.

Mei’s Growth Pre-Flamechaser - Was the most “grown” and self-sustaining in terms of maturity and power (because of HoT persona and their bond). However, she put restraints on herself, thereby making her weaker as time went by. She was unable to do anything because of the shackles she tied to herself. Eventually, this led to a break in her character (Lament of the Fallen) where she in turn sacrificed herself to save the light of her life. She became the concept she hated, and she full fucking sent that shit! That’s our girl! When it became too much, she had to make that decision, and she took it by the throat and made it her personality. It was even better because it made sense for her to finally, finally let go of her own conviction because the ends justified the means to her, for Kiana.

The Flamechaser Arc - Mei: *angry about girlfriend dying to terminal radiation and her sacrificing herself* Flamechasers: Okay but have you heard about our lord and savior Elysia? Elysia (EE version): 🌸 👼🏻 ✨ 🌈 “by the way, I’m god” - Elymei. Uhhhh-

Moon Arc - Can we all just agree that this arc so far has been a complete flop (besides Seele, because I’m biased)? Seriously. Why do I need to become a PhD in astrophysics and electromagnetism to understand this chapter. Why dump exposition sentence after sentence that amounts to nothing but “I know you are but what am I?” It takes so much momentum out of this chapter that I scratch my head and think, “maybe I should just wait for all the chapter to be done”. It feels so padded out with philosophical nonsense pushed into a package already ready to burst. All we (at least here on Tumblr) wanted to see we’re our trio back together and kick Kevin’s ass. We’re simple people, I think. We don’t need our brains melted out with these lectures to enjoy a good, compelling story.

- Also, thanks for the retcon of Bronya no longer being a child soldier/assassin. No reason for that, so thanks for making the lore even more complicated for no reason.

- A shoutout to the translation team making me want to work for them instead because why do they not do quality assurance anymore.

- Open World is getting old. My phone shrieks in binary every time I have to load in to that stupid fucking god damn dog shit ass moon map. :)

Herrscher of Origin 2.0 - I said in an earlier post that this is a rare battlesuit that I highly dislike. Where do I even begin with this development for Mei? While I do love that Mei is the new HoO, as HI3 started with her, that’s really the only thing I actively enjoy with this development.

- Anything else about the battlesuit? I dislike. The “heavenly” theme of her suit, the lighter colors, the emphasis on Elysia, I actually hate it.

- And I hate to say I hate it, but I do. Elysia is supposed to be ka-put, gone, her and her comrades stories are O V E R. Let them rest for once.

- It feels like they’re trying to override Mei with Elysia, and it just doesn’t work. This entire shift in her personality, especially with the leaks of Mei saying she basically does not care if Kiana sacrifices herself, goes against the entire reason for her growth in the first fucking place!

- Why does Mei now have flower themes when it was never entirely relevant to her character? Bronya has technology and “coldness”, with a focus on blues, whites, and grays. This continues in her HoTr battlesuit. Kiana has her outgoing, tempered liveliness and hope, symbolized by whites, oranges, and blacks. Her symbol being the stars and fire actively fits her suits in at least some capacity through all of them. This has been her theme up to Flamescion. Now why I’m sitting here wondering why the hell Mei got this “heavenly angel” looking schtick that makes no sense. Her themes were red, black, purple, and white. And of course, lightning. This about-face turn around of punting these themes into the stratosphere isn’t growth, it’s a complete erasure of her journey and efforts to become stronger. What’s with the light blues and golds? The pinks of her eyes? Why flowers. Again? Also, the parallel between HoO Mei and Raiden Ei… how similar their battlesuits are. 🫠 end me. Mihoyo stop introducing Genshin to Honkai pleASE.

- Mei isn’t Elysia and she never will be. I need everyone to read this again. And another time. Mei might be the inheritor of the title, but Mei will not and can never be Elysia. To make Mei seem closer to Elysia is to erase everything Mei is and has done. Removing Mei’s autonomy in exchange for an Elysia cameo is downright ridiculous. Why can’t her bond with Kiana and Bronya be the trigger? Why does it have to lie in people long gone? Why can’t it be love? Love for humanity was the inspiration for Elysia, so why can’t it be love for her friends (and girlfriend)? Why, why, why does it have to always be Elysia?

- Mei’s growth has and will always be focused around learning from others. From Kiana saving her life at the very beginning of HI3, to learning the beauty and importance of life and sacrificing it with the FCs, Mei is always the mirror of another’s actions. To make Mei this… almost lassiez-faire to Kiana sacrificing herself is actually infuriating. They just got back together after half a year apart, where their parting almost meant killing each other, to now Kiana waving sacrificial-offering flags like a Naval officer, and Mei suddenly not caring anymore?! Just because you grow doesn’t mean you suddenly don’t care about things anymore! The beauty and anguish from Lament of the Fallen is due to the circumstance that Mei had no other choice but to leave to find a way to help Kiana. If she had to be the bad guy, she would be. So where the fuck does this “yeah I might’ve just reunited with my girlfriend after she tried to shoulder everything by herself, but now I couldn’t care less what she does” attitude come from.

A Little Ending Blurb I’m just, I’m so tired. After the Everlasting Flames Arc, I feel that the writing team is just blasting us to the end of this saga and not caring unless it’s a cool animation or battle scene. As someone who has been playing since global launch in 2018, it is more than just disappointing to see the quality nosedive to the level it’s at now. It’s, in my opinion, heartbreaking (as cringey/cheesy as it might sound). I’ve loved this game with so much passion and intrigue, it’s become a large point in my life. “Protect all that is beautiful in this world.” It’s served as a way to reflect on myself and my growth, especially compared to the girls who all have their threads of relatability and genuineness. I cherish these characters. I’ve laughed and I’ve most certainly cried at the art Mihoyo has created in the past that ripped out my heartstrings and played them like a harp. Honkai has really, truly touched my heart. It’s not something that a lot of media is able to do, but this one has, and it’s magical. It’s beautiful in its anguish and its sacrifices. It’s maddening in the way that it crawls underneath your skin with how human these characters are. But I hate how much it seems like this past year, that feeling has been pushed behind a curtain. Nothing seems earned or deserved or meaningful. Characters just do because they do, particularly in Mei’s case. She’s constantly ham-fisting her recollections of the Flamechasers, telling her memories to characters who’ve never heard, let alone cared, of simulations of a bygone era. Everyone’s just like, “Oh? Yeah? Mhm, sure.” And move about their next dialogue. There’s no real significance to her exposition, there’s no drive to explain what’s been happening on her end. And it sucks to see.

Sorry I’m ending it like this, but I’m frustrated. I’ll try and make another addition to this in a more eloquent way, but I just needed to get these thoughts out there.

[sekhisadventures]

Brightflame, Dim Memories

Valdrakken

Grimo scowled, sucking down a cigar as he walked through the city with two other members of Savage United. “So now she’s back AND she’s got a godsdamn dragon on her side?! Fuckin' fel that damn worgen keeps gettin' worse…” he snarled, flicking away the butt of the cigar as he finished and exhaling a cloud of foul smelling smoke that made the nose of one of his companions wrinkle up.

Sekhi was with him, the shamaness’ eyes watering at the awful stench of the cigar, but she didn’t want to say anything. Grimo’s song sounded exceptionally angry and scared right now, and she was afraid of setting the goblin off.

Their other companion had no issues with this, but then Grimo only came up to her knees. “Yeah, Mola’raum said that she almost got them from above when they found a village of gnolls that had been wiped out, likely by her. Jaie was with them and she and Mola are pretty sure that the wounds were inflicted by an axe… so we both know who that means.” replied Nitika, the goblin nodding as they thought of Az'arad and his penchant for such weapons. Dissonantia rarely did the dirty work herself, she was a demon summoner first and foremost which meant the actual killing was likely her minions and she harvested the souls as they finished them off.

“Great, well if nothin’ else that means we got a chance to finish what I’m workin’ on. If you guys see a demon, get somethin’ off ‘em. A tooth, a claw, a horn, ANYTHING. Sooner we got that, sooner I can finish it, miniaturize it, and make it portable. Then we got ‘em.” he nodded as the trio wandered past a stage set up in the city center.

“MY FELLOW DRAGONS!” came an excited sounding voice from the stage. A female goblin was standing on it wearing a shiny gold double-breasted suit over her small frame, along with a big pair of sunglasses decorated in rhinestones. She had a string of pearls around her neck and her fingers had enough gem-studded rings to qualify as fist weapons. “Today is your lucky day! My name is the Very Reverend Jezzi Fizcrank and I’m here to tell you the good news about Gold! That’s right, not gods, GOLD! Gold is the source of all happiness in Azeroth, don’t let anyone tell ya otherwise and, for a small small donation to my mission, I can show you all the secret path to everlasting happiness with GOLD! Step right up here and don’t be shy!” she called out as behind her a small choir of goblins sang a rather upbeat song about giving up your worldly possessions to earn more worldly possessions.

“Ugh… freakin’ Fizzcrank is here too… just what I fuckin’ wanted to see…” growled Grimo as they passed, very pointedly looking away from the stage as a few curious Dracthyr walked closer, one of them mentioning that he did like the idea of a nice hoard.

Sekhi looked at him curiously, “Um, ya know her?” asked the Vulpera, her ears flicking. The song was very catchy, but she could tell that like the woman’s suit while it held the appearance of gold it was very much not what it seemed.

“Yeah, little shit is one of the biggest con artists in all of Bilgewater Harbor. She ‘n her freakin’ cult lure in suckers year round ‘n bilk ‘em outta everything they got with th’ promise that donatin’ to her is gonna make ‘em rich.”

Nitika rolled her eyes at his words. She was a ‘priestess’ of sorts herself and Jezzi’s rather energetic sermon did annoy her a bit, but she wasn’t gullible enough to fall for it. “You’re just jealous she has more money than you Grimo.” she smirked down at him.

Grimo snarled and threw up his hands, “SHE’S SELLIN’ SNAKE OIL WITH NO SNAKES OR OIL! HOW TH' FUCK DOES SHE PULL THAT OFF?!” he barked, then fished out a fresh cigar and bit the tip off it, spitting it into the distance as he lit it while letting out a string of curses under his breath.

Sekhi giggled, a small chittering sound in her case, then she slowed as the other two kept going through the city. The vulpera’s ears perked, picking up faint traces of a person’s song reaching her. “Hm?” she yipped softly, looking over her shoulder, then padding off through the city as she followed the sounds.

Her feet carried her through the craftsman’s quarter, around past the bridge to the nursery set up for dragon whelps, and up some stairs until she found it’s source seated on a bench in the Obisidan Enclave. “Oh! Its ya again!” she said cheerfully as the bench’s occupant looked up at her.

Laura Brightflame was seated there, the dracthyr currently in her humanoid guise with her staff resting across her lap. “Oh hello, Sekhi right?” she asked. She had been lost in thought and hadn’t even noticed the vulpera at first.

“Yup!” she yipped cheerfully, “Ya okay? Your song sounded really sad… I could hear it all th' way up from infront of th' big tower…” she asked, cocking her head at the evoker.

“I… do not know…” she sighed, shaking her head, “The others are coping well enough, mostly… but… I cannot remember anything of what happened to us. What we were before we were sealed away. Just fragments and flashes. Nothing more.” she frowned. “I feel… I feel like I forgot something important, very very important… but I cannot recall what.”

Sekhi nodded, sitting on the bench next to her as her feet dangled off the edge. “Hmm… yeah I heard some of th' Dracthyr talkin’ bout that back in Orgrimmar. Guess ya guys were sleepin’ for a really really really long time huh?” she asked.

“… twenty thousand years, yes.” replied Laura. Her mind still reeled at all that had happened during their imprisonment. The fall of the Burning Legion, the defeat of the Old Gods, the arrival of the Orcish Horde… even the Sundering itself! They were imprisoned ten thousand years before the War of the Ancients ever happened!

Sekhi nodded, “That’s a yippin’ long nap, yup…” she replied, “You really can’t remember anything at all?” she asked.

Laura sighed, taking a deep breath, and closed her eyes. “There was… a battle, against a terrible foe. We were an army, under the command of Neltharion. Then… something terrible happened. Something broke, and we broke with it…” she rubbed at her temples, trying to pull on the small fragments of memory she had. “I… remember terror… the sound of thunder… my wingmates scattering in fear… flashes of… lightning… then… Neltharion did something… and…” she sighed, her shoulders sagging. “Nothing. The rest is just… it is like trying to remember a dream.”

 Sekhi’s ears drooped, the vulpera hearing the dracthyr’s song in her mind. A morose lament of loss and despair. “Um… yeah, wow…” she thought on that, then the flames in a nearby brazier caught in the wind and she heard a faint voice in her ears, a guitar mixed with a flute, and her ears caught the voice of the elements.

“I… might be able to help, but I’ll need to get some stuffs. Can ya, um, can ya meet me…” she looked around, “Um… over there, th' cliffside near that waterfall there, in about a day or so?” she asked.

Laura turned to face her, “Help? How?” she asked, looking confused.

“Well, Imma shaman… not like those Primalist jerks, but a proper shaman! I know some stuffs 'bout magic ‘n spirits ‘n stuffs!” she nodded with a little foxy grin, her tail swishing. “I gotta get some help settin’ up… but I think I can do somethin’!”

The next evening…

Laura flew over the cliffside in her dracthyr form, her wings spread out behind her. The vulpera seemed so certain she could help, but could she really? She was desperate though, she needed help from someone, and Sekhi was willing.

When she landed there were three others there besides Sekhi. A human man stood nearby, wearing elegant robes in a pandaren design and taking notes in a book he had with him using a sharpened charcoal stick. Also there was an orcish woman, but one of the red-skinned variety. She thinks that she heard them called ‘mag’har’ or something, though she didn’t know what the word meant.

Lastly, that tauren woman she’d seen on the boat to the Isles.

In the middle of them all was a large iron brazier with the vulpera fussing over the contents. “Okay… soooo… I swapped out th' dreamfoil from last time with some bubble poppy… ‘n th' branches are from local trees instead'a Mount Hyjal. Th' sand is some I scooped up from th' beach up north. But yeah, should do it… at least I think that’s what th' elements said would work…” she chittered as the mage’s charcoal scratched it’s way along the parchment.

“Interesting interesting…” he muttered. “I swear I’ve learned more about shamanistic rituals from you than most anyone else I’ve known.” he chuckled to her, looking up as Laura landed and resumed her visage form. “Ah, this must be the one you mentioned.” he said, tucking the charcoal and book away in his pouch and walking over. “Nelen Fullmoon of Gilneas, a pleasure.” he nodded to her. “I’m here to observe Sekhi’s ritual on behalf of the Kirin Tor. We’re always eager to see new forms of magic in use.”

Laura nodded to him, “You may call me Laura Brightflame.” she replied, looking somewhat nervous at the assembled group.

“Yeah I know you. You saved my ass when those Primalists came after the camp.” grinned the orc. “I owe ya. Name’s Galdia Grimaxe, you need someone to watch your back just yell.”

Laura nodded, letting out a nervous chuckle. She remembered Galdia from the boat ride over too… and how much damage she’d caused when the alcohol ran out.

“Alright!” yipped Sekhi, “I think we’re ready… so… Laura. Ya need to sit next to th' thingy…” she gestured to the brazier, “'n I’ll light it ‘n start playing my flute. Ya breathe a bit of th' smoke from it, then just try to think back… 'n if it works you should… well… remember somethin’… I hope.” she nodded. It was a variant of what she’d tried in the Shadowlands, but she also remembered how that one had gone awry as well.

Laura nodded, seating herself next to the brazier as the others scooted away. Nitika stood nearby, ready just in case. She had elected to come with Galdia for one very specific reason: if the ritual went badly wrong they would have an angry or panicked Dracthyr on their hands and in terms of sheer physical prowess they were the strongest of their allies. They would try not to hurt her, but their strength may be needed to restrain her.

“Okay!” yipped Sekhi, sitting down opposite Laura on the far side of the brazier. “Just… take a breath, listen, 'n let your thoughts do their thing.” she nodded, clicking her claws together as a spark flew from them to the mix in the bowl, which caught and soon began to smolder.

Sekhi put her flute to her muzzle, then began to play a soft gentle tune as she closed her eyes. After a moment she opened one, then glanced meaningfully between Laura and the bowl.

The dracthyr hesitated, then nodded and leaned in, taking a breath and coughing just a bit from the smoke.

For a long moment, nothing happened at all… then slowly Laura began to feel strangely detatched, as if the world around her was fading away.

“What… is happening…” she muttered, “I feel…” she began, her voice trailing off as her eyes drifted shut.

She thought she heard someone calling her name, her true name, over and over…

Then her eyes flew open, but she was in her true form once more, and all around her was chaos.

“LAURELGOSA! THE RELIC IS DESTROYED! WE HAVE TO GO, NOW!” cried another dracthyr, shaking her frantically. They had crimson scales and were wearing hooded robes.

There were dracthyr everywhere, some wounded, others dead, most of them in states of panic, and above them the sky exploded with lightning.

“DEATH TO THE SLAVES OF THE TITANS! DEATH TO THE DEFILERS OF AZEROTH!” roared a furious voice above them as Laurelgosa’s head snapped upwards.

Above them was a massive protodrake with violet scales, it’s body crackling with electricity as it unleashed a blast of elemental fury at the ground before it. A bolt of lightning so huge it was more akin to a laser cannon than a simple storm strike.

“Raszageth…” she whispered, her eyes wide. That’s right, they were fighting the Incarnates when it all went wrong.

“Laurelgosa! Focus!” shouted the other dracthyr. “Raszageth destroyed the Oathbinder! We must gather the others and escape while we can!”

“Oathbinder? I… I don't…” she stammered out, her eyes wide.

“Damn it all! You're still in shock from the control breaking! I will explain all later, but now we must…” the dracthyr snarled, then suddenly looked up as the sound of thunder rolled, “She's coming back! Laurelgosa! LOOK OUT!” they shouted, spreading their wings and flapping as hard as they could, shoving her away from them.

Laurelgosa let out a loud cry, flying backwards as the dracthyr flew away the other direction… and then came the lightning. She felt her chest catch as she saw a beam of energy slam down into the ground inches from where the crimson dracthyr was, hearing a scream of agony.

She ran forward as the beam dissipated, Raszageth flying into the air and cackling above her at the chaos spreading below, and saw the crimson scaled dracthyr laying in a pool of blood. Raszageth’s breath had shattered the ground around them, sending rock flying everywhere, and it had shredded their wings and scales. The extreme heat of her breath had scorched what wasn’t bleeding, one of their eyes was gone entirely.

“Laurelgosa…” they gasped, reaching out a clawed hand. “Leave me… run from here… don’t… let them…” they whispered hoarsely.

Laurelgosa’s eyes widened, but the crimson dracthyr suddenly coughed. a horrible wet sound, and Laurelgosa saw a jagged shard of rock protruding from their chest. Their arm fell to the ground, the light going out in their remaining eye.

“Jakrostrasz!” she gasped, thrusting her hand out infront of her, then yelping and pulling it back, stuffing her thumb in her mouth as she burned it on the brazier as the others cried out in alarm. Sekhi dropped her flute in her lap in shock as Nitika winced in sympathy to the burn, Galdia snorting a bit and standing ready to grab the dracthyr if needed.

“AUGH!” gasped Laura, shaking her hand and looking around. She was back in the present now, or had she ever truly left? She couldn’t tell.

“I… I remember…” she whispered, “We fought..." she hesitated, the Horde and Alliance were keeping the truth behind the leaders of the Primalists secret to avoid causing panic among their populace, "... a deadly enemy twenty thousand years ago. I was in shock, something had broken and… it had freed me from… something? I…” she shuddered, remembering the dracthyr’s face, “I… saw my clutchmate die right infront of me. He was wounded, but I could not think clearly… and… I could not save them.” she whispered, staring at the burn mark already swelling on their thumb.

Nelen had his notebook out, the charcoal stick moving like a blur. “Astounding… so the dracthyr were sealed following a battle with a major foe, but what was that about being ‘freed?’” he asked, looking up at her.

She shook her head, “I cannot recall… my clutchmate, Jakrostrasz, seemed to know what had happened. I just remember…” she screwed up her eyes, “A feeling of… order, perfection, we were all united somehow… then the battle came and…” she hesitated, trying to hold onto the memories, “He said something about a relic being broken. I can recall no more.” she shook her head, looking to the brazier… perhaps another breath.

Sekhi yipped, then shook her head, “NO! I mean, no… it ain't safe to do it again so soon! Th' elements are telling that’s really dangerous, like ya could get lost in your memories bad!” she insisted, slapping out a rhythm against her thigh with her hands. When she did a sudden miniature rainstorm appeared above the brasier, just long enough to extinguish the burning within. “We can try again maybe in a few weeks, but ya gotta wait.”

She nodded, “I see… then, I will wait.” she replied, rubbing at the blister on her thumb with her fingertip. Inside however she wanted to dive back in right away. Jakostrasz had been trying to tell her something before he died, but what? What was he talking about when he said ‘freed?’ Freed from what?

Would she ever know the answer now?

Next Story

Previous Story

[kradeiz]

What Your Favourite Danny Phantom Ship Says About You

(Based on @doubleca5t‘s videos. This was a bit harder than my Star Vs list bc I’ve been in this fandom long enough to remember which ships were popular back in the 00′s and there’s a considerable contrast to which ones are popular now. Though if I missed any big ones let me know.)

Danny/Sam (Amethyst Ocean)- You are old enough to remember what a TruePhan is. Thanks for that, Butch. (sarcasm)

Danny/Valerie (Gray Ghost)- You will never understand when writers take the time to set up a fascinating relationship dynamic only to then do nothing with it.

Danny/Paulina (Shallow Sapphire)- You take psychic damage anytime someone says “not like other girls”.

Danny/Tucker (Savant Par)- Your love of the Childhood Friends to Lovers trope combined with your desire to see Tucker get the respect he deserves.

Danny/Dash (Swagger Bishie)- You never forgot that one episode where it sounds like Dash called Danny a twink.

Danny/Vlad (Pompous Pep)- Your love of Vlad is rivalled only by your love of petty little shits. Also-FBI! OPEN UP!!

Danny/Ember (Phantom Rocker)- You like the dynamic of Danny/Sam but were like “What if Sam was even more goth and had a tragic backstory?”

Danny F/Danny P (Pitch Pearl)- Your answer to “Would you fuck a clone of yourself?” is “Only if my clone had superpowers.”

Danny/Wes (Unidentified Flying Ship)- You are a firm believer in the inherent eroticism of getting dunked on.

Danny/Sam/Tucker (Everlasting Trio)- You are a firm believer in the inherent eroticism of shenanigans for life.

Sam/Paulina (Goth Princess)- You’re always a slut for opposites attract, especially if it means character development.

Sam/Tucker (Veggie Burger)- Your ideal relationship dynamic is bickering married couples.

Jazz/Dash (Brains Over Brawn)- You are willing to work with what little you’ve been given.

Dash/Kwan (Tight End)- Your ideal relationship dynamic is Jock/Jock.

Valerie/Dani (Vengeful Babes)- Maybe the best revenge was the friends we made along the way.

Valerie/Tucker (Hunter Silly)- You will forever be salty that these two had a thing in ‘Shades of Gray’ and it was never mentioned again.

Dan/Future Valerie (Dark Gray)- You are a firm believer in the inherent eroticism of Bad End Friends.

Jack/Maddie (Moronic Genius)- Your ideal relationship dynamic is Sitcom Wife/Sitcom Husband but where the wife is only slightly less wacky than the husband.

Vlad/Jack/Maddie (Family Breakfast)- Your love of AUs where the villain never turned evil is rivalled only by your love of polycules.

Vlad/Maddie (Spurned Affection)- You are Vlad Masters.

[nomadicauthor287]

Magic AU

I created a whole ass magic system on the fly. @eyecandyeoz helped me finetune these headcanons. Also this features the Survivor trio

There are 3 ways that magic is acquired and boosted

Knowledge

Deals

Mana boost

Knowledge

By studying different magic types the user can increase the range of types of magic the user can use

If you understand how different types of magic work you, in turn, can use it

Mana

all things contain some amount of magical powers

the objects or food near leylines have higher magical properties

consuming the food with high mana it boosts internal mana levels for 6 hours

Another way to absorb mana is to keep the object with a high mana count on your person

Deals

This is the most high-risk technique for boosting and acquiring magic

In order to do this process, you need to pick a deity and bring an offering

There are many deities to choose from: angels, demons, gods, spirits, ghosts, etc.

Once you've chosen a deity you offer up an offering and then strike a deal

By striking a deal you've agreed to become an extension of the deity

Your magic now comes from that deity and are bound by contract

The contract is very strict

Depending on what is staked in the deal it also affects the strength of the magic

If something very important is staked in the deal then the magic is strong

Ex.) Necromancy in exchange for the soul- high-level magic

Ex.) Light magic in exchange for a cheeseburger- low-level magic

Familiars

Can store and use magic/mana

can range from creatures to objects

Ex.) Sentient pocket watch

Crosshair

Portal magic

can go literary anywhere but chooses to stay with the Empire

uses his portals to shoot anywhere

Made a deal with a space entity

Contract mark: the circle on his crosshair tattoo

When he uses his magic the circle glows red

He staked his life because he wanted to be strong and dramatic

Omega

Bubble/gum

can steal mana

make explosions from the stored mana in the bubble

Either use bubblegum or soap bubbles or glass bubbles

Can store mana in bubble-like objects

made a deal with a goddess of healing

Contract mark- ring around her thumb and pointer finger

By dipping her mark in the bubble liquid and creating a bubble the mark glows white

Staked her agility

Wrecker

Fire and explosive magic

can create fire and explosives from his fists

siphons heat from objects of from peppers

can control explosions if he understands how it was created

Mainly uses his fire for cooking which boosts mana levels for 6 hours

Always on the lookout for high-level mana ingredients

Struck a deal with a fire sprite

Contract mark: scars on his hands and forearms

When he uses his magic his scarred eye glows orange with his fists

Tech

uses runes, knowledge, and alchemy

he uses runes/spell cards to fight mainly like Yu-Gi-Oh or Pokemon

Makes potion capsules for mana boosts or containing different magic

It's like ninja smoke bombs

When they visit a village or city Tech will wander off to go trade rune cards

Ditches the others to go to collectors gatherings

Struck a deal with a god of knowledge and a god of strategy

In exchange for his sight and his majestic hair

This is why his vision is shit and his hair makes him look like he's 50 years old

Contract mark: intricate tattoos on his forearms

When he uses his magic his glasses glare up and the wind blows his long robes around dramatically with a green glow around him

Echo

uses elemental magic/controls the elements around him

uses magic to create prosthetic limbs

the strongest out of the entire batch magic wise

When Rex finds Echo again he makes a deal with a demon to save him

Rex trades his ability to be surprised and Echo's fucks to give

As soon as he wakes up he uses his magic to get his melanin back

He's kinda like a bard

Go in punching, ask questions later

10/10 has and will screw a dragon

The demon who saved Echo said there was a drawback to his magic

Echo has to use 20 sided dice to keep his magic in check

That led to him making his decisions based on a dice roll

If he gets a bad roll he just bodyslams the obstacle

keeps a wide array of elements on his person at all times

Uses beskar with a high mana level for his leg prosthetics

Contract mark- scars on his amputated appendages

depending on the element his aura is that color.

Hunter

Animal instinct

his senses are enhanced

his senses and strength are enhanced depending on the animal he decides to mimic

usually uses predators to mimic

while mimicking an animal their diet becomes his

there are times when he turns feral

he made a deal with a god of animals

gave up some of his common sense

Contract mark: his skeleton tattoo on his chest

When he uses his magic the animal he chooses is what his aura is shaped as

Rex

he struck a deal with a god of patience

The god gave him everlasting peace with a side of dealing with Banthashit

he saves all the spite for later when he bitch slaps sense into the others

According to @eyecandyeoz he reserves the strongest bitch slap for the biggest dumbass Anakin, Fives, and Hardcase

He traded his natural hair color for this power

Fun fact of the day: stress can turn your hair white

Contract mark: his hands glow red along with his eyes

Wolffe

After his fight with Asajj Ventress he was left in the snow

A pack of wolves find him and offer him a deal

They would heal him

In exchange at every full moon Wolffe would join a the pack as a wolf

Contract mark: his scarred eye glows

His powers turn him into a wolf at will

Gregor

This guy made a deal with the bouncey ball that belonged to a hyena

he did this when he got drunk and wandered into a zoo

the ball gave him the power to bounce back from anything within reason

Contract mark: ass tattoo of the pixar bouncey ball

Lore

Before the fall of the Republic only the Jedi held the secrets to magic. The Jedi claimed they were the gatekeepers of magic. They taught their students by intense studying and meditation. It was thought that suppressing emotions would make their magic stronger but it wasn't true for most.

Most people knew about the jedi and thought they were myths. But they were feared by parents because they took their children away claiming that they were made for a higher purpose. If not the jedi then the other practioners of magic would sweep the children away, the Sith. The Sith mainly used the deals side of magic in order to become stronger than their light-sided counterparts. But that all came to an end with the rise of a so called "savior" and a war fought with slaves.

The savior was corrupted by the darkest wizard of them all, Sheev Palpatine. With his corruption came the end of a war and a new era dawned on the worlds.

@itsjml @dreamy-day-daze @agentmarymargaretskitz @kratosfan6632466 @eyecandyeoz @echoy-naak @zaffrefox @soundwavetherav

[re-diesirae]

Chapter 2

Chris

Chris watched his sister's back as she disappeared down the corridor. Something about her overall appearance was bothering him, but he pushed the thoughts away. Claire always hated it when he hovered over her, and, considering that he hadn't seen the woman in almost three months, he didn't want to spoil their time together by annoying his sister.

"Huh, she's going to be mopping about this later," Saya sighed, "she will be feeling guilty after all this."

The comment caught Chris's attention, and the soldier turned to the Asian doctor with a quizzical look.

"Guilty? Why?" Chris asked.

"Well, it isn't like she gets a lot of friendly visitors often. I can tell she was overjoyed to have you here, but with all this mess, unfortunately, with this mess, Claire has barely been a proper host, and that will haunt her."

Chris felt a pinch of guilt at the woman's words. He knew Claire was a strong girl. Claire had always been independent, but she valued family like nothing else. She probably missed him as much as he missed her; maybe he should consider dropping by more often.

"You seem to know her well," Leon said casually, looking around the place.

"We are old friends and colleagues," Saya said, picking a notepad and scribbling something, "we have grown close after sharing so many night shifts side by side. I am not sure which of us spends more time in this building. Maybe we should start a contest on that."

"Night Shifts?" Chris asked, "She has night shifts?"

"Well, her promotion carried a lot of extra work," Saya explained, "Sometimes the amount is ridiculous, especially when the other chiefs are calling and asking for help. She's too kind to say no. Sometimes she has so much work that she just gave up going home at night. I do the same, so eventually, we ended up making each other company."

"So, she hasn't been going home?"Jill asked.

"She does, but rarely. Deep down inside, I believe she prefers it here because that way, she won't feel lonely. You know she lives alone, and sometimes when something bothers her or she wakes up from a nightmare, it is nice to have someone to chat with and have some hot chocolate."

"Nightmares?" Barry asked.

"She still has them?" Moira asked.

Chris looked at the girl, and he saw Barry put his arm protectively around his daughter.

"Yes, it has become a regular thing lately. I heard yours have become less frequent," Saya said, tilting her head.

Moira nodded and looked at her dad.

"Natalia and I used to have them for a while, too," Moira said, and Barry rubbed her back comfortingly, "but they have almost stopped completely."

"Well, that's good," Saya nodded, "unfortunately, our Claire wasn't so lucky."

"I didn't know she still had them. I mean, we all lived a nightmare on that fucking island. She should have told me. Talking it out might help."

Saya smiled and sighed.

"You know she wouldn't say a word," Saya shrugged.

"Well, why not? We went through that hell together."

Chris was the one with the answer to that.

"Because she always keeps quiet," Chris sighed, "It's been like this since she was a kid. Claire never says anything when she is having trouble with something."

"She doesn't want to worry us, probably," Leon said.

He had spoken with her a few times on the phone. She usually asked how things were doing, and when he returned the question, she merely said she was bored or lots of work. On the phone, it was hard to tell when the girl was hiding something, and the younger Redfield was proficient in that area.

Their chat was suddenly interrupted by the sound of the automatic doors opening. They had expected it to be Claire, but instead, a tall blonde man wearing a black security uniform came in, walking impatiently.

"Ok, Redfield, why did you need me? It better be for a good reason, because I've got to reboot the system, and that is not doing itself."

The blonde stopped dryly and stared at the group in confusion.

"Ok, now this is weird..." he said, turning to the Asian doctor.

"Wallace," Saya said, surprised, "What are you doing here?"

"What do you mean? Red called me up here. Isn't Redfield here?"

"Well, that depends on which Redfield, kid," Barry snorted.

"What?"

The man was visibly confused, but it was Moira who cleared it up for him. She pointed at Chris lazily.

"What my dad means," Moira said, pointing at Chris, "he is Chris Redfield. I mean the Chris Redfield, you know. Claire's beloved brother?"

"Oh! Now, that makes sense. I'm Grant Wallace, Head of cybersecurity. he said, shaking Chris's hand ceremoniously, "It's an honor to meet you, at last, brother. Forgive my lack of courtesy. I am in a rush since I need to fix the crap those hackers did to my precious system. Let me be a little more specific, then, is Claire here?"

"No, she isn't here," Saya said, crossing her arms, "She left some minutes ago to find you."

"She... what? Why?"

"Why?" Saya said, indignantly, "You called her, and now you ask why?"

"What? I never called her. She was the one who asked me to come up here."

"This isn't time for jokes," Saya chastised him. "We all heard it. You said that there was something in the Command Center you wanted her to see."

"I never said..." Wallace said, "I was in command, and she told me she was having issues with the security system in the lab. She even told me to drag my lazy ass up here, or she would make me pay."

Everyone fell silent, and it was then that something clicked inside Chris's head. If the man had not called Claire, and he was there. Who was waiting for Claire at the Command Center?

"Where is the Command Center?" he said with a grave tone, "Save the talk, just answer…"

"Basement, but…"

Saya's eyes went wide, and Grant fell into realization.

"It is a trap. Someone lured Claire there," Chris said furiously.

Before anyone could react, Chris was already running out of the room, followed closely by Leon and Jill.

Everyone fell silent. It was then that a switch clicked in Chris's head.

"Where is the Command Center?" he said with a grave tone, "Save the talk, just answer…"

"Basement, but there's no one at the Command Center," Wallace said, "and you say I called her down? There's something wrong there."

Wallace's eyes widened, and he looked at Chris in shock.

"Someone lured Claire there," Chris said furiously. "It is a trap!"

Before anyone could react or say anything, Chris was making his way through the corridor, heading for the stairs. The others exchanged glances, and with no more to say, Jill and Leon ran after him.

"Claire, you better be in one piece when I get there," Chris thought out loud as he ran down the stairs, followed by Leon and Jill.

Leon was the first one to follow him as soon as they had found out that Claire was potentially in danger. They were good friends; that fact was not a secret. Both had gone through a lot during the first outbreak in Racoon City, and those kinds of events usually created everlasting bonds between people. If there was anyone as worried as Chris was, it had to be him.

The second set of footsteps were Jill's. The woman seemed worried.

"We need to hurry. I want to be wrong, but if I am not, Claire will need our help," Chris told his companions.

Claire wasn't a damsel in distress. If she had to kick some asses, she would do it without trouble. But if she got tricked down there, she would not have been able to foresee the ambush that awaited her, and the element of surprise would leave her in a disadvantageous position.

They reached the Command Center in a short time. The office door was ajar, and there was no sign of Claire anywhere. That made Chris have a bad feeling.

The trio stepped into the room cautiously. There were evident signs of a struggle: papers scattered on the ground, furniture turned over, and few bloodstains on the floor. There had been a fight, and Chris prayed with all his heart that the red liquid on the ground wasn't Claire's blood. After inspecting the place, they came to the sad conclusion that it was empty.

Chris cursed himself for being late as he watched helplessly around the empty room.

"Shit, where are you, Claire?" Chris growled.

"Chris..."

The soldier turned to Leon. The man had crouched, and he was holding something silver in his hand. Chris recognized it at once.

"That's Claire's necklace."

"It seems she got ambushed," Jill said, after looking at the scene, "No deaths, as there are no corpses, but judging by the looks, someone got beaten into a pulp."

As long as that someone wasn't his sister, it was fine. Chris could live with it.

"Three attackers," Jill said, "Male and trained. I think Claire knocked out two, but she missed the third one. They can't be too far."

"We gotta move if we want to find her, then."

Jill nodded. The group was ready to step out when Jill stopped them and brought a finger against her lips, telling them to be silent. Someone was outside the room. The trio exchanged looks and took cover to listen.

"That bitch didn't go down without a fight, huh?" an unknown male voice said, "she's feisty. I guess that is why they are interested."

"She's tougher than the other ones," a second voice said, "what do you suppose they do with them?"

"That's none of your business. Our task is to collect the subjects. The rest is up to them," the first man said. "Now, move. You don't want to be in the city when they drop those presents in the city."

"Now that's going to be a show. What do you think those guys will send this time?"

"Some of their ugly pets, probably."

Chris looked at Leon and Jill. Those last words made the hair on the back of Chris's neck stand up. They were planning an attack on the city, and if it were as bad as Chris imagined, Hughesville would soon turn into a second Lanshiang Catastrophe.

"Let's see how those stupid TerraSavers handle that," the first voice said with amusement.

The trio held their breath as the voices receded. Chris had to restrain himself from attacking the men with his fists. Those men were his best chance at finding Claire. He would make them pay, but until his sister was safe and sound, he would let them go.

"Are they planning to launch an attack here?" Jill asked, "I can't believe this."

"We should get used to this crap," Chris said with anger, "Jill, go back to Barry and the others. We need to warn the BSAA about a possible bioterrorist attack asap. We need the forces to get moving before things get out of control."

"Yes, of course," Jill nodded, "what are you going to do?"

"Isn't that obvious?" Chris said, fiercely, "I am hunting down those assholes and getting my sister back."

"Chris, don't get me wrong, but going after them all on your own..." Jill said, and Chris growled.

"If I wait, I'll lose them. I can't let that happen."

"Yes, I understand that, but you can't expect me to let you go alone."

"He won't," Leon said. "I'll go with him. I'll help him get Claire back, so you can focus on evacuating the people before this becomes another tragedy."

Jill looked at them and hesitated.

"I have Leon as my backup. I will be fine. The attack will happen soon. If we want to save as many people as we can, we need to hurry. I am sure everyone in TerraSave will help us."

Jill nodded. The woman turned on her heels and ran back through the corridor, leaving the soldier and the agent behind. Chris knew that Jill was reluctant to leave. She loved Claire, too, and the idea of the girl getting kidnapped by a bunch of terrorists didn't make her happier than it made Chris. However, duty was a duty; the woman turned on her heels and ran back through the corridor, leaving the soldier and the agent behind.

Chris turned to Leon and found the agent fidgeting with his mobile phone.

"I contacted Hunnigan and asked her to help us track down Claire's kidnappers."

"Great, that will come in handy," Chris nodded, "Did you bring any weapons?"

Leon gave him a smile of irony and showed him the holster under his jacket.

"After all these years," Leon said, "They never leave my side."

"Tch, it must be nice to have the government's permission to carry your toys," Chris scoffed, "Fair enough. Let's move, then."

The two men rushed out of the room, following the path that the two chatting men from earlier had taken. It wasn't long before Leon and Chris caught up with them. It was a group of six men wearing black suits and masks. One of them, as Chris noted, was carrying an unconscious Claire over his shoulders. The sight was enough to make the man's blood boil, and the soldier clenched his fists, ready to throw a few punches.

The eldest Redfield looked at Leon, sending him a tacit plan, and the man nodded. They pulled out their guns and shot, aiming at the legs. The first man fell to the ground. The group was confused for a moment, but they soon reacted to their attackers. Three of the closest men began to fire back while the remaining ones sneaked away with Claire. It was evident that their priority was getting her out of the building.

Chris cursed. He had no time to waste, and the men were right in the way. He looked at Leon, and the blonde nodded, raising three fingers, counting down. When the last finger was out, the two jumped out from their cover and began firing at the men. The encounter lasted a couple of minutes, and soon the three attackers laid dead on the floor.

Leon seized the chance to check the bodies.

"What's that?" Chris asked, seeing that Leon had pulled out something from one of the body's pockets.

"A badge. I recognize it. It's one of those small terrorist groups that have ties to Neo-Umbrella," Leon muttered, "I'll let Hunnigan know. Let's get Claire back before they escape."

"Roger to that," Chris nodded.

The two men made their way through the empty corridors until they reached the underground parking lot. Chris and Leon made an abrupt stop when a black van passed them at full speed and broke through the parking entrance.

Chris glared at it and ran to the guard's office. The guard was on the floor. The soldier checked his vitals and concluded that the man was dead. There was nothing that he could do, so he picked a set of keys and rushed to grab one of Terra Save's vehicles.

It took them nothing to catch up with the van, and Chris was glad that no traffic had tried to stop him for his reckless driving. He could picture his sister's lecture about it in his mind, but considering the circumstances, Chris thought that his recklessness was reasonable.

"There they are," Leon said, putting out his gun, "keep it steady. I'll try to stop them."

Chris watched Leon stretch out through the window and began shooting. His accuracy was on point, and Chris was grateful that the agent was pointing at the tires only. It was the safest way to stop the car without the risk of hurting Claire in the crossfire.

"Leon, watch up," Chris said.

Two men were coming through the van's windows with their guys aiming at them. The exchange of fire was unavoidable, and Chris had to maneuver the car the best he could to avoid the incoming fire.

"The bastards came prepared," Leon groaned, reloading his gun. "I guess this won't be easy."

"Has it ever been easy?"

"Right," Leon snorted. The blonde aimed his gun and shot the man on the left.

The bullet hit the man cleanly on his forehead, killing him instantly.

"Nice shot," Chris smirked.

Leon smirked at the compliment, but the light mood short-lasting.

A loud crash resounded in the street as one of the closest buildings collapsed right in front of them, blocking the way and forcing the black van to make a turn to dodge the flying debris. A strong inhuman roar echoed through the city, and Chris found that howl unpleasantly familiar.

"Shit," Chris groaned, pushing the door open, "not this guy again."

"Friend of yours?" asked Leon, doing the same.

"Old acquaintance."

The ogroman let out a savage howl, hitting the nearby buildings with his large hands. The men in the black van had stepped out with their cargo. Claire was still unconscious. They seemed to have forgotten about their human chasers and were only concerned with finding a way to escape the infamous creature. The ogroman, however, had other plans. It snatched a couple of the more unlucky men and broke their bones with its hand.

Their fate wasn't one Chris wished for anyone, not even those damned terrorists.

"Great, just what we need," he growled.

"I am guessing you know how to deal with this guy," Leon asked with a frown.

"Yeah, and I can tell you we are not ready for this fight."

"Why am I not surprised?" Leon sighed. His attention got momentarily diverted from the monster as he watched the men take Claire through an alley. "Chris..."

Chris followed the blonde's sight and frowned. They ran to the alley to chase the escaping group but got violently stopped by the Ogroman punching the street. Chris and Leon rolled in opposite directions, evading the hit and the flying rocks.

"Shit," Chris cursed, "Are you okay, Leon?"

"I've been better," Leon groaned, "Any ideas?"

"Yeah, you follow those assholes. I'll take care of this guy."

"Are you nuts?"

"Don't worry. I know how to deal with it," Chris replied, "I'll distract it. You get Claire."

Leon pondered their options and nodded. Chris wasn't a rookie. He was a veteran with even more experience than Leon in some things. If someone could deal with that thing, it was him. Leon took some of his extra ammunition and threw them to Chris.

"Take this. You'll need it."

"Really. Where were you hiding these, huh?"

"I've got my tricks. Be careful, Chris."

"You, too, and make sure Claire is safe, or I'll kill you myself."

Leon snorted. He gave Chris a wave and ran into the alley, leaving the soldier to face the ogroman.

Chris could only trust that the man would save his sister; then again, Leon had proved himself a competent fighter and probably was the person that worried most about Claire, after himself, of course.

"Time to do some clean-up."

[365days365movies]

March 13, 2021: Ugetsu Monogatari (1953) (Part One)

Submitted for the approval of the Midnight Society...

Ghost stories are fantastic. They’re an old hallmark of cultures across the world, in our everlasting attempt to understand what happens beyond the grave. Every civilization has their ghost stories, and their ways of telling it. The United Kingdom had Charles Dickens reading his classic A Christmas Carol on stage every Christmas, and that tradition has exploded into essentially a genre of holiday films.

The United States had my personal favorite ghost story written in book form, then adapted into various media. That story, taking bits of European and early colonial folklore, was Washington Irving’s The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. 

Ohhhhhhh yeah, that’s the good stuff. By the way, I use @adventurelandia​’s GIFs A LOT, and I feel like I never credit them in tags or anything, so, uh...yeah, THANK YOU, you’re a goddamn legend and I wish you the best in your Disney GIF-making endeavors. Check out their pages, they’ve got a lot.

Anyway, we’re talking about Japan in this case, and DEAR SHIT, their “ghost stories” have transcended far beyond that into just being a part of everyday folklore and belief for many people. But today’s movie isn’t just about ghost stories; it’s also about how these stories are told.

Jidaigeki (時代劇) are essentially period dramas, set around the Edo period, before the Meiji Resotration. In other words, we’re talking samurai warriors - with and without masters - roaming the land, kicking ass and taking names. And in the case of this movie, the time of the samurai is about to be overlaid by a more fantastical setting.

Based on a 1776 book by Ueda Akinari, Ugetsu AKA Ugetsu Monogatari AKA Tales of Ugetsu AKA The Tales of the Wave after the Rain Moon AKA Yeah, really, that’s a legit alternate name for this movie AKA How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Ghost is a ghost story set within the Edo period, making is a jidageki as well. This’ll be the first jidaigeki I’ve ever seen, but not the last. Goddamn, I can’t wait for Western month.

With that, shall we? SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

Recap (1/2)

The Criterion Collection logo brings us in, followed by your typical production logos, backed by the most Japanese music I’ve ever heard. That’s backed by that one guy that makes that one Japanese shouting noise, you know EXACTLY what I’m talking about, it’s a traditional stage kabuki thing.

We begin proper in a period of civil war, on the shores of Lake Biwa in the Omi Province in the late 1500s. A pottery maker, Genjūrō (Masayuki Mori) is set to leave his wife Miyagi (Kinuyo Tanaka) and their child Genichi (Ichisaburo Sawamura) to sell his wares in a nearby city, Ōmizo. He’s accompanied by Tōbei (Eitaro Ozawa), a dreamer and wannabe samurai who’s getting berated by his wife as he leaves.

While he’s gone, the Village Chief (Ryōsuke Kagawa ) comes to warn Miyagi about a possible attack on the village, and is upset about the fact that he’s left at such a turbulent time in order to seek profit. However, Genjūrō soon returns with a sizeable amount of money for his work, to his and his wife’s delight. They use the money to get food and new clothes, including a kimono for Miyagi. But Miyagi, ever in love with her husband, asks him not to be too greedy in seeking money, thinking of what the chief said.

Tōbei, in contrast, isn’t accepted as a samurai-in-training, and is mocked for lacking a sword and armor (which he doesn’t have the money to buy). He soon stumbles home to his wife, beaten and ashamed. He comes back to work with  Genjūrō, who ignores his wife’s wishes and goes fuckin’ HAM on the pottery. This upsets Miyagi, who claims that the hunger for money has changed her once calm and sweet husband, and turns him bitter and irritable.

However, this is about to stop mattering, as the men of the enemy general Shibata Katsuie has come to the village to take the belongings of the villagers, and to take their men for forced labor. Despite forcing his wife to hep save his pottery, the family escapes, along with Tōbei and his wife, Ohama (Mitsuko Mito). Tōbei is a bit held up, though, as he tries to steal armor from one of the soldiers. Nice.

Genjūrō, despite the ardent objection of his wife, goes back to his still running kiln to obtain more of his pottery. However, the fire’s gone out when he gets there, and he and his wife are forced to hide when the soldiers come to search their house for belongings. Once again, they escae detection from the soldiers, and Genjūrō discovers that his pottery has been fully baked in the process. With the help of Tōbei and Ohama, the group grab the pots and makes it to the shore of Lake Biwa, where they go to escape from Shibata’s army. They steer their boat along the foggy lake.

While rowing, the men speak of their soon to be gotten fortunes in the city But then, they encounter a seemingly abandoned boat, eerily breaking through the mists. It belongs to a Boatsman (Ichirō Amano), who warns them of pirates on the lake, who ambushed him as he was going to sell their wares. They give him water, but he dies immediately after giving his warning.

With this bad omen, the men decide to send their wives and Genichi back to shore, as they continue towards the city to sell the pottery. However, Ohama refuses to stay behind, and only Miyagi and Genichi remain behind on the shore, as the other three continue onwards to the city.

At the market, Genjūrō is indeed successful, as the trio sells all of their wares to passerby. One of these customers is a shrouded woman, Lady Wakasa (Machiko Kyō), attended by a handsmaiden, Ukon (Kikue Mōri). She buys a LOT of wares, and instructs them to bring the pots to a large manor later that day. He agrees, and this definitely won’t result in spooky happenings.

Tōbei, on the other hand, realizes that he can now use his shar of the money to buy armor for himself. While Ohama tries to stop him, he runs off and does just that, buying armor and a spear for himself. Ohama loses him in the crowd, and comes to sit on a beach. There, she’s found by a group of samurai, and...well...samurai aren’t necessarily good people. Afterwards, the broken Ohama rightfully curses her husband for his selfishness.

Genjūrō, successful after the day’s sales, goes to look at a kimono salesman, and daydreams about giving all of these kimonos to his wife. This daydream is interrupted by Ukon, who has come to take Genjūrō to the manor. Said manor is abandoned, run-down, and DEFINITELY NOT HAUNTED AT ALL. Genjūrō, lacks common ghost sense, accompanies them to the creepy-ass manor.

However, not all of the manor appears rundown, as Genjūrō is guided to Lady Wakasa, in an intact portion of the manor. As the sun sets, handmaidens at the manor light candles throughout the manor, suddenly making it brighter and less rundown in appearance. As Genjūrō looks on, Lady Wakasa comes in to give him further praise for his pottery.

Genjūrō is deeply honored by the lady’s praise, as they drink from his cups together. She continues to praise his talent, and tells him that he must deepen and enrich his gift...by marrying her at once. And it’s at this point that Genjūrō starts to realize that something is...off. See, Wakasa’s SUPER fuckin’ into him, and she looks at him with those DEFINITELY-NOT-A-GHOST-LADY-EYES

Genjūrō, absolutely not to his credit, doesn’t say FUCK NO to this, in order not to upset her, even as she literally collapses on top of him. He continues to be attended on by her handmaidens, and she performs a traditional dance for him. The song she sings states:

The finest silk of choicest hue May change and fade away As would my life beloved one If thou wouldst prove untrue Our vow to love for a thousand years Is sealed with this cup.

And then, after that song and dance, the voice of her dead dad starts moaning from a samurai mask in the corner. You know, NORMAL NON SCARY-AS-SHIT SCARY ASS SHIT

Um...halfway point? See you in Part Two!

[doyabrushyerteeth]

MEET THE GOLDEN ONE/LUV

When imagining Glam Rock, one is often met with visions of outlandish attire, theatrical displays of human sexuality, and the thirst for carnal human essence that can only be quenched by performing in front of an audience that you feed of their very existence. At least that’s what I imagine! Many people align with the image of a group donning jumpsuits too but I digress. This trio born out the wondrous cornfields of middle America proves to be the long lost elfin children of Tyrannosaurus Rex. The psychedelic angel dust that coats the albums of this band, BURNT ONES is one everyone should invite into their cochlea . 

BURNT ONES is: Mark Tester, Amy Crouch, and Landon Caldwell (with the more recent line up including Brian Allen). I have been a fan of their for the years they were active (2009-2018 roughly). They are originally from Indiana, then moved to the Bay area for a bit (I believe some members are back Indiana???).

The track “MEET THE GOLDEN ONE” is my pick for this weird mix of Glam songs/bands/people etc I’ve designated this blog to cover because I genuinely enjoy the constant breath of fresh air this band takes with their music that radiates a fearless, yet drunk on dopamine vibe.It’s almost as if they have been pushing you psyche to fall in love with the glitter and somehow have your spirit lifted in to the sky for an ultimate climax of REALLY GREAT SONGWRITING. The psychedelic elements that drench the bands later releases are still as vibrant but have grown a bit further away from the original glittery Glam sound they started with and more into painting a fantasy of everlasting loops of time and space. 

Of course I encourage everyone always to listen to the full catalog of music each and every band’s song I review, I just like to pull out some of the hot gems I can’t keep my mouth shut about...

In MEET THE GOLDEN ONE, you are met with a familiar riff... with a powerful nod to Norman Greenbaum’s SPIRIT IN THE SKY; the track instantly melts my face off the all the fuzz tickling my senses! The gears shift slightly as the fine tuned rhythm section and fuzz laden guitar play their signature Glitter soaked octaves and tease us with whats to come. It is at this moment you should be fully immersed in the aural scenery that the band has staged for the duration of the song. Complete with hand claps and background gang vocal “C’mon!”’s an d”Ooooo!”’s you know you’ve hit a Glam rock NUGGET!! With the playful vocal delivery wonderfully articulated by Mark Tester, to the ethereal and steady drum beat effortlessly delivered by Amy Crouch that is surrounded by the fluid yet driving force behind the bass served to us on a golden platter by Landon Caldwell; this fucking song got me to another level of high and I haven’t even sparked my spliff yet!! I gotta say, my shit’s gettin all tingly over here. 

I would say My hunger has been satiated but I gasp for breath upon listening to the B side of this record. The track gives you the wettest and sloppiest kiss on the cheek when it opens up with a a vocal style that pays homage to wonderful 50′s DooWop and 60′s girl groups. I’m currently smoking some GirlScout cookies and listening to this song high af and on a microdose of mushrooms I’ve been transported to the inside of a sonic kaleidoscope.The vocals at the end of each verse seem to fly outside of the sing into an echoing chamber of saints awaiting the arrival of the glitter messiah have sung! The amount of aural orgasms that I am experiencing in the back of my closed eyelids is insane and the playful, coquettish vocals leave you feeling instant ecstasy! LUV is extremely catchy and and sticky like that Fruit Stripe gum that comes with tattoos... it stays with you.

 I would dive deep into the BURNT ONES discography and follow up with what the band is up to with their other and/ or solo projects.

Without Further ado///

BURNT ONES: MEET THE GOLDEN ONE and LUV

BURNT ONES:

Black Teeth & Golden Tongues (2010) You’ll Never Walk Alone (2013) Gift (2014) Last Draft in Different Rooms (2018)

[rileychester]

I hate triangles, but I really hate triangles with no proper build up and ones that will only bring about mess and pain for everyone involved. And it’s the CW, so you know it’s gonna get super messy and complicated.

Ok lets say for sake of argument, lets say that Michael and Maria do start dating and become a couple in the next season. (Though I’m not sure if they would have her find out all the big secrets in the last two episodes) But where she is still in the dark about him being an alien, the whole Noah is an alien serial killer thing, and all the crap the trio did in framing Rosa which led to a lot of shit coming after Rosa’s family over the years. Also Michael’s secret lab and him trying to build a ship to leave earth. Not adding on that out of the whole group, she’s the only one that still doesn’t know all. Lets just ignore all those problems that creates for their relationship with these giant secrets between them.

Though to be honest with two episodes left, they have to deal with the alien serial killer fallout and Michael is gonna be off on a mission with Kyle and Alex next episode. How is Maria supposed to find out? I can’t see Michael or anyone else for that matter just confessing all to her, so unless she finds out by accident. And if would just be all kinds of wrong to just drop this on her and not give her some time to digest like the others have had. Also not come back from hiatus with her suddenly magically ok with it all, they need to show their work on this one. 

My point being that would already make any relationship between them complicated. So lets just keep her in the dark for right now.

And they are starting fresh and it’s going well, Michael genuinely cares for her. Where Maria is happy with Michael, but it’s still super complicated with Alex and she’s sad about that. But they are all trying because they’re adults and their friendship is important to them. Because they’re not just friends, they are family.

But if Malex are as epic, cosmic connection, everlasting love as so many people behind the show have said they are. They won’t be able to really stay away from each other for long. They will be pulled towards each other. I mean Vlamis himself has said several times how deeply in love with Alex that Michael is. And even after ten years apart couldn’t quench the fires, in fact they only made them stronger. That and this is the CW, of course they are gonna make sure Malex rises again to create drama.

So what happens when this grand love takes hold of them again? And they can’t stay away from each other and they can’t stop loving each other? And it’s always gonna be them no matter what?

What happens to Maria, her feelings, and her relationship with Michael?

I mean is she just thrown to the side? Is she just suppose to be some obstacle for them to overcome? A little plot point in the huge Malex saga?

I mean that’s fucked up.

That’s royally fucked up.

Is the plan that Michael and Alex just turn around and cheat on her? Or Michael breaks up with her telling her it’s always been Alex? Or they try to avoid each other, but it just takes hold and they get pulled into a giant passionate kiss she walks in on? Or even if they fight their feelings and try to ignore things. But Maria being Maria is gonna pick up on it all and know the truth.

I mean Maria isn’t some random throw away character. She is a loyal, passionate, intelligent, funny, loving, warm, strong, and kick ass amazing woman. She isn’t someone second choice or settling because they can’t have the one they really want. I just really don’t want her getting screwed up or screwed over with this thing and I really wish they hadn’t even started this whole mess to begin with.

[find-a-way-2-my-heart]

Farmers' Market Challenge

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my overactive imagination

A/N: This was written in 2011 for a challenge in a LJ group of JM Fanfic I was part of.

Pairing: John Mayer x OC/Carl Mayer x OC

Word count: 2084

Warnings: N/A

"Maybe I should call her?" Carl whined from the living room and John held in the thousand curses that crossed his mind at that very moment. His girlfriend of almost eighteen months had broken up with him the week before, and he had been moping around at John's house ever since. Eating all his food, drinking all of his beer and soon making an everlasting dent in his couch, since he hardly moved from there. John walked up to the living room and wasn't surprised to see Carl sitting on the same spot, beer bottle in hand, and the same sweatpants he had worn for the past couple of days. His hair a mess and his eyes red both from the lack of sleep as well as the abuse of alcohol. At the rate he was going, he probably wouldn't have a fully functioning liver by the end of the month. Deciding that it was time to do something instead of just watching him wither away, even though it had been fun for the first couple of days, John reached out and grabbed the beer from Carl's hands. "Enough of this. Get up and go take a shower, we're going out!" John bellowed and almost laughed when Carl literally jumped on his seat. "What are you talking about? I'm not going anywhere, I just need peace to go through this," Carl said, using that whining tone that no one would ever believe it was coming from a thirty-four year old. "Carl William Mayer, I'm telling you, raise that lousy ass from this couch right now and get on the shower, or I'll be flying Mom in and you know that she won't have half the patience I'm having with you right now. Now GO!" John commanded again and the mention of Margaret seemed to take the desired effect, as he stood up and dragged himself to the bathroom, cursing all the way until he closed the door and John couldn't listen to him anymore. *** "Come on Amy! I can't believe that you'll spend the little time we'll have together crying over a failed relationship, it wasn't you that ended things in the first place?" Annie said, sliding into her sister bed and hugging her tightly. She was in town to spend her vacation with her sister and wouldn't certainly allow a break-up to spoil it. She had met Carl a couple of times and had thought him to be a thorough nice guy. She didn't know why Amy had broken up with him in the first place, as her sister didn't get into any specifics, but she was sure that she hadn't meant it, or else she wouldn't be that miserable. "I did, but I miss him..." she confessed, and Annie realized that there'd be another bout of crying if she didn't act quickly. "Okay, Amy, that's it... Let's get out from this bed and do something fun, at least to take your mind off of it for a while, what do you say?" Annie said animatedly, pulling her sister by the hand to get her out of bed, glad to see her giggling in response. "All right, just let me take a shower and we'll go," Amy promised and headed to the bathroom, as Annie headed out to the guest bedroom and did the same. *** "Farmers' Market? Honestly?" Carl grunted as John parked the car. "What's the matter? There's sun, there's people and there's food. Real food, not that junk you've been munching on for the past week," John said, smiling brightly as they left the car and headed towards the stands, being assaulted by all of the noises and smells. "Yeah, whatever..." Carl shrugged and followed John, looking every inch as a kid that had just been chastised. They wandered around and John was happy to see Carl loosening up a little, and even making friends with a lady that was selling cakes, exchanging a few tips and recipes. He even caught Carl smiling a little and was happy with his accomplishment. "Think I might bake something today," Carl said, after he had parted his conversation with the old lady. "That's nice, what are you thinking on baking?" John asked as they approached the fruit stands. "I don't know, maybe an apple pie, but the recipe for the banana cake that lady gave to me seems delicious, what do you think?" He asked John, who was playing with an apple from one of the stands. Carl's question startled him and he ended up letting the apple fall on the floor, what earned him a stern look from the guy responsible for the stand. "Sorry!" He apologized hastily and bended to pick the apple up from the floor. It had a moss on the side it had fallen. "You dropped it, you pay for it," the guy said and John sighed, getting a bill from his pocket and handing it to the guy, throwing the apple away in the nearest trashcan. Raising his head, he didn't see Carl. "Carl?" He called and soon saw his brother crouched a few feet ahead, talking to a little girl. He walked up to them and saw her hand him a banana. "It's the most delicious banana in the world, it has magic powers," the little girl was saying and John couldn't help but to chuckle. "Really?" Carl asked, accepting the fruit from the little girl's hands. "Yes, my mom says it makes you grow. Although I think you are tall enough already," the little girl said and Carl laughed. John felt good upon listening to it. Getting out of the house was definitely helping. After talking some more with the girl and walking around buying a variety of fruits and vegetables, some John hadn't even heard about before, they walked up to a charming coffee shop to sit down for a bit. They ordered coffee and muffins, and were waiting for their orders to arrive when John felt Carl stiffening in his seat. "What is it, Carl?" John asked, touching his arm. He didn't seem to have acknowledged the touch, though, as his eyes seemed fixed somewhere else. John cursed under his breath when he realized to where, or better saying, to whom he was staring. Amelia Louis, the girl responsible for Carl's broken heart, was standing just a few feet away, eating on a scone and talking animatedly to another girl. John let go of Carl's arm when his eyes laid on Amy's companionship. She had long curly dirty blonde hair, that hung loose down her back, tamed only by a black bandana that was tied to like a tiara, to keep her hair from falling over her face. She had a bright smile, and curves that made John's pants tighten. While he was busy checking out Amy's friend, he let go of Carl's arm, and didn't realize that he had stood up and headed to where Amy was until he entered his field of vision. "Oh shit!" He muttered and stood up quickly, way too quickly, as he failed to notice the waitress coming in his direction with their order, and stumbled into her straight on, splashing coffee all over her uniform and a little over his shirt. "Oh my God, I'm so sorry," he apologized and helped her gather everything from the floor and paying the bill, leaving a generous tip, before finally heading to where Carl was standing. "Hi Amy," he said quietly, as he reached the trio. It was clear that it was an uncomfortable situation, with Amy and Carl just staring at each other in an uncomfortable silence. "Hi, I'm John," he said, offering his hand to Amy's friend, who seemed to be as uncomfortable as he was. "Hi, I'm Anastasia Louis, but everyone calls me Annie. Nice shirt, by the way," she chuckled while shaking his hand, and just now John looked down to his yellow shirt and realized the damage that the coffee had done. A stain right in the middle of his chest. “Oh fuck!” he cursed. “It gives it a whole other charm, like tie dye,” Annie chuckled as she observed John as he assessed the damage in his shirt. “Well, since I don’t have another shirt to wear, I’ll stick to the tie dye thing, it makes me feel less the three year old that can’t hold a cup,” John smiled and Annie smiled back, making him stare at her. But soon his attention was diverted again to his brother, who had started speaking. “I just wanted to know why…” Carl said and John went to stand beside him, like he was offering moral support. “I…” Amy said, but was interrupted by Annie. “Not even he knows why, Amy? What happened? What are you hiding?” Annie asked softly, even though John was able to sense a hint of urgency in her voice. “I found the ring, Carl,” Amy whispered. John and Annie looked at each other confused, but Carl seemed to know exactly of what she was talking about. “How did you do it? I had it hidden in a pretty safe place, because I intended it to be a surprise.” “I broke my glasses while I was writing, it was a Sunday evening, so I went to look for some duct tape to repair it temporarily until I was able to go to the store, you know that I can’t write without my glasses or I get those nasty headaches,” Amy explained and Carl just nodded knowingly. “So I panicked, all right? I’m not that sure if I am ready for a step that big.” “Then you decided that it would be easier to break-up with me and go on with your life. You didn’t love me enough to not even consider talking to me about it?” “Carl, please… This was the hardest decision of my life, I love you, I am miserable without you, but I panicked!” Amy declared and as if it was rehearsed, both of them started to walk towards each other, closing the distance. “Amy, I love you, you are the best thing that has ever happened to me and yes, I do want to marry you, but if you don’t feel comfortable to do it soon, I can wait, I can be patient, just don’t make me live without you,” Carl said and his hand reached out to touch Amy’s cheek who, in turn, closed her eyes and molded her face to his hand. John and Annie looked at each other and smiled. “I don’t want to live without you either. This week has been hell to me, a little sample of how hard my life would be without you by my side,” Amy said, opening her eyes and holding Carl’s hand between her own. “You don’t need to feel like that anymore, baby,” and then Carl leaned in and kissed her. John and Annie kept on smiling and high-fived. As the kiss went on, Annie and John looked at each other and started walking away from the couple, allowing them the alone time they most certainly needed. “So, can I buy you a cup of coffee?” John asked as they walked aimlessly. “Are you sure? Or are you planning on adding one more stain to your shirt?” Annie laughed and John felt goose bumps. “You are a smartass, I like it. And no, no plans to add any more stains,” he smiled and noticed that she was blushing a little. “Okay, I guess I can probably fit it in on my busy schedule,” Annie laughed and linked her arm on John’s. And he couldn’t remember the last time he had felt more comfortable. As they parted the kiss, Carl and Amy looked at each other and smiled. As they looked around, both of them were confused not seeing their siblings around. Quickly scanning their surroundings, Carl located John and Annie, arms linked and laughing. He pointed them to Amy, who smiled. “Do you think we should join them?” Amy asked, as they watched the couple sit at the same coffee shop John and Carl had been just a few moments before, seemingly deeply engrossed in conversation. “Nah… I don’t think they want company right now. Besides, I bet we have more interesting things to do,” Carl declared and Amy laughed as he passed an arm over her shoulder and she snuggled on to him and they started walking on the opposite direction of the coffee shop.